Memories of Carthage

A sharp-witted emeritus classicist with accelerating dementia leads her reluctant family on a myth-steeped search through modern London for 'Aeneas'—and in the process forces them to confront memory, loss, and what it means to be remembered.

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Overview

Poster
Unique Selling Point

The screenplay's unique narrative structure, which seamlessly blends past and present, and its exploration of the enduring power of love and memory in the face of dementia, set it apart from traditional dramas. The classical references and mythological elements add a layer of depth and universality to the story, making it appealing to a wide audience interested in exploring timeless themes through a contemporary lens.

AI Verdict & Suggestions

Ratings are subjective. So you get different engines' ratings to compare.

Hover over verdict cards for Executive Summaries

GPT5
 Recommend
Gemini
 Consider
Grok
 Recommend
DeepSeek
 Recommend
Claude
 Recommend
Average Score: 7.9
Key Takeaways
For the Writer:
This is a lyrical, character-led drama with a vivid protagonist and a striking visual/musical climax. The single most effective rewrite will be to sharpen dramatic urgency: give the family a clear external deadline or institutional pressure (e.g., an upcoming care assessment, a hospital/GP ultimatum, a job-loss or inheritance clause) that forces choices and concentrates the London odyssey into a defined window. At the same time trim or combine middle-itinerary beats (collapse repetitive ‘Virgil-points-here’ scenes, remove duplicate pub/gallery detours) so every location escalates stakes or reveals new emotional information. Keep the rich classical voice, Latin interludes and music motifs, but let them serve a tightened dramatic engine rather than episodic ornamentation.
For Executives:
Memories of Carthage is a director-driven, festival-ready literary drama with high-calibre material (magical realism, classical motifs, a memorable scrapyard waltz) that can attract prestige talent and arthouse audiences. Risk factors: an episodic middle and fuzzy stakes that may limit broader commercial appeal and lengthen runtime in ways that distributors will flag. A focused set of rewrites—introducing a concrete external deadline and streamlining the trip—will increase narrative momentum, clarify marketing hooks (family caregiving + mythic odyssey) and reduce sales risk while preserving the script’s unique audiovisual identity.
Story Facts

Genres: Drama, Family, Mystery, Fantasy, Historical, Romance, Historical Fiction, Literary, Supernatural, Character Study, Tragedy, Psychological, Adventure

Setting: Contemporary, with flashbacks to the past (primarily 2004 and 1975), Primarily set in London, England, with significant scenes in Italy (Brundisium and Naples) and historical locations like Westminster Abbey and the ruins of Carthage.

Themes: Memory, Aging, and Mental Decline, Love and Loss, Artistic Legacy and Immortality, Family Duty and Responsibility, The Weight of the Past, Immigration and Displacement, Technology vs. Humanity

Conflict & Stakes: The primary conflict revolves around Sybil's struggle with dementia and her quest to find Aeneas, reflecting her desire for connection and closure with her past, while Ev and Bee navigate their own emotional challenges related to family and loss.

Mood: Bittersweet and reflective, with moments of humor and poignancy.

Standout Features:

  • Unique Hook: The integration of classical literature and historical figures into a contemporary family drama.
  • Plot Twist: Sybil's hallucinations of Virgil and Arthur, which blur the lines between reality and memory.
  • Distinctive Setting: The juxtaposition of modern London with historical locations in Italy and literary references.
  • Innovative Ideas: The use of Sortes Virgilianae as a narrative device to explore themes of fate and memory.
  • Genre Blend: A mix of drama, fantasy, and historical fiction that appeals to diverse audiences.

Comparable Scripts: Dead Poets Society, The Hours, The Remains of the Day, Aeneid by Virgil, The Notebook, The King’s Speech, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, The Farewell, The Goldfinch

Script Level Analysis

This section delivers a top-level assessment of the screenplay’s strengths and weaknesses — covering overall quality (P/C/R/HR), character development, emotional impact, thematic depth, narrative inconsistencies, and the story’s core philosophical conflict. It helps identify what’s resonating, what needs refinement, and how the script aligns with professional standards.

Screenplay Insights

Breaks down your script along various categories.

Overall Score: 7.93
Exec Summary:
Memories of Carthage is a distinct, high-empathy drama with art-house and awards potential because of its fusion of classical myth and a dementia story. The primary commercial risks are a lack of escalating conflict (which makes parts feel slow), occasional structural ambiguity between hallucination and reality, and some potentially costly set-pieces. A targeted revision—introducing clearer, budget-manageable sources of external tension and streamlining dream sequences—would substantially improve marketability while preserving the script's poetic strengths.
Key Suggestions:
The script's emotional core is powerful—Sybil's dementia, the family dynamics, and the Virgilian imagery create a memorable, poetic story. To lift it to industry-ready level, focus your rewrites on increasing dramatic stakes and sharpening conflict: add specific external pressures (a health scare, a care-home deadline, a public incident, or a legal/societal complication) that force characters into difficult choices. Also tighten pacing by trimming repetitive Sortes/hallucination beats and clarify when hallucinations are subjective so the audience stays emotionally grounded while the symbolism remains resonant.
Story Critique

Big-picture feedback on the story’s clarity, stakes, cohesion, and engagement.

