30th June 2010 - treatment

We decided to call the film 'fragment of the soul' as Charlie ends up being a part of Lucy's heart.

Treatment
Lucy Roberts' life has always been happy, and this is why it comes as such a shock when she is thrown out of her shared house with the best friend Roxanne. Alone, upset and in desperate need of a comforting arm around her shoulders, she finds what she needs in the most unlikely person; a complete stranger that seems intent on getting to know her. Trust is easy exchanged and the two become close, but once the matter between her and Roxanne is resolved, will he stick around? Does he even need to stick around?


Scene 1:
Lucy is sitting at the desk, revising yet another draft of her dissertation for her History degree. She looks up to the calendar. A POV shot shows that she has crossed off most of the days in May, she has put a thick, red circle around the day that the semester at university ends and she can go on the holiday that she and Roxanne have planned for ages.
Suddenly, Roxanne enters angrily, disrupting the peace, Lucy's phone in her hand. She begins to shout at Lucy, telling her that it's not safe to give people she meets on the Internet her phone number; they might not be who they say they are, and there's no knowing what they will do to her. Lucy, disgusted by the fact that her best friend stole her phone to spy on what was none of her business, begins to shout back at Roxanne, telling her leave her possessions alone and to not butt in where she is not wanted. Realising that the words came too quickly out of her mouth, there is nothing she can do as she watches Roxanne's anger rising even further. She is grabbed by the arm and pulled out of the house, down the stairs and out of the front door while Roxanna challenges her to live without her protection and their friendship. Lucy tries to free herself from Roxanne's grip, but she too strong, and before she knows it, she is out of the house and the door is slammed shut.
Lucy looks back at the house she has just been kicked out of before sighing, burying her hands in her pockets and walking away.


Scene 2:
Lucy is sitting on a park bench, unaware of the people around her enjoying the nice weather. She is looking at her shoes while tears fall down her face, landing on her jeans. She doesn't move to wipe the moisture away.
The scene shifts to a young man walking down a path not too far away from Lucy, spinning a full 360°, implying that is looking for someone or something. He walks past Lucy before double-taking at her, stopping dead and turning on his heel to face her. The camera shifts to a view from behind the bench as the young man sits down next to Lucy. He asks her is she is ok, to which she replies that she is fine. He remarks that she doesn't look like she is ok, and gently and patiently encourages Lucy to tell him what is wrong. She is reluctant at first as she doesn't know him at all, so he jokingly offers a hand in a handshake and introduces himself as Charlie before commenting that she would feel better if he told her what was the matter. Lucy gives him and tells him in her own words what has made her so upset. Charlie does not interrupt and listens intently to Lucy. She feels slightly embarrassed as she has just poured her heart out to a stranger and asks Charlie why is he is so interested, to which is replies with a nonchalant shrug and claims that he "doesn't like to see a pretty girl cry". He offers his hand again and asks if Lucy would like to join him for an ice cream. Feeling that she can trust Charlie, she accepts without having to be persuaded. The two walk hand-in-hand down the path and away from the camera.


Scene three:
Lucy and Charlie are standing by an ice cream van laughing and with ice creams in their hands. A short montage follows which shows them around various sites around the park, at the dinosaur exhibit, the children's play area, near the lake, etc. Lucy looks happy to be in Charlie's company and Charlie in hers.
The pair are walking down a path hand-in-hand when Lucy's phone goes off, signifying that she has received a text message. She stops in order to retrieve her phone from her pocket. Charlie realises that she has stopped when he feels a tug on his hand. He turns to see Lucy reading a message on her phone and approaches her to find that the text is an apology from Roxanne, telling her that she was only trying to protect her and she wanted her to come home so they could make up properly. Charlie smiles before saying that this means goodbye. Lucy's smile fades into a confused expression and she asks Charlie what he means. He explains that he is not needed anymore, that she is happy. Lucy hurriedly tells him that she still needs him and that she doesn't want him to go. Charlie raises a hand to stop her talking before resting his hands on her shoulders and tells her that he will always be in her heart and her mind, as that was where he came from. He explains that he was created by Lucy to aid her in her need of comfort, but now that the matter was resolved, he was no longer needed. Charlie hugs her intensely before turning to walk away, slowly beginning to fade. Lucy shouts his name, but this is futile as he continues to fade until he is completely gone. The camera hovers at the empty path before switching to Lucy, who looks lost and upset.
She lifts a hand to her chest and places it over her heart. She repeats the last thing that Charlie said to her before he disappeared: "I will always be with you". The smile returns to her face as she turns to walk in the direction of home, a slight spring her stop as she knows that she will never be alone again.