Synopsis: Lin wasn’t on good terms with her dad ever since her mum passed away. She always felt that her dad was the cause of her mum’s death. That’s when one day she realizes that she shouldn’t have blame her dad after all…
Lin walked to the lift lobby from school. She pressed the lift button.
Lift arrived. She boards the lift.
Level 8. She walks out from the lift. Walks along the corridor to doorsteps.
Lin came home late. She opens the door (sound of keys and doorknob) As usual, she would notice that the lights from her dad’s room is on and would be switched off minutes later. It is as though he’s waiting for her to reach home safely before he went to sleep. Foods are left on the table for her, she ate it and went straight into her own room.
Next sceneEstablishing shot of room pan to bed
Lin is lying on the bed, holding on to her late mother’s photo. She is in a deep thought, of the past memories of her mother. Before she dozes off, she put the photo under her pillow.
Next scene
She sits on a bench in the park with her iPod and saw other kids with their family chatting happily. Her eyes were filled with envy. She sits there stoning, watching people come and go as though waiting for the time to past before she feels like going home.
(Step-print Slow Motion)
She was dragging her foot while walking back home.
Next sceneShe was walking on the street towards her block when she saw her dad walking to the lift lobby. He looked exhausted from work (Coughing slightly). (Over shoulder shot)Linn hide behind a wall and waited for the next lift instead. She doesn’t want to feel awkward taking the same lift with him. As the lift goes up, Linn walks forward and watches as the lift goes up with ai hen look. She takes the next lift up.
Next sceneFor the entire time spent at home, Lin would usually be in her room. She puts on her headphone and was into the music. Her door was not entirely closed, she peeps out and sees her dad sitting in the living room. (Dad reads newspaper with his back towards Linn) She realizes she hadn’t really taken a good look at him for some time. As she looks, she falls asleep soon.
Next scene
21st May, it’s Lin’s 20th birthday. She looked at the circled date on the calendar and is not particularly looking forward to this day. After that, she puts back the calendar and goes out.
She’s walking along the street when she passes by a cake shop. She stops outside and looks in and stares at the cakes. She decides to buy a small cake for herself.
When she came back, she saw a present on the dining. There’s a small card which says “Happy 20th Birthday” She knows it must be from her dad.
She opens her wardrobe and put the present inside, together with other presents which her dad had given her from the past years. She hasn’t opened any presents from her dad at all. It’s all piled up in the wardrobe.
Lights up a candle on the cake that she bought and blows it out.
Next scene
She was playing piano. While staring at an empty space in front of her, she plays with a sad smile on her face but while doing so, she hears the click of a door closing. She looks back and saw that her father’s door was now closed. A look of irritation crosses her face (Am I playing that badly or loudly?) She continues playing. On the top of the piano there is an old family portrait. Slow zoom to the photo and off focus.
Next sceneOne day, alone at home, walking past her father’s room, she hears a loud bang coming from within. Slightly pushing the door open she scrutinizes the room and saw that the window was open with a book on the floor. As she picks it up, she notices that a picture of their family in happier times had dropped out from within. As she was about to place the book back, she notices another sticking out from within. Carrying the book over to the dresser, she takes a look around the room. This was the first time she is stepping into his room after so many years. She walks around and examines her dad’s belongings (empty medicine container for example) in the room. As she looks around the room, she sees various things like the bed, chair etc. As she sees these, she has jolts of memories of when her mother was still alive and she remembered her mother in the chair, bed etc. She sits down onto the chair and begins looking through the pages. She saw a few more pictures and she realized that this was her father’s diary.
2004, May 21st
It’s Lin’s 16th Birthday today. She doesn’t look happy at all. Ever since you left, everything changes. I’m not a good father…..
2005, May 21st
Lin’s 17th Birthday today. This year round, she has been doing well…..
2006, May 21st
……………..
………………..
2007, May 21st
…………………….
…………………………
2008, May 21st
………………………..
………………………..
She finds out that every entry in the diary is all written on her birthday itself. There’s also a college of their family photos on the desk as well. She feels terribly touch and realize that her dad does love them after all.
She goes back to her own room and brought out all the presents. She starts to unwrap all of it. She unwraps the last present and it is a music box. She opens listen and stares hard at it for quite long.
Next scene
Lin is walking on the street while her dad walks down from the opposite direction. They meet each other at a junction. Lin smiles coyly at him, for the first time. They exchange glances and her dad looks really elated. They take the same lift together.
Next scene
Dad comes out from the lift (only shows dad), and walk along the corridor to doorsteps.
Next Scene
Lin’s father is sitting in his room, with a bottle of cough syrup in his hand. He hears the sound of piano coming from the living room. But as Lin starts playing, he starts coughing and in other not to bother his daughter, he closes the door and coughs. After which, he sits on the bed, eyes closed, listening to the music with a smile on his face.
Next Scene
Father is alone at home when he looks at the calendar and sees that it would be May 21st in a few days time and he smiles to himself. Father goes down to the coffee shop and buys food back and as he’s walking back, he passes a cake shop and as he does so, he stops outside and looks longingly at the cakes that are for sale. After a moment, he walks away.
Next Scene
Lin’s father is alone at home and having his dinner which is a packet of CCP, there is another packet. (Dad eating with contents of food in shot – CCP: 1 meat and 2 veg.) Lin’s father opens Lin’s packet of food and gives her most of his meat dish even though he only has a little and closes it back up.
Next SceneLin’s dad is in the living room reading the paper when looks back at Lin’s room and sees that she has fallen asleep on her bed listening to her music. He walks over with a present in his hands and as he’s about to go into her room, he hesitates with a longing look on his face and closes her room door.
Next SceneLin’s father returns from work and enters the lift (Linger at the lift door even though it has gone up.)
Next Scene (Repeated Scene)
Lin is walking on the street while her dad walks down from the opposite direction. They meet each other at a junction. Lin smiles coyly at him, for the first time. They exchange glances and her dad looks really elated. They take the same lift together.
(Camera lingers at the lift entrance, slow pan to show the lift going up and stopping at their floor, fade to black.)
