''Mary's Sleep'' or ''Hullaballoo''

Written

by

Alicja Jankowska

Shooting Script Final 22-03 2018

A leisurely camping trip organised by a naive and imaginative
Jade and her five friends is interrupted when Ronan's little
sister jumps out of the car boot. Jade learns from the
sister's stories that Ronan picked up a hitchhiker called
Mary on his way to the gathering: she begins to suspect him
of a dark deed. Jade's imagination runs wild as she loses her
senses and becomes obsessed with finding out what Ronan did
to Mary. When the gang play a game of charades, she convinces
her team to enact the legend of 'Bloody Mary' to get a
reaction from Ronan and reveal the truth. The two face off
and Ronan denies Jade's accusations, so she drinks from his
hip-flask to prove that he used it to poison Mary. After an
uncertain moment, Jade collapses to the ground: the campers
finally believe her and chase after Ronan while Jade falls
asleep laughing madly at the sky.

MEET THE CAMPERS

All are in their mid-twenties, about the eight years post

high school period.
JADE - a writer of fiction with a childish disposition and a
mind more imaginative than that of the child who arrives. She
is calm, observant and happy in her own head until she gets
the news that her friend Ronan is a potential psychopath.
Blocking out the more realistic motives of rape or murder,
Jade thinks up fairy-tale-like theories of what Ronan might
have done to the hitchhiker.
RONAN - a smart-casual type of boy with neat hair, a scruffy
shirt and a whiskey bottle almost always in his hand. He
doesn't give off obvious psycho signals apart from his
awkwardness with girls.
MISS ALICE - the sensible sober one with a dreamy
disposition, wearing pink wellies and the most ditzy
combination of colours in her raincoat.
MARRIANE - the cool chick, funny confident and Jade's closest
friend.

OGRE - short for OGLESBY (surname), is Jade's handsome and

personable boyfriend. She relies on him as much as she does
on Marianne. Both don't fully understand her.
BILLY - the big muscly guy of the group, with a face too
friendly and innocent to be known as the former. He's more of
a lovable goofy clown type.

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 2.

EXT.CAMPSITE - DAY
A remote woodland lake - OGRE, short for OGLESBY, zips up his
trousers after peeing in the bushes. In the background, the
campers switch the old music player on and get ready to
dance.
JADE sits in a camping chair, gazing up at the sky. Ear-muffs
around her head and book of writing on her lap, she is
happily uninvolved in the rave.

She crosses something out and we catch a glimpse of the words

Old Captain Sandy-Eye's Treasure underlined in her jotter.
Beside is a drawing of a treasure chest abandoned in the
depths of an ocean. The treasure is overflowing with heaps of
eyeballs instead of gold.

One of the ravers snaps Jade out of the daydream -

OGRE
Oi!

OGRE is Jade's personable boyfriend who blows her a kiss and

dances goofily, showing off. Among the clump are also BILLY
the tall guy, MISS ALICE the ditz, MARIANNE the cool chick
and RONAN - the only one who seems not to be having the best
time. He swigs back from his whiskey bottle a few times too
many and looks in resentment at the couple.

But Jade pays no attention to this. She is happy and

entertained.

INT/EXT. BONGO - DAY

A clunky, navy Mazda Bongo sits on a dirt-road with the

campsite and Harlaw Lake behind it.

SUPER TITLE CARD appears - "HARLAW LAKE, somewhere between

Scotland and England".

From the inside of the Bongo, the campsite can be seen

through the misty windows, along with Billy who's still doing
his own goofy dance.

The camping gear in the boot begins to rattle... a little

figure emerges, climbing through the extent of the car,
frantically looking for some food in the plastic bags and
rucksacks on the seats.

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 3.

This is MINNIE, age 9, who's cleverly hitched herself a ride.

Realising there's no more food in the car, she turns around,

panicked, her face smeered with chocolate.

The boot door of the Bongo opens and Minnie stumbles out,
heading towards the dancing campsite.

EXT.CAMPSITE - DAY

As the funky tune comes to an end, Miss Alice and Billy get
closer, dancing and flirting. Having observed them sourly,
Ronan bursts in-between and breaks the heat.

RONAN
Alright, I'd like to pick the next
song if no-one minds.

Before anyone has the chance to ask what's gotten into him, a
newly arrived camper approaches.

All heads turn to Minnie, who stands before them, hungry and
upset.
MINNIE
Hungry.

The campers look from Minnie to Ronan.

Seeing his little sister there, Ronan becomes terrified at

the sight. He turns around and spews in a bush.

EXT.CAMPSITE - LATER

Minnie sits by the fire wrapped up in Jade's blanket. Jade's

arm hands her a can of Spaghetti Hoops and she begins wolfing
them down immediately.

