Final Draft
By Sharon Peng
INT-LIVING ROOM-DAY
Close up of the piano pedal as Mozart is heard. We see the little foot of Nora( 8) which can hardly reach the pedal and whose hand is a bit small to do an octave on the keyboard. Close up of the clock placed on the piano reads 3:58.
INT-KITCHEN-DAY
Father(36), reading an insurance policy.(unidentified here)
INT-LIVING ROOM-DAY
Close up of the piano lid slamming slam closed. Nora dashes away from the piano. Father, 36, comes in to check what’s happening.
FATHER
Nora!! Time isn’t up yet!!!
As he finishes the alarm goes off.
NORA(off screen)
Well, it is now!!!
Father switches off the clock and puts the insurance pack safely back on the shelf. Camera pans to see the trophies and photos of the child pianist NORA..
NORA(22,
V/O)
My father made no secret of how much he wanted me to be a great
pianist like Mozart.
Monica(10) presents the home-made birthday card to NORA.
MONICA
Happy Birthday!
NORA
Oh, that’s lovely, thank you.
Close up of the car door slamming. As Nora kisses and embraces her sister warmly she eyes her father as he enters with a large, flat package which is wrapped in fancy gift paper.
FATHER
Hello, my birthday princess!
As he hugs NORA and wants to kiss her, she turns her face away. Father feels a bit embarrassed when he senses this, so he hands the present right away.
FATHER
Here, open it!!!
NORA places the parcel on the desk and stares for a second.
FATHER
Come on, open it!!
NORA does. It’s collection of MOZART.
NORA
Mozart. Same as last year.
FATHER
No, Last year was Beethoven!!
Nora remains silent. Mother looks at them and smiles, exchanges a look of recognition with Father. Then she gestures toward the kitchen.
MOTHER
Help me to take the cake out.
Close up of Nora’s hand placing the music on a large pile of CDs as she whisper to herself:
NORA
Beethoven, here comes Mozart!!!!
Close up of the candles being lit. Camera pulls wide to see NORA , obviously not very happy, now standing in front of the cake and wanting to blow out the candles.
FATHER
Wowowo, stop! Make a wish first!!!
MONICA
Yeah, make a wish!!!
NORA(V/O)
I wish—I wish I was not your child.
Kite in the sky. Laughter of kids flying the kite. Mozart is heard
coming from the house
INT-LIVING ROOM -DAY(CONTINUE)
Nora’s hands with coins balanced on each. Nora tries hard to play her scales. She falters and the coins drop. Teacher(32), with hair tied up in a bun raps Nora on the fingers.
TEACHER:
Pick them up and do it again.
Nora picks the coins up and does it again, she is too nervous and too tired to do it right. The coins drop again.
TEACHER (raise her voice a bit)
Again.
Nora plays the scales again as she looks outside where the kids are flying the kite. Coins drop. We hear the teacher say:
TEACHER (V/O)
And again, until you do it right.
INT-IN FATHER’S TAXI-DAY
Nora looks at her fingers and says to her father
NORA
My fingers are too short, (the piano’s definitely not for me!!)
FATHER
Don’t be silly! You’ll have long and beautiful fingers just like your mother. Your teacher told me you are very talented.
NORA
She told every parent that!!!! And..
Father stops her with gesture of his hand
FATHER
Listen to this, this is my favourite part.
We hear the music of Mozart coming from the car speaker, he turns the volume up and waving his hand like a conductor, totally ignores what Nora is saying. Nora looks outside the window, keeps silent…
In bed in the dark, we hear the sound of weeping. Covered by the quilt, Nora is sobbing. Door open, Father enters.
FATHER
Nora? Nora? Wake up. Uncle David is here. Come on, get up and play something for us..
NORA
I’m sleepy, Daddy!
EXT-OUTSIDE THE HOUSE-NIGHT(CONTINUE)
We hear piano music coming from the house
NORA(22, V/O)
I was very stubborn, but you know it came from my father.
NORA plods home wearily with a heavy music bag and her school bag. She hears a heated row between her parents, she sneaks in to overhear what they are arguing about.
FATHER
We can sell everything we have, anything!!! But Nora’s piano lessons continue, is that clear?
MOTHER
George, we can’t afford it any more!!!
FATHER
Money? Who says we don’t have any? Here is the money
He furiously takes two twenty pounds from his top pocket and pushes them at his wife.
FATHER
And THIS IT THE MONEY FOR NORA’S PIANO LESSON!!! Do you understand?
He tries to find more money in his pocket and only finds a five pound note and some change, he forces the rest on his wife again.
FATHER
Look, more Money!! And I‘ll make more tonight!
MOTHER
George!!
As he walks to the door he spots Nora squatting pon the stairs. He looks at his watch. 3:05, the time Nora should be practicing on the piano. He points at the piano and shouts to NORA
FATHER
Practice!! Practice till I come back.. is that clear?
NORA moves her trembling fingers and starts playing the music. Father leaves, and mother follows him and rushes to the door:
MOTHER
When will you be back?
EXT- OUTSIDE THE HOUSE -DAY
Father comes out of the house and goes into the taxi, starts the engine ,drives away.
INT-LIVING ROOM-DAY
Cut back to Nora playing the piano with tears streaming down.
NORA(22, V/O)
I don’t
remember how many hours I sat there practicing and waiting for him to come
back.
EXT-STREET-DAY
Cut to father driving along the street not even noticing that someone standing on the road is hailing the taxi. Close up of his eyes looking straight ahead. People hails the taxi with angry expression as the taxi doesn’t stop.
INT-LIVING ROOM-DAY
Nora is still playing the piano, lighting changes to show the passage of time.
NORA(22, V/O )
But he didn’t come
back.
EXT-STREET-DAY
Father looks in deep thought, doesn’t see the traffic light turning red.
INT-LIVING ROOM-DAY(FLASHBACK)
He turns the alarm off and puts the insurance pack(Identified here with close
up) back on the shelves. Close up of the insurance pack.
EXT-TAXI-DAY
Camera cuts back to father driving the taxi. Smiling. Close up of accelerator pedal, Father Speeds up.
INT-CONCERT HALL-NIGHT
Cut to the Close up of the piano pedal with Nora’s foot on it, stepping on it at certain intervals. NORA(22) is playing MOZART, the melody almost reaches its climax. Sweat on her forehead.
EXT-TAXI-DAY
Cut back to the taxi moving at high speed towards a lorry coming from the opposite direction At the point when they about to hit to each other, the camera goes back to the concert hall with Nora playing the last note. Loud applause from the audience.
NORA(22, V/O):
The insurance money paid out on his death meant my musical education continued-however painful it was for me. I owed him that, I suppose. If I had not been the child I was, and he had been different… (probably he would be still alive..)
Tears streaming down her face again. Nora takes a second to stand up cause she is exhausted.
BLACK OUT
NORA(22, V/O)
I wish I was not his child.
THE END