Imaginative Malachi is the son of a widowed father working as a businessman bringing his eager son to work. Saddened when told not to bother his busy father, a stack of letters waiting to be delivered on his father’s desk triggers his imagination, transforming prison-like cubicles into a futuristic spy base where he is tasked a mission to help deliver the coded messages to win his father’s pride before the manager returns to the office at noon. Eventually reminded of his deceased mother by the remaining message addressed to his father and now being supervised, he realises that all he wanted was to be accepted by his father. Reflecting on the situation, he breaks the obligatory walls imposed by the manager and embraces his father, successfully delivering the letter.
To add a bit of extra context: The mother and the child used to send letters to their father every time he was out at work.
You have an interesting story, but I would work on the logline a bit more. My interpretation is that the story goal is to deliver the letters from the father’s desk to other cubicles across the office, without getting caught. This would make the main antagonist the person who told him not to disturb his father.
This might help think of the story a new way:
After an imaginative child is told to sit still he embarks on a top-secret mission to…
Like the contrast of ‘young naivety’ vs. ‘secret knowledge’. It suggests the character arc might be from naivety -> through to -> wisdom.
The “…win his father’s pride”, implies Father == Antagonist.
However what’s @STAKE! ? Lose of his father’s pride – seeking out the approval of one’s father doesn’t always lead to happiness?
… Perhaps what’s a stake is a whole nation’s government secrets. Wonder if a statement of nationality may help create more context – but will naturally reveal political bias.
Do like how the father has been set as widow – makes it feel fairytale like (think Cinderella). This sets up the child’s archetypal lack as ‘Mother Complex’. Perhaps in the child’s setting out for approval of his father, the ‘moment of recognition’ comes as a resolving of child’s loss of mother …