EXT. BEACH SHORE BENCH - DUSK
CAMERA DOLLY IN on the silhouetted backs of an ELDERLY WOMAN and a LITTLE GIRL (about 4-5 years old.) sitting down on a park bench. The woman is cradling the little girl in her arms as they enjoy the sunset on the beach. CU on the little girl as she looks up to the NECKLACE the woman has around her neck of a little golden KIWI bird.
LITTLE GIRL
(pointing at the necklace)
What’s that, Grandma?
ELDERLY WOMAN
Oh, this little trinket? This is a very special bird called a kiwi.
LITTLE GIRL
(excited)
Really?! What’s special about it?
ELDERLY WOMAN
The kiwi you see, is a little bird that spends all of its life in the ground...
FLASH CUT TO:
EXT-INT. DANCE STUDIO - DAY
A sign is placed on the outside of a building, that reads: “NEW DANCE STUDIO - NOW OPEN FOR BUSINESS!”
INT. DANCE STUDIO - NIGHT
The elderly woman is seen young and vibrant in a flashback, wearing a black leotard, is dancing in her studio by herself. A screech of tires is heard, and a crash through a window. ECU of the woman, her eyes wide as the light from the car washes her face in white...
LITTLE GIRL
(V.O.)
What’s so special about that?
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. HOSPITAL - BROAD DAYLIGHT - FLASHBACK
The young woman rests in a hospital bed with bandages covering her eyes and a cast on her leg resting on a hospital bed.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. HOSPITAL - DUSK
The young woman is slowly walking, feeling her way using handrails towards the windows, shunning the light, as she approaches the window and closes the blinds. In the near darkness, she gently removes the bandages from her eyes and tries to focus on the world.
CUT TO:
EXT. PARK BENCH - DUSK
The young woman is siting on a bench and is looking through a photo book of herself and others dancing in her studio. A drop falls on one of the pictures as we CU on her face full of tears. She slowly gets up, still with a slight limp and dumps the picture book in a nearby trash bin.
ELDERLY WOMAN
(V.O.)
Well, you see...
CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL - DUSK
The Woman, still limping slightly, is helping others heal and tending to them, keeping herself busy.
ELDERLY WOMAN
(V.O. cont’d)
...the little kiwi bird finds everything it needs to survive right here on the ground.
EXT. VARIOUS LOCATIONS - DUSK
We show various shots of the beach, and the city during dusk, and the woman stands with sunglasses enjoying the sights and breathing in the air.
ELDERLY WOMAN
(V.O. cont’d)
But the most special thing about the little kiwi bird...
INT. HOSPITAL - BROAD DAYLIGHT
The woman is having a hard time walking down the brightly lit hallway as she shields her eyes and uses the handrails for support. ECU of her hand as ANOTHER HAND comes into frame and helps her walk through the hallway. As they arrive to a darker room, the light slowly gives way from pure white to partially reveal the face of a YOUNG MAN who smiles and inaudibly asks her if she is alright. CU of the woman’s face, eyes glittering as she broadly smiles and bashfully nods.
ELDERLY WOMAN
(V.O. cont’d)
...is that once it finds its partner, they remain together for life.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. VARIOUS LOCATIONS - DAWN
The woman and the man drive a convertible through the road, she is wearing sunglasses and they are smiling and laughing as we show the beautiful New Zealand scenery.
The woman and the man stop at a shop and have some ice cream to the backdrop of the beautiful city Queenstown.
The woman and the man stop by the city and have their picture taken by a vendor on the streets.
EXT. HILL - DUSK
The woman, now fully healed, is sitting with the man on a grassy hill enjoying the twilight, when the man pulls out a tattered photo book. She looks dumbfounded and sees that it is the old scrap book that she discarded. Inside, she flips to the last page where there is a picture of them together along with the kiwi pendant taped to the page.
Beautiful WIDE SHOT of their silhouettes as she jumps across to hug him.
CUT TO:
EXT. BEACH SHORE BENCH - DUSK
CAMERA DOLLY BACK from the silhouetted backs of the man and the woman sitting together as it...
CROSSFADES:
EXT. BEACH SHORE BENCH - DUSK
To the same shot in the present with the elderly woman and the little girl.
ELDERLY WOMAN
(V.O. cont’d)
Yes, a special bird indeed...
Continue DOLLY BACK and
FADE OUT.
Caleb Vlahos said...
I love kiwi
Carlos Donze said...
Hello, my name is Carlos Donze and this is the script I wrote for the competition. It tells the story of a young woman whom is injured after an accident at her dance studio, and makes a remarkable recovery against the backdrop of the New Zealand landscape. The story is told as a poignant tale comparing the similarities of the native Kiwi bird and the woman's struggle to bring herself back to health.