Guilt Trip

Matthew Kondracki / Kaitlyn Annabel Scott / Nick De

Luca-Taronno
FADE IN

INT - DANCE HALL - NIGHT

(Classical music fades up)

A spotlight shines on Mera (24) and Connor (25) as they

continue to laugh and dance to classical music. Mera wears a
bracelet on her right wrist.

BLACK SCREEN WITH CREDITS

INT - DANCE HALL - NIGHT

Connor attempts to do the moonwalk.

MERA
(Laughing)
Noooooo.

CONNOR
I'm pretty close!

MERA
Not even!

BLACK SCREEN WITH CREDITS

(Classical music fades out)

INT - MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT

Mera snorts cocaine off of the living room table as Connor

enters the apartment.

CONNOR
Are you fucking serious?

Mera wipes off her nose and looks at Connor dismissively.

MERA
What!?

CONNOR
I thought we agreed not to do so much
of that stuff.

Mera sniffles.

MERA
Relax, I barely had any! You need to-

Created using Celtx

 2.

CONNOR
The amount isn't the problem! I can't
fucking believe...

BLACK SCREEN WITH CREDITS

INT. DANCE HALL. NIGHT.

(Classical music fades up)

Connor twirls Mera.

MERA
(Teasing)
Oooooh fancy you!

CONNOR
I try.

MERA
My turn!

BLACK SCREEN WITH CREDITS

CONNOR
You want to spin me?

MERA
(laughing)
Yeah! Why, is that not allowed?

Mera twirls Connor out of the spotlight and into the

darkness.

BLACK SCREEN WITH TITLE CARD

(Classical music fades out)

EXT - DINER PARKING LOT - DAY

The sound of a vehicle parking, ignition being turned off,

and heavy breathing. Mera's car pulls into the diner's
parking lot.

INT - MERA'S CAR - DAY

Mera, looking disheveled and wearing a wig, continues to

breathe heavily as she sits in the driver seat.

Mera wipes away tears and fidgets with the bracelet on her
wrist. Trembling, she opens up her purse and takes out a

Created using Celtx

 3.

wallet, and counts the few bills that remain. She sighs,
steps out of the vehicle, and makes her way toward the diner.

INT - DINER - DAY

Mera is sitting at a booth while she continues to play with

her bracelet. A light tune plays from the diner's speakers. A
WAITRESS (56) walks up to Mera's booth.

WAITRESS
What can I get for ya, hon?

Mera runs her finger across the menu.

MERA
Number four, please.

WAITRESS
Sure thing. Anything else?

Mera shakes her head.

WAITRESS
And your still good with water?

MERA
Yeah.

WAITRESS
(Smiling)
Oh, Maiden! I saw them a few years
back. Fantastic show.

Mera looks confused.

WAITRESS
Iron Maiden. Your shirt, hon.

Mera looks down at her shirt and gives the waitress a half-
hearted smile.

WAITRESS
It'll be right out.

The waitress leaves the booth as Mera stares into the

distance.

INT - DINER - DAY

Mera devours her burger but slows when she hears classical
music.

Created using Celtx

 4.

(Classical music fades up)

Mera freezes when she spots Connor sitting at another booth

eating a burger. Mera drops her burger as she fidgets with
her bracelet. Connor stares at her as he chews his food. Mera
closes her eyes as the music becomes unbearably loud.

Mera opens her eyes.

(Classical music cuts out)

A random customer sits where Connor once was and happily

chomps away at their food. Mera rushes out to her car,
leaving cash for the meal, a half eaten burger, and her
bracelet on her tray in the booth.

Created using Celtx

 5.

ACT II
______

EXT - MOTEL PARKING LOT - NIGHT

Mera's car quickly pulls into the lot of a shabby-looking

motel. She cuts the engine and looks over her shoulder as she
heads toward her room. She fumbles with her cluttered key
ring.

Mera walks up to her room but the key doesn't work. Her
movements become more frantic and she tries a second key. As
she's trying a third, a NEIGHBOUR (mid-20s) walks up to the
room next door.

NEIGHBOUR
Mera?

Mera gasps as she drops her keys.

NEIGHBOUR
How long has it been, a few years?

MERA
I've just been-I-I-think you have me
confused with someone else.

The NEIGHBOUR looks concerned as they stare at Mera. Mera's

hands shake as she fumbles for the right key. In one quick
motion, she slides the key into the door, slips into her
motel room, and slams the door.

INT - MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT

Neighbour's footsteps trail off behind the door.

Mera is nearly hyperventilating as she yanks her wig off and

throws it to the ground. She walks quickly toward to the
duffel bag sitting on her bed. She begins going through it,
each movement more frantic than the last. Inside are men's
clothes, cigarettes, wads of cash, and pills.

Mera pulls the drugs out and lines them up on the bed. She
stares at them for a moment then grabs them all at once
before walking to the bathroom.

She pours two pills into the palm of her hand and takes them.
She drinks some water from the tap. When she stands up, she
sees Connor standing right behind her in the mirror.

She shrieks, whirls around, and realizes that the room is

empty.

Created using Celtx

 6.

