Sing Street Page #20

CONOR:

“Brown Shoes, Brown Shoes... BROWN

SHOES!!”

And the song crescendos into a loud stab. And ends.

The crowd roars. Conor and Raphina fix eyes, laughing.

CONOR:

We are Sing Street.

The DJ takes over as the crowd cheer.

INT. SYNGE STREET SCHOOL GYM - BACKSTAGE - CONTINUOUS

Conor and the band get off stage, hugging. Raphina runs over

to meet him. She kisses him. They SHOUT above the music and

crowds.

RAPHINA:

You look great!!

CONOR:

So do you!

RAPHINA:

You guys were brilliant!!

(CONTINUED)

110.

CONOR:

Really? Sh*t. Because I have to

break the band up!!

RAPHINA:

What? Why??

CONOR:

I failed my exams. And Eamon’s Mum

won’t let him be in a band anymore.

And my parents are selling the

house. So we’ll be moving... So I

won’t be able to call in and leave

tapes for you and stalk you!

She shrugs.

CONOR:

We should go.

She nods her head without needing to think.

RAPHINA:

How?

CONOR:

On a boat.

RAPHINA:

On the ferry, like? They won’t let

us travel. You’re too young! I

mean, I’d get away with it. But

you’re just a baby.

He’s shaking his head, all this coming to him like a bolt

from the blue.

CONOR:

No. We borrow a boat. From Dalkey.

It’s 35 Miles. How far can that be?

It’s like 45 minutes in good

weather.

RAPHINA:

You mean steal a boat?

CONOR:

Are you ready? There’s nothing

going on here right now.

She thinks about it. They look at each other, wide-eyed.

EXT. SYNGE STREET SCHOOL / RAPHINA’S HOUSE - NIGHT

Conor and Raphina run, hand in hand out of the school gates.

(CONTINUED)

111.

RAPHINA:

Do you forgive me? About Evan?

CONOR:

Was he any good? At sex?

RAPHINA:

Not great.

CONOR:

Cool.

RAPHINA:

You need to tell me you forgive me?

CONOR:

Something tells me I’ll always be

forgiving you.

They run on.

She runs towards the steps of her house.

RAPHINA:

Two minutes. I need to pack a few

things.

CONOR:

GO!

She laughs.

EXT. CONOR’S HOUSE - NIGHT

They run around the corner and up to Conor’s house, hand in

hand. Raphina is carrying a bag.

INT. BRENDAN’S ROOM - MOMENTS LATER

Brendan is writing something in his writing pad, and smoking

one. Conor knocks and enters, followed by Raphina.

BRENDAN:

Hey. What’s going on?

CONOR:

Shhh. Where are the parents?

BRENDAN:

In bed. Why?

RAPHINA:

Hi.

BRENDAN:

Hey. You’re Raphina?

(CONTINUED)

112.

She bows.

CONOR:

We need your help. Can you drive us

to Dalkey?

BRENDAN:

What for?

CONOR:

Grandad’s little pleasure boat is

still moored there. We’re going to

sail to England. The two of us.

We’re all set. But we need a lift

to the harbour.

Brendan looks at them. They are totally serious. He thinks

about it.

BRENDAN:

Sure. When are you talking about?

CONOR:

Now.

BRENDAN:

What!!? Do you have any friends

there?

CONOR:

No.

BRENDAN:

Do you have any sterling?

CONOR:

No. Not a penny. She has her

photographs. And I have my demo

tapes and videos.

He looks at them, smiling. He puts on his jacket.

BRENDAN:

Let’s go.

Raphina and Conor smile.

INT. CONOR’S ROOM - MOMENTS LATER

In a frenzy, Conor throws things in a shoulder bag.

INT. ROBERT AND PENNY’S ROOM - CONTINUOUS

Conor sneaks in to his parents’ room. He tip toes over to the

bedside locker. The car keys are under the lamp.

(CONTINUED)

113.

He fishes them up silently, and as he does so, looks at his

parents, asleep. Robert is sleeping on the floor beside the

bed. Penny is on the bed, in a shaft of moonlight.

Conor pauses, looking at them, almost smiling. Then his eyes

fill up with tears. They look very vulnerable. He leans in to

his Mum...

CONOR:

I love you. Mum.

She repositions herself in the bed. But she doesn’t hear him.

We hold on him, smiling.

EXT. CONOR’S HOUSE - NIGHT

Conor and Brendan pull the tarpaulin off the old car in the

driveway.

The old car reverses out of the driveway. Conor and Raphina

jump in.

INT. THE CAR - NIGHT

Palpable excitement in the car as Brendan drives it south,

out to the sea...

EXT. COLIEMORE HARBOUR - DAWN

The car pulls up to a small jetty. A few old boats bob up and

down in the moonlight. They all get out, carrying their bags

down towards one small pleasure cruiser. Dalkey Island just

across the water.

RAPHINA:

Jesus, you were right, it’s really

close.

She smiles.

CONOR:

It’s a little bit further than

that.

They approach the hero boat. It’s an open boat, with a

steering wheel, and a little tarpaulin shelter area at the

back. It’s pretty basic.

RAPHINA:

Is that it? It’s tiny!

They look out to sea.

CONOR:

Nice and calm.

(CONTINUED)

114.

BRENDAN:

You DO know it can get pretty

choppy once you get out past the

island?

CONOR:

We’ll be grand.

He heads. They follow him to the edge of the jetty.

He jumps on board the boat, getting it ready. Brendan and

Raphina stand watching him. He appears to know what he’s

doing. Kind of.

He finds a can of petrol in the boat next to it, and steals

it, looking in his own engine.

CONOR:

I don’t believe it. There’s still

petrol in it. We’ll take this one

as a spare. Ready?

He pulls the cord. The engine coughs. But doesn’t take.

Raphina jumps in, helping him, as Brendan does lookout.

Finally, the engine comes to life, spluttering and coughing

out smoke.

Conor jumps back off, handing Raphina her bag, photographs,

and his stuff. She secures them under the little tarpaulin.

Conor unties the boat from its mooring, throwing the rope on

board.

Then he turns to his brother.

BRENDAN:

Call home as SOON as you get there,

okay? No messing around.

CONOR:

I will. We’ll get into the Welsh

coast. Then hitch down to London.

Be there this evening.

BRENDAN:

Okay.

CONOR:

You’ll get some flak from the

parents for driving me out.

BRENDAN:

I’ll be fine. I’m bulletproof.

He smiles. He is far from bulletproof.

(CONTINUED)

115.

BRENDAN:

Oh, here. I wrote some words down.

For a song.

Brendan reaches in his pocket and produces a foolscap of

paper with loads of lyrics written on it.

BRENDAN:

They’re just a stream of

consciousness thing. It’s about

this kid and a girl. In the future.

If you get there, put some music to

them some day. I’m serious. Could

be a good song.

CONOR:

Okay. I will.

Conor takes it and folds it up carefully, and puts it in his

inside coat pocket.

Conor jumps back onto the boat.

RAPHINA:

Come and visit us. You seem like a

mad bastard.

BRENDAN:

Oh yeah. You look after that

brother of mine. He’s going to be

lost without me.

RAPHINA:

Hah! I will.

BRENDAN:

And I hope you can swim.

Raphina shakes Brendan’s hand and hugs him from the boat.

Brendan is getting a little emotional as A SONG starts to

fade up on the track. He hugs his brother one more time. But

this is no time for tears.

Conor steers the little boat out of the harbour. They wave

back to Brendan, who stands on the jetty waving.

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