The Script I Decided to Write One Summer

In a room full of writers, at least one of us has attempted to write a script right? Well, that one is me. In an attempt to embrace my summer surge of motivation for writing, I decided to apply for a scriptwriter position which required me to write a short script idea. It was an experience out of comfort and I had to quickly Google how to write in a script format. Unfortunately for my social life, I did spend unnecessary time trying to format my script properly. It turns out in the end, after numerous nights of psychoanalysing myself, I do not seek to be a scriptwriter. Safe to say, I did not get the position. While it did not crush any scriptwriting aspirations, it was definitely a fun challenge. When the time came to write a dialogue, I suddenly blanked out on how humans function - I had to focus on my family’s background conversation for a bit just to get that spark of human interaction I had lost in the span of 5 seconds. Turns out, my parents don’t really provide good dialogue for an intense political drama. As time passed I couldn't help but get a full-body knee jerk reaction to leave the room every time I read something I wrote. So in exposure therapy style, I decided to share a part of my script. Since I am intensely entertained by edgy political dramas and the economic and political tectonic shakes that we find ourselves in, a political drama is just what the cultural and cinematic world needs. Here goes nothing…

Concept: A drama in the heat of a political tension between an activist group and the government. The story revolves around two people, Felix and Richard. Felix is a son of a political figure but wants nothing to do with the world of politics. Richard is hands deep in the opposition, he is a Machiavellian character – not afraid to use his cunningness and manipulation to get what he wants – so much so that he befriends Felix and uses him to get to his goals, even if it goes too far. 
 
Working title: The Machiavellian 
 
Script: in a rough state (mostly exposition) 
 
 
EXT METRO ENTRANCE - EVENING
 
Felix, a man in his mid-20s, comes down the steps to the subway. He checks in with his metro card and stands by the line of people waiting at the edge of the platform. Felix is exhausted, dark circles under his eyes and music playing in his headphones. Zoned out, not particularly paying attention to his surroundings. He steps aside lightly as the train comes into the station. The door slides open, and Felix heads to one of the seats on the train. At the next station, an elderly lady steps in. Felix looks around and realises that no-one in the packed subway car is likely to get up off their seat. He sighs and gives up his seat for the elderly lady to sit.
 
                ELDERLY LADY:
    Thank you young man.
 
Felix nods and stands on the side holding onto one of the rails. His nose starts to bleed. He notices and tries to wipe it with his hands. It gets on his suit.
 
                FELIX (IN A WHISPER)
    Jesus...
 
He leaves the train car at his stop.
 
EXT. LONG STREET - EVENING
 
While walking with his headphones in Felix sees graffiti on the walls of the building on his right. He reads "No-one is free until everyone is free".
 
INT. APARTMENT ENTRANCE - EVENING
 
Felix gets home, leaves his keys by the door, takes off his shoes and leaves his belongings by the entrance. He goes further into the room and bends down to the small aquarium to look at his goldfish. It’s swimming around the tank, unbothered as ever. Felix sighs and takes a bit of fish food from the can next to the fishbowl and sprinkles it in the water.
 
The door opens. Lila, a woman around Felix's age entered. She bumps into his stuff by the entrance.
 
                LILA
    Jesus Ch- What are you doing? Why are all your stuff here?
 
                FELIX
    Oh yeah...sorry let me take them.
 
Before Felix could take them, the woman already tidies his shoes and takes his bags into the living room.
 
                LILA
    I'm starving. It’s been such a long day.
 
                FELIX
    What happened?
 
                LILA
    Should we order food? I don't feel like cooking or eating pasta for a third day in a row. Let's do pizza.
 
                FELIX
    Yeah… Why not?
 
The woman takes her phone from her pocket and starts typing.
 
                LILA
    Seriously, today is such a bad day. All my ideas got shoved away. Now it's all about making noise, putting up a show. All smoke, no fire.
 
                FELIX
    Were you guys demonstrating again?
 
                LILA
    Yes, I was in front of the government building all  morning.
 
Felix felt uneasy. He didn't want Lila to get arrested. He doesn't want to say anything about this because he knows it will turn into an argument. Felix is staring at Lila
 
                LILA
    What?
 
                FELIX
    Nothing…
 
                LILA
    You think I shouldn't have joined because your dad then-
 
                FELIX
    No no, I don't care what he thinks... I haven’t for a long time.
 
                LILA
    Well, we can’t have the Senator pissed off, can we? Think of the poor interns who work with him.
 
Felix shakes his head amused.
 
    

                                                               To be continued...