A young adult with Down Syndrome is determined to join the military, but a recruiter refuses to even consider it.
BRIEF SYNOPSIS
RONALD “BUDDY” HENDERSON (24) has Down Syndrome. He misses his brother, JARED (20’s), who went into the Army. Before he left, he gave Buddy his dog tags, calling Buddy his battle buddy.
Buddy tells DAN CULLEN (28) that he also wants to join the Army. Dan doesn’t take him seriously. Then he tells Buddy it will never happen.
Buddy is devastated when he’s informed his brother was killed in action. Buddy is even more determined to join the service. Dan, feeling guilty, decides to help him.
Buddy goes to the recruiting office, but SGT. HARRIS, immediately rejects him.
Not willing to quit, Dan helps Buddy physically
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When Harris rejects Buddy, Harris is described as being disgusted. Translate this is into visual images to convey what disgusted looks like.
Also, Harris calls his mother. It’s a bit of an odd response. It’s not clear why he would tell his mother about Buddy. Harris’ backstory is not clear. He says: “There won’t (be) a mentally retarded man joining the military on his watch.” His mother responds that he has to let go of his hatred. His hatred is related to the death of his father, but it’s not clear enough to understand. Clarify how his father’s death is related to Harris’ reaction to Buddy.
In the third act, Harris, easily changes his mind and attitude about Buddy. It’s a nice sentiment, but not all that convincing. Essentially, due to the nature of a short, there’s not enough time given to convince the audience that Harris has changed.
The other area of concern is tension. While there’s conflict and obstacles, the overall tension feels mild. If Buddy doesn’t get recruited, there’s really nothing at stake for him. Granted, it’s more about the personal stakes, but the audience doesn’t feel like there’s enough compelling tension to sustain the