Mr Mismatch

MR MISMATCH 

(OR STRANGER WITH A LIGHT)


Screenplay by

Brian McNulty


FADE IN:

Act 1 Start with a close up of protagonist, Harry.

Scene 1

Shot of 30 yr old boy, blue kagool, flicked hair, grey trousers and yellow t-shirt controlling a polythene bag in the wind with a broken toy car remote control

Zoom in. to full body shot (face concentrating)

Zoon in again. To face.


VOICE OVER

Harry was strange. There was no getting away from that.

Zoom out. Stop for moment.

Zoom right out so Harry is in the background. Old ladys face is in foreground. Old lady has headscarf on and grocery bag trailing behind her. She has her head turned to the side and is looking at him when the camera first zooms out.

She shakes her head and turns looking right into the camera and points behind herself towards Harry.

OLD LADY

The boys strange.


Camera is positioned round in front of Harry with her now in the back ground.
She shakes her head again and heads off right across camera, leaning into the wind and walks off with her bag on rollers behind her. (cat food showing.) Harry, is bending down picking something off ground in background.

Scene 2

EXT. SMALL APARTMENT

VOICE OVER

Where he lived. Flat 12, 143-145 St Peters Place, Bethnal Green. It was a strange house. Only because Harry lived there. He had a habit of making circumstances seem strange. Situations, conversations, meals, visits to the shops, other peoples thoughts. Harry could make any situation appear strange. I suppose you could say it was a talent of his.

A sequence of camera freeze shots staggered across the above voice over, starting with a far away shot of the flat, one a bit closer, half way to the garden. Next at the garden, next on the stairs, next at the door, next at the door with door open, next in hall, next in living room. Then swing the shot round to show sofa.
INT. SMALL APARTMENT

Woman (boys mum) sitting in a run down living room in middle of sofa with throw with holes in it. Chain smoking, rubbish holiday t-shirt on, holding chipped cup of tea, She smiles and takes a draw while thinking of her wee boy. The smile disappears as you hear a muffled question from the interviewer (note: this should be completely incomprehensible)

MUM
Off his trolley, who says that?

Thinks hard and looks more angry.

MUM
And what would they know, Ill slap anyone who says that to my face.

Smiles again, thinking about him.

MUM
Hes still my wee booooy. Hes a lovely boy really. You see, people just dont give him a chance. Just stand and stare. Jumping to conclusions. If only they would look beyond their first impressions. You shouldnt judge a book from its cover
CUT TO:

A shot of a book with Strange Boy on the cover. Then show the book being flicked through with Strange Boy on every page.
CUT BACK:
Pauses and looks right at the camera, blank expression deep in thought tainted with regret and heartache.


Pauses and looks right at the camera, blank expression deep in thought tainted with regret and heartache.

MUM
But its always been like that. [PAUSE] Whos they anyway?


Scene 3

IN THE STREET AT THE EDGE OF A ROAD.

2 young road sweepers are standing at the side of the road. One leaning on a brush with his back to Harry, the other sitting on the edge of a wall. The one on the wall sees Harry behind his work mate and taps kicks him gently and then points at Harry.

WORKMAN ON WALL

Check him out

Zoom from view of workman on wall, freeze to half way with Harry bigger, then freeze to ¾ way, then freeze of closer with just Harry in picture. Start film rolling to show Harry breaking a dog shit into smaller pieces and making them into a circle, he places used matches, one in each piece around the circle.
Cut back to workman

WORKMAN ON WALL

Thats disgusting

Back to Harry, he takes a dead crow from out his pocket and puts it in the middle.
OTHER WORKMAN

Oh whaat! Thats horrible. Hoi! What you doing you madman?

Camera back to Harry, he runs off.

Camera is behind the workman, showing them laughing as Harry runs. Harry bends down and picks something up, looks back briefly and continues to run off.

(Script note -Section to be added relevant to umbrella with no rain)

Scene 3

EXT. SMALL APARTMENT

Brief shot of outside of flat, zoom right into window

INT. SMALL APARTMENT

Camera back on mum on couch
MUM
They said, a special school. I said a special school? Awaaay!

She waves her hand as if to say thats just ridiculous

MUM
You know whos to blame for all this? [Pause] Asides his dad that is. Well his dad and those teachers?

Longer pause and draw of the cigarette

MUM
I blame that James Harvey.

Pause, draw on fag and long think followed by shake of the head

MUM
I knew he was bad news that boy

Hear muffled voice of interviewer
MUM
Its not an excuse. I do blame him. I told Harry, why dont you walk up the road with someone else son? See Harry, he was really impressionable and they say that theres one in every bag, you know what I mean?

Flash of a rotten apple sitting in a bag of good apples.

MUM
You ask Harry who started collecting them? Im telling you Harry was normal before he got him addicted. Seriously you even ask James, he wont deny it!

CUT TO:
Flash of a two wee boys from behind (about 7), walking along a road but stopping to pick something up every 5 seconds or so.
CUT BACK:

INT. SMALL APARTMENT

MUM
Confronted him a couple of times, he didnt deny it. Says he was just a little boy at the time.
CUT TO:

Flash of a wee boy smiling, eating an apple. Takes a bite.

