Griffiths - Games: who wants to play?

A white, middle-class corporate project manager. Zach Metcalf: Fifteen years old. Marion and Dans son.
A white, middle-class adolescent boy. Micky Chen: Sixteen years old. A Chinese Canadian upper-middle-class boy. Keira: Zachs virtual girlfriend.

Beautiful, delicate, young. The girl next door. Keira only appears onscreen.

MARION and DAN are chopping vegetables. She looks at him. MARION: Its boys? Is it boys? Is it all boys? Every news story you see. And now Michael Ferguson. It could have been Zach. I dont know.

What? Youve got that wicked smile on your face. Wicked. What? DAN: Where is Zach? MARION: At McDonalds. DAN: Did you okay that? MARION: I didnt have the strength. DAN: How long have we got? MARION: I dont know... could be twenty minutes, could be five.

DAN: We probably shouldnt chance it. MARION: I really dont care, Dan. Really. Im happy. Im just happy to have you and a good cuddle. Somewhere to put my cold feet in bed.

DAN: This matters. MARION: Does it? DAN: This is... we... we cant just not have sex for the rest of our lives. I mean MARION: Were older. DAN: Its my fault.

MARION: Please. DAN: Were going to keep trying. MARION: Of course. Michael Ferguson. I just cant get over it. Its...

I cant stop thinking that it could have been Zach. DAN: Whos Michael Ferguson? MARION: Weve known him for years. He was a friend of Zachs. DAN: Zach has friends? MARION: He had one. DAN: What happened to Michael Ferguson? MARION: Hes dead. Havent you seen the news? His body was found out where theyve let everything go wild.

DAN: We used to call that nature. MARION: He ran away from home. I dont know what happened after that. Nobody knows. I called Theresa but she hasnt talked to Morna Ferguson for years. It could have been Zach.

DAN: No, it couldnt. MARION: Why not? DAN: Wed know. MARION: That wont last. DAN: Hes young for his age. Hes always in the basement, and the kids are out there doping and drinking and getting STDs, and hes always in the basement. MARION: All kids his age have a secret life.

Remember when he was little? We knew what to do. We had the answers. Cuddles? Remember? Hed come into our bedroom afraidwed give him cuddles. DAN: When he didnt tell the truth his eyes would shift back and forth until he was cross-eyed. MARION: Not cross-eyed. DAN: No, just sort of cross-eyed.

MARION: Not cross-eyed; he had beautiful eyes. DAN: Not cross-eyed. MARION: His eyelashes fluttered. DAN: Those thick lashes, like a girl. MARION: He was a real boy. Hes manlydont you think hes manly? DAN: Of course hes manly.

Who said he wasnt manly? MARION: We have to be parents and make sure hes not wrecking his life. DAN: Hes not wrecking his life. MARION: Somethings wrong. DAN: Theres something wrong with all of them; theyre boys. What was wrong with Michael Ferguson? MARION: He was addicted to video games. He ran away from home.

DAN: We know where Zach is. MARION: At McDonalds? DAN: Or in the basement. MARION: Doing what in the basement? DAN: I dont know; being a boy addicted to video games. MARION: How do we even know hes at McDonalds? He could have impregnated a girl, sold crack, bought a gun, held up a 7-Eleven, killed someone, been killed, committed suicide because of bullying. How do we know hes not lying about everything? DAN: Hes not lying. In the next while we have to accept that hes going to have sex, do drugs, whatever MARION: Hes a boy.