Sing Street Page #11

Across the street, Conor checks his watch. Just coming up to

9 pm.

He cycles off.

EXT. EAMON’S HOUSE - NIGHT

Conor knocks on the front door of Eamon’s house. Checks his

watch hoping it’s not too late.

In a moment, Eamon answers, carrying a rabbit.

EAMON:

Howareyou Conor. What’s going on.

CONOR:

I don’t know. What are you doing?

EAMON:

Just rabbit stuff.

CONOR:

Do you want to write a song?

Eamon opens the door wider, meaning, YES.

INT. EAMON’S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Eamon sleeps in the attic room. The room is covered in

posters of bands and football teams. And some rabbits.

Conor and Eamon are studying the records, playing and

replaying parts.

Now they are working on a song. They are laughing and having

a good time. Conor writes words down. Eamon tries different

chords. They record parts on a tape machine.

59.

EXT. SYNGE STREET - RAPHINA’S HOUSE - NIGHT

Conor returns down Raphina’s street. He pulls up outside her

house across the school, and walks through her gate, climbing

the steps.

He takes a brown envelope covered in sellotape from inside

his jacket and looks at it.

RAPHINA:

He stuffs it through the letter box and heads off, cycling

away, looking up at one of the lights in the window.

INT. RAPHINA’S ROOM - NIGHT

This is a tiny, monastic little room. There are some posters

on the wall, and a small single bed under an alcove. A small

dresser with mirror. A chair.

Raphina enters, carrying a bowl of cereal. She sits down on

her bed. She is still wearing her clothes. In a moment, a

knock on the door, and a head pops in.

This is MRS. KIRWIN (60), a matronly looking woman in an

apron. She is carrying Conor’s envelope. She passes it to

Raphina.

MRS. KIRWIN

This came through the letter box

for you.

RAPHINA:

Oh. Thanks.

MRS. KIRWIN

Is it from that older lad?

RAPHINA:

No.

MRS. KIRWIN

You know how I feel about that,

Raphina, don’t you?

RAPHINA:

Yes. Thank you. Night.

Mrs. Kirwin nods, exiting.

MRS. KIRWIN

Lights out in ten.

She pulls the door closed, and Raphina opens the envelope.

There’s a cassette in side. With NEW SONG written on it.

(CONTINUED)

60.

She locates a little tape player from under her bed, and puts

it in, pressing play.

SECOND SONG:

The song begins on acoustic guitar with Conor singing.

Raphina smiles as she recognizes his voice. She sits down at

her dresser and begins combing her long hair, starting to

take off her makeup and kicking off her shoes.

The song is instantly catchy, and clearly a love letter from

Conor to her.

As the song hits the chorus, we PAN off her face, and start a

360 slowly around her room as the song plays over.

There’s a family photograph on her locker. A 10 year-old

Raphina in the company of her parents. They all look very

stiff and awkward.

A school profile of Raphina in her uniform, a couple of years

ago. Very troubled.

Off this to various pictures she ripped out of glamour

magazines. Models. Big hair. Lots of make up.

A poster of Tom Waits.

Of The Cure.

Of Siouxsie and the Banshees.

There’s a teddy bear on her bed, with a pair of sunglasses on

his nose, and an unlit cigarette stuffed into his mouth.

An ash tray with a few sticks of incense.

A collection of cassette tapes.

Cartons of cigarettes.

Two books on her locker- Catcher in the Rye and To Kill A

Mocking Bird. Numerous magazines. Vogue, You, Cosmopolitan.

As the song comes towards its end, we have arrived back

around on Raphina. She has transformed. She’s changed into

her pyjamas and dressing gown. And she’s taken off her makeup

to reveal a bruise, under her eye, and a cut lip underneath.

She has paused what she’s doing, and her eyes have filled

with tears as she listens to the song.

EXT. A STREET - NIGHT

The song cross cuts with Conor cycling at night through town.

FADE TO BLACK.

61.

EXT. SYNGE STREET SCHOOL GATES - A NEW DAY

Music plays over as Conor turns the corner into the school

gates. There is a little confidence in his step this time.

He has bleached his hair blonde, and styled it so this falls

over his eyes a little in a NEW ROMANTIC way.

He is wearing a little mascara and a little shadow. People

stare at him. As he passes us, we PULL onto BROTHER Baxter,

who watches from above.

INT. ART CLASSROOM - DAY

Conor sits in art class. He is painting a picture of his

band. Miss Dunne leans over his shoulder.

MISS DUNNE:

I like it. What is that?

CONOR:

My band.

MISS DUNNE:

You’re in a band? Cool. What are

they called?

CONOR:

I don’t know yet! What about “La

Vie”. It’s French for “The life”.

MISS DUNNE:

I know. I like that.

In a moment, there is a knock at the door, and a FIFTH FORM

KID enters.

FIFTH FORMER:

Headmaster wants to see Conor

Lawlor.

Miss Dunne nods. Conor gets up, heading out with the fifth

former, worried.

EXT. SYNGE STREET YARD - DAY

Conor follows the fifth former as he marches across the empty

yard. He looks over his shoulder at Conor.

FIFTH FORMER:

What are you wearing on your face?

CONOR:

Bit of make up. I’m in a band. What

do you think Brother Baxter wants?

(CONTINUED)

62.

The fifth former shrugs.

FIFTH FORMER:

Hurry up.

INT. BROTHER BAXTER’S OFFICE - DAY

Brother Baxter is filling out files. He doesn’t look up.

Conor is led into the room.

FIFTH FORMER:

Conor Lawlor, Brother.

He closes the door, leaving Conor standing there. Finally,

Brother Baxter looks up.

BROTHER BAXTER:

What’s going on?

CONOR:

With what?

BROTHER BAXTER:

With...this.

He gestures the face.

CONOR:

Oh. Well, I checked the rule book.

The one you mentioned, about the

brown shoes? I couldn’t find

anything about makeup. Or altering

hair colour.

He shrugs. He lifts his foot up, revealing the newly painted

black shoes.

CONOR:

I painted them. With paint from the

art room.

Brother Baxter doesn’t even look at them. He is seething

underneath.

BROTHER BAXTER:

Head down to the toilets and remove

the make up right now.

CONOR:

Why?

BROTHER BAXTER:

Because I told you to.

(CONTINUED)

63.

CONOR:

I’m in a band now. A school band.

And I think it’s important for us

to have a “look”.

BROTHER BAXTER:

You’re a man. Men don’t wear

makeup.

CONOR:

Yeah, but why not? Like, people in

the 18th century would have worn

make up. So that means that people

like Mozart would have. And he was

a man.

BROTHER BAXTER:

So you’re Mozart, are you?

Conor shrugs, a little embarrassed. Shakes his head.

BROTHER BAXTER:

That makes me Salieri, is it?

CONOR:

Who’s Salieri?

BROTHER BAXTER:

Take the make up off, and stop

acting like you deserve special

treatment.

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