Paradise in Bloom

IMPORTANT!

This script is a very early rough draft. I wrote it on wordpad and it's not in traditional screenplay form, I know. The spelling is awful and the grammar is a little offset. I haven't revised it yet. I just want comments on the story and the overall mood, not the technical aspects. Thank you! :)


Paradise in Bloom
written by: Jory Stultz



INT. HOSPITAL/ NIGHT

The pale brittle body of an old man lies inert on the hospital bed.
The room is filled with sulking family members and a very disappointed doctor. A beautiful Beethoven
concerto warmly fades in. (Camera moves upward to next floor.)

Narrator: It's been said that in the complete balance of everything tragedy is a necessity.

The hospital room above holds a much brighter group of people. A tired woman lays on the bed holding her beautiful
newborn girl in her arms. Her husband stands by her side comforting her.

Narrator: Something must die to make room for new life...

(CUT TO):

INT. LIVING ROOM/ DAY

Rain quietly washed down the window. A hint of sunlight grazes the cold glass.
The storm slowly picks up outside.

(CUT TO):

EXT. FRONT YARD/ EARLY MORNING

Wind thrashes the tops of the trees as the storm begins to rage.

Narrator: As our lives bloom we change... Life comes at us so fast and before we know it, it's all gone.
(Pause) I'm starting to worry that I might be dead already...

(CUT TO):

EXT. HOUSE/ EARLY MORNING

A rundown old farmhouse sits quietly between two baron fields. The sunrises slowly in the distance,
almost pushing the storm away.

Stanley(narration): 26 years old and still living in the house I was born in.

(CUT TO):

INT. BATHROOM/ EARLY MORNING

Stanley stands before the bathroom mirror with almost no expression on his face. He buttons up his work shirt,
and fixes his name tag. It reads:

Stanley Webber
How may I help you?

Stanley(narration): What happened to me? (he begins to down a half empty bottle of Jack Daniels.)

(CUT TO):

INT. KITCHEN/ DINING AREA/ MORNING

Stanley walks through his kitchen looking for a quick snack before work.
Through a small corridor in the back of the room his mother slouches into the scene and joins
him at the table. Her faces is fatigued and clammy and her eyes tightened as if she were in pain.
Stanley glances over and notices her trying to massage her own back.

Stanley: Are you feeling alright?

Mother:(sighs) I could hardly sleep last night- My back....
(She begins rubbing her back again.)

Stanley:(walks to the freezer and pours a shot of gin for his mom.)
You need to go to the doctor. (Sets the drink down in front of her.)

Mother: No... (She takes the shot and slams it back down onto the counter top)
It will fix itself.

Stanley: You can't go on being afraid of the doctors. (Stands mom stares at the counter- long pause.)

Stanley(narration): Four years ago my father died ona hospital bed as a reault of malpractice, my mom hasn't
visited a dotctor since.

Stanley: I have to get to work. Are you sure you're gonna' be alright?

Mother: Yea...

Stanley heads toward the door.

Mother: Stanley?

Stanley:(slowly turn around.) Yea..?

Mother: I love you.

Stanley: I love you too mom. Try to rest up.

(Stanley exits.)

(CUT TO):

EXT. FAST FOOD RESTAURANT/ DAY

The restaurant is quiet and slow. Two employees are standing in the kitchen area.
One pretends to mop the floor as the other stares out the drive through window with dead eyes.
Stanley stands at the front counter waiting for anything to happen. He pulls out a little flask from his pocket
and takes a drink. Just then the manager makes his way up to the front counter from his cramped office
in the back. Stanley fails to hear or see him and continues to take shots from his flask.
The manager is now at Stanly's side.

Manager: What is that?

Stanley: Oh... Nothing.

Manager: Give it to me. (He takes the flask from Stanley and waves it under his nose.) Jesus...
I can't have you doing this. (Stanly's eyes shift awkwardly.) Look, I know you think this job is a joke,
but you could at least pretend to care.

Stanley: Okay...

Manager: Do you care at all about yourself? About your future? (Stanley stares at the floor.)
That's what I thought... (Stanley slowly lifts his eyes and looks at his manager.) You're fired.
(He takes a swig off of the flask, hands it back to Stanley and walks away.)

(CUT TO):

EXT. DRIVEWAY/ LATER AFTERNOON

Stanley sits in his car with his head on the steering wheel.

