The Librarian
8:00
In every library in every city, there's a nobody who dreams of becoming a somebody...
Tags: The Librarian Oak Tree Productions Paul Darrroch Short Film Black Comedy Drama Horror Movie Glasgow
Added: 4 years ago
From: PaulDarroch
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Oak Tree Productions presents
A Film by Paul Darroch
[scene opens on a young woman whimpering quietly, tied to a chair with a bag over her head ... a hand reaches in and pulls the bag off, revealing that the woman has a gag in her mouth]
WOMAN: Mmmph ...
[the unseen male captor (wearing surgical gloves) undoes the gag, and just as the woman is about to scream, the scene cuts to black]
The Librarian
[cut to the inside of a public library, as a young male librarian wearing glasses is sitting at the front desk and flicking a lighter, while the muttered sounds of the other patrons can be heard in the background]
LIBRARIAN: [in voice over] They're all animals. They come here during the day ...
[cut to a man sitting in a chair reading a newspaper]
LIBRARIAN: Wino dole bludgers.
[cut to a closeup of the librarian's face]
LIBRARIAN: Whinging students.
[cut to an overweight woman typing at the computer]
LIBRARIAN: Incapacity benefit sloths.
[cut back to the librarian's face]
LIBRARIAN: Moaning old gits.
[cut to two woman gossiping and laughing]
LIBRARIAN: Economic migrants.
[cut back to the librarian's face]
LIBRARIAN: Someday, a real fire will come and burn them all.
[he flicks his lighter again, when an older man approaches the desk and slams a piece of paper down]
[cut to a closeup of the note ("Hound of the Baskervilles?") as the librarian slowly pulls it towards him ... He then puts a bookmark in the book he was reading, types something on the computer, then slaps a notepad on the desk in front of the patron which reads "Come back after 5 PM"]
[the patron gives him a dirty look before walking off, then a young man (who had been staring intently at a book in the nearby "Romance" section) follows him out of the library]
[cut to the same room from the beginning of the film, only now it is the older male patron with a bag over his head, as the unseen captor (now wearing scrubs) pulls it off while the patron struggles]
[the man reaches for a nearby table and picks up a book, then pulls down his surgical mask to reveal he is the librarian]
LIBRARIAN: Chapter fifteen! A retrospection, or also known as the final chapter!
[he smiles, as the patron continues to struggle]
LIBRARIAN: Quite fitting, really ...
[he begins pacing around the room while reading (with dramatic flair)]
LIBRARIAN: "It was the end of November, and Holmes and I sat, upon a raw and foggy night, on either side of a blazing fire in our sitting-room in Baker Street ... "
[cut to a different male captive (the same man who was reading a newspaper in the library earlier), who is also tied up and whimpering while the librarian reads to him in the same manner]
LIBRARIAN: "'I tried to tell you before.' The voice was rigid, mechanical."
[continuing to read from Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons", the librarian adopts a French accent]
LIBRARIAN: "''I'm a physicist. I run a research facility. We've had a murder. You saw the body' ... "
[cut to the overweight woman tied up in the chair, as the librarian reads from Stephen King's "Misery"]
LIBRARIAN: "This was no gypsy, and the two of them were no longer in the tent alone. She could smell Gwendolyn Chastain's perfume in the moment before the madwoman's hands closed around her throat ... "
[cut to the two gossipping women (tied up side by side), as the librarian reads from a book]
LIBRARIAN: "Staring into darkness of the square, it's like an--"
[as the women scream, the librarian starts reading from the book in his other hand (while adopting a Russian accent)]
LIBRARIAN: "Yefrem Vishnayev and his supporters were becoming impatient. The Party theoretician knew he was strong enough, there was no point--"
[cut to the young man from the "Romance" section, tied up in the chair with his head tilted back and moaning softly, as the librarian reads ]
LIBRARIAN: "'And there is only you for me, Maxim!' 'I've just had a wonderful idea, Peachy,' Maxim said. What is it? She walked into his arms and said 'Yes! Yes! Yes!' She looked up and--"
[he stops reading and gives the young man a curious look (his moaning is getting louder and he appears to be enjoying himself), then cut back to the librarian sitting at the front desk when a young woman approaches him]
STUDENT: Hi!
