BALLOONS: "OLD" 3rd DRAFT. Written by. Jordan Naraja

Transcription

1 BALLOONS: "OLD" 3rd DRAFT Written by Jordan Naraja

2 EXT. DRIVEWAY - GLOOMY DAY CLOSE UP on a blurry pink object with a gloomy/cloudy sky in focus. CAMERA CHANGES FOCUS on a Pink balloon and SLOWLY ZOOMS OUT to a little girl (5 years old) staring up at the sky on the drive way of her house. (O.S.) Madi? Where are you? CAMERA FOCUSES on Madi s wrist which has the PINK BALLOON tied to it. Smiling she starts playing with the string tied to her wrist. (O.S.) (CONT D) There you are! Madi turns around to see her father, a healthy and fit middle aged man with a BLUE BALLOON tied to his wrist, walk through the doorway of their small ranch style house. How many times have I told you not play with your balloon string? I know daddy I was just staring at it. Alright alright no excuses honey. Now lets get going or we re going to be late. Bobby tightens the balloon string on his daughter s wrist and places her safely in her car seat. Bobby gets into the car and starts the engine. INT. CAR - GLOOMY DAY Bobby switches through the radio channels while driving and finally finds a talk radio station. RADIO MAN 1 (V.O.) I just don t understand it anymore kids these days walk around with their balloons so carelessly tied as if it were a fashion statement. They walk around with their balloons covered in graffiti as if it were cool. (MORE) (CONTINUED)

3 CONTINUED: RADIO MAN 1 (V.O.) (CONT'D) Vandalism and self-regard to their natural being is what it is! 2. RADIO MAN 2 (V.O.) I agree!...(sigh) What happened to the good old days where people were smart tieing their balloons safely to their wrists. (V.O.) Ain t that the truth. INT. CAR - S POV - GLOOMY DAY Bobby pulls up to a stop light and see s a group of punks walking with balloons tied to their pony tails and clothing. Several other people are walking the streets within the shot including; a young couple with intertwined light colored balloons, several business men and women with dark colored balloons, an old woman with a dark red balloon, etc. Smiles at his daughter through his rear view mirror. CAMERA CLOSE UP on the rear view mirror. Madi smiles back while she plays with her balloon string. The light turns green and the car starts to move again. EXT. CITY - GLOOMY DAY The city is full of life with people busy walking in and out of buildings. CAMERA GETS A FULL VIEW of a city block where there is sea of people with balloons. EXT. HOSPITAL ENTRANCE - GLOOMY DAY Bobby and Madi are walking into the hospital as an ambulance drops off a patient who is being rushed in. The patient appears to be lifeless with a BLACK BALLOON deflated and hanging to the side of the stretcher. A woman is by his side crying hysterically, while the paramedics struggle to reinflate the patients balloon. Bobby puts his hand on Madi s head as she squeezes his leg. Daddy what s wrong with that man? (CONT D) (CONTINUED)

4 CONTINUED: 3. (Struggling to find an answer) He had an accident while playing with his balloon string... The stretcher passes by the two and into the hospital. And the doctors have to fix him up... Is he going to be ok? Bobby picks her up and continues walking into the hospital ignoring Madi s question. FADE TO BLACK INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - GLOOMY DAY MR. SMITH, An old withered man with a GREY DROOPY BALLOON is laying on a hospital bed near a window. He is very sick looking and can barely speak. The room is dark with little light coming in from a small crack in the curtains. KNOCK AT THE DOOR. Madi runs in and hugs her grandfather. Bobby follows in after. PAPA! How ya holding up Pops? Mr. Smith gasps for air struggling to reply to Bobby. He then nods and smiles with his arm around Madi. Bobby cleans up around the room then walks to the window to open up the curtains. Lets get some light in here. It s so dark. The room barely lightens up due to the gloomy sky outside. Madi is sitting at Mr. Smith s bedside rambling about school. So the nurse tells me you haven t been eating. Is this true Pops? (CONTINUED)

5 CONTINUED: 4. MR. SMITH (Shakes his head) Too...pain...fuh Madi interrupts by showing her grandfather some drawings she did in school. CAMERA CLOSE UP on Madi s drawing of her grandfather healthy and holding a bright red balloon. This is you Papa! Madi why don t you draw another picture for your papa while I talk to him. Madi runs to her backpack to get her supplies. Bobby contines to ramble on about how his father should eat and not be so stubborn. Mr. Smith smiles watching his grand daughter run around the room with her little PINK BALLOON following behind her. Pops? Are you listenting to me? Mr. Smith nods and gasps for air. Try to stay in there Pops. Will be back again tomorrow. Madi hugs her grandfather and the two leave the room. FADE TO BLACK INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - TIME LAPSE Mr. Smith sits at his bed sadly staring at his GREY DROOPY BALLOON. A time lapse occurs with several groups of people coming in and out of the room visiting him. Familes, friends, nurses, a doctor, all with colorful balloons. The scenes slowly fade to BLACK AND WHITE. FADE TO BLACK EXT/INT. OUTSIDE WINDOW/HOSPITAL ROOM - SUNNY DAY In BLACK AND WHITE, through a crack in the curtain you can see Mr. Smith still sitting on his bed staring at his balloon. A nurse comes in with his breakfast.

6 5. INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY Nurse serves Mr. Smith his food and then goes to the window to open up the curtains. NURSE Sure is a nice day out. Lets get some air in here as well. Nurse opens up the window and then exits the room. INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - CONTINUOUS In COLOR, the room is filled with light and everything in the room is vibrant with color. Mr. Smith looks around the room and then back at his balloon, which is still grey. He then turns to his food on his side table. Laying right next to it is the picture that Madi drew for him. CLOSE UP on his face. He smiles and sheds a tear. A gust of wind blows waving his GREY DROOPY BALLOON around. CLOSE UP on a blurry grey object with a sunny blue sky in focus. CAMERA CHANGES FOCUS bringing the grey balloon in focus and the blue sky out of focus. A flash back occurs with Madi playing with her balloon string and then smiling. Mr. Smith looks to the window and slowly moves his left hand towards his right wrist where his balloon is tied. Another flash back of his grand daughter running around as her pink balloon follows her. The scenes cut back and forth. CUT TO BLACK CLOSE UP on Mr. Smith s eyes as he peacefully closes his eyes. FLAT LINE SOUND. INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - SUNNY DAY The grey balloon floats outside the window. EXT. OUTSIDE WINDOW - SUNNY DAY The balloon is now bright red and is floating into the blue sky. FADE TO WHITE