Cold Stew at Table Four
The spoon scraped the plastic bowl, a sound like a bone snapping. Simon didn't look up. He couldn't. Not with Jimmy sitting there, smelling of rain and rebellion.
# Cold Stew at Table Four
**Format:** Short Film / Anthology Episode | **Est. Length:** 10-12 minutes
## Logline
In a dystopian surveillance school where invisibility is survival, a timid student is forced to become a fugitive when a rebellious friend sacrifices himself to pass on a secret data drive that holds the key to everyone's freedom.
## Themes
* **Survival vs. Rebellion:** The core tension between Simon's strategy of quiet compliance to get by and Jimmy's act of open defiance, forcing Simon to question which path truly leads to survival.
* **The Cost of Connection:** In a world where intimacy is a liability monitored by the state, a simple act of trust and friendship becomes a revolutionary and life-threatening choice.
* **Surveillance and Dehumanization:** The constant, unblinking presence of cameras and prefects strips individuals of their privacy and humanity, reducing their lives to data points on a list to be managed or deleted.
* **Sacrifice for a Greater Cause:** The narrative hinges on Jimmy's deliberate self-destruction, a calculated act designed to give Simon, and the crucial information he carries, a chance to escape and fight back.
## Stakes
The lives and freedom of every student and their families, including Simon's mother, hang in the balance, dependent on Simon's escape with the secret deportation roster.
## Synopsis
**ACT I - THE INVISIBLE BOY**
In the oppressive, heavily monitored dining hall of a bleak boarding school, SIMON (17) lives by one rule: don't be noticed. His survival, and that of his mother on the outside, depends on his anonymity. This fragile existence is shattered when he slips, sending his lunch tray crashing to the floor. The sudden silence and the cold dismissal from a passing PREFECT amplify his humiliation under the unblinking eyes of security cameras. Shaken, he cleans the mess and retreats to his usual solitary spot, Table Four, a wobbly table in a corner, hoping to fade back into the background.
**ACT II - THE UNINVITED GUEST**
The unwritten rule of Table Four is broken when JIMMY (17), bruised and soaking wet, sits opposite Simon. Jimmy is a known rebel, the antithesis of Simon's cautious existence. He pushes a bowl of stew towards Simon, ordering him to "look busy." The tension radiating from Jimmy is immense. He reveals that their table is in a camera blind spot and confesses that the Administration raided his dorm. In a hushed, urgent whisper, he tells Simon about a USB drive hidden within the underside of his tray. The drive contains the Director's secret roster—a list of deportation dates for the students' families, including Simon's mother. Jimmy has bought them mere minutes before he's caught.
**ACT III - THE DEPARTURE**
A harsh lockdown bell rings, signaling Jimmy is out of time. He instructs Simon on how to retrieve the drive and escape through a weakness in the perimeter fence. As prefects close in, Jimmy sacrifices himself, hurling a chair to create a chaotic diversion and drawing all attention. Amid the ensuing violence, a heartbroken Simon forces himself to walk to the dish return. His hands shaking, he retrieves the small, cold USB drive. Ignoring a command to halt, he bursts through a service door into a raging storm, the sounds of his friend's capture fading behind him. Now a fugitive, Simon runs, clutching the drive that represents both his only hope and his death sentence.
## Character Breakdown
* **SIMON (17):** Observant, anxious, and living in a state of perpetual, managed fear. He is intelligent and resourceful, but has channeled these traits entirely into the art of being invisible. His primary motivation is to survive the system without incident to protect his mother, making him a reluctant, terrified hero.
* **Psychological Arc:**
* **State at Start:** A fearful conformist whose sole strategy for survival is to remain completely anonymous, avoiding any action that could draw the attention of the Administration.
* **State at End:** Transformed by Jimmy's sacrifice and trust, he is forced to abandon his passive strategy. He becomes a reluctant fugitive, now carrying the active weight of a rebellion he never wanted, his fear now fueling a desperate flight for freedom.
* **JIMMY (17):** Appears cynical, defiant, and reckless, with a bruised face and a fatalistic demeanor. Beneath the surface, he is fiercely loyal, strategic, and brave. He understands the system is unbeatable from within and has chosen to break it, even at the cost of his own life. He is the catalyst who forces Simon's hand.
