LITTLE BLUE SYNOPSIS

© Gunnar Fernlund 2023

Neo 12, lives with his parents on the outskirts of a small town in Wiltshire, England. Neo has no friends, dislikes school where he feels different and left out. Neo would rather stay at home and spend time on his true passion: astronomy. Neo’s parents are pressured and absent. The father has a demanding job, the mother is on sick leave and suffers from mental illness.  

As Neo walks through the long school corridor, he feels like he is being watched by all the others. He is withdrawn and alone, both at home and at school. One day Neo’s regular class teacher is sick due to exhaustion and replaced by a young and cool teacher. The new teacher starts by kicking off a teamwork in biology and asks the students to organize themselves into groups. The problem is that no one wants Neo in their group. Eventually Neo sneaks out and goes home.

Later in the evening, Neo hears his parents arguing. The mother takes the blame for Neo’s difficulties. She feels like a failed parent and a burden to everyone. She says she needs a break, packs her bag and leaves to live at a friends place. Neo sees his father crying. That night, Neo has trouble falling asleep, takes out a small diary given to him by his mother and starts writing in it for the first time. He expresses his hatred for the school and wishes that someone could understand him.

At night, Neo wakes up. In a state of trance, he walks up to the window and sees an egg-shaped UFO land on the roof outside his bedroom window. Further away in the same village, a chocked man is filming the flying object with his mobile phone, but can’t see exactly where it lands. Out of the egg  a blue, curious and kind little creature with a small trunk steps out, politely greeting Neo. The creature starts freezing and shows that it wants to come inside. Neo, still in a state of trance, helps the creature into the warmth. The creature, curiously observing everything, starts to yawn and then falls asleep in Neo’s cozy armchair. Neo sitting in his bed falls asleep shortly thereafter with a smile on his face.   

In the morning, to Neos disappointment, the creature is gone and so is the flying egg. It was just a weird dream. Neo walks to school once again with great resistance. When Neo looks into the chaotic corridor, he gets overwhelmed by disgust and turns back home. At home, Neo almost stumbles upon the alien who is lying on the floor looking in one of Neo’s astronomy books.

In a military intelligence department Agent Stone and his female colleague Agent Ziegler are having a meeting. They work in a small unit that investigates unexplained phenomena, both deeply disappointed that their department are about to be shut down. Just before Ziegler leaves the room, she recalls a recent observation – a blurry film showing an egg-shaped UFO. Agent Stone sees it as a last chance to prevent the unit from being shut down and goes to the location in Wiltshire to investigate it more closely.  

Although Little Blue, as Neo calls the creature, speaks a strange melodic alien language, Neo understands due to some kind of telepathy. Little Blue is asking Neo questions, who opens up and begins to talk about his life, his interest in astronomy, his parents and the school. Neo says that humans are evil – they are even destroying the planet. They quickly become friends, talk about space and eat fruit, which the creature loves.  

Agent Stone arrives on the street where Neo lives and catches a glimpse of a mysterious shadow behind a curtain. Stone walks up to Neos house and rings the doorbell. Right behind the door, Neo signals to Little Blue to stay quiet. The alien looks amused at Neo, like it’s a fun game, not aware of the danger. Since no one’s opening the agent eventually leaves. Neo warns the creature not to show itself to others, “You see, you just can’t trust people”.   

In the evening, Neo’s father comes home, tired and worn out. Neo reminds the creature to be quiet, and tells it to hide in the closet if the father would come up the stairs. Neo is afraid there will be a commotion and that they will take his new friend away from him. The father who doesn’t suspect anything is happy to see that Neo is eating lots of fruit.   

The next day, Neo skips school to be with Little Blue. The creature who is curious to see more of the surroundings slips away through the front door and Neo has to run after. Little Blue finds Earths nature fascinating and a blackbird comes close and starts to sing. Neo does his best to make sure no one detects his alien friend. At the top of a hill Little Blue starts tootling with his trunk so that it echoes across the landscape. Agent Stone, who is nearby in the village, hears the strange sound and starts running towards it. By the time he gets to the top of the hill, Neo and his alien friend has already left.  

When Neo and his father are having dinner in the evening the doorbell rings. It’s Agent Stone who asks if they have seen anything of interest lately as someone has reported a UFO in the area. While talking, Neo’s TV starts upstairs. Neo blames the remote control for being broke. The agent looks suspiciously at Neo but eventually leaves. 

Later same evening, Neos father sees a message from the school that Neo has absence. The father, who’s already burdened by his work and his wife’s mental illness, becomes upset. Neo promises his father to go to school. Soon thereafter Neo explains to Little Blue that he has to go to school the next day. The creature promises to wait for Neo until he gets home.

Next day, when the creature is alone at home, it reads books, examines the vacuum cleaner, decorates, takes a shower, and longingly looks out the window.   

During a break at school, Neo sits alone in a corner making a small drawing of his alien friend. A couple of classmates snatch the drawing from Neo and start teasing him, asking if it’s a picture of his imaginary friend. Neo has a tantrum and once again runs away from school.

