Room

1 INT. ROOM - NIGHT 1

Darkness. The faint background hum of a refrigerator. A light

clicks on, briefly, then snaps off again.

Then on again, for a little longer.

We wake groggily with JACK (five), blinking up at MA (26).

She's standing in a worn t-shirt and underwear beside a lamp,

switching it on and off at apparently random intervals. She

cranes up at the recessed skylight, Room's only window.

The irregular flashes of lamp-light reveal glimpses of this

little world lined with cork: ten foot a side, seven foot

high, gabled ceiling rising to ten foot.

Clusters of Jack's and Ma's vivid drawings are pinned all

over the walls, quivering in the draft from the vents. Done

with five crayons (red, yellow, blue, orange, green) and

pencil on toilet tissue, lined pages or cardboard, they show

dogs, trees, aliens, rocket ships, figures labelled 'Jack' or

'Ma'. Delicate mobiles (uncooked spaghetti, threads,

plastics, foil, down from pillows, cloth scraps) dangle.

A wardrobe with slatted louver doors. On top, toys crafted

from garbage, a Labyrinth from toilet-roll insides.

A dresser with a TV. A homemade pack of cards, papier m.ch.

checkers and chess. A Fort constructed from vitamin and other

bottles and cans. A single meagre African violet in a pot on

the TV.

A round dining table, two fold-up chairs side by side.

A bath with a single small towel over the side.

A toilet, with a flotilla of homemade toy boats floating in

the tank which is oddly missing a lid.

A sink, with a single worn toothbrush, toothpaste, dish soap,

a broken comb, folded rags for washcloths. A small square of

mirror tile hung up over it.

A small kitchen cabinet. A dish rack: two each of big and

small white plates, bowls, tumblers, knives, forks, spoons

(one with a melted handle), a scissors, can opener, serrated

knife, wooden spoon, spatula.

A basic stove (with more folded rags on its handle, for pot

holders), one frying pan and one saucepan.

A small refrigerator (more toys on top), a tiny trash.

(CONTINUED)

1 CONTINUED:
1

A rocker. Above, a shelf. Ten books stacked. Homemade toys.

A reddish Persian-style rug on the floor.

A grey steel door, no handle. On the wall, a ten-digit

keypad with a red light like a watching eye.

Ma looks over at Jack and sees that he's awake. She mouths

'Sh' at him, soothing him back to sleep. Keeps signalling.

Darkness again, as Jack's eyelids fall.

TITLE:
ROOM

2 INT. ROOM - DAY 2

Faint light. Jack and Ma sleep face to face in a double bed

under a thin quilt. Pale skin, long hair, wearing t-shirts.

JACK (V.O.)

You cried all day and left TV on

till you were a zombie. But then I

zoomed down from heaven through

Skylight into Room -

(makes noise of descent,

then crash landing)

and I was kicking you from the

inside, boom boom, and then I shot

out onto Rug with my eyes wide

open, and you cutted the cord and

said “Hello Jack.”

Jack wakes.

JACK:

Ma. I’m five!

CHAPTER TITLE:
PRESENTS

3 INT. ROOM - DAY 3

A little later, Ma, at the kitchen counter, measures out two

small bowls of cereal.

Jack moves round Room touching things: Rug's rusty bloodstain

from his birth; the scarred Table; chairs; faucets, etc.

JACK:

Morning lamp, Morning rug, Morning

wardrobe ..

(he looks under the bed)

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

3 CONTINUED:
3

JACK (CONT'D)

Morning Eggsnake. It's my birthday.

I'm five.

(CONTINUED)

3 CONTINUED:
(2) 3

Ma puts breakfast on the table. Sits.

Jack sits, too. Ma gives him a half vitamin pill from an

almost empty tub. She takes a contraceptive pill from a

generic pack. They start to eat. Ma winces.

JACK (CONT’D)

Is Bad Tooth hurting?

MA:

(taps her head)

Mind over matter.

He taps his head too as he chants the slogan.

JACK:

If we don't mind, it doesn't

matter.

MA:

Guess what we're going to make

later.

JACK:

What?

MA:

A cake.

JACK:

A birthday cake, like in TV?

MA:

But for real.

4 INT. ROOM - DAY 4

A little later, Ma is brushing Jack's teeth (with their

single, frayed brush) zealously. He spits with vigor.

A little later, Ma and Jack are looking a two small piles of

clothes.

MA:

Come on slow poke.

JACK:

You, pink soft, pink swirls.

MA:

You always pick that. But I guess

it’s your birthday.

(CONTINUED)

4 CONTINUED:
4

She reaches for her clothes.

JACK:

Me, bear and jeans.

MA:

Good choice!

A little later. Ma scrubs the floor with an old cloth diaper

while Jack watches TV. Both in t-shirt and jeans (Jack's with

worn-out knees), but shoeless.

DORA THE EXPLORER

We couldn't have done it without

you. Thanks for helping. Gracias.

The salsa theme tune starts.

MA:

Off, please.

JACK:

Just one more planet.

Ma stands up, doing a zombie impression.

MA:

Too much TV will turn us into

zombies ... Anyway, it’s time to

mark how tall you are.

This makes him switch the TV off fast and run to the door.

Ma marks his height with a tiny 5 in black pen on the cork.

Jack ducks and uses his fingers to measure the gap. Frowns.

JACK:

I'm not very taller after four.

MA:

Oh, that's pretty normal.

JACK:

Yeah?

MA:

Everything's hunky-dory.

JACK:

Okey-dokey.

He touches the space between 3 (in red) and 4 (in black).

(CONTINUED)

4 CONTINUED:
(2) 4

JACK (CONT’D)

That's where Red Pen died and we

got Black Pen for Sunday Treat.

Hey, what about cookies?

MA:

Sorry, I already asked for jeans

for you for Sunday Treat.

He swallows his disappointment.

JACK:

I'm going to grow and grow till I'm

a giant. Look, Ma. Look how big my

superpowers are already.

He makes a tiny bicep. Ma musters enthusiasm at the prospect

of him growing up.

MA:

You’ll be as strong as Samson soon.

JACK:

(holding up his long hair)

Huger every day.

MA:

Gigantic.

JACK:

Enormous. Hugeormous.

MA:

Good word sandwich.

He starts leaping around the room, moving gracefully between

all the familiar obstacles.

JACK:

I'm going to be Jack the Giant

Giant-Killer and burst out of

Skylight into Space with my dog

Lucky and boing boing boing between

all the planets...

5 INT. ROOM - DAY 5

A little later, playing 'Track'. The rug is draped over the

table on the bed. They run back and forward on a worn C, both

of them training hard, like athletes.

6 INT. ROOM - DAY 6

Later, the furniture is back in place. Jack picks Dylan the

Digger from his stack, which includes Pop-Up Airport, My Big

Book of Nursery Rhymes, The Runaway Bunny, Alice in

Wonderland. (He ignores the adult books -The Da Vinci Code,

Twilight, The Guardian, Bittersweet Love, The Shack.)

Ma can't hide her revulsion at Dylan the Digger again.

MA:

Come on, you can read Dylan

yourself.

JACK:

I can read them all but I like when

you do.

Ma recites animatedly. Jack turns the board pages, not

noticing that Ma's eyes are shut as she reads from memory.

MA:

Heeeeeeeere's Dylan, the sturdy

digger! / The loads he shovels get

bigger and bigger. / Watch his long

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