1 INT.

ISAAC’S HOUSE - EARLY TO MID-MORNING 1

FADE IN FROM BLACK
ISAAC (VOICE-OVER)
I wasn’t always this hopeless.
Isaac walks past a photo in a hallway, it is clear he
notices it as he passes.
ISAAC (VOICE-OVER)
Like dominoes, something has to
have toppled first before it all
comes down.
He looks deep in thought. Walking out of frame, the shot
holds.

ISAAC (VOICE-OVER)
In my life, I can’t seem to stop
myself from looking back.
Isaac then walks back into the frame and stops, turning to
face the photo.
ISAAC (VOICE-OVER)
Can’t seem to turn around long
enough to see where I’m going.

FLASHBACK
2 INT. EXAM HALL - MIDDAY 2
ISAAC (VOICE-OVER)
Don’t ask me how I did in my exams.
Isaac can be seen at an exam test clearly panicked.
ISAAC (VOICE-OVER)
The only thing I can remember is
the panic.
The shot pulls out to reveal a sea of students all working
on the same exam. They’re all working away as Isaac stares
blankly into his paper.

PRESENT
 2.

3 INT. ISAAC’S HOUSE - EARLY TO MID-MORNING 3

A melancholy smile creeps onto his face.

ISAAC (VOICE-OVER)
I’ll find out today anyway.
Looks at his watch, time reads 8:32.

ISAAC (VOICE-OVER)
And for the first time in my life,
I think I have a plan. The grades
don’t matter anymore. I think I can
see where I’m going without them to
clear the way.

FADE TO BLACK
4 INT. ISAAC’S BEDROOM - EVENING 4
TITLE CARD READS ONE WEEK EARLIER

Issac slumps onto his unmade bed and pulls out his phone to
check twitter. His mood can be seen to change from content
to upset as he scrolls through his feed; all the tweets are
about the countdown to results day in a week.

He pulls up his phone to tweet

ISAAC (TWEET)
I wish I could just forget about
results day... everywhere I go its
all anyone can talk about.
#notaimed
Just as he is about hit send his phone rings. It’s his
girlfriend Anna. His facial expression tells the audience
that this is a welcome distraction for him.

ISAAC
(Jovially)
You literally just left mine, what’s up now?

A weary female sigh can be heard through the speaker.

ANNA
(audibly upset)
We need to talk...

Isaac’s face drops, immediately assuming the worst. He

quickly brushes this off and tries to bring back the
semblance of a cheerful tone, despite this, the distress in
his voice is clear.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 3.

ISAAC
About what exactly?
A long and painful silence grips the air.
ISAAC (CONT’D)
You okay?
A sniffle, a pause, and then a sharp inward breath later.
ANNA
I don’t think I am.
I don’t think WE are.
ISAAC
What’d you mean we? We were fine 20
minutes ago.
Another silence.
ISAAC (CONT’D)
Please, I’m literally begging, just
tell me what’s wrong so I can fix
it.
ANNA
You can’t...

We need to end this now before I go

to uni. I thought I was okay with
the distance but I’m not. It’s just
not going to work. Maybe it’d be
different if you had any sort of
ambitions of your own but you
don’t, they’re just put there by
your parents. I need to do what’s
best for me now and...
The audio becomes faint and mumbled as Isaac pulls the phone
away from his face. Gaze blanky fixed in the distance, he
ends the call.
As he reaches over to the bedside to turn off his lamp he
mutters

ISAAC
Not today.
 4.

5 INT. ISAAC’S HOUSE - EARLY MORNING 5

The sound of an alarm.
The flick of a light switch.

Isaac appears in his bathroom, brushing his teeth, checking

himself in the reflection.
At the breakfast table, Isaac pulls out his phone and
messages one of his closest friends, Tom.

ISAAC (TEXT)
Coffee?
A couple of seconds later.

TOM (TEXT)
Sure. Be there in 10.
6 INT. ISSAC’S HOUSE - DAY 6
Tom arrives at the door with a couple of cups of Costa
coffee and shoots Isaac a sad and knowing smile.
TOM
I was really sorry to hear about...
ISAAC
Save it. I’ve been getting it all
morning. Just gimmie that coffee.
TOM
What’d you need then mate?

ISAAC
Advice.
TOM
On?

ISAAC
You seem to have everything
together, just like everyone else
in our year. You know what uni you
want to go to, you know what course
you want to...
TOM
Get to the point already.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 5.