Next day, Neo is truant again, but this time Little Blue insists on going to London and eagerly points at the TV showing images from the big city. Neo says it’s far too risky, but the creature begs him. Eventually Neo says it might work if they can arrange a good disguise. Little Blue gets to sit in a trolley bag with wheels while they take the commuter train to London. The creature also wears sunglasses and a beanie with earflaps – no one takes notice as everyone is staring at their mobile phones. They wander the streets of London while Little Blue, partially hidden under the lid of the bag, is watching everything in awe. 

The two friends are having a rest in the park Primrose Hill overlooking the city. Neo is happy and proud of their little adventure. Suddenly a woman catches sight of the creature. She walks up to the creature, greets it and starts talking to Neo. Luckily she understands that she must keep it a secret, but is forever grateful for the life-changing experience.

When Neo and Little Blue get back home again, the father is already there. He is deeply worried and wonders where Neo has been. They are interupted by the father’s phone and the creature can sneak up to Neo’s room. The father tells Neo that his teacher called and said that Neo is at risk of failing. “How are you supposed to become an astronomer if you can’t even pass primary school?” The father puts pressure on Neo and says he can’t take any more setbacks. Neo promises to go to school next day and do his presentation in biology. 

When entering his room Neo bursts into tears. The creature wonders if Neo is sad because it’s leaving the next night. The news comes as shock to Neo. He then explains to Little Blue that they are forcing him to go to school. The creature asks if it can come with him to school. Neo who now has given up everything agrees to the idea. Nothing matters anymore. Outside on the street, agent Stone sits in his car watching the house, then he drives away.   

Next morning, a dejected Neo goes to school with Little Blue hidden in the trolley bag. They arrive just in time. The other groups do their presentations with confidence. Finally it’s Neo’s turn. He anxiously walks up to the teacher’s desk with the trolley bag. Neo reads out the title of his work, “Chances for biological life on other planets”. The teacher points out that the assignment was supposed to be about a specific species and will probably not be able to approve it.

Neo, very insecure, begins to read from his papers. It doesn’t take long before his classmates start sighing and disrupting the presentation. Neo becomes increasingly nervous and eventually becomes paralyzed. It’s like a nightmare. Then Neo suddenly hears the creature’s voice within himself: “Neo … Neo … Speak from your heart. Just be yourself, no matter what.”

Neo regains his strength, drops the papers and starts talking with passion. This causes the energy in the classroom to completely change and they start to listen to Neo. When Neo is finished, he is first praised by the teacher, but then he says that unfortunately he cannot approve the work. Neo needs to describe a specific species.

Once again Neo hears Little Blue’s voice inside him: ”Show them me – I’m a species”. Neo hesitates, but surrenders and tells the class that he can show them an alien species. The class thinks Neo must have gone completely bonkers and bursts into laughter. In the commotion Neo takes up his alien friend and puts it on the desk. The teacher and the classmates are completely mindblown and shocked.

The class gets to ask Little Blue questions. The creature answers in its strange melodic language, all while Neo translates. Then Little Blue unexpectedly performes somewhat of a miracle – out of the trunk comes heart-shaped fluffy clouds. One of the students films the extraordinary event with his cell phone and shares it online. The clip immediately goes viral. 

In a gloomy room Neos mother is sitting on a bed sadly looking out the window. Suddenly a blackbird lands on a branch right outside the window and starts to sing, like it’s singing to her. Neos mother, deeply moved, suddenly realizes that she needs to go home and starts packing her things.

Neo’s teacher who has been completely spellbound, thinks they should let the rest of the school meet the creature as well. They walk to the other classrooms where Little Blue is immensely admired and praised by all the other children. Neo is surprised and happy to suddenly have become a bit of a hero. 

Neo’s father sits in a big office deeply focused when a colleague suddenly sees the viral video clip from Neo’s classroom. The colleague shows it to Neo’s father, who at first can’t comprehend what he’s witnessing, but realizes it’s for real. He immediately leaves work to meet with Neo and the creature. The whole school waves goodbye to the alien before Neo and Little Blue get into the father’s car and drive home.

Agent Ziegler rushes into Stone’s room, “Cancel everything – we’ve got something!” Ziegler shows the clip with Little Blue in the classroom. Agent Stone recognizes Neo, realises the situation and immediately calls for an emergency meeting.

When Neo, his father and the creature walks in through the front door Neo’s mother is already there. She gets a touching first encounter with the alien. Later they all sit in the living room, drinking tea, eating fruit and having a good time, while more and more people are gathering outside the house. Little Blue waves to them through a window. The people are thrilled and see Little Blue as their savior. Some of them even start crying. 

