2. EXT. PLAYGROUND . DAY
It feels cold in the air, it is winter. Everything is
quiet, all you can hear is the wind. Two young men are
sitting on the swings, the playground is deserted.
ANDY
Oi, how you coping?
MALCOLM
Yeah, I'm good
ANDY
Malcolm. c'mon you know what I
mean.
MALCOLM
Yeah, I'm doing fine.
ANDY
have you been leaving the house
much?
MALCOLM
yeah.
ANDY
Besides seeing me?
MALCOLM
Yeah course I have, obviously. I
went out just the other day.
ANDY
Oh really?
MALCOLM
Yes really.
ANDY
Okay, you're always welcome to
stay at my yard.
MALCOLM
Thanks man, but I'm doing fine.
ANDY
Okay man, well you are always
welcome. Just know that you
always got someone to call.
3. 2
(CONTINUED)
MALCOLM
I'm not lonely, I'm coping
ANDY
Have you spoken to your parents.
MALCOLM
No, I don't really see them,
they're always out, and when they
are home they just pretend like
I'm not there
ANDY
Well, you can talk to me.
MALCOLM
Okay man (gets up)
ANDY
Wait, where you going?
MALCOLM
I'm going home.
ANDY
Well I'll see you next week,
okay?
MALCOLM
yeah, I'll call you.
INT. BEDROOM. DAY
Malcolm arrives to an empty house, he slowly but surely
walks upstairs, each step is a struggle, he opens the
door to his bedroom and stops and stares at his bed,
almost mesmerised by the room he has been living in for a
long time. He looks at the bed again and he is then
staring at his past self and his dead sister talking.
INT. BEDROOM. DAY
This is a flashback of his sister giving him a framed
picture of the two of them.
ABI
Can I come in?
4. 3
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: (2)
MALCOLM
Come on in.
Abi is looking awkward, having a small cheeky smile on
her face.
MALCOLM
What?
ABI
You know that picture that we
took in the park a few months
ago. Well, I loved it so much, I
got it framed.
Abi hands the framed picture to him, Malcolm's face
immediately beams.
MALCOLM
Ahh, you're right, it is a nice
photo.
ABI
Well,you look nice, it just looks
like theres something in my eye!
(laughs)
INT. BEDROOM. DAY
Malcolm looks in the mirror and takes off his glasses.
He stares hard at the thing he calls hi face. He takes
a big breath, puts on a fake smile and goes down stairs.
He hears a the door open and two people laughing.
MALCOLM
Mum?! Dad?!
Malcolm shakes his head. He sees the picture of him and
his sister n the table near the mirror and carries it
down the stairs with him
INT. KITCHEN. DAY
After the flashback, Malcolm goes downstairs, before he
gets down the last step the phone starts to ring. he
goes towards the phone, looking suspicious at the house
phone. He puts down the frames picture and picks up the
phone.
5. 4
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: (2)
MALCOLM
Hello?
SECRETARY (V/O)
Hi, am I speaking to Malcolm
Thompson.
MALCOLM
Yep
SECRETARY (V/O)
Well, I'm calling from the Capio
Nightingale hospital and it says
here that you haven't turned up
for sessions in over three weeks.
MALCOLM
Yes, I've just had a lot of
things on my plate.
SECRETARY (V/O)
Your mental health is not a
laughing matter Mr Thompson.
MALCOLM
I can assure you that my mental
health is at the top of my
agenda, its just I've had my
hands full.
SECRETARY (V/O)
Okay, so we will see you next
week? (long pause) Hello? Mr
Thompson? Hello?
Malcolm puts down the phone as he is fed up and tired
with the secretary but does't hang up. He grabs the
picture again and goes to sit down on his chair, buries
his head in his hands, trying to block out all demons.
Picks up the newspaper and sees a depressing headline,
he throws it away.
