I only read the first act.

I was taught a Screenplay is a metaphor for a dinner: act 1 is where you set the table, act 2 starts when the meal comes to the table and then proceeds through the meal, and act three begins when the last bite of food is swallowed and the last few pages are the table being cleaned off.

The reason I stopped at act 1 is because maybe what you have here, AND I CAN BE COMPLETELY WRONG, is your Screenplay starting too early.

If this is a story about a widowed man reconnecting with an old love in his widow’s hometown, then starting the film way back on the day of her death and rushing to get to Douglas Creek by act 2 is like inviting your guest to dinner when you’re still prepping the food in the kitchen the afternoon of the dinner. Does that make sense?

You can address Louise’s death in flashbacks. Less is more. What would happen if this story started in Douglas Creek after the funeral? What if we were given little flashbacks of Louise’s death, her obvious frustration with Jake, and the failing cinema weighing heavy on their lives?

There is something very cool about a cinema owner and the hardships of owning a cinema in this on-demand world. I’m going to finish reading.