Day 17 Assignment

[Anita Gomez]

Hi,

It sounded to me like we were meant to put our “Essence Outlines” here, and then request feedback with each other in a separate post via the “Exchange” forum. But I see people are posting their outlines on the “Exchange” forum directly, and then commenting to each other directly there. Please clarify. Thanks! -Anita

[Anita Gomez]

Anita Gomez Essence-Only Outline Version 1

1. List the following key components of your story:

A. Concept:

A young woman who can’t access an abortion abandons her baby at birth only to learn years later that the child is her best hope for a life-saving transplant, leading her to search for a daughter she never wanted, but who becomes her unexpected solution.

B. Plot Choice: #12 Transformation

C. Character Structure: Dramatic Triangle

D. Lead Characters:

Danica wants a law career not a baby but can’t access an abortion because of restrictive state laws.

The baby’s father Cyrus, is not only married but Danica’s ambitious superior at work, who was instrumental in forming their state’s anti-abortion law.

Dianna is the unwanted child who is then adopted and grows into a brilliant young woman, but also the ultimate version of her two psychologically flawed biological parents.

E. Dramatic Question: Should a woman with an unwanted pregnancy be forced to carry a child to term which puts her own life in jeopardy; and later, continue to reject the woman the child has become, or finally embrace her?

F. Main Conflict: The woman’s health is failing and she needs to find the now-grown abandoned daughter for a transplant.

G. Dilemma: Abort the child against her religious beliefs and at the father’s request, or have the child at great personal health risk and ruin her career plans. LATER, the Dilemma morphs into: Find the abandoned child for selfish health reasons or try and connect with the now-grown brilliant daughter. Really it is the same ‘coin’: Destroy the child or let it live.

H. Theme: That there is no one perfect answer to an unwanted pregnancy – that an unwanted pregnancy can lead to an unwanted child.

I. Character Arc of Lead Character: Danica goes from a selfish woman to desiring a relationship with her abandoned child.

J. Structure of your screenplay (9 beats, one sentence each):

1. Opening: (flash-forward) Danica nearly dies in childbirth.

2. Inciting Incident: Danica confronts Cyrus with the pregnancy neither wants.

3. By page 10, you know what the movie is about: Danica’s religious sister condemns her for wanting an abortion.

4. First turning point at end of Act 1: The grueling birth of Dianna, with a defect of a missing kidney, and Danica rejects the child.

5. Mid-Point: Danica’s career takes off as does Cyrus’ – who becomes an influential judge – while Dianna, now adopted, grows into a brilliant but psychologically twisted young woman.

6. Second turning point at end of Act 2: Dianna’s sister dies and she discovers her own life-threatening health risks just as Dianna discovers who her real parents are.

7. Crisis: Danica must present legal anti-abortion arguments before Judge Cyrus causing a breakdown that triggers an eminent need for a kidney transplant and leading her to search out and find her abandoned daughter.

8. Climax: Dianna, who is aware of both parents’ identities and their medical history, kills Cyrus.

9. Resolution: Danica receives Cyrus’ kidney in a transplant operation orchestrated by her estranged daughter Dianna.

Anita Gomez’s Essence Only Outline for “LIFE CHOICES”

INT. HOSPITAL – NIGHT

Danica is in the throes of childbirth. It isn’t going well, and we hear from the doctors that she could die.

INT. LAW OFFICES – NIGHT

Flashback 7 months: Danica’s confronts senior law partner (Cyrus) that she is pregnant and past the 6 weeks allowable for an abortion – a law he was instrumental in crafting. He wants her to have an abortion anyway to protect his marriage, family and career.

INT. DANICA’S SISTER’S HOME – DAY

Danica confides in her Evangelical sister that she doesn’t want this child and fears for her health, having been born with only 1 kidney. The sister guilt-trips her / tells her all life is precious and “she’ll grow to love the child”.

INT. CATHOLIC CHURCH – THAT NIGHT

Danica is praying in an empty church for guidance. She gets no answer.

EXT. HIGHWAY – NIGHT

Danica flees the state driving to <st1:place w:st=”on”><st1:state w:st=”on”>Louisiana</st1:state></st1:place> where the abortion laws are more accessible.

INT. ABORTION CLINIC – DAY

Danica is confronted by anti-abortion protestors and finds she can’t go through with the abortion.

INT. HOSPITAL – NIGHT

Back at the opening scene of a wretched birthing experience, Danica regains consciousness and told the infant was born with the mother’s genetic defect of having only one kidney. Danica emotionally rejects the infant.

