SHORT FILM

genre: horror
disorder: bipolar disorder

Characters:

Cara – well-rounded student who lost both her parents to car crash; she grew up not
knowing how they look, so she always sought and long for what her parents are like and
later found in the end a shocking revelation why she kept seeing a peculiar and
mysterious lady in her dreams

Lei – a friend of Cara that is mentally challenged; made Cara her therapist friend each
time she feels an episode coming

First scene:

Cara peacefully writes on her journal about the highlight of her day, when she received
a call from Lei.

Lei: Hey, Cara. You up for a meet-up? I desperately need someone to vent out to.
Cara: Yeah, be there in a bit. Just finishing a journal. When will that day ever be that
you’re calm and in your element, Lei. It’s summer vacation and you still have not
relaxed a bit. Keep it down, will you? (inappropriate intervention)

Second scene:

Cara witnessed Lei crying alone in a bench and immediately rushed to comfort her.

Cara: What happened? Why the sudden outburst? Are you comfortable sharing it right
now or you only need someone to stay with you for a while? (appropriate intervention)

Lei: I was recently diagnosed with Depression. No wonder I’ve been feeling lost and
unmotivated during the last days of our semester. Relieved that there’s more time to
recover during this summer break.

Cara proceeds to hug Lei, being the person who does not really know what to say
during times like this, she decided to comfort her best friend by hugging her and
caressing the small of her back hoping it would give her comfort and to ease the pain
she is feeling.
Third scene:

Cara decided to go elsewhere to unwind, as she had a long day. *show in the scene
how exhausted Cara is, like her social battery has been worn out*

While writing on her journal, Cara elaborated how her day went with Lei. She was too
caught up with her own issues in life that she never noticed Lei was also struggling.

Fourth scene:

*Show a scene where Cara is sleeping. In this scene, peculiar movements already
started to disturb her deep slumber. Cara tosses and turns as if there’s something
bothering in her sleep.*

Tired and agitated, Cara decided to get up from her sleep. She checks her watch. It’s
exactly 3 in the morning. She gets a glass of water to drink and later and felt a shadow
coming from her peripheral view. She slowly turns back and saw a woman with a fixed
gaze towards Cara, eyes that refuse to blink, very pale, and hair very much like Cara’s,
long and dark.

Cara instantly jolted up from her bed. It was just a terrible nightmare. But boy, the
feeling was right on. It felt so real that she started to confuse the dream as her reality.

Fifth scene:

Deciding to have a girl day, Lei and Cara went out to unwind a little.

Lei: I have been feeling so restless lately and I haven’t even done anything productive
these days. It’s like no matter how long I sleep, I find myself waking up with the same
tired eyes, unmotivated with no energy left in me.

Cara: Did you follow the prescriptions made by your doctor? It’s important that you
never miss a dose of your medication. Also, try reading or journaling, they helped me a
lot on days I feel overwhelmed.

Lei: Thank you, Cara. This means a lot to me. I haven’t even made friends this summer,
you’re the only one I got who willingly listens to all my problems.

Cara: No problem, Lei.

Sixth scene:
While reading with Lei’s company, Cara notices a cry for help just near a tree. As if a
lady is in agonizing pain.

Cara: Do you hear a crying lady asking for help?

Lei: What? Where? I don’t see anyone asking for help nor do I hear anyone in pain.

Cara continued to search for the noise until she hears a ringing sound. She immediately
covers her ear and falls down to the ground.

Cara: Help them! Somebody, please!

Lei hurried down to Cara and hugged her.

Lei: Cara! Come to your senses! I am not seeing anyone in pain here, can you be more
specific? So that I can help you!

Cara immediately falls down in Lei’s arms, as she fainted.

Seventh scene:

In the clinic, Cara opened her eyes to see Lei, worried about her while talking to a
doctor.

Doctor: She might have been under chronic stress. Is she seeing a psychiatrist?

