THE ENGLISH TEACHER
by
Dan and Stacy Chariton
FADE IN.
INT. HIGH SCHOOL HALLWAY -- DAY.
An empty hall in a public school. The bell RINGS.
TEENS -- of various middle class shapes and sizes -- stream out of the classrooms.
A pounding FLAVOR OF THE MONTH TEEN POP SONG kicks in.
Our attention leaps from kid to kid:
A CHEERLEADER makes out with a JOCK. A JEALOUS FRIEND watches.
A BURNOUT slips a bottle of Ritalin to a NERD.
An AFRICAN AMERICAN KID, isolated in a sea of white faces.
And so on. Each the hero of his own adolescent drama, the star of his own high school movie. As we flit from teen to teen, there’s a longing to just choose one and get started.
But we don’t. The hall empties. The pop song cuts short. We linger in the silent hallway. Until, at last --
A TEACHER emerges, locking up her classroom door.
Her name is LINDA SINCLAIR.
She’s in her early 40’s and looks, frankly, like a teacher -- which is to say, whatever native prettiness she may possess is obscured by an air of conservative frump.
CUE OPENING MUSIC: a NINETEENTH CENTURY WALTZ.
It speaks of Jane Austen novels, of romance among repressed aristocrats in an Age of Innocence.
The OPENING CREDITS roll forth in a florid, feminine font.
We hear our NARRATOR. Although any number of fine British actresses will suit our design (DAME MAGGIE SMITH, DAME JUDI DENCH, DAME HELEN MIRREN, etc.), we’ll refer to her simply as:
DAME NARRATOR (V.O.) Linda Sinclair had reached her fortyfifth year an unwed high school English teacher, with no prospect of marriage.
INT. SUPERMARKET CHECKOUT LINE -- DAY.
DAME NARRATOR (V.O.) Hers appeared to be a rather ordinary life: one of discipline...
The CHECKOUT CLERK runs LINDA’S FOOD over the scanner: low carb cereal, cage-free eggs, free-range chicken, baby carrots.
DAME NARRATOR (V.O.) ... frugality...
Linda pulls several COUPONS out of her wallet, all the while keeping an eye on the checkout screen as the PRICES flash.
EXT. SUPERMARKET PARKING LOT -- DAY.
Linda carries her groceries to her car. It’s a cold, wet day. She loses her footing, and FALLS hard.
DAME NARRATOR (V.O.) ... small indignities...
A MAN hurries toward her -- tall, dark, handsome. Coming to her aid! She smiles, gestures that she’s fine, no harm done...
... and the man runs right past her. He heads into the store where his PRETTY WIFE, and TWO KIDS, are waiting.
DAME NARRATOR (V.O.) ... and disappointments.
Linda picks herself up. Reaches into her bag, and pulls out a carton of DRIPPY BROKEN EGGS. She sighs.
EXT. LINDA’S DUPLEX -- DAY.
YOU ARE READING
The English Teacher
RomanceRead the screenplay, then see the movie! Linda Sinclair (Julianne Moore) is a forty-year-old unmarried high school English teacher in the small town of Kingston, Pennsylvania. She shares a small apartment with two Siamese cats and her rich collecti...
