Film Treatment
Let’s be Frank
Cast:
Frank Navarro – Mid 20’s slacker protagonist. Frank decides he must take some initiative with his life in order to avoid becoming another 30 year old who lives with their mother. In order to pursue his dream of writing about traveling the world while exploring drugs, Frank must work odd jobs and explore questionable means of acquiring cash.
Jen Navarro – Frank’s 15 year old sister, whose only father figure in her life is her older brother.
Carol Navarro – Frank’s mother. Although friends envy Frank’s close relationship with his mother and her easy going attitude, Frank secretly wishes she asserted more discipline and behaved more like a parent.
Charles (Dan) Rogers – One of Frank’s best friends and previous roommate. Frank envies Charles’ independence and ability to just spontaneously pick up and leave. No one knows the true origin of his nickname.
James Fremont – Frank’s clean cut best friend, also a former roommate. James has tried keeping Frank on track, but has recently found himself victim to Frank’s procrastinating and addictive lifestyle.
Locations:
Frank’s apartment
Sperm Bank
Blood Bank
Recycling Center
University
New Jersey Farm
Time:
Present Day
Place:
Staten Island, New York
Genre:
Drama, Comedy, Black Humor
Log-line:
After being fired from his most recent minimum wage job, Frank Navarro is now free to follow his dream of traveling the world while exploring drugs and writing about it. Is he independent enough to make it off the island?
ACT I
With no place to go after graduating high school, Frank watches as his closest friends go on to college and move away to explore the world. Inspired by reading Jack Kerouac’s On The Road, Frank’s plan is to gain money following get rich quick schemes, then travel the world high on drugs while documenting his experiences. Frank has always been interested in the spiritual, visual and metal effects of hallucinogenics. He recalls reading about his favorite band The Doors one day being named after the book Doors of Perception and realizes that reading a copy of that book when he was younger was the gateway to his interest in drugs. Being strictly a psychedelic drug user, Frank has steered clear of more harmful, addictive substances unlike his Mother whose past dabbling into crack smoking has caused surprised visits from social services. Despite being a drug connoisseur who researches all types of drugs, anyone who knows Frank knows how little commitment he might dedicate to achieving his dream of escaping the his life.
A victim of the fast food industry, Frank no longer wants to work jobs where he is taken advantage of. Without a father figure in his life, Frank seeks the advice of his friend Dan over his own alcoholic abusive Dad. Frank’s only means of communicating with Dan is over the Internet, which he borrows from his landlord’s WiFi connection using his sister’s laptop, since Dan has been off of Staten Island for five years now. Dan suggests that a factor in his independence has been working odd jobs like yard work where he is his own boss. Aside from admiring Dan’s independence, Frank also envies the mystery that surrounds his life. No one ever knows who Dan lives with, why he randomly moves around everywhere, and how he supports himself.
While not particularly a handyman, Frank compiles a list of fast cash, easy money jobs. Though Frank has read books on how to get rich quick scamming people, he is hesitant to reach his goal by swindling money from innocent people. Frank has also read websites dedicated to baiting scammers out of money and considered using this to his advantage, but even though he can not devise a plan of his own to bait scammers he most appreciates the idea that this plan could actually help world. He feels he owes something to the community and must give back by contributing blood, sperm, participating in studies and recycling.
Down on his luck with girl problems lately, Frank has some what began to give up on life and his commitments such as showing up to work on time. Though Frank has a high tolerance for physical pain, he is very sensitive to emotional pain. This emotional pain leads to the many scars which decorate his arms, one of the only ways for him to release his pain and feel alive again. Girl problems have always plagued Frank’s life, and has even come between him and his best friend James. His relationship with James is still recovering from this prior incident, and their relationship has been drifting apart since James has been becoming busier with college life and his internship. Frank secretly wishes he had the same dedication and direction as James and though torn at their drifting apart, appreciates that James did not go out of state to college.