Exec Summary:
This is a literate, emotionally rich drama with awards and festival potential—especially for prestige broadcasters/streamers and talent attracted to layered roles (Sybil, Ev, Bee). However, the current structure is episodic and risks alienating mainstream viewers with repeated ritual set-pieces and an ending that leans heavily on hallucination without a clearly earned emotional payoff. Key risk: lack of a central, active protagonist and too many flashback beats dilute urgency. Mitigation: reposition Ev as the narrative engine, tighten structure (fewer, better-integrated flashbacks), and ground the climax in a lucid, emotionally decisive moment. Also note production implications—period flashbacks and multiple locations add cost, but the intimate family drama elements keep it reasonably financeable with strong casting.
Key Suggestions:
The script has a powerful emotional core—Sybil's dementia, classical motifs, and family grief—but it needs a clearer dramatic spine. Make Ev the active center: deepen his grief arc, force him into concrete decisions (especially about Sybil's care), and escalate an explicit conflict with Bee and/or other characters over those choices. This will give the hallucinations and Sortes Virgilianae rituals a grounded counterpoint, make flashbacks feel earned rather than episodic, and allow the final, dreamlike climax to land as a meaningful resolution rather than a purely surreal flourish. Trim or integrate some flashbacks; vary how the prophecy device is used so it stops feeling repetitive; develop the Ev–Ana thread to add stakes and emotional payoff.
Characters

Explores the depth, clarity, and arc of the main and supporting characters.

Exec Summary:
This is a high-concept, prestige drama with strong awards potential centered on an elderly female lead wrestling with dementia and mythic delusion—a marketable ‘actor’s vehicle’ and festival contender. Risks: current structure sometimes leans toward spectacle (gallery hallucination, repeated flashbacks) that could feel indulgent and slow pacing that dilutes emotional payoff; it also requires licensed classical music and multiple period/location shoots which raise production cost. Fixes are low-to-medium cost (rewrites, tightening scenes, clarifying arcs) but essential to secure talent, festival buzz and distributor confidence; once tightened, the material will strongly appeal to prestige outlets and discerning international audiences.
Key Suggestions:
Sybil is the emotional heart of the screenplay—powerful, moving and richly textured—but her arc needs clearer agency and a stronger mid-point so audiences can track and feel her decline as a purposeful dramatic journey rather than episodic spectacle. Tighten hallucination sequences so they reveal character or change relationships (not just showy moments), give Sybil a clear proactive choice (however delusional) around the story midpoint, and add quiet private beats that contrast her scholarly past with present fragility. Also sharpen Ev's visible transformation (make his midpoint moment more explicit) and give Bee one decisive, consequential action that tests her helper instincts to balance the family dynamics and raise stakes.
Emotional Analysis

Breaks down the emotional journey of the audience across the script.

Exec Summary:
The screenplay offers strong thematic material and awards-calibre emotional scenes, but its current pacing and tonal concentration on sustained sorrow creates a commercial risk: audiences may experience emotional fatigue and critics could call it relentlessly bleak. Strategic rewrites that inject emotional contrast, clearer resolutions for Ev and Bee, and a few sustained uplifting threads (a budding romance, Bee’s academic triumph, or moments of lucid joy from Sybil) would broaden audience appeal and preserve the film’s artistic gravitas while improving marketability.
Key Suggestions:
The script is emotionally powerful but leans heavily on sustained melancholy and high-intensity grief, especially after the mid-point, which risks numbing the audience before the finale. Rebalance the emotional arc: introduce more genuine, sustained moments of joy or levity (not merely undercutting jokes), give Sybil varied responses (clarity, humor, small triumphs) amid her dementia, and create quieter recovery beats after major blows (Anthea revelation, synagogue/church sequences) so the climactic scenes land with fuller impact. Also add one or two intimate, private scenes (e.g., Ev alone confronting fear/guilt; Bee with a concrete personal stake) to deepen empathy and resolve subplots.
Goals and Philosophical Conflict

Evaluates character motivations, obstacles, and sources of tension throughout the plot.

