The entire film in one line - logline.

Writing a logline isn’t as easy as it sounds. I'm trying to capture the essence of my film in just a few sentences, no pressure, right? For my psychological thriller, where the emotional battle is just as important as the mystery itself, I needed to find a way to hint at the trauma and double life of my protagonist, Saif, without giving away too much. So I decided to dive into some research, see what works for others, and try to apply those lessons to my own logline.

Researching Examples: Loglines That Tackle Trauma

I started by looking at some films that focus on characters battling their trauma, especially in psychological thrillers where a lot of the tension is internal. These loglines grabbed my attention because they deal with people who hide parts of themselves, usually through their actions, until their pasts come rushing back. Here are a few examples:

1. Shutter Island (2010)“A U.S. Marshal investigates the disappearance of a patient from a mental institution on a remote island, only to discover shocking truths that challenge his understanding of reality and his own past.” (31 words)
   

   • This logline does a great job setting up a mystery and hinting at a major twist involving the protagonist’s past. It's emotional but doesn’t give too much away.
     

2. Memento (2000)“A man suffering from short-term memory loss uses notes and tattoos to track down the man he believes murdered his wife, struggling to piece together the truth from his fractured mind.” (33 words)

   
   

   • This one focuses on memory loss as the battleground for the character’s trauma, which I thought was a really cool way to show emotional struggle.
     

3. Black Swan (2010)“A talented but tormented ballet dancer’s obsessive drive for perfection leads her down a dark path of self-destruction as she competes for the lead role in a New York City production of Swan Lake.” (32 words)
   

   • Obsession with perfection as a form of self-destruction. This logline shows how emotional pain can turn into an external obsession.
     

4. The Machinist (2004)“A factory worker who suffers from severe insomnia begins to question his sanity when he becomes paranoid and starts experiencing disturbing hallucinations, pushing him to confront dark secrets from his past.” (35 words)
   

   • Insomnia and paranoia work as metaphors for the character’s emotional unraveling, giving us a peek into his tortured mind.
     

5. Fight Club (1999)“An insomniac office worker forms an underground fight club with a charismatic soap salesman, only to slowly unravel the true source of his emotional trauma and the deep psychological split in his own mind.” (32 words)
   

   • This one uses a double life and split personality to illustrate the psychological depth of the character’s trauma. It’s a clever way of showing internal conflict.
     

6. Requiem for a Dream (2000)“Four individuals' dreams and aspirations unravel into nightmare-like despair as they descend into addiction, showing the devastating effects of emotional trauma and the search for happiness.” (29 words)
   

   • Addiction is the outlet for trauma in this film, which feels really raw and destructive. It shows how emotional pain can consume a person completely.
     

Breaking Down the Common Threads

After looking at these examples, a few patterns started to emerge that I could apply to my own logline:

• Internal Conflict: Every logline centers around a character's emotional or psychological struggle. Whether it's addiction, obsession, or memory loss, the trauma is what fuels the story.

• Mystery and Revelation: All of these films have some sort of mystery that gets unraveled. The loglines give just enough of a glimpse into the character’s mental state but still leave room for the audience to wonder what’s really going on.

• Tension and Ambiguity: These loglines don’t give away the full story; they hint at conflict without spoiling the twists. The best loglines create tension by being a bit mysterious.

• Concise Yet Impactful: On average, these loglines are about 30-35 words long, which is a sweet spot. They pack a punch without being overly complicated, keeping things clear and to the point.

Crafting My Logline

After looking at these examples, I felt more confident in writing my own logline. My rough script follows Saif, who uses his trauma to fuel a double life as a vigilante, punishing those who hurt others. But as his past resurfaces, he’s forced to confront the pain he’s been running from.

Here’s the logline I came up with:

"Justice was never selfless. Saif punishes abusers to escape his own pain, but when his identity slips and his past resurfaces, he’s forced into a mental battle with the truth, one he can't fight his way out of.” (33 words)

This line captures what I wanted the film to feel like; emotional, mysterious, and internal. Saif isn’t just a punisher. The first sentence, “Justice was never selfless,” sets the tone. It’s not your typical hero arc. Saif isn’t doing this out of some noble obligation. He’s punishing others to avoid confronting what happened to him. That contradiction is what drives the whole story.

What I like most about this version is how it hints at a breakdown, not just a reveal. The mask slips, and what’s underneath is something he’s been running from for years. Honestly, I struggled with how much to reveal. Too much detail and the mystery goes away. Too little, and it just sounds vague. Getting it to around 30–35 words helped a lot. Most of the loglines I studied fell into that range too. I didn’t want it to feel like a pitch, more like a quiet warning about where this character’s story is headed.