INT. DOCTOR’S OFFICE – AFTERNOON
DOCTOR HUNT, middle 50’s, is sitting behind his big oak
desk scribbling on his note pad. The office walls are
covered in certificates and degrees.
PERRY LOWELL, early 20’s clean-cut, enters the office and
sits on the other side of the desk directly across from
Doctor. He looks around the doctor’s office at the various
diagrams of the human ear, nose and throat.
DOCTOR
Perry, it’s very nice to see you
again. As you know, every three
months we re-evaluate your brother’s
rare condition. I just have a few
questions to ask you about him.
PERRY
I’m here to help you in anyway I can
sir.
DOCTOR
Well thank you. So, tell me, how do
you see your brother dealing with his
condition?
Perry looks out the window. He takes a deep breath, and
then looks back at the Doctor.
PERRY
When he first started losing his
voice, he was very resentful towards
everyone, even me. But, I don’t
really blame him.
Doctor Hunt continues scribbling on a sheet of paper, not
looking up from his notes.
PERRY
When mom pulled him from regular
school to home school him he would
lock himself in his room for hours.
DOCTOR
What would he do all day?
2
PERRY
He would just stay up there and play
his guitar.
DOCTOR
What about now?
INT. HOUSE FOYER – EARLY EVENING
The front door opens to a middle class home, and Perry
walks in and shuts the door behind him.
PERRY
Hey mom, I’m back.
The sound of a guitar echoed through the entire house.
Perry looks up, closes his eyes and smiles. Then he makes
his way upstairs to find the source of the music.
INT. SAM’S BEDROOM - EARLY EVENING
Standing in the doorway of his brother’s bedroom Perry
watches his brother play the guitar.
After a few moment of standing there unnoticed Perry
sneezes.
SAM LOWELL, late teens, hearing the sneeze turns towards
the door and sees his brother is standing there. Then he
turns back to his guitar and continues playing.
INT. HALLWAY – EARLY EVENING
Perry turns and walks away from his brother’s room down
hallway to his own bedroom and shuts his door.
3
INT. DINNINGROOM – EARLY EVENING
Sam and Perry are sitting across from each other at the
dinner table. MOM, mid 40’s, is on the phone in the kitchen
walking back and forth in front of the door talking loudly.
Sam’s expression is that of disinterest. His head is in a
fixed position looking down at his plate. He shuffles his
food around on his plate with a fork. Mom sits down at the
table and begins eating her dinner with her two sons. Not
taking notice of her young sons lack of interest.
MOM
That was your father. He called and
said hello. He’s moved to Texas.
Neither Sam nor Perry responded to the mentioning of their
father. She skips right over the subject.
MOM
So Perry, how was the meeting today
with Dr. Hunt?
Sam looks up at his Mom with a heated glare.
Perry sees his brother’s reaction to his Mom’s probing
question.
PERRY
Oh, it was fine. He just asked a few
questions and then I was gone.
MOM
Well, what did he want to know?
Sam drops his fork to his plate loudly and leaves the
table.
Mom and Perry look at each other, Mom shrugs her shoulders.
MOM
He’s must not be hungry.
Perry stairs across the table at his mother.
PERRY
You talk like he’s not even here.
4
INT. DOCTOR’S OFFICE – (FLASHBACK)
Doctor Hunt looks up from his note pad and repeats himself.
Perry is looking out the window again.
DOCTOR (O.C)
Perry, how is he doing now?
Perry looks towards the Doctor again.
PERRY
Well, I can tell he gets frustrated
with people that talk too much. Like
how our mom does sometimes, well a
lot of times.
The doctor tilts his head with interest looking at Perry
over the top of his reading specs.
DOCTOR
What is it that your mother does that
seems bothers him the most?
Perry sits back and thinks about the question, running his
hand through his hair.
PERRY
She doesn’t seem to notice his
frustration when she “speaks for
him”. It’s almost like she doesn’t
even want him to try and cope with
his disability.
Doctor nods his head with an understanding expression on
his face.
DOCTOR
Well, he does have to learn to speak
without a voice.
PERRY
Like using sign language?
5
DOCTOR
Yes, but there are many ways to be
heard.
PERRY
He uses a note pad, in the rare
occasion that he wants to talk.
INT. PERRY’S BEDROOM – EVENING (PRESENT)
After dinner Perry is sitting at his desk in his bedroom
doing some studying under a solitary desk lamp. Sam knocks
on the door. Perry looks up from his books to see his
brother standing in the door.
PERRY
Hey Sam, what’s up?
Sam smiles, grabs Perry’s guitar and motions for him to
follow him to his room.
PERRY
Sam, I have to finish studying.
Sam stops turns around and rolls his eyes at his brother,
once again motioning him to follow.
INT. SAM’S BEDROOM
Sam drags a chair right next to his bed, and then sits on
the bed.
Perry walks into the room and sits in the chair and takes
his guitar out of Sam’s hand. Sam grabs his guitar off the
bed and starts playing.
Sam plays a familiar song to Perry, and he starts playing
along with his brother. Music fills the room, then the
house.
6
INT. KITCHEN
Mom is cleaning up from dinner. She hears the music that
her two sons are playing up stairs. She puts down the rag
and plate she was cleaning and walks across the kitchen to
the doorway. She leans her head against the doorframe,
smiles and closes her eyes to listen.
INT. SAM’S ROOM
Sam and Perry finish playing the song. Sam scribbles on a
note pad. He holds the note up to Perry and the note reads:
DO YOU WANT TO HEAR A SONG I WROTE?
Perry reads it and looks back at his brother and nods his
head yes.
Sam opens a three-ring binder filled with sheets of hand
written music and starts playing his song. With every note
and string that Sam hits his expression slowly changes from
a smile to an intense look of emotional release. The music
plays on and Perry starts playing along with his brother’s
rhythm and chords.
While playing the song Sam starts to tear up, and stops
playing.
He reaches over and grabs a book off his nightstand and
flips to a marked page in his music book and points at the
quote: AFTER SILENCE, THAT WHICH COMES NEAREST TO
EXPRESSING THE INEXPRESSIBLE IS MUSIC. -ALDOUS HUXLEY
PERRY
I can hear you little brother.
Perry leans over and gives his brother a hug as they both
start tearing up.
PERRY
I hear you.
FADE OUT:
THE END