A FORTUITUS EVENT

Written and Directed by

A. C. McKenzie

Based on, The Fortune of Life by Phoenix Brown-Rigg

xophib@gmail.com
Draft #1 - 7/3/16

ii.

QUOTE APPEARS:
Reproduction implies the existence
of discontinuous beings.
-BATAILLE
To the author, Phoenix Brown-Rigg.
FADE IN:
POV of a CARS HEADLIGHTS: cruising the dark lit city of the
night to the SONG Is That All There Is? Peggy Lee.
TITLE SEQUENCE
CUT TO:
INT. THE FRAMER FAMILY CAR - DAY
JUST Mr and Mrs Framer driving to the doctors appointment, no
emotion in their faces whatsoever. Its pitch black outside
the car, near impossible to see from the inside.
NARRATOR(V.O.)
To my fellow movie goer
constituents, as an active role in
this story, I couldnt help the
fact I didnt want to be an active
role. My scenes have been struck
from the time line, for future
reference.
DR. JARVIS (O.S.)
Miss, its a boy, but the issue
still stands.
By DR. JARVISS voice she sounds like an experienced woman in
professional knowledge, and in life.
INT. DOCTORS OFFICES - DAY
A blossom room of nothing, just white walls, also excluding
those posters youd read when youre bored in the Doctors
Room or even waiting room. Out the window of the room is like
a painting of the outside world of 1969 rural small town
outside of KERIKERI.
As Dr. Jarviss description describes she bares proof of
ageing as a face. MRS FRAMER, a firey-red haired woman,
considered a cougar/gold digger in the grapevines. Mr.
Framer
MRS. FRAMER
We will do whatever we can do to
save our son...
WE PULL IN on Mrs. Framers act.

2.

Mrs. Framer pauses

make herself sound
which shes really
convincingly makes

for dramatic effect. She was trying to

reassuring. Ends her rant by looking down,
trying to think of something to ask, but
her look depressed.

NARRATOR(V.O.)
The word son was funny to her, it
was unreal in a sense she didnt
believe what she had in her was her
son.
Mrs. Framer looks up, eyes wandering.
NARRATOR(V.O.)
Mrs. Framer didnt want to save
it...
Mrs. Framer locks her eyesight on to her HUSBAND.
CU MR. FRAMER: trying to reasure his WIFE of the unborn baby.
This really shows Mr. Framers caring attitude towards his
loved ones.
NARRATOR(V.O.)
Mr. Framer did. Second marriage.
Married four years with two
daughters, Framer longed for a boy
in the morning, or any child, he
loved his ex-wifes children.
Jessie and Rach...
BCU of JESSIE and RACHEL: looking up at a photo being taken,
wearing huge grins to accompany their fathers personality.
Jessie is in overalls and Rachel in her skirt with feathers
in a blue sky as the coloring.
The BOTH of them STARE oddly comfortably as the photo is
being taken, as if someone playing a prank and instead is
just recording them.
NARRATOR(V.O.)
...both literally and figuratively
got him out of bed in the morning.
Mrs Framer blamed everything on
them; she hated them with the same
passion as he loved herself.
BACK to Mr. Framer counselling his wife.
MRS. FRAMER
Are there odds for this sort of
thing?
Feeling a rocky amount of guilt for even daring to ask for

3.

