- The story sees the guy arrive listening to music that we hear faintly through his headphones. This blanks out the noise of the desk fan and the clock on the wall. His headphones represents how he's blanking out things that trouble him in his life. But then his phone battery dies and his music stops. This moment represents his disorganised mind to not have charged the phone, and also his inability to keep blocking things out forever. He now must face up to the reality of his situation. So now he's confronted by the noise of the clock and the desk fan. He struggles to cope with the oppressive feel of the room. We then see him getting more tense as he deals with the receptionist. He reaches into his pocket for his pills, but they fall to the floor. We see the pills. We see his cut wrist. Then the electronic buzzer sounds. He can't run away any more.
- As upbeat music plays, we see a suitcase being wheeled along the floor by Steven who walks with a spring in his step. Entering a smart building, it seems that the happy-go-lucky Steven has arrived in a hotel for a vacation. Moving through the room, Steven brushes past a plant that slowly closes in on itself before Steven finds a reception empty.
Still smiling, he glanced around his surroundings and sees a pendulum clock on a wall that sways back and forth. The hands are subtly set to a 'sad face' of four and eight. Steven casually processes his surroundings. Taking a seat, Steven notices that his phone is almost out of battery and the upbeat music, that's been playing in his headphones is about to becut off. As he removes his headphones, the loud ticking clock suddenly become audible to him. Steven jumps as the receptionist returns to their post and asks how they can help. When Steven states he's here to check-in and is staying for two weeks, the receptionist assures him that his room will be ready very shortly. Steven then notes a fish tank with a small sinking boat and a leaking aircon that drips.
The dripping of the aircon and the ticking of the clock start to give the impression of an oppressive environment for the audience. As his discomfort grows, Steven picks up his suitcase and makes to leave, telling the receptionist that he doesn't want to be here anymore. Heading for the exit, Steven jumps when an electronic buzzer sounds. The sudden noise causes Steven to drop a bottle of pills that roll slowly across the floor. As Steven fumbles for the pills, we see a nurse who addresses him by name. We realise in this moment that Steven is checking himself into a psychiatric facility. Picking up his pills, we see that Steven has wounds to his wrist from self- harm.
Steven is struck by the wounds and what he's done to himself. With the nurse beckoning him through the double doors, Steven hesitates. He takes a breath. Faced by the cuts on his wrist, Steven knows he cannot return to his old life. He's come this far and must overcome the fear and oppression in his mind in order to seek help. As Steven bravely takes a step towards the nurse, we focus on the plant again near the entrance. The leaves slowly open back up...
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