The Unfinished Race: Part 3

In my previous posts I set out the observations I had made of Alan followed by his background story. In this post I want to develop the idea I had for a film.

The idea for a film came about when in my mind I juxtaposed my initial perception of Alan with the perception I had after I heard the story about his past. I could now see this troubled, lonely figure as a young man sprinting down a running track, full of vitality and life, determined, confident and free. The contrast between these two pictures is so great that when you observe Alan today, it is hard to imagine him being any other way. Whether the story is entirely true or not makes little difference - it sparks the imagination and that makes the basis for a good film.

Now to the idea:

Alan is lonely, troubled man. Since being discharged from the local psychiatric hospital he spends his days walking back and fourth along one of the main roads of the town where he lives. Life wasn't always this way for Alan. He was once a promising athlete, but tragically the gruelling training he went through led to a complete mental and physical breakdown from which he never recovered. The memory of the life he once knew fuels his troubled mind and compels him to walk day after day, as if this ritual will somehow reconnect him with his past.

James is young boy who lives in the same town as Alan. He is an only child and lives with his parents near the route that Alan walks along each day. James isn't particularly good at sport, in fact during P.E. lessons at school when teams are being chosen, he always seems to be picked last. James dreads P.E. and longs to be good at sport, even if it is just at one thing.

After school one day, following a particularly miserable P.E. lesson, James is walking home, his head bowed. The rain is lashing down and he is soaked to the skin. Walking towards him from the opposite direction is Alan, staring straight ahead, his arms crossed tightly against his chest. James almost bumps into him and in so doing looks up. His eyes meet Alan's sorrowful stare. Little do either of them know the significance this meeting will have for their lives.....