Pop-up

1. FADE IN

2. 
   

3. Act 1

4. 
   

5. INT. FAT BOY GARAGE - 15:45

6. 
   

7. PETER approches slowly. His eyes fix on his beloved coupe-a 1989 red Nissan 200SX-sitting on a hydraulic lift, jacked up about 1.5m off the ground. He gazes at the underneath splash shield.

8. 
   

9. PETER (V.O.): The panel that came off yesterday is now securely refixed.

10. 
    

11. He runs a finger along the refitted panel. A deep breath escapes him.

12. 
    

13. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The worry that has been gawning at me since yesterday finally releases its grip.

14. 
    

15. FAT BOY pulls the lever. The hydraulic system hisses and groans. The red S13 decends slowly, gracefully.

16. 
    

17. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It's like a sleeping giant waking from a dream.

18. 
    

19. He opens the driver's door and slides inside.

20. 
    

21. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The drive is just beginning. Destination: Silverstrand Bay.

22. 
    

23. PETER: Many thanks, Fat Boy!

24. 
    

25. He pulls out. The S13 glides onto the open road. He smiles.

26. 
    

27. Act 2

28. 
    

29. EXT. PATROL FILLING STATION -16:45

30. 
    

31. A wet-haired Peter pulls into it. He tops up the tire pressure. And then the tank.

32. 
    

33. PETER (V.O.): I haven't done that for many months. 

34. 
    

35. He eases the coupe out of the station, rolling slowly to the exit. A WOMAN (20s) and a MAN (20s) are walking by. Peter gives way.

36. 
    

37. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Oh the woman's eyes fix on the low, sleek lines of the S13, while the man has his eyes on her.

38. 
    

39. As the woman walks past, she deliberately turns her head to look back. Her gaze lands on the pop-up headlight sections.

40. 
    

41. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd):  I can see pure appreciation in her eyes. A pop-up headlight doesn't demand attention. It earns it.

42. 
    

43. He smiles to himself.

44. 
    

45. EXT. PEDESTRAIN CROSSING - 17:00

46. 
    

47. Peter stops at a red light. A FATHER (30s) and his BOY (5) step onto the crosswalk. Seeing Peter's coupe, the boy's eyes go wide. The father, seeing it, gesturing his hands-a motion of something poping up.

48. 
    

49. PETER (V.O.): The boy must be askng his father why my coupe has no visable headlights. The father then explains that they're hidden and designed to pop up when I need them.

50. 
    

51. Smiling, Peter presses the pop-up headlight button. The headlights pop up. The father is ecstatic, shaking his son's shoulders. Peter presses the button again. They drop down, then pop up again. The boy nods. The father gives Peter a thumbs-up.

52. 
    

53. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): A thumbs-up is louder than a thousand horns. My heart is swelling.

54. .

55. Peter waves back, enthusiastically.

56. 
    

57. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Pop-up. Shut down. Repeat. That's how I learn what matters.

58. 
    

59. FLASHBACK

60. 
    

61. E'XT. PETER'S NT HOME - 17:15 (Yesterday)

62. 
    

63. Moments after Peter shifts the stick from first to second, we hear a few strange sounds coming from the front of the coupe.

64. 
    

65.  PETER (V.O.): Could it because I haven't driven it in weeks?

66. 
    

67. Hesitating.

68. 
    

69. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Anyway, see if I can drive it to Fat Boy's garage to have the problem fixed...

70. 
    

71. Soon, we can't hear the rattle anymore.

72. 
    

73. EXT. GOLDEN BEACH - 18:00

74. 
    

75. Peter arrives. Then we hear a public annoucement: Lifeguard service has been suspended...Peter then swims along the shore, nervously.

76. 
    

77. PETER (V.O.): What was that noise? I had left the coupe idling for a while before I drove it out from my NT home...

78. 
    

79. Soon, he returns to the beach. After bathing, he walks towards the carpark. When he sees coupe, he also sees something dangling under the engine.

80. 
    

81. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): OMG...the result of a kitten or rat tangled in the fan belt?

82. 
    

83. He lies very low to inspect, then lets out a huge sigh of relief.

84. 
    

85. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It's not an animal. It's an under engine splash shield. A plastic panel has come loose and is scraping the ground.

86. 
    

87. He tries to push it back into place. It's stubbornly loose.

88. 
    

89. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): What would be the consequences of the rubber panel dragging on the hot asphalt for 30 km?

90. 
    

91. EXT, ROADS TO URBAN AREA - CONTINUOUS

92. 
    

93. With windows lowered and headlights popped up, Peter drives his S13 significantly slower than the rest of the traffic.

94. 
    

95. PETER (V.O.): Friction, heat, a puff of smoke...

96. 
    

97. He sniffs.

98. 
    

99. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I don't want my beloved coupe engulfed in flames. I can't forget what I went through with my Ford Cortina 2.0 GXL in 1978.

100. 
     

101. RETURN TO PRESENT

102. 
     

103. Act 3

104. 
     

105. INT. BEDROOM -22:30

106. 
     

107. Peter uploads an image to a draft on his laptop. It captures a car's front headlight area glowing intensely, creating a bright "pop-up" glare effect.

108. 
     

109. PETER (V.O.): We all have our pop-up moments-brief, brilliant and gone. The trick is to notice them while they're up.

110. 
     

111. Thinking.

112. 
     

113. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The boy saw it before he understood it. That's the purest form of appreciation.

114. 
     

115. Reflecting.

116. 
     

117. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When the headlights rise, my heart rises with them-because that's the only pop-up worth caring about.

118. 
     

119. The END

120. 
     

121. FADE OUT