Tansy

 

Genre: Dark Fairy Tale

Language: English

Screenwriter: Terrie Tai 

 

 

TANSY EYRE

5 year-old girl of mixed ethnicity

This story is told through her innocent eyes whose purity act like a filter in a camera, highlighting some details while minimising others. Her innocence unlocks the dark side of the adult world - unfaithfulness, lust, apathy and compulsion.

 

GRETCHEN EYRE 

Mother of TANSY

30 years-old, Chinese, pianist.

When she married JONATHAN, she became a full-time housewife.

 

JONATHAN EYRE

Father of TANSY

37 years-old，English businessman.

He married GRETCHEN, but their union is falling apart due to misunderstandings and incompatibility with GRETCHEN. He uses illicit affairs with other women to escape the daily arguments with his wife.

 

WOMAN

A inner demon

Age unknown, over 6 feet tall.

Big eyes, always wearing a long red dress.

She resembles TANSY's doll with her pale long legs, but she is the human personification of the original sin, that lives in every human heart, in both adults and children.

 

FRED

A inner demon

7-10 years old, big black eyes, black clothes.

He is the human personification of avarice. 

 

RICHARD BLACK

A friend of Jonathan.

 

35 years-old, English, 6 feet tall.

Poet, best-selling fiction writer,

His main interest is human psychology. 

 

CLOSE UP  

A child’s hand draws on a piece of paper: a little girl stands between her parents, all holding hands, with a house behind them.

 

DISSOLVE TO:  

The drawing of the house transitions into a real house.

 

FADE IN:

INT. EYRE DINING ROOM – MORNING

 

CLOSE UP  

Sunlit blonde hair. The camera moves down to TANSY’s face, then pulls back to a full shot of the dining room.

 

Bright sunlight pours through the windows, filling the room.

 

TANSY sits at the table.

 

GRETCHEN enters, carrying two plates of steaming hot food.

She sets one plate on the table—opposite Tansy.

The chair remains empty.

 

GRETCHEN sits, takes a small bottle of medicine, and pours a brown liquid into a teaspoon.

 

CLOSE UP  

The spoonful of medicine trembles slightly.

 

GRETCHEN  

(expressionless, offering the spoon)

Tansy, come on. Open your mouth.

 

CLOSE UP  

TANSY grimaces at the brown liquid.

She covers her mouth with her hand as the spoon approaches.

 

TANSY turns her head away.

 

TANSY  

It smells!

 

GRETCHEN  

Come on, drink it. Be a good girl,

and then you’ll have a chocolate.

 

TANSY shakes her head.

 

CLOSE UP  

GRETCHEN’s face hardens.

 

JONATHAN enters and sits in the empty chair.

He looks at the plate in front of him—its steam gone.

He pokes at the fried egg with a fork until his face tightens in displeasure.

 

He sets the fork down, picks up a newspaper, opens it, and reads.

The newspaper fills the entire frame.

 

TANSY  

(pleading)

But Mama, I want to be a good girl.

I’m not naughty.

I’m well now.

See? I’m not coughing anymore.

I don’t need to drink that smelly medicine.

 

TANSY suddenly coughs.

She tries to hold it back, but the coughs keep coming.

 

GRETCHEN  

See? You still have that bad cough.

Just drink it.

Please.

Then you can have a chocolate.

Don’t cry. You’re a strong girl, right?

Please… just drink it.

If you do, I’ll reward you with a little red flower.

 

CLOSE UP – TANSY  

Her mouth trembles.

She bursts into loud wails, coughing uncontrollably.

 

JONATHAN  

(peeking over the newspaper)

Darling, this is magic medicine. It will make you stronger.

Come on, listen to your mom.

What she’s saying is very reasonable.

I’ll take you to see ballet The Nutcracker this weekend.

Just drink the medicine.

 

GRETCHEN  

Dear Mr. Eyre, thank you very much

for your kind invitation for Tansy—

but you’d better go with that woman.

