Growing Up (a script i wrote when i was 16 to try to get into SOTA Film. Needless to say, I didn't get in bc this was probably too shitty)

GROWING UP

 A Short Screenplay

EXT. A PARK WHERE THERE IS GRASS AND A WALKWAY FOR PEOPLE – MORNING

We fade in to see the close-up of a very green, healthy looking bush. The song ‘Rose Garden’ by Adrian Johnston plays softly in the background. Warm sunlight is reflected off the leaves and a single blue flower is just visible toward the bottom left corner of the frame.

A small hand emerges from the right of the frame to pluck the flower. Zoom out to see that the hand belongs to a little girl, about 7 or 8 years old (GIRL), who is wearing a white dress with a baby blue sunhat and is standing on the walkway next to the bush. Holding the flower up to her face, she takes a whiff and turns to her right. Pan up to see a woman standing at the end of the walkway, smiling (MOTHER). GIRL immediately starts running towards her, arms outstretched when… she falls. Music abruptly stops.

A brief second of confusion. It takes GIRL about 2 seconds to register the pain in her right knee after which she starts wailing from the pain. MOTHER runs up to GIRL, inspects her, finds nothing serious then cradles her in her arms, stroking her hair.

MOTHER

Chin up, darling. You’re alright. You’re okay.

GIRL clings to MOTHER and for a while the wailing fades into sobs. The same music fades back in.

MOTHER

Look! You’ve just got a bruise, that’s all. Here, Momma will kiss your boo boo to make it all better.

MOTHER kisses a reddened spot on girl’s left elbow. GIRL stares at MOTHER in awe and then, a smile starts to light up her face as MOTHER hoists her up and takes her hand as they proceed down the path towards the rays of sunlight. Music and screen fades out.

INT. SECONDARY SCHOOL HALLWAY – LATE AFTERNOON

The camera focuses on the fire engine red lockers lined up against the hallway. The sound of a something being pushed against the lockers comes as a shock. Pan up to see a group of girls dressed in pink cackling with laugher and walking off whilst still chanting ‘FOUR EYES’,  allowing us to see the crumpled mess of a girl (GIRL, same child actress) they leave behind on the ground. She is wearing a seemingly oversized blue T Shirt and a pair of jeans 2 sizes too large.

A pair of cracked and bent blue spectacles lies on the ground next to her and as she blindly fumbles around for them, a hand picks them up and pulls her up. The song ‘Old Friend’ by Angus & Julia Stone starts to fade in. We see that it is a young boy (FRIEND) who looks her age. He offers her the spectacles.

FRIEND

Hey, are you okay? Don’t let those girls get to you. You aren’t weird just because you wear glasses, you know.

GIRL stares at the spectacles in his hand and starts to wail exactly as she did previously. Whilst in context, this is out of the ordinary, FRIEND seems not to notice its absurdity and hands her a messy wad of fast food napkins pulled out from his trouser pocket. GIRL gratefully takes them and wipes her face.

GIRL’s POV of FRIEND. As she puts on the spectacles, camera focuses and she, as well as the audience, gets a first glimpse of the boy where we see that he too, has a pair of black spectacles perched on his nose.

FRIEND

Come on, let’s go get some lunch. I’m starving. My name’s Kevin, by the way. What’s yours?

The pair walk towards the canteen via the hallway together, the girl smiling a little at the thought of a new friend and answering FRIEND as the music gets louder so that we cannot hear her answer.

INT. A MESSY OFFICE CUBICLE – EVENING

The sound of typing, fax machines and hushed murmurs provides an unusual cacophonous soundtrack to this scene. This is a stark contrast to the dull work most of the people here are doing. GIRL (same child actress) , who is wearing a navy blue jacket over a simple grey dress, both of which seem far too big for her, sits at her desk typing away, when the sound of powerful high heels hitting the ground causes a sudden surge of quietness, which further amplifies the echoes from the shoes.

We can see GIRL’s face now. She cringes, expecting something she is unfortunately all too familiar with. The sound of a heavy stack of paper being slammed inches from where here hand is, clutching her computer mouse, causes her to jump.