CUT BACK:

INT. SMALL APARTMENT

MUM
Says now hes all grown up

CUT TO:

(mums voice over in brackets at end)
Two second shot of a wee boy smiling and holding a toy car (all)
Followed by two second shot zoomed out 3 foot of awkward looking teenager, not smiling and standing next to a battered car (grown)
Followed by a two second shot of a 30 year old James, standing in front of his flashy car with wife and two kids all smiling. (up)


CUT BACK:
MUM
Says collecting matches was just a game for wee boys

CUT TO:
Short clip of Harry as a teenager picking up some matches

CUT BACK:
MUM
[Much more upset now] But try telling Harry. [Almost crying now] Try telling him its just a game for wee boys [wipes eyes]

Scene 4

INT. OUT IN STREET

Harry trying to show James his collection. Jamess wife and kids look scared. He bundles the kids in the car quickly
HARRY
Another bundle this morning James, What about you James, get any today? Remember the kids cant collect them James, only you can ..

Harry gives a goofy yet scary smile and laugh, Angela (Jamess wife) is horrified to see Harry

JAMES
Angela, just get in the car. Ill deal with it.

ANGELA
I thought you said youd spoken to the police!

JAMES
Look, just get in the car alright! Ill deal with it.

ANGELA
What IS it with you! Why the hell did you not call the police? What about the girls? I told you James, this cant go on. Its just not normal! Its affecting Jessicas sleep!

JAMES
Look, I said, Ill deal with it ok.

ANGELA
You better, otherwise Im driving this car straight down to the police station, with or without you!

James looks exhausted as he goes over to speak with Harry

JAMES
Jesus Christ Harry. This has got to stop. Dont you get it Harry, it was just a game, a game for kids. You have to move on mate, Im not playing any more!

Scene 5
Cut to James getting interviewed, sitting in his garden. Kids running around in the background. Life has been good to James. Angela can be seen pruning the flower boxes in the background.

JAMES
Confronted me a couple of times!! Christ, try thirty or forty. Shes as bad as him. Between the two of them I cant go near the Bethnal Green area anymore. Continually looking over my shoulder down there for either the mad collector or his mad mum! Jemima, Jessica, calm down. Stop the racket, Im trying to talk over here! Ive tried talking to him, it does worry me at times, more so Angela though [nods towards the house], what with the kids and all that. [nods backwards towards kids] But Im sure hes harmless, just never grew up. Collects matches from dusk till dawn his mother says. None of the doctors have helped she says. Nor the drugs. She still thinks its my fault because I started it! I was eight for Christs sake! Madness, absolute madness.

James takes a long drink and shakes his head

JAMES
Jessica!!Get away from that shed AND STOP RUNNING ABOUT!! [lowers voice] Jesus.

Scene 6

INT. APARTMENT

Mum is now visibly upset

MUM
Thing is Harry thinks that James is just trying to beat him. Thinks James is still playing and is going to surprise him one day with all the matches hes collected too! Thinks hes trying to get one up one him.

CUT TO:
Shot of Harry, laughing and looking really happy with himself that he knows best. Looking right into the camera

HARRY
Thinks Im daft. Thinks I dont know hes still collecting them. Thats why I need to keep my eyes peeled. He was always better than me so there is no room to slip up. [pause and thoughts] But I wont cheat! Thought about buying boxes of them and setting them on fire. That would give me 100 each time, but thats cheating, I wont cheat.

Hear muffled voice of interviewer

HARRY
No. No, James wouldnt cheat either. [pause and looks at camera to show a hidden side that he is actually far from harmless] Id kill him if he did.



CUT BACK:
MUM
Its alright for James though isnt it. Nice wife, nice kids, nice big car, probably got a nice house too. But what do I have eh?

She opens a drawer next to her to reveal thousands of used matches. She breaks down again.

MUM
Rooms full of matches, thats what. Matches, matches, a boy who likes icecream in the rain

CUT TO:

Shot of Harry ordering an icecream in the rain. No words just getting handed one.

CUT BACK:

Mum reaches for a fag and the packet is full of matches, she throws them across the room..
MUM

and more bloody matches!

Mum breaks down in tears

Scene 7

Hear rattling of keys and door open then close

INT. COMPLETELY DARK ROOM (SAME HUT JESSICA WAS WARNED TO GET AWAY FROM)

Hear deep breathing for 5 seconds.
James lights a match to light his face. He checks either side of him and makes sure no-one is watching or listening and then slowly empties his pocket of a bundle of matches into a drawer in the room where his collection is stored.



CUT TO BLACK:
CREDITS (in matches)

James show the rotten apple in a bag with the actors name on it.
Mum being worn down by a file with name on it
Workman 1 brushing up matches spelling his name
Workman 2 picking up dead bird with plastic gloves, dog shit spells his name (or matches on it spells name)
2 kids names across wind screen of car (80s style)
Angela calling the police with name written in middle of phone
James and Harry as kids on shoulders of James and Harry as teenagers (names above heads of kids and below feet of teenagers)
Harry - Harry walking away from camera, gets about 10 foot away and leans down casually as if it is part of his walk after checking no-one is around and doesnt want anyone to see it and picks up a match. He walks on into the distance. (might just be his credit scene)
CUT TO BLACK: