RKMBs Forums .::Important::. Writer's Block The Longest Day

“The Longest Day”
Film Treatment by RSF
Thanks to Mxy!

JAKE, a completely normal early to mid twenties business/computer worker, stands by a window in his apartment, portable phone in hand. His apartment is a small studio, nice but boring. He stands by a window but no emotion in his face, his body completely still. Light shines through the half open blinds creating a pattern of shadows from left to right along his waist to the top of his head. A loud beeping noise fills the room, it belongs to whom ever is on the other side of his phone. After a few more long moments, a machine picks up. The message is very business woman-like and professional. Jake leaves a message asking if they can talk their problems out instead of just letting things end. He asks her to meet him at the park if she gets the message. He exits. On his desk lays a short and direct note. Sarah, the voice from the machine, has broken up with Jake. Behind the half-crumbled note is a calendar with the date September 20th, 2002 circled.

Jake waits at the park. First stands but than sitting as the sunsets. Sarah has not shown up.

Returning home, Jake is tired and now shows a 5’o clock shadow, from not shaving through the night. He doesn’t notice at first, but his room has changed. Objects have been slightly moved, pizza boxes have been discarded on the floor, and dirty clothes have been thrown about. Sitting down at his desk he holds his head, which is throbbing with pain. The corner of his eye catches his calendar, which now reads October 11th, 2003. Jake is shocked and thinks, “A whole year?”

Flipping back the pages on his calendar, all of the dates have been marked with a slash. Each slash is exactly a like as if a machine printed them. Through all weekdays are the word “work” and time 9am to 9pm. Weekends are blank throughout. Jake presses his finger down on a random weekday.

Jake has a flashback. He wakes up, with out the need of an alarm (since he has woken up at the same time for years and has an alarm in his head). It is 7am exactly, not a minute sooner or a minute past. He pauses for a minute, his expression zombie-like and free of emotions. He gets up out of bed. The clock changes to 7:30 am, once again exact, the time planned out to the second. Jake is wearing a very plain off white dress shirt and tan jacket. His tie is perfectly tied and jacket buttons all buttoned. He picks up his briefcase and exits.

As the flashback ends, Jake’s expression changes a little bit. He does not look zombie-like in his current state and is curious, now beginning to realize that he has indeed lived this last year. He is almost a little worried what he might find out. From his pocket, Jake takes out a monthly train ticket.

Another flashback begins. Jake, once again zombie-like, waits for the train. Getting off the train, he begins to walk to work. It takes him forever before he crosses down the street.

Jake now fully realizes what has happened over the year. He places his hand on his keyboard.

Jake is at work. He sits in his small cubical. He presses the same button over and over. The sound fills his small area as he keeps on pressing it. Over and over.

Getting up from his keyboard, Jake begins walking across his apartment. He stumbles over a pizza box.

Another flashback, this one more subtle. The doorbell rings and Jake answers the door. It is a pizza delivery boy. He hands Jake the pizza and he pays the man in return. He shuts the door and walks away. After a moment, the bell rings again and Jake answers. Another pizza delivery (Jake and the pizza delivery boy are in different cloths). This action replays once more. The door slams.

Jake is clearly disappointed in himself. With much hesitation, he walks to a picture of him and Sarah. He picks it up.

Another flashback begins. Jake is walking down the street, briefcase in hand and pauses abruptly. His expression remains static. In front of him is Sarah with another man, she kisses him (never noticing Jake is even near-by). Jake walks down a different street.

In the present Jake is ok with this. He walks over to a drawer and throws this picture inside. He smiles.

Walking over to his answering machine, a light blinks. After pressing the button, a message plays from his boss, “Look Jake, buddy, we really don’t want to loose you. I can give you a small raise and promotion now, and possibly something better real soon. Just reconsider leaving. Let me know.” Jake pauses, thinking for a moment, than cracks a smile. He presses a button; “Message deleted.”