<st1:place w:st=”on”><st1:placename w:st=”on”>INT.</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st=”on”>HOSPITAL</st1:placetype></st1:place> – LATER

Danica physically rejects her newborn: “Not all of us are born mothers”.

EXT. FIRE STATION – NIGHT

Danica abandons her newborn daughter at a “Safe Haven” firehouse telling the child, “I never wanted you” leaving a note, “Her name is Dianna”.

EXT. TEXAS HIGHWAY – DAY

Giant billboards picture Cyrus running for a Judgeship with politically motivated anti-abortion statements seen with his smiling wife and 2 young children.

INT. LAW OFFICES – DAY

Partners congratulate Cyrus on his election win as a local Judge.

INT. COURTHOUSE – DAY

Cyrus is presiding over an adoption proceeding unbeknownst to him that it is Dianna.

INT. DIANNA’S ADOPTIVE PARENT’S HOME – DAY

Dianna is a beautiful baby, exuding shiny and bright promises for her new doting parents.

INT. LAW OFFICES – DAY

Danica coldly and with ambition climbs the professional ladder becoming a full partner in a prestigious <st1:place w:st=”on”><st1:state w:st=”on”>Louisiana</st1:state></st1:place> law firm.

INT. COURTROOM – DAY

Cyrus gains the reputation as a conservative hard-ass, making harsh anti-abortion decisions from the bench – as noted by a case about a young girl seeking a judicial bypass from parental consent for an abortion, which he denies because of her “grades”.

INT. ADOPTIVE PARENT’S HOUSE

Dianna has grown into a beautiful and precocious young girl – but with a cruel streak.

INT. CYRUS’ HOUSE – EVENING

Cyrus interacts with his two preteen kids in a fatherly but distracted and distant way deferring the kids’ needs to his wife.

INT. JUDGE’S CHAMBERS – DAY

Cyrus, now older, has received notice of his appointment to Regional Circuit Judge, which will put him once again in Danica’s professional orbit.

EXT. CYRUS’ HOUSE – EARLY NEXT MORNING

It is his habitual practice to retrieve his newspaper outside the gates of his ‘McMansion’ when a car passes too close and he bobbles his coffee onto his pajamas and robe (foreshadowing).

EXT. HIGH SCHOOL BLEACHERS – NIGHT

At the Homecoming game Dianna surreptitiously lures the school mascot (a bulldog) under the bleachers feeding it something that causes seizures as she coolly observes.

INT. ADOPTIVE PARENT’S HOUSE – NIGHT

Dianna’s parents are worried about her lack of friends and emotional detachment. She tells them not to worry – she really wants to help others, and has decided to go into genetic research because of her own anatomical anomaly to uncover others with kidney deficiency (which she later discovers includes her biological mother and Aunt).

EXT. UNIVERSITY GROUNDS – DAY

Dianna graduates college early and is offered a prestigious job as a medical researcher in genetics to study along the lines of “Nurture vs. Nature” with a big Grant.

INT. BIOLOGY LAB – DAY

Dianna displays the same cold ambition of her biological mother playing out in her dispassionate experimentation and dissection of animals in the lab, and how her co-workers whisper behind her back. One coworker (a guy) stands up for her – and later becomes her boyfriend.

INT. DEPARTMENT STORE – DAY

Danica is shopping last minute for Christmas for her niece. She is sad and pensive, brooding about the child she gave away.

INT. DANICA’S SISTER’S HOUSE – NIGHT

Danica visits for Christmas and while the rest of the family has fun at game night she only observes. The sister gets up, hiding from them some serious back pain.

INT. CYRUS’ HOUSE – CHRISTMAS DAY

Cyrus’s wife gives the family each a genetic DNA kit as gifts. Cyrus looks nervous but agrees to take the test.

INT. DIANNA’S APARTMENT – NIGHT

Dianna is in bed with her boyfriend. Sex for her is nothing more than a biological function.

INT. BIOLOGY LAB – DAY

Dianna seeks out and discovers the true identity of both her biological parents by doing DNA testing on herself.

INT. DANICA’S SISTER’S HOUSE – DAY

Another wistful visit and Danica catches a TV commercial about Cyrus running for re-election as Judge, all about “family values” – his platform’s anti-abortion and calls women’s bodies ‘host bodies’ – Danica is disgusted.

INT. DIANNA’S APARTMENT – DAY

Dianna holds a home pregnancy test strip showing “positive” but she has absolutely no emotional reaction to this and carelessly tosses it in the garbage.

