Screenplay

It’s 2007. ANNIE is on the verge of turning 17 and she is

deeply in love with her first boyfriend, RICKY. ANNIE is the

daughter of a strict Southern Baptist preacher. She has been

forced to go to church every Sunday, and sometimes even

every night for the occasional 2-week revivals, since she

was a baby. For years now, ANNIE has been dabbling in

Atheist beliefs, but never voicing them for fear of being

shunned by her religious family. RICKY, who comes from a

Catholic family that does not really attend church on a

regular basis, is very outspoken about religion. He has no

problem voicing his atheist opinions and talking to ANNIE

about them.

A year goes by and ANNIE and RICKY have become inseparable.

ANNIE has found the confidence to discuss her beliefs with

RICKY, his family, and their friends, but she still has been

unable to talk to her family. All she really wants is the

freedom to choose to either attend church, or to not attend

church. RICKY convinces her that she should wait until after

she turns 18 to talk to her family. ANNIE believes that this

may be a good idea, considering the fact that the age of 18

would make her a legal adult.

Now it is a week after her 18th birthday and ANNIE is

petrified about bringing up the topic with her family. RICKY

tells her not to do it if she isn’t ready, but ANNIE decides

that even if she isn’t ready, it needs to be done. She can

no longer sit through service pretending to believe

something that she doesn’t.

It is the night for which she has planned for over a year.

ANNIE is finally going to confront her parents about her

beliefs. She walks into the office where her father is

paying bills and her mother is reading a book. They look up

at her, smile, and the discussion begins. ANNIE starts by,

as gently as possible, telling them that she believes, as an

adult, she should have the right to either attend or not

attend service based on her own choosing. It is obvious that

her father is already getting heated. He then asks her why

she would even consider not attending church. With a deep

breath, she explains that she no longer has faith in what

she has been taught her whole life. Her father, now enraged,

begins to scream incomplete sentences; he stammers from one

thought to the next without finishing each one, although

they all encompass the same theme.

During the entire altercation, ANNIE’s mother is silent and

patiently waiting her turn to speak. When the father is at a

loss for words, the mother steps in with her

well-thought-out statement. With an arrogant air about her,

she points out that RICKY is an atheist and that ANNIE is a

very malleable girl. While ANNIE is stunned, her father uses

this kerosene to create the most heated fire in him that

2.

ANNIE has ever seen. He begins to accuse RICKY of putting

sinful thoughts into ANNIE’s head. ANNIE defends RICKY as

best she can but her parents will not see her side. ANNIE

then tries to get back onto the subject of choosing her

attendance or absence at church, but her father is now at

the point of taking away her car, her allowance, her phone,

her college tuition, and any chance of seeing RICKY ever

again.

ANNIE realizes the unfortunate truth that she has to leave.

She had hoped that it wouldn’t come to this but she sees

that she no longer has a place in her family’s home. So,

after sneaking out that night to see RICKY, they decide to

run away together and start a new life.

SCENE 1 - INT - HOME OFFICE - EARLY EVENING - SCENE 1

(The scene begins with Annie’s mother and father in

their home office, paying bills in the early evening.

They are calm and focused on what they are doing when

Annie walks into the room.)

DAD

Jane, can you pass me last week’s

receipts?

(Annie walks in)

ANNIE

Mom? Dad? Can I talk to you about

something?

MOM

Sure. Is something wrong?

ANNIE

Um,no....well, kind of. Listen, I

wanted to talk to you about

something but I don’t want you guys

to get mad.

DAD

Why would we get mad? You done

something wrong?

ANNIE

No,um, well I wanted to discuss my

age with you.

3.

MOM

Your 18. What about it?

ANNIE

Well I just, um, I just feel like

since I’m 18, maybe I should be

given more freedom.

DAD

What kind of freedom?

ANNIE

Well that’s the thing. I don’t want

you guys to get mad.

DAD

Well I’m not guaranteeing anything.

ANNIE

Okay, well I was thinking, since

I’m an adult now, I should have the

right to decide whether or not I

want to go to church.

(There is a long silence as

Annie’s father is obviously

becoming angry.)

DAD

Why would you even consider not

going to church?

ANNIE

Well, its just something I’ve been

thinking about for a while. I’d

like the freedom to choose.

DAD

No, your going to church. There’s

no discussing it.

ANNIE

But Dad, I’m 18. You can’t really

force me to go if I don’t want to.

DAD

Excuse me? I can’t force you to go?

I’m your father! I can make you do

anything I see fit as a parent!

What’s the matter with you?