## Scene Beats
1. **THE SPILL:** In the sterile, buzzing CAFETERIA, Simon's tray slips. The loud crash draws all eyes. A PREFECT dismisses him with contempt. Simon, humiliated under the gaze of security cameras, scrubs the floor.
2. **TABLE FOUR:** Simon retreats to his isolated corner table. The tense, battered JIMMY appears, breaking Simon's solitude and immediately raising the stakes.
3. **THE OFFERING:** Jimmy pushes his own bowl of stew toward Simon, an unexpected act of care. He reveals he's being hunted, his frantic energy vibrating through the wobbly table.
4. **THE WHISPER:** Jimmy leans in, explaining they are in a camera blind spot. He reveals the hidden USB drive containing the "real roster" with deportation dates. The threat becomes personal and immediate: "Your mum included."
5. **THE DIVERSION:** The lockdown bell shrieks. Prefects move in. With a final, desperate command for Simon to run, Jimmy hurls a chair, creating a violent, chaotic diversion and drawing the authorities to him.
6. **THE ESCAPE:** As guards swarm Jimmy, Simon walks numbly to the dish return. He retrieves the hidden drive—a tiny piece of metal holding countless lives. He ignores a final shout to halt and bursts through an alarm-rigged door.
7. **THE OUTSIDE:** Simon is hit by a wall of wind and freezing rain. He is out. Alone. Clutching the drive, he runs toward the perimeter fence, a terrified boy transformed into a fugitive with a mission.
## Visual Style & Tone
The visual palette is desaturated and cold, dominated by institutional greys, muted blues, and the sickly brown of the stew. Lighting is stark and high-contrast, creating deep shadows where characters can hide and harsh, sterile light where they are exposed. Camera work will be tight and often handheld, reflecting Simon's claustrophobia and paranoia, placing the audience directly in his anxious headspace. The setting is a blend of decaying Victorian architecture and brutalist, utilitarian additions, creating a world that is both grand and soul-crushing.
The tone is tense, paranoid, and melancholic, focusing on quiet moments of terror and fleeting connection. It aligns with the dystopian dread of **_Black Mirror_**, the oppressive institutional atmosphere of **_1984_**, and the desperate fight for humanity in a collapsing world seen in **_Children of Men_**.
**Format:** Short Film / Anthology Episode | **Est. Length:** 10-12 minutes
## Logline
In a dystopian surveillance school where invisibility is survival, a timid student is forced to become a fugitive when a rebellious friend sacrifices himself to pass on a secret data drive that holds the key to everyone's freedom.
## Themes
* **Survival vs. Rebellion:** The core tension between Simon's strategy of quiet compliance to get by and Jimmy's act of open defiance, forcing Simon to question which path truly leads to survival.
* **The Cost of Connection:** In a world where intimacy is a liability monitored by the state, a simple act of trust and friendship becomes a revolutionary and life-threatening choice.
* **Surveillance and Dehumanization:** The constant, unblinking presence of cameras and prefects strips individuals of their privacy and humanity, reducing their lives to data points on a list to be managed or deleted.
* **Sacrifice for a Greater Cause:** The narrative hinges on Jimmy's deliberate self-destruction, a calculated act designed to give Simon, and the crucial information he carries, a chance to escape and fight back.
## Stakes
The lives and freedom of every student and their families, including Simon's mother, hang in the balance, dependent on Simon's escape with the secret deportation roster.
## Synopsis
**ACT I - THE INVISIBLE BOY**
In the oppressive, heavily monitored dining hall of a bleak boarding school, SIMON (17) lives by one rule: don't be noticed. His survival, and that of his mother on the outside, depends on his anonymity. This fragile existence is shattered when he slips, sending his lunch tray crashing to the floor. The sudden silence and the cold dismissal from a passing PREFECT amplify his humiliation under the unblinking eyes of security cameras. Shaken, he cleans the mess and retreats to his usual solitary spot, Table Four, a wobbly table in a corner, hoping to fade back into the background.
