INT. ROOM - DAY
It's a 3D animated world, but very basic. The walls are plain color. The furniture in the room is simple, almost like blocks.
HENRY, an animated cartoon like character, sits at his desk and finishes a pencil drawing.
START WITH A CU ON WHAT HENRY IS DRAWING
The black and white drawing is of a woman in white, standing with her back to the camera on a bridge looking over a small creek. She looks intently at a wall of blackness on the horizon. It's as if the picture is not complete. It doesn't portray the rest of the city.
Henry puts the last touches on the drawing and once he's satisfied he hangs it on a wall beside five other drawings.
They are all the same; of the woman in white. There is a progression in the drawings. It's the black horizon. The first picture has the blackness represented as a thin line on the horizon. Each drawing after that has the blackness looming larger.
Henry looks at the drawings then reaches and touches the image of the woman in white. He lets out a long sigh and his shoulders slump in disappointment, before he walks away.
Henry adjusts his tie in front of a broken mirror, which shows a distorted reflection of him.
Henry picks up his brief case and walks out
EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY
Henry steps out of the building, brief case in hand. He looks around him. The world we see through his eyes is a little different than what we're used to. It could be considered a bit more futuristic.
The cars drive on the street as normal, but the pedestrians walk on a moving sidewalk; like a conveyor belt.
Henry steps on the Conveyor belt connecting his apartment to the main conveyor belt. He approaches a line of people standing on the main one. One in particular waves high to him, JERRY.
Jerry is a bigger fellow. He taps Henry on the back as Henry merges into the line they are in.
EXT. WORLD - DAY
EWS OF THE WORLD FROM ABOVE
The world outside runs like clockwork. The way the cars move. The way the pedestrians walkways move. It's very computed.
EXT. BRIDGE - DAY
Henry crosses the bridge he drew. The WOMAN IN WHITE (WIW) stands there looking at the blackness, THE GREAT DIVIDE (TGD) that HENRY had represented in his drawing. Funny thing, no one else pays attention to this marvelous phenomenon, as if it's always been there, nothing special.
HENRY
(to JERRY)
Is this thing getting larger or is
it just me?
JERRY
What thing?
Henry points to TGD.
Jerry laughs and slaps Henry on the back.
JERRY (cont'd)
This is just the world. Hey we're
going out after work right? Right?
HENRY
Sure. Sure.
That's when Henry sees the WIW. His posture and his demeanor changes. He walks straighter. His frown changes to a smile.
The WIW is quiet different from everyone else. Her dress is very shiny compared to what everyone else is wearing, dark, dim colors. Her hair is fiery red. Again everyone has dark hair. We don't see her face. She's overall more saturated with color than the rest of the world she inhabits.
He hits a button on the walkway rail and it stops. The sudden change surprises Jerry.
JERRY
What's going on?
EWS OF THE WORLD FROM ABOVE
The clockwork order of the wold is disrupted because of Henry slowing down.
People start yelling, "Hey", "Keep moving", "We have places to be", "Get out of the line."
BACK TO HENRY
HENRY
Let's go buddy.
Henry has two options he can either get out of the line or keep moving. He looks down at the raised separator. His leg moves ever so slightly, as if testing if he can break out of the walkway. But then he pulls his leg back and looks up at the WIW.
Jerry reaches for the button and hits the great button. The walk way starts moving
Henry glances back at the WIW and reaches for her in desperation. Jerry's laughing face blocks his view. Jerry points at random object and slaps Henry on the back. We see the WIW glance at henry ever so slightly, but we don't get a good look at her face. Henry's demeanor changes back to disappointment and then keeps walking, shoulders slumped down, dragging his feet, like everyone else.
EXT. OFFICE - DAY
WS OF THE OFFICE
It's not a unique building; almost a carbon copy of the other buildings in the neighborhood. The building carries the title "WORK".
From this vantage point, we see lines of people split and walk into the different buildings. All of them carry the same title, "WORK". Again, very computed movement; following the signs on the road way; "CAREER", "CASUAL", "HOURLY", "UNION", "BUSYBODY".
INT. OFFICE - DAY
We fly through the office. Again, 3D models are very basic. Rows of cubicles fill the floor. Signs are on the walls and on poles, pointing people to different areas in the office. "COFFEE", "LUNCH", "HARD WORK", "PROCRASTINATION, "SUCKING UP", "BACK STABBING", "SHOWING OFF". There is one sign in a circle with a line going through it, "FREEDOM". These are all subtle.
FOCUS ON HENRY IN HIS CUBICLE
Henry sits on his desk. A cup of coffee to the side. A stack of paper a mile high beside him. He grabs one piece of paper with lots of writing that we can't really read. He stamps it, "DENIED". Then he grabs another and stamps it, "DENIED".
With every stamp we do a CUT to his routine, then back to him working in his cubicle.
STAMP: looking at his distorted reflection in the mirror adjusting his tie.
STAMP: Walking to work as part of the line of people.
STAMP: Passes by the WIW but doesn't approach her.
Now we're back with him at the office. The pile of paper has shifted. Now there are two piles on each side of him.
The clock hits 12 on his desk. A light bulb shaped as the word "LUNCH" hung in the ceiling of the office lights up.
He grabs his coffee and follows the signs for coffee, walking in yet another line of people.
