'In Control' Screeplay

‘In Control’ Screenplay

SCENE ONE - INT: BEDROOM

[JESS is asleep, she stirs - she sits up and gets her phone out. She scrolls through photos of ‘thinspiration’ on social media - photos of underweight girls. As JESS looks at the photo’s, she looks like she's in some sort of trance]

[JESS gets out of bed, then starts looking in the mirror: she lifts her pyjama top and checks her belly, pinching at ‘fat’. She then does the same with her legs, before trying to wrap her hand around the top of her arm. (Body checking) As JESS body checks, she looks distraught, on the verge of crying - disappointed? Angry? Hopeless?]

[JESS gets out some scales from under the bed and positions them on her floor. She takes a deep breath before she steps on the scales. We see JESS’ reaction - she looks shocked, hurt. She wipes angry tears from her eyes before placing the scales back under her bed and leaving the room.]

END OF SCENE ONE

SCENE TWO - INT:KITCHEN

[JESS walks into the kitchen, filling up a glass of water from the sink. Her MUM follows her into the room.]

MUM:

Good morning

JESS:

Hi, mum

MUM:

how are you feeling today baby? [places her hand on JESS’ shoulder - JESS flinches]

JESS:

[takes a sip of her water] Fine, just tired

MUM:

you going to have breakfast?

JESS:

I didn't think I had a choice [very sad]

MUM:

You wouldn't want to upset Dr Ford would you?

[JESS - looks at MUM, broken- JESS turns away from her mum as she gets out a bowl and pours cereal and milk into it before getting a spoon out of a draw]

MUM:

Jess, I know this is hard on you -

[JESS looks tired and bored of this conversation]

MUM:

I know you do want to get better deep down inside.

JESS:

[faces her mum and puts on a false smile] Mum, I'm fine. I have it under control. I promise.

MUM:

Dr Ford and I don't think you do, honey

JESS:

Mum - I. Am. Fine. [she sounds patronising, like she's speaking to a child]

MUM:

[sighs] okay, just eat your breakfast. [she opens the fridge pulling out a nutritional shake] but, if you’re in control, then you can drink this

[JESS looks at her mother, scared and betrayed]

JESS:

[voice very quiet] why?

MUM:

if you want to go to university and do all those other things then you've got to start gaining some weight, Jess

JESS:

[looks horrified] I have been gaining weight, mum

MUM:

according to Dr Ford - not enough

[JESS shakes her head. She picks up her cereal]

JESS:

I'm going to finish eating this upstairs

[JESS leaves the kitchen, meanwhile, MUM looks sad, shutting her eyes and taking deep breaths]

END OF SCENE TWO

SCENE THREE - INT:BEDROOM

[JESS walks into her room and puts her bowl down; she bends down, pulling a box out from underneath her bed. The box contains uni prospectus’, jewellery, photos of Jess and her friends - It’s a memory/future box - something Jess is using to motivate herself to get better. They are things that make her happy.]

[JESS appears to be sad, hopeless - it is obvious she wants to go to university and getting better, her illness is stopping her; JESS sits on the floor, flicking through her favourite uni’s booklet - starting at each page longingly.]

END OF SCENE THREE

SCENE FOUR - THERAPY

INT:DR FORD’S OFFICE

[a small room - two chairs facing each other - JESS is sat on one, DR FORD on the other. DR FORD is writing something down in a notepad - JESS appears anxious, playing with her fingers]

FORD:

Jess, I'm going to be honest with you here

JESS:

okay

FORD:

you have lost 4 kilos in the past two weeks, and I can tell that you are not getting any better mentally. [JESS bites her lip anxiously, FORD looks serious, almost pained with what he is about to say] I am considering admitting you to an inpatient facility

JESS:

[Obviously shocked, horrified and worried] what? Why? I'm not even underweight anymore!

FORD:

you may not be underweight but you will be if you carry on like this, and besides, the anorexic mechanisms are still very strong. [pauses] I spoke to your mum yesterday

JESS:

what did she say?

FORD:

She said that your sister has been staying at friends houses for the past few nights

JESS:

what's Dianna got to do with this?

FORD:

she's staying there because she doesn't want to be there whilst you and your parents argue every night over dinner and then your night snack. It's not fair on her

JESS:

okay...I'm confused?

FORD:

[sighs] Jess, your mum and dad don't think you’re going to get any better. In fact your mum told me she feels as though she is watching fade away right there in front of them, and they can't do anything to stop it

JESS:

what do you mean?

FORD:

your mum believes if you are not admitted as an inpatient then you might die within the next year

[JESS appears shocked, hurt - in disbelief]

FORD:

you've been at a healthy weight for 2 months now and you still haven't got your period back, your refusing to drink the shakes and finish your dinner, you've started exercising again despite my recommendations against it and your mum knows that you're keeping track of your calories again

JESS:

how does she-

FORD:

that doesn't matter. You've gone backwards by six months Jess. You were doing so much better, and now you're back to the stage you were at when we first met

[JESS appears stressed - jigging her knee and fiddling with her hair]

JESS:

I just - I don't see the point in getting better

FORD:

[leans forward] and why is that?

JESS:

I'm only going to be more miserable, I'm never going to get to do anything on that list you made me write - I just, I think it's all pointless

FORD:

but why do you think those things, Jess?

JESS:

[shrugs] I don't know

FORD:

that's your anorexia, Jess. It's making you feel as though you don't have a purpose other than counting calories and losing weight. It's making you feel like a failure and see everything negatively. I promise you, if you were to go back to listen to me - stop exercising and calorie counting, drink the shakes and finish your dinner - your body will hit a set point, you won't gain anymore weight and you will start to be happy

JESS:

but I'll be fat [sounds defeated]

FORD:

will not let you get above a BMI of 21, I've promise you that. You will not be fat, you'll be healthy. You'll have your period. You'll be less tired. You'll be able to enjoy yourself more. If you don't listen to me - you'll end up in hospital or you'll die. And then you really won't achieve anything on that list

[Jess bites her lip, thinking and considering]

END OF SCENE FOUR

SCENE FIVE - INT: KITCHEN

[JESS is standing at the stove, cooking a saucepan of pasta. She stirs the pot occasionally, but appears preoccupied, biting her lip and picking at her nails, she sips a nutritional shake slowly, and takes a deep breath afterwards]

[OUT OF SHOT] MUM:

Jess, I'm home!

JESS:

I'm in the kitchen

MUM:

[Shocked - in disbelief] you're cooking?

JESS:

[turns to face MUM] yeah, I thought we could all have pasta for dinner

[MUM reaches for the nutritional shake that's open and stood on the counter next to JESS]

MUM:

having you been drinking this or pouring it down the sink?

JESS:

[laughs, seems much more at ease] drinking it, [she takes a sip from the straw to prove it] it tastes a bit strange though [turns back to the pasta]

MUM:

[looks dumbfounded] I'm guessing your appointment with Dr Ford went well today?

JESS:

[turns to face her] Yeah, he told me what you said. I'm sorry. I really am, sometimes I just forget about everything over than that drive to be thin. [Shakes her head as though shes reminding herself that that is not what she wants] I do want to get better, but it is going to take time...

MUM:

[smiling brightly - pulls JESS into a hug] Jess, honey, I know that! I don't want you to gain loads of weight, I just want you to be happy and healthy

JESS:

I know, I do

MUM:

[pulls away from the hug, wiping tears from her eyes] so what pasta are we having?

[the pair continue to talk as the camera zooms out and their conversation fades out into the gradually increasing music. The camera fades to black]

END OF SCENE FIVE

FADE OUT

END OF FILM -- CREDITS