By
Tom Leatherbarrow
1. INT.CAROLINE’S HOUSE- LIVING ROOM- DAY
Opens with a close up of CAROLINE’S face. She is staring blankly ahead, obviously deep in thought. The only sound is of the diegetic house silence. Cuts to a close up of a picture frame of her and JIM. Cuts to a close up of a cigarette in an ashtray. Cuts to black with same diegetic sound. SUPER: LIFE AFTER JIM. Cuts back to mid shot of CAROLINE sitting on the chair
CAROLINE V/O
It’s on days like these that I miss him the most. When the house is empty and it’s quiet.
Cuts to a wider angle to show her loneliness
It’s at these times that a tiredness seeps over me, a weariness that has nothing to do with sleep.
Back to a close up of her with her head in her hands
Jim would always know how to cheer me up when I was feeling like this. I can see him now, walking into the room, smiling, the way he would, and saying ‘cheer up, deary, you’re not dead yet.’
As she says ‘walking into the room’ Jim walks in, slightly faded, like a ghost. As she recalls his words, his voice sounds alongside hers.
Of course, it wouldn’t make me as happy as he always was. But the fact that he was there made me feel that little bit better.
I think that’s what affected me the most about when he died. It felt as if all the hope and goodness had been drained from the world. I remember the policemen arriving at my door.
2. INT- DOORWAY- DAY
CAROLINE is standing at the door, light on her face. The camera is positioned at her side in a close up. She is expressionless, unmoving. Music comes in
When they said the words, I didn’t feel it. I caught only glimpses of what they were saying. It was as if I had been stripped of all of Jim’s words of comfort, hope and kindness and a bleak, nothingness was left. I just stared, stared into a future that I could see no prospect of.
3. INT- KITCHEN- DAY
CAROLINE is making a cup of tea. She sounds weary
But life goes on- it was 10 years since his death last week. Scary how time flies... it feels like only yesterday that he was here- just walking about the house, cooking or cracking jokes. In another sense, these past 10 years have been the longest of my life.
CAROLINE is sitting at the table, with a cup of tea, looking at photos of her and JIM when they were younger
Our daughter and her husband took me back to where I grew up, and where me and Jim met. I didn’t realise how much I missed the grassy expanses of the Irish countryside. I felt a peace that I haven’t felt for a long time, living here. I suppose I always thought we’d move back to Ireland eventually, but when he died I didn’t feel like going anywhere. I couldn’t face a fresh start without him. Maybe I will move back there at some point.
4. INT- CAROLINE’S LIVING ROOM- DAY
CAROLINE walks back into the living room, shot from a medium low angle. She stares around the room, longingly
Everything about this house reminds me of him- which sometimes feels like a blessing, because it feels like he is still here, with me. But sometimes it’s a curse. It reminds me that life is passing me by, and I have no choice but to watch. He is never coming back.
She sits down. Her voice is tinged with acceptance, the she has reached her loop, and has fallen back into old ways. She is still sad, but feels more content- a full circle.
But whenever that crushing realisation hits me, I try to think of him and how he would want me to be. He was always so full of life, and I intend to live out my life for the both of us. After all, I’m not dead yet.
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