Jade sips from a flask of tea watching Ronan across the camp
as he recovers from spew. He pushes away Marianne who tries
to comfort him.

RONAN
Leave me, just get more wood for the
fire, it's your turn anyway.

Marianne throws her arms in the air and walks away. Jade
looks back to Minnie.

MINNIE
My brother never lets me go with him

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 4.

on his trips, so I hid in the back of

the Bongo and I think he didn't see me
the whole time. I was hungry but we
stopped at Tesco-

INT. BONGO - DAY

A quick flash to Minnie squeezed in the boot, eating out of a

hole in a plastic bag like a hamster.

EXT. CAMPSITE - DAY

MINNIE
-but soon the crisps were finished and
I had to be quiet because Ronan picked
up a girl on the road.

She had a glitter jacket.

EXT.ROAD - DAY

Quick flash to Minnie's POV through the back of the car - a

hitchhiker, named MARY, holds her thumb. The car halts. She
wears a silver puffer jacket.

EXT. CAMPSITE - DAY

MINNIE
She said her name was Mary. They ate
at a restaurant so I stretched my legs
and then I ate their leftover pie.

INT.BONGO - DAY

Minnie snatches the pie from the back seats.

EXT.CAMPSITE - DAY

MINNIE
-but it was quite disgusting and I was
thirsty. I think Mary was thirsty too
because my brother gave her a special
drink.

INT.BONGO - DAY

Ronan, in the divers seat, offers Mary, in the passengers

seat, his hip flask. She drinks from it.

EXT. CAMPSITE - DAY

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 5.

MINNIE
Then she fell asleep. But she must
have had a bad dream because she was
shaking the car very hard trying to
wake up.

Jade is listening intensely now. She imagines what was

happening.

INT.BONGO - DAY

Minnie's POV turns into Jade's POV as she sees the

following...

Mary is drugged by the substance in the hip flask, she hits

the walls of the car and Ronan, trying to keep awake.

MARY
What is this?!

Mary looks at the hip flask and throws it at him. Ronan

aggressively tries to calm her down and grabs her arms but
she struggles as much as she can through her sleepiness -
eventually Ronan pulls over and carries her out of the car...

The screen goes black here--

EXT. CAMPSITE - DAY

Jade leans in, wanting to know what happened next.

MINNIE
My brother must have not liked that
because he put her back outside. And
still very tired because she still
slept on the grass.

EXT. ROAD - DAY

Some time has passed and we don't know what happened -

Mary lies on the road, unconscious. Ronan is rummaging in the
front seat and finds Mary's handbag. He throws it at her in a
hurry - chocolate and lipstick fall out...

EXT.CAMPSITE - DAY

MINNIE
I saw her through the back and her
glitter jacket shined red.

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 6.

EXT.ROAD - DAY

Ronan gets back in the car and drives away, the back-lights
illuminating Mary's silver jacket as she lies in the mud and
in eventual engulfing darkness.

EXT. CAMPSITE - DAY

Jade can see the final image in her head. She is

flabbergasted.

MINNIE
(oblivious)
Have you got any more Spaghetti Hoops?

Jade looks across the fire pit to Ronan, his head bows over
his pile of sick. He spits. Then looks over towards Jade and
his sister.

Jade looks back at Minnie through blurry eyes.

EXT. PIER - DAY

LATER - In total frenzy, Jade approaches Miss Alice on the
pier, just by the campsite. Miss Alice sits cross-legged at
the edge, cutting twigs off a bigger branch, prepping more
wood for the fire. She turns around as she hears Jade's
footsteps.

JADE
Miss Alice, I swear to you I've been
drinking green tea all night, my blood
is pure I just have to get my car
keys, I have to look for something on
the road. I have to look for
some...inspiration.

Miss Alice nods suspiciously.

Jade takes a sip of her flasked tea. Displeased with the

taste, she chucks it behind her. She lights up a cigarette
instead.

While Miss Alice digs out Jade's car keys from her jacket
Jade looks back at the campsite to make sure Ronan isn't
looking.

Ronan catches her eye, looking out towards the lake, playing
with his pen knife, somewhat nervously, while Minnie plays
next to him. He faces away from the campers until Marianne
turns around and includes him.

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 7.

MARIANNE(DISTANT)
Ronan can you help me, I've got a tick
on my back.

Ronan turns around with his knife, a little shocked and shy
but fascinated by Marianne's bare back.

Miss Alice interrupts Jade's observations as she hands over

the keys.

MISS ALICE
Just keep them. I really admire you
for staying sober, Jade. Do you know
what happened to Old Captain Sandy-eye
yet?

JADE
(whispering)
Alice...I wonder if you believed me if
I told you that he wanted to-
well...he was going to do something to
Mary...

MISS ALICE
Who's Mary? Oh is he going to put sand
in her eyes?

