The collector

Description

A neurodivergent woman with a love for collectibles of any and every kind, works at a vintage cinema stubbing tickets. When the final film starts, her favourite thing to do is sneak off to the lost property room with a scoop of her favourite ice cream and rifle through the belongings that have been left behind, in hope of finding something new to add to her collection. We follow her routine-filled days, in a series of fun, repeated shots that mimic her need for structure and routine. Importantly, we see her put on a new jumper every day (always with some annoying flaw that she simply cannot stand). Until one day, in her ‘Lost Property Cave’, she finds the perfect (if a little ugly) jumper. It’s soft, not itchy, not too big and not too small. It’s like no other jumper she’s worn before. It’s perfect. And now it’s hers. We see her repeated routines once again, this time with the perfect jumper included. She wears it every day, only ever changing the vintage brooch she wears on top. One day she’s at work (as she often is), collecting ticket stubs (as she often does), until she hears a voice: “Is that my jumper?” The voice belongs to a rather good looking young man. He’d left his jumper at the cinema a few weeks prior. He didn’t care for it that much. And he thinks the woman is very pretty. He’s seen her here before. He smiles and says, “It suits you.” As he enters the cinema, her head explodes. That night she sits in lost property in shame. How embarrassing. The man keeps returning to her work. He asks her on a date. The idea terrifies her. But after much reluctance, she accepts. She decides she doesn’t mind this man - he’s clean and doesn’t chew his popcorn too loudly - so she shows him her special ‘Lost Property Cave’. He sits and watches her rifle through her treasure trove. In all the excitement of a first date, she accidentally leaves behind her perfect jumper. When she returns toDevastated at the discovery that her manager donated the contents of her ‘Lost Property Cave’ to charity, the woman searches high and low for her perfect jumper. She finds it at a vintage store for an extortionate price (she didn’t realise its actual value). After several interactions (and a lot of begging) with the evil shop woman, she discovers she can trade and sell her precious collectibles in order to buy back the jumper. She sells everything, from her brooches, down to the antique clocks on her wall. Her apartment slowly empties of all her wonderful collections. She buys back her wonderful jumper. She sits in her ticket booth, on top of the world. She has nothing, but she has everything all at once. Two tickets and a ladybird brooch are slid into the deal tray. And then, a voice: “Nice Jumper.” She’d know that voice anywhere. It was perfect.

Biblical Connection

I have chosen to adapt the parable of ‘The Pearl of Great Price,” which illustrates the value of the kingdom of Heaven into a romantic comedy about a neurodivergent woman’s search for love (and the perfect jumper). The premise of the parable is that the very wealthy pearl merchant who owns many valuable jewels, discovers the most valuable pearl of great price and sells all of his belongings in order to buy the pearl. The parable explains that although it might seem crazy to people who cannot see the pearl’s value, the merchant who knows its worth will do anything he can to obtain it. In my adaptation, the pearl merchant becomes a neurodivergent woman who loves to collect things. One day she discovers the perfect jumper (which is her sensory heaven) which also gives her a chance at love. When she accidentally loses it, she’ll do anything to buy it back (including selling off all her other precious collections). The adaptation explores hyper-fixation, and unwavering determination in the search for something of inexplicable value.