Rosa Alba - By Angelica Späth

Written By: Angelica Späth

Category: Screenplay/Short Film

Competition: Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026

Angelica Späth, writing under the name Rosa Alba, presents her screenplay "Rosa Alba" in the Creative Writing category of the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026. This evocative work explores the complexities of love, identity, and perception, weaving a narrative that challenges the boundaries of reality and emotion. Angelica's submission immerses readers in a cinematic journey, inviting them to reflect on the multifaceted nature of personal connections.

About the Work

"Rosa Alba" delves into the duality of human affection and the conflict between idealization and reality. Through haunting imagery and poignant voice-overs, Angelica Späth crafts a narrative that captures the essence of love as both pure and flawed. The screenplay's visual storytelling, interwoven with poetic influences, creates a compelling exploration of identity and perception, leaving a lasting impression on the audience.

Rosa Alba

Original Submission by Angelica Späth

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ROSA ALBA

Written by

Angelica Späth

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INT./EXT. BUS - DAWN

“PATH OF MOSS” plays. LILITH sits in the back of a car, a book bag across her lap. From behind her shoulder, only her silhouette is visible against the early-morning light.

Cinematic images of the car moving beneath bridges: graffiti and dilapidated houses slip past.

LILITH speaks in voice-over.

LILITH (V.O.)

Edgar Allan Poe once wrote: “Wretches! ye loved her for her wealth and hated her for her pride, / And when she fell in feeble health, ye blessed her—that she died! / How shall the ritual, then, be read?—the requiem how be sung / By you—by yours, the evil eye,—by yours, the slanderous tongue / That did to death the innocent that died, and died so young?”

It speaks to how one can fall in love with a singular part of another person; how another person can be like a white rose—an innocent being, a lamb. Unscathed by sin and by mistake.

But one can hate another part of the same person—the part that is marred by life. The thorns of the white rose.

INT. SCHOOL LIBRARY - DAY

BAUE reads a book. A moth lands on the page. He looks up, searching for where it came from, and makes eye contact with LILITH.

They blink at one another. He smiles. LILITH turns and walks out of the library.

INT. PUBLIC LIBRARY - DAY

From behind a bookshelf, the camera follows LILITH through an old public library. She stops. The camera follows her hand as she selects a book from the shelf.

As she removes it, BAUE is visible reading on the other side of the shelf. The camera pans around to him. He looks up.

The camera returns to LILITH, who watches him through a gap in the books. It pulls back: the bookshelf divides them.

LILITH drops her book. When she looks up, BAUE is gone. She spots him walking out of the library and follows.

INT. CAFÉ - DAY

LILITH finally catches up to him, out of breath from running. Outside the building BAUE entered, she leans against a wall and calms herself.

She straightens her hair and fixes her top. From behind, the camera catches her reflection in a pocket mirror as she applies deep-red lipstick. She closes the mirror.

The camera follows her into the café. BAUE sits ahead of her, LILITH blurred in the background. She taps his shoulder. He turns and adjusts his glasses.

BAUE

(He gives a shy wave.)

Uhm... hi.

LILITH

Hey! We go to the same school and...

BAUE

I saw you in the library. Did you follow me here or something?

LILITH

(She gives an awkward giggle. A beat passes between them.)

No, of course not! Pure coincidence that I’m here.

BAUE

Uhm... do you wanna, like, sit with me or something?

LILITH

Sure, yeah!

BAUE and LILITH sit at a table by the window. Seen from outside the café, LILITH laughs while BAUE smiles politely.

INT. SCHOOL HALL - DAY

LILITH leans against the railings when BAUE approaches. The camera moves from their silhouetted backs to their side profiles.

BAUE

You okay?

LILITH

Tired.

BAUE

I tried calling.

LILITH

I know.

BAUE

Why didn’t you pick up?

LILITH

I didn’t know what I would say.

BAUE

Just speak your mind.

LILITH looks at BAUE. He smiles. She caresses his arm. Pure silence.

SUBTITLE: “I LIKE YOU.”

CUT TO BLACK.

EXT. GRASSY FIELD - DUSK

LILITH walks through a field. The camera follows behind her. Her feet crunch against the ground. She bends and picks up a white rose.