such an answer.
DR. JARVIS
Yes, but these odds will be less
favorable the longer we wait.
ECU of Mrs Framers eyes: narrowing at the doctor.
NARRATOR(V.O.)
You wouldnt expect to despise
something that has no idea or
control over its actions, but Mrs
Framer hated her son. She imagined
its annoying crying and the way Mr.
Framer would hold it. She bagan to
cry.
MCU of Mrs Framer: as she does so, begins to weep and sob.
Her tears splashes on her lap.
MR. FRAMER
Dont worry honey, hell be okay.
The doctor is unsure the reasons for Mrs Framers convictions,
wondering what he or she had done wrong, even stumbled on the
thought of her caring husband being one of the problems.
MR. FRAMER (CONTD)
Can it be done tonight?
DR. JARVIS
Sure, Mr. Framer. We will get her
prepped now.
INT. THE FRAMER FAMILY CAR - NIGHT
WE CONTINUE ON JUST Mr and Mrs Framer driving back home from
the doctors appointment, no emotion in their faces
whatsoever.
THE RADIO; is playing Sad Movies Make Me Cry - Sue
Thompson.
MCU of Mrs. Framers: emotionless face. Staring out of into
space.
NARRATOR(V.O.)
At the core of Mrs Framer was
vanity.
CU DOLLY-SHOT of MRS FRAMERS family shelf: of her growing
years as a competitor. Hint, hint she always wins. You wont
like her when you beat her, is the easiest way to put it.

4.

NARRATOR(V.O.)
She ever longed to look at the
world and know what she was better.
She was a perfect baby, a flawless
child, a wonderful teenager, a
beauty-ful pageant...
CUT TO:
INT. BEAUTY PAGEANT, CATWALK
THIRD-PERSON POINT OF VIEW of Mrs. Framer: slightly younger,
in a bikini swimsuit.
WALKING DOWN THE ISLE, passing by oglers and photographers.
BACK TO:
CU DOLLY-SHOT of MRS FRAMERS family shelf: now passing by her
2014 BEAUTY PAGEANT TROPHY. Up next is a framed photo of Mr
and Mrs Framer before they were Mr and Mrs. And lastly a
picture of them getting married, only 2 months after that
beauty pageant win.
NARRATOR(V.O.)
...an amazing girlfriend and an
angelic wife but a mother she has
never been.
CU of scales: a girls feet appears in front of the scales.
Its assumed to be Mrs Framers, as she is putting on weight.
CU DOLLY-SHOT of MRS FRAMERS bookshelf: we pass by and get a
glimpse of her personality told through the books she owns.
E.g. How to Succeed for Dummies, Much Ado About Coming Off As
A Socialist, 1983, To Climb the Social Ladder! How and How
Not To Come Off As Controlling. You get to see her selfish
and competitive attitude via this bookcase.
CU of a STACK OF BEAUTY MAGAZINES How to Get Your SelfEsteem In Check.
INT. THE FRAMER FAMILY CAR - MORNING
Mrs Framer is, ALONE, examining herself putting on weight.
She is literally pouring her guts out with tears in the car.
NARRATOR(V.O.)
She thought she was molded into a
hideous thing. All the while Mr.
Framer...
CUT TO:

5.

INT. THE FRAMER HOME, LIVING ROOM

WIDE-SHOT of the FRAMER LIVING ROOM: Emotionless Mrs Framer
stares blankly while her husband examines her bloated
stomach.
NARRATOR(V.O.)
Grinned as he knows he has a child
coming.
CU of Mr. Framer
NARRATOR(V.O.)
Why doesnt he care? Im ruined.
The words burned into her mind.
CU of MRS FRAMER
NARRATOR(V.O.)
Ruined, ruined, ruined. She hated
children; she hated their smiles,
their hair.
MRS. FRAMER
Theres more value in a pet, than a
kid. And children being allowed
onto airplanes, is beyond me. Why
are you moving to a country when
you have a baby? Or why dont you
leave your fuckin baby with a baby
sitter? Im sure if you saved your
money, as well as you saved money
for this ticket, then it should be
rudimentary.
INT. DANCE PRACTICE - NIGHT
Waiting for his daughter to finish her ballet lesson for the
night, he is staring off into some other distance aside from
his daughter being the subject of his attention.
NARRATOR(V.O.)
Mr. Framer, Daddy, Darling, is all
he longed for was to hear his name
again.
RACHEL (O.S.)
Dad!
I/E. THE FRAMER HOME, STUDY ROOM/BASEMENT - NIGHT
Mr. Framer is pacing around his confined space, inaudibly
talking to himself.

6.

