InDOCTORination
A Horror Story of Medical Education
FADE IN:
EXT. DALHOUSIE MEDICAL SCHOOL CAMPUS - LATE AFTERNOON
We open on a courtyard facing the Sir Charles Tupper Medical Building, a large beige 1970s energy-efficient concrete tower on the left. A glass walkway connects it to a red brick Victorian building on the right. There is a concrete pebbled terrace between the two, scattered with similar-style benches throughout. At the edge of the terrace is a courtyard with trees and green grass. The scene is devoid of sculpture.
A banner hangs on a side wall, lettering in Gold on black, “Welcome First Year Medical Students!”
The crowd - cast of a triple threat, smart, personable, and well-rounded twentysomethings sporting new professional haircuts in standard issue 1990s student attire (t-shirts, jeans and wide strapped brown Birkenstocks) - mill about the terrace. They carry paper plates with burgers, chips, and cut vegetables in one hand and red plastic beer cups in another.
INTERCUT TO CONVERSATION
A triad – three college-aged women sitting on the bench at the edge of the terrace, under the shade of a tree. Two blonde and blue-eyed, one South Asian, brown skin, eyes, and hair. Her hair is espresso coloured, to be exact.
Blonde 1 (Wanita) is tall, confident, and athletic. She sports a mid-length bob cut that she flips behind her right ear.
Blonde 2 (Shelagh) is shorter than Blonde 1. She has long, straight hair with bangs, lips pale, and slightly chapped.
South Asian (Shailla) also has a short hairstyle, thicker on top, cut close to the head on the bottom.
Blonde 1 breaks the ice:
WANITA
“Hi! My name is Wanita”
SHELAGH
“Hi Wanita, I am Shelagh”
SHAILLA
“Shelagh? I’m Shailla”
WANITA, SHELAGH, SHAILLA
(in unison. laughing)
“Shelagh and Shailla”
SHAILLA
(carrying on the conversation)
“So where are you from?”
SHELAGH
“I am from Toronto”
WANITA
“I am from Edmonton”
SHAILLA
(with an ounce of surprise)
“Oh, you are both from away!
Where did you go to school?”
WANITA
(confidently, though slightly hesitant)
Oh, ahh - I went to Harvard
SHELAGH
(with joy)
“Really? I went to Princeton!”
Wanita and Shelagh nod at each other and bump shoulders in some Ivy League comradery. Wanita is relieved.
INTERCUT TO SHAILLA
Shailla is frozen.
INTERCUT ZOOM INTO SHAILLA’S POINT OF VIEW
Large Black crows fly around in circles shrieking in Dolby Surround Sound.
BLACK CROWS
(squawk loudly)
“You don’t deserve to be here! You are not smart enough! What are you even doing here?”
INTERCUT COURTYARD
Swarms of black crows are now circling everyone.
ZOOM in on SHAILLA
Shailla’s lifeless body lies on the ground.
Crows claw at her eyes beaks pecking at her cheeks. Blood streams out of her wounds as the crows desecrate her body.
INTERCUT TO STUDENTS
Students scream in horror.
Dropping their plates and cups, they run away in all directions. Burgers, chips, and Coca-Cola fly everywhere.
Over the screams of the students, the black crows shriek
BLACK CROWS
“Who will be NEXT??? Caw, Caw, Caw”
Fade to black.