INT. DIANNA’S APARTMENT BATHROOM – NIGHT

Her boyfriend finds the discarded positive pregnancy test and confronts Dianna. She shrugs and tells him “she already took care of that.”

INT. DIANNA’S APARTMENT – NIGHT

Exemplifying her pathological inability to connect with people, her boyfriend accuses Dianna of aborting their child without even consulting him and of cold-blooded murder. Dianna throws him out.

INT. JUDGE CYRUS’ CHAMBERS – DAY

Cyrus meets with anti-abortion lobbyists and agrees to be considered as an appointee for The 5^th Circuit Chief Judge. His motivations are purely for power and political gain.

EXT. SUBURBAN STREET- DAY

Danica is a compulsive marathon runner and begins to show signs of health issues.

INT. DANICA’S HOUSE – DAY

She receives news of her sister’s death from kidney failure.

INT. DANICA’S SISTER’S HOME – DAY

Danica meets with her brother-in-law, niece and nephew but has too many regrets about giving away her own child to be of much solace.

INT. DOCTOR’S OFFICE – DAY

Danica sees her own doctor and is told she too has kidney disease, and must have a transplant to survive. She is told all the medical reasons why her best chance for survival is a close relative.

EXT. <st1:street w:st=”on”><st1:address w:st=”on”>SUBURBAN STREET</st1:address></st1:street> – NEXT DAY

Danica finds she doesn’t have the strength to run that day.

INT. DANICA’s HOUSE – NIGHT

She begins seeking out her daughter’s whereabouts online but we are unsure of her motive – is it for a kidney or a relationship?

INT. BIOLOGY LAB – DAY

Dianna reads about her Aunt’s death and studying her own mother’s DNA health markers realizes Danica is also likely to die of kidney disease without a transplant. We see Dianna go to Cyrus’s DNA results on the computer but not what she finds.

INT. CYRUS’ HOUSE – NIGHT

Cyrus announces to his wife that he’s been appointed to the 5^th Circuit Court of Appeals, located in <st1:place w:st=”on”><st1:city w:st=”on”>New Orleans</st1:city></st1:place>. She tells him the results of the family DNA tests uncovered a grown child out of wedlock (Dianna) and she will be leaving him.

INT. LAW OFFICES – DAY

Danica must prepare for arguments against restricting abortions in the state of LA. She is shaken to learn that the father of her abandoned child (Cyrus) will be the appointed Circuit Appeals Judge.

INT. DANICA’S HOUSE – NIGHT

She goes on a concentrated search for Dianna, the daughter, and using a DNA genetic app, finds her. Dianna is a shocking spitting image of her mother.

INT. LAW OFFICES – DAY

Danica can’t concentrate on work. She finally contacts Dianna by email, not disclosing who she is – only a ‘close relative’. Danica has no idea Dianna already knows who she is.

INT. COURTROOM – DAY

The anti-abortionist argument for new restrictive legislation includes “sanctity of life” comments, and how they must “protect the unborn” and “what if that little baby is the next president?” // “Even women who have been raped should be inspired because ‘God put them in this moment’, // “Life begins when DNA is created”, etc.

INT. LAW OFFICES – DAY

Danica is preparing for her arguments the next day but flailing, getting bogged down by all the statistics coming out of TX since they passed their “Heartbeat Act” and how it has impacted LA, etc. Her superior calls her out…. “What’s wrong with you?”

INT. COURTROOM – DAY

Danica’s passionate in her counter- arguments: “What if that next baby is another Hitler or Putin?” // “The state should never be allowed to compel victims of sexual violence to carry an unwanted child.” // “Not everyone’s cut out to be a parent. Not everyone SHOULD be a parent… not every child should be born into a life of pain and suffering – because of physical defects or into poverty…” All while Cyrus just sits there smirking at her. Danica collapses – both mentally and physically.

INT. DIANNA’S APARTMENT – NIGHT

Dianna receives Danica’s email and suggests they meet early the next morning at Dianna’s prompting, who makes all the arrangements.

EXT. <st1:street w:st=”on”><st1:address w:st=”on”>SUBURBAN STREET</st1:address></st1:street> – EARLY MORNING

Dianna drives to the early morning appointment she set to meet her mother. We see a man bending over to get the morning paper from his driveway – we recognize him as Cyrus. Brakes Squeal. Blackout.