She stumbles back to the bedroom and collapses onto the bed.
Above her, the roof is beginning to spin. She squeezes her
eyes shut and tries to steady her breathing.

Faintly, music begins playing. It sounds like it's coming

from outside the motel door. Mira lifts her head and stares
in horror at the door. The music grows louder, until it's
clearly the classical music MIRA and CONNOR were dancing to
in the opening montage.

Mira hears a past conversation she and CONNOR once had begin
to play over the music.

MIRA:
Nooooooo.

CONNER:
I'm pretty close!

MIRA:
Not even! (Laughter) Ooooo fancy!

CONNER:
I try.

MIRA:
Okay, my turn.

The past conversation begins to fade, along with the music,

until MIRA is sitting in silence. Suddenly, CONNER is
standing right next to her, his face inches from hers.

CONNER:
You want to spin me?

MIRA grabs a pillow and screams into it. She holds it there
for a moment. When she looks up again, there is no one there.

Mera searches the room until her eyes stop at her car keys on
the dresser. Her eyes linger.

(Sound of car fades up)

Created using Celtx

 7.

ACT III
_______

EXT - ST ANDREWS LOCK AND DAM - NIGHT

Mera's keys jingle in the ignition as her car drives past the
riverside sign by the lock. The night is silent except for
the classical music emanating from the car as it speeds past
the sign.

EXT - ST ANDREWS LOCK AND DAM PARKING LOT - NIGHT

The music spills out of the car with clearly intoxicated Mera
and Connor.

MERA
See? My dad used to fish up here and
there ain't nobody around this time of
night.

CONNOR
Yeah, this is real dead.

Connor shambles towards Mera like a zombie, eliciting a

slurred giggle. He slips on the grass and lands on his butt.
Mera saddles up beside him and leans her head on his
shoulder. They look out across the rushing water to the
bridge crossing the Red River.

(Music fades under)

MERA
This is nice.

Mera puts the pill from the motel into Connor's mouth and
pops one into her mouth.

CONNOR
Hey, I wanted to give you something.

Connor reaches into his jacket and pulls out a bracelet.

Mera's eyes widen and she grabs it.

MERA
It's beautiful! Thank you!

Mera slips the bracelet on and hops up. She grabs Connor's
arm and tugs him towards the riverside.

Created using Celtx

 8.

EXT - ST ANDREWS LOCK AND DAM STAIRS - NIGHT

They stumble down the embankment to the street light near the
stairs. They stand across from each other under the street
light, laughing and goofing around. Mera stops and pushes
Connor back a little.

(Music fades up)

Mera starts to dance and Connor looks on, smiling. She

motions to him to start moving and he does. They look at each
other from across the cone of light from the street lamp and
freeze.

INT - DANCE HALL - NIGHT

CUT TO MERA AND CONNOR STANDING ACROSS FROM EACH OTHER UNDER
THE SPOTLIGHT

Still frozen, Mera and Connor are now dressed formally and
sober. They move together to dance and laugh. They move
around under the spotlight careful to not go near the edge.

(Music increases)

They move around faster and close their eyes at times. As the
music's volume and tempo increase, so does their speed. They
gradually move further apart towards the light's edge.

SERIES OF SHOTS:

A) Mera moves back and a flash of reality shows her getting

closer to the guardrail. She stumbles and still looks
intoxicated.

B) Connor twirls Mera in the middle of the light. In reality,

they are both under the street light shows sloppily twirling.

MERA
Oooh fancy you!

CONNOR
I try.

C) Mera moves back and holds Connor close as they begin to

slow dance a little. A flash shows them under the street
light slow dancing off-balance.

D) Mera twirls Connor.

Created using Celtx

 9.

MERA
My turn!

Mera twirls Connor who spins towards the edge of the light.
In reality, he is shown stumbling quickly backward. Mera is
smiling as Connor falls out of the spotlight and into
blackness. A shot of reality shows Connor backing into the
rail beside the stairs.

CONNOR
Mera!

Mera, still smiling, looks confused. The sound of Connor

hitting the rail causes her to jolt.

[THUD]

EXT - ST ANDREWS LOCK AND DAM STAIRS - NIGHT

Connor lands out of her sight. Mera, smile fading, snaps out
of her haze and looks at the railing where Connor was a
moment ago.

MERA
(shouting)
Connor?!

Mera runs to the railing and gasps as she looks over. She
clutches her bracelet. WITNESS (55) shouts from the bridge.

WITNESS
Hey! Is everything okay?

Mera panics, looks over the railing again, covers her mouth
to muffle sobs, and runs to the car. Mera peels out down the
road she arrived on earlier.

EXT - ST ANDREWS LOCK AND DAM - NIGHT

Mera's car goes up the road and up the Lockport Bridge,

mirroring the opening shot.

MERA (V.O.)
Hello? Hi-

INT - MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT

Mera, still laying on the motel bed in the same position from
earlier, has tears in her eyes. She holds a phone to her ear.

Created using Celtx

 10.

MERA (V.O.)
-I need to report an accident.

BLACK SCREEN

CREDITS ROLL

(The End)

Created using Celtx