script

THIS WAY UP

By

Jay Harris

INT. HOUSE – OLD HOUSE - EARLY MORNING

NAN (Old women, early 90’s, delicate and quite slow in movement) is sitting in her house staring at the television. Wearing old women clothes and sitting in a large recliner chair. The room is quite dark as the sun is rising.

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TELEVISION (Flat screen) News is playing discussing war and other topics.

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Nan twitching her fingers and still staring at the TV picks up the house phone and dials a number.

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INT. HOUSE – SHOT OF DIFFERENT ROOMS

Shots of the house are shown while Nan speaks on the phone.

NAN
Hello

POST OFFCIE
Hello

NAN
Hello. Yes I have been waiting for a parcel to arrive.

POST OFFICE
Ok. What’s your name and address?

NAN
Pardon?

POST OFFICE
Your name and address please.

NAN
Yes. 7, Robert Street. Manselton

POST OFFICE
And your name.

NAN
Sarah Lewis.

NAN
Hello

POST OFFCIE
Hello

NAN
Hello. Yes I have been waiting for a parcel to arrive.

POST OFFICE
Ok. What’s your name and address?

NAN
Pardon?

POST OFFICE
Your name and address please.

NAN
Yes. 7, Robert Street. Manselton

POST OFFICE
And your name.

NAN
Sarah Lewis.

POST OFFCIE
I have on parcel for this address with a delivery time for 9am.

NAN
Ok.

POST OFFICE
Is that alright?

NAN
Yes.

POST OFFICE
Great, thank you.

NAN
Yes, thank you. Bye

POST OFFCIE
I have on parcel for this address with a delivery time for 9am.

NAN
Ok.

POST OFFICE
Is that alright?

NAN
Yes.

POST OFFICE
Great, thank you.

NAN
Yes, thank you. Bye

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TITLES

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INT. HOUSE – LIVING ROOM – MORNING

As the phone call ends Nan turns the channel over several times before turning it off.

Nan slowly gets up off her chair and begins to walk to the toilet.

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Nan sitting in kitchen chair next to table with medication and an empty plate with a glass of water in front of her.

INTERCUT:
Shot of the cutlery and medicine from eagle view (showing the empty plate)

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She sits there for a long period of time, looking up at the clock.

INTERCUT:
CLOCK (7 o’clock) shows the hands ticking for an overly long period of time.

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Nan (still sitting in the kitchen) gets off the chair and walks to the sink to put the plate in the sink.

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Nan washing the dishing for a few minutes. She then looks out to the window and sees a snail moving along the patio in the back garden.
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EXT. OUTSIDE GARDEN – MORNING (SUNNY)
Snail moving along the patio slowly (Nan in background of shot)

MISSING PARTS

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INT. HOUSE – HALLYWAY – (9am) EARLY SUN

Blurred figure (wearing red uniform, shorts and hold a large parcel bag) behind the front door walks up to it before ringing the bell.

CONT’D

Nan walks into frame from the left before walking up to the door. She takes a long period of time before unlocking the door and opening it to the standing figure in front of her.

The man opens his bag and pulls out a couple of letters and then a medium sized parcel (wrapped brown parcel paper and tied in white rope)
NAN
Thank you.

POST OFFICE
Thank you, good day.

NAN
Thank you.

POST OFFICE
Thank you, good day.\

The man closes his parcel bag, looks up at Nan and then walks away. Nan stays in this position for some time before walking back down the hallway and back to the left. The camera stays rolling for a period of time.

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INT. HOUSE – KITCHEN TABLE – MIDDAY

Nan is sitting down in the chair staring at the parcel that is placed on the table (where the plate was earlier on). She continues to look at the parcel.

CONT’D – NAN LEAVES SHOT AND THEN RETURNS

Nan gets up while the parcel is placed on the table, she then gets a pair of scissors and begins to cut into the parcel’s rope and wrapping. Inside a small blue box with a lock sits in front of her.

CONT’D – NAN LEAVES SHOT THEN RETURNS

Nan leaves her chair and then returns after a couple of seconds holding a key in her hand. She sits back down and stares at the box before placing the key in the lock and then unlocking it.

CONT’D – NAN STILL SITTING IN CHAIR

She lifts the lid of the blue box up and stands up

INTERCUT C/UP:

Inside the box another box (SMALL CARDBOARD)

CONT’D

She begins the open the cardboard box and inside is a fresh green leaf; there is nothing but the leaf in the box.

BACK TO:
NAN STANDING

Nan picks the leaf up slowly and gently as if it were a child before closing the lid of the box and moving it to one side. She takes the leaf and places it onto a plate.

She then picks up the cardboard box and walks away.

PAN TO: LEFT –

FOLLOWING NAN WITH CARDBOARD BOX TO THE BACKDOOR IN KITCHEN

Nan opens the backdoor and throws the cardboard box out the back garden; the back garden is filled with similar cardboard boxes. She stares out of the door before closing it and returning to her seat.

PAN TO: RIGHT –

FOLLOWING NAN BACK TO HER CHAIR

She sits back down and stares at leaf

INTERCUT C/UP:

LEAF on plate.

BACK TO:

Nan (staring at the leaf) picks it up, stands up and leaves the kitchen.

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INT. HOUSE – CAMERA PLACED IN LIVING ROOM FACING KITCHEN – MORNING

Nan has left the kitchen and is now slowly walking to the utility room (NEAR THE LIVING ROOM).

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INSIDE UTILITY ROOM – LOOKING OUT TOWARDS HALL ‘NAN WALKING PAST’

Nan stops at the entrance of the utility room and stares into the room

CUT TO: - OTS SHOT BEHIND NAN

Nan is still staring into the utility room; inside the utility room we see a plant on top of the table counter (PLANT HAS LEAVES STAPPLED TO BRANCHES). Nan stares at the plant for a long period of time before walking up to it. She stands near the plant with the leaf in her hand. She places the leaf onto the counter and walks to a cupboard and gets a stapler. She staples the leaf to the branch and steps away.

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THE END