The mind of a child: Mum's the Word
- Natasha Langridge-Thorpe
- May 10, 2019
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 15, 2022
Mum's the Word (2017) is a short, fictional drama script in which the audience follow seven year old Nia overhearing the an argument between her parents. I wanted to play with the concept of phrases that adults use and how those phrases can be interpreted differently from a child-like perspective. Thus, Nia takes her Mum's word literally and begins to imagine a sequence of events in which her Father leaves the two of them 'living in the gutter'.
The World of the Story
Since this story is based on an exaggerated version of my own childhood, this was a thought-provoking script for me to write; especially since the majority of it is told through visuals: drawing pictures with the chalk and the rain acting as a pathetic fallacy. For example, Nia's chalk drawings appear to be innocent, but take on a deeper meaning when she starts to draw what she thinks is going to be her new 'home'.
The chalk drawings act as a bridge of connection between Nia and her Mother. For instance, the drawings are something which Holly can see for herself to get a better idea of what her daughter is thinking. However, I wanted to delve into Nia's imagination by visually constructing a world that has connotations of a child-like structure. Therefore, I decided to construct an animation sequence that almost acts as mask for what could be a heartbreaking tale of divorce that is told through the eyes of a child. In this sense, I decided to exaggerate everything in the animation sequence like a child would: the idea that Nia and Holly would literally live in the gutter and that Mark has apparently enough money to buy his own limousine.
I added the Dad into the animation sequence to represent the juxtaposition between the rich and poor lifestyle. Nia exaggerates this lifestyle in the imagination scene, but it shows that she is still somewhat aware of the differences between her parents. The fact that Nia imagines her Dad driving away from her speaks volumes about how she perceives him in comparison to her Mother.
Characters
Nia
I had to try and think like a child for this script to be able to write Nia's dialogue and what she would visualise. I found that the easiest way to do this was to think back to my own childhood and remember some of the feelings that I felt at the time. By working back from a feeling, I was able to delve into Nia's emotional state which largely influenced the imagination sequence.
As an adult, it can be difficult to simply 'think like a child', but I think that it is entirely possible. I have found that it can be very beneficial when working creatively since children are usually uninhibited compared to adults. In this way, feelings and thoughts are expressed unconsciously and without restraint.
In this script for example, I focus on how children can perceive situations and phrases. Even though divorce is a slow and grueling process, Nia's literal interpretation of the phrase makes the process appear impetuous.
Holly & Mark
Nia overhears her parents arguing and this is what starts her inaccurate interpretation. It is clear that Mark plans to kick Holly and Nia out of the house since he is the one who is financially secure. Whereas Holly's statement of 'You'd have us living in the gutter' tells the audience that she is reliant on Mark's money and that she would have nowhere to live if he kicks them out. However, I wanted the end of the story to be satisfying for Holly despite the struggle to find a house, therefore I decided to swap the balance of power between the two parties. Mark is in the position of asking Holly for help, but she denies him because she has the power to do so at this point.
Once again, Nia interprets the phrase 'on your bike' as literal. I decided to end the story in this way to show that although children can learn that one particular phrase is not meant to be taken literally, that they may be unable to make the same connection regarding other literacy phrases. I also wanted to go back to Nia's innocent perspective in which her judgement is clouded by her inexperienced interpretation of the world.
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