I adapted the narrative I created for the game Tidy, into a 12-page short film screenplay.
The relationship between mother and daughter told through the conflict of an untidy bedroom.
SYNOPSIS
Jamie has always resented cleaning her room, viewing it as pointless and suffocating—a ritual imposed by her mother, whose insistence on tidiness feels like a relentless symphony of control. Three days away from finally moving to Australia from London for university and gaining her own space, Jamie faces the daunting task of packing and cleaning under her mother's watchful eye. Their frequent clashes over order and freedom mask deeper tensions neither openly acknowledges.
As they drive in silence to the airport, their unresolved emotions linger, overshadowing the milestone of Jamie's departure. Alone in the empty bedroom left behind, Jamie’s mother reflects on memories of tender, shared moments from Jamie’s childhood—times when tidying was less about order and more about connection. These quiet rituals ended abruptly when Jamie began seeking independence, leaving her mother to grapple with feelings of loss and confusion.
Simultaneously, Jamie settles into her new dorm, initially celebrating the solitude she long craved. She briefly recalls her childhood struggles—sharing a room with her sibling Georgia, yearning for freedom and privacy, and the relief when the room finally became hers alone. Yet, amid her newfound independence, the reality of loneliness emerges. She carefully tidies her space, echoing her mother’s habits, feeling an unexpected emptiness. In the quiet of her first truly private moment, Jamie calls her mum. Her mum helps her with some handiwork and Jamie realises both emotionally and physically, they need each other after all.