ANNIE

Nothing Dad! I just don’t want to

go to church.

4.

DAD

Your going whether you want to or

not! I’ll beat you and drag you if

I have to!

ANNIE

You can’t do that!

DAD

Try me! Just try!

ANNIE

That’s child abuse!

DAD

I don’t care! Your going!

ANNIE

You can’t force me! I don’t want

to! And if you try to drag me I’ll

call the police!

DAD

Go ahead! Call the police! I’ll go

to jail! Then I’ll come out and

drag you some more!

ANNIE

Dad, this isn’t getting us

anywhere.

(Annie’s Dad is now incredibly

enraged. His face is beat

red.)

DAD

I can’t believe- How could- Don’t

tempt me!

ANNIE

Dad, I don’t get it! Why can’t we

just be adults?

DAD

You are my child! And if I tell you

to go to church you will go to

church! End of discussion!

ANNIE

Well I’m not going.

DAD

Oh really?

5.

ANNIE

I’m sorry. I don’t mean to upset

you. But I’m not going.

DAD

Why not?

ANNIE

Because I don’t believe in it

anymore!

(Annie’s father is clearly

stunned.)

DAD

You don’t believe in it?

ANNIE

Not...really. Not like I used to.

DAD

Oh I see! So it’s just a bunch of

bologna to you? Well tell me, what

do you think of me? Huh? I stand up

there every Sunday preaching the

word of God! You think I’m just

saying a bunch of mumbo-jumbo?

ANNIE

It’s fine for you to believe it.

But I just don’t anymore.

DAD

So you must think that everything I

preach is pretty stupid then, huh?

Annie, I swear!

ANNIE

No Dad! Your free to believe

whatever you want. I just want the

same freedom.

DAD

I just don’t even know what to say

anymore. Jane?

(There is a long silence as

Annie’s mother is thinking

very intensely.)

MOM

(With an air of arrogance) When did

you start thinking about this,

Annie?

6.

ANNIE

I don’t know. I’ve been thinking

about it for years.

DAD

For years?

ANNIE

Yes. For a long time now.

MOM

Well you’ve been dating Ricky now

for over a year.

ANNIE

So?

MOM

So it just seems like an odd

coincidence.

ANNIE

What do you mean by that?

MOM

I’ve heard about him, Annie.

Everyone talks. We all know he’s an

Atheist.

ANNIE

Are you suggesting that he’s the

reason for me not wanting to go to

church.

MOM

I’m not suggesting anything. I’m

simply pointing out that he is a

devout Atheist and your

impressionable.

ANNIE

Are you kidding me?

DAD

I knew it! It’s Ricky. He got you

to do this!

ANNIE

No! I have a mind of my own, Dad!

I’ve been thinking about this for

years, long before Ricky!

7.

DAD

That boy is never allowed in this

house again! And you are going to

church this Sunday!

ANNIE

I’m not going, Dad!

DAD

Is that so?

ANNIE

Yes!

DAD

Well then say goodbye to your car!

Hand your keys over

(Annie pulls her keys out of

her pocket and throws them on

the ground.)

ANNIE

Fine! I don’t need it!

DAD

Your cell phone too. You don’t need

that either.

ANNIE

I don’t care! Take my money while

your at it! I don’t need anything

from you!

(Annie then throws down her

phone and wallet)

ANNIE

It’s all yours! Just take it! You

really think punishing me is gonna

get me back in church?

1 SCENE 1 SCENE 1

1

This project was one of the most interesting ways of

expressing myself that I have ever attempted. My story was

inspired by some real-life events in my youth. I have never

found a way to express these events that met my standards

until now. To have the opportunity to put it all down onto a

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 8.

script was so relieving. The hardest part of this project,

for me, was putting the script in the correct format. Using

Cetx helped a lot but it didn’t solve all of my problems. I

still had to figure out how to describe the scene and where

to put it in the script. I’m still not entirely sure if I

did everything correctly, but I did the best that I could.

The best part of the project was writing the treatment. It

was a very useful step that I have never incorporated into

my writing before. Writing the treatment helped me keep my

ideas together in an orderly fashion. It also helps to make

the script make sense. The hardest part of writing the

treatment though, was deciding where the story should end.

I’m still not completely happy with it, but I think that if

I had another week to think about it and work on it, I could

be satisfied. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this assignment.

I didn’t feel like it was work. I felt that it was an

expressive assignment. I loved having the opportunity to put

my own personal feelings into a project that was really fun

to create. If I had more time to work on it I think I would

have changed a few things, but I’m extremely happy with my

end product.