elisla - story script

ELISLA SHORT FILM SCRIPT BY RIWAJ KARKI AND RUSHELLE SHANTASH MCKOY

ELISLAWritten & Directed By

Riwaj Karki & Rushelle Shantash McKoy

1 INT.ELAINA’S BEDROOM – 6:07AM

Laid in her bed, Elaina opens her eyes. (ESTABLISHING SHOT OF ELAINA IN BED) Staring at the ceiling - looking and feeling empty, she stays there thinking about her dad. She looks over to her desk frame of her with her father and his graveyard on the other side. (CAMERA PANS ACROSS BOTH FRAMES)She gets up and heads out the room.

CUT TO:

2. INT.ELAINA’S KITCHEN – 6:15AM

She walks over to the kitchen (CAMERA PANS ALONG WITH ELAINA) to make herself a cup of coffee

CUT TO:(ESTABLISHING SHOT TO THE LIVING ROOM COUCH)

3. INT.ELAINA’S LIVING ROOM – 6:18AM

Elaina walks over to the couch in the living area and sips her coffee looking at the clock on the wall. She stares at the door waiting for her


therapist to come over. She looks at the calendar and time on her phone to confirm her therapist is in fact arriving. (OVER-THE-SHOULDER CAMERA SHOT)

CUT TO: (ALTERNATING SCENES)

4. INT. ISLA IN THE CHURCH 6:25AM

Isla sits there looking at the semi-empty walls of the church. (ESTABLISHING SHOT FROM THE BACK) Unlike Elaina, she looks awake and aware. She then smirks. (ZOOM OF ISLA'S FACE)

CUT TO:

5. INT. ELAINA'S APARTMENT 6:30AM

There's a knock on Elaina's door. (ESTABLISHING SHOT OF THE DOOR) She slowly walks over to the door. (STEADY-CAM EFFECT SHOWING ELAINA WALKING TOWARDS THE DOOR FROM THE BACK) She stares out through her peep-hole to an empty corridor (FISH-EYE EFFECT SHOWCASING TEH EMPTY HALLWAY) - nobody appears to be there. She pulls back looking confused wondering why her therapist wasn't at the door - in fact, what wasn't anyone at the door? She steps back slowly until she hears the bell go off once again. (IDE-PROFILE SHOT) She quickly opens the door - nobody's there. She steps out of her apartment and looks around the hallway.

ELAINA: Is anyone there? Hello? (STEADY-CAM EFFECT ZOOMED IN ON HER FACE)

CUT TO:



She walks back into her apartment looking dazed and confused. The door behind her suddenly shuts. She quickly turns around in fear. She stands there for a while looking traumatized. Without any further thinking, she quickly runs to her kitchen (STEADY-CAM EFFECT), opens her drawers and fetches the biggest knife she sees. (OVER-THE-SHOULDER SHOT)

She goes through every part and room of her apartment looking and searching for whoever's in the flat with her. (MONTAGE SHOTS OF HER SEARCHING THROUGH EVERY ROOM IN THE APARTMENT QUICKLY CUT PAST EACH OTHER) She then returns to the original spot where she found herself locked in her own apartment. (STEADY-CAM EFFECT SLOWLY WALKING IN ON ELAINA FROM THE BACK...) Slowly, something or someone from behind bags her head.

CUT TO:


Isla reveals herself - slowly taking off the ski-mask. (FACIAL CLOSE-UP) She then drags Elaina's body across the floor to her bathroom and leaves her on the bathtub. (LOW-LEVEL SHOT PANNING ACROSS THE ROOM WITH THE BODY)

She approaches the bathroom mirror and looks at her angrily. She then washed her hands off in the sink. (OVER-THE-SHOULDER SHOT)

CUT TO:

8. INT. ELAINA'S BEDROOM 6:50AM

Isla steps into Elaina's bedroom and sits in front of her vanity mirror. She completely brightens up


her make-up by modeling herself to a picture of Elaina she sees stuck on the side of the mirror.

VOICEOVER -ISLA: I've always loved make-up, playing dress-up and transforming into different characters. It was always my thing. Sometimes, unintentionally. (LAUGHS) The lipsticks, the fake eyelashes, the curlers - all of it. I loved it, I just loved it.

Afterwards, she walks towards her closet to try on Elaina's bright and floral dress. She smiles.

8. INT. THE GRAVEYARD 7:00AM

Isla heads to the cemetery right by Elaian's apartment where Elaina's dad was buried. She stands in front of his grave and says:

"I'm sorry for the way I am, the way I have beenIsla was the one who killed you daddy, not me.I love you. But. But, you know how she can b.She can just, you know, come out of nowhere sometimes. And it's the tiniest things.She was just human, as I was. You didn't give her enough. Today, I am Elisla. A hybrid of your two daughters, but really - you only had once. Well, um. I'm sorry you didn't know about my condition but just put it this way - you daughter Elaina loves you very much. A deamon or some kind of creature who lives inside Elaina doesn't want us to happy. Or that she didn't want us to be happy. I'm sorry - I mean, Isla's sorry. Elaina loves you very much."

Throughout her speech, Isla constantly feels as if somebody is watching her. (QUICK EDITS BRIEFLY


SHOWCASING THE SHADOWS MOVING AROUND THE BUSHES AND TREES) Sudden yet constant side-eyes and head-turns occupy her very speech with fear and terror. Suddenly, Elaina appears behind her and bags her head until she stops breathing.

ELAINA: I finally did it, dad. I let her go. But... but, I let you go to. It's time for me to go now.

She looks at the gun on her hand (OVER-THE-SHOULDER SHOT) and starts shaking. She slowly and forcefully pulls it up to her head. She shoots herself.

VOICEOVER -THERAPIST: Elaina, your meds.

THE END

elisla - story script

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