INT. HOSPITAL ROOM – DAY

Eyes blink open to a hospital room. Wincing in pain Danica walks to a mirror realizing she has gotten her transplant, but looks confused. Her daughter, Dianna walks in and turns the TV news up reporting on the tragic death of Circuit Appeals Court Judge Cyrus at his home this morning. Dianna says, “Well, at least he did one thing right in his life – he signed up as an organ donor.”

[anna harper]

Anna Harper Version 2

Latest changes in bold

What I learned from this assignment. Every time we do an assignment challenge the changes are worthwhile. However, I did not enjoy the results of dehydrating my work to one sentence nine beats, the resulting nine beats were unsatisfactory whatever I tried to do with them.

A. Concept:

It’s almost Christmas in a picture-perfect English village. when a homeless Newfoundland dog, Alfie finds 13-year-old mute Dylan hiding from bullies in a garbage skiff.

Alfie uses his telepathic superpowers to aid and befriend Dylan.

Dylan’s dad (Steve) is being influenced by his evil wanna-be girlfriend Miss Elizabeth Perkins (Dylan’s grade 6 teacher.) She wants Dylan sent off to a ‘special’ boarding school.

The loving relationship between Alfie and Dylan helps him to break out of his self-imposed silence, and accept the death of his mother.

Change is all that will save Dylan. Through a series of challenging events, and with Alfie’s help, Dylan finds the courage to gradually break out of his silent world.

The magic of Christmas, family security, and joy encourage Dylan to speak his first sentence since the death of his mother.

Alfie the homeless dog becomes one of the family, and Steve finds a new romantic partner that Dylan and Alfie approve of.

B. Plot Choice: Metamorphosis

C. Character Structure:

Dylan must risk breaking out of silence

Biggest fear; Breaking silence risks breaking the illusion of safety in silence, and an illusion of closeness to his dead mother, whom he must let go of in order to function successfully in his life. Alfie breaks through Dylan’s silence in an unusual way, telepathically. Gradually winning Dylan’s affection and trust, Alfie helps Dylan to risk speaking again as his silence is no longer serving him in the real world, causing him all sorts of difficulties. Dylan emerges from his silent bubble, speaks, conquers the bullies, makes friends and avoids the boarding school.

Lead Characters

Dylan is a 13-year-old boy wrestling with difficulties caused by his mutism and complicated by the challenges of being a teenager. In the story, he befriends Alfie a homeless dog. Dylan is bullied by schoolboys and his grade 6 teacher. Dylan evolves through a series of challenges to a more confident self, speaking again, making friends, and developing a more understanding relationship with his father Steve.

Alfie is a huge all-black Newfoundland dog with two-way telepathic superpowers. He says he is homeless. Dylan rescues Alfie and Alfie rescues Dylan. Alfie is Dylan’s life coach sharing Yoda-like wisdom with Dylan and encouraging Dylan through his needs as a dirty starving homeless dog for Dylan to take on a less egocentric way of being in the world. Dylan is empathic to Alfie’s needs. Alfie provides a new loving relationship to Dylan.

Steve is Dylan’s Dad. He has been a widower for the last couple of years and copes as best he can with being the village bus driver, volunteer fireman, and single Dad to Dylan. He means well, however, due to stress and being somewhat insensitive he misses the boat with Dylan. He has a lukewarm, on and off early days relationship with Elizabeth Perkins. He finds her overbearing and, yet charming and attractive. It takes an incident of Dylan running away, and Alfie saving the day for Steve to have an epiphany and figure out what is going on.

Elizabeth Perkins Antagonist Elizabeth has an agenda to have Steve to herself. She plots to send Dylan off to a special boarding school. Elizabeth is generally a covert nasty piece of work, she does not like children, went into teaching for the extended holidays, she makes the school kids’ lives miserable. Her characteristics are smooth and very charming, more glamourous (and incongruous in a school setting) than the average village woman. She wears hideous Christmas sweaters, and spikey high heels. Despite her glamourous appearance always has a giveaway feature, ( such as Cruella DeVille in 101 Dalmations, sporting bed head behind her coiffure. ) The overdone glam is in direct relationship to her character being overbearing. Unfortunately, she has no redeeming qualities and gets caught out and dismissed. She does provide a talking point for Steve and Dylan on good reasons for children and young people to talk to adults when there are problems.

Dramatic Question Will Dylan ever talk again or will he become a victim of his own construction?

Main Conflict

Dylan has an inner and an outer conflict that collides with each other. Dylan does not want to give up his cocoon of silence, lives in a world of his own where he still feels a connection to his departed mother. The outside world presents Dylan with unpleasant incidents made more difficult by his unwillingness to talk.