After being fired from his latest minimum wage job, Frank now finds himself free to live his dream while getting his first opportunity to travel outside the northeast coast. Since Frank has not had the chance to goto college, he feels traveling the world will give him the experience and development to be a more well rounded person. Frank also wants to avoid being trapped on Staten Island his entire life, worried he might feel like a small town mid westerner whose never experienced life outside of his own little bubble.
Frank’s whole reason for not going to College, other than money, has been a lack of focus. An avid reader, writing has always been a passion that he has just never developed. He feels psychedelics will inspire his mind to help him on his journey, and knows that whatever he writes, he hopes it will be something that inspires alternate living. A large reason for Frank avoiding to conform with society and a stable working life style has been his optimistic outlook that he will one day find a way to live off the grid like a mountain person. Though his dream is to travel the world, his goal is to write something that makes the world a better place. Though Frank has not taken initiative to follow his dream before, it is the mindset that he may one day be able to escape society that actually causes him to lead a selfish lifestyle not causing him to take any initiative which actually worsens his own living situation.
Frank also feels he has not deliberately done anything crazy in his life, especially sober. Aside from what he does to his body such as drugs, tattoos and piercings, the only crazy spontaneous actions Frank has made has been going to protests. The only time he and James adventurously travel is if they’re going to the city to eat or going to Philly for a cheese steak. Surprisingly, they don’t go to concerts, even knowing they’ll get access to rare drugs, though they have gone to Atlantic City to drink. The two places Frank aspires to travel to are California and Amsterdam. To prove his dedication to following his dream, Frank takes the first step and actually applies for his passport.
ACT II
The first scheme to earn money is the green friendly, hobo-employing hobby of every ten year old, recycling used cans. A great place to get cans is also a good place Frank looks to find decent sized cigarette butts on the floor, a grocery store parking lot. Luckily Frank lives nearby to Bloomingdale Plaza. Frank also returns shopping carts and helps old ladies carry and pack groceries in their truck in the same parking lot. Though Frank works hard all day, he earns less money than he would in fast food, and feels rather than making the world a better place, he’s stealing work from the homeless. Frank goes home after a days work disappointed though loaded with plenty of clipped cigarettes. While surfing the Internet looking up information on blood donation, Frank learns he can frequently give his platelets more often than blood, while making 20$ per 5 days. The needle is the least of Frank’s worries though because the chance of him finding a blood bank willing to take his blood even with his piercings, tattoos and drug contamination is slim to none. There is one exception if the donor receives acupuncture, but Frank cannot afford that option.
Like finding a back alley abortionist, Frank must find the seediest blood bank to offer him cash, which now causes him to worry about the injection. Another part of Frank’s plan in order to ensure finding a Blood Blank willing to take his platelets is looking in the newspaper for local disasters. After reading about a severe 12 car pile up in Utica, Frank goes online and finds the Faxton-st Luke’s Healthcare center in Brooklyn. After a brief pass out after the experience causing his skin to go white, he was lucky enough to get cookies and juice. Unlike the laboring work in the parking lot, Frank was able to make todays cash quick however grim the exchange. Little of the money if profit due to Frank needing to eat so much to recover afterwards however. After making a day of traveling to the blood bank using public transportation since James was busy at school, there is little time left after this job and even more profit is now spent on the commute. On the bright side, Frank feels like he’s actually contributed to society and hopes one of the car wreck survivors is able to receive his Type O positive blood.
Frank has always wanted to donate sperm just so he can say he’s been paid for doing what he’s already been doing for free, and after taking the initiative to look up nearby Sperm Banks, he locates the Center for Human Reproduction. After completing the necessary paper work at the Sperm Donors the next day, Frank is officially on the clock at what is his favorite odd job so far. The biggest complaint today is that he’s already seen their entire collection of male interest catalogs, and none of it is geared towards his body modification and amateur fetish. Frank was technically not qualified to donate sperm, but knew in advance that all mothers-to-be demand tall donors so he claimed he was 5’11” on his exam when he is actually 5’8”. Also to accompany this claim, Frank wore thick, tall boots with tiny glasses. Due to many sperm banks requiring medical exams and other high standards such as college degrees, Frank must accept that a batch of his own genetic makeup will only net him fifteen bucks. After commuting home, even though he didn’t have as much fun as that working at fast food, it had less paperwork and payed better. The past couple of donation jobs did not help Frank feel like he was making a difference, and if anything he was diluting what was an already competitive and quality assured service. This discouraged Frank from the beginning of his free life style, and he began to actually regret slacking off at work before he got fired.
