Scene
1 -
Moonlit Drive: A Journey of Thrills and Friendship
EXT. MOUNTAIN ROAD - NIGHT
It’s one of those cold but transparent crescent moon nights
on State Route 76 to the Palomar Mountains. The serpentine
road glistens like a silvery snake in the playful
moonlight.
CLOSE on Alex’s face. She’s 32 and elegantly stunning with
brooding eyes and a clenched jaw evidencing her
determination.
CLOSE on Alex’s delicate finger as it touches an LCD
screen.
CLOSE on a sizeable speaker: Out burst the first notes of
“Stormy Weather”.
LOW, ground level CAMERA ANGLE of a switchback on the
mountain road. Blinding headlights momentarily wash out the
shot, just as a roaring engine propels a pale blue Beemer
through the curb.
AERIAL of the mountain road. Quiet, gleaming, inviting.
Distant, eerie, from the Beemer’s radio: ”Life is bare,
gloom and misery everywhere”.
CLOSE: White knuckles clutch the steering wheel.
A DIFFERENT switchback. Deadly silent.
CLOSE: A bare, pedicured foot floors the pedal. The car
responds with metallic squeaks and engine groans.
THE SWITCHBACK: This time the vehicle that slashes through
the quiet of the night is a burgundy Jeep.
THE WHEEL: Swallows the asphalt.
THE FACE in the mirror: Kelly, brunette, intelligent, same
determination as Alex.
THE SIDE rear view mirror: A partial wide angle view of the
road unfolding behind the vehicle.
AERIAL SHOT of the Palomar Mountain Road. Two pairs of
pinhole lights -- cars dwarfed by the majestic landscape --
chase each other. No sound.
ALEX (V.O.)
Are you there Kell?
KELLY (V.O.)
Right behind you.
ALEX (V.O)
Not too close and not too fast.
Don’t get carried away, OK? We’re
doing this for fun.
KELLY (V.O.)
You are doing this for fun. I’m
just your wingman!
EXT. PALOMAR MOUNTAIN ROAD - NIGHT
The Jeep follows ten car lengths behind the Beemer.
INT. JEEP - CONTINUOUS
Alex [on her bluetooth]. One hand on the wheel, while the
other steadies an iPhone into its car cradle. She selects
the RECORD icon and the iPhone screen displays the winding
Palomar road ahead.
ALEX
Hey, Kelly. I’m taping this.
KELLY (O.S.)
Taping what?
ALEX
The road. It’s awesome.
KELLY (O.S.)
I know. It has twenty-one
switchbacks.
Genres:
["Drama","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
2 -
Navigating the Night
INT. BEEMER - CONTINUOUS
Alex [on her bluetooth]. Billie Holiday sings “I walk
around heavy-hearted and sad.”
ALEX
Twenty-one switchbacks and only
one hairpin.
EXT. PALOMAR MOUNTAIN ROAD - NIGHT
AERIAL SHOT descending from a steep cliff to street level.
The Beemer whooshes by leaving a surrealistic pale blue
streak behind it.
KELLY (O.S.)
Not just any hairpin. The
hairpin.
EXT. PALOMAR MOUNTAIN ROAD - NIGHT
The two cars are now separated by a greater distance.
KELLY (O.S.)
Switchback twenty-one is just
ahead.
ALEX
The big bad wolf.
KELLY
Won’t work if you mock it.
Remember the rules: Take it easy
as you enter ... then let the
hairpin take over.
INT. BEEMER - CONTINUOUS
CLOSE on Alex. Jaw clenched. Knuckles whiter than ever.
She kicks off her stiletto heel and her bare foot lands
softly on the pedal.
Billie Holiday’s haunting voice sings “Night comes around
and I'm still feeling bad”.
KELLY (O.S.)
Hey, Alex. If I die, I want a
decent burial.
ALEX
Sure thing, girlfriend. I’ll see
to it.
Genres:
["Drama","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
3 -
Edge of Despair
EXT. PALOMAR MOUNTAIN ROAD - NIGHT
Switchback #21: a curb so tight that from a bird’s eye view
it resembles a gigantic hairpin, a huge piece of gleaming
metal in the wilderness of the mountain sliding down the
steep slope.
CLOSE on the Beemer’s front wheels, hugging the curb.
CLOSE on Alex’s bare foot, easing off the gas.
TRACKING shot of the asphalt as it is devoured by the
vehicle.
WIDE on the hairpin as the Beemer enters. From this point
on, the scene plays in total silence.
The BEEMER enters the 180 degree hairpin, nose first. Then
as Alex lets off the pedal, the vehicle swerves left, then
right, then skids sideways toward the cliff.
ALEX closes her eyes in fear as her heart stops
momentarily.
The Beemer continues to skid. Alex recovers from her shock
and smashes both feet on the power brake.
Skidmarks stretch across the asphalt. The car veers
dangerously toward the edge of the hairpin, finally
drifting to a sideways stop with a front wheel an inch over
the cliff.
Complete silence except for Alex’s labored breathing and
Billie Holiday’s velvety voice: “When he went away, the
blues walked in and met me”.
ALEX manages a deep breath and notices that the windows and
the rear windshield are totally fogged up. She tentatively
reaches for the power window button and presses it.
The window comes down slowly, when from the first narrow
crack, Alex gasps in sheer terror:
Kelly’s red Jeep enters the hairpin, does its paralytic
dance across the asphalt, and then careens toward Alex.
IN THE JEEP
Kelly frantically pumps the brakes, but the Jeep heads
uncontrollably toward the Beemer.
CLOSE on Kelly: Painful realization that she’s going to
kill her friend.
IN THE BEEMER
CLOSE on Alex: Motionless, awaiting impact. She closes her
eyes.
CLOSE on the Jeep: It continues its violent skid toward the
Beemer.
Then nothing.
Alex opens her eyes momentarily to catch a glimpse of
Kelly’s face, etched with desperation.
Suddenly, all sounds return in deafening chaos underscoring
the harsh reality about to happen as the Jeep passes half
an inch from the Beemer’s rear bumper and plunges into the
void.
One loud crash of metal hitting rock below.
ALEX keeps her eyes tightly shut.
A SECOND loud crash, then the asymmetric noises of the
vehicle rolling onto the steep 300 foot cliff below.
ALEX screams an inaudible “Noooo”.
Billie Holiday concludes: “Keeps raining all the time, the
time, Keeps raining all the time”.
BLACK. QUIET.
Audio fades in first. The distinct thud-thud-thud of a
helicopter rotor.
Then, in slow motion, the blades of the police chopper.
The treetops bend and sway under the intense wind. Flashing
red and blue lights. The crimson color of the ambulance’s
reflection seems to spill like blood on the shiny asphalt
of the hairpin.
ALEX sits despondently on the side of the road, a crumpled
silhouette. She finally moves lethargically closer to the
scene, as firemen pull a collapsible gurney off the cliff.
In sheer disbelief, Alex moves toward the gurney. Through
tears she witnesses a distorted, blurred scene: her best
friend, covered with a yellow tarp, lifeless. She tries to
scream Kelly’s name but nothing comes from her gaping
mouth.
A HAND drops out of the tarp cover. Blood drips from the
fingers to the nails and then to the road where it
disperses into the red of the ambulance’s reflection.
A COP whispers to Alex sympathetically but inaudibly, “I’m
sorry for your loss”.
The image of the gurney being loaded into the ambulance
dissolves in an absolute blur from Alex’s tears.
Genres:
["Drama","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
4 -
A Funeral Divided
EXT. CEMETERY - DAY
WE FADE IN [cemetery blur which clears to a half sunny,
half rainy scene].
Kelly’s funeral. Alex stares perplexed at the strange
phenomenon: Half the small crowd stands in the sun, while
there’s drizzling rain over the other half. Umbrellas open
with loud pops.
She looks quizzically at Brett who stands closer to her,
then scans the crowd, searching for someone.
A hand falls on her shoulder causing her to startle. She
turns to face Lloyd Powers, her father, pain etching hard
lines on his deathly pale flesh. Madeleine, her mother,
also makes a comforting gesture.
ALEX
It’s strange, isn’t it, dad?
He doesn’t understand.
ALEX
I don’t see Kelly’s parents.
MADELEINE
Were they on good terms?
ALEX
They adored her. Only child.
LLOYD
Maybe they missed their plane.
ALEX
No, something’s wrong here, dad.
Her parents should be at her
funeral.
MADELEINE
Well, we’re here sweetheart,
aren’t we?
ALEX turns her attention to the casket which is being
lowered slowly into the grave.
CLOSE on eyes, where a single tear bursts and rolls down a
child’s cheek.
FLASHBACK: A different funeral. A six year old Alex stands
between her father and her mother.
ANGLE on a young, tearful Madeleine. A woman, perhaps a
friend, squeezes her hand tenderly.
WOMAN
You did the right thing, dear.
MADELEINE
She’d have wanted it this way. A
proud woman. In a coma for a year
with no hope of recovery.
WOMAN
You did the right thing.
MADELEINE
The toughest decision I’ve ever
had to make.
WOMAN
Yes, no doubt, you did the right
thing.
END FLASHBACK.
ANGLE on Alex, gasping for breath, lost in a suffocating
feeling.
ANGLE on Kelly’s casket as it disappears into a transparent
black void.
BLACK
Genres:
["Drama","Mystery"]
Ratings
Scene
5 -
Interrogation and Memories
EXT. POLICE PRECINCT - DAY
Alex exits a cab and heads to the entrance.
INT. POLICE PRECINCT / LIEUTENANT DAVIS OFFICE - CONTINUOUS
Lieutenant Davis, 45, a typical plain-clothed cop, studies
Alex for a long moment.
DAVIS
We’re treating this as an
accident for now, Miss Powers.
But I’m afraid I have a lot of
questions.
ALEX
Sure. Go ahead.
DAVIS
What exactly were you doing --
that night, on the Palomar?
ALEX
Kelly and I, with friends... we
were at a local country club --
after our meetings. We were
chatting.
DAVIS
Casually? I mean no tension
between the two of you?
ALEX
Tension? Kelly and I? We were
best friends.
FLASHBACK /INT. COUNTRY PUB, SAN DIEGO - NIGHT
A corner booth, packed with young, lively, executive types
engaged in mindless conversations.
Alex and Kelly are into their own stuff, as usual. Close
friends for the last two years, don’t seem to have enough
of each other, but they both keep an eye on the guys.
ALEX
The boys are ignoring us.
KELLY
Heated debate. Probably same
topic. The Hairpin.
ALEX
Guys talk about hairpins? It’s a
bold new world.
KELLY
Hairpin, as in curve, bend,
switchback.
ALEX
Sounds equally boring.
KELLY
Not if you’ve heard the urban
legend. The Hairpin Treatment.
Genres:
["Drama","Mystery","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
6 -
The Hairpin Debate
BACK TO PRESENT / INT. DAVIS’ OFFICE
Davis struggles to comprehend.
DAVIS
The Hairpin Treatment?
ALEX
You never heard of it? Everybody
else seems to know.
DAVIS
Humor me. I don’t get out much.
FLASHBACK / INT. COUNTRY PUB, SAN DIEGO - NIGHT
Alex and Kelly over the loud raucous of their group.
KELLY
You’ve never heard of the
“Hairpin” legend, also called
“The Happiness Pass?”
ALEX
(shaking her head)
Educate me.
KELLY
If you so badly want -- need --
to turn your life around and
everything else has failed, you
race this one mountain road to
the tightest hairpin, you
challenge it and you let the
hairpin decide which way you’re
going -- which direction your
life will turn to.
ALEX
Sure, and Snow White is alive,
well and married with three
children.
KELLY
It’s probably nothing more than
superstition. But a lot of people
who need some kind of illusion to
spike up their lives come here.
They believe that the Palomar
Mountain road is the place for
such a hairpin.
ALEX
Like a cheapo version of “The
Fast and the Furious”? Adolescent
macho car racing.
KELLY
Probably.
ALEX
Probably?
KELLY
Definitely.
ALEX
What if it’s true?
KELLY
Say that again.
ALEX
Yeah, what if there’s some truth
there.
KELLY
You? A skeptic -- thinking that
it might be true?
ALEX
Look at it this way: From a
scientific point of view,
altitude, combined with the speed
of the vehicle and the centrifuge
of the hairpin, may raise
adrenaline to a level that
effects the brainwaves and
therefore changes your way of
thinking. See, it’s not the
Hairpin that turns your life
around, it’s you.
KELLY
If you have a deeply rooted
reason to change your life.
ALEX
I do.
KELLY
No, you don’t. You have a perfect
life. Let’s drop this subject.
ALEX
Come on, it’s gonna be fun. If we
do it and nothing happens, we put
an end to the urban legend,
expose the hoax on Facebook and
save a lot of people the trouble
of coming all the way up here and
trying it themselves.
KELLY
Nah, I don’t think so.
ALEX
Oh, come on Kell. Do it for me.
KELLY
You didn’t say “please”.
Genres:
["Drama","Mystery","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
7 -
A Toast to Change
BACK TO PRESENT / INT. DAVIS’ OFFICE
Davis doodles on the back of an empty folder. He stops and
nails Alex.
DAVIS
However, you kept insisting. Then
the two of you decided to race.
ALEX
No. We made it clear, no racing.
DAVIS
Drinking?
ALEX
No.
DAVIS
Although you happened to be in a
bar.
ALEX
Where they also serve lemonade.
Davis scrutinizes some photocopies.
DAVIS
Yes, lemonade. And Kelly?
ALEX
Just half a drink.
FLASHBACK / INT. COUNTRY PUB, SAN DIEGO - NIGHT
Alex and Kelly, in the middle of their hairpin debate.
KELLY
Come on, it’s so lame.
ALEX
Maybe not. Maybe that’s the
missing element in my life. I’m
too calculated, so prepared, so
well organized and obsessively
self-righteous.
KELLY
Those are all good things.
ALEX
I’m not sure, Kell. Maybe I need
to sedate my logic and attack the
illogical head on. Do something
spectacularly stupid, a colossal
mistake -- for a change.
KELLY
Nah, forget it. And finish your
lemonade.
Alex downs the lemonade. Kelly pours another for her, but
Alex pulls it away and empties it in a nearby potted plant.
ALEX
One’s enough.
Kelly grins.
KELLY
Know what? You’re right. I’m
stuck with the same, old, boring
by-the-book Alex.
ALEX
Well, I have news for you.
Girlfriend, tonight I change.
They toast their empty glasses.
KELLY
It’s bad luck to toast with empty
glasses.
ALEX
Bite me.
Genres:
["Drama","Mystery","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
8 -
Child's Play: A Reckless Swap
BACK TO PRESENT / INT. DAVIS’ OFFICE
Davis shifts irritably in his chair.
DAVIS
It was your car that went off the
road. How come?
ALEX
We swapped cars. Thought it
would be fun.
DAVIS
Some kind of fun.
He continues to scrutinize the printouts, avoiding eye
contact.
DAVIS
Who suggested the swap, Miss
Powers?