Dilemma

What will Dylan lose if he starts to speak again? He has not spoken in two years, it is difficult for him to get the words out, even if he wanted to, and sometimes he does want to try and speak, it’s really hard for him. Alfie presents him with a shocking invasion into his silent world with two-way telepathy, thus the beginning of an unwilling break in his silence. The dramas in Dylan’s life gradually force a coming out of the cocoon.

Theme

Maturation

9 BEATS Get to the Essence

1. A group of bullies chases Dylan, verbally abusing him., while his school teacher watches passively.

2. Dylan hides in the garbage skiff and meets Alfie, a dog with telepathic superpowers

3. Steve is on a date with Dylan’s teacher who suggests Dylan is sent to a boarding school.

4. Dylan’s friend is bullied, he uses words to get her help.

5. Steve misunderstands what has happened, gets angry with Dylan, and threatens boarding school.

6. Dylan feels threatened and runs away.

7. Alfie takes Dylan’s drawings of abuse at the school to Steve and then locates Dylan.

.

8. Steve allows Dylan to keep Alfie who continues to coach Dylan to speak.

9. A Christmas walk in the village begins a new chapter with Dylan speaking, Alfie, now a member of the family, and a new girlfriend for Steve. Dylan matures, developing better skills at making friends and empathy for the bully.

.

LOGLINE: A 13-year-old boy is forced by social circumstances to confront his unwillingness to change and give up his selective mutism, a trauma bond with his deceased mother.

DRAMATIC QUESTION: What will help the boy overcome his challenge?

MAIN CONFLICT: Peer bullying and a sadistic teacher create heightened stress for the boy. His father does not know what to do to help his son.

DILEMMA: The boy does not want to give up his bubble of silence which has become habituated, if he does not, he will continue to be bullied and may be sent off to a special boarding school.

THEME: Love wins.

SILENT NIGHT

1. EXT.ESTABLISHING/VILLAGE HIGH STREET/CHRISTMAS/DAY

2. EXT.VILLAGE SCHOOL/DAY

A group of bullies chase Dylan, verbally abusing him. A school teacher watches passively.

3. INT.CLASSROOM/DAY

Elizabeth Perkins the teacher returns to her schoolroom and dialogues with her mirror. Placeholder rap song. re her enjoyment of her dark side.

4. INT.GARBAGE SKIFF/DAY

Dylan hides in the garbage skiff, meets Alfie, discovers that the dog has superpowers of two-way telepathic communication with Dylan.

5, INT. DYLAN AND STEVE’S COTTAGE/DAY

Dylan and Alfie enter leaving a dirty mess. Alfie bathes and feeds Alfie.

6. INT.COTTAGE BATHROOM /DAY

They are discovered by a horrified Steve, (Dad) who says Dylan cannot keep the dog.

Steve is annoyed as he was expecting a dinner guest, Elizabeth Perkins, now this is not possible.

7.INT.KITCHEN/DAY

Steve leaves, Dylan and Alfie enters the kitchen to find food for a starving Alfie. They empty most of the fridge.

8.INT.INDIAN RESTAURANT/EVENING

Steve and Elizabeth the teacher are having dinner. She states that Dylan should attend a special boarding school. This would allow them to spend more time together. Steve dumps Elizabeth and rejects the school idea. Elizabeth is angry and embarrassed.

9.EXT.PARK/EARLY MORNING

Before school, Dylan and Alfie go to the park to play. They see the bully boys walking towards them. Dylan is apprehensive. All of the boys but one, want to come and meet Alfie. The alpha bully hangs back

10..INT.SCHOOL/MORNING

Dylan observes Elizabeth locking his friend Daisy in the school cellar.

11. EXT.VILLAGE HIGH STREET/STEVE’S BUS DAY

Dylan has run away from the school, he tries to get his Dad to help Daisy using his usual means of gestures. When that does not work, Dylan speaks for the first time in two years,

telling his Dad to help Daisy.

12.. INT.SCHOOL/DAY

Steve and Dylan can hear Daisy crying in the cellar, Steve fetches the school principal. Elizabeth appears and intimidates Daisy into taking responsibility for locking herself in the cellar.

13. EXT.VILLAGE HIGH STREET/DAY

On the way home Steve expresses his anger. He feels Dylan has made a fool of him, and all because he will not speak. Steve doubts his ability to help Dylan

14. INT.DYLAN’S BEDROOM/DAY

Alfie encourages Dylan to try to communicate with his Dad about his troubles with bullies and the deceptive Miss Perkins using pictures,

Steve runs out of the house He does not see the pictures. Dylan takes his pictures away believing that his Dad is not interested.