Exec Summary:
This is a prestige, character-led drama with awards potential (strong lead role, classical-literary hooks, intergenerational relationships). Its strengths—poignant treatment of dementia, literary ambition, and tender family reconciliation—are marketable to arthouse and festival circuits. Risks: the heavy use of mythic hallucinations and layered flashbacks may confuse mainstream viewers and complicate marketing; the subject of dementia requires sensitive handling to avoid alienating audiences. Investment should prioritize an accomplished lead actress, a director with experience blending realism and lyricism, and careful editorial stewardship to keep narrative clarity while preserving the film’s poetic quality.
Key Suggestions:
The analysis shows a strong, emotionally rich through-line: Sybil’s struggle with memory, identity and loss drives both the plot and the film’s thematic heart. To strengthen the script, focus on making Sybil’s internal arc more visible and earned throughout—the hallucinations and mythic signposts should escalate logically and be mirrored by tangible changes in family dynamics so the final waltz/collapse feels inevitable rather than sudden. Trim or clarify peripheral set-pieces that don’t advance her emotional journey; tighten stakes and causal links between flashbacks, Sortes Virgilianae moments, and the family’s decisions so the audience can follow and invest in the payoff.
Themes

Analysis of the themes of the screenplay and how well they’re expressed.

Exec Summary:
This is a prestige, adult drama with awards potential: strong themes (dementia, art, legacy), instant festival appeal and casting attractors (established actors for Sybil/Arthur/Virgil). Risks: heavy classical references may narrow mainstream reach, pacing feels episodic (risking runtime/engagement), and dementia scenes require sensitive, expert-backed depiction to avoid criticism. With a tighter script, clear emotional stakes, and targeted marketing (arthouse, older-skewing audiences, festivals), the film can deliver both critical acclaim and reasonable specialist-circuit commercial returns.
Key Suggestions:
The script's emotional core — memory, love and art battling the erosion of identity — is powerful and cinematic. Tighten and prioritise that core so every scene and hallucination furthers Sybil's inner arc and the family's external stakes. Reduce episodic detours that diffuse momentum (many set-piece flashbacks and classical asides) and make Virgil/other apparitions function as catalysts for change rather than decorative echoes. Clarify who must change (Ev, Bee, Sybil) and what decisive choice will resolve the story emotionally, so the audience feels a satisfying causal through-line rather than a series of moving tableaux.
Logic & Inconsistencies

Highlights any contradictions, plot holes, or logic gaps that may confuse viewers.

Exec Summary:
Fixing the finale and a few structural inconsistencies is critical to protect the film’s market value. As written, the climax risks critics and advocacy groups calling the dementia portrayal manipulative or melodramatic, which can damage festival prospects and word-of-mouth. A modest rewrite focusing on earned emotional beats, clearer signposting between reality and hallucination, and a plausible medical/psychological foreshadow will raise the script from sentimental to authentic, increasing its awards potential, festival viability, and appeal to prestige distributors.
Key Suggestions:
The script’s emotional core — Sybil’s dementia and the family’s reckoning with loss — is strong, but the climax (her sudden joyful waltz with Arthur and immediate death) reads unearned. Tighten the emotional through-line by layering foreshadowing and incremental escalation of Sybil’s hallucinations, ground Virgil’s interventions in associative memory cues, and foreshadow a medical collapse (rhythmic arrhythmia/pacemaker issues) so the ending feels inevitable rather than convenient. Trim repetitive musical/flashback beats and use fewer, sharper memory triggers so each hallucination advances character or plot rather than reiterating theme.

Scene Analysis

All of your scenes analyzed individually and compared, so you can zero in on what to improve.

Scene-Level Percentile Chart
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Other Analyses

This section looks at the extra spark — your story’s voice, style, world, and the moments that really stick. These insights might not change the bones of the script, but they can make it more original, more immersive, and way more memorable. It’s where things get fun, weird, and wonderfully you.

Unique Voice

Assesses the distinctiveness and personality of the writer's voice.

Exec Summary:
This is high-quality prestige material with awards and festival potential: a literary, character-driven piece that will attract veteran actors and a discerning audience. The strengths are its thematic richness and strong set-piece scenes (e.g., the Castro diagnosis). Risks: the density of classical reference and episodic, hallucinatory beats could alienate mainstream viewers and complicate marketing. Production-wise, modest budgetary pressure will come from multiple period/flashback locations and VFX for visions. To maximize value, position this as a prestige film/limited festival release, attach a strong lead and director who can sell emotional clarity, and prepare marketing that foregrounds the human story more than the academic elements.
Key Suggestions:
Your voice—erudite, elegiac and wry—is a powerful asset: it lifts a family melodrama into a layered, melancholic meditation on memory, myth and mortality. To strengthen the script, tighten the emotional through-line so the classical allusions and hallucinations always serve character (not spectacle). Make sure each mythic moment reveals something concrete about Sybil, Ev or Bee’s choices; reduce explanatory patches and let images, small gestures and sensory detail carry meaning. Be stricter about pacing: prune episodic detours and clarify the rules of the apparitions so the audience stays emotionally invested rather than intellectually puzzled.
Writer's Craft

Analyzes the writing to help the writer be aware of their skill and improve.

