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  • Writer's picturePeter K F Cheung SBS

Complex Dynamics

  1. FADE IN


  2. Act 1


  3. EXT. CASTLE PEAK ROAD - 11:45


  4. In a Previa, PETER drives towards Hung Shui Kiu.


  5. PETER (V.O.): It's a surprise that I could swim in the Golden Bay after work.


  6. Stopping before traffic lights, Peter grabs his smartphone to call.


  7. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Mum's phone is still busy...


  8. Pausing.


  9. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I know she likes to talk endlessly. It'd maintain her cognitive function.


  10. Pausing.


  11. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'm going to her home to check it up.


  12. Act 2


  13. INT. FLOOR CORRIDOR - 12.15


  14. Pressing the door bell of a unit several times, Peter gets no response.


  15. PETER (V.O.): I can hear no sound inside. Mum isn't engaging in any telephone conversation.


  16. Pausing.


  17. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My siblings told me that Mum might not respond to the door bell even though she's inside.


  18. Pausing.


  19. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I haven't brought the keys to the unit, as my coming here is an afterthought.


  20. Pausing.


  21. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Perhaps, one of my siblings has taken her to the nearby restaurant.


  22. INT. RESTAURANT - 12:30


  23. Wearing a face mask, Peter walks discreetly towards a table where his MUM (90+) and SISTER are sitting.


  24. PETER (V.O.): See if Mum can recognize me...


  25. Peter's Mum begins to observe him.


  26. MUM: Ah Fai?


  27. SISTER: You're here?


  28. PETER (V.O.): Yes, my sister sees Mum on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, brother#2 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, brother#3 anytime...


  29. PETER: Sister, you see, Mum can still recognise me!


  30. SISTER: Did Mum know that you're coming?


  31. PETER: No, her phone is always busy. She must have misplaced it.


  32. SISTER: We've already eaten. Order something...


  33. In the presence of their Mum, Peter and his sister chat endlessly.


  34. SISTER: I don't understand why Mum is clinging to her wealth.


  35. PETER: I've stopped giving her money when she found it stressful to manage her wealth.

  36. SISTER: But her desire to accumulate and retain every dollar is still strong.


  37. PETER (V.O.): As our mother, she has a strong sense of entitlement.


  38. SISTER (Cont'd): Whenever I see brother#1, he always tells the story about the school principal wanting to see Mum as he couldn't pay school fees on time.


  39. PETER: I was always the last one in class to pay the school fees. Mum complained a lot about Dad's lack of means.


  40. SISTER: Poor Dad did give all his wages to Mum.


  41. SISTER (Cont'd): When Mum remarked that I'd discontinue my secondary studies, I gave in.


  42. PETER (V.O.): Oh, this's the first time I hear that.... When sister began working, she also began her evening schooling...


  43. Recalling.


  44. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): To resolve her challenge, my beautiful sister married young.


  45. Recalling.


  46. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The challenges for poor Dad and my brothers began to cease when I got a well-paid job and gave Mum what she wanted monthly.


  47. Responding to her sister's disclosure.


  48. PETER: What's the point for Mum to have extra hundreds or thousands of dollars in her bank accounts now!


  49. PETER (V.O.): Mum is unwilling to recognize and reflect on her misery demeanour. I always envy those who have supportive and caring mothers.


  50. Act 3


  51. EXT. ROADS FROM HUNG SHUI KIU - 15:15


  52. Having input the prompt: "A mother, a daughter and a son" in an AI art generator, Peter sees a cubist image appearing.


  53. PETER (V.O.): Mum's behaviour remains static, while we're still dynamic.


  54. Thinking.


  55. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): As to how loving is our care, it's a personal decision. I confess that I'm not as loving as my sister and brothers yet.


  56. Pausing.


  57. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Meanwhile, we continue to navigate a family's endless complex dynamics.


  58. Peter continues to drive away from Hung Shui Kiu.


  59. FADE OUT


  60. THE END





































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