“To Live Beyond his Means” is a mysterious tale of Jack, a young guy living a routine and boring life. One fine day whilst travelling on the roadside he meets a stranger named Abraham and his life turns upside down.

Who is Jack? Why does Abraham want to meet Jack? What is his proposal to Jack? Will Jack accept Abraham’s proposal and if he does, what will happen to his destiny?

This story uses futuristic city backdrop divided into darkness and brightness with busy day to day life. The story revolves around the protagonist Jack who was living a routine life like any other young college-going boy. His encounter with a stranger suddenly changes his life into a 360-degree turn.

By and large, Jack was a regular-old college kid. One day, an old man named Abraham tells him that he is the long-lost descendant of the King of Kaplan and advises him to take part in a test for his rightful place to the throne. This so-called “test” was for him to be confined to a closed room and avoid sound-wave attacks from the TV and newspaper while trying to find out why they attack. In passing this test, he was to be rewarded a home onboard a space shuttle, a lavish and luxurious lifestyle, and his hand in marriage to a beautiful girl. Overeager and completely on-board, Jack accepts the test. But little did he know that what he just accepted was a trap laid out by an international cabal full of mystery and conspiracy.

While reading the script, the reader starts connecting with Jack’s character and visualising the world around him. The writer reveals the sequence of events one after another in an engaging manner. The pacing of the story is its strong point. The reader does not feel bored. The suspense of the story is intriguing and the overall plot grows on you. The climax is endearing and compliments the title.

Jack is the protagonist and other characters are Abraham, Maggie, Pat and Cassie. Jack’s character appears vulnerable and believable. Abraham appears sophisticated and shrewd. All characters are interesting and sufficiently defined in the screenplay.

As the story progresses, the reader is able to visualize it as a thriller/mystery series.  All characters help in taking the story forward and fit the plot nicely. The central point is Jack and the story engages the reader to imagine Jack’s state of mind and series of events happening in his life one after another at a fast pace. Some more detailing of Maggie, Pat and Cassie would have added more depth to the storyline.

The dialogues are crisp and relevant to the plot. They help in building the initial premise of the story and taking it forward. Dialogues are easy to read and relatable. As a number of characters and the length of the dialogues are drafted well, it helps the readers stay engaged in the plot without feeling bored.

The writer clearly explains each and every location, prop and their purpose in the script. The script has the ingredients for being developed either into a science fiction/mystery series or a short film. The reader wants to know more about Jack, his upbringing and his life ahead.

Overall it’s a well-written screenplay with a sensible message which makes you think about one’s choice of actions and consequences of those actions. The story delivers the message without being preachy. In one word this script can be described as “Engaging”.