Philomena Page #2

JOHN (OOV)

You looking for something?

(Rectangle comment artist

11/5/2013 8:
05:00 PM

blank)

PHILOMENA - Final Shooting Script 6.

YOUNG PHILOMENA turns to see JOHN, early 20s, with a group of

his FRIENDS by a beer tent, smiling at her.

YOUNG PHILOMENA:

No.

She walks off, he follows.

JOHN:

I haven’t seen yous any place.

Where are you from?

JOHN follows her past the brightly coloured stalls, still

cradling his glass of beer.

JOHN (cont’d)

Are you from Limerick then?

YOUNG PHILOMENA stops by a hoop-la, excited by the attention

but trying to play it - at least a little - cool.

JOHN (cont’d)

Here have a drink of my beer.

He holds out his beer. She shakes her head.

JOHN (cont’d)

Go on take it - what’s the matter

with you.

She relents, takes the glass from him and takes a swig. She

doesn’t like the taste.

JOHN (cont’d)

I like your dress. Did you make it

yourself?

YOUNG PHILOMENA:

(Indignant)

No I bought it in a shop. Anyway,

me auntie told me I’m not to talk

to strange men like you.

JOHN:

Sure I’m not strange. Look at yer

man over there...

He nods to a ruddy-faced man, early 20s, (DECLAN), his ankle-

swinger trousers tied up with string, buying a toffee apple

from a stall and looking at his purchase with reverence.

JOHN (cont’d)

Has a rope for a belt. He should

put some jam on his shoes and

invite his trousers down for tea.

YOUNG PHILOMENA giggles.

(Rectangle comment artist

11/5/2013 8:
05:05 PM

blank)

PHILOMENA - Final Shooting Script 7.

JOHN (cont’d)

That’s who your auntie was talking

about.

YOUNG PHILOMENA:

I wouldn’t mind a bite of his

toffee apple.

JOHN:

You want a toffee apple?

(Calls out)

Declan!

DECLAN looks over, smiles, revealing one and a half teeth.

JOHN (cont’d)

Come over here.

DECLAN, a simple soul, dutifully troops over.

JOHN (cont’d)

Do you want this beer?

There’s about half a pint left. DECLAN nods enthusiastically.

JOHN nods to the toffee apple, a single bite out of it.

(Rectangle comment artist

11/5/2013 7:
29:55 PM

blank)

JOHN (cont’d)

I’ll swap you.

(Rectangle comment artist

11/5/2013 7:
29:47 PM

blank)

CUT TO:

3 EXT. FUNFAIR, LIMERICK - NIGHT 3

JOHN and YOUNG PHILOMENA kiss passionately in a gap between

two stalls, hidden from view. JOHN brushes his hand down the

side of her breast to her waist, then slips down to her

bottom. The shot CONTINUES to her hand; OOV she moans

softly... she drops the toffee apple she’s holding.

(Rectangle comment artist

11/5/2013 7:
29:49 PM

blank)

CUT TO:

4 INT. FRONT ROOM, JANE’S HOUSE - DUSK 4

CLOSE on PHILOMENA LEE, an elderly Irish lady, watching TV,

the blue light playing on the lenses of her glasses. Though

distracted, distant with her thoughts, she is half paying

attention to a news report on TV about the purchase, for

forty nine and a half million pounds, of a painting of by

Rubens - ‘The Slaughter of The Innocents’.

Her daughter JANE, dark-haired, late 30s, enters in a hurry.

She pulls a coat over an outfit of black skirt and white top -

(like a receptionist in Soho House might wear).

JANE:

Right, just go up and turn their

lights out in half an hour.

(Rectangle comment artist

11/5/2013 8:
05:10 PM

blank)

PHILOMENA - Final Shooting Script 8.

PHILOMENA:

Doesn’t she know you’ve got a

proper job?

JANE:

I’m just helping her out tonight -

she’s short staffed.

The painting flashes up on TV, depicting bloody biblical

carnage.