Exec Summary:
This is a beautifully written, literary family drama with cross-generational and mythic hooks that can attract prestige buyers and festival programmers. The main risk is its current lack of sustained dramatic tension and palpable stakes, which could limit broader audience engagement and commercial prospects. Strengthening conflict and tightening pacing will increase marketability without sacrificing the script's intellectual and emotional strengths; as is, it’s likely to appeal to niche art-house outlets but may struggle to secure mainstream distribution or sales at scale.
Key Suggestions:
Your script shows strong emotional intelligence, lyrical writing, and a gift for evocative imagery and character moments. To lift it to the next level, concentrate on increasing dramatic conflict and tension—both external obstacles and sharper internal dilemmas—so each scene has a clearer pressure point that forces characters to change. Deepen subtext in key exchanges and tighten pacing by trimming or reframing quieter beats so momentum builds toward the final catharsis.
Memorable Lines

Spotlights standout dialogue lines with emotional or thematic power.

Exec Summary:
This is prestige, mid‑budget drama with strong awards potential if led by high-calibre actors — its themes (dementia, family, classical myth) cater to festival and older streaming audiences. Risks: dense classical references and extended expository dialogue narrow mainstream appeal and could slow pacing; sensitive depiction of dementia must be authentic to avoid criticism. Mitigations: cast a recognizable lead to broaden reach, tighten the script to highlight emotional hooks (mother/daughter reconciliation, haunted past), and budget for a strong director and heritage production design. Market it as literary, human-centred drama for festivals and SVOD windows rather than broad theatrical youth-oriented release.
Key Suggestions:
The selected memorable lines reveal the script's emotional core — grief, memory, love, and classical obsession — which is a real strength. However several lines read as speechified exposition (especially tour-guide/lecture-style blocks) or generic philosophical pronouncements that risk feeling theatrical rather than cinematic. Tighten and personalise the dialogue: trim long explanatory passages, give each line a clear emotional need, and let subtext and visual beats carry exposition. Make the few ‘big’ lines (Ev’s existential lament, Sybil’s nostalgic asides, Arthur’s vow) feel earned by trimming surrounding explanation and anchoring them in physical action or image so they land in performance and promotion alike.
Tropes
Highlights common or genre-specific tropes found in the script.
World Building

Evaluates the depth, consistency, and immersion of the story's world.

Exec Summary:
The screenplay presents a unique blend of historical and contemporary elements, appealing to audiences interested in classical literature and family dynamics. However, the current lack of conflict may hinder its marketability, as emotional engagement is crucial for viewer investment. The juxtaposition of tradition and modernity is intriguing but needs to be executed with more tension to resonate with audiences. Without addressing these issues, the project risks being perceived as overly sentimental or lacking in dramatic weight.
Key Suggestions:
To enhance the screenplay, consider deepening the conflict between characters, particularly focusing on the emotional strain caused by Sybil's dementia and its impact on family dynamics. This could add layers of realism and complexity to the narrative, allowing for a more nuanced exploration of themes such as memory, loss, and the struggle between tradition and modernity. Additionally, integrating more moments that highlight the negative aspects of the characters' experiences could enrich the world-building and thematic depth.
Correlations

Identifies patterns in scene scores.

Exec Summary:
This is a literarily ambitious, character-driven piece with strong dialogue and a distinct authorial voice, likely to attract critics and prestige festival attention. The commercial risk: its persistent reflective/nostalgic tone and low mid‑script conflict reduce forward momentum and make it harder to sustain broad audience engagement. A targeted rewrite that raises stakes, clarifies obstacles, and tightens the middle will preserve the screenplay’s artistic identity while improving marketability for buyers who want both emotional depth and narrative propulsion.
Key Suggestions:
Your script’s strengths are clear: superbly written dialogue, consistent emotional reflection, and memorable, lyrical moments (many anchored in classical allusion). But the tone is too uniformly reflective and nostalgic, which mutes dramatic urgency and inhibits character change. Prioritize raising concrete conflict and stakes—especially in the middle third—so characters face decisions with real consequences. Use the techniques you already do well (dialogue, philosophical beats, rich imagery) to escalate tension and reveal deeper subtext rather than primarily pausing for elegiac reflection. Treat Scene 46 as a model: it combines stakes, conflict, and character change while keeping your voice intact.
Loglines
Presents logline variations based on theme, genre, and hook.