[the librarian looks up, but says nothing, as the woman fishes a note out of her purse]
STUDENT: I'm a film student, and I need these novels read for my film noir essay, which is due next week.
[he takes the note, puts the bookmark in his book, and begins typing on the computer]
LIBRARIAN: Uh, there's a shipment coming in this afternoon, with these titles. Uh, maybe if you come back just after five ...
[he slides the note across the desk towards her]
STUDENT: Sure thing, dude.
[she nonchalantly puts the note back in her purse, then looks around]
STUDENT: By the way, where's that Asian girl that works here? She was really helpful last time ...
LIBRARIAN: Aye, she got ... tied up with something.
[he goes back to typing, as the woman leaves, then cut to the same room with the student having the bag taken off of her head]
[as she whimpers quietly, the librarian pulls down his surgical mask and grabs a book off the nearby table, then (after loudly clearing his throat) he begins reading]
LIBRARIAN: "Chapter twenty nine ... The butler opened the door, and led me into the white upstairs sitting room."
[the woman squirms in confusion, then cut to another shot of the librarian as he continues reading to her]
LIBRARIAN: "Her mouth was slightly opened, with lips a little thrust out. She whispered, 'If you loved me, you'd need nothing more on that side ... "
[cut to another shot, as the librarian is still reading, while the woman seems to be mumbling to herself (out of boredom?)]
LIBRARIAN: "It took me five days to write, but at last, on Thursday afternoon ... "
[he stops, gives the woman a curious look, then takes out her gag]
LIBRARIAN: You do realize, I've ruined these books for you?!
STUDENT: [annoyed] Yes!
[she quickly replaces her frustrated look with the "helpless damsel" act]
STUDENT: I mean ... Please, stop!
[he stops to think, and flashes back to his first meeting with the student (although it's in black and white and the woman is acting a lot more "seductively" than before)]
STUDENT: [whispers] I'm a film student, and I need these novels read for my film noir essay ...
[cut to a closeup of the student's face (as she playfully bats her eyes), then cut back to the librarian, who throws the book down on the floor in anger]
LIBRARIAN: You shoulda studied drama instead!
[he picks up the book, then takes out his lighter and attempts to set it on fire ... but then stops and stares longingly at the cover, before returning to the table and grabbing a large needle]
LIBRARIAN: [smiling] Don't worry, you won't remember anything ...
STUDENT: [screaming] But what's the point if no one ever remembers anyth--
[she's cut off as the librarian jams the needle into her neck, then the screen cuts to black]
Starred (in order of appearance)
Woman ... Nasreen Noor
The Librarian ... Paul Kozinski
Bespectacled Man ... Jon Dixon
Economic Migrant 1 ... Agnieszka Bresler
Economic Migrant 2 ... Flora Munro
Dowdy Looking Man ... Aria Danesh
Invalid Woman ... Anne Marie Feeny
Disgruntled Man ... Tom Brogan
Student ... Ruth Tapp
General Browser ... Geraldine Smith
Assistant Director & Lighting by Bruce Downie
Sound Recording by Jonathan Darroch
Make Up by Axelle Melin
Catering by Geraldine Smith
Music Composed, Recorded & Performed by Paul Greenhill
Literary Advice by Stewart Gardiner
Produced by Paul Darroch & Bruce Downie
Written, Directed, Shot & Edited by Paul Darroch
Thanks to:
The Ramshorn Theatre, Mearns Library, East Renfrewshire Council, Scottish Screen
(c) Oak Tree Productions 2006
www dot oaktreeproductions dot co dot uk
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From oaktreeproductions.co.uk:
The Librarian
(Dir: Paul Darroch / UK / 8 min / 2006)
In every library in every city, there's a nobody who dreams of becoming a somebody.
Screenings: East Renfrewshire Camcorder Club (Glasgow, December 2011), GMAC's Cafe Flicker (Glasgow, Sep 2007), Propeller TV (Jun 2007)
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