Family Values

Family Values
(Opening scene)
by
Mark J. Ormesher

Copyright: Mark J. Ormesher
Creative UNCommons
7245 Clifton Rd.
Clifton, VA 20124
Ormesher@mac.com

INT. PRISON CELL - DAY
A grimy, dirty, cold prison cell. The walls are an awkward
shade of blue. Patches of light filter through the small
window.
A man lies on his back, facing the roof. We do not see his
face. This man is AIDEN.
Sitting outside the cell is a PSYCHIATRIST. He is flanked by
two heavily armed guards.

PSYCHIATRIST
Aiden? Do you know why you’re here?

AIDEN
Yes.

PSYCHIATRIST
Can you tell me?

AIDEN
I could tell you many things.

Aiden sits up. Long, dark hair falls in clumps around his
face. A genuine smile, that of a child, crosses his face. It
provides a stark contrast to everything else, which is beaten
and poorly cared for.

AIDEN (CONT’D)
Would you like to hear a story?

PSYCHIATRIST
What story would you like to tell
me?

Aiden lies back down, his body relaxes.

AIDEN
Just a friend I used to know. He
was crazy.

PSYCHIATRIST
What’s your friends name?

AIDEN
I don’t remember now. That isn’t
important.

PSYCHIATRIST
Why not?

AIDEN
(innocently)
Because names aren’t important.
People are important. I remember
people, not names.

PSYCHIATRIST
And this friend? Did he remember
people too?

AIDEN
No. He didn’t care about people, he
liked names. I remember he used to
talk, talk so much. When he was by
himself he said their names, he let
me see him once, he talked their
names for a long time.

PSYCHIATRIST
When?

AIDEN
Long time. He loved their names. He
hated them. He loved their names.

PSYCHIATRIST
Can you tell me a story Aiden?

AIDEN
Aiden? Oh! Yes! That was his name
wasn’t it?

PSYCHIATRIST
Aiden’s your name.

AIDEN
Don’t be silly, I’m not Aiden.
Aiden was crazy. Aiden went there.
He went to dark.

PSYCHIATRIST
Focus Aiden. Tell me the story.
What do you remember of it?

AIDEN
I remember the dark. He showed me
the dark once. It was full.

PSYCHIATRIST
Full?

AIDEN
Blood. Guts. Sharp. It was hot,
sticky, wonderful.
I loved every moment. But it scared
me, the dark was scary. He let it
in. It filled him.

PSYCHIATRIST
Why?

AIDEN
So that he could be full of
something! He was empty. Don’t you
understand? He needed to be filled.
He needed something so that those
people didn’t see empty. That’s why
he took their names. So he’d be
normal. He wanted to be normal. He
was a boy. He was young.

PSYCHIATRIST
Did he tell you about Nora, his
mother?

AIDEN
Mommy? No.

PSYCHIATRIST
What did he tell you about?

AIDEN
He told me about that evil hell
dog.

PSYCHIATRIST
Did he tell you the dog’s name?

AIDEN
Bruno. He told me about that dog.
He. He. He... He hates that dog.

PSYCHIATRIST
Why does he hate that dog?

AIDEN
It follows him. It follows him
everywhere. Follows... Follows.
Follows.

PSYCHIATRIST
It’s ok Aiden. You can tell us the
story later. Ok?

Aiden starts sucking his thumb. He nods.

PSYCHIATRIST (CONT’D)
See you tomorrow, ok?

The psychiatrist stands and walks away from the bars. Aiden
rolls over on his stomach and curls his legs under him.

AIDEN (V.O.)
I hate these fucking sessions.
It’s been six fucking years now and
all I have to do is act retarded
for the rest of my life. I should
grow some balls and get it over
with. Tell them ‘Yea! I did it! I
killed the bastards! I loved every
fucking minute of it!’ You know the
story right? No? Ok. I’ll start
from the beginning. I’ll fill in
the bits that I wasn’t there for
with what my dumbass family told
me, they told me right before... Oh
hell. I don’t want to spoil the
fun.

TITLES
The screen flickers like old fashioned celluloid being looped
into a projector. Among the flickering is an image. The title
is shown like a title from an old home movie: “Family
Values.” The picture comes into view with some flashes and
then the focus adjusts to reveal...