2 SECONDS- Film Summary

By Muriel Palanca

Have you ever looked at someone and imagined what they were like? Ever imagined
what it would be like if you were with them? What if they were your soul mate? Like, you see a
cute guy and you imagine your whole life with them; First date, marriage, sex, babies, fights,
make up sex, growing old and dying together, and being just absolutely in love. All of that
happens in the span of two seconds. It’s like a first impression on steroids.
This is the basic premise of my short film. (Names are tentative) Josh is a smart guy with
a fairly simple life. He gets up, takes the bus to a desk job, works and takes the bus home. He’s
going through the motions, but he knows there’s something better for him coming around the
corner. And one day…it does. It’s raining and Josh is waiting at the bus stop like he always does
eager to go home. *Note- he is prepared for the weather- He has an umbrella which will be
important later.* Then, this beautiful (not model beautiful, but sassy, spunky, somewhat rough
but still sweet- beautiful) girl comes to the bus stop. Her clothes are business casual- not suited
for the current weather. As she sits on the other side of the bus stop bench, she tries to clean
herself up, or at least attempts to look less disheveled. From the way Josh looks at her, it is clear
that he is attracted to her.
While he is contemplating what to do, she gets a phone call. On the phone, it sounds like
she is talking to a boyfriend who is worried about her and asking her how her day went. Josh is
discouraged but not completely deterred. When she hangs up the phone, she looks at Josh and
apologizes for ruining his silence, but he replies, “It’s ok, If I was your boyfriend, I would be
worried about you too.” She then tells him that it was her brother and not her boyfriend.
Aside from seeing how she was, her brother was also asking her for advice on what he
should do about a girl he likes. She is now having a conversation with Josh about how she
wishes people would take more chances and risk falling in love or possibly getting hurt or turned
down. You never know until you try. He argues that if he hypothetically asked her out and she
turned him down, it would really bum him out and make him wary of taking chances like that
again. She counters that there is also a good possibility she would accept…but then what?
This begins their journey through the possibility of what could be. They are two strangers
having a conversation about what would happen if they just took a chance. They will discuss the
details of their first date, a proposal, their wedding, their sex life, their children, their fights, their
make ups, going through life together and being just absolutely in love during both good and bad
times. They are both going back and forth talking and imagining some really funny, sometimes
serious, always sweet “situations” for each topic. The way I picture this being presented is
Family Guy/ Scrubs- esq: for each topic in the conversation, there is a short humorous/ sweet skit
to play out the idea and then it goes back to the conversation. This conversation is all in good
fun, something to pass the time. While there will be humor in the fantasy skits, I want it to be
apparent that there is always an underlying sweetness and they are very much in love in this
fantasy world.
Near the end of the conversation, the bus comes and she says it’s hers and she has to go.
As she heads to the bus entrance, Josh tells her she forgot her umbrella. They both know the
umbrella really belongs to him and she says she can’t take it from him. He tells her it’s just a
loan and she can give it back when they have their first date. She smiles, flattered that he manned
up. She gives her number and maybe even a peck on the cheek. She smiles and gives a wave
through the bus window. As the bus pulls away, he hesitates for only a second. Then, he calls her
right there and officially asks her out on a date. It is clear from his reaction that she said yes.
It flashes back to Josh sitting on the bench while the girl is talking on the phone. She is
still talking to what he still thinks is her “boyfriend”. She is finishing the conversation saying.
“Yes, yeah, ok…I’ll cya soon. Bye.” He realizes that he had zoned out while she was talking on
the phone. He also realizes that the whole conversation they had about their possible future was
something that he just imagined in two seconds. She apologizes for ruining his silence and he
says it’s no problem. The conversation stops there and they sit in silence waiting for the bus. The
bus comes soon after. She tells him to have a good night, gets on the bus and drives away.
He is now clearly alone at the bus stop. He looks longingly at the empty spot where the
girl was moments before. Last shot is a close up of his hand on the right…and the girl’s hand
from the left side of the screen reaching to hold his hand, as if she were right there with him.