ALEX
(softly)
I did. I called it “child’s
play”.
FLASHBACK / EXT. OUTSIDE COUNTRY PUB - NIGHT
Alex and Kelly walk decisively toward their cars, a red
Jeep and a pale blue Beemer, parked next to each other.
ALEX
Let’s switch cars.
KELLY
You’re kiddin’. I don’t trust you
with my Beemer.
ALEX
A symbolic act?
KELLY
What’s symbolic about it?
ALEX
Child’s play. We start anew.
She tosses her keys to Kelly, who tosses her’s in return to
Alex.
ECU IN SLOW MOTION as the two keyrings with car keys
attached, cross paths in mid air, catching a gleam of
moonlight.
ALEX
Hey, girlfriend, we’re not
racing. Just gonna challenge the
hairpin. The secret is to slow
down and get the car -- and
yourself -- under control.
KELLY
Who’s control?
ALEX
The Hairpin’s of course. So, are
we clear? No racing. I’m saying
that because I know how fuckin’
competitive you are.
KELLY
I know that I’ll live to regret
the moment I uttered the word
“hairpin”. But no matter what,
I’ll be your wingman.
INT. BEEMER AND JEEP - CONTINUOUS
Alex in the blue Beemer and Kelly in the red Jeep. They
adjust their bluetooth headsets.
Keys turn in the ignition simultaneously and the engines
rev loudly. The first notes of “Stormy Weather”
reverberate from the Beemer’s closed windows.
ALEX (ON BLUETOOTH)
Don’t you have any real music?
KELLY (O.S.) (FILTERED)
I’m an old fashioned romantic. If
you don’t like it, shut it off.
ALEX (ON BLUETOOTH)
Nah. It’s fine.
The girls notice a DRUNKEN PATRON who finishes vomiting
outside the bar and glances curiously toward them.
ALEX
(to Kelly)
You’re on, girlfriend.
EXT. OUTSIDE THE PUB - CONTINUOUS
The cars peel wildly out of the parking lot. The drunken
patron gazes bleary-eyed at the rear lights as they
momentarily paint him red and then fade into the distance.
DRUNKEN PATRON
Crazy bitches
Genres:
["Drama","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
9 -
Tampered Lines
BACK TO PRESENT / INT. DAVIS’ OFFICE
Davis chews on the eraser of a pencil, then runs the pencil
over a bunch of blueprint diagrams. Alex fidgets.
DAVIS
Strange. Really.
ALEX
Something I should know?
DAVIS
Definitely. Your brake lines.
ALEX
What about them?
DAVIS
Your brake lines had snapped.
Strange, for brand new brake
lines ... unless they were
tampered with.
FLASHBACK: The Palomar night. The hairpin in sight. Alex’s
foot heavy on the brake before reaching the crucial bend.
BACK TO PRESENT / DAVIS’ OFFICE
ALEX
You mean, someone was trying to
kill me?
DAVIS
That’s one interpretation.
ALEX
What the fuck are you implying,
detective?
DAVIS
Implying, Miss Powers? In “The
mysterious case of the Hairpin” --
or how a young woman lost her
life for a stupid superstition --
I’m not at liberty to “imply”,
while the investigation is still
in progress.
He shuts his folder noisily, opens a drawer and hands Alex
an iPhone.
DAVIS
This was in the BMW. I presume
it’s yours?
ALEX
Yeah, it’s mine.
DAVIS
(points to the phone)
Anything there I might be
interested in?
Alex swallows hard. Davis notices.
ALEX
No, just personal stuff.
She hesitates for a long moment
ALEX
Where’s the car?
DAVIS
Forensics, but you have no rights
to it. It’s registered to Kelly
Stephanie Finnegan.
Alex snatches the iPhone angrily and puts it in her purse.
Genres:
["Mystery","Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
10 -
Grief's Grasp
INT. OFFICE - DAY
Alex relaxes in a highback leather chair, lost in thought.
She reaches hesitantly for her iPhone, turns it on, then
touches the VIDEO icon. A long agonizing moment, then: The
screen displays NO VIDEOS FOUND. Alex frowns.
A knock on the door interrupts her solitude.
ALEX
Come in.
Lena [young, pretty, pleasant] comes in.
LENA
Hey. I’m so sorry.
Alex nods in understanding.
LENA
I don’t know what else to say.
Are you...
ALEX
Alive?
LENA
... alright -- I meant.
ALEX
Thanks, Lena. I’ll be fine.
LENA
Hellman thinks you should go
home.
ALEX
And do what?
LENA
Take some time off, Alex. It’s a
tragedy, but you got to...
ALEX
(interrupting)
I know what I have to do, Lena.
Thank Hellman for me. I’ll go
home when I feel like. No
babysitters. OK?
Lena nods and backs out the door, concern etched on her
face. Alex returns her attention to the iPhone still
displaying NO VIDEOS FOUND.
BLACK
ABRUPT cut to a blinding, sunny sky. Birds chirp, gentle
wind blows through trees.
THE CEMETERY again. Peaceful, deserted, quite. Soft
footsteps on grass. Then Alex, holding a bouquet of pink
lilies, approaches hesitantly, pauses, takes a deep breath
and continues.
REVERSE ANGLE to see: Kelly’s grave at a short distance.
However, through Alex’s POV, the distance seems long,
almost impossible to walk. The tombstone shimmers as though
an intense heat radiates from the ground.
Alex manages to control her emotions.
ALEX
(to herself)
Oh, Kelly.
She takes a few decisive steps forward and stops on the
grassy area where she hesitates but finally kneels on the
grass.
ALEX
I know it’s only been weeks,
Kell, but it seems like forever.
Every day without you, seems like
a year. I wanted to tell you
that.
She leans forward and reaches to place the lilies on the
grave when:
A semi-deformed necrose HAND bursts out of the soft, moist
soil covered in dried blood and dirt, grabbing Alex’s wrist
and pulling her violently down. She screams and hits her
head on the tombstone.
HOLD on her cheek as she lies unconscious on the marble.
Then, a hand gently parts her blond hair from her face and
caresses her firmly in an attempt to bring her to.
SEAN (O.S.)
Hey ... Can you hear me?
Alex opens her eyes, squinting in the sunlight, vaguely
making out the almost liquid silhouette of a man leaning
over her.
SEAN (O.S.)
Slippery when wet.
ALEX
What?
The image of the silhouette clears and a face comes into
focus: Sean Jameson, 41, good looking, salt’n’pepper hair,
robust.
SEAN
The grass. You slipped and hit
your head on the tombstone.
Alex remembers the hand and looks around. The grass is
perfectly manicured. No signs of a disturbance. Sean
reaches out and helps Alex up.
SEAN
And you got a nasty bump.
ALEX
I was ...
SEAN
... visiting Kelly?
ALEX
How would you know?
SEAN
For one, I can read the name.
Then, again ... perhaps you don’t
remember, but we’ve met before.
You are ... Alex, Kelly’s best
friend.
ALEX
I’m sorry, I don’t...
BEGIN FLASHBACK
Alex stands despondently behind a glass partition and
watches doctors and nurses hover over Kelly’s seemingly
lifeless body.
One doctor, in robe and mask, inaudibly uses a
defibrillator to try to revive Kelly. His image is blurred
behind the glass.
END FLASHBACK.
ALEX
... the hospital? You’re a ...
SEAN
...doctor. I’m Sean. Dr. Jameson?
The neurosurgeon who treated
Kelly. Not much I could do
though. Sad.
Alex frowns.
SEAN
You look awfully pale. Let me
take you to a more upbeat place.
Genres:
["Drama","Mystery","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
11 -
Unspoken Tensions
EXT. PACIFIC BEACH / OPEN BAR - DAY
A noisy, lively beach bar. Loud reggae, fancy drinks, tiny
bikinis and a colorful crowd. Alex is taken aback from the
contrasty mood and notices that Sean has already become
engaged in the frivolity.
SEAN
How long has it been?
ALEX
Since?
SEAN
You know. That night.
ALEX
I can’t tell.
SEAN
Losing track of time, is a
typical refuge... for emotional
trauma.
ALEX
Let’s not talk about that.
SEAN
You’re right. Let’s not.
They sit at a center table, in the eye of the cheerful
hurricane.
SEAN
Want a shot of tequila?
ALEX
No tequila, thanks. Lemonade for
me.
Sean makes his way to the crowded bar and returns with two
glasses.
SEAN
Isn’t this place great?
ALEX
Compared to what? The cemetery?
SEAN
Is it just me or is there a
thinly disguised hostile attitude
here?
ALEX
Hostile?
SEAN
Am I guilty of something?
ALEX
I appreciate the effort but I’m
still in shock. My grief isn’t
going to drift away with a few
Bob Marley bars.
SEAN
Give it time. Bob Marley is known
to have therapeutic effects.
Alex remains unresponsive, scanning the crowd
indifferently.
SEAN
Alex, listen...
He reaches over and touches her hand. Alex shudders, as if
an electric jolt hit her and pulls her hand away.
SEAN
What was that?
ALEX
I definitely felt a jolt.
SEAN
Positive - negative charge. Our
chemistry has spoken.
ALEX
Hate to disappoint you but it was
just static.
She rubs her hand instinctively. Sean notices.
SEAN
Speaking of a jolt, you sure you
don’t want a shot?
ALEX
No alcohol for me.
SEAN
Even if it’s doctor prescribed?
Sean downs his shot in a single gulp and stares at Alex who
seems reluctant to make eye contact.
SEAN
Were you drinking?
ALEX
Drinking?
SEAN
That night?
Alex freezes.
Genres:
["Drama","Mystery"]
Ratings
Scene
12 -
Defiance in the Crowd
INT. COUNTRY PUB, SAN DIEGO - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
The corner booth. Kelly looks over at Alex.
KELLY
Drink up.
Alex takes a sip from her half-full lemonade and removes
Kelly’s glass from her hand.
SEAN (O.S.)
Alex?
EXT. PACIFIC BEACH, OPEN BAR - DAY
Alex shakes her head back to reality.
ALEX
Why? Why do you want to know? Is
this some special happy hour, I’m
not aware of?
SEAN
Alex ...
ALEX
Where we pass judgment, get
conclusive evidence, cast blame?
SEAN
Come on, now ...
ALEX
What do you want from me, Dr.
Jameson?
She stands up.
SEAN
Alex, please.
ALEX
Stick to your nuts and bolts and
leave the psychoanalysis to the
experts.
She defiantly downs her lemonade.
ALEX
Thanks for the lemonade, doc.
Alex disappears into the colorful crowd. Sean curses under
his breath.
SEAN
Nuts and bolts?
He hastily gets up and chases after her.
Genres:
["Drama","Mystery","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
13 -
A Moment of Connection
EXT. FARMER’S MARKET - CONTINUOUS
A different kind of crowd. Passersby pay more attention to
the vegetables than the furious Alex stalking aggressively
past them.
Suddenly, a fresh bouquet of flowers is shoved gently in
front of her face. She stops, stunned to see Sean’s panting
smiling face, accented by the assorted spring blossoms.
Alex mellows slightly as she fails to fight off a smile of
her own.
FLORIST (O.S.)
Hey, you have to pay for those
pal.
SEAN
(over his shoulder)
I’m good for it.
He presents Alex the bouquet.
SEAN
Forgive me?
Alex hesitates.
SEAN
Hurry, before the shop keeper has
me arrested.
ALEX
(sheepishly)
I’m the one who should apologize.
SEAN
Wanna talk about it?
ALEX
Not right now. I need to be
home.
SEAN
I get it. How are your coffee
making skills?
ALEX
Alone, Sean.
SEAN
Fine. Can I drive you?
She nods toward a long cordon of cabs.
ALEX
I’ll manage.
Genres:
["Drama","Romance"]
Ratings
Scene
14 -
Shadows in the Rain
INT./ EXT. ALEX’S HOUSE - EVENING
Long shadows dance in the spacious living room, lit only by
a few dying flames in the fireplace.
Alex stands in front of a bay window, staring purposelessly
into the thick sheets of rain pummeling the glass. Too
drawn in her thoughts to notice:
A BLURRY SHADOW gliding past an adjoining side window, too
close to the house.
Alex continues staring into the downpour. She lights a
smoke, takes a deep drag, coughs a couple of times and
moves to a low coffee table to put the cigarette out.
She starts to rise back from the coffee table when the
shadow appears a foot behind her, blurred behind the sheets
of torrential rain and wet glass.
Alex senses the apparition and turns, as the blinding flash
of nearby lightning momentarily illuminates ...
A DISTORTED MASKED FACE, as unnerving as it is
unrecognizable.
Alex screams. The masked silhouette melts back into the
shadows.
Alex hyperventilates for several moments as she collapses
onto the couch. She has only started to calm down when the
rumble from a vibrating cell phone startles her again.
She hesitates, the caller I.D. displays: “Blocked”.
She clicks the answer button but doesn’t speak.
SEAN (V.O.) (FILTERED)
Alex? Can you hear me?
ALEX
Who is this?
SEAN (V.O.)
It’s me, Sean.
ALEX
Why are you calling?
SEAN (V.O.)
Because you asked me to.
ALEX
No I didn’t.
SEAN (V.O.)
Well, unless someone else texted
me from your cell ... I tried
calling a couple of times but it
said you were out of the service
area. Must be the rain.
ALEX
It was a mistake.
SEAN (V.O.)
A ghost in your machine. I
understand, minds change. I guess
I’ll go back to my place.
Alex notices a pair of headlights appear in the distance.
ALEX
Wait.
A long pause.
SEAN (V.O.)
I’m waiting.
ALEX
I should at least offer you a cup
of coffee for the ride back.
SEAN (V.O.)
I’ll be right there.
Alex clicks off the phone, her free hand runs over the
distorted glass of the bay window. We view her from the
other side of the shimmering glass. As she closes her eyes
we ...
CUT TO:
INT. ALEX’S HOUSE, BEDROOM - NIGHT
... Alex and Sean in bed, wrapped together in a fierce
ballet of anger-tinged love making. We are close on Alex
as she opens and then quickly closes her eyes, lost in
conflicting emotions.
Genres:
["Thriller","Romance"]
Ratings
Scene
15 -
Clash of Passion and Trauma
EXT. PALOMAR MOUNTAIN ROAD - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
Flashes of the mountain road, the screeching tires, the
switchbacks.
INT. ALEX’S HOUSE, BEDROOM - NIGHT
Alex’s love making becomes angrier. Sean is almost turned
off for a moment but plays along.
FLASH TO:
EXT. PALOMAR MOUNTAIN ROAD - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
The hairpin. The skidding of the Beemer. The burgundy Jeep
sliding toward it.
FLASH TO:
INT. ALEX’S HOUSE, BEDROOM - NIGHT
CLOSE on Alex, in bed, eyes shut, gasping for breath.
FLASH TO:
EXT. PALOMAR MOUNTAIN ROAD - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
CLOSE on Alex, in the car, eyes shut, breathless.
Metal crashes on rock.
ALEX
(screams)
Nooooooooo.