BOSS (Woman’s voice)

(leaning over her shoulder from behind the chair) What is this? I told you to get me all files regarding the Johnson project and this is what you turn in? 3 hole paper, and a mess! I need DETAILS, DETAILS! What does the company pay you to do? Screw up the paperwork? (pause) Do it again. And next time make sure you use 2 hole paper.

Silence. GIRL does not dare to move. She relaxes a little, assuming the silence means that the woman (BOSS) has gone.

BOSS

Well don’t just SIT THERE idly. GET TO WORK.

GIRL jumps in her seat again from the shock.

As the woman stalks off, GIRL stares at the stack of paper, then lets her face crumple into tears when everyone else has resumed their jobs. She cries and wails like a child, sometimes even kicking at her desk in a tantrum-like fashion, although no one seems to think this odd.

The thump of a hole puncher being placed on the table next to her causes her to look up. Another woman her age (EMPLOYEE) warmly smiles at her and places a comforting hand on her shoulder. She has a cheerful demeanour about her.

EMPLOYEE

That’s the third time this week. Honestly I don’t know how you put up with her. You’re so much better than this. (She points to the stack of paper) what happened?

GIRL struggles to explain something but is cut off.

EMPLOYEE

(Picking up the stack of papers)Here, I’ll help you get these photocopied on 2 hole paper. Honestly, don’t feel too bad. She’s only being harsh on you because it’s your first year here. The rest of us all went through the same thing, so chin up, darling. (Smiles warmly)

EMPLOYEE walks off with the stack of paper, with GIRL watching her leave.

INT. AN APARTMENT – NIGHT

We hear someone fumbling with the key for a while outside the door before it is opened. GIRL (same child actress) is very evidently exhausted. She is wearing a navy blue office suit and as the door opens, the loud creak is a result of its old, ungreased hinges and of the fact GIRL almost leans all of her body weight on it.

GIRL dumps a heavy laptop bag on the floor and shuffles slowly, tiredly to the kitchen, where she sluggishly opens the cabinet and pulls out a glass. Her tiredness is further emphasized by the sound of the glass landing heavily on the edge of a table. GIRL reaches into refrigerator for a carton of milk.

The action of GIRL pouring milk into the glass causes it to fall off of its precarious position on the edge of the table. The glass of milk falls in slow motion until its snaps back into real-time and crashes to the floor.

Silence and stillness.

GIRL stares hard at the shattered glass on the floor for a long, long time. The camera zooms in so that all we see is her face. Her nose starts crinkling and as her face morphs into one of great frustration, she makes no attempt to cover her face as most other people would when they are on the verge of tears. GIRL plops down on a chair, the camera following her face, as she starts to cry. The audience is forced to watch this painfully slow transition from crying to wailing in a childish, tantrum-like manner.

Flashbacks of MOTHER kissing GIRL’s elbow, FRIEND handing GIRL the glasses and EMPLOYEE walking away with the stack of paper cheerily play in GIRL’s mind. Her wailing slows a while, as she looks up, as if expecting someone to immediately come to her aid.

When no one arrives, she is about to launch back into her crying fit when her eyes catch a small shovel-sized broom and dustpan set hanging on one of the walls in the tiny kitchen. GIRL wipes her face with the back of her hand and slowly makes her way across the kitchen and out of frame, her eyes fixed on the broom and dustpan set. GIRL walks back into frame with the broom in one hand and the dustpan in the other and looks down at the shattered glass.

GIRL bends down out of frame and the sound of glass being swept up can be heard. The camera films the blurry background of the kitchen before WOMAN stands up in place of GIRL with the dustpan and shattered bits of glass. WOMAN is a fully grown woman wearing exactly the same thing GIRL was wearing at the start of this scene, except now the clothes fit her. WOMAN literally lifts her chin up from where her focus has been (on the glass fragments) and takes a deep long breath in acceptance of her fate. WOMAN resolutely walks to the dustbin and begins disposing of the glass fragments.

FADE OUT as the last few fragments of glass reflect the dim glow emanating from a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling of the kitchen.