Jade breaks her frenzy as she sees something in the corner of

her eye.

Mary is afloat in the lake, her eyes fixed at the sky and the
bumps of her silver puffer cradling her.

Miss Alice looks over, casually. With no reaction. She waves

her hand in front of Jade's face.
MISS ALICE
Jade?

Her own name startles her and she drops the keys she's
holding into the lake--

EXT.CAMPSITE - DAY

The campers are all cosy round the fire and don't notice the
absurd behaviour at the pier. Ronan still picks at Marianne's
spot when he sees Minnie going to play with the fire.

RONAN
Minnie, Minnie don't touch that and go
to sleep now. Whose turn is it to tend

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 8.

to the fire anyway?

MARIANNE
Jade's I think. Oglesby?

OGRE
It's Jade.

All heads turn towards Jade on the pier who's trying to fish
her keys out the water with Miss Alice's help. After a
moment's hesitation she crazily jumps into the water to find
them.

Ogre stands up and runs to save his girl.

Minnie goes back to playing by the fire as if this is nothing

to do with her.

RONAN
(to Marianne)
Are you gonna talk to her?

MARIANNE
It's just writer's block, apparently.

RONAN
Marianne-- I really think you should
talk to her.

Distracted by Jade's behavior Ronan pierces a hole in

Marianne's flesh with his knife.

Marianne breaks into sweats from the pain.

MARIANNE
Ow you motherf...Fuck me, that hurt!!

She starts hitting him playfully but Ronan still watches Jade
in suspicion.

EXT. OUT ON THE LAKE - SUNSET

From the lake we see Ronan, Billy, Ogre and Miss Alice (and
Minnie trying to join in), dancing to a funky tune. A rusty
boat floats in and obstructs our view...Jade and Marianne are
sailing on it, Jade, in new dry clothes, flustered and
standing, Marianne confused and paddling.

JADE
Hellloooo!!

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 9.

MARIANNE
Jade, who are you calling to?

Jade sits down, suddenly all cheery and calm. Her following
monologue appears deranged to Marianne but makes perfect
sense to Jade.

JADE
Marianne my dear Marianne, if you
think about this logically you will
understand everything. What does a
villain do to a victim once they've
put them to sleep? Isn't it strange
that everyone thinks people just get
buried alive? And- don't get me wrong,
I imagine it would be hideous if being
buried alive was anything like, in
that Dutch movie about clautrophobia
and golden eggs, you know?
(Jade shakes her head)
But maybe the fear of claustrophobia
is really quite similar to a fear of
large spaces...like the water...

Jade looks at the extent of the lake. Then the reflection of

the clouds causes her to look up at the sky.

JADE(CONT'D)
...If you wake up underground, with no
way out, you pretty much know what's
coming. But waking up in the middle of
unlimited space - maybe sharks or
drowning or pirates but - you can't
know for sure of the storms or God
knows what other ------
hullabaloo--

MARIANNE
Hullaballo?

JADE
-- Hullaballoo...that is coming your
way. And it's hell not to know...it's
just...it's just hell not to know.

Towards the end, Jade becomes melancholy because she doesn't

know what happened to Mary. She covers her face in her palms,
distraught.

MARIANNE
I know, let's go back and play a game

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 10.

that will cheer you up. How about

charades?

Jade doesn't react but then...she lights up. A mad smile on

her face.
JADE
Charades?

MARIANNE
Let's play charades.
JADE
Yess!! Oh my goodness! Let's play
charades, yes!! Yoohoo!!

Jade takes off her jumper and crazily jumps into the lake
again, swimming to shore.
MARIANNE
Jade!!

Marianne rolls her eyes and paddles after the maniac.

EXT.CAMPSITE - NIGHT

Jade flops her shoes on a stick over the fire to dry and
takes a seat in her camping chair. She sports the crazy look
with still wet hair, and in only a t-shirt, loose trousers
and socks, despite the cold.

Minnie sleeps in the background on the hammock. Miss Alice,

Ogre and Ronan are on one side of the fire in a team while
Jade, Billy and Marianne are on the other side in the
opposite team. Jade has a mad and excited look in her eye as
she gestures to Ogre.

JADE
Oglesby, come here.

He does, and Billy and Marianne huddle round to listen as

Jade whispers the next charade into his ear.

JADE
Bloody Mary.

OGRE
Ah...fuck, okay.

Ogre takes the spotlight with Harlaw lake as his backdrop.

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 11.

JADE
Watch him!

First, Ogre rolls an invisible camera.

RONAN
Film.
(Ogre opens an invisible book)
MISS ALICE
And book.
(Ogre shows two fingers)
Two words.
(Ogre points at his thumb)
RONAN
The first word.

Ogre pretends to cut his throat.