FLASH TO:
INT. ALEX’S HOUSE, BEDROOM - NIGHT
Alex climaxes in an angry orgasm. She screams, then moans
and falls motionless onto an equally exhausted, sweaty
Sean.
Genres:
["Drama","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
16 -
Morning Whispers
EXT. ALEX’S HOUSE - DAYBREAK
The modest house by the sea. Gentle waves lap the
shoreline. A calm but dark overcast daybreak.
INT. HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
Alex wakes up alone in her bed. She stretches and yawns
and out of the corner of her eye sees a note on the pillow.
She reads it and smiles.
CLOSE on the hand written note: “Had early surgery but
managed to make you breakfast”.
INT. LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Alex sips coffee from an oversized mug. It’s still dark and
the lights are still off. Small flames dance in the
fireplace.
Her eyes wander from the fire to a bouquet of fresh pink
lilies in a crystal vase.
She stands and runs her fingers over the lilies as she
makes her way to the bay window. Alex gazes out the window
and notices a shadowy object approaching the house. She
squints at the visage, which appears to be the silhouette
of a man.
A chill runs down her spine as she reaches for a switch and
-- click.
Bright intense spotlight beams sweep the yard and the
shadow melts and disappears.
Alex braces herself and closes the curtains. The spotlights
cast eerie beams through the curtain openings. Then, from
inside the house, a gentle whistle.
Alex freezes and listens. Someone is whistling a familiar
tune -- “Stormy Weather”.
ALEX
Who’s there?
Footsteps -- and the whistling fades. Alex walks decisively
toward the corridor, not noticing the shadow that slides
across the backlit curtains.
Genres:
["Mystery","Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
17 -
Shadows of Fear
INT. CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS
Alex hears the sound of dripping water and a distant bleep-
bleep-bleep rhythmic noise. Then the same hurried
footsteps.
ALEX
Who the hell are you?
The shadow crosses the end of the corridor.
ALEX
Stop right there.
The shadow disappears. The dripping water sounds louder
than before. Alex turns to the kitchen.
INT. KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS
Dark. A beam from an outdoor spotlight accents a wooden
knife block. Alex walks toward it and extracts a large
butcher knife. As the blade turns to face her:
THE REFLECTION of a masked man, standing behind her. Alex
screams and pivots, knife at the ready but --
NO ONE.
Hyperventilating, she scans the kitchen for the intruder
but there’s nobody. Just the faucet, dripping monotonously
in the stainless steel sink.
She puts the knife down softly and turns off the tap. The
dripping fades and finally stops.
A LOUD RING startles her. She doesn’t even glance at her
iPhone’s LCD screen but touches the “allow” button.
Alex pulls the phone from her ear and looks at the screen,
where in bright white letters a name blinks:
KELLY
With trembling hands, she turns off the iPhone, returns to
the bedroom and, shaking badly, seeks refuge inside the bed
covers.
BLACK. SILENCE
AUDIO FADES
IN:
A gentle melodic ring of a cell phone, muffled.
SUPERIMPOSE: “Three months later”
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
18 -
Morning Wake-Up Call
INT. ALEX’S HOUSE, BEDROOM - DAY
The room is bathed in unmistakable warm amber morning
light.
Alex reaches under the pillow to stop the incessant
ringing.
ALEX
Yeah.
SEAN (V.O.)
Wake up, sleepyhead.
ALEX
Why?
SEAN (V.O.)
Because it’s ten forty-five and
you’re supposed to be here at
eleven.
Alex glances at the alarm clock’s display: 3:16.
ALEX
Fuck.
SEAN (V.O.)
Would love to, but ... I have a
surgery scheduled.
ALEX
Ha-ha, funny. “Fuck” was to my
alarm clock. It’s stuck again.
SEAN (V.O.)
Sweetheart, you’ve been
complaining about that piece of
shit for three months now. Just
toss it. I’ll buy you a real
clock. But you’ve got to be here
at eleven. It’s very important.
ALEX
What’s more important than my
sleep?
SEAN (V.O.)
Our relationship?
ALEX
Don’t patronize me. As much as I
love you, I can’t make it there
in fifteen minutes.
SEAN (V.O.)
I know, that’s why I lied -- it’s
nine forty five. You’ve got just
over an hour, pull yourself
together.
Alex growls.
SEAN (V.O.)
Love you too.
Alex smiles as she reluctantly pulls out of bed.
Genres:
["Drama","Romance"]
Ratings
Scene
19 -
Shattered Calm
EXT. JACOBS MEDICAL CENTER - LATER THAT DAY
A picture perfect day. Warm sun reflects off the chrome
wheels of a sportscar as it stops in frame.
A shiny, gleaming convertible Bentley unloads its precious
cargo: Alex, looking stunning in a semi transparent white
dress.
INT. JACOBS MEDICAL CENTER, AMPHITHEATER - CONTINUOUS
A NURSE leads Alex into an amphitheater above an operating
room.
NURSE
Are you going to be comfortable
here, Miss Powers?
ALEX
I’ll be fine, thank you.
NURSE
Coffee?
ALEX
Sure. Thanks.
ANGLE on the OR. Sean’s team is busy around an obscured
body, clearly in the final stages of the surgery.
ANGLE on Alex, observing, curious. A hand with a steaming
cup of coffee enters shot and startles her slightly. She
smiles appreciatively and accepts the steaming mug, takes a
couple of sips, then turns her attention back to the OR.
As the anesthesiologist walks away from the patient, Alex
sees the patient’s partially obscured face and frowns. She
moves closer to the glass and the movement attracts Sean’s
attention. He acknowledges Alex with a nod.
Alex changes her viewing angle to get a better glimpse of
the patient: A woman who starts to look familiar -- then:
A nurse blocks her view.
Alex moves to the control box, close to the monitor and
presses the ON button. Slowly, hesitantly the CRT monitor
warms up to display an out-of-focus image of a face.
THE CAMERA hisses into focus.
ON MONITOR: The face, chalk white and death ridden: It’s
Kelly.
ALEX screams. The coffee mug slips from her hand and
shatters on the tile floor. Alex collapses into a front
row seat.
Genres:
["Drama","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
20 -
A Tense Diagnosis
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - LATER
Alex sits uncomfortably on the bed. Sean finishes examining
her.
SEAN
I’m worried stiff. One more
blackout.
ALEX
I don’t remember having one
before.
SEAN
Typical. You never remember the
one before.
ALEX
What are you saying, Doctor Love?
I’m sick?
SEAN
More than anything else, you’re
stressed. And that’s as bad as
being sick. Let’s get an MRI.
ALEX
Too much radiation. I will glow
in the dark. Let’s take a hike.
SEAN
Alex, you’re not being
responsible.
ALEX
Sure, but I’m being witty.
SEAN
Do you at least remember what
caused it this time?
ALEX
I remember you telling me that it
was important to be here at
eleven. So, what’s important,
doc?
SEAN
(deep sigh)
I’ll tell you in the car.
Genres:
["Drama","Mystery"]
Ratings
Scene
21 -
Coastal Secrets
INT. SEAN’S PORSCHE - LATER
Cruising along the coastal route. Alex seems happy,
cheerful, enjoying every moment of it.
ALEX
Suppose I believe you. So?
SEAN
So, it’s a surprise and I won’t
say another word.
ALEX
That’s wonderful, hon. I get
what I truly deserve. The silent
treatment.
He runs his hand through her hair.
ALEX
You know, some times I think...
the Hairpin story was true. At
least in part...
The Porsche becomes a dot in the distance.
EXT. PORT - LATER
A quaint little private port. A fabulous, two-engine G-21
SuperGoose amphibian plane rests leisurely on the calm
waters.
ANGLE on Alex and Sean. He helps her on board the luxury
vessel.
ALEX
You’re kidding me. This is the
surprise?
SEAN
(fake French accent)
But no, my darling. Zis is only
ze transport to ze surprise.
Genres:
["Drama","Romance","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
22 -
A Prank Gone Awry
EXT. OCEAN - CONTINUOUS
The amphibian’s twin engines roar as the plane glides
smoothly over the water and lifts off.
INT. SUPERGOOSE - CONTINUOUS
Sean at the wheel, catches a glimpse of the stunned Alex
and smiles, content.
ALEX
You never told me you could fly.
SEAN
Hey, if I had told you everything
about me, you’d be bored too
soon.
ALEX
Is there anything else I don’t
know about?
SEAN
There’s a zillion things you
don’t know about me.
ALEX
Seriously, Sean. Three months --
and it’s like I met you
yesterday.
SEAN
That’s good, isn’t it? Wake up
every day as if it was the first
day? Keep the fire burning? No
friction, no wear and tear, no
deterioration of our
relationship? Every day, I’ll be
your brand new lover.
ALEX
Sometimes, I’m wondering. Am I
going insane? Delusional?
SEAN
Nah. You’re just high on
happiness.
ALEX
Then explain it to me, Doctor.
How can happiness feel like
illness at times?
Sean doesn’t answer. Instead, he removes a silky black
fabric from his pocket and hands it to Alex.
SEAN
Do me a favor and put this on.
ALEX
A blindfold? What for?
SEAN
So you can’t see, dummy.
Alex smiles coyly.
ALEX
Kinky. Mile high?
SEAN
Put it on.
She ties the silk meticulously almost over both eyes.
SEAN
And don’t feign innocence. Don’t
cheat.
He pulls the silk to fully cover her eyes.
ALEX’s POV: Blackness. Then suddenly, the engines spurt
irrationally and one after the other die.
ALEX
What’s happening?
Only the howling wind and then a gigantic splash. Alex rips
off the blindfold to see:
THE SUPERGOOSE submerged and sinking fast. Water pours into
the cabin from the shattered windows. She looks for Sean
but the pilot’s seat is empty.
Alex attempts to undo her belt but it’s futile. The water
fills the cabin and she starts to drown. Inaudibly she
screams for help, but the effort only produces bubbles from
the last oxygen in her lungs.
HOLD on Alex: Motionless, dead. Then:
A loud but reassuring thud, as the amphibian’s skids touch
water. The propeller’s noise returns, normal and steady,
winding down as the seaplane comes to a lethargically
rocking stop.
Sean looks at the motionless Alex.
SEAN
You can take it off now, hon.
Alex doesn’t respond.
SEAN
(worried)
Alex? Are you ...asleep?
He realizes that she’s out cold and frantically pulls off
the blindfold, feels her pulse and shakes her.
SEAN
Alex, wake up.
Nothing.
He slides the window open. Sea breeze hits Alex’s face and
she finally comes to. She opens her eyes, looks around
perplexed and gives Sean a clumsy smile.
ALEX
(quivering voice)
Are we there yet?
SEAN
Honey, you were ...
ALEX
Daydreaming.
SEAN
Well, time to wake up to the
harsh reality of life.
He points upwards. Alex looks, still confused as:
CAMERA cranes from the shiny airplane to a magnificent
mansion atop a rocky cliff.
ALEX
OK, I see a humble, tiny house.
What is it?
SEAN
I’ll show you.
Genres:
["Drama","Thriller","Romance"]
Ratings
Scene
23 -
Echoes of the Past
INT. MANSION - LATER
Double doors adorned with amber tainted glass open wide to
an immense hall. Two backlit silhouettes enter.
CLOSER to see: Alex takes in the surroundings in amazement
while Sean studies her with a sly grin.
ALEX
Wow! Did I say “humble”? I take
it back.
(beat)
But why does it look so --
familiar?
She scans the hallway, the open space atrium, the living
room. She runs her fingers on the stucco paint, the
Italian marble, the ebony fixings. They walk from one
stunning room to another.
ALEX
I’ve seen this house before ...
it’s like deja vu.
SEAN
There’s no deja vu in science. We
call it a brief, temporary brain
malfunction. A tiny seizure.
ALEX
That’s what I call doctor
bullshit. In real people’s
jargon, this is a true deja vu.
If not, how do I know every
detail of this house?
Room by room, window by window.
She pauses, looks at Sean in sheer suspicion.
ALEX
You haven’t built this in three
months.
SEAN
True, it took me two years.
ALEX
I’m gonna ask you a question,
Sean -- and you better be honest
with me. We met three months ago
for the first time, right?
SEAN
Also true.
ALEX
And we’d never met before?
SEAN
True again.
ALEX
I only talked to one person once,
about a house I saw in my
dreams... Kelly. You and Kelly
... knew each other?
SEAN
Not true. I never met Kelly. Not
when she was alive, that is.
Alex collapses onto the marble steps.
ALEX
No, no, no -- it doesn’t make
sense. You couldn’t possibly
know unless ...
SEAN
Unless?
ALEX
You read my mind. You were ...
are in my mind.
SEAN
Hate to disappoint you, but what
would I be doing in such a dirty,
dark place?
ALEX
I need to check one thing.
Where’s the master bedroom?
SEAN
Upstairs, third floor...
ALEX
...down the corridor, east so
that it faces the sunrise, last
door on the right.
Sean’s jaw drops.
SEAN
Damn.
Genres:
["Mystery","Thriller","Psychological"]
Ratings
Scene
24 -
A Proposal in the Unexpected
INT. MANSION / CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS
The majestic double polished wooded doors of the master
bedroom. Pull back to see: Sean and Alex standing outside
the bedroom, looking quizzically at each other.
ALEX
Now we’ll know, won’t we? There’s
a king-sized four poster bed,
headboard on the left wall. A
huge bay window with heavy,
yellow, satin-covered blackout
drapes. And on the right
nightstand, an Edmund Scientific
projection clock. Are you holding
your breath?
Sean nods compromisingly. Alex opens the doors and enters.
MASTER BEDROOM
A California King bed sits majestically against the right
wall, the curtains are transparent and turquoise and
there’s no projection clock on the right nightstand.
For a long moment, Alex is lost in her thoughts, then she
chuckles lightly, the chuckle becomes a thunderous laughter
and she falls leisurely onto the bed.
ALEX
Thank you, God. It’s wonderful.
It’s so wonderful to be wrong,
it’s such a great, great relief
to be wrong.
She lifts herself up to see: Sean has kneeled in front of
her.
ALEX
What are you doing?
SEAN
What does it look like?
ALEX
On both knees? Praying?
SEAN
With all my heart. That you’ll
say, “yes”. Alexandra Marie
Powers, will you marry me?
Alex sits in stunned silence, even when Sean presents a
gorgeous ring and slips it on her finger.
She pulls Sean up hard, and grabs him in her arms with a
forceful passion, bordering desperation. They kiss long and
hot.
ALEX
(groaning)
I will marry you, dimwit, but
only if you make love to me here
and now. We’ll call it “the
inaugural fuck”.
They turn, writhe together and laugh on the huge bed.
Suddenly, without realizing it, they’re bathed in a pale
red light.
CAMERA tracks toward the left nightstand to see: An Edmund
Scientific projection clock is turned on. On the ceiling,
its bright red digits read: 1:55 PM, however the seconds
tick rapidly in reverse, as if on a countdown.