Have fun.

And never, ever let that woman’s dirty hands touch my daughter.

 

JONATHAN  

We’re still arguing over trivial matters—

from morning till night.

Aren’t you tired of this life?

Because I’m fed up with it.

Just like I’m fed up with your fried eggs.

Look at them—they’re burnt.

I’m not complaining, but why don’t you learn?

Why can’t you improve? Why don’t you listen to me?

I want you to see how English wives do it.

Why don’t you?

They use a gentle flame to fry eggs.

 

GRETCHEN  

Mr. Eyre, unfortunately,

you have mistakenly married

a Chinese woman.

 

JONATHAN  

Well, in that case, I shall go—

right now—

and have my breakfast elsewhere.

 

GRETCHEN  

Tansy, hurry up. Take this medicine.

Then finish your breakfast.

Then we go to school.

 

 

JONATHAN  

Tansy, please—just have a little bread first.

That way the medicine won’t taste so bad.

 

TANSY  

I don’t like bread.

 

JONATHAN  

You know, when I was a child, I was a picky eater too.

And my mum would say to me:

“Don’t want to eat this?

Alright then—you’ll be sent to China.”

 

TANSY  

Why send you to China?

 

JONATHAN  

Because, in those days, children in China had nothing to eat.

(peeking at Gretchen)

Of course, now it’s different—

completely different.

China is very wealthy now.

 

GRETCHEN  

So this is your education?

Your racist mother teaching you

discrimination and arrogance?

To look down on other races?

And now you pass that on to your child?

This is very bad.

I can’t stand it.

You call yourself “highly educated”?

Highly… barbaric education.

 

JONATHAN  

The Bible says:

“Be ye angry, and sin not;

let not the sun go down upon your wrath;

and do not give way to the Evil One.”

 

Jonathan and Gretchen continue arguing.

Their voices fade…

Music rises.

 

CLOSE UP – TANSY’S EYES  

She watches her parents.

 

Gretchen quarrels.

Jonathan quarrels.

Gretchen quarrels.

Jonathan quarrels.

Their argument grows fiercer and fiercer.

 

CLOSE UP – TANSY  

Her eyes dart left and right,

tracking them like a tennis match.

 

CLOSE UP – TANSY’S EYE  

Blue water ripples in the reflection.

A wisp of red seeps in.

Blue blends with red—

becoming purple smoke.

The smoke thickens,

darkens,

and turns into spreading red.

 

TITLE CARD  

THE FILM TITLE

 

CAST LIST

 

(Music ends. Sound resumes.)

 

DISSOLVE TO:

 

INT. EYRE DINING ROOM – DAY

 

JONATHAN tosses his newspaper onto his half‑eaten breakfast.

 

CLOSE UP – THE PLATE  

The yolk bursts, oozing across the table.

 

JONATHAN shrugs on his suit jacket. His tie hangs crooked. He rushes out.

 

CLOSE UP – TANSY  

Her eyes track JONATHAN as the room door SLAMS shut.

 

TANSY darts after him.

 

EXT. EYRE HOUSE – FRONT YARD – DAY

 

JONATHAN’S car speeds away from the gate.

 

TANSY reaches the gate and watches the car disappear.

 

GRETCHEN steps up beside her, gently taking TANSY’s hand.

 

A moving truck pulls up next door. Workers begin unloading furniture.

 

TANSY  

Mom, who are they?

 

GRETCHEN  

Looks like we’ve got new neighbours.

Come on—let’s get you home for your medicine.

 

GRETCHEN and TANSY head back inside.

 

 

INT. EYRE DINING ROOM – DAY

 

GRETCHEN fights back tears. Her frustration leaks through as she speaks to TANSY.

 

GRETCHEN  

Drink it quickly. Don’t make things worse.

I’m tired.

Please… don’t cause more trouble for me.

 

CLOSE UP – THE SPOON  

The teaspoon is pushed straight into TANSY’s mouth.

