observation #6 cont.
I was in my evening painting class and for this particular session, we were told to bring in an object to draw and then refine into an artwork . I chose one of my many Virgin Mary statues since I’ve recently harboured a serious obsession with religious memorabilia. I’m not too sure why I find Mary so captivating – I’m not even Catholic – but I completely adore her.
The class was silent save for the rustling of materials and the sound of the fluorescent lights humming. Sketch after sketch, Mary’s face kept staring back at me – much like the missing girl did in the previous observation. It was in this moment that I thought to expand my film idea into a quirky, Lynch-esque piece.
‘HAIL, MARY’
The film would open to an empty rural road where a young girl, dressed as the Virgin Mary, is trying to hitch a ride. She has signs of contemporary styling in her costume – a pair of beat up sneakers and pink stockings to cast a contrast against the purity of the long white dress and blue veil.
A young boy, Jay, pulls up next to her and offers her a ride. Over the course of the night, they form a strange friendship whereupon they learn about each other’s lives – How Jay wants to go to Vegas and how ‘Mary’ (she insists it’s her real name) has never eaten pizza or watched TV or listened to a CD. Jay gives her some baggy boyish clothes to change into and plays her a song, to which he watches her sway to the beat.
Afterwards, she starts playing with an 8-Ball that she finds and Jay tells her to ask it a question. She doesn’t tell him what she asked but merely discloses that the answer popped up as “Yes, Definitely.”
Jay wakes up in the morning to find Mary gone, having left her dress folded on a chair with a note… Somehow, Jay has had an immaculate conception.