Suddenly there is a commotion in the street outside, and shortly thereafter a task force moves into the house taking Little Blue away, who observes everything with big surprised eyes. Neo and his parents are devastated. As soon as Little Blue is taken out of the house, Agent Stone steps through the door. He says that the creature must be quarantined and criticizes the family to have put all of humanity in danger. Before leaving them, he asks where the creature’s spaceship is. Neo replies that he doesn’t know. A couple of men in black uniforms remain in the house. They are told to confiscate anything that might be of interest. A journalist turns up and wants to interview the family but the father declines as the family is in shock.

Little Blue sits on what looks lika an operating table in a sterile room and is examined by a couple of people in protective suits. Little Blue is calm but tired. Behind a mirror glass are Stone and a number of military colonels. Then the Prime Minister enters the room. He praises agent Stone and assigns him to lead the operation. Agent Stone looks pleased. 

Neo and his parents are sitting in the living room trying to process what just happened. Neo, who got all his prejudices about the evil nature of man confirmed, has an outburst of anger and rushes to his room. There, a soldier is going through his stuff. In the last minute Neo manages to hide the creature’s shoulder bag.

Later that day, Neo is questioned by Agent Ziegler, but refuses to answer her questions. Instead he appeals to Ziegler’s conscience. “You have to let Little Blue go. The creature will die if you don’t allow it to go back home.”

Little Blue is getting worse in the military’s custody. Agent Stone tries to communicate with the creature to no avail. However, Little Blue manages to convey that it wants an apple. Stone says he will fix that but is then opposed by the Prime Minister who thinks it’s an opportunity get more information from the creature. “Give the alien fruit, but only if it tells you where the damn craft is!” Agent Stone tries to object but the prime minister insists: “The craft is more important than the creature”. Stone is starting to have doubts about the whole operation, talks to Agent Ziegler who also doesn’t like the way the things are heading. 

Neo sits with his mother in the kitchen. Neo is bitter and refuses to aswer his mother despite her comforting words. Eventually the mother asks ”So what would you think Little Blue would do, if it was in the same situation as you right now?” The question gets Neo to crack and they both cry while embracing eachother. Then Neo says, “I think Little Blue wouldn’t give up. Little Blue once said that you should fight for the things you hold dear.” Neo has now regained his strength and his courage and asks Dad to contact the journalist. Moments later, Neo sits on live television, speaking with passion, how immoral the country’s leaders are acting. With the support from his mother, Neo also writes an email to Agent Stone in which he appeals to the agent’s conscience.

Agent Stone sits in his office, sees Neo’s email, reads it and surrenders as well. He walks in to the creature who is now lying on the table looking pale and weak. Stone says to Little Blue that he is sorry, and that there is not much he can do now. To his surprise the creature tries to comfort Agent Stone. Before Stone leaves, he gives the creature an apple. When alone, Little Blue eats the fruit as if it was a matter of life and death, then it lies down with clasped hands and stops breathing.  

In a surveillance room, two men sit and laugh at a funny clip on one of the men’s mobile phone. They don’t see what’s happening on the monitoring screens: particles of light starts to move around the body of Little Blue, eventually dissolving into nothing.

It’s in the middle of the night, a dejected agent Stone drives out of the military compound when he suddenly sees a strange light on the side of the road. He pulls the car over and watches a swirl of light particles disolving leaving just the figure of Little Blue curled into a ball on the ground. But the little creature is still weak. Stone carefully tucks Little Blue into the back seat and then drives towards Neo’s house.

At Neo’s house Stone gets help from a hippie to distract the guards. Neo and his parents are overjoyed to see Stone entering the door with Little Blue in his arms. Little Blue asks for more fruit and slowly starts to regain its power. Moments later they all sit in the living room drinking tea, eating fruits and enjoying the Christmas atmosphere. Little Blue then stands up and gives a little speech about how amazing the universe is and thanks everyone. Neo is translating to the others.

Eventually it’s time for Little Blue to leave and they all go upstairs. Neo and the creature say goodbye to eachother. Before Little Blue climbs out the window it gives Neo a mysterious egg. ”What is it?”, Neo wonders. “Just wait and see” the creature urges. On the roof outside the window is the egg-shaped craft, ready to take off. Before the creature finally steps into the egg, it sends heart-shaped clouds towards the people watching everything from the ground. Some of them filming the historic event with their mobile phones. The egg takes off and disappears in a swirl of light. Videos of the event are spread in the news all over the world.

A couple of months into the future. It’s spring and Neo enjoys school interacting with the others who now look up to him. One evening, Neo sits in his bed studying the mysterious egg, happy and grateful. Later that night as Neo sleeps, the egg begins to blink and rotate. A cone of light spreads from the top of the egg. Neo wakes up and to his big surprise he sees Little Blue in a hologram. Little Blue happily greets Neo and says it would like to show Neo its planet. “So what you are about to show me is how life on Earth will be in the future?” Little Blue nods. An overjoyed Neo is consumed by the images from the alien world. We go along Little Blue in a hovercraft and get to see a dazzling futuristic world, paradise-like environments, exotic plants and creatures and finally a beautiful out-of-this-world sunset.