Jerry Anna example essay topic

Lifted Up EXT: open field, a hot-air balloon is loading up Anna Wallace (a young woman with sunglasses on) is just getting onto the balloon. Bruce the attendant tucks her money into his pocket. Don the Pilot is already aboard, doing a last-minute flight check. Jerry Brewer is pacing frantically on the grass in front of the attendant.

EDITING NOTE: Get the pilot to give some tour-guide speech about the scenery, and use it in the montage scene, and edit it in wherever you see fit. BRUCE Are you coming or not? JERRY Hang on, hang on! I'm trying to work up the nerve. BRUCEIt's just a balloon.

JERRY An uncontrolled flight at five thousand feet, yeah. I know. Bruce starts to close the hatch. BRUCEI guess this pretty lady will be all alone up there. Jerry stops and stares at him. JERRY All right, you talked me into it.

Jerry takes out some money and gives it to him. He climbs in the basket. The pilot looks at him and then takes off. Anna seems to enjoy the whole experience. She is leaning out a little and with both arms spread wide. He half smiles at the sight of her.

Jerry holds on tight as the balloon climbs higher and higher. The girl turns around with a smile on her face. Annahe! She then gets a serious look on her face and drops her arms.

ANNA Are you sc red? Jerry looks down at the ground before looking back at her. JERRY Who me? No. Just a little bit. ANNA Don't you just love the fresh air?

It seems so real up here. JERRY (trying to cover up his fear) Oh yeah. Air. Can't live without it. She just looks at him.

ANNA You " re afraid of heights, aren't you? Jerry looks at her, makes a small hum of yes - he nods his head with a little smile. She starts laughing. His smile turns into a straight face. JERRYWhat's so funny? Don't tell me you have never been afraid of something?

ANNA Nothing. You just remind me of my brother. He used to be afraid of heights... He notices something in her voice. He senses that something has happened between her and her brother. JERRY I'm sorry.

ANNA Forget about it. I'm Anna, by the way. He sticks his hand out first and reaches for hers. To each her, he takes a deliberate moment to let go of the ropes and test his footing.

Then they shake hands and all is well. JERRY Jerry Brewer. Jerry looks at her and realizes that she is a pretty woman. He didn't notice before as he was letting his fear overwhelm him. He takes off his own sunglasses that and puts them in his pocket.

ANNA If you " re so afraid of heights, why get on this thing? He takes a big breath. JERRYI'm trying to overcome it. You know -- meet it head on, slay the dragon, and all that. ANNAYou " re doing a good job so far.

Just don't focus on it. Close your eyes and imagine yourself gliding along. He closes his eyes. She puts her arms out to the sky again. She begins a very soothing monologue: ANNA Everything is peaceful. You " re with the birds up here.

Flying beyond the reach of man. Your soul is free from the Earth. Feel the wind flow through you. You " re on the strings of God now. You have to trust the Almighty. Can you feel the oxygen getting thinner as we go up and up?

Jerry is listening to her and following her instructions. But at the end he jolts back to his senses. JERRY That was beautiful, up to the part about the oxygen. ANNA I'm just teasing. There's plenty of air up here, for birds.

JERRY Ha ha. You know, you really have a way with words. Are you a writer or something? ANNA As a matter of fact I am.

Thank you. He opens his eyes when he hears this. JERRY A. .. what kind of books do you write? ANNA Self-Help.

JERRY I should have guessed. There is a slight pause. As they talk, they get closer together. JERRY So, about your brother... where is he now?

ANNAHe left 12 years ago. We were very close. We grew up together, played the same games. Even ate mostly the same... well except for the dirt. (She smiles sadly.) We went to school together. We even double-dated a few times.

But now... well... he never writes or calls. He's moved on. Doesn't need me hanging around. JERRY Have you tired calling him?

ANNA Once or twice. Left some sappy messages. Then I just gave up. JERRY Anna, never give up.

That's what everyone does today. They see something that is in front of them and they don't go that extra mile. Always keep going even if you never hear from him. ANNA suppose you " re right.

I need to get off my lazy butt and just do it! Here I am, self-help guru, and need help with my own issues. JERRY You " ll feel great about yourself once you do it. Anna now looks in his direction. He looks at her. ANNA Jerry?

JERRY Yes. ANNA You " re standing on my foot. He looks down and moves it quickly. JERRYI'm so sorry. My feet are so big. Gosh, I got you dirty too.

