Magical bells play over opening logos, then lush warm orchestrated emotional score.
INT. BLACK AND WHITE, DRAWING ROOM - DAY
Soap opera from 1969, 'The Private Storm of Emily Rockman'.
Danica and Clarinda discuss Pendleton Industries.
CLARINDA
It doesn't make sense. I don't understand how something like this happened, I don't know what I am going to do. This has been my whole life and now it's gone, I don't know what I am suppose to do. Pendleton Industries is all I've ever known and now it's all been taken away.
DANICA
When someone sees a weakness in me I turn the weakness into a strength.
She pulls a gun, presents it to Clarinda.
CLARINDA
Oh, Danica, you're so strong. I, I don't think I could ever do anything like this.
DANICA
You can imagine changing your life by fighting for the deed to the land, Clarinda. Which is only possible if Bartholomew is no longer living.
Bartholomew enters the room.
BARTHOLOMEW
You'll never get the deed to the land again, I will never allow it. Put down that gun, you silly girl.
DANICA
Watch your step, Bartholomew. Ridge is on his way and he is still in love with Clarinda, and Jared loves me.
RIDGE
Clarinda, it's true. I'm here for you.
Cut to white letters on black. New percussive cue:
INSPIRED BY TRUE DARING WOMEN
Next card:
ONE IN PARTICULAR
Cut to:
EXT. SNOW FALLS OVER SIMPLE CLAPBOARD HOUSE - DAY
GRANDMA MIMI
(voice-over)
This is the story of Joy. As told by me, her grandmother.
Cut to:
EXT. RUDY'S BUS AND TRUCK GARAGE - STILL SNOWING
Camera pulls back through the big red rooftop letters: RUDY'S BUS AND TRUCK.
GRANDMA MIMI
(voice-over)
Everybody starts out with some kind of dream what life will be. Joy's dream started at this metal garage that her father ran.
Camera tilts directly down to see forty feet below empty frame of white snow-covered ground as young Joy, ten, enters frame. Plays in the snow. From high above we barely hear:
YOUNG JOY
(sings)
Jackie, Jackie, bo backie, banana nana fo fackie, fe phi fo fackie, Jackie.
GRANDMA MIMI
(voice-over)
My granddaughter had a best friend, Jackie -
Young Jackie, Joy's best friend, runs into high wide shot.
Cut to:
YOUNG JOY and JACKIE
(sing together in snow)
'While shivering in my shoes, I strike a careless pose, and whistle a happy tune, so know one ever knows -'
Cut to:
16 mm home movie: Young Joy and older sister Peggy play outside Rudy's truck garage.
GRANDMA MIMI
(voice-over)
A half-sister, Peggy -
Cut to:
Young Joy concentrates on opening a small dog's collar in snow.
GRANDMA MIMI
(voice-over)
A dog -
Cut to:
16 mm. Rudy stands posed with family before large faded ad mural of his face on side of truck garage.
GRANDMA MIMI
(voice-over)
A father -
Cut to:
16 mm. Joy's mother Terry, pretty, shy, gentle, waves to camera in the snow.
GRANDMA MIMI
(voice-over)
A mother -
Grandma Mimi, vibrant, lively, confident, enters 16 mm, embraces Terry.
- who is my daughter.
GRANDMA MIMI
(voice-over)
A grandmother, that's me.
Mimi blows kiss to 16 mm camera.
INT. YOUNG JOY'S ROOM, 1969 - DAY
Joy, ten, carefully stares through two stacked records on a 1969 child's record player. She places the needle down and 'Cinderella', by Prokofiev, plays.
GRANDMA MIMI
(voice-over)
Joy made many beautiful things in her room, magic. Some people love to make things. They have the patience and the focus to figure it out with their hands. Joy was one of those people who rejoiced in making things.
YOUNG JOY
(narrates her created paper world)
And I opened the gate, to the big green meadow, and I went into the forest and there I conquered many dangers. A wolf and other scary things. And then I started to build my very own house, where I would live and make wonderful creations for all the world to see and have. Maybe for the prince and princess who lived across the forest in the castle, see. And they were in love.
YOUNG PEGGY
You need a handsome prince. That's what you need, a prince.
YOUNG JOY
No, I don't need a prince. This is a special power. (Holds paper bird magically aloft.) I don't need a prince.
Cut to:
INT. TERRY'S BEDROOM - DAY
Terry sits, nicely dressed, on an empty white double bed.
GRANDMA MIMI
(voice-over)
My daughter is separated and alone in her room, watching her soap opera.
Cut to:
Terry's television. Black-and-white 1969 soap opera plays.
DANICA
You can imagine changing your life by fighting for the deed to the land, Clarinda. I have something for you.
CLARINDA
Oh, Danica, you're so strong, I don't think I could ever do something like this.
Cut to:
INT. TERRY'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS
Young Joy now sits close watching soap opera on TV.
GRANDMA MIMI
(voice-over)
I always felt it was for me to encourage her, so I said -
INT. DOORWAY
Young Joy faces silhouetted Grandma Mimi.
GRANDMA MIMI
'You are going to grow up and be a strong, smart young woman, go to school, meet a fine young man, have beautiful children of your own and you're going to build wonderful things like you do in your room.'
GRANDMA MIMI
(voice-over)
What happened to this girl's dream? Watch this.
Camera pans to black in closet, new percussive cue begins as camera pans back to reveal in silhouette twenty-seven-year-old Joy.
JOY
Mother, I can't find my lanyard for work, they're not going to let me through airport security without it.
GRANDMA MIMI
(voice-over)
Joy, you can't find your lanyard? Can I help you?
JOY
No, but I -
GRANDMA MIMI
(voice-over)
Honey, listen I know life hasn't gone the way we discussed many times, sweetheart, and you don't exactly have your whole life ahead of you, but you still have a good portion of it anyway. Hope brings eternal.
JOY
Thanks, Mimi.
Mimi kisses Joy's cheek. Joy steps into light of Terry's room. She wears a navy Eastern Airline customer-service uniform, with neckerchief and vest.
Mother, look what I did find.
Terry, on bed watching soap, now seventeen years later, removes glasses to look at dog collar Joy holds out in one hand.
TERRY
What's that?
JOY
How can you ask what this is? The dog collar I invented in high school. Remember Mitzy choked a couple of times so I invented a dog collar with a quick release so the dog would never choke and I covered it with reflective tape plus it's a flea collar. Now the Hartz Company has the patent to that collar.
TERRY
Joy the do-er, Joy the do-er, you were always doing so many things, how could I be expected to remember everything? I don't know how to get a patent.
JOY
What is that smell, ugh, how did you get yogurt down here, Mother?
TERRY
I was wondering what that odor was.
JOY
It's starting to mold, for Pete's sake.
Cut to:
Terry's now-color television to see 1988 soap opera playing.
CLARINDA
(on TV)
Yes, I am, because I feel like I can not have...
