The waiting room

In present-day UK, James (30s), a man battling depression and anxiety, is caught in the cracks of an
overstretched mental health care system. Months after his referral, he finally gets an appointment
for talking therapy — but upon arrival, he discovers his referral has yet to be processed. Frustrated
and desperate, James faces a crisis of hope.
However, in the waiting room of an underfunded NHS clinic, he meets Ash (20s), a young trans man
with their own mental health struggles. Through their conversation, James begins to see that
resilience doesn’t always mean having the answers — sometimes, it’s simply about showing up.
As James leaves the clinic, still uncertain of his future but with a renewed sense of purpose, the film
captures a universal truth: the smallest connections in the toughest moments can make the
difference between giving up and keeping going.

  • Jordan Smith
    Writer
    The lost maze, the broken heart
  • Project Type:
    Short Script, Other
  • Number of Pages:
    4
  • Language:
    English
  • First-time Screenwriter:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Writer Biography - Jordan Smith

Jordan Smith is a UK-based screenwriter, filmmaker, and SFX makeup artist whose work centres on raw, socially conscious storytelling. With a strong interest in mental health, class struggles, and emotional isolation, Jordan’s scripts aim to challenge stigma and speak truth to lived experience.

He is the founder of Clockmagic Films and Bloodworks FX Makeup Supplies Ltd, with credits spanning award-winning short films, SFX work, and social impact projects. His writing style is grounded and character-driven, often exploring the quiet resilience found in marginalised voices.

Waiting Room is a personal and timely script inspired by the UK’s mental health care crisis — offering a brutally honest portrayal of what it means to keep going when the system fails you.

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Writer Statement

Waiting Room was born out of lived frustration — mine, and countless others like me — with a system meant to help, but too broken to reach us in time.

Mental health doesn’t wait six months. It doesn’t queue. It doesn’t hold politely while you’re number 17 in the crisis line. This script is my attempt to shine a light on what it feels like to seek help and find nothing but grey rooms, backlogged referrals, and polite apologies. But more than that — it’s about the strength it takes to keep showing up anyway.

I wanted to tell a quiet story. One that doesn’t shout or sensationalise. Because most people fighting these battles aren’t making dramatic scenes — they’re just trying to survive the day. Sometimes, all it takes is one human moment, one nod, one stranger, to make that bearable. That’s what Waiting Room is about.

As a working-class writer and filmmaker, I aim to tell stories that reflect real people, in real places, going through very real pain — with honesty, care, and dignity. This story matters to me, because I’ve lived it. And I know how many others have too.

If this script resonates with even one person who’s felt invisible in the system, then it’s already done its job.

– Jordan Smith