Stanley(narration): It's a peculiar thing to actually believe that your life couldn't get any worse.
(He lifts his head and sighs.) When did I get so goddamn miserable?

(CUT TO):

INT. KITCHEN/ DUSK

The house is dimly lit. Tall shadows contort the room with foreign illusions
as Stanley stares out the kitchen window.

Stanley(narration): It's like I fell asleep and woke up to the worst years of my life.

He walks over to the fridge and notices a not from his mother written on a small dry erase board.
It reads.

Stan~
I need you to move your old stuff down from the attic for the garage sale.
Thanks much- Love Mom.

Stanley walks upstairs into his mother room. She is passed out in her bed with a near empty
bottle of gin sitting on the side table. Stanley leaves his room and makes his way toward the attic.

(CUT TO):

INT ATTIC/ DUSK

A small 50 watt light bulb lights the attic with a dim orange glow. Stacks of old boxes cover the dusty archaic looking floor.
Stanley moves through the attic looking for his collection of boxes. Finally he reaches an old box with his name scribbled in
permanent marker on the side. He kneels down and opens the box. It is filled with old toys and childhood memorabilia. He
picks up a "Hello Wicket!" child's play phone, takes a quick look at it, and throws it back into the box, but upon landing it emits and all too
familiar sound; a sound Stanley hadn't heard since he was a little boy. Stanley stop breathing and stares at the phone with
huge glazed over eyes. He pauses.

Stanley: Hello wicket... (a small smile briefly appears at the corner of his mouth.)

He reaches back into the box and pulls out the phone and puts it to his ear. He closes his eyes and smiles. The muffled sound
of a child's laughter melts in from the background.

Stanley: Dad...

(CUT TO):

INT. ROOM/ DAY/ PAST

A young Stanley and his father sit together in a sun filled room laughing and playing together.
Behind his dads back is the ewok phone.

Dad: Stan... (he pulls out the phone and Stanly's face becomes instantly illuminated.)
See if it works.. (he hand Stanley the phone.)

Stanley begins dialing random numbers on the plastic turn dial phone.
His dad puts his hand to his ear, as if he were talking on a phone.

Dad: Hello? Stand?

A heart warming smile grows on Stanley's face.

Stanley(young): Hi dad!

Dad: What do you know?....... (playful smile)

(CUT TO):

INT. ATTIC/NIGHT

Stanley still hears his father voice in his memories.

Dad(memory): ...It works.

He grips the phone tightly in his hands.

Stanley(narration): I can't even remember how long it's been since I've thought about my childhood...

(CUT TO):

INT. LIVING ROOM/ NIGHT

Stanley lugs the enormous box of toys downstairs into the living area and set is down on the floor.

Stanley(narration): That moment had some sort of profound effect on me... Like those feelings you get that you can
only describe as colors, they can't be stereotyped. They're authentic because... they have the ability to surprise you.
(He opens the box and begins to look inside.) Memories are an amazing thing. Without them we'd be hopelessly lost...
I needed to remember. I was already starting to lose myself.

As Stanley rummages through the toys he comes across a VHS tape, the tattered case reads Zoobilee Zoo.

Stanley: No... (laughs as he talks) No fucking way!
(His face becomes almost serious looking.) I need to watch this.

(CUT TO):

INT. LIVING ROOM/ NIGHT

Stanley sits wrapped in a blanket watching the VHS tape.
His face looks dumbfounded. We see credits roll up the screen while the childish ending theme plays
repetitively through the living room.

Stanley(narration): I got up real early this morning to go for a walk... (voice over continues through next cut.)

(CUT TO):

INT. UPSTAIRS HALLWAY/ EARLY MORNING

Through the upstairs window we see Stanley and his dog walking into the woods as the bright sun peeks over the tree line. Storm clouds
loom in the far way distance.

(CUT TO):

EXT. WOODS/ EARLY MORNING

The woods are dim, gray, and misty. Stanley and his dog navigate perfectly through the fog bank.

Stanley(narration): There's a desolate beach about a mile off the edge of the woods. It's the perfect place to walk and think.
(He pulls out his flask and takes a drink.) It was a place I visited a lot as a kid.

After a good distance they stop to rest by a tree. He takes another drink from his flask and exhales heavily. White beams of sunlight
shoot through the tops of the trees giving the damp gray woods an interesting contrast. A black figure comes walking out of the fog. It moves
closer. Stanley just sits and waits for it to come close enough to identify, Mandy (the dog) runs into the fog toward the figure, but doesn't bark)

Stanley: Mandy!