Malcolm goes to make himself a cup of tea, this becomes
obvious after he gets his mug out on the table, he
reaches to get the mug but in the process accidentally
knocks something over. It becomes apparent that it is
the picture frame that his sister gave him in the
previous flashback, but only this time it is all smashed
up and there is glass all over the floor, the picture is
lying lifeless, it is symbolic that such a happy memory
just shatters like that. After the sight of the framed
6. 5
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: (2)
picture broken on the ground, Malcolm's head goes into
overdrive and he begins to have a nervous breakdown.
This will be portrayed through montage.
SERIES OF SHOTS
A. GRAVE YARD
A very depressing clip of his just staring in anger and
disgust at the grave stone.
B. PICTURE SMASHING
this is the sight of the framed picture falling in the
air it shows that this framed picture meant a lot to
Malcolm as it was his last sentimental object of his
sister that he had.
C. ABI GIVING HIM THE PICTURE
Same footage as the flash back, showing to the audience
that the particular moment was incredibly meaningful to
him.
E. ANDY CONCERNED
Same footage from earlier scene.
F. MALCOLM CRYING (PRESENT)
This would be a highly emotional moment, this would be
longer than the other clips, it would show Malcolm pacing
up and down his stairs and banging his head on the wall.
MALCOLM
Its not my fault (repeats)
G. PICTURE SMASHING
H. THE GRAVEYARD
I. CAR CRASH
J. MALCOLM CRYING (PRESENT)
Malcolm is just banging his fists into the floor to show
his frustration.
K. PICTURE SMASHING
L. CAR CRASH
7. 6
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: (3)
M. THE GRAVEYARD
N. ABI SMILING
O. ABI'S FACE SMASHED IN THE PICTURE
P. MALCOLM CRYING (PRESENT)
INT. KITCHEN. DAY
The breakdown is over, Malcolm is on the floor, curled up
in a ball. Malcolm is helped up by a familiar hand, he
looks up and is startled. he can't believe it at first,
but then he looks angry.
ABI
You never used to clean anything
when I was here.
MALCOLM
What? how? You are dead, how are
you here? Are you here to taunt
me? Or am I just crazy?
ABI
You're not crazy, you're just
severely depressed.
MALCOLM
Why does it have to be so hard,
why did you have to die, how come
I didn't die?
ABI
Don't torture yourself with this.
MALCOLM
Torture myself? I love you, you
were the only person in the world
that i truly cared about, and you
were taken away from me. You
helped me, you clothed me, you
cared for me. without you, I'm
nothing. Its not fair! And its
all my fault, oh God, its all my
fault.
ABI
Malcolm, your mistakes can
control you, or you can control
your mistakes. You have to forget
8. 7
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: (2)
the things that you can do
nothing about. You have to get
over me.
MALCOLM
(MORE)
But how?
ABI
(only you can know how to fix
yourself)
Abi is gone, Malcolm is alone, but this experience has
finally given him closure. He goes towards the couch
that he sat on before the smashing of the picture, he
looks at the newspaper that he threw, he looks at the
smashed photo across the room, and he smiles as he is a
different person to how he was before. Then there is a
sound bridge of the next scenes dialogue to make it look
like that this whole film was a counselling session this
whole time.
--
INT. OFFICE. DAY
COUNSELLOR
So what did she say? when you
saw her?
MALCOLM
She said that it wasn't my fault
and that I had to get better.
COUNSELLOR
This is very common in people who
have lost someone, I feel that
you have made a break through.
MALCOLM
I hope so. (smiles)COUNSELLOR
So I'll see you next week?MALCOLM
Yeah, see you
The counsellor believes he has got better and believes
that he has made a break through
EXT. OPEN SPACE. EVENING
This will be the final scene of the film, this will make
the audience have closure on if Malcolm has gotten over
his sisters death.
9. 8
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: (3)
ABI (cont'd)
MALCOLM
I realise now after all of this,
after all my pain. That life
isn’t for the good times, or even
the bad times. Its for those
times when you truly feel alive.
When you get to a place when you
know you are significant and you
know that you aren’t alone. You
could say that everything you go
through gives you something to
cherish. And when you get to a
good place and you feel like you
can take on the world, thats when
you remember that pain, that pain
that made you realise “I am
alive, Malcolm, you are alive”.