Lei: Not that I know of. She was an active student and an outgoing person too. She
balanced her life very well, that she also took care of her body and made sure she ate
healthy and lived an active lifestyle.

Doctor: Okay, I will just run some test on her and we’ll see what’s going on.

Lei: Thank you, doc.

Cara: What happened? Why am I here?

Lei: We were at the park, remember? We were just reading books together when you
started to cover your ears and asked for help. You said something like, “Help them!”
Who were you referring to? I didn’t see anyone in need of help at that moment.
Cara: There were two people involved in a car accident, but I really can’t distinguish
who they were. The lady was reaching out to my hand and was covered with blood. She
was asking for my help and no one listened, no one came to help no matter how loud
the noise they were making seeking it.

Cara sat down and envisions the incident she saw a while ago. It was a horrifying sight
to see, that you can almost smell the blood and the gasoline dripping out from the
engine of the car. The limb of the lady was cut off, as if similar to the one she saw in her
dream. She has the most striking eyes that are fixated and never blinked. She can feel
the pain in her eyes and the longing that she and her husband might be saved.

Surprisingly, the doctor came back in with results. What he asked Cara immediately put
her back in her seat.

Doctor: Are you somehow related to someone with Bipolar Disorder, Ms. Cara? Have
you had any childhood traumas that may have triggered this?

Cara: Uhm, no, doc. I have not met my parents since they were involved in a car crash
when I was 4 years old. Our house back then was burned down and no pictures of us
were retrieved, so I never really got to remember their faces or their medical history for
instance.

Doctor: I think it’s time for you to retrace your family tree, Ms. Cara.

Eighth scene:

Cara found herself surfing the internet to find her relatives that may answer the
questions that are bothering her for a long time. She accessed an account that has the
same features as her and has the same maiden last name as her mother. From there,
she started to introduce herself and asked some questions for clarification if they really
are in the same family tree.

To her surprise, the person responded right away.

*Chat/virtual conversation*

Cara: Hello! I am Cara Singh, the daughter of Ceth and Caroline Singh who died in a
car crash 14 years ago. On the same day my parents died, our house was burned in a
fire. Until now, I am not aware how my parents look and the possible illnesses that they
might pass to me as all important documents and pictures were lost to fire. If you are in
some way related to our family, it would be nice to hear from you.
Cecil: Hi! I am your mother’s half-sister. It was nice that you saw me here on the
internet, I have been searching for you for years, but because of unexpected
circumstances, I failed terribly. How are you? How have you been doing since that
incident?

Cara: It’s just that I recently encountered something suspicious and peculiar. May I ask
for a background regarding our family medical history?

Cecil: Basically, your mother was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and she tends to rely
on medications to stabilize her moods. She often has manic episodes and would have
difficulty controlling them. Your father and mother had a terrible car accident just near
the huge acacia tree at a park. Some witness said that the car was moving too fast and
that they suspected that the driver might have lost control. Some say that your mother
was in her manic episode during that time and took the steering wheel and distracted
your father while driving that caused a car crash. Your mother’s limb was badly crushed
that she started to crawl out of the car crying for help. Your father was dead on the spot.
Your mother was crying for help holding out her hand to people around the site, but
people appeared as if they didn’t hear anything, I think it’s the fear that enveloped
everyone seeing her in that state. The moment the police officers and the ambulance
arrived, the couple were already dead by that time.

Cara was too stunned to think about what to respond to her aunt.

Cara: Do you have any picture of my mother, aunt Cecil?

Aunt Cecil sends a picture of a lady with dark, long hair, with piercing eyes that light up
the room. She has the same pale complexion as Cara and a soft smile like hers.

Immediately, Cara dropped her phone… A realization hit her. She is her mother’s
daughter. The only successor of the disease.

*Show a scene of her tying her neck with a rope, attempting to hang and kill herself*

Cara: “It ends with me.” *jumps and hangs herself*