THE END

And now, as one of those useless special DVD features, we present the short story on whose mention this movie was inspired. Bear in mind that it was done in a rush a year ago, during the same time I was writting about Midget Pizza Men getting shitted and eaten, in that order

I go to the park to take a walk, and strech my legs. I think about several things there, mostly about routine; about how it doesn't change at all. About how would it be if things had been different.
I think about my Mike, my roomate, about how I'm going to kick his ass as soon as I see him for what he did yesterday. I thought he was my friend, but aparently he's not. Hell, I think I've always known he's not.
I also think about her, Carla. I can't get her out of my mind. I know nothing will ever happen between us. She's insane. The stuff he talks about... She's really cute, but I don't know if I could be with someone so screwed up.
I come back home. I notice Mike, my roomate, is not home, otherwise I would have heard what he calls music before entering the building. The latest TV guide it's in the dinner table, it was about time it arrived. A TV show, "Slackers", is featured in the cover as "the show of the year". Maybe I should check it out.
I take the TV guide to my room, turn the TV on, and, as I'm about to sit, I notice something is wrong.
I look around, at the stuff in my room, and I slowly realize that several things have been changed. At first it looked normal, now it feels incredibly weird. My lamp is on the other side of the room, a book I've never seen before is in my night table, the Lego Technic Factory I buildt last month is lost, and there are several little unimportant things missing, and some I've never seen before.
It must have been Mike. He must have done this as a joke, or for some incredibly stupid reason. Dammit. I really liked that Lego Technic Factory.
I check Mike's room, but hasn't changed.
Then I check my closet, to see if something has changed there. I'm surprised to see that some clothes that aren't mine in there, but not as much as I am when I check my comic book collection. Some of my collections have been finished, others aren't there. The fanboy in me is excited to see so many new comics in my collection, but I can't help being terrified by this whole situation. I hear a voice coming from the TV announcing the second season of "Slackers".
It's obvious that this is my room. But it's not.
Someone knocks at the door. It's... Carla?
The moment she says "Hi, honey" my mind blows. What is this? Where am I? Where am I? Whe--
"Would you excuse me for a second... honey?"
I run to my room, pick up the TV Guide, and check the date.
June, 2002.
I have no idea what happened. I need to talk to someone. Maybe my "future" self (or present, whatever) trusts her, but I barely know her. I tell her I'm not feeling well. I must find Mike.
As soon as she leaves, I leave too. I'm going to the video store where Mike works. He should have left work one hour ago, but maybe he's still there.
On my way there, I look the slightly changed streets and freak out. The headlines on the newspapers wouldn't mean anything to a regular person, but I examine each one of them, without slowing down, and wonder about almost everything I read. Then rain starts falling.
When I'm about to get there, I see Shirley, Mike's girlfriend, waiting for the bus.
I hope they didn't broke up during the time I was... I was... away.
"Hi" I say.
"Um... hello" Shirley, shy as always answers.
"So... where's Mike?"
"M-Mike...?"
Oh my God, they broke up.
"Yeah, uh, I..."
"Are you OK...?"
"Oh! Yes, I just forgot--"
"You forgot??? You...??? I knew this would happen"
"I'm sorry, I..."
"YOU ARE INSANE!! Did you know that?"
The phrase "shy as always" comes back to my mind.
"Face it, would you???" she cries "If I did, you can do it!!"
"Uh... face what?"
She looks at me with a mix of pity and care.
"Mike is dead"
It hits me like a punch in the face. In the soul. She starts crying.
"He's dead"
I fall on my knees and the cry too. She hugs me.
3 hours later, she leaves me in the cementery. Before going away she says "Please see a doctor. You need help. I'll be there if you need support". I promise her I will, tough I don't know what she means, or maybe I don't want to.
go to Mike's grave, and try figure this whole thing out. Maybe this situation is a gift. Maybe I couldn't get over Mike's death and I started going nuts. That's why his room was exactly like before. Maybe I didn't realise what I had become, and I needed to look back at what I was to see that, so I made myself "forget" the last year to do so.
Totally out of the blue, I hear an helicopter, a bullet and some explosions.
Maybe this whole thing was made to make me appreciate what I have.
The explosions increase, followed by cries and...
I wake up.
"Oh my God..." I say.
The TV alarm woke me up. I go through all my stuff to find someone with the date on it.
June 2001.
I don't move for a while. A voice in the TV says "Watch the first episode of our new sit-com 'Slackers' next week at..."
"Heh" I say to myself.
But then start thinking... putting things together.
"No..." I say.
The door opens. It's Shirley. Her eyes are wet.
"No..." I say.
"I-It's... it's Mike... he's... he's..."
"No."