1
FADE IN
INT, OFFICE, DAY
- The office is dimly lit and kept very organized. It is furnished with leather chairs and a large executive desk. The bookshelves that hide the walls are packed with books.
- We see a young STANLEY dressed in a suit walk across the room to a leather chair, which he pivots to better face the office desk.
SLOW SHOTS – Stanley grabs a piece of paper and a pen from the desk and begins to draw on the seat of the leather chair.
PSYCHIATRIST (V.O.)
Stan Slavski was a troubled boy.
- The office door cracks open and Stanley walks in the room and sits in a chair. MRS. SLAVSKI, his mother, watches from the door and shortly after leaves the room shutting the door with her.
- The PSYCHIATRIST is sitting at the desk
The Doctor glances back and forth between the notes he is jotting and Stanley
PSYCHIATRIST (V.O.)
I had been meeting with Stanley since October. It is now February.
Stan sits very quietly in the cozy chair, glaring at the psychiatrist.
PSYCHIATRIST (V.O.)
Stanley’s mother, Mrs. Slavski, brought Stan to me early into his school year. He’s in 2nd grade. He is having trouble getting along with the other children at school.
The Psychiatrist clicks his pen and placing it in his coat pocket. Crossing his legs he examines his notes.
PSYCHIATRIST (V.O.)
Stan’s father, Mr. Slavski, was very wealthy and always away on business.
- The psychiatrist has rolled his chair closer to Stan’s, slouching over to the child’s height.
PSYCHIATRIST (V.O.)
Stanley spent a lot of time at home alone and on his own. So I asked…
PSYCHIATRIST
Do you have anyone you like to play with at school Stan?
Stanley eyes search around slowly. At anything abut the psychiatrist.
STANLEY
Just Casey.
PSYCHIATRIST
What do you boys do?
STANLEY
Just talk.
The psychiatrist folds his hands together.
PSYCHIATRIST
What do you talk to Casey about?
CUT TO
EXT, PLAYGROUND, DAY
- Stanley is in a busy school ground at school full of playing children. He and CASEY sit very still on a bench and talk quietly amongst each other.
CUT TO
INT, OFFICE, DAY
Stanley looks down for a moment then looks up at the psychiatrist’s face.
STANLEY
Not supposed to tell.
- Mrs. Slavski cracks the door open and peaks inside the room. She smiles happily at the psychiatrist and quietly leaves the room again.
As the door shuts the psychiatrist drops his eyes back down to Stanley.
PSYCHIATRIST (V.O.)
That was the most I ever saw of Mrs. Slavski.
CUT TO
INT, OFFICE, RANDOM DAY
- We see a separate scene of Mrs. Slavski dropping Stanley off at the office and leaving quite quickly after.
PSYCHIATRIST (V.O.)
I tried many times to get a word in with Mrs. Slavski about her son’s behavior.
- Mrs. Slavski leaves the office another day in different clothing.
CUT TO
INT, OFFICE, DAY
PSYCHIATRIST (V.O.)
But she always seemed in too much of a hurry
- We find Stanley sitting in the same chair he was previously in the office. The Psychiatrist is at his desk looking down and smiling at a picture.
The Psychiatrist holds up the picture and smiles. The picture depicts a motherly figure holding hands with a small boy. The drawing is done very carefully in pencil and is far beyond what a normal child could produce.
PSYCHIATRIST
Did you draw this Stanley?
Stanley slowly looks up and nods in the same fashion.
PSYCHIATRIST
Is this your mother…? And you?
Stanley nods again.
CUT TO
INT, SCHOOL CLASSROOM, DAY
– We find Stanley doing various kinds of schoolwork including coloring and writing assignments.
PSYCHIATRIST (V.O.)
Stanley was very intelligent and acted older than his age. His schoolwork was always above average.
CUT TO
INT, ANOTHER SCHOOL CLASSROOM, DAY
– We find Stanley confronting another YOUNG BOY with Casey in the back of the empty room.
PSYCHIATRIST (V.O.)