CUT TO:
INT. OFFICE WINDOW - DAY
Henry walks past the office window which spans from floor to ceiling and looks at the world outside. Clockwork. As he stands, Jerry stands beside him and slaps his back. Henry spills some coffee. He's a bit frustrated. They both look out the window. Jerry is pointing at random objects and laughing.
Henry looks at TGD. It's very notable. It's as if the city simply ends there. Suddenly TGD moves and envelops a section of the city. Buildings Henry could see a moment ago are now gone.
Henry reacts in horror. Then looks at Jerry. He points at TGD.
HENRY
It moved. Did you see that? It
moved?
Jerry looks at TGD and laughs. Then slaps Henry on the back and walks away shaking his head as if he heard a joke.
Henry stares at TGD in panic.
EXT. BRIDGE - DAY
Henry stands on the bridge. The WIW stands there. His back to him. But his entire world is encased in a black bubble. The bubble keep getting smaller.
Henry runs to the WIW. But when he reaches her, the black bubble has already touch her. She starts to disintegrate. She looks at him, but she complete turns to dust.
Henry runs back, but there is no where to go. The black bubble is all around him.
INT. BEDROOM - DAY
Henry wakes up distraught.
EXT. BRIDGE - NEXT DAY
EWS WORLD FROM ABOVE. CLOCKWORK.
Henry crosses the bridge on the moving walkway. Jerry jokes and laughs. Suddenly Henry hits the stop button. The walkway comes to a halt and people lose their balance. The WIW stands in her usual place. Henry steps out of the walkway and approaches the WIW.
JERRY
Henry, what are you doing?
Henry and the people in the line watch him in amazement, as if he has done something completely novel. This simple decision seems to offset the entire order of the world.
EWS WORLD FROM ABOVE. THE ORDER WE'VE SEEN IS MORE CHAOTIC
BACK WITH HENRY
Henry stands beside the WIW. She gives only a slight indication to acknowledge his presence. She shifts, opening up to him. But we still can't see her face.
HENRY
What are you looking at?
WIW
Don't you see it?
Henry looks at where the WIW points. But all he sees is the fearsome TGD.
HENRY
The great divide?
WIW
No. The door.
Henry looks again, but he can't see anything. He looks back at the line, which is now moving in order again. Jerry waves to Henry to catch up. He feels maybe he made a mistake.
HENRY
Well, good day.
Henry walks back towards the orderly line of people humming along, leaving the WIW behind.
WIW
There is nothing of value back
there.
This stops Henry in his place. He looks at the WIW who walks away of the paved road towards TGD.
After a moment's hesitation Henry runs after her.
EXT. THE GREAT DIVIDE - DAY
Henry catches up with the woman standing right in front of TGD. Up close it's not simply black, it's like a wall of black water, different from the rest of the world. The world is simple. There is no detail. But the Great Divide is full of details.
Henry and the WIW face TGD. Henry shifts in his place. He can see his reflection darkly on the surface of TGD. It is distorted.
Henry picks up a plain looking rock and throws it at TGD. It disintegrates into a bunch of dust particles as it approaches it. The dust is subsequently blown by the wind.
HENRY
This is dump. We should leave.
The woman looks at something in the TGD and runs parallel to it.
HENRY (cont'd)
Wait.
He drops his brief case and runs after the WIW.
The WIW swerves all of a sudden heading right into TGD. But Henry reaches her in time and grabs her hand, stopping her.
HENRY (cont'd)
Don't.
WIW
Let me go. Please.
She struggles with him, pulling her arm free and runs into TGD. Henry reacts in horror.
But as the WIW walks right into TGD, a vortex on the surface of the water like material opens up for her. There is a door at the end of the vortex. It's ajar. Light, pure light seeps through it.
The WIW looks back at HENRY and smiles. This is the first time we get a good look at her.
WIW (cont'd)
Come with me.
Without waiting for a response she walks through the door.
Henry stands there perplexed. He looks back at his world.
EWS. THE WORLD FROM ABOVE
The world continues ticking away. But the order is now messed. The lines are not moving as they ought to move.
BACK WITH HENRY
Henry sees a bunch of people starting to leave the line and stand on the bridge watching him in bewilderment. What's Henry going to do?
He makes his decision and steps through.
CUT TO WHITE:
INT. STUDY - DAY
As we transition from white we're now seeing the world from the POV of Henry (first person point of view shot). He's in a study. But this world is different from the other. The other world was simple, everything was flat. This world is more realistic. More details in everything.
Henry looks down at the desk and it's so detailed... so real. There are papers scattered on top of it. Looks like pages from a book. In a subtle corner of his view there is a page with the title "The Great Divide"
Henry runs his hands on the surface of the desk and is astonished to see his hand. It's human like. He looks at them turning them around.
Henry hears some noises outside. He looks up and walks towards the only door in the room. There are two windows one on each side of the door, with drapes over them. It's clearly very sunny outside.
He opens the door, and is momentarily overwhelmed by the brightness. He puts his hands over his eyes.
As his eyes adjust to the outdoor brightness, he, and we, see a large green pasture. Mountains covered with snow on the horizon. And not too far away, a woman in white stands on a small bridge over looking a narrow creek.
The WIW, now very realistic, looks in his direction and extends her hand to him, smiling a pure smile.
Henry walks to her and takes her hand.
WIW
Good to have you back.
Henry looks at the WIW, such a beautiful smile. Her hair flowing in the wind.
Henry stands beside her and looks down at the water. He sees his reflection for the first time. It's so clear. The face of a realistic man.
FADE TO BLACK