Genres:
["Romance","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
25 -
Signing the Future
INT. LAW OFFICES - DAY
Sean and Alex sit at an oval table. A sliding door hisses
open and Margaret Young, a 35 year old attorney, walks in
with a stack of folders.
MARGARET
Sorry it took so long. The
copier’s been on the fritz today.
She places dossiers in front of the two.
MARGARET
I trust you’ve read the final
draft of the prenup.
Both Sean and Alex smile and nod.
ALEX
It wasn’t my idea.
SEAN
I’ll take credit. Want my future
wife to be absolutely safe and
secure.
MARGARET
And the prenup provides for that
too. Exhibit A has the life
insurance policies, Exhibit B has
a list of Mr. Jameson’s assets,
and Exhibit C has the mutual
power of attorney. As provided,
should Mr. Jameson be deceased
first...
Alex instinctively knocks on wood, Margaret notices and
smiles.
MARGARET
... he is succeeded by -- and the
cascading power of attorney is
passed on -- to Ms. Powers’
parents. Please sign where
indicated and also initial the
three Exhibits.
She passes smiles and Montblancs to the couple.
Genres:
["Drama","Romance"]
Ratings
Scene
26 -
Wedded Tensions
EXT. MANSION - DAY
A stunning aerial shot of the cliffside mansion, packed
with guests.
As we come lower, we hear a priest going through a typical
wedding ceremony.
Then a montage of anticipated shots: Alex, the bride, and
Sean, the groom, kiss. Guests applaud. The band plays.
Alex walks among the guests, hugging, kissing, accepting
wishes, beaming with happiness.
CAMERA tracks with a champagne glass in Alex’s hand and
stops at a two-shot of her parents. Their somber looks make
Alex uneasy.
ALEX
Dad, mom. What’s wrong?
LLOYD
Nothing, sweetheart.
MADELEINE
We just can’t pretend to like
him.
ALEX
(agitated)
Who? Sean?
LLOYD
I have nothing against him.
MADELEINE
I do. He’s a doctor.
ALEX
You’re talking about the man I
love.
MADELEINE
He’s a doctor. Look at the
others. Most of them doctors.
You’re surrounded by doctors. Is
this the life you always wanted?
ALEX
(to Lloyd)
What’s wrong with her, Lloyd?
Lloyd shrugs.
ALEX
This is my day. So keep your
feelings for Sean to yourselves
and let me enjoy this while it
lasts.
She downs her champagne, turns angrily and loses herself
among the groups of guests. When she turns to look back,
Lloyd and Madeleine are no longer there.
She shrugs bitterly and scans the guests for Sean but he’s
nowhere to be seen. She resigns and secrets away from the
music and the crowd.
Alex finds seclusion on a lone bench in the vast manicured
gardens and takes a moment for herself.
She studies the guests from her distant perch as they
chuckle, comment and gossip while the band plays.
Then, a blurry image grabs her attention. She squints to
focus on the backlit silhouette which moves away from the
crowd of elegant guests. The silhouette stops, as though
anticipating Alex’s attention.
Alex stands and takes a few steps forward. The silhouette
turns slowly and a reflection from the pond illuminates her
face: It’s Kelly.
Alex freezes in shock.
ALEX
Kelly?
Kelly turns and begins to walk away.
Scared, curious, and perplexed but hopeful, Alex hurries
after Kelly.
Kelly looks over her shoulder and begins to run away. Alex
sprints after her.
ALEX
Kelly, stop. Kelly.
The band plays but the sounds from the reception fade as
Alex follows after Kelly.
No one notices as Alex leaves the party. The two women
head toward the steep end of the cliff. Then, as Alex turns
a corner, Kelly is no longer there.
Alex continues hesitantly toward the edge. She looks down
and sees no sign of Kelly. Just the ocean waves breaking
violently against the rocky shore.
Then: A hand enters frame and falls firm on Alex’s
shoulder. She screams and turns to see:
Sean, perplexed and concerned.
SEAN
Alex, honey.
Alex gasps for breath.
SEAN
Hey ... What’s wrong?
ALEX
Kelly.
SEAN
No, no, not again.
ALEX
It was Kelly.
SEAN
No, Alex. There’s no Kelly.
ALEX
She was here.
SEAN
Sweetheart, listen to me. It’s
the stress, the reception, the
noise. Kelly’s not here. And you
shouldn’t be here either ... it’s
too dangerous this close to the
cliff.
He nods toward her belly.
SEAN
For the both of you.
Alex brings her hands instinctively, protectively to her
belly. Sean smiles and also places a protective hand on her
belly.
SEAN
She’s kicking, she’s fine. Now
let me take you inside, far away
from the maddening crowd.
He helps her up, takes her in his arms and walks her to the
mansion.
SEAN
Alex?
ALEX
Yes, doctor.
SEAN
Remember that MRI? Well, it’s
long overdue.
Alex leans her head on his shoulder, then secretly glances
toward the precipice. No one there. The band plays on.
Genres:
["Drama","Romance","Mystery"]
Ratings
Scene
27 -
A Garden of Contrasts
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - MRI FACILITY - DAY
Alex inside the MRI unit. Sean and two specialists, behind
the glass, scrutinize the readings and exchange glances
while making comments. From Alex’s POV we see Sean relieved
and smiling. She also smiles.
EXT. MANSION / GARDENS - WEEKS LATER
Sean and Alex stroll in the immaculate gardens. He holds
her hand and she brushes playfully close.
ALEX
You know, I always thought this
landscape is too perfect to be
believable.
SEAN
Maybe you’re right, too manicured
for a garden. Well, change it.
ALEX
Me? How?
SEAN
Mess it up. Let everything grow
wild. Model it after your
imagination.
ALEX
Really? That sounds fun.
SEAN
Talking about fun, we haven’t
been going out lately. Wanna do
dinner?
ALEX
A romantic dinner? Candles, red
wine, music?
From a distance, as if a wish came true, faint music
starts.
SEAN
Yes, all the above and more.
ALEX
Shhh. Listen. The music.
The music starts to clear, when Billie Holiday’s voice
alerts Alex to the song: “Stormy Weather”.
SEAN
Can’t hear a thing, hon.
ALEX
I do. Listen.
Alex starts to panic as the song builds up. Only this time,
the lyrics are slightly altered:
“When she went away, the blues walked in and met me”.
ALEX
Let’s go back in. I’m cold.
Sean can’t figure it out, but doesn’t argue. They hurry
back to the mansion.
Genres:
["Romance","Mystery","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
28 -
Haunted by Guilt
INT. DEN - NIGHT
The two are crouched into each other in front of the
crackling fireplace, sipping wine.
SEAN
Wanna talk to me, Alex?
ALEX
About what?
SEAN
About what’s bothering you.
ALEX
Nothing’s bothering me.
SEAN
I’d say that you’re hiding your
head in the sand. I wish I could
read your mind.
ALEX
Even I can’t read my mind. I know
it’s stupid and unfair that I
don’t let you in, that I’m
telling myself this will go away,
but I’m a different person since
the night of the Hairpin. And
she’s always present.
Sean sighs in frustration. He’s heard this a hundred
times.
SEAN
Kelly is dead.
ALEX
Physically, maybe. But she lives
in my guilt for that night and
she’ll always haunt me. It feels
as if she’s jealous of my life,
my happiness, you...
SEAN
Post traumatic guilt doesn’t last
long. You don’t get rid of it in
an instant. It fades out and
there’s always -- there will
always be -- some residue.
ALEX
Out there, in the garden, I could
hear clearly ...
SEAN
“Stormy Weather”?
ALEX
(sudden hope)
You heard it too?
SEAN
(kisses her)
No, dummy. You’ve talked to me
about the night of the accident,
remember.
ALEX
Strange. I don’t remember
mentioning which song was playing
when ...
SEAN
So, maybe I can read your mind.
He pulls her gently in his arms and holds her close, but a
dark suspicion swims in Alex’s eyes.
Genres:
["Drama","Romance","Mystery"]
Ratings
Scene
29 -
Whispers in the Shadows
INT. MANSION, BEDROOM - NIGHT
Alex, in a restless sleep.
IN HER DREAM: Alex, bound with tight leather straps, sits
upright in a surgical chair. The piercing noise of an
electric drill and then:
A REFLECTION on a chrome-plated cabinet and she sees:
A MAN, wearing a surgeon’s mask, approaches from behind.
THE SHARP tip of the drill is inserted in her skull,
followed by the excruciating noise of bone being bore
through.
ALEX SCREAMS
And she’s wide awake in her bed, sweating heavily, Sean
sleeping quietly next to her.
INT. MANSION / BEDROOM - NEXT MORNING
Alex at the window, watches Sean place a small suitcase in
the trunk of a limo, then get inside. The limo rolls down
and out of the driveway.
INT. MANSION - CONTINUOUS
Alex alone, explores the vast mansion, room after room.
INT. MANSION / BASEMENT - CONTINUOUS
Alex opens various doors in the basement until she comes to
one which is locked. She tries the handle several times and
notices that the door, unlike the rest of the house, has a
sophisticated double security lock.
EXT. GARDENS - A LITTLE LATER
Alex walks the grounds, looking for something specific. A
reflection gets her attention and she looks closer, inside
the thick bush to see: A tiny metallic object. She reaches
deep inside the bush and pulls:
A MINIATURE WIRELESS SPEAKER
ALEX
Gotcha.
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery"]
Ratings
Scene
30 -
Maze of Affection
EXT. MANSION / GARDENS - DAY
Wild, jungle-like vegetation has replaced the once perfect
landscaping and it’s clear that some time has passed.
CAMERA travels through an indecipherable green maze, then
it’s airborne so that the aerial shot will reveal: An
intricate hedge maze, in the center of the property,
expertly done by the hand of some genius gardener, with its
myriad twists and turns and dead-ends. Its unusual
trapezoid shape covers a third of an acre and contains
endless paths.
CAMERA ends its exploration on the face of a stunned Sean.
Next to him, Alex beams with pride.
SEAN
Wow! I’m gone four days and --
all this? How did you do it?
ALEX
With your money, honey. When time
is tight, people work double
shifts -- if they get paid well.
SEAN
The vegetation ... that maze.
A-mazing? No pun intended.
ALEX
Don’t you wanna know how much?
That’s the first thing other
husbands would ask.
SEAN
I’m not like other husbands.
ALEX
(puts her arms around
him)
You’re my Sean. One and only,
unique, rare, precious, so
perfect, almost a figment of my
imagination.
Sean pinches her playfully.
ALEX
Ouch. What was that?
SEAN
Figments don’t pinch.
ALEX
Come on, let’s negotiate the
maze. You can show me how good
you are, doctor.
SEAN
No, I won’t. I’m an idiot when
it comes to puzzles and you are
coy and sly -- you probably
practiced, just to show off.
ALEX
Let’s do it.
She grabs him by the hand playfully and they start running
through the semi-circular twists without coming to a dead
end a single time.
Genres:
["Romance","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
31 -
Secrets in the Shadows
EXT. MAZE EXIT - CONTINUOUS
They emerge out of breath. Sean crouches and gasps for air,
completely exhausted.
ALEX
You’re getting soft and old,
doctor. You need to exercise
more.
Sean pats her playfully on the butt and heads for the
mansion. Alex stands and admires him, sighs.
ALEX
Damn, he’s so good looking. And I
love his buttslap.
INT. BATHROOM - LATER THAT NIGHT
Alex opens the bathroom door, enters and pauses briefly.
ALEX
Honey, don’t wait up. I may be a
while.
SEAN (O.S.)
OK.
ALEX
But if you do wait, it may be
worth it.
She turns on the hot water and enjoys the steam rising in
the expansive tub. Then she suddenly changes her mind and
runs to the bedroom.
INT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS
Alex enters, jumps and lands on the surprised Sean.
ALEX
I lied. Wait for me. Here’s a
free sample of what you’ll be
getting.
She pulls the sheets and starts kissing his chest, then his
belly, then lower. Sean moans and closes his eyes.
A few moments and then Alex crawls back up and pulls
something from over the nightstand. She holds it high in
front of his face.
ALEX
Honey, what is this?
SEAN
I don’t know. A speaker?
ALEX
A wireless speaker. What was it
doing in the garden?
SEAN
What it’s supposed to do. Play
music.
ALEX
What kind of music, honey? Like
for instance, “Stormy Weather”?
SEAN
Don’t be ridiculous. Don’t you
remember? We installed the
speakers for the wedding
reception.
Alex feels a little silly -- and numb.
ALEX
We did?
SEAN
Sure we did. You were the one who
wanted them.
ALEX
And I suppose it was me who also
asked for the locked room in the
basement?
SEAN
No, that’s entirely my labor.
ALEX
A double lock and no keys around.
What kind of skeletons are you
keeping there, doctor?
SEAN
Documents, files and some serious
cash.
ALEX
Show me.
SEAN
Sure. I’ll bring the keys
tomorrow. Now what about that
coitus interruptus?
Alex, visibly relieved, sits up and straddles him.
ALEX
Don’t you dare fall asleep.
INT. BATHROOM - LATER
Alex enters the fogged-out bathroom in great spirits and
heads for the bathtub to turn off the water when something
catches her attention. She notices a set of muddy
footprints on the floor.
ALEX
What the hell?
The footprints lead to a vanity mirror. Alex sees writing
on the steamed glass: “Something old, something new,
something borrowed ...”. The word “borrowed” is slowly
underlined.
Alex gasps for breath, then in one decisive move wipes the
mirror clean and clenches her teeth in determination.
Genres:
["Romance","Mystery","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
32 -
Seaside Tensions
EXT. SILVER STRAND BOULEVARD - DAY
Sean’s Porsche glides on the seaside road, a narrow strip
of land surrounded with nothing but the ocean.
Alex, still visibly shaken -- dry lips, ashen skin, huge
sunglasses -- sports a black, silk stole. The first bars
of a rock song blare from the sportscar’s hifi system.
ALEX
Your heavy metal obsession
sometimes bothers the shit out of
me.
SEAN
It’s because you’re pissed. Do
you even know the song?
ALEX
The less I know, the less
agitated I’ll be.
SEAN
That’s the problem with you,
Alex. You don’t listen. You only
hear. To you, a classic like this
is nothing but noise.
ALEX
It’s noise that my sensibility
rejects.
SEAN
So, turn it off.
ALEX
Don’t be condescending with me,
Sean.
SEAN
Turn-it-off.
Alex reaches for the volume control and boosts it to max.
A few loud bars and then Sean turns it off from the
steering wheel remote.
Alex undoes her seat belt and throws herself on him,
kissing him fiercely, while he’s unsuccessfully trying to
steer the Porsche.
She wipes lipstick from his mouth, returns to her seat and
fastens the seat belt. Sean smiles.
SEAN
Welcome back. The real Alex.
ALEX
You realize I’m only doing this
as a favor to you ... I don’t
need a shrink.
SEAN
See him as a friend. Denzel and I
served together in the Navy. He’s
the only one I can trust to mess
around with your labyrinthic
mind.
ALEX
I don’t need a shrink, Sean. And
I didn’t imagine what I saw last
night.