MR. FRAMER
(SHOUTS)
Joshua!
INT. DANCE PRACTICE - NIGHT
SAME SHOT: Mr. Framer slowly turns around to watch his
daughter doing the best she can at dancing.
NARRATOR(V.O.)
He lived for his children.
CUT TO:
INT. THE FRAMER HOME, KITCHEN
Mr. Framer is on the phone with an employer/friend of
Staring of towards his TWO CHILDREN playing around in
lounge. There can be seen in the BG a portrait poster
Beauty and the Beast, a heavy symbolism towards their
mother.

his.
the
of
step-

MR. STANLEY
His life was mediocre. His job
consuming and mind numbing since he
had meet her.
CU of Mrs Framer: looking directly towards her husband, at
each others eye-sight.
NARRATOR(V.O.)
His wife now a shell of what she
used to be.
CU of Mr. Framer: breaking eye contact, what looked like a
flimsy looking flinch of an after-thought.
NARRATOR(V.O.)
He tried his hardest not to think
of cockroaches. His wife had
changed since he had meet her seven
years ago.
FADE TO:
DOLLY-SHOT ECU of the Family Shelf: some framed photographs
of when they used to be YOUNGER and ROWDIER.
NARRATOR(V.O.)
Perky, intellectual, charismatic,
she was a real catch.

7.

INT. HOSPITAL - NIGHT

Mr. Framer sat right outside the room that his wife was being
operated in. The TWO FRAMER CHILDREN lay asleep next to there
father.
NARRATOR(V.O.)
Mr. Framer just sat there. Kids to
the right, off in their own worlds.
All he could think about was...
hoping his wife dies and his son
lives.
UPON that thought hitting Mr. Framers mind, he leans out and
grabs a SMALL TRASH CAN to vomit in.
MR. FRAMER
Im so sorry...
(to a JANITOR)
Mr. Framer leaves his kids by the room, let them be. He also
begins to hum a tone similar to Mr Blue Sky - Electric Light
Orchestra
THIRD-PERSON of Mr. Framer: walking down the hallway of the
hospital to clear his mind from these bad thoughts.
FADE TO:
EXT. FOREST - DAY
WIDE SHOT of the entire forest. SLOWLY ZOOMING in on a
particular, unknown spot.
JESSIE
How do we get out of here sis?
A BLACK CAT peaks out. THE TWO CHILDREN notice the feline
cat.
The Black Cat sprints off down a route in the forest.
RACHEL
Follow him?
Out comes A MONSTER, baring resemblances to their stepmother.
THE MONSTER attacks the children, and before they are
killed we CUT AWAY out of the dream sequence.

8.

INT. HOSPITAL - NIGHT

DR. JARVIS is walking in a hurried pace down the hospitals
hallway, wearing a face-breaking grin.
Mr. Framers head jerks up, as he is greeted by his wifes
doctors footsteps.
DR. JARVIS (O.S.)
(Joyfully)
I have great news!
The TWO CHILDREN are woken up by Dr. Jarvis.
The first reaction to come to Mr. Framer and his children
from the tone of the doctor are melancholic.
DR. JARVIS (CONTD)
Come with me, you can see your son
and your beautiful wife.
NARRATOR(V.O.)
It was his most triumphant surgery
that seemed to make no one happy.
Dr. Jarvis LOOKS AROUND at her patients family in distraught.
Never in her life had he performed such a stunning work of
art and his audience replies are nothingness. In turn it felt
anti-climatic and his career had built up to this moment,
only to feel rejected.
WIDE SHOT of the HOSPITAL HALLWAY: WE SET IN SLOW MOTION AS
the family without Mrs Framer walk down to greet her and the
new member of the Framer family.
AS THIS MOMENT ROLLS BY ID LIKE IT TO BE KNOWN: that one is
the loneliest number by dog day night should be playing
within this instance, or at least something of classical
taste. If not, we can roll with the introduction which was
Is That All There Is?
NARRATOR(V.O.)
So youve decided on a name?
MR. FRAMER (V.O.)
Rach has...
RACHEL (V.O.)
Fortune.
The END.