4:44 AM

Act 1

INT. BEDROOM - 08:00

Sunlight struggles through the curtains. We hear Kaji, the family pet, whining. PETER throws off the covers and gets out of bed.

PETER (V.O.): Exhaustion hits me like a wave.

Kaji dances around his feet.

PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Yes, our breakfast time.

INT. LIVING ROOM - 10:30

Peter sits on a sofa, holding an iPad Mini. A cheerful cartoon owl named Duo encourages him.

PETER (V.O.): As my sleeplessness persists, I'd better do something constructive.

As he finishes every lesson, the little owl chimes its approval. He closes the app and lets out a long, slow sigh. He moves slowly.

PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My bones are heavier than they're yesterday.

The weariness is deeply etched into the lines around his eyes.

Act 2

INT. SWIMMING POOL - 14:00

The air is thick with chorine and the echo of splashing. Peter moves through the water with steady crawls. He stops in the shallow end. He glances at the big clock on the wall.

PETER (V.O.): My elder daughter flew back to Seoul two days ago...Her final recruitment interview should be over by now...Just hope that it went well.

He pushes off for another lap.

PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The exhaustion is still there, heavy in my shoulders, behind my eyes.

He glides in the water.

PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But the water holds me, carries me.

EXT. RIVERSIDE PARK - 18:30

Peter and his WIFE are walking Kaji. Kaji then investigates an interesting patch of grass.

PETER: Any message from our younger daughter? Has she got the work visa in Japan?

WIFE: She hasn't got it yet...but she has just been told to collect it.

Peter's face breaks into a wide smile.

PETER: Great! She can move from Niigata to Tokyo to make her art!

Pausing.

PETER (V.O.): We'll visit her as soon as she's settled.

Pausing.

PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I was supposed to begin my March travel today.

Pausing.

PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But the work...

FLASHBACK

INT. LIVING ROOM - 20:30 (YESTERDAY)

A bicycle-shaped clock with flip-style digits displaying the time. Peter is hunched over his keyboard, surrounded by chaos.

PETER (V.O.): Just ...need to get the skeleton argument right.

He keeps typing.

PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The work is everything.

Later, he glances at the clock. It's 4:44 am. He hits SEND on the mail. He slumps back in his chair, eyes burning.

PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My instructiing solcitor has what he needs now.

He stumbles to the bedroom.

INT. BEDROOM - 06:00

Peter lies in bed, staring at the ceiling. He closes his eyes. He opens them again.

PETER (V.O.): My brain is still racing. The issues, the legal arguments, and the reliefs.

The bedside room. 07:00 AM. 08:00 AM.

RETURN TO PRESENT

PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I missed my screenplay yesterday. First time in ... weeks, months or years maybe.

Pausing.

PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I also miss playing the flute on Sundays.

Pausing.

PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Due to hearing scheduled for mid and late March, my travel for March may not commence until the final day of the month.

Act 3

INT. LIVING ROOM - 22:15

Peter uploads a photo of a bicycle-shaped clock with flip-style digits displaying the time as "4:44 AM" to a draft on his laptop.

PETER (V.O.): At 4:44 AM I chose to be tired so others could be ready.

Thinking.

PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The beauty of 4:44 AM is that it's not an ending, It's just a very tired beginning.

Reflecting.

PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The measure of a man isn't what he does when everybody's watching, It's what he does at 4:44 AM when no one will ever know.

The END

FADE OUT