**ACT II - THE UNINVITED GUEST**
The unwritten rule of Table Four is broken when JIMMY (17), bruised and soaking wet, sits opposite Simon. Jimmy is a known rebel, the antithesis of Simon's cautious existence. He pushes a bowl of stew towards Simon, ordering him to "look busy." The tension radiating from Jimmy is immense. He reveals that their table is in a camera blind spot and confesses that the Administration raided his dorm. In a hushed, urgent whisper, he tells Simon about a USB drive hidden within the underside of his tray. The drive contains the Director's secret roster—a list of deportation dates for the students' families, including Simon's mother. Jimmy has bought them mere minutes before he's caught.
**ACT III - THE DEPARTURE**
A harsh lockdown bell rings, signaling Jimmy is out of time. He instructs Simon on how to retrieve the drive and escape through a weakness in the perimeter fence. As prefects close in, Jimmy sacrifices himself, hurling a chair to create a chaotic diversion and drawing all attention. Amid the ensuing violence, a heartbroken Simon forces himself to walk to the dish return. His hands shaking, he retrieves the small, cold USB drive. Ignoring a command to halt, he bursts through a service door into a raging storm, the sounds of his friend's capture fading behind him. Now a fugitive, Simon runs, clutching the drive that represents both his only hope and his death sentence.
## Character Breakdown
* **SIMON (17):** Observant, anxious, and living in a state of perpetual, managed fear. He is intelligent and resourceful, but has channeled these traits entirely into the art of being invisible. His primary motivation is to survive the system without incident to protect his mother, making him a reluctant, terrified hero.
* **Psychological Arc:**
* **State at Start:** A fearful conformist whose sole strategy for survival is to remain completely anonymous, avoiding any action that could draw the attention of the Administration.
* **State at End:** Transformed by Jimmy's sacrifice and trust, he is forced to abandon his passive strategy. He becomes a reluctant fugitive, now carrying the active weight of a rebellion he never wanted, his fear now fueling a desperate flight for freedom.
* **JIMMY (17):** Appears cynical, defiant, and reckless, with a bruised face and a fatalistic demeanor. Beneath the surface, he is fiercely loyal, strategic, and brave. He understands the system is unbeatable from within and has chosen to break it, even at the cost of his own life. He is the catalyst who forces Simon's hand.
## Scene Beats
1. **THE SPILL:** In the sterile, buzzing CAFETERIA, Simon's tray slips. The loud crash draws all eyes. A PREFECT dismisses him with contempt. Simon, humiliated under the gaze of security cameras, scrubs the floor.
2. **TABLE FOUR:** Simon retreats to his isolated corner table. The tense, battered JIMMY appears, breaking Simon's solitude and immediately raising the stakes.
3. **THE OFFERING:** Jimmy pushes his own bowl of stew toward Simon, an unexpected act of care. He reveals he's being hunted, his frantic energy vibrating through the wobbly table.
4. **THE WHISPER:** Jimmy leans in, explaining they are in a camera blind spot. He reveals the hidden USB drive containing the "real roster" with deportation dates. The threat becomes personal and immediate: "Your mum included."
5. **THE DIVERSION:** The lockdown bell shrieks. Prefects move in. With a final, desperate command for Simon to run, Jimmy hurls a chair, creating a violent, chaotic diversion and drawing the authorities to him.
6. **THE ESCAPE:** As guards swarm Jimmy, Simon walks numbly to the dish return. He retrieves the hidden drive—a tiny piece of metal holding countless lives. He ignores a final shout to halt and bursts through an alarm-rigged door.
7. **THE OUTSIDE:** Simon is hit by a wall of wind and freezing rain. He is out. Alone. Clutching the drive, he runs toward the perimeter fence, a terrified boy transformed into a fugitive with a mission.
## Visual Style & Tone
The visual palette is desaturated and cold, dominated by institutional greys, muted blues, and the sickly brown of the stew. Lighting is stark and high-contrast, creating deep shadows where characters can hide and harsh, sterile light where they are exposed. Camera work will be tight and often handheld, reflecting Simon's claustrophobia and paranoia, placing the audience directly in his anxious headspace. The setting is a blend of decaying Victorian architecture and brutalist, utilitarian additions, creating a world that is both grand and soul-crushing.
The tone is tense, paranoid, and melancholic, focusing on quiet moments of terror and fleeting connection. It aligns with the dystopian dread of **_Black Mirror_**, the oppressive institutional atmosphere of **_1984_**, and the desperate fight for humanity in a collapsing world seen in **_Children of Men_**.