SEAN
Come on, Alex. The mirror gig and
before that the hand out of the
grave? They’re so cliche. To me
it looks like your overactive
imagination re-lived scenes from
some horror movies. Something
you’ve seen before.
ALEX
I didn’t imagine them. They
happened.
SEAN
The evidence was always
inconclusive.
ALEX
Really, Sherlock? Like -- how?
SEAN
I was at the cemetery, remember.
No sign of a hand coming out of
the ground. Then, yesterday, no
muddy footsteps in the bathroom.
ALEX
Next time, I’ll use a camera. You
know, those which capture
apparitions.
SEAN
Good idea. You catch yourself a
ghost then I go see a shrink.
Anyway, thank you for doing this
for me. I’m doing it for you, so
we’re even.
Genres:
["Drama","Mystery","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
33 -
Finding Clarity on the Shore
EXT. CORONADO / BEACH - DAY
A totally deserted beach, suddenly overcast. Denzel, 44,
mild, African American, in shorts, sleeveless tee, baseball
cap and sunglasses, sits cross-legged on the sand.
Alex scrutinizes him from a distance.
ALEX
I thought I was seeing a shrink,
not a beach bum.
SEAN
You’ll like him.
He motions her to go to Denzel who continues staring at the
ocean.
Reluctantly, Alex takes off her high heels and holds them
with her left hand as she trudges through the sand toward
Denzel. She approaches him and stops.
A moment of awkward silence. Then, without turning:
DENZEL
Good morning, Alex. I see you
brought the clouds.
ALEX
Is that a metaphor?
DENZEL
(pats the sand with his
hand)
Sit. Please.
Alex crouches on the sand next to him.
ALEX
Never knew shrinks did sessions
at the beach.
DENZEL
(broad smile)
You’re too young to have seen
everything.
ALEX
Young? You must be suffering from
time dilatation disease!
DENZEL
Thank you, doctor. Diagnosis
correct. I do have constant
arguments with time, a thing that
you, probably out of all people,
would understand.
Alex fidgets, finds a small piece of driftwood lying next
to her and uses it to doodle on the sand.
ALEX
How are we going about this?
DENZEL
About what?
ALEX
About me and what’s happening in
my head.
DENZEL
It’s your head. So you tell me.
I’m just the listener.
A long silence.
ALEX
I see dead people.
DENZEL
(knowing laugh)
Funny.
ALEX
It’s not funny when I see ghosts.
DENZEL
Not just any ghosts, right?
Kelly’s ghost.
Alex shoots an irritated look in Sean’s direction.
DENZEL
Seeing Kelly is perfectly normal.
Especially since you’re not just
seeing her, really, but --
fabricating her. The hairpin, the
accident, the guilt, all
together, they become an
intricate ball of wax and clog
the regular flow of thoughts
through your brain.
ALEX
You said that you’d just listen.
DENZEL
I can hear a lot even through
silence.
ALEX
Are you a shrink or a psychic?
DENZEL
A jack of all trades. Whatever
suits the patient.
ALEX
Is that what I am? A patient?
DENZEL
I think you’re on your way out of
this. See, Alexandra Marie,
you’ve suffered a severe trauma.
Your brain needs to heal. That
doesn’t happen overnight and
won’t happen with persisting
rejection. Acceptance is the key
to unlock the door and get out.
ALEX
Where’s that key?
DENZEL
That’s a silly question coming
from a woman who designs complex
hedge mazes.
ALEX
So, the key is in my brain.
DENZEL
Hidden under layers and layers of
false stories, deception,
betrayal, ambition, separation,
depravity, loneliness ...
ALEX
Stop. I get the point. But the
comfort of my love for Sean, the
change he brought into my life...
DENZEL
It was you. You brought him into
your life. You brought the change
you needed so badly.
ALEX
It wasn’t the hairpin?
DENZEL
The hairpin was the stage for a
trade-off. It took one precious
element and gave you another. Now
you need to balance your books,
give and take, supply and demand,
necessity and provision,
sensibility and ability. Behind
each unexplained phenomenon lies
a rational explanation. And I’m
not sure that if you could bring
Kelly back at the cost of losing
Sean, you’d ever make such a
decision.
ALEX
In a heartbeat.
A long silence of doubt for both.
ALEX
I need to decipher all this
cryptic talk to find the key, to
unlock the door and get out?
DENZEL
To find yourself, think for
yourself.
ALEX
Socrates.
DENZEL
Exactly, 469 BC. So, to find
yourself you must find the
secrets. Take them out of the
house, wash them in the wine red
sea and let them dry in the sun.
ALEX
The wine red sea. Homer?
DENZEL
Homer.
ALEX
And -- the “house”? It’s another
metaphor, isn’t it? The house is
in my mind.
DENZEL
The house is your mind.
A distant roll of thunder, then another much closer.
ALEX
It’ll be dark soon.
DENZEL
The inevitable darkness. Reminds
me of the old poem: "At night, I
don't know who I am when I dream,
when I am sleeping. Awakened, I
hold my breath and listen: A
thumbnail scratches the other
side of the wall. At midday, I
enter a sunlit room to observe
the lamplight on for no reason. I
should know by now that few
octaves can be heard, that a
vision dies from being too long
stared at; that the whole of
recorded history even is but a
little gossip in a great silence;
that a magnesium flash cannot
illuminate, for one single
moment, the invisible. I do not
complain. I start with the
visible and am startled by the
invisible.”
He removes a small piece of paper from his t-shirt pocket
and hands it to her.
ALEX
A prescription? Drugs?
DENZEL
Zolpidem? Hardly. A $5 over-the-
counter sleeping pill. Known to
resurrect the dead. Amazing how,
inside the complexities of
powerful medicine, you can find
such a simplistic solution.
Alex stands and throws the stick as far as she can and then
bends close to Denzel.
ALEX
What makes you see so clearly
into people’s souls?
DENZEL
Perhaps the fact that I’m blind?
Alex is taken aback.
ALEX
I’m sorry.
DENZEL
A dissimilar kind of trade-off,
Alex.
Alex takes a few steps back then heads steadily toward Sean
who’s sitting on a distant green metal bench.
ANGLE on Denzel. He smiles, lowers his sunglasses and looks
at Alex’s doodling.
WIDER ANGLE to see: Alex has drawn a perfectly symmetric
maze on the sand.
ANOTHER ANGLE
Sean stands as Alex approaches. In the distance, it starts
to rain; a phenomenon from Kelly’s funeral: A part of the
beach get drizzled, but where Denzel sits, there’s a patch
of sunshine.
They get in the Porsche.
Genres:
["Drama","Psychological Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
34 -
Dreams of Escape
INT. PORSCHE EN ROUTE - SECONDS LATER
SEAN
How did it go?
ALEX
I was hoping for answers and all
I got was more questions.
SEAN
Really? What did you talk about?
ALEX
Homer.
SEAN
The old Greek guy. What else?
ALEX
The wine dark sea. Greece. It’s
summer. Take me there. Away from
it all. Away from myself, just to
be with you in a breathtaking
sunset. A moonlit night at the
Parthenon.
SEAN
Jesus, that will require drastic
rescheduling. But it’s doable.
ALEX
By the way, your friend Denzel
gave me sleeping pills that will
help, or so he says. Zolpidem.
Can we stop at a drugstore on the
way home?
SEAN
No need. I’ll bring some from
the hospital.
ALEX
It’s only five bucks.
SEAN
Five bucks is a lot of money when
you can have it free.
ALEX
You’re an angel. And with the
money we save, can you book us
first class?
Sean laughs and pumps up the volume of the stereo. Rock
music blares.
Genres:
["Romance","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
35 -
A Playful Reunion and Romantic Escape
INT. MANSION / CORRIDOR - DAY
CAMERA pans from a pile of Louis Vuitton luggage to a happy
Alex and then to Sean, taking in her upbeat mood.
A Hispanic maid stands in front of the amber-tainted glass
windows, silhouetted against bright sunlight pouring
through. Sean motions her to approach.
SEAN
Lucia will mind the house while
we’re gone.
Lucia walks into the light. We recognize her as the
hospital nurse.
ALEX
Good to know. Hi, Lucia. You look
familiar. Have I seen you before?
LUCIA
I don’t think so, Ma’am.
Alex and Sean walk out, a chauffeur carries the Louis
Vuitton.
OUTSIDE THE HOUSE
ALEX
I’m sure I’ve seen her before.
SEAN
(teasingly)
Hispanics -- all look the same.
ALEX
(punching his arm)
Racist.
They get in the limo.
EXT. SKIES - LATER THAT NIGHT
A huge Airbus A380 soars into frame, against unusually
starry skies.
EXT. OIA, SANTORINI - SUNSET
An extraordinarily beautiful suite terrace facing the
fantastic sunset of the Caldera. Sean and Alex enjoy
chilled white wine in their jacuzzi.
A GIGANTIC BRIGHT MOON over the Acropolis.
A CLASSICAL JAZZ QUARTET plays “Moonlight Serenade” by the
Parthenon. Hundreds of tourists marvel at the sights.
ALEX AND SEAN bask in the magical moonlight and the music
and glory of past centuries.
Genres:
["Romance","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
36 -
Eerie Discoveries
EXT. BLUE SKIES - AFTERNOON
A different A380 soars into frame, on its decent toward San
Diego Airport.
EXT. SAN DIEGO STREETS - AFTERNOON
A long, white, shiny limo rides smoothly, quietly as if
there’s no traffic. An ambulance with screaming siren and
flashing lights speeds past the limo.
INT. LIMO - CONTINUOUS
Alex and Sean in each other’s arms.
ALEX
I’ll drop you off at the hospital
and head home.
SEAN
Sorry to leave you alone, hon.
Two surgeries back to back.
(points to the speeding
ambulance)
Maybe a third on the way. The
price I pay for five days of wine
dark sea.
EXT. MANSION - LATER THAT DAY
The limo pulls up to the entrance. The green maze radiates
a strange glow in the background.
INT. MANSION - CONTINUOUS
Alex enters, the chauffeur brings the luggage and deposits
it discretely on the granite floor.
ALEX
Lucia?
No answer. Alex shrugs and walks toward the private
elevator.
INT. ELEVATOR - CONTINUOUS
Alex enters the elevator and ponders aloud.
ALEX
Where do I want to go first?
Bedroom. Three.
Alex moves her hand to press the third-floor button and
freezes. There is no third floor button.
ALEX
What the hell?
Out of the corner of her eye she sees something unusual in
the mirror. She turns and comes face-to-face with the
lipstick imprint of a mouth.
She begins to panic and turns back to the control board.
Strangely, now, the third floor button is again in its
place!
Freaking out, she runs from the elevator and bounds up the
stairs.
Genres:
["Mystery","Thriller","Romance"]
Ratings
Scene
37 -
Unraveling Mysteries
INT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS
Slightly calmer now, Alex enters the bedroom and kicks off
her shoes, then she hears it: A constant bleeping sound
which seems to be coming from nowhere. She starts to look
around for the source, when:
Something catches her attention on the bed ... it’s a
neatly folded pale blue piece of paper, resting on the
pillows.
She hesitantly takes the paper and opens it with slightly
trembling fingers. As she reads, her eyes open wide.
ALEX
(screaming)
Lucia.
As if waiting for the call, Lucia opens the door hesitantly
and pokes her head inside.
LUCIA
Yes, Ma’am.
ALEX
Who was here?
LUCIA
Here, Ma’am?
ALEX
In this house. While I was gone.
Who was here?
LUCIA
No one, Ma’am. Nobody ever comes
to this house.
Brooding but much calmer, Alex waves her off. Lucia closes
the door.
Alex pauses, considers something, then runs to her dresser
where she opens drawers frantically and finds a box full of
letters, most of them written on the same pale blue paper.
She removes one and places it next to the pillow-side
document, scans them both and collapses on the bed.
ALEX
Kelly’s handwriting.
Close on the letter to see: It’s the same poem which Denzel
had recited at the beach: "At night, I don't know who I am
when I dream, when I am sleeping.”
ALEX
Who the fuck knows? Who’s doing
that?
Infuriated, she paces the room, then stops in front of the
mirror.
ALEX
Alex Marie Powers, remain calm
and think. There’s no Kelly ...
Kelly’s dead. There’s no ghosts.
Some asshole is playing mindfuck
games with you, Alex.
Someone wants to drive you crazy.
Why? Because someone wants you
out of this house. But who?
That’s the key you’re looking
for. That’s what you got to
find, and only one person can
have the answer.
She puts on her shoes and storms out the room. The bleeping
sound fades out.
Genres:
["Mystery","Thriller","Psychological"]
Ratings
Scene
38 -
Rebellious Drive
EXT. MANSION - LATE AFTERNOON, NEAR DUSK
Alex runs to her sports Bentley. Far behind her, from a
third floor window, we see Lucia studying her with intense
curiosity and interest. She holds a vase filled with pink
lilies.
Alex pretends not to watch but from the corner of her eye,
she sees Lucia pick up a cell phone and dial.
Alex smirks, gets in the Bentley and tries the keyless
ignition. Nothing. She tries again and again. The car is
dead.
Furious and out of breath, she switches to Sean’s Porsche.
The Porsche roars to life and Alex shoots out of the
driveway.
INT. PORSCHE - CONTINUOUS
The MP3 player comes alive, blaring the familiar rock song.
ALEX
Fuck you and your heavy metal.
She hits the buttons violently and the hard rock music dies
instantly. A GPS application appears on the screen and a
digitalized female voice asks:
GPS VOICE
Repeat last route?
Alex ponders the question for a moment.
ALEX
(smirking)
Yes!
Various bleeps and clicks followed by silly electronic
music.
GPS VOICE
Last route initiated. Proceed
for about seven miles ...
ALEX
Let’s see where you go when I’m
not with you, doctor.
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery"]
Ratings
Scene
39 -
Reflections of Fear
EXT. SAN DIEGO STREETS / DOWNTOWN - CONTINUOUS
The Porsche navigates narrow streets, turning right and
left at the V.O. commands of the GPS unit and ends up at a
main shopping street, already ablaze with lights.
INT. PORSCHE - CONTINUOUS
Alex sits at a red traffic light. She senses that someone
is staring and turns to see: A cab driver. He taps his
fingers on the wheel, looking at Alex intensely.
Alex makes a mental note of the unusual cab company logo:
“NeFol Cab” in bright neon red and stark black.
The light turns green. Alex punches it and the powerful
car jumps forward, but at the next red traffic light the
cabbie is strangely already there, still staring.
ALEX
What are you looking at?
The driver continues to boldly stare.
ALEX
Fucking asshole!
She guns the car and turns the corner.
The GPS concludes with, “You have arrived at your
destination”. Alex is in front of a trashy lingerie store
with wild, slutty displays.
ALEX
What were you doing at this dump,
Dr. Jameson?
She scans the area and spots a sign which reads “Customer
Parking Only”. She turns the wheel decisively and the
Porsche squeezes through the narrow driveway.