 

TANSY swallows the medicine. She gags, choking slightly, as if drowning.

After a brief struggle, she steadies herself. She looks up at her mother.

 

GRETCHEN’s eyes glisten; she forces the tears back.

 

TANSY  

Mom, I drank the bitter medicine.

I’m so brave, right?

Can I have a little red flower?

 

GRETCHEN  

Okay… but you’ll Keep it up, yes?

 

INT. EYRE HALLWAY – DAY

 

GRETCHEN holds TANSY’s hand as they walk toward the piano room.

 

INT. EYRE PIANO ROOM – DAY

 

They enter.

They approach a notice board on the wall. A music sheet is pinned to it.

 

CLOSE UP – NOTICE BOARD  

The music sheet has a corner torn off, as if ripped carelessly from a book.

Pinned above it is a photograph of TANSY crying.

 

TANSY  

Mom, I don’t like that picture.

can we take it off?

I was too young then.

take it off please Mama

 

GRETCHEN broke into a smile, then forces herself back into composure.

 

GRETCHEN  

You were very young, that was last week.

but this week, you’re old enough.

 

CLOSE UP – THE PHOTO  

TANSY crying.

 

FADE OUT.

 

FADE IN:

 

EXT. STREET – DAY

 

TANSY is crying on the pavement.

 

GRETCHEN  

You want that doll?

But your room is full of dolls.

What about the one you named Sophia?

She’s brand new.

I bought her for you just a few days ago.

 

TANSY  

I don’t like Sophia anymore.

 

GRETCHEN  

You’re so fickle, just like your father.

Have you thought about how Sophia feels?

You loved that doll—remember?

So I bought her for you,

and now, only days later, you want to toss her aside like an old rag?

What’s happening to people now?

Changing their feelings so fast, even a child.

I really don’t understand.

Alright—now you’re crying again, I’m going home.

 

GRETCHEN turns away from TANSY and begins walking off in the opposite direction.

 

TANSY  

(bursting into tears)

Mom… Mom, please don’t leave me here. I’ll get lost.

 

GRETCHEN immediately turns back and hurries toward her.

 

GRETCHEN  

Alright. Hold Mom’s hand. You won’t get lost.

 

FADE OUT.

 

FADE IN:

 

INT. EYRE PIANO ROOM – DAY

 

CLOSE UP – NOTICE BOARD  

GRETCHEN picks up a red ballpoint pen.

 

On the torn music sheet pinned to the board,

small red flowers are drawn along the bottom edge.

Beside them, clusters of black pigs scribbled in thick ink.

At the top, the photograph of TANSY crying remains pinned in place.

 

GRETCHEN draws five small circles, forming a new red flower.

 

TANSY  

Mom… was I a good girl today?

I drank the bitter medicine.

I should get two red flowers, right?

 

GRETCHEN  

Alright. But you must promise me—

you must not play near the swimming pool in the garden.

If you stay away, you’ll get two red flowers.

If you don’t… you’ll get one hundred black pigs instead.

Do you understand me?

 

TANSY  

No… I don’t want black pigs.

I won’t go to the pool.

 

GRETCHEN  

Good girl.

Now I’m going to play the piano.

You can go play with Snowy.

Don’t forget what you promised.

 

GRETCHEN sits at the piano and begins playing Chopin’s Ballade No. 4, Op. 52.

 

TANSY  

(shouting)

Snowy!

 

Snowy, a white shepherd dog, bounds into the garden, tail wagging.

 

TANSY  

Snowy!

Wait for me!

 

TANSY chases after the dog.

 

EXT. EYRE GARDEN – DAY

 

Bright sunlight washes over the freshly cut lawn.

The grass lies smooth, like a green blanket.

 

Snowy runs in tight circles, then flops and rolls across the grass.

 

TANSY  

No, no, no!

Don’t do that, Snowy!

Listen to me!

Mom doesn’t like you rolling on the ground like that.