BSA 204 W12 : Development towards Treatment

A post box stands idly as in the distance dust kicks up from the dirt road. A boy wiggles his toes as he waits. The bike comes slowly closer. The boy screams out "Oi hurry up au!", the post man keeps trudging along. "Fuck up, I'm coming". "Come faster!". "Cool your engines I've been riding since 6 you little shit". The guy drives up and the boy immediately starts grabbing at him asking where the letter is, he pushes the boy off and tells him he has to find it first and scolds him for almost pushing him over. He's not the only one with mail you know, the boy says its very important. The guy finds the post but acts very slowly to get it out, the boy tripples around, he says he won't give it to him unless he behaves. When he takes it out he says its addressed to a Maria, he can't open it, and then tries to put it in the post office, holding it out of the boys reach, the boy yells ":give it to me!". The postman declares he is doing his job, the boy makes a racket and a goat charges out of nowhere knocking the postman down, the boy picks up the letters, thanks the goat and quickly sifts through finding the one of interest as the postman tries to escape the raging goat. Zoom in on letter, showing it's from a prison.

The boy runs home, dragging the goat with him, he does so excitedly as the postman speeds off behind him, now moving very quickly to his next destination. He locks a gate on the goat and runs inside. When he crosses the threshold into the house his mother immediately addresses him and asks him to hurry up and pack his bag for school. She has her hands full with other kids, the younger isn't eating his breakfast, an older girl has problems packing her bag and the youngest, a toddler, is trying to write on the walls. Without looking the mother yells at the kid to not do so, he is confused as to how she knows. The main boy runs up to her excitedly and tries to get her to open the mail saying it's very important - it's from dad! She says once he's packed his bag and takes the letters, looking at it with disdain. 

Outside everyone is moving across the front yard, towards the road where the bus will stop - they are going to be late. The boy keeps pestering her about the letter but she is pre-occupied with the girls bag which needs stitching together, she does some makeshift needlework as they move and hands the girl the bag as the bus pull up. "Mum! Dad's letter!".

Okay okay, she opens the letter as the other two enter the bus, the youngest clings to her dress, she reads it but her expression becomes sad, it doesn't seem good at all. The boy asks what it is, is it something bad - he is still hopeful. The bus driver shouts for him to get on. The mother still looks at the letter and doesn't respond much, he presses - "Mum! what is it?". She solemnly states: "He's out, he's coming home". She isn't over the moon but the boy sure is, his smile as wide as his facial muscles allow, he jumps on the bus and as it drives off we transition with a swipe into:

The boy at school lockers yelling at his friend that his dad is coming home, he starts outlining some of his fathers exploits and adventures while in prison, these are over-the-top and fantastical, the next swipe reveals the real situations he's describing which are much less dramatic and plainly pathetic. Swipe into a classroom where he whispers and gets told off, swipe to P.E. class, swipe to on the bus again home. A ringing sound, a gate rolls open, the dad steps out - it's quiet. 

He stands in the silence a bit, no one is there to pick him up. A police officer is heading home and he asks for a ride. The police man hesitates and asks how far he's going, he says and the policeman says nah he's going in the opposite direction. The dad pulls the finger at him and starts walking. He's walking slowly, thumb out. 

The boy waits in the small plot of land, he's set himself a box up to sit on, his hands holding up his head, elbows on knees. The little brother tries to distract him, he tells him to piss off - he's waiting for dad. The sister says he probably won't come till tomorrow. Smash cut to tomorrow, same position, the sister runs up to him and tells him to help her find Phillip - then goat. He agrees reluctantly. A car pulls up right after, his dad steps up and thanks the strangers who gave him a ride.

The boy sees him, smiling. He runs up to his dad. They awkwardly exchange pleasantries, he asks who the people were, the dad makes up a lie immediately to sound cool. The dad asks him what they're up to, he tells his dad that the goat is essentially an escape artist and can't be caged. He asks him if he's staying, his dad says hopefully and mother appears in doorway. He tells the kids to go play again, goat appears on houses' roof.

The kids hide under a window where the mother leads the dad and confronts him about his presence, making it clear he is not welcome. He bargains that he just needs somewhere to stay for a couple of days, she makes it clear his word is not to be trusted and that he's got three days. He bargains for more, saying this would be a chance to spend some quality time with the children. She gives in and says a week then. She scolds all the kids outside listening in, somehow she knows that he's there.

The dad goes out again and talks to the boy, he tells his dad that mum can see everything, she essentially has eyes behind her head, the dad says he knows. He asks where he is going, dad says he is going to show him a quality time. Fixing the broken down car that they've had trouble with, the mum smiles seeing this and they drive off to a bar.

They go to a bar where the dad gets drunk and gives the kid some beer as well, impressing him with his adult male powers. Unfortunately some hooligans pick a fight with, people from his past, and they have a scuffle, getting kicked out.

They drive home and as drunk as he is the dad crashes, going flying through the windscreen. He is alive and unscathed, enter injury montage - this is obviously quite an important moment and needs to be lingered on for a bit. Followed by them trying to do all the necessary superhero stuff, trying to fly, lifting heavy things, attempting the execution of vigilante justice etc.

A dinner scene where this goes to the father's head.