Time To Escape

Lauren Morgan
A Narrative which establishes and develops a single character
Centre Number: 62441
 1. INT. APARTMENT LIVING ROOM, DAY 1.
Introducing JOSIE – shy, lonely and independent 12-year-
old. Josie wears a grey knitted style jumper that is
ripped with threads hanging off and black leggings, Josie
is wearing socks with holes. She is lying across her sofa
bed holding a pencil above an A4 pad as she’s drawing.
2. EXT. CORRIDOR OF APARTMENT BLOCK, DAY 2.
KIRSTY, Mid 30’s, Josie’s Alcoholic mother, wearing
ripped black tights under a short pair of denim shorts
and a black t-shirt under a denim jacket. Her hair is
thrown up in a messy bun that is falling out and heavy
jewellery is worn. She stumbles down the corridor to her
apartment door and struggles to get her KEYS in the lock.
3. INT. APARTMENT LIVING ROOM, DAY 3.
Kirsty aggressively pushes the door open and stumbles in
the room with an empty wine bottle in her hand. Josie
quickly hides her drawing supplies down the side of the
sofa bed and turns her head to look at her mum. Kirsty
stumbles across the room drunk. She lets go of the glass
bottle in her hand, it falls to the floor and SMASHES.
Kirsty continues stumbling across the room and then
collapses onto Josie’s sofa bed. She falls asleep.
Josie SIGHS in disappointment and looks over at her mum.
She then takes out a plastic bag from an empty cupboard
and picks up the broken pieces of glass from the floor
one by one putting them in the bag.
The phone is heard RINGING on the wall and Josie puts
down the bag carefully stepping over the glass to answer
it. She answers the phone.
MAN, ON THE PHONE
Is this miss Kirsty White?
Josie looks over at her mother asleep on the bed.
JOSIE
She isn’t here.
MAN, ON THE PHONE (angrily)
Ok, well let her know that this is
her manager at work since she
hasn’t turned up for any of her
shifts recently, we are firing her,
and she is not welcome back.
mf
[Cont:

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Josie leans back on the wall behind her and slides down
the wall to sit on the floor and tilts her head up as her
eyes water.
MAN, ON THE PHONE
Thanks.
The man hangs up and Josie puts the phone back then
continues to collect the glass on the floor. With all the
glass in the bag she walks out of the apartment SLAMMING
the door behind her.
4. EXT. APARTMENT BLOCK BIN STATION – CONTINUOUS 4.
Josie walks down to the bins of the apartment block
wearing just her socks. She throws the bag into the bin
and as she does, so she sees a magazine and reaches in to
get it and carries it back up to the apartment.
5. INT. APARTMENT – CONTINUOUS 5.
She walks through the apartment door and Kirsty is
getting up from the bed.
KIRSTY (shouts)
Where have you been?
Kirsty snatches the magazine from Josie’s hand.
KIRSTY
Where did you get the money for
this? Are you hiding money again?
Kirsty aggressively starts throwing clothes out from
under the bed and pulls the mattress off the sofa bed.
Josie’s eyes started to fill with tears.
JOSIE (Cries)
Please stop mum.
Kirsty ignores Josie and then finds the sketch book down
the side of the bed.
KIRSTY
You’re a liar! What’s this a nice
new sketch book? Now tell me where
you got this bet it wasn’t in the
Mf
[Cont:

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recycling was it?
Kirsty rips up the magazine and the pages in the sketch
book and opens the window.
JOSIE
Please stop one of the neighbours
gave me it, they said I’m talented.
Kirsty continues to rip it all up and then throws them
viciously out the window.
KIRSTY
You don’t deserve nice things; we
cope with what we’ve got already!
Kirsty stumbles past Josie grapping a vodka bottle off
the side as she walks out the apartment door. Josie turns
and follows her to the door and watches her walk away
from the apartment past a couple of men kissing.
KIRSTY
Argh, go get a real relationship!
It’s so wrong.
Josie walks back into the apartment, shuts the door. She
sits down against the door holding her knees close to her
chest looking into the room.
BEGIN MONTAGE:
Quick cuts
- The apartment as a whole showing the mess it is left
in with clothes covering the floor, a mattress stood
up against the sofa and windows wide open with
curtains blowing in the room.
- magazine and sketch book pieces ripped up on the floor
by the window.
- A close up of a small, smashed photo frame on the
floor with a photo of the mother and daughter.
- A close up of an empty vodka bottle also on the floor.
- The kitchen side showing a box that says ‘Food Bank’
on the side with nothing inside and the empty packets
from the box cover the countertop.
- Follow Josie as she stands up and then walks over to
the sofa bed.

