CROSSING 23

TOM is our hero, about 17 years old. He comes to the capital city in search of what remains of his family – but when the truck he is stowing away on is brutally attacked by rival people traffickers Tom is forced to fend for himself on the shantytown streets. Tom’s a tenacious kid and no matter how many hard knocks life dishes out he refuses to let his dream of a better life die. He falls for a girl he meets on the street, though he comes to realize that this has put him in even graver danger.

MICKY is that girl. A bit younger and more city-wise than Tom, Micky operates with her street-smart brother, Sham, with whom she shares a complex and edgy relationship. A gamine, almost feral, Micky has learnt how to survive in a brutal and uncaring world. But her growing feelings for Tom bring tensions to a head with her unstable and dangerous sibling.In his 20s, SHAM is older than Micky and Tom. A born street survivor, he can be hotheaded and violent. These are traits that might help him prosper on the streets, but threaten Tom and Micky when he realizes they’re falling in love. He thinks of himself as a natural leader. Maybe he will be, if he lives long enough…

MOTHER SHELLEY is a complex woman. Her demure surface conceals a ferocious sexual predator and political schemer. Shelly has had to make her way in a male dominated, violent world and to rise to the top has needed every inch of her cunning. But perhaps this has been at the cost of her sanity.

MOSLEY is a tough, plain-clothes cop in his 40s. Intelligent but compromised by circumstance; he is not mean but has learnt the trick of surviving on the mean streets. He talks his way into Mother’s Shelly’s lair, where the sexual chemistry is so combustible it threatens to blow up in both their faces. In the end he has to choose between helping Tom and Micky to safety or conniving with their destruction for his own gain. Maybe Mosley really is as heartless as he’s been trying to convince Mother Shelly he is.

REDMAN is in his late 50s, maybe older; he’s a faded but tough Bohemian. In the past  Redman has talked about changing the word for the better. But now he sees his old age ahead of him and he’s willing to do anything and hurt anyone to get one last payday. He presents a plausible face, but is not to be trusted.

MONROE He’s no more than 18, but he’s a tough street operator. Already showing  sychopathic tendencies, Monroe is a monster spawned by this future world. He has the instincts and morals of a hungry wolf.