A montage begins.

— LILITH and BAUE on a library date. She smiles at him as he reads. Music slowly fades in; most of their dialogue appears only as subtitles.

— They sit beside one another in class, working. LILITH bugs BAUE.

SUBTITLE: “Hey, we can chat after class.”

LILITH turns away, angry.

— The white rose drips with blood.

— LILITH and BAUE swim in a pool. LILITH rests at the edge while BAUE looks at her.

— They eat together. BAUE chews too loudly. In LILITH’S mind, they are fighting.

— The white rose drips with blood.

— LILITH and BAUE dance in the rain at night, happy and carefree.

— BAUE reads on a bench as LILITH approaches. The music stops. The sunlight is harsh: bright, but not warm.

LILITH

I hate that book.

BAUE

I know. I liked it, though.

LILITH

Why? It stole half its plot from another book. A better book.

BAUE

Okay. I still liked it.

LILITH

I told you not to read it.

BAUE

You did. I read it anyway.

LILITH

I just don’t get why you would.

BAUE

Because I’m allowed to like things you don’t.

LILITH

But you don’t usually. We like the same things.

BAUE

No. You like thinking we do.

LILITH

Baue—

BAUE

You don’t know me at all, Lilith.

BAUE gets up and walks away. The camera zooms out to show LILITH alone in a bustling environment.

— The white rose drips with blood.

— In class, LILITH glares at BAUE while he minds his own business.

— LILITH rips the rose apart and throws it to the ground. The camera pans down to the rose as, in the background, LILITH runs away.

— BAUE runs after LILITH through the street. The song is loud. The lighting is bright.

BAUE tries to apologise, but LILITH is furious. She pushes him. The camera follows him as he falls, transitioning into BAUE falling in the field.

The camera focuses on his glasses: broken on the ground. Then his face. Then his hand, holding the same book he read in the beginning.

It zooms out to reveal BAUE in the field in an obviously staged arrangement: blood stains his shirt, and bloody white-rose petals surround him.

INT./EXT. CAR - NIGHT

A frame echoes the opening: the camera is behind LILITH in a car, her silhouette visible. The car drives beneath bridges past graffiti and dilapidated houses.

LILITH speaks in voice-over. Her voice gradually fades into BAUE’S.

LILITH (V.O.)

Edgar Allan Poe once wrote: “Wretches! ye loved her for her wealth and hated her for her pride, / And when she fell in feeble health, ye blessed her—that she died! / How shall the ritual, then, be read?—the requiem how be sung / By you—by yours, the evil eye,—by yours, the slanderous tongue / That did to death the innocent that died, and died so young?”

It’s crazy how one can fall in love with a singular part of another person; how another person can be like a white rose—an innocent being, a lamb. Unscathed by sin and by mistake.

But one can hate another part of the same person—the part that is marred by life. The thorns of the white rose.

I fell in love with Baue... the innocent part of him. He was perfect. Everything that I’d ever wanted. He could do no wrong.

But I hated him. I mean, the real him. Full of mistakes. That part of him was insufferable. I couldn’t let that tarnish him in my eyes. To me, he’ll always be a pure white rose.

CUT TO:

The field. LILITH, wearing the same white dress now covered in blood, walks toward BAUE’S body. She stops, then steps over him with pure disgust.

The camera lingers on BAUE as LILITH exits frame.

FIN.

About the Competition

The Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026 by Hashtag Kalakar celebrates diverse voices across genres. It offers a platform for writers worldwide to showcase their creativity and storytelling prowess. Participants explore themes from the depths of human emotion to the expanses of imaginative fiction, contributing to a rich tapestry of contemporary literature.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Angelica Späth for her evocative screenplay "Rosa Alba," shared in the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026. Her narrative beautifully captures the complexity of human relationships, offering readers a profound reflection on love and identity. We look forward to seeing more of Angelica's creative endeavors in the future.

About Hashtag Kalakar

Hashtag Kalakar is a creative platform dedicated to providing artists, writers, singers and other creative talents with opportunities to showcase their work and reach wider audiences through competitions, features and creative initiatives.