15.INT.SCHOOLROOM/DAY

Steve has an interview at Dylan’s school, He agrees to consider the boarding school option and takes the paperwork home.

16. EXT.VILLAGE STREET/DAY

On the way home, Steve takes the side of Elizabeth and says they should very seriously consider the boarding school as Dylan is creating trouble and Steve cannot figure out how to help him, Dylan breaks away from his father and runs off. Steve cannot find Dylan.

17. INT.STEVE AND DYLAN’S COTTAGE/EVENING

Steve is pacing the floor, he calls the village police and tells them Dylan has run away.

Alfie finds the envelope with Dylan’s drawings and whines and barks loudly until Steve looks at the pictures.

Steve sees the pictures of abuse at the school and understands.. Steve looks at Alfie and asks him to find Dylan

18. EXT.VILLAGE HIGH STREET/NIGHT

Alfie continues to bark, steering Steve to the garbage skiff where Alfie and Dylan originally met. Steve lifts the lid on the skiff where (horrified,) he finds Dylan.

I9.INT. AT THE COTTAGE/EVENING

Steve phones the school board, reports his concerns, and tells his son not to worry he is not going to the boarding school, he apologizes for not understanding or believing Dylan

20. INT.THE COTTAGE/MORNING

Steve calls the pound Dylan. No one has claimed Alfie. Steve says If Aflie makes Dylan happy and gets him to start talking, he can keep him until New Year. But only till New Year.

21 INT.DYLAN’S ROOM/MORNING.

Alfie spends more time with Dylan explaining how important it was for him to speak, he saved Daisy from the cellar. He also talks to him about loving his mother and making his mother happy by talking and enjoying his life. Dylan is still silent. He draws another picture of Alfie with a big heart around Dylan and Alfie, he gives it to his Dad.

22. EXT.SCHOOL/DAY

It’s the day of the school Christmas concert. Dylan and Steve are walking from the parking area towards the school with many other parents. Dylan points to the alpha bully boy being smacked and pushed by the bully’s mother. Dylan’s Dad says he will contact the school principal.

23. INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY/EVENING

Dylan feels sorry for the bully boy. Steve says this is how the boy has learned to bully. Dylan wonders if the bully is unhappy or lonely. Steve explains the importance of talking to adults who love and care for children and young people when there is a problem, and how silence can make things worse.

23. EXT. PARK/DAY

Daisy, Dylan, and Alfie are sitting on the park bench. Daisy explains how competitive her parents are,(Tiger mom) and that she would really like a certain doll for Christmas. (Her family does not celebrate Christmas.) They discourage dolls and teddy bears as she has to grow up. Dylan speaks to Daisy, says he wants a tattoo, his Dad will never allow it.

24.INT.VILLAGE BAKERY/AFTERNOON

Dylan, Steve, and Alfie go shopping Dylan buys Daisy a My Little Mermaid doll.. Dylan points and waves at the bakery. They go in and buy Christmas goodies. Steve and Dylan like Mickey the baker,

25. EXT. SEAFRONT/EVENING

Mickey is just about to close the shop and suggest they all go to the seafront cafe for hot chocolate.

26 EXT. THE VILLAGE CHRISTMAS TREET/CHRISTMAS EVE

Dylan holds his Dad’s hand and points to the village’s huge Christmas tree, lights sparkling snowflakes falling. Dylan speaks, admiring the tree. Steve agrees to keep Alfie.

27. EXT.VILLAGE PARK/CHRISTMAS DAY

Alfie, Dylan,and Daisy are playing hacky sack. They sit on the bench and exchange gifts, the mermaid doll for Daisy and some extra long-lasting tattoo decals for Dylan. They discuss the dilemma of wanting to grow up and still be kids, even though both situations have problems. They spot the alpha bully walking along dejectedly. They call him over encourage him to make friends with Alfie.and ask him why he is in the park alone, he says there is too much yelling and fighting at home. Dylan says his Dad is cooking the turkey and invites them to come over for Christmas dinner.

F.O. All walking through the Christmas village to Dylan’s cottage where a tree with lights is visible from the window (Thomas Kincaid vibe, music Walking In The Air from The Snowman

(Andrew Loyd Webber) Andrew Johnston performing (a boy who was bullied because he sang.)

Credits Roll

Ensemble cast casually assemble in front of the cottage as in the final scene in The Lady in a Van. (Alan Bennet.)