Let me brush that off... He bends down and brushes off any dirt that got on her foot. She helps him back up, and they stand there for a moment, holding hands. He looks at the hands and then back at Anna. They share a moment of silence before the BURNER SHOOTS out flames into the balloon. It makes them jump back to real life.

JERRY Who oaa! (to the Pilot) Call your shots, will ya? They laugh, hold hands and look out at the landscape. MONTAGE of balloon flying around, landscapes, Jerry pointing, the two of them looking at the sights, talking with each other, laughing etc. Out of the MONTAGE.

ANNAJerry, you really do make me laugh. And I can't say that about many people. You make me forget myself and my problems I have. JERRYOh thank you. Well... you have helped me so much with this fear of mine. I mean look at me!

I hardly even know I'm about two thousand feet off the ground right now. When I look at you... it feels like I'm in another world. I can forget all my troubles... ANNAJerry... don't make me blush. How about you, what else are you afraid of? JERRYOh, you don't wanna hear about me.

I've had one disappointing job after another. Just today I left work like it was a plague zone, just had to get away. But I didn't have time to GO anywhere, really, so here I am. Anna finds this very funny.

JERRY Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. ANNA Sorry, it's just the way you explain things. There's a bit of stand-up comic in you, somewhere. JERRY And probably a touch of Elvis, too. I mean... She cuts him short.

ANNAS low down a sec. There's something you should know about me, Jerry. JERRY There are all kinds of things I'd like to know. You " re free-spirited, gorgeous... She laughs faintly, but she has something serious on her mind now. ANNA Thanks, but I'm not all those things you say.

I'm ugly and no one wants me. Jerry takes her hand. JERRY Ugly? HAHAHAhaha... just look at yourself in the mirror! She pulls the sunglasses from her eyes.

ANNA I would if I could. Jerry is shocked at the sight. It hits him like a ton of bricks. This woman that he has fallen for is blind.

The smile from her face is gone, and she looks older. His own smile fizzles out. They just look at each other with blank sadness. He slowly raises his hand and holds up two fingers. She does nothing. It's true... she's blind.

He just waits there for a moment. ANNA You didn't fall out of the basket did you? JERRY I'm right here. ANNA You did something blurry.

JERRY Sorry. But hold on, it doesn't matter. If it wasn't for you on this balloon, I think I would have jumped off about an hour ago. You " re the reason I'm here.

ANNA No, you " re here because you had a bad day at work, remember? JERRY Forget about all that. You " re the reason I'm comfortable here. He looks at her. A tear swells up in his eye. Then he slowly moves in for a kiss.

She puts up a hand between their faces, touches his cheek briefly then pushes him back. ANNA You don't want to love something like me. JERRY Who said anything about love? I don't know. I'm just overcoming fears today.

You of all people know that love is not about appearance, it's about what's inside. ANNA This is something that will not go away. You wake up with it each day. You have to live with it and deal with it. She looks at him. ANNAYou " re wearing a blue shirt, and you gesture a lot.

I can see about that much. He looks down at his shirt, forgetting what color it is. He then looks back up at her. She reaches out and touches his shirt and draws her hand up to his face. She touches his cheek again. ANNA 5 o'clock shadow?

JERRY Anna, how can you joke about a small thing like that? ANNA That's what keeps me going, Jer. Humor and God. JERRY God? You believe in God with what he's done with you... She cuts him off sharply.

ANNAHe DIDN'T do this to me. I've been hearing that all my life. I'm sick of hearing that lie. God allowed this to happen to me for a reason. JERRY Whoa, whoa.

Sorry. It's not an area I know much about. ANNA There are two kinds of people out there - those who blame God for all the bad things, and those who thank him for the good things. Which side are you on?

JERRYI thought I was on your side. ANNA Yeah, well you get a lot of time to think about things when it's dark all the time. I know there's a reason why things happen. Like you and I getting on the same balloon ride, out of all people.

JERRYI don't know. You have a lot of faith. And I just stumble through life. But we had a spark somehow.

I don't date much, but I know a spark when I feel it. ANNA Just because we " re blind doesn't mean we can't have religion, a job, a life. We do everyday things just like everyone else does, Jerry. JERRY I'll try to understand.

ANNA Trust me. JERRY Trust you about what, that you " re ugly? That's just some kind of defensive play. She reaches out for his hand.

He takes it and kisses it. She smiles at him. He half smiles and hugs her. The balloon continues it flight, into the clouds, uplifting all the way. FADE OUT. THE END.