Title: The Bridge

Treatment By: Brooke Minner

Premise:
Mental illness is not as black and white as perceived by those who are psychologically
sound. Through engaging in the creative process, the issues, which cause mental
illness, may be fleshed out and perhaps even resolved.
Log Line:
As the First World War comes to a close, The Bridge follows widower Norman Smith,
a man overcome with grief after recently having lost his only son to the war, as he
struggles with alcoholism and maintaining his grasp on reality. While Norman
desperately works at maintaining his sanity, he finds that through engaging in the
creative process of writing he is able to reconcile his inner conflicts as well as his
conflicts with the world around him.
Treatment:
Its 1918. The First World War is coming to a close, land surveyor and widower
NORMAN SMITH, who lives on the Northern Californian coast in Humboldt County, (61)
receives a letter telling him of the death of his son, CHESTER (24). The letter states
that Chester died of influenza while he was traveling with an ill comrade towards safety
somewhere on the East Coast.
Upon receiving the news of Chesters death, Norman travels to Sacramento with LOIS
(55), his girl friend, where Chesters corpse is being sent. Eager to receive the body,
Norman urges Lois of a gut feeling he has that they should leave town immediately
even though Chesters body wont be in Sacramento for two more days. This instinct
Norman feels is the result of the first message Norman receives from Chester.
Norman hears Chesters voice vaguely telling him to leave for body. Respecting
Normans state of grief, Lois agrees and the couple leaves early. Upon arrival they
receive news that Chesters body has come early.
Norman and Lois return from Sacramento with the body and begin preparing the house
for visitors. Lois dresses the living room in flowers and candles, and there is a heavy,
religious, Christian overtone over the whole scene. The couple mourns over the body
all morning before driving to the cemetery for the burial. At the cemetery, they cover the
coffin with flowers, and as it is lowered into the ground Norman, hears Chester say,
Stay with it Dad.
A couple weeks after Chester is buried, Norman has begun to receive a lot more of
these messages, as he calls them, from Chester, and has begun to doubt his reality.
Already an avid enthusiast of drink, Norman begins to turn to drinking in his deepest
moments of disillusionment. Drinking only separates Norman from his reality even
further and makes it more difficult for him to come back into lucidity.

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While in this state of manic limbo, a local newspaper editor, ANGELA SAVINA (34)
takes an interest in Norman. Some of Normans writing has been published in a New
York newspaper and Angela, impressed by the stories, inquires about the author and
finds that he resides in her very own town. Some of Normans stories include short bits
of his original poetry.
With the prospect of publishing Normans poetry, Angela takes the idea to her boss,
ROBERT ELKINS (42). Robert is uneasy about investing in Norman because of the
drinking reputation hes been building up as of late. Although Norman has always been
a respected member of the community, following the death of Chester, Norman has
come to be known as an estranged man whos lost his sanity in the experience of aging
and grief.
Robert finally gives in to Angela after being persuaded by her passion to share writing of
Normans talent, merit, and caliber with the public. Angela writes Norman requesting to
meet with him and discuss possibly publishing some of his creative work. Norman
receives the letter, but struggles with sending a reply in the midst of his grief.
Norman becomes obsessed with Chesters messages and gets into the habit of sitting
and writing at his typewriter during his free time to relay them. Normans interaction with
these messages help him self-reflect on certain aspects of himself and the relationship
he had with his son.
On Christmas Eve, Norman is eager to get home from his day of work to begin writing.
Forgetting the holidays thanks to his grief and drinking habit, Norman is almost
completely out of gas on his way home with no spare gas in his emergency gallon, and
stops at a gas station on the side of a highway. The gas station is closed, but two of the
store clerks are inside working on maintenance. Seeing this, Norman approaches the
doors. The two young men inside, a little afraid of this strange man point to the Closed
sign hanging on the door, but Norman insists on them opening up.
As the two young men become more afraid and defensive against opening up the door
to speak with Norman, Norman, already drunk, becomes more and more frantic to get
gas and get home to write. He begins to shout at the two boys, My son! My son! I have
to get home to my son!
As this continues, one of the young men recognizes Norman under his overgrown facial
hair and farsighted eyes. Say, I know this man. Its Norman Smith. His boy Chester
was lost to the war He doesnt have any son to get home to The young men, now
thoroughly spooked, make sure to secure the door before slowly backing away towards
the phone.
At this, Norman begins to break down into hysteria even further. He falls to the ground,
banging and pleading that the men open up, but as they slip father away towards the
phone, Norman loses control over himself and gets lost in hysterical delirium. As he
undergoes this episode, he hears Chesters voice, but unlike before this time Chester is
hostile with his words and hurtful to his father.

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Police come to take Norman away, and tell him that he will be taken to a psychiatric
facility.
While at the psychiatric facility, Norman isnt allowed to write, which only worsens his
condition. He makes friends with a younger patient who reminds him of Chester, and
they talk to each other at times when Norman is at his most mentally stable.
Angela Savina, curious as to why Norman never replied to her letter makes a trip over
to Normans house, only to find it empty. She finds signs that he hadnt left with the
intention of staying away long, and starts investigating to find out where he is.
The longer Norman goes without writing, the more severe his episodes become, and
they start occurring more often, and because he has more frequent and severe
episodes, the amount of drugs prescribed to him increases, making him a numb, empty
vessel.
Angela Savina finds out about Norman being in the asylum and goes there to see him.
At first the warden refuses to let her see him, but after Angela threatens him with legal
action and after she explains to him that Norman has been published in newspapers
and that shes interested in publishing some of his brilliant prose, he bitterly agrees.
When Angela meets Norman, he is extremely medicated and not at all what she
expected him to be. Norman tells Angela that he isnt interested in being published.
After this encounter, Angela demands that the warden slowly lower Normans doses, as
well as provide him with a notebook and pen and allow him to write.
Normans condition slowly improves after Angelas requests are granted, and Angela
visits Norman once a week in the asylum to check on him. Angela talks with Norman
about her own experiences with grief, having lost her own father at a young age and
never knowing her mother. They talk about Chester and Normans wife and about how
his habit of writing allows him to cope with the loss.
Norman agrees to allow Angela to publish his poetry in the local paper. The same week
Norman is released from the asylum under certain restrictions that he stay on a small
dose of medication, keep the drinking to a minimum, and meet with a psychiatrist
weekly. Although Normans condition becomes manageable, he is never fully
recovered, according to his doctors, and still experiences bits of hallucinations.
While in recovery, Norman begins writing The Bridge, a novel loosely based on his life
experiences with grief Angela agrees to be his editor and to help him get the novel
published.
As Norman finishes up the last lines of his novel (which will be the last lines of this
screenplay), Angela walks into his living room asking him if hes ready to go down to
publishing house, So we can try to get this thing published!
Norman tells her to hold on a second, hes just finishing up the last lines, and from
behind his shoulder we watch him type Angelas actions followed by dialogue, So we
can try to get this thing published!

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Norman takes the last page from the typewriter, puts it facedown on the stack of the rest
of the novel, closes his folder looks up at Angela and says, Now Im ready.