PHILOMENA:

(Distracted, talking to

the TV not JANE)

Fancy spending all that money on a

God awful thing like that? If it

was me I’d take everyone to the

Brent Cross shopping centre and I’d

say you can have one thing,

whatever you like - two things.

JANE drops her keys in her bag, she’s ready to go:

JANE:

So I’ll be back before midnight.

Okay?

PHILOMENA doesn’t respond.

JANE (cont’d)

Mum?

JANE sees her mother is looking down at something in her

hands.

PHILOMENA:

And I’d get myself a brand new

Nissan Micro automatic...

JANE:

Mother?

She sees PHILOMENA is clutching a small, old, black and white

photo with serrated edges. She is late for work but begins to

sense something is badly wrong.

JANE (cont’d)

What is it mum? What’s the matter?

PHILOMENA looks up at JANE, tears in her eyes. JANE nods to

the photo.

JANE (cont’d)

What’s that?

PHILOMENA’S hands start to shake as, slowly, she holds it up.

(Rectangle comment artist

11/5/2013 8:
05:13 PM

blank)

(Rectangle comment artist

11/5/2013 7:
30:16 PM

blank)

PHILOMENA - Final Shooting Script 9.

PHILOMENA:

(Voice barely a whisper)

It’s his birthday. He would have

been fifty today...

JANE:

(Beat)

Who?

CUT TO:

5 INT. DELIVERY ROOM, ROSCREA - NIGHT 5

YOUNG PHILOMENA, her sweaty face contorted as she screams out

in agony. She lays back on a bed, legs in stirrups, in an

improvised delivery room above the chapel. She’s in the

advanced stages of labour - but there are complications.

As two OLDER NUNS look on impotently, wringing their hands,

she is attended by a younger nun just a few years older than

her. This is Sister ANUNCIATA, pale, red-haired, terrified.

She looks at a pair of forceps in a metal bowl and knows she

should attempt to use them - but they seem monstrous,

medieval. YOUNG PHILOMENA grabs ANUNCIATA’S hand as another

spasm grips her body.

YOUNG PHILOMENA:

Don’t let them put him in the

ground. It’s cold there... it’s

(Rectangle comment artist

11/5/2013 7:
30:26 PM

blank)

dark there...

ANUNCIATA extricates her hand and hurries away from the bed,

leaving YOUNG PHILOMENA frightened, distraught...

(Rectangle comment artist

11/5/2013 7:
30:19 PM

blank)

CUT TO:

6 INT. DORMITORY, ROSCREA - NIGHT 6

Other inmates of Roscrea, ‘fallen’ YOUNG GIRLS like

Philomena, a couple of them obviously pregnant, kneel by

their beds in prayer. They are watched over by MOTHER

BARBARA, mid-50s, kind-faced, the most senior nun at Roscrea.

From upstairs they can hear PHILOMENA crying out in pain; we

see how frightened the YOUNG GIRLS are, some in tears.

MOTHER BARBARA:

(Soothing voice)

Pray girls. Pray for the Magdalen.

As they whisper their prayers ANUNCIATA enters the dormitory

and hurries up to MOTHER BARBARA.

ANUNCIATA:

Reverend Mother, please - we must

get a doctor. The baby is the wrong

way round, it’s breech.

(Rectangle comment artist

11/5/2013 8:
05:17 PM

blank)

(Rectangle comment artist

11/5/2013 7:
30:36 PM

blank)

PHILOMENA - Final Shooting Script 10.

MOTHER BARBARA is aware the YOUNG GIRLS are listening

intently. In that same, soothing voice, she replies:

MOTHER BARBARA:

It’s in God’s hands now.

Now we see the hardness in her, the darkness of her eyes.

MOTHER BARBARA (cont’d)

The pain is her penance. It will

help absolve her of her sin.

CUT TO:

7 INT. DELIVERY ROOM, ROSCREA - NIGHT 7

YOUNG PHILOMENA thrashes about, delirious. The OLDER NUNS can

do no more than press wet cloths to her head.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes