“New Utopia” was originally written as a reaction to being priced out of my home state of California. I used the script as a form of therapy, writing about a couple (Mike and Diane), who are forced to flee their apartment when the building is purchased by soul sucking demons. Although happy with the end result, I didn’t think it was bringing anything new to the conversation about gentrification. After a few rewrites, the focus shifted to what I found more relevant in our current climate: the evils that people will commit when pushed to the brink by capitalism.

In the final draft, the creatures – the Fravashi – are instead summoned by Mike and Diane’s reactionary neighbors. Done as an act of desperation, they believe the creatures will protect their building from developers. When Mike discovers what’s happening, he’s initially horrified. However, this feeling soon turns to conflict when it’s explained that the creatures are offering free rent in exchange for letting them feed every night – and that most of the building has already signed off on the deal. Tempted by the chance to stay in his home, Mike finds himself debating whether or not to inform Diane of the situation, becoming acutely aware of the cracks within his own moral code.

In this script, I not only wanted to explore the psychological effects of gentrification, but to also portray it in a way that felt honest: too often the subject is presented as something only happening to those living in extremely impoverished circumstances, or living in a major city like New York or Los Angeles. The settings and characters in “New Utopia” are extremely laconic. Taking place in an unnamed Southern California suburb, and starring an ethnically mixed group of middle aged characters working menial jobs, this is class warfare shown as an all too common experience. It’s a story that’s both highly personal, and a growing reality for many, if not most, Americans.

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