But for whatever reason, his relationships with other children only worsened.
Stanley and Casey shove the Young Boy into a closet and lock the door behind him. Afterwards Casey stands still, grinning at Stanley.
CUT TO
INT, OFFICE, DAY –
Stanley is slouched down in his usual chair. The psychiatrist tilts his glasses as he looks down at his papers.
The Psychiatrist tilts his head and looks off to the side.
PSYCHIATRIST
Stanley, would you like to tell me why you wanted to push the boy into the closet?
The psychiatrist looks straight at Stanley with his hands folded. Stanley’s eyes drop.
PSYCHIATRIST
Did the boy do something to hurt you or make you mad?
Stanley remains silent, staring into the corner of the room.
STANLEY
(Hesitating)
Casey wanted to. It was his idea. He told me to.
The Psychiatrist’s eyes and meet with Stanley's.
PSYCHIATRIST (V.O.)
Over the months Casey had become Stan’s excuse for just about any trouble he got into.
CUT TO
EXT, PLAYGROUND JUNGLE GYM, DAY
– Many children are at play. Stanley and Casey stand at the top of a slide. Stanley is yelling with an angry face down at some young boys below them but we do not hear him. Casey stands quietly with a smirk behind him.
PSYCHIATRIST (V.O.)
But I could hardly persuade Stanley to tell me anything about his friend...It was like he did not exist unless Stan was in trouble.
CUT TO
INT, OFFICE, DAY
– Stanley is slouched as usual in his chair. The psychiatrist is found walking from his desk and takes a seat close to Stanley.
PSYCHIATRIST (V.O.)
I think the answer to Stan’s problem was in himself. He would just need some help digging it up.
The Psychiatrist smiles at Stanley as he stares back.
PSYCHIATRIST
Stan… Today I want to talk about your friend.
Stanley remains silent.
PSYCHIATRIST
I want to talk about Casey… Is it ok if we talk about Casey Stanley?
Stanley’s eyes drop to the floor.
PSYCHIATRIST (V.O.)
Stan, do you, when you play at school or recess, do you ever pretend?
Stanley looks up at the Psychiatrist, expressionless.
PSYCHIATRIST
Do you ever make believe things just for fun? Like monsters or Dragons? Or maybe you pretend to have a space ship?
Stanley shifts in his seat and looks down again.
STANLEY
Yeah… Sometimes I’ll be the policeman.
The Psychiatrist smiles and leans back a bit in his seat and toys with his pen.
PSYCHIATRIST
Yeah? You like to play cops and robbers?
STANLEY
(Nodding)
Yeah…
PSYCHIATRIST (V.O.)
Stanley, do you ever think that maybe Casey is make-believe too?
Stanley stares coldly at the Psychiatrist. We hear the Psychiatrist speak but his lips do not move.
PSYCHIATRIST (V.O.)
Maybe like one of those robbers you have to catch?
STANLEY
Maybe…
Smiling, the psychiatrist leans to one side of the chair and clicks his pen a few times.
PSYCHIATRIST
It’s ok to pretend Stanley. I used to make believe when I was a boy too.
Again we hear the Psychiatrist speak but his lips do not move.
PSYCHIATRIST (V.O.)
Sometimes… I still like to pretend.
SLOW CUTS – between Stanley and the psychiatrist’s chair. At first we see the chair as empty. Then we see Stanley in the place of the psychiatrist and Stanley’s original seat empty. Stanley now has the psychiatrist’s pen and continues to click it several times.
- We see Mrs. Slavski crack the door open and peer into the office to find Stanley sitting at the desk.
MRS. SLAVSKI
Come eat your lunch Stanley. Mummy’s got a meeting soon.
- Stanley hops out of the seat and leaves the room through the door that Mrs. Slavski has held open for him. The door slowly shuts afterwards.
- We see a close up of the picture Stanley drew on the desk. It still depicts a mother holding the hand of a small boy but is rendered in crayon and now looking very child-like.
FADE OUT