The last idea on Frank’s list, next to selling his piercings for scrap metal, is participating in a sleep study. This idea has been in a book Frank ordered online after seeing an ad in his playboy magazine for a website called SmokePotGetPaid.com. Inside the book are lists of studies for Marijuana, Alcohol, Sex and Sleep programs. After some browsing through the catalog, Frank finds a cheap one day study being conducted at the Staten Island University Hospital. After being a bum, poked, surveyed and made a piece of meat, Frank felt optimistic his next job would be simple.
Aside from the typical invasion of his space by having electrodes attached to his face, scalp, torso and legs, it began easy. Frank’s biggest weakness now is his craving for a cigarette, and while it keeps him awake making him tense and anxious, smoking would only keep him up longer and hurt his chest when he wakes up. Part of Frank’s routine has always been waking up in the middle of the night, smoking even though he knows he’ll regret it in the morning and going right back to sleep. Another problem which plagues Frank when he is nodding out are night delusions he has suffered ever since he overdosed on Dramamine 10 years ago. After waking up, Frank got paid for doing what hes best at, despite not being so good at the falling asleep part. For the first time he feels not only is he helping in the name of science but he’s following his dream of freedom. While it would almost be the American dream where someone can get paid for doing nothing while the laborers get paid the least, Frank still realizes he is not earning as much as he would in fast food.
After a week of odd jobs, Frank’s total earning were only enough to pay off for his passport. Fresh out of ideas, Frank consults with Dan in order find some more tips on how to earn cash. Dan once grew mushrooms which inspired Frank to actually commit himself more than he ever has to out do Dan’s batch. Dan suggested that Frank grow another batch and he even offered to sell them for him. Frank claims that the whole reason he stopped growing was due to paranoia from the cops, especially with social services at the house every so often. He also notes that he needs cash fast and growing mushrooms would require a long tedious process. To which Dan suggested that he grab a garbage bag and find a farm in New Jersey to pick mushrooms from the cow patties. The biggest danger here other than traveling back with a garbage bag of mushrooms is avoiding getting hit with a farmer’s buckshot, but since Frank has a high tolerance for pain, so long as he keeps his distance he’s almost made for this task. Frank was low on options and needed to make real money and make it real soon. He would need to convince James to drive him to a farm, which Frank even selflessly offered a cut of the profit to James, but James wants to encourage Frank to achieve his dream and only asks for him to pay for gas. James has always felt his moral support will be part of the factor that helps Frank grow and can not resist being there for his friend when he needs him. Despite it not being entirely the right thing to do, James feels he owes Frank because of not being there so much lately due to school obligations. Now that he has a solid plan to gain profit and an authentic passport, things are looking bright for Frank’s travel.
ACT III
Still wanting to try and do the right thing, Frank looks for a commercial agri-business farm to trespass on, actually belonging to his former employer. If he’s going to get shot for trespassing it might as well be an evil corporation that takes the blame he feels. Just a tease to Frank, he hopes the trip to the New Jersey farm is just the beginning of his travel away from home. Equipped with the latest mycology field guide and spore prints, Frank is ready to identify and pick what could net him more than a weeks worth of a minimum wage paycheck in just one picking. Frank also identifies the condition of the cows, and while they are not prime it will have to do. Like the treatment of the animals, the budget spent on the security of their well being is also poor. This minimum security will make this source a dedicated income for Frank. After completing what was a too good to be true odd job, Frank gains not only mostly profit aside from gas, but a steady supply of mushrooms for his writing aide. While driving back to Staten Island, James and Frank drive 10 miles under the speed limit the entire way, paranoid of alerting the slightest suspicion. The guys giggle around about how every black vehicle is a cop, it is almost as if they are getting high just from the fumes of the pounds of mushrooms in the car. They feel lucky to have gotten away under such incriminating circumstances.