MISS ALICE
Slicing! Off-with-their-heads, oh
Alice in Wonderland?

RONAN
Suicide. The Virgin Suicides.

OGRE
(laughing)
What?!

Jade looks over at Ronan. Ronan looks back at her.

Immediately she breaks eye contact.

Ogre pretends to slit his wrists and motions at the imaginary

blood coming out while making a noise.
OGRE
Tsssss.

MISS ALICE
Wound or blood.
RONAN
Blood.

MARIANNE
You're not allowed to do noises!

JADE
Haha! It's true, no noises, all
pantomime!

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 12.

OGRE
Oh sorry.

Ogre does a thumbs up and points at his second finger.

MISS ALICE
Okay second word.

Ogre pretends to pray.

MISS ALICE
Praying...
(Ogre pretends to cradle a baby
and that it's crying)
OGRE
Booohooo.

BILLY
No man, you're disqualified, you made
a noise again.

JADE
No lettem go on, lettem go on!

MISS ALICE
A baby, what's a story about a
baby...Jesus?

RONAN
Ah I know I think...

MISS ALICE
What, what is it?

RONAN
I think...

Ogre puts his shirt over his head to imply Mary's veil...he
then steps out of her place and pretends to kill her with an
axe to imply the 'bloody' - all the while Miss Alice making
random, frantic guesses.

Ronan's face loses colour. He turns to Jade who's watching

him closely. She's trying to accuse him.

MISS ALICE(O.S)
It must be...oh! MARY! Bloody Mary!
BILLY+MARIANNE(O.S)
Yeah!!

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 13.

Ronan takes a swig of booze feeling Jade's gaze on him. He

stands up, turning to stare at Jade intensely, challenging
her.

The triumph of discovery on her face now turns into sadness

and disappointment.

Ronan throws his whiskey bottle on the ground.

RONAN
What is your problem?!

Jade jumps back, accuses him. They face off.

JADE
You were going to do something
horrible to that poor girl in the
glitter jacket! What were you going to
do to her?!

The campers gather around trying to diffuse the tension and

everything becomes a shouting-over-each-other scene of chaos
with flustered Jade in the middle of it all.

OGRE
Jade, what's going on?

MARIANNE
Jade, you've been a little out of
sorts--

BILLY
What's she trying to say?

MISS ALICE
That Ronan did something to someone.

Ronan laughs. Jade seeing everyone's reaction gets

furious...she marches up and tears Ronan's bag open. A moment
of searching finds her the hip-flask Ronan used to drug Mary.
She points at it.

JADE
It's drugged...he drugged it!

Silence now. The campers hesitantly look at Ronan. Ronan has

stopped laughing and looks a little nervous.

RONAN
It's nothing.

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 14.

Jade, still furious, takes a big gulp from the hip flask and
throws it away.

She looks at Ronan inspecting his reaction.

Ronan loses all his previous giddiness.

But nothing happens. The scene goes back to chaos.

BILLY
Alright hold up - girl you can't just
worry your friends and your boyfriend
and act crazy all night, that just
isn't natural!

MISS ALICE
Ronan what did you say to her?

RONAN
I'm gonna go grab some firewood.

JADE
(points at Minnie)
No, Minnie told me!

Minnie wakes up from a nap on the hammock, oblivious to

what's going on, she sits by the fire and looks for food.

A storm breaks out. Marianne looks up at the sky. The others

keep arguing around her.

OGRE(DISTANT)
Jade, do you wanna go home?

JADE(DISTANT)
There's a woman somewhere on the road,
we need to find her and wake her up--

Thunder hits.

MARIANNE
(whispers)
Hullaballoo.

Marianne understands everything now.

JADE
Find her and wake her up, find her and
wake her---

Jade's eyes roll back in her head...she collapses.

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 15.

OGRE
Jade...

The campers look from Jade to Ronan, who is already halfway

in the woods - he turns his head briefly and picks up the
pace.

OGRE
Get him back.

Billy and Miss Alice go after him, while Ogre and Marianne
kneel by Jade, their voices distant in her head now.

OGRE(DISTANT)
Jade, wait just don't go to sleep.

Jade looks passed Marianne and Ogre at the extent of the sky -
raindrops hit her face, causing her to smile.

EXT.WOODS - NIGHT
BILLY+MISS ALICE(DISTANT)
Ronan!!!

Ronan runs through the woods - Billy and Miss Alice chase
behind him with fire-torches.

He slips on the mud as the rain breaks out.

He looks up at the sky, almost agreeing with the weather.

Defeated.

EXT.CAMPSITE - NIGHT

As the campers try in vain to keep her awake, the melody of

"Sleep" by The Dandy Warhols escorts Jade somewhere other
than here, into a vast, unknown space.

She closes her eyes, drifting into sleep with a half-mad

smile.

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