MISSING : Final Script

MISSING

The screen is black. JOSH is a student, around 17 years old, talking about the disappearance of his girlfriend, EMMA.

JOSH:

We tend to live our lives through hindsight. Looking back, wishing you’d said some things, wishing you hadn’t said others. We live assuming that this hindsight will be able to protect us; help us learn from our mistakes. There’s only one problem with constantly looking back: you can’t see when something terrible is about to happen, right in front of you.

Dark and blurry Close-Up shots of EMMA’s feet and hands as she runs and grasps at railings in an attempt to pull herself faster forward.

The screen returns to black.

JOSH

And once it finally happens, you realise you should have seen it coming all along.

A shot of a train as it rushes past.

Back to black. Silence.

A shot showing the sky with the silhouettes of buildings at the bottom of the frame. It is cold, dark and beginning to rain. The TIN MEDIA logo fades in, and then out again. The shot pans down to show EMMA, her hands in her pockets, walking down the street toward the camera.

JOSH (VOICEOVER):

I’ve told you; she just left. Stormed out of the house without a word. We had a fight. It was stupid. I didn’t mean what I said. I’d never hurt her. But it was late, and it was dark, and I was worried about her. Anyone could be out there.

Cut to a close-up of EMMA’s face, lit up by a shop window. She looks inside. Cut to a shot showing EMMA standing in the confectionary isle. The door is visible, and whilst EMMA is choosing what to buy, a DARK FIGURE walks through the door but then out of shot. We cannot see his face, and as EMMA ignores him, so do we.

There are a series of quick cuts as EMMA brings a chocolate bar to the counter, pays for it, gets her change, and leaves.

A mid shot of EMMA leaving the shop. Suddenly, her phone buzzes. She takes it out of her coat pocket. Cut to a close-up of the phone screen. JOSH’s name flashes on the screen as he tries to call her again. She declines the call.

Back to the mid shot of EMMA standing in the street, as she puts her phone back into her pocket and walks forward, out of the frame. The shot is still for a moment, until the same DARK FIGURE from before comes out of the shop and turns, looking toward EMMA. He pauses for a moment, just looking, before following along behind her.

JOSH (VOICEOVER):

I tried to call her, left her voicemails, But she wasn’t answering. I don’t know what she was thinking.

Mid shot focussing on EMMA’s legs and feet as she walks quickly and angrily. Pans upward to show her looking at her phone again and eating her chocolate. She puts the phone to her ear.

ANSWERPHONE:

You have one new message.

JOSH (VOICEMAIL RECORDING):

I know you’re mad at me. But please just come back. It’s late. It’s dangerous. You don’t even have to talk to me if you don’t want to. I.. Just come back. Please.

Close-up on EMMA’s face as she stops walking and takes the phone from her ear. Her face is lit by the light of her phone.

She shuts her eyes and sighs. The camera angle shifts slightly and we see the same DARK FIGURE from earlier standing in a streetlamp about 5 metres behind her. We still cannot see his face.

ANSWERPHONE:

Message Deleted.

Fade to black.

Feet running. Is it EMMA? It is left ambiguous for a while… until there is a wide shot of JOSH running down the same street we saw earlier, with his phone to his ear.

He slows to a walk.

ANSWERPHONE:

The person you have called is unavailable, please leave a message…

JOSH shuts his eyes. Transition. EMMA opens hers. She is sitting on a bench at the train station looking at her phone.

ANSWERPHONE:

Message deleted.

Cut to a shot of EMMA but taken from across the tracks. Shadows of feet come into view. Is it the hidden figure from before..? Has he finally come for EMMA..?

EMMA stands. She’s upset, tired, and certainly doesn’t want to see...

EMMA

Josh.

Shot of JOSH from across the tracks. He is gripping the railings, out of breath. A shadow approaches him from behind.

JOSH

Emma, please… Just –

EMMA’s view of JOSH again – over the tracks. We can now see the Hidden Figure behind him, holding a long object. Pipe? Baseball bat?

EMMA

Josh!

Close up of JOSH’s face, wide eyed,

A train rushes past. The sound of it echoes. Then we hear a bang - JOSH being hit in the back of the head - and there is silence.

The screen goes black.

The title of the film fades up in white font: MISSING.