The figure kneels down and starts playing with the dog. Stanley picks up his bag and moves toward the figure. He realizes who it is and loosens up.
It's his friend Tabitha Journey-

Tabitha: Hey.(smiles and stares at Stanley.)

Stanley:(almost whispers) Hi...

They lean in and hug and then join each other for a sit down 'neath a tall tangled tree.

Stanley: So what are you doing out here so early in the morning?

Tabitha: I was actually on my way to your house. I was gonna wake you up. Make you go on a walk with me. (They both smile).

Stanley hands her the flask and she takes a huge swig.

Tabitha: Thank you...

Stanley: Drink as much as you want.

She takes another drink.

Stanley: I was on my way to the beach...
(Tabitha lowers the flask from her lips and looks up at him.) Do you want to come with me?

Without a word she slowly leans in for a kiss.

(CUT TO):

EXT. BEACH/ EARLY MORNING

Stanley and Tabitha stand on the beach and watch the waves roll in over the shore. Neither of them are talking.
She comes up and wraps her arms around him. Mandy runs around them rambunctiously.

(CUT TO):

EXT. OLD TRUCK/ MORNING

An old rusted up panel truck sits dead between three trees. Foliage grows up through the engine and the side of the truck
almost making it look like part of the trees. The interior is re-done with new seats and all.
Tabitha and Stanley lie together inside. The windows are fogged up from the heat of there breath. Tabitha lifts her head from Stan's stomach.

Tabitha: There are so many places I want you to see.

Stanley: I'll see them someday...

Tabitha: I hope so.

Stanley: So, I lost my job today.

Tabitha: Really?

Stanley: Yea.

Tabithat: What are you gonna do?

Stanley: I don't know at this point, see how things wor out I guess.

Tabitha: Yea...

The sky is illuminated with an amber glow it is almost surreal. Storm clouds hover above.
Gentle thunder rumbles in the distance.

Tabitha: How amazing is that?

Stan doesn't say anything but he smiles and continues to stare at the sky. There's a comforting pause. It starts to rain.
Stan look sat Tabitha with a playful grin. They share a kiss and then pause before sprinting out into the pouring rain.
They run through the woods laughing and holding hands. They reach an old barn in the middle of the woods set up on a large hill surrounded by tall
skinny trees. An orange haze hangs throughout the cool damp forest. They finally take refuge in the barn.
They look around inside. The rain pours heavily outside. As they walk deeper into the barn and notice a rustic bench in the far corner.
Between the bench and the wall sits an old wooden crib covered in dust and cobwebs.

Stanley: Look... (Tabitha walks over)

Tabitha: It looks kind of creepy sitting in the dark like that.

Stanley: Isn't it crazy to think that someone used to use this?

Tabitha: Yea, and now here it is... rotting away.

They pause and thunder shakes the brittle barn. Tabitha takes off her back pack and pulls out a blanket for her and Stanley to sit on.
She lays it out and gently invites him to join her.

Tabitha: One of these days we should just go. Just get up, drop everything and go...

Stanley: Where to?

Tabitha: Ireland!

Stanley: (Gives a playful face of approval.) Sounds good to me... And hey, we could open a pub and eventually sell it to build a cabin in the woods.

Tabitha: But we'll still be regulars at the pub.

Stanley: (Laughs.) Of course...

Tabitha: No matter how old?

Stanley: I swear that we will grow to be notoriously shitfaced old fogies. (They both laugh. Another long pause)
So I've been thinking about my childhood a lot recently.

Tabitha: Yea?

Stanley: But it's like I can only remember bits and pieces of it. Like clips of images and sounds and then the rest is just black...

Tabitha: I know what you mean. It's like trying to remember a dream and all the details are missing...

Stanley: Exactly! (The thunder gets quieter as the storm moves on.) What if we could remember all of those details?

Tabitha: Then it would be one hell of a trip!

Stanley: Yea, it would. (They both lean back and lay down to see and amazing sight. Hundreds of little holes in the roof of the barn make the roof look
like a vast galaxy of stars.

Tabitha:Whoa......

(CUT TO):

EXT. FRONT YARD/ DAY/ PAST

Young Stanley swings back and forth on his swing set.
(Slow motion.)

(CUT TO):