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Ryan Bridges
Hi, I'm Ryan Bridges (They/Them). Narrative Writer specializing in prose, screenwriting, and non-linear storytelling. My writing centers on marginalized identities in genres where they are all too often invisible.

Screenplay: Welcome to the Inferno

Synopsis:

   "Welcome to the Inferno" is a period drama set in 1920s New York during the height of prohibition and organized crime. The story follows two biracial twins, Luca, an ambitious accountant with dreams of wealth, and Pauline, a calculating psychologist who is doing her best to protect her family. The twins have inherited a popular speakeasy called the Inferno following the murder of their father. Together they must defend the club from a rich and powerful mob boss named Arturo D’Angelo. Now thrust into the criminal underworld, they are forced to make dangerous alliances and face fearsome enemies if they wish to secure vengeance for their father and a future for themselves.


 

Writer's Statement:

    "Welcome to the Inferno" was inspired by a piece of advice I got that if you want an interesting story set your characters amongst the damned. So I created characters that were as damned as possible. Period dramas have always been the most interesting to me, but rarely are the perspectives of marginalized groups seen in this genre. How do the experiences of African Americans fit within the gangster genre? How do the experiences of queer people fit? "Welcome to the Inferno" attempts to answer these questions. This screenplay is a story that blends the thrilling nature of the mobster genre with in-depth character analysis on race, gender, sexuality, and class. Ultimately we explore the complicated relationship between family, personal identity, and societal expectations. At every step of this script, a singular message is embodied: It is always better to be true to yourself even if you get burned in the process.

This script and others like it can be found on The Black List.




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