ISAAC
I want to know how you work all
that out.
TOM
I thought you already...
ISAAC
I can’t think of anything I’d
rather do less than that computing
apprenticeship.

TOM
Then why...
ISAAC
My parents lined it up for me, they
didn’t think music was a valid use
of my time.
TOM
What else are you going to do? I
mean you flunked your UCAS
application. You have no chance of
getting into university no matter
what you apply for.
ISAAC
That’s what I need to find out.

TOM
Right. I think this calls for an
intervention. Me and Alex are
having a get-together tonight, we
might be able to...
ISAAC
You all know what they want to do
though. How will they be any help?

TOM
You’d be surprised
Knocks back the rest of his drink and gets up to leave.
TOM (CONT’D)
Promise me you’ll go?
 6.

7 INT. ISSAC’S HOUSE - EARLY EVENING 7

Time-Lapse of outside Issac’s house, transition from day to
evening.
ISAAC (VOICE-OVER)
I don’t know why I decided to go
that night.
Isaac is seen fixing his hair in the mirror.

ISAAC (VOICE-OVER)
Or what I thought I was going to
get out of it.
Stops doing hair and begins to stare at his own reflection.

ISAAC (VOICE-OVER)
Every path I had taken to find
happiness in the past seemed to be
closed in the present.
Turns and walks out of the bathroom, shot holds on the
mirror.
ISAAC (VOICE-OVER)
It was worth a shot.
Remembering he forgot to turn the light switch off he darts
back in and flicks the switch.
ISAAC (VOICE-OVER)
It’s one I’m glad I took.

8 EXT. ALEX’S HOUSE - NIGHT 8

Isaac approaches the house and rings the doorbell. After a
moment the door swings open and Isaac is met with a cheery
smile.

ALEX
(Enthusiastically)
Isaac! Tom said you might be
coming. Glad you can make it!
ISAAC
(A little glumly)
Yeah, I think I needed to get out
the house for a bit. What’s on the
agenda tonight anyways?

(CONTINUED)
 CONTINUED: 7.

ALEX
(Laughing)
We’re about to start playing Game
of Life if you wanna join.

ISAAC
(Smiling)
Sounds more interesting than the
day I’ve had at home.
9 INT. ALEX’S HOUSE, TABLE - NIGHT 9

Isaac, Tom, and Alex sit around a table with Game of Life
centered in the middle. The dialogue starts as Isaac reaches
the university or career decision point. He is visibly
frustrated by the choices.

ISAAC
...what I’m trying to say is there
has got to be more than just two
possible options...
TOM
...and what I’m trying to say is
that these are the most likely to
lead to success.
ISAAC
But success in what exactly? Not
all success is defined by how much
you earn though.
TOM
But success in the game is defined
that way...
ALEX
Speaking of the game, why don’t we
actually play it?

ISAAC
Okay so...
Isaac picks up his piece.
ISAAC
...say I go to university
Moves piece to university track.
ISAAC
Pros?

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 8.

TOM
Well, you get to pursue a subject
you enjoy with the possibility of
earning more money in a career when
you leave than if you hadn’t gone
at all.
ISAAC
But...
ALEX
You’ll need to earn all that money
to pay off your student debt.
ISAAC
So if I choose to dive straight
into a career?

Moves piece to the career path.

ALEX
You’ll be able to start earning
straight away and you can work your
way up.
TOM
But you miss out on all the
opportunities and fun social stuff
you get at uni.
Isaac moves his piece back to the middle.
ISAAC
So either way, I lose out?

Tom reaches over and takes the piece of the board.

TOM
Maybe, but then again it’s a lot to
decide this last minute. I think
you may have overlooked a possible
third option.
ISAAC
You mean a gap year?

TOM
Well yeah...
ISAAC
That’s a lot of wasted time for
someone who has no clue what they
want to do with their life.

(CONTINUED)
 CONTINUED: 9.

ALEX
It might not be, you can always go
back and do uni or just pick up a
career after the gap, my brother
went to uni after spending a year
in Germany. There’s gotta be
somewhere you’ve always wanted to
visit?
10 INT. ISAAC’S HOUSE - EARLY TO MID-MORNING 10

Isaac turns his attention from his watch to a plane ticket

he’s pulling out of his pocket. It reads ’BIRMINGHAM AIRPORT
TO JFK AIRPORT’
ISAAC (VOICE-OVER)
I’d probably be bored if it was all
just plain sailing.
Isaac smiles, turns and walks out of frame.
FADE TO BLACK

Door closing heard.