Mf
[Cont:

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- Josie stood in the mess of clothes. The character then
quickly collects up clothing items in the hands and
she pushes the mattress back onto the bed to get it
out of her way.
- From under the bed it starts black as a bag covers the
camera, Josie pulls out this bag from under the bed
and as she pulls it away we can see her hand and head
as she is reaching under the bed. She
kneels on the floor, so the shot sees her quickly
shoving the clothes into this bag.
- Follow the character, Josie, into the kitchen where
Josie climbs up to the top of the fridge retrieving
another sketch book she had hidden from her mum with
some pencils.
- Shows Josie putting the sketch book in her bag and she
starts to walk to the door.
- Josie gets to the door and stops, then turns around
and walks back into the room to pick up the picture of
her and her mother.
- She walks straight to the door, opens it and steps out
letting it close behind her
MONTAGE END

6. EXT – STREET – DAY 6.

Josie walks down a road by her apartment block an older
lady, LIZ is wearing a long skirt with pink blouse and a
knitted grey vest cardigan with her hair in curlers as
she is retrieving her post. Josie is greeted by LIZ as
she recognises Josie from the apartment building.
LIZ
Hello Josie, how have you been
lovely?
JOSIE
Hi Liz, ok thanks what about you?
LIZ
I’m great thank you, have you had a
chance to use those sketch books I
gave you?

mf
[Cont:

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JOSIE
Yes, I love them thanks, I will
make sure that when I’m a famous
artist I’ll draw you and it will
definitely be my most valuable
piece!

LIZ
Good, I can’t wait to see it!
JOSIE
See you around Liz.
Josie smiles at her and continues walking.
7. EXT. VILLAGE STREET – CONTINUOUS 7.
Josie walks down to the end of the road to an alleyway
between two houses. Through the alley way is a large
playing field with a park. Josie is walking around the
edge of the playing field watching families enjoy picnics
together and groups of friends catching up and people
playing football together. Josie reaches the end of the
playing field and continues to walk through the woods
surrounding the field. She diverts off the path so no one
can see her.
8. EXT. WOODS - NIGHT 8.
Josie sits under the trees trying to protect herself from
the rain with a sheet soaking wet wrapped around her.
A couple are walking through the park and catch a glimpse
of Josie upset and find her sat alone in the forest.
DAN and SIMON – gay couple who are both in their early
30’s, they’re wearing Parka jackets and Hunters
wellington boots over their jeans. They’re walking
through the woods and hear Josie sobbing. They approach
her to see if she’s ok.
SIMON
Hello, are you alright?
Josie looks towards them as a touch light shines over
towards her, tears are running down her face.
mf
[Cont:

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Josie
Um. Yes, I’m ok.
DAN
What are you doing here?

Josie
I don’t have anywhere else to go
really but I don’t really want to
go anywhere else either. So, I’m
ok.
SIMON
What’s your name?
JOSIE
Josie.
SIMON
Hi Josie, I’m Simon and this is my
partner Dan.
JOSIE
Do you mean friend?
DAN
Well yes but we are also a couple.
Josie turns back around with her back to the couple.
JOSIE
That’s not a real relationship,
it’s wrong and weird.
DAN
We’re no different I promise, we
want to make sure you are safe and
happy, it doesn’t seem like you
are, and we want to help. Where are
your parents?

mf
[Cont:

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JOSIE
My mum doesn’t care about me and I
don’t have a dad.
SIMON
I’m sure your mum cares about you…
JOSIE
I left, I couldn’t cope anymore at
home with my mum constantly
drinking, she doesn’t care about
anything including me. I’m better
off on my own now I get to live
like her and do whatever I want.
SIMON
So, you decided to live here?
Josie nods.
Dan smiles at Josie and Simon joins the two of them.
SIMON
Can you take us home to visit your
mother?
JOSIE
My mum would not be happy about
that
SIMON
What about if we take someone
important maybe a policeman to make
sure you’re safe.
JOSIE
But I don’t want to go home, I
don’t like it.
DAN
I know which is why a policeman can
help you.
Josie pauses and looks up as if she is thinking.

mf
[Cont:

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JOSIE
Ok well maybe that would help, will
you stay with me.
DAN
Of course, Can we help you collect
your things up?
Dan and Simon help Josie pick up her things.

9. INT – POLICE STATION – THE NEXT DAY 9.

Simon and Josie are sat on a sofa in the police station
looking at a photo on Simon’s phone.
SIMON
Did you know I went to school with
your mum, this is a picture here of
me and her?
JOSIE
She looks a little bit like me,
she’s very pretty though.
SIMON
You do look like her, which is why
you’re so pretty too.
JOSIE
So that’s why I’m with you now
because my mum trusts you.
Dan walks in to join the two and sits down the sofa
beside them.
SIMON
Yes, and the police will make sure
to check that you are safe.

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