A Chinese-American mother and daughter pull into a gas station in rural Virginia but are refused service for being Asian. Mary stubbornly refuses to drive away until she gets served, so eight-year-old Shelly uses her imagination to help her mother preserve dignity in the face of racism. A dramatic comedy set in the 80’s. Based on a true story.
One-scene, single location short film.
story synopsis
After being dismissed by the gas station attendant at STERLING GAS, MARY, 30, refuses to leave until someone pumps her gas.
SHELLY, 8, sits in the back of the car, trapped like a hostage. She is distressed by her mom’s behavior; she just wants to leave.
They wait and wait. The white gas station ATTENDANTS look bemused at first, but when another car pulls up behind Mary, the pressure goes up. The attendants and white driver yell for Mary to move on.
Shelly is distressed and tells Mary they need to go. But Mary is not leaving until she gets her tank filled. As the yelling escalates, Shelly decides to do something.
She gets out of the car, and to everyone’s surprise, lifts the heavy nozzle off the gas console and tries to pump gas. The white attendants become silent and captivated, watching Shelly struggle with the nozzle and what to do.
Struck by her persistence, a younger attendant finally gives in. He walks over and shows Shelly how to pump gas in a kind voice.
Shelly takes his instruction. As the tank fills, her expression transforms. She goes from being anxious to being confident, delighted and proud of herself.
As they drive off, Mary yells something profane in Chinese out the window. Shelly repeats it in English for the attendants. Mother and daughter drive off, leaving the startled white Southerners in a plume of brown dust.
Sunday Errand is a proof of concept short for the feature film “Dear Wizard.”
Artistic and Cultural Impact
“Sunday Errand” tells the story of what it means to have to confront racism and adult conflict with child-like innocence and imagination. Shelly happens to be Asian-American, but she could be any little girl who is forced to choose between the absurdity of the adult world and authentic growth.
There’s no solution for racism or didactic lesson in the film. It simply shows how long ordinary and menacingly racism has been with us.
“Sunday Errand” breaks the binary. It breaks traditional American cinema tradition by portraying a fierce, dominant Asian woman like Mary and complex girl like Shelly facing racism in everyday life.
Intended Audience
Sunday Errand is a film for everyone who wants to dive deeper into stories about ordinary Americans and families that struggle with belonging and inclusion. The anti-Asian hate in the news today is not new. It has been with us throughout history, and each time there is a tipping point / spike in violence and intolerance, it is building on intolerance that has yet to be examined and eradicated.
TONE, LOOK, FEEL
Sunday Errand uses comedy to tell the truth. White supremacy is inherently absurd; Thus, a story about a child dealing with white supremacy has absurdist humor.
Sunday Errand will be captured in a direct, cinema verite style and will place viewers in the car with Mary and Shelly as they sit waiting for the gas to be pumped. In long, unobstructed shots of Mary and Shelly, an uncomfortable tension will build between the two characters. Being inside the car, viewers will also feel the pain of being denied services. When Shelly decides to make herself visible, the viewer feels both the fear and liberation of stepping out of the car with her. As the white attendants and the other car impatiently watch her try to pump gas, there is nowhere for Shelly or the viewer to hide.
COLORS: The men at the gas station will be wearing grays, browns and greens, camouflage-like colors that allows them to blend in with the landscape and each other. In contrast, candy bright color will come from Shelly’s clothing, Mary’s clothing, and the blue sky around them which seems to serve as an optimistic witness.
To read the script, contact us.
