Deeper: Emily Willis – Barrier Date: 15.07.2021 Medium: Short Film / Visual Monologue
15.07.2021
July 15th. I chose this day. Five years ago, I walked out of that house. Three years ago, I said the name "Emily" for the first time in a mirror and didn't flinch.
(whispering) What if she says sorry? What if she doesn’t? -Deeper- Emily Willis - Barrier -15.07.2021-
They tell you the barrier is to keep things out. Monsters. Memories. The hands that touched you in the dark.
The younger girl on the TV stops laughing. She just stares out, as if seeing her future self through the lens.
Present-day EMILY watches her younger self. She doesn't smile. Deeper: Emily Willis – Barrier Date: 15
She looks at the letter on the chair. It’s from her mother. Unopened.
On the eve of a life-altering decision, Emily confronts the invisible wall she built between her past self and the person she is trying to become.
Emily stands. Slowly, she walks to the line of salt. She doesn't step over it. She kneels, blows gently, and breaks the barrier with her breath. Three years ago, I said the name "Emily"
(beat) It was believing I didn't deserve to cross back.
She picks up the letter. Her hand steadies.
A minimalist apartment at twilight. Rain streaks down a large window. EMILY WILLIS (late 20s, sharp but tired eyes) sits on the floor, back against a bare wall. Across from her, an old wooden chair holds a single object: a sealed letter with her birth name on it.
Between her and the TV lies a line of black salt on the floor. A barrier she drew herself.