A Monster Calls Page #3

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Conor sees Harry a few seats over. Harry’s watched the

exchange and looks as if he’s sussing Conor out, somehow.

26.

As the sounds of childbirth and the accompanying trauma of

the class continue (”The umbilical cord will eventually fall

off due to a combination of putrefaction and mummification”),

Lily enters from the front, eyes swollen from crying. She

sits next to Conor in the empty desk. He doesn’t acknowledge

her, despite her furious gaze.

Wounded, she looks up at the video and is comically horrified

by what she sees.

Mr Clark reaches the front of the classroom as the sounds of

childbirth reach their exhausted conclusion (“And mother’s

happy ordeal is finally over...”). Mr Clark clicks off the

Powerpoint and turns to the class.

Mr Clark (CONT’D)

Any questions?

Apart from Conor, Lily and Harry, every single traumatised

hand in the classroom shoots into the air.

27.

20 EXT. BIN street - that afternoon 20

Conor walks home by himself, lost in thought.

LiLY (o.S.)

Hey! Wait! Conor, wait!

She catches up to him. He ignores her.

LilY (CONT’D)

Why did you do that today? Why

didn’t you tell Miss Kwan what

really happened?

Conor

Why did you butt in when it was

none of your business?

LILY:

I was trying to help you.

CONOR:

I don’t need your help.

LILY:

(visibly hurt)

My mum keeps asking why you don’t

come over anymore.

Conor says nothing.

LilY (CONT’D)

(now genuinely distressed)

What the heck is wrong with you?

I’ve got detention all week now.

CONOR:

That’s not my problem.

LILY:

But it’s your fault.

Conor turns on her in fury. She steps back, frightened.

ConoR

It’s your fault. It’s all your

fault.

He takes off walking again, leaving her behind.

LiLY

(calling after him)

We used to be friends!

Conor carries on down the street, fast at first then slowing

as he nears his house. He looks back to see if Lily is still

there, half-hoping she will be. She isn’t.

28.

21 InT. conor’s sitting room - momentS LATER 21

Conor enters, not too happy. Mum is waiting there, cardboard

box open. Conor looks wary at an OLD-FASHIONED SUPER 8 FILM

PROJECTOR. Canisters of FILM sit next to it. Mum is nervous,

excited.

ConOR

What is it?

29.

22 INT. conor’s sitting room - momENTS LATER 22

Conor and Mum set up the projector. Neither of them really

know how to do it, so they figure it out together, threading

the film, getting it wrong, eventually getting it right.

MuM

Your granddad’s old film projector.

CoNOR

You mean... like a video player?

MUM:

(laughs)

No, this is a relic, a proper

dinosaur.

CONOR:

(long beat)

What are we supposed to do with it?

Mum

I wish you could have met him. Even

your grandma softened up around

him. By the way, she is coming to

stay with us tomorrow for a few

days.

CONOR:

Aw, mum. We don’t need her here-

MUM:

You know how I get at this point in

the treatments-

CONOR:

We’ve been okay every time before-

Mum

You shouldn’t have to make yourself

breakfast every morning-

CONOR:

I’m fine-

MUM:

CONOR.

Conor’s a bit shocked at the strength of the interruption.

Mum is, too. Exhausted, she smiles again.

Mum (CONT’D)

Only a few days, I promise. That’s

all I can take, too. Like living

with your boss.

She laughs. Conor tries to, too.

30.

MUM (CONT’D)

Can we just enjoy the movie? I got

it for us.

ConoR

(picking up film canister)

What are we watching?

MUM:

King Kong. Oldie but a goodie.

ConOR

Are we really going to watch

something though? You always fall

asleep.

MUM:

I won’t fall asleep. I promise.

(stepping back)

Right. I think we got it.

Black & White TITLES come up for KING KONG.

CONOR:

(moans)

You didn’t say it was black and

white.

MUM:

(mischievous)

Be happy it’s not a silent movie.

CONOR:

Mum.

MUM:

Shush.

Conor nestles in to watch, unhappy.

31.

23 InT. conor’s sitting room - later 23

It’s dark outside now. Conor, despite himself, is still

watching. We can see leftovers of the pizza they ordered. He

looks over. His mum is asleep against the arm of the settee.

He reaches over and covers her with a blanket and keeps

watching it.

But it’s the sequence where KONG is on the Empire State

Building. BI-PLANES ATTACK and KONG falls-

Conor is surprisingly shocked by this, obviously triggering

some memory. He watches as Kong falls and falls and falls...

Then with a burst of WHITE, the reel finishes, leaving Conor

watching a blank white space. We zoom in on the white and

dissolve to:

32.

24 Int. conor’s BEDROOM/HALLWAY - that night 24

A white sketchpad sheet. A hand comes in to draw. Conor at

his desk. It’s RAINING heavily outside now, and his window is

covered with condensation. His clock reads 11.34.

He draws KONG on the skyscraper. It’s good. He FLIPS THE

PAPER OVER and draws BI-PLANES on the back. He holds it up to

the desklamp. He flicks the light on and off, making the

planes appear and disappear, like they’re firing shots (Sound

Effect:
“Ratatatatatata” leading us to sound of nightmare).

Then he draws Kong falling. He gets lost in it, and the sound

of the NIGHTMARE rises again. This time, we even see flashes

of it:

33.

24A NIGHTMARE 24A

--FLASH OF TWO PAIRS OF HANDS locked in a ferocious grip,

as if one is trying to keep the other from falling.

Conor keeps drawing, almost furiously.

34.

24B NIGHTMARE 24B

--FLASH OF VIOLENT MOTION, dark and burning.

Conor keeps drawing, as the soundtrack intensifies. He

doesn’t notice a breeze tousling his hair or the pencils

rolling across the desk again.

35.

24C NIGHTMARE 24C

--FLASH OF A DISTANT FIGURE ON A CLIFF’S EDGE, calling

out, “CONOR!!”

Soundtrack ceases as he sits back and blinks at the

sketchpad. He’s drawn a GAPING HOLE OF BLACKNESS that looks

as if it might swallow the whole world. A face - possibly

HIMSELF - stands at the edge of it, looking back up to us.

He suddenly hears hurried footsteps in the hall. They rush

past his room to the toilet. We hear his mum being brutally

sick. Conor waits. She vomits again.

ConOR

(calling to her)

Do you need any help?

Mum (o.S.)

(beat, forced cheer)

No, sweetheart!

Beat, then water running. Footsteps. He covers the nightmare

with the Kong drawing and quickly moves back to his bed. She

opens his door.

CONOR:

You okay?

Mum

I’m kind of used to it by now.

Sorry I dozed off during the film.

You should be asleep, too.

ConoR

I was. I am.

She sees his desklamp still on. She goes over and picks up

the sketchpad, including the nightmare drawing. Conor is

alarmed. Mum sits down on the bed next to him and looks

through his Kong sketches.

MUM:

This is good, Conor. Such a sad

ending.

Conor

(troubled)

Why did they kill King Kong?

MUM:

People don't like what they don´t

understand. They get scared.

Conor

Her boyfriend was a jerk.

36.

MUM:

Yeah, he's pretty bad.

Conor

King Kong should have squashed him.

Broken him into a million pieces.

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