SMALL TOWNS

Logline

A young girl named Jean grows close with the caretaker her town: a giant named Rosie, who houses them on her dining room table. Rosie shows Jean the importance of saying goodbye, even when it seems too late. 

One-Page Plot Synopsis

• Rosie takes care of the town, providing them with resources and guidance. Jean spends time learning new things with Rosie, who gives her advice and comfort. Jean wants to grow up to be like Rosie someday.
• Rosie is estranged from her son, Jeffery, who she hasn't seen in years. Jean wants to find a way to talk to her mom. Her dad disappeared years ago after a risky trip to the world outside Rosie's house, and her mother has been withdrawn ever since.
• Jean breaks down when the wounded bird she was nursing dies. Rosie tries to help her understand, and they mourn together.
• Jean and her friends prepare for the flower festival, a moment where people remember their loved ones and celebrate new life. Jean is inspired to talk to her mother, but she is shut out. Jean decides to run away to Rosie's bedroom in the middle of the night.
• That night, Rosie passes away. Jean is the first to discover her. The townspeople bring Jean back home, where she grieves in her mother's silence. She tries to leave again, and collapses in despair at being left alone with her mother, without Rosie to guide her.

• Several days later, Jean emerges. The town is figuring out how to survive without Rosie's safe access to the outside world. Rosie has been old for as long as the oldest townspeople people can remember. They can't move her body, and the food in the fridge will start to go bad.
• Jean remembers Rosie's son, Jeffery, and wants to give him the chance to say goodbye. She finds his information in Rosie's office desk and plans a risky endeavor to the mailbox outside. She manages to leave the letter, but angers her mother by putting herself in danger the way her dad did years before.
• The town mourns. They are unable to bury Rosie so they cover her with a blanket. People have to get water for the gardens/farms. They try to salvage veggies in her fridge. People fight and Rosie isn't there to mediate. Jean wants Rosie to come back. She doesn't want life to go on without her.
• Several days later, Jeffery shows up. He takes Rosie's body away and invites them to the burial. The town has their own memorial, Jeffery attends. Jean speaks. Afterwards, Jean's mother starts to embrace her daughter's grief. She finally understands how lost and hurt Jean has felt in her absence.
• Jeffery offers to help in the memory of his mother. It's not the same, but it's a start.

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