Now with reason to celebrate in having completed a week of freedom, making a large profit, and gaining a supply of mushrooms, Frank decides to begin what is page one in his documentary. Dan makes his way back to Staten Island to help sell the mushrooms, and all three of the guys meet and arrange to try out their brand new product. After ingesting a healthy dose of nature’s psychedelic, the three begin their reunion trip by waiting for the initial uneasy edginess of the trip to wear off. While watching TV, the news reports on the beef recall and cattle abuse, to which the group sympathizes with while also getting bad vibes that it could effect the mushrooms. Pot is smoked to calm the nerves and stomach, and the group is off to explore walking around Frank’s neighborhood of Bloomingdale and the woods near Wolf’s Pond Park high on mushrooms. The group leads into a heavily known wooded area, which is frequently under heat by the police. While the worst the crew is expecting is to get busted, despite not having any drugs on them, Frank discovers that a group of kids already hanging out in the woods are actually friends of his sister, Jen. The entire group of 15 year olds are in a stupor and unable to respond to his questioning. As he ventures further into the woods, he finds that his sister is lying on the ground unconscious with a gash in her head.
Panicked as Frank was, his trip began to turn and the world slowly faded black. James uncovered a bottle of dust off, an inhalant so dangerous even Frank doesn’t mess with it. This explains why none of Jen’s friends are dazed off and unable to respond. The group lifted Jen and began to make their way back to Frank’s apartment, worried the image of three tripping mid twenty year olds carrying an unconscious 15 year old girl might look suspicious. Frank considers using James phone in order to call 911 but is reminded of a similar incident over 10 years ago where he and his friends spotted a young girl with her head cracked open in the playground at Tysen’s park without her family there. He and his group of friends were tripping on acid when they discovered her but still had to call emergency services and wait for the police to arrive and question them while they were all tripping. Though Frank felt he had done the right thing then, he recalls that he has a bag of mushrooms still at his house and does not want to encourage the social services to investigate any further. This is part of the beginning of Frank realizing he needed to mature and find a legitimate stable life style.
The group watched as their reunion trip celebration turned into a nightmare. After bandaging Jen’s gash, they managed to wake her and take authority in screaming at her for doing something so dangerous. Frank looked at himself and thought about his goal. He knew that it was experiences like this that helped him grow and become a better person. His goal and his lifestyle were extremely selfish, and escaping his life only abandons his family, especially when they need him to be an authority figure. Maybe he was comforting himself for not being able to leave them, but he had to do something selfless to reach his new goal of simply becoming a better person. In order to best support his family, he needs a reliable legitimate source of income. Though he’s always done drugs to get an edge over other peoples experience by exploring alternate realities and dimensions, he feels his unusual and painful past is enough experience most people don’t have that they wouldn’t want to live. It is not the drugs or the past that define him, but his passion for always trying to do what is right for helping change the world
In order to ensure Jen doesn’t become like him, Frank begs his mother, Carol, to please try and invade her life more than she did with him. After Dan turns a profit with Frank’s product, there is now a fund for what is going to be the most selfless act Frank would ever do. In order to deliver a final blow to the fast food industry which used him and spit him out, Frank decides he’s going to steal all sickly cows from the farm house. Frank plans the escape route by renting a U-Haul truck, and purchasing a ticket to what is the equivalent of Amsterdam to cows, India. Off to the farm, Frank cownaps as many cattle as possible and after he and James escort the ladies to the airport they bid their goodbyes to their ancestors. Dan also boards a plane back to where ever he currently resides out of state, and Frank and James wave goodbye as both planes launch without a hitch.
On the ride back to Staten Island, James brings up that he’s moving to California once the semester is over and hopes Frank doesn’t feel he’s abandoning him now that he chose to stay. They both know that after this small step of achieving a selfless act and taking initiative, one day Frank will be able to be there with him.
