Mute Witness to Murder story
After witnessing a brutal murder in the apartment across from her own, Suzy is rendered mute and is placed in the care of Dr. Trask. Unfortunately, not only is Dr. Trask the man who committed the crime in question, but once he discovers that Suzy recognizes him and knows what he's done, he attempts to use his power to have Suzy silenced forever. Directed by: Jim Simpson. Story by: Nancy Doyne.
15 total · 2 choice · 8 major · 5 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| muteness | choice | As the title suggests, a point of the story is to explore what might happen to a person if they become unable to speak. |
| what if I became witness to a crime | choice | The story turns on Suzy being rendered mute after witnessing a brutal murder through an apartment window. |
| abuse of authority | major | Dr. Trask clearly abused his position as head of the sanatorium in order to silence a woman who had witnessed him murder his wife. |
| coping with having a chronic condition | major | Dr. Trask had a chronic heart condition and had urgently to take pills if he became too excited. |
| coping with post-traumatic stress | major | The viewer is made to understand that the trauma of witnessing a murder rendered Suzy unable to speak. |
| human mental condition | major | It is not clear what she was thought to suffer from, but Suzy was committed to a psychiatric ward in a straitjacket. |
| husband and wife | major | Dr. Trask's overbearing wife's incessant nagging literally drove him to the point of murder, and beyond. Suzy's husband impotently tried to help her. |
| spouse murder | major | Dr. Trask strangled his wife with a cord and then went to elaborate lengths to silence the only known witness to his crime. |
| what if I fell into the clutches of a person with malicious intent | major | Suzy found herself in the custody and at the mercy of an unhinged doctor who wanted to silence her after she witnessed him murder his wife. |
| what it is like in a psychiatric institution | major | The viewer is shown an idea of what it might be like in a (private?) psychiatric ward of some sort. |