EXT. PARKING - CONTINUOUS
The sportscar pulls into a parking spot with few cars
around. Alex exits, locks and strides in the orange light
of the mercury vapor lamps and the dark shadows of the
driveway.
High up, on the third floor of the old building, a light
blinks on, catching Alex’s attention.
She pivots in time to catch a silhouette spying down at her
for only a brief moment, then the silhouette withdraws and
the light turns off.
Alex, a little shaken, emerges on the main street and stops
in front of the closed lingerie store. The storefront is
dimly lit, the displays in the window dark, no signs of
life inside.
She moves closer to the glass as a passing cars’ beams
highlight the mannequins. For a split second, during the
passing headlights, she catches a glimpse of a familiar
face: One of the mannequins in the window bears a striking
resemblance to Alex.
ALEX
(to herself)
Fuck. She looks like you, dummy.
The mannequin’s frozen smile fades to black.
Another passing car, another glimpse of the “Alex”
mannequin.
Alex quickly removes her iPhone from her pocket and takes
three consecutive shots of “Mannequin Alex”.
ALEX
This is not funny. It’s...
She focuses on a reflection which suddenly appears behind
her.
ALEX
... sick.
She spins around to face a strange, yet somehow familiar
man. He backs off as she steps toward him.
STRANGE MAN
(throaty voice)
Alex ...
ALEX
Excuse me. Do I know you?
STRANGE MAN
You’re not dead.
ALEX
What?
STRANGE MAN
Don’t die.
He takes a step forward and rips his shirt open.
Underneath: AN X-RAY CHEST. Bones, lungs, heart in black
and white negative imaging.
The cold bluish light hits Alex hard, together with the
realization of what she’s just seen.
She screams and flees the scene. Frantic, out of breath,
while negotiating a tight corner, she bumps violently into
a woman, almost knocking her off her feet.
ALEX
I’m sorry, I...
The woman wraps her arms protectively around Alex.
WOMAN
Are you okay?...
(beat)
... Alex?
Alex freezes and pulls away from the woman.
The woman just stands there, motionless. A bus makes its
scheduled stop nearby and the headlights illuminate the
woman’s face: She’s an exact duplicate of Alex, only with
slightly distorted features, as if viewed through a
metallic mirror.
The woman stares at Alex for a long time then turns and
crosses the empty street.
ALEX
(starting after the
woman)
Stop!
The woman walks faster.
ALEX
Who the hell are you?
They both pick up the pace.
ALEX
(yelling)
Why do you look like me?
The “other Alex” turns, whispers inaudibly “because I am
you” and then begins to run.
ALEX
What the hell do you want from
me?
The woman stops suddenly, points at Alex, as if to say
“You”, and then turns and runs again.
Alex gives chase. The “other Alex” turns a couple of
corners and vanishes into the darkness of an alley.
ALLEY
At the very end of the alley is the parking lot.
Alex stops, out of breath, and scans the area for the
“other Alex” ... she’s nowhere. Then:
A burning wall sign captures Alex’s attention. It’s an
ominous warning in flames:
SEE YOU SOON.
At a total loss for time -- and sanity -- Alex realizes
that, although mesmerized and unable to draw her eyes from
the fiery message, it’s best to leave this place.
She turns toward the spot where she had parked, but the
Porsche is gone.
In the car’s place is a digital camera with the LED screen
illuminated.
Confused but curious, Alex walks cautiously to the camera
and peers around before picking it up.
On the LCD screen she sees, in sheer terror, photos of
herself -- in blood. The camera displays endless horrific
images.
Alex smashes the camera violently and the photos spill and
spread across the asphalt.
A passing cloud becomes blood red and spews a sudden rain
which merges with the crimson images into a trail of blood
that disappears into the gutter.
Intense beams and an annoying, rattling noise behind her
make Alex spin. Her burgundy Jeep has materialized out of
nowhere. It’s badly damaged but with the engine on.
Alex faints into a cold, black void.
BLACK
CLOSE on an eyelid. It flutters open, uncovering a blurry,
confused blue eye.
CAMERA pulls back from the ECU of the eye to Alex’s face,
she’s lying on the oil-stained asphalt of the parking lot.
She gazes around, stunned by how calm and quite everything
is. No sign of the blaze on the brick wall, no damaged car.
Alex instinctively brings her hands to her belly, then
lower and brings them up again. Full of blood.
Panicky, she finds her cell phone and pushes a quick dial
button.
ANGLE on the alley: A TAXI CAB devours the distance and
screeches to a stop a foot from her. It’s not just any
cab, but the same number 44 NeFol Cab that we saw earlier.
The familiar cabbie steps out.
ALEX, on the verge of hysteria, doesn’t notice him. She
simply extends her hand for help.
ALEX
Please, help me.
He grabs her arm and practically drags her to the cab.
She’s thrown roughly into the back seat. The cabbie
mumbles a few words and the cab burns rubber.
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery","Psychological"]
Ratings
Scene
40 -
A Fractured Reality
EXT. HOSPITAL - A LITTLE LATER
The cab comes to a screeching halt in front of the
emergency entrance. Alex struggles to focus.
ALEX
No, no. That’s the wrong
hospital. I told you...
CAB DRIVER
Lady, you needed help. This one
is the closest.
The rear door opens and a male nurse, hand outstretched,
tries to help Alex out. She resists and faints.
INT. HOSPITAL - CONTINUOUS
A stretcher rolls fast down a long corridor.
ALEX lies on the gurney, oxygen mask held firmly over her
mouth and nose, eyelids fluttering irregularly.
Her eyes open slightly as she tries to focus on the rapidly
passing fluorescent tubes on the ceiling.
The strobe effect morphs into a movie screen. The
flickering images show a grey-haired, aged Alex, watching
two beautiful, cheerful children as they play in a garden.
She’s overcome with a joyous, warm feeling. Her lips mumble
an inaudible “my grandchildren” and she falls unconscious.
The gurney slams through the OR double doors and
disappears.
BLACK
Alex, strapped in the same surgical chair. Again, the
piercing noise of the drill. Only this time, the masked
doctor faces her as he violently plugs the drill in her
skull.
Alex’s frees her hand from the straps and grabs the mask
from the doctor’s face. Underneath:
IT’S SEAN
Alex lets a long silent scream and Sean’s image turns into
an undefined wavy reflection. Then,
BLACK
FADE IN to Sean’s blurred image, gradually coming to a soft
focus.
Alex is in a hospital bed, wired with IVs and electrodes,
surrounded by strange electronic equipment.
She tries to speak. Sean caresses her pale face.
SEAN
Take it easy, sport. You’ll be
fine.
ALEX
What happ --... happened?
SEAN
We’ll talk when you’re stronger.
For now, I want you to try and go
back to sleep.
Alex closes her eyes, but a sudden thought makes her open
them wide.
ALEX
The baby?
SEAN
The baby’s fine. Now -- sleep.
ALEX
Can’t sleep alone.
SEAN
You won’t be alone. I’ll be right
here for the rest of the night
and in the morning I’ll take you
home.
Genres:
["Thriller","Psychological Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
41 -
Confronting Shadows
INT. MANSION - DAY
Alex sits in a rocking chair by the enormous bay window.
Sean paces.
SEAN
Nothing in this story makes
sense, Alex. I checked the GPS in
my car. No such route. I looked
for the photos in your iPhone.
Again, no such photos. There’s no
Nefol Cab company in San Diego.
So, love of my life, we’re
talking about one more severe
blackout -- and that worries me
stiff.
ALEX
My last MRI was clean.
SEAN
It only means that the trauma
which causes blackouts and
hallucinations is not physical.
It’s in your subconscious.
ALEX
So, what are you going to do?
Commit me?
SEAN
Stop being sarcastic.
ALEX
Correction: That was self
sarcasm. I’m the looney.
SEAN
Drop it. Let’s agree on a crude
method of therapy.
ALEX
Lobotomy.
SEAN
I said drop it. Get serious for a
minute.
ALEX
Go on, I’m serious. For a minute.
SEAN
In the navy, whenever a pilot
crash-landed in his helicopter,
if he was not injured, a day
later we’d put him back in the
cockpit and have him fly.
ALEX
Yeah, I’m aware of this method.
We had a network series based on
it.
SEAN
So, you understand what you need
to do.
ALEX
Re-visit the hairpin? Re-live
that night? Out of the question.
Alex stands up and walks to the door, opens it.
SEAN
Think about it. I’ll come with
you.
ALEX
I said no.
She slams the door behind her.
Genres:
["Drama","Psychological Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
42 -
Edge of Memory
INT. PORSCHE - NIGHT
Sean and Alex in the car. Sean, one hand on the wheel,
offers a stick of gum.
SEAN
Gum?
ALEX
No, thanks. And you don’t need to
make small talk. It was my
decision to come.
SEAN
It’s watermelon, your favorite.
ALEX
If I accept the gum, do you
promise to shut up?
Sean nods, Alex takes the stick of gum and shoves it in her
mouth.
EXT. PALOMAR MOUNTAIN ROAD - NIGHT
The sportscar climbs the serpentine road. A full moon
night, full of transparent shadows.
EXT. HAIRPIN - NIGHT
The Porsche is parked on the curb, Sean still at the wheel.
Alex reaches the edge of the precipice, reluctantly.
She stands and closes her eyes, the wind blowing gently
through her hair.
She opens her eyes and looks down into the black void, as
noises and music from the fatal night start building. The
song; fragmented phrases of conversation; the engine
roaring; the screeching tires.
Then the discrete cacophony subsides and she can hear
footsteps on the gravel.
ALEX
Sean?
She starts to turn, when a hand enters frame and pushes her
violently over the cliff. As she falls, she sees the
blurred figure of Sean standing.
She shuts her eyes and inhales desperately.
The fall stops. She’s back on the precipice, this time in
the circular beam from the helicopter’s spot light, as the
orderlies roll the gurney to the ambulance.
Frozen, she approaches and -- hyperventilating, hand
shaking badly, lifts the tarp with her eyes shut.
BLACK
When she opens her eyes again, she’s back in the car. Sean
studies the confusion on her face, swallows hard and starts
the engine.
Genres:
["Thriller","Psychological Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
43 -
Seeking Secrets
INT. NETWORK OFFICE - DAY
Alex comes out of an office, a stack of stats in hand, when
she catches Lena on the periphery and motions for her. Lena
nods and walks toward the long glass corridor.
LENA
What’s up?
ALEX
I need your help.
LENA
Nothing new. If it wasn’t for me,
you’d be unemployed. Just
kiddin’, hon. You know that I owe
you and I’d do anything for you.
ALEX
What do I do if I need to find
... dirt. For someone.
LENA
Dirt? Dig in his past. Right?
ALEX
You’re sharp.
LENA
A private dick will do the job.
They’re not cheap but most of the
time they’ll come through.
ALEX
Know any?
LENA
There’s a woman we used before,
let me see ...
She checks her cell phone directory.
LENA
She was involved in the Sanders
lawsuit. Found stuff that threw
the case out of court... Here, I
got it. Mrs. Garcia. No first
name. Want the address?
Genres:
["Mystery","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
44 -
Secrets and Doubts
EXT. RED BRICK BUILDING - LATER THAT DAY
Alex’s convertible Bentley stops on the curb. Alex exits,
looks around cautiously and then enters the building.
INT. RECEPTION DESK - CONTINUOUS
An ancient albino man sits behind a desk.
ALEX
Mrs. Garcia?
The albino man scrutinizes Alex for a long moment.
ALBINO MAN
Three forty-four.
INT. MRS. GARCIA’S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS
Not exactly an office, more of a narrow living room with a
dilapidated desk at the far end.
MRS. GARCIA sits in front of a bright window, almost
silhouetted against the intense sunlight. Her face is hard
to make out.
ALEX
Mrs. Garcia?
MRS. GARCIA
In body and soul, Mrs. Powers --
or should I say Mrs. Jameson?
ALEX
You know a lot about me.
MRS. GARCIA
Won’t deceive you. Lena from
Hellman’s office briefed me when
she asked for an appointment.
She motions for Alex to sit. Alex still can’t quite make
out Mrs. Garcia’s face.
MRS. GARCIA
Lena said you need some info. Dig
into somebody’s past?
ALEX
Discretely?
MRS. GARCIA
And quietly.
ALEX
Fine. By the way, how can you
tell if someone gave you a pill
which was supposed to be one
thing and it turned out to be
something different?
MRS. GARCIA
Date rape pills?
ALEX
No, not that. A sleeping pill
which might be ... a kind of
hallucinogenic?
MRS. GARCIA
LSD?
ALEX
I have no idea.
MRS. GARCIA
Well, if you swallowed the pill,
the evidence is gone.
ALEX
Unless I have more of the same
pills?
Alex opens her purse and pulls out a box of Zolpidem.
ALEX
Here. You have anybody who can
analyze these? Maybe look for
LSD, something like that?
MRS. GARCIA
(accepting the Zolpidem)
I’ll let you know. In the
meantime, don’t take candy from
strangers. Nothing else from the
person who gave you these pills.
ALEX
You said “person”.
MRS. GARCIA
You didn’t mention if he was a
man.
ALEX
I’m sorry, I’m new to this. The
person I need to find information
about his past is ...
MRS. GARCIA
... your husband, Dr. Sean
Jameson!
ALEX
Lena has a big mouth.
MRS. GARCIA
No, this time I guessed. Wasn’t
hard. Many married women at one
point or another want to find out
about their husbands’ true past.
It’s only then that Mrs. Garcia turns a table lamp on and
we see her face: A significant resemblance to Alex, only
thirty five years older. Alex notices the resemblance but
shakes it off with a “nah, it can’t be” gesture to herself.
ALEX
Mrs. Garcia. I need one more
favor. I believe you must have
contacts with high tech sources.
I need someone who can do a
polygraph.
MRS. GARCIA
I may be able to arrange that.
For your husband I presume?
Alex is silent for a long moment.
ALEX
No. It’s for me.
Genres:
["Mystery","Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
45 -
A Surprise in the Mansion
INT. MANSION - THAT EVENING
CAMERA follows Alex as she makes her way from room to room,
opening door after door, frantically looking for something.
Drawers, cabinets, kitchen pantries, anywhere, everywhere.
Out of breath, she opens one last door and comes face-to-
face with Sean. She lets out a small scream.
SEAN
Sorry, sweetheart. Scared you?
ALEX
Not really. Just startled.
Didn’t hear you coming.
SEAN
I honked. But you were too busy --
doing what?
ALEX
I’m looking for a document.
SEAN
Must be important if you sweated
for it.
ALEX
It is. Why did you honk?
SEAN
I wanted you to come out and see
something.
EXT. MANSION - CONTINUOUS
Sean pulls Alex gently by the hand toward his Porsche. She
reluctantly follows.
They stand in front of the car.
SEAN
Now, I want you to close your
eyes.
ALEX
Oh, not again.
SEAN
Yes again.
Alex complies.
ALEX
You have a serious fetish with
blindfolds.
CLOSE on Alex as a hairy, furry, cute dog’s face enters
shot and a pink tongue licks her cheek.
She opens her eyes and finds a beautiful ash grey puppy
only an inch from her stunned face.
ALEX
Frodo?
The puppy responds by licking her nose.
ALEX
My God, Sean. This puppy...
SEAN
... is definitely not Frodo!
But, really, isn’t he identical
to your long lost love?
ALEX
Frodo died when I was eleven. I
couldn’t stop crying for two
days.
SEAN
Well, here’s your substitute
puppy, Frodo The Second. To make
your already perfect world a
little brighter.
Alex hugs Sean with the puppy squeezed between them.
ALEX
How did you know?
SEAN
About Frodo? You told me,
remember?
ALEX
No, I don’t.
SEAN
(shrugging it off)
Doesn’t matter. He’s shivering.
Let’s take him inside and put
something warm in his belly.
He starts for the house. Alex waits pensively for a
moment, but the joy of having the puppy overtakes her
concerns. She finally follows Sean, holding Frodo II
proudly in her arms.
Genres:
["Romance","Drama","Mystery"]
Ratings
Scene
46 -
Truth Unraveled
INT. PRIVATE POLYGRAPH FACILITY - AFTERNOON
A TYPICAL polygraph facility room. Alex, in an armchair,
with multiple electrodes attached on her fingers, chest and
skull.
The polygraph TECH, a balding younger man, runs diagnostic
tests on his equipment, then glances at a stack of papers.
Mrs. Garcia sits in the back of the room, almost invisible
in the shadows.
TECH
Let me get this straight. You
want me to ask you questions that
you’ve prepared ... for
yourself?
Alex nods.
TECH
What good will that do?
ALEX
You’re getting nosey.
TECH
I’m getting paid to ask
questions.
ALEX
Not these questions.
(she points to the
documents)
Those.
The Tech shrugs and starts the equipment.
ALEX
Each question, whether I fail or
not, I want to know.
TECH
It’s your dime. Let’s run the
standard questions to calibrate
the equipment. Is your name
Alexandra Marie Powers?
ALEX
Yes.
The needles move slightly on the readout paper.
TECH
Are you a network executive
currently employed?
ALEX
Yes.
TECH
Were you born in Los Angeles,
California the 16th of December,
1980?
ALEX
Yes.
TECH
Fine, I’m all set.
(he reads from Alex’s
documents)
“Have you been recently
hospitalized”?
ALEX
Yes.
TECH
Accepted. “Was this as a result
of a traumatic shock”?
ALEX
Yes.
TECH
Accepted. “Were you recently in
front of a trashy lingerie store
downtown”?
ALEX
Yes.
TECH
Failed. “Did you ever have a
puppy named Frodo”?
ALEX
Yes.
TECH
Failed.
ALEX
What? It can’t be.
TECH
Easy, Mrs. Powers. The equipment
doesn’t lie. People do. “Have you
ever been in Greece”?
ALEX
Yes.
TECH
(studies the readings)
Failed.
ALEX
What? I’ve been in Greece.
(to herself)
Or haven’t I?
TECH
Mrs. Powers, your heart is racing
and that worries me. Would you
like to take a break?
ALEX
No, I’ll be fine. Go on.
TECH
“Do you know a man named Denzel”?
ALEX
Yes.
TECH
Accepted. “Do you believe that
Denzel exists”?
ALEX
Yes.
TECH
Accepted. “Do you believe Denzel
is... you?”
ALEX
Yes!
TECH
Accepted. Next question. One I
don’t quite understand, but
nevertheless will ask: “Are you
alive”?
ALEX
Yes.
The equipment’s virtual needles zigzag out of control on
the screen which is filled with red.
ALEX
What happened?
The Tech turns a swivel monitor around so it faces Alex.
The word FAILED flashes in bright red.
TECH
Strange. Failed.
Before he has a chance to comment, Alex lets out a painful
scream, as if the electrodes are setting her on fire.
She rips them off her head, fingers and chest and throws
them on the floor as she storms out of the room.
WE HOLD on Mrs. Garcia, who approaches the equipment. She
scans the readings on the screen, silent and perplexed.
Genres:
["Mystery","Thriller","Psychological"]
Ratings
Scene
47 -
Disconnected Reassurances
INT. BENTLEY - AFTERNOON
Alex starts the engine, just as her iPhone chirps. She
reluctantly presses the hands free button on the wheel.
MRS. GARCIA (V.O.)
Mrs. Jameson, are you alright?
ALEX
Sure. I’m fine.
MRS. GARCIA (V.O.)
I’m glad you’re feeling better.
You know, I didn’t catch you,
furious as you were and all, but
I had a chat with the technician
and he admitted that your last
answer failed not because, for
heaven’s sake, you’re not
alive...
ALEX
... unless you all see dead
people ... Remember that Bruce
Willis movie?
MRS. GARCIA (V.O.)
How did you know I was about to
say that? Never mind. But because
his calibration had a problem.
ALEX
Why am I not thrilled?
MRS. GARCIA (V.O.)
I fully understand. I wouldn’t
either, if I were in your place.
ALEX
Lucky for you, Mrs. Garcia,
you’re not.
MRS. GARCIA (V.O.)
I know you’re upset but I believe
that everything happens for a
reason. Think about it.
A large group of enthused workers assemble as JOHN HELLMAN,
the boss, makes a brief speech. A beaming Alex stands next
to him.
HELLMAN
(concluding)
... and so, I’m happy to appoint,
as your leader, head of
programming, our own genius, the
woman who took the network to
third place, Vice President
Alexandra Marie Powers!
A generous round of applause and an inaudible “thank you”
from Alex. Music swells.
INT. NETWORK OFFICE, CORRIDOR - DAY
The crowd disperses, back to their grindstones, while a
still blushing Alex heads back to her office. She catches
a glimpse of a familiar face, Mrs. Garcia, comfortably
seated outside her office.
The two women connect silently as Alex motions Mrs. Garcia
to follow her and at the same time motions her assistant
that it’s okay for the visitor to come in.
INT. ALEX’S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS
The women take seats by the huge bay window. Alex breaks
the silence.
ALEX
Well?
MRS. GARCIA
I’m not sure how much of this you
already know. Let’s start with
the financial stuff.
ALEX
I have a list of all of his
assets.
MRS. GARCIA
Sure, but do you have a list of
his debts?
ALEX
Debts?
Mrs. Garcia hands her a printout.
MRS. GARCIA
Unpaid loans. Two pending multi-
million dollar malpractice suits
which his insurance refuses to
cover. Two mortgages on the
house. Four months of defaulted
payments on the cars. Mrs.
Jameson, your husband is
technically bankrupt. But, most
surprising, is what relates to
his past marital status.
ALEX
What?
MRS. GARCIA
You’re familiar with one Kelly
Stephanie Finnegan?
CLOSE ON ALEX / FLASHBACK: In a frantic rewind, her mind
races back to the dreaded night and the last glimpse she
took on Kelly, as her car slid toward the cliff.
MRS. GARCIA
Mrs. Jameson?
Alex lands harshly back to reality and nods.
MRS. GARCIA
A friend of yours?
ALEX
My best friend for the last two
years.
MRS. GARCIA
And before that?
ALEX
I never had a best friend before.
Till I met Kelly.
Mrs. Garcia removes a few printed pages from her attache
case.
MRS. GARCIA
See for yourself. A picture’s
worth a thousand words ...
Alex snatches the printouts. Page after painful page:
IN ECU: Snapshots of Sean and Kelly, ON THEIR WEDDING DAY.
ALEX
Their wedding!
MRS. GARCIA
Your “friend” was married to
your, uh, husband.
ALEX scrutinizes the telltale photos.
ALEX
No. This can’t be true.
MRS. GARCIA
That was four years ago.
ALEX
It can’t be. She would have told
me.
MRS. GARCIA
I’m sorry you had a double
disappointment.
ALEX
It’s as if everything in my life
collapsed in seconds. I can no
longer trust Sean. He’s been
lying to me.
Mrs. Garcia pulls some more documents.
MRS. GARCIA
I’m afraid that’s not all. I got
the report from the lab. They
didn’t find any LSD.
ALEX
That’s good.
MRS. GARCIA
Not so good, Mrs. Jameson. The
lab found Dimethyltryptamine, DMT
for short. It’s a much more
potent hallucinatory drug that
kicks in very quickly and can
produce a very strong trip which
usually lasts between ten to
thirty minutes.
ALEX
Oh, my God.
MRS. GARCIA
Some people become very scared
and paranoid after taking DMT.
Its effects can be very
disorienting, resulting in panic
and confusion. It’s almost
odorless, has no distinct taste,
can be added to coffee, soda,
food, pills, even applied on
fabric or the wheel of a vehicle.
FLASHBACK
In unison with Mrs. Garcia’s narrative, a rapid succession
of familiar scenes: Alex sipping her lemonade next to
Kelly. Sean at the beach bar bringing the drinks. The
breakfast Sean made her the first day. Alex in the hospital
amphitheater, the nurse handing her the cup of coffee. The
black silk blindfold in the amphibian. The glass of
champagne during the wedding reception. The glass of wine
in front of the fireplace. The Bentley refusing to start
and then her hands grasping the Porsche wheel. The chewing
gum during the Hairpin night re-visit. The Zolpidem pill.
Alex fidgets for a long moment.
MRS. GARCIA
Mrs. Jameson?
ALEX
What can I say? My problem. I’ll
take care of it.
MRS. GARCIA
We have people who can ... help.
ALEX
I’m quite capable of handling it
myself. We’ll be in touch.
Genres:
["Drama","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
49 -
Tech Troubles and New Discoveries
EXT. STREET - CONTINUOUS
Alex runs out of the building, as if she’s on fire. A cool
breeze blows through her hair; she finally calms herself as
she paces to her Bentley, chest still heaving.
INT. BENTLEY - CONTINUOUS
Alex starts the engine, fastens her seat belt and pairs her
iPhone with the car’s bluetooth.
She presses a button on the radio and the first bars of a
soothing ballad fill the speakers. Only a few bars. Then,
the piercing, annoying bleep-bleep-bleep she’s heard before
in the house. She presses buttons on the iPhone, but no
music. Just the same rhythmic bleeping noise.
She turns the radio off and disconnects the iPhone. She
punches hard on the gas and the Bentley responds like a
thoroughbred.
POV as she drives: Several electronics stores back-to-back-
to-back. A “Cell Phone Doctor” sign grabs her attention
and she swerves to the right and parks, wheels on the
sidewalk, in front of the store.
INT. IPHONE DOCTOR - CONTINUOUS
Alex approaches a bored employee.
ALEX
Not very busy, uh?
EMPLOYEE
We’re like the Maytag people.
Iphones don’t break down.
ALEX
Well, luckily for you, mine did.
She places the iPhone on the glass counter.
EMPLOYEE
What’s the problem?
ALEX
I have about 12 gigs of music and
all it plays is ...
She punches a key and the first bars of the ballad come
through the tiny speaker.
EMPLOYEE
Music?
ALEX
Wait, it only plays a while then
goes into some strange noise.
Listen.
The bored employee glances from the iPhone to Alex, back
and forth. The song continues.
EMPLOYEE
Maybe you should try another
song.
Alex presses keys and then, the first bars of “Stormy
Weather” begin. Upset, she abruptly presses “pause”.
ALEX
What if I had some photos that
were accidentally erased?
EMPLOYEE
Piece of cake. Nothing is erased
for good. It’s simply hiding.
He connects the iPhone to a Mac and punches keys expertly.
A long moment and then:
EMPLOYEE
Peekaboo! These the ones you
erased?
Alex turns the iPhone to see: The snapshots she took at the
lingerie store. The window display. The “Mannequin Alex”.
ALEX
I start with the visible and am
startled by the invisible.
EMPLOYEE
Yeah, whatever. If you say so.
ALEX
What about videos? Could they be
hiding too?
The tech nods emphatically and lets his fingers dance on
the screen.
EMPLOYEE
This what you’re looking for?
Alex looks at the screen, mesmerized: The Palomar road
through the Beemer windshield in freeze-frame. She takes a
deep breath, grabs her phone and heads for the door. She
presses PLAY repeatedly but the video remains frozen.
The employee shouts after her.
EMPLOYEE
There’s no charge. Glad to have
helped.
Alex pauses at the door and turns. Her eyes focus on a
shelf with the sign “TO CATCH A GHOST” CAMERAS.
She walks slowly back to the employee who’s boredom has
turned to pleasant surprise.
EMPLOYEE
Nice to see you back. What can I
do you for this time?
ALEX
Ghost cameras? They don’t catch
ghosts, do they?
EMPLOYEE
Ah, that. Sales gimmick. You can
never photograph a ghost, of
course, but these babies are
guaranteed to see in the dark.
Infrared and a motion sensor. You
know, if it moves, it’s on tape.
Hey, not even tape. Flash memory.
No motor noise. Sweet.
Genres:
["Mystery","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
50 -
Cold Breakfast
INT. MANSION - LATER THAT NIGHT
Inside the master bedroom, behind some leather-bound books,
the “ghost” camera sits quietly.
PAN to see: In bed, Sean is sound asleep. Alex glances
toward the camera one last time, turns the lights off, then
gets out of bed and quietly leaves the room.
INT. MANSION / KITCHEN - NEXT MORNING
Alex enters to find Sean putting the finishing touches on
his French toast. Alex inhales the pleasant smell with a
cold smile.
ALEX
(ice cold)
Good morning.
Sean kisses her. She doesn’t return the affection.
SEAN
Sleep well in the guest room
without me?
She nods.
SEAN
Strawberries and whipped cream on
the table. Eat your heart out.
ALEX
You’re so good at that. Are you
sure you haven’t been married
before?
She studies his reaction but his sincere smile dissolves
her suspicions.
SEAN
Came close to it, but not really.
ALEX
How about you, without me. Sleep
well?
SEAN
Took a sleeping pill and didn’t
even move all night.
ALEX
Zolpidem?
SEAN
Nah, that’s too strong for me.
Let alone when I take it ...
ALEX
It’s like -- what? You
hallucinate?
SEAN
Hell, no. I’m simply drowsy in
the morning. Not good for
driving. Let alone handling a
scalpel. Your coffee is getting
cold.
He kisses her on the forehead and exits. Alex waits several
moments, then empties the coffee in the sink and dumps the
french toast in the trash.
Genres:
["Mystery","Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
51 -
Unveiling Betrayal
EXT. MANSION - LATER THAT MORNING
A POV of Sean as he gets in his Porsche and drives away.
PAN to see:
ALEX, looking out the window. When she’s sure that Sean is
gone, she reaches for the “ghost” camera on the shelf,
parts the books and retrieves it.
She flips the LCD screen open and presses PLAY.
ON SCREEN: Two half naked bodies, engaged in violent, rough
love making.
ALEX
What the hell?
She watches every move with interest and a dark suspicion.
ALEX
While I was sleeping?
The love making goes on and on, more passionate than
before. It comes to a climactic, simultaneous orgasm. Sean
lies on his back, exhausted. The woman gets out of the bed,
silhouetted against the moonlight that pours through the
bay window, and walks toward camera.
She flips on a light switch with a heavy, loud click and:
Alex’s heart jumps violently as the amber light hits:
A blurry face. The auto focus of the camera adjusts and the
image clears. It’s
KELLY’S FACE
The auto zoom lens hisses to an unmistakable close-up:
Kelly smiles, oblivious that she’s being taped.
The camera drops from Alex’s hands and lands on the carpet.
She’s thunderstruck, motionless, hyperventilating, then she
lifts the camera and studies Kelly’s frozen image.
ALEX
(to herself)
Ghosts don’t photograph, right?
If Kelly is alive, who’s buried
in her grave? My sweet Sean, you
have a lot of explaining to do.
EXT. MANSION - A LITTLE LATER
Alex’s Bentley spins and takes off in a cloud of dust.
EXT. JACOBS MEDICAL CENTER - LATER
The Bentley pulls up in front of the Emergency entrance.
Alex storms out of the car, ignoring the male nurse who
frantically waves her off from the ambulance spot.
She bursts into the hospital, holding the incriminating
photos.
INT. HOSPITAL - CONTINUOUS
Alex negotiates the long corridor as if it was a marathon
run. Out of breath, she reaches a closed double door marked
“amphitheater”. Alex inhales deeply, re-arranges her hair
and enters quietly.
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
52 -
Shattered Illusions
INT. AMPHITHEATER - CONTINUOUS
Dr. Sean Jameson at the podium, the theater is packed with
young doctors and nurses. Sean points a red laser dot to
the overhead projector’s images on screen.
SEAN
In humans, the default network
has been hypothesized to generate
spontaneous thoughts during mind-
wandering and is believed to be
an essential component of
creativity. Alternatively,
default mode activity may
represent underlying
physiological processes going on
in the brain that are unrelated
to any particular thought or
thoughts. It has been
hypothesized to be relevant to
mental disorders including
Alzheimer's disease, autism,
schizophrenia and...
He sees Alex standing in front of the entrance pauses and
looks at her quizzically. Alex gestures “need to talk”.
SEAN
(into mike)
Hey, talking about vital organs,
the brain is not the only one to
govern our actions.
Our heart is too. And right now
my heart says I should take a
moment to talk to the love of my
life, please say “hi” to my wife
Alex.
Loud “hi”s from the theater while Sean steps down and
approaches Alex.
SEAN
What did I do to deserve this
morning treat?
ALEX
You’re a liar and a cheat.
SEAN
Is that a joke?
ALEX
You tell me. Is this a joke?
She hands him the wedding photos. Sean remains
expressionless.
ALEX
You son-of-a-bitch! You were
married to my best friend. You
know, the one who supposedly died
but -- what do you know -- she’s
very much alive and on tape --
sorry, on flash memory.
She produces the digital camera with a triumphant smile.
Sean glances back and forth, from the photos and the camera
to Alex.
ALEX
Why, Sean? What plans did you
really have for me? Drive me
insane with DMT, or even better,
make me kill myself and collect
the three million? No doubt you’d
share it with Kelly and live
happily in the Bahamas. Son of a
bitch!
Sean keeps staring at the printouts.
SEAN
Do you really hear what you’re
saying? You’ve seen these photos,
Alex?
ALEX
One by one. Many times. And each
time they burned holes in my
head. Hypothesize this, Mr.
Default activity!
SEAN
Stop. Give me one moment.
He steps back to the podium.
SEAN
(into mike)
Hey, folks. Looks like today’s
briefing also includes a bonus
slide show. Wedding photos!
An enthusiastic round of applause. Alex is baffled.
SEAN
My wedding photos.
A second round of applause. Sean places the printouts under
the overhead projector and the screen fills with the
colorful snapshots.
Alex stares at the screen and starts to back away toward
the door where she slams her back hard on it. Out of
breath.
ON THE SCREEN: The wedding photos are from Sean’s and
Alex’s wedding. One by one the images hit Alex hard while
Sean continues a voice over commentary for each snapshot.
SEAN
(concludes)
As you can see, I married the
most beautiful woman in the
world. And nothing in my life,
not even a Nobel prize, can be
more important than her.
He turns to see Alex’s reaction. She flips the camera’s LCD
screen open and presses the PLAY button.
ON SCREEN: Nothing but static and the warning: MEMORY
EMPTY.
Alex opens the amphitheater door and runs.
Genres:
["Drama","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
53 -
Chaos on the Road
EXT. JACOBS HOSPITAL - CONTINUOUS
Alex bursts out of the door in tears, gets in her car and
is off to a skidding start.
CLOSE on her hands, clasping tightly on the wheel.
She doesn’t notice, in her rearview mirror, an orderly
running and shouting behind her. She soon leaves him in
the dust as she disappears around a corner.
EXT. STREETS - CONTINUOUS
The Bentley enters the shot and speeds into the traffic.
INT. ALEX’S CAR - CONTINUOUS
Alex finally calms herself and only then notices that she’s
not driving her Bentley but Kelly’s pale blue Beemer.
ALEX
(to herself)
What the fuck?
Something in her mind clicks; she stares at her hands on
the wheel, remembers, pulls her hands away and rubs them on
her blouse.
The Beemer accelerates all by itself as the radio clicks on
and “Stormy Weather” comes in at high volume.
Alex makes a futile attempt to control the vehicle which
zigzags between oncoming cars, racing toward a head-on
collision. All of the other drivers are faceless, as though
their faces have been erased.
Alex presses the brake pedal hard but it has no effect on
the car’s insane run. Cars approach from every direction
and miss her vehicle at the very last moment.
Then, clouds quickly fill the sky ahead and rain pours
down. Not just any rain, but thick, black rain which covers
the windshields and the windows.
Alex turns on the wipers which only smudges the black goo
and makes it worse. The window washers provide only
sporadic relief, enough for Alex to see: A Nefol Cab cut
in front of her, flashing a digital sign on its rear
windshield: “Drive me, I can save you...”. The word “money”
flickers badly as though it shouldn’t be noticed.
In the driver’s side mirror she sees the cabbie’s all too
familiar face, then a sheet of thick black rain turns the
interior of the car pitch black.
“Stormy Weather” plays at a deafening crescendo but, over
Billie Holiday’s dramatic performance, Alex can hear
another sound: A police siren and a cop’s voice over the
speaker:
COP (O.S.)
Lady, move. Your holding traffic.
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
54 -
Maze of Despair
EXT. STREETS - CONTINUOUS
From this angle we see that the Bentley is idle, in the
middle of traffic, with dozens of cars [in an angry honking
cacophony] behind it.
The police car stops close to her rear bumper.
COP (O.S.)
Lady, if you need help ...
INT. BENTLEY - CONTINUOUS
Alex returns to reality.
COP (O.S.)
... turn your blinkers on and
step out of the vehicle.
ON ALEX: She’s disoriented as: The song ends; the black
rain dissipates and her windows and windshields clear. The
interior of the car is back to a Bentley.
She realizes that she’s idle, so she reluctantly puts the
car in gear and slowly moves away from the jam.
EXT. MANSION - LATER THAT DAY
Overcast skies frame a threatening, hostile looking hedge
maze. The convertible Bentley pulls up in front of the
maze.
Alex steps out of the car and searches the sky as the first
raindrops land on her face. She decides to challenge the
maze, so she enters it and starts running.
OVERHEAD SHOT to see: Half of the maze is in the sunlight,
while the other half is under a deluge.
CLOSE on Alex: Running, turning, negotiating the labyrinth
expertly.
HER POV: The hedge maze starts to come alive and seems to
be moving inwards, making each path narrower.
She comes to an abrupt halt, when the exit ahead suddenly
turns into a dead end.
She pivots and heads back, now drenched in rain. She starts
from the beginning, her face etched with desperation and
paranoia. Another turn. And then another. Nothing but dead
end after dead end.
A last failed attempt and Alex returns to the entrance,
only to find that now there is no entrance.
The hedges seem remarkably alive and constrict around her.
Branches wiggle, twist, extend and try to reach her. One of
them hits Alex on the face. Her blood runs and blends with
the raindrops.
Alex screams and passes out.
EXT. MANSION - LATER THAT NIGHT
Bright lights burn inside every room. A pleasant, full
moon illuminates the grounds.
A spring breeze blows gently and refreshes the overgrown
vegetation and the now serene, friendly maze, as CAMERA
glides smoothly through its twists and turns, which
strangely, almost resemble the switchbacks of the Palomar
Mountain.
INT. UNDEFINED SPACE - CONTINUOUS
CAMERA dollies eerily behind the back of a man who walks
down a long corridor toward a door which remains out of
focus. Something on the door glows strangely -- but it’s
still nothing but a blur.
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
55 -
Haunting at 3:16 AM
INT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS
Alex, lost in her incomprehensible thoughts; she lies in
bed, alone. Sean is not there. The red digits on the
ceiling, always frozen on 3:16 AM.
Alex fidgets and turns and then a hand suddenly shoots out
of the darkness and grabs her wrist, violently dragging her
out of bed, onto the floor, out the room, down the
corridor, and toward the entrance.
Alex struggles futilely against the unknown assailant.
ALEX
Stop it... Let me go!
She attempts to look at her attacker, but the vision is
blurred and dark. It’s like she’s being dragged by a ghost.
ALEX
I know who you are...
As though from a violent gust of wind, the double doors
blow open and sunlight fills the room.
Alex fights it tooth and nail -- scratching the wooden
floor.
ALEX
It’s you. Kelly.
The ghost glances over her shoulder. It is indeed Kelly’s
face.
Then it all stops. The double doors slam shut, the key in
the lock turns all by itself and Kelly has vanished. More
clicks are heard throughout the house. More keys are
magically turned in their locks.
Alex sits up and takes a deep breath. She’s safe.
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery","Psychological"]
Ratings
Scene
56 -
Unlocking Dread
INT. UNDEFINED SPACE - CONTINUOUS
We are closer on the man’s back. A cell phone rings. He
slows down while answering it.
MAN
Yes.
A beat and then, as the man turns to look past CAMERA we
see: He’s Sean, in a doctor’s robe.
SEAN
What about Mrs. Garcia?
Interesting... OK, I’ll see her
in a while.
He turns and continues to walk.
INT. BASEMENT - NIGHT
Holding a bunch of keys, Alex stands before the locked
door. She tries one key after the other, stopping to listen
every now and then.
A few failed attempts, then a different key gets her
attention. She looks to see a tiny label with the
handwritten number 316. Hesitantly, she inserts the key and
the door effortlessly clicks open.
INT. LOCKED ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Harsh overhead lights in the room flick on. Alex looks
around, eyes wide open.
A surgical chair with leather straps. An electric drill
with marks of dried blood. A digital machine with a myriad
of electrodes. A dark brown bottle marked DMT.
A tape recorder. Strange tools and a diagram of a vehicle’s
brake line assembly.
She hesitantly presses the tape deck’s PLAY button.
“Stormy Weather” starts, then winds down and dies.
Alex turns and notices a stack of documents on a small
steel table. Frozen, terrified, she looks at the top page:
PRENUPTIAL AGREEMENT
She quickly flips through the pages.
She doesn’t notice that, behind her, the surgical chair,
the drill, the table, the DMT bottle and everything else,
one by one start to fade and vanish.
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery","Psychological"]
Ratings
Scene
57 -
A Fight for Life
INT. UNDEFINED SPACE - CONTINUOUS
The blurred space now gradually comes into focus, with
sharp overtones of perhaps too much harsh detail.
It’s a corridor with a white door at the end. Cold
fluorescent overhead lighting. Pale, washed-out green and
gray hues.
CAMERA continues to track toward the white door and stops
on the number 316, which casts its cold, bluish metallic
reflection. Then:
The door opens to reveal a hospital room, dimly bathed in
indigo blue.
We move lethargically toward the bed. The person lying
there is out of focus, but the chart on the bed board is
sharp and reads: PVM PATIENT. PERSISTENT VEGETATIVE STATE.
CAMERA pans to the patient’s name: ALEXANDRA MARIE POWERS.
CAMERA cranes up to see:
Lying in the bed is ALEX, motionless, eyes half open,
connected to a feeding tube and IV, wired to several high
tech machines which provide indecipherable readings.
Resting on a long metal shelf are a bunch of electrodes
connected to a digital machine, identical to the lie
detector equipment we’ve seen.
A digital clock, projects the time on the ceiling. 8:53 PM
Next to the bed, a woman holds Alex's hand. She is half
asleep in her chair, her head buried in her chest.
Approaching footsteps wake her as the silhouette of a man
appears in the doorway. He flips the light switch and
walks into the circle of amber light.
It is SEAN, Alex's "husband". He leans forward and kisses
the woman in the chair who returns the kiss affectionately.
We now see THE WOMAN is Kelly, Alex's "dead" girlfriend.
The two stare at Alex and exchange a meaningful glance.
SEAN
I know. No change. We’ve been
trying -- you’ve been trying --
for over a year.
KELLY
Exactly one year. Tomorrow. But I
won’t give up.
SEAN
Her parents did. Tomorrow her
state changes from “persistent”
to “permanent”. They’ll show up
with a court order. To enforce
the DNR and pull the plug.
KELLY
And I will fight them.
SEAN
The law is on their side.
KELLY
And a lot of precedents are on
mine. Cases of people who have
lived in PVS for years and
finally came back.
She takes a sip of water from a blue glass.
KELLY
If Lloyd Powers wants his
daughter dead, I’ll fight him and
his mega-lawyers, all by myself.
SEAN
You’re not fighting Lloyd Powers.
You’re fighting Alex herself. I
admire you for being feisty,
Kell. But she signed a power of
attorney to her parents, with
specific instructions to
terminate -- if she was ever in a
coma prolonged over twelve
months.
KELLY
That won’t stop me from fighting
them.
SEAN
What if you loose?
KELLY
That’ll be like losing my life.
Sean puts an arm around Kelly.
SEAN
We’ve been through this before,
Kelly. And I still believe
that...
KELLY
Don’t say it. It’s not guilt for
what happened that night.
FLASHBACK TO:
Genres:
["Drama","Mystery","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
58 -
Echoes of Hope
EXT. MOUNTAIN ROAD - NIGHT
The same cold crescent moon night and the moonlit hairpin
curve.
Alex's car enters the tight curve, skids, drifts and stops
with one wheel spinning over the cliff. Alex closes her
eyes, smiles in relief and inhales deeply, when the
screeching tires of another car make her head turn.
She looks out the fogged windshield to see Kelly's car
enter the hairpin, skid, drift and, wheels still locked,
hit Alex's car which moans, groans and slides toward the
edge.
An inaudible "noooo" of terror from Alex as her car goes
over the cliff and tumbles three hundred feet down.
In a time dissolve: cop cars, a hovering police helicopter
and a couple of ambulances highlight the same scene we've
witnessed before, only that now it's Kelly in tears
standing over the gurney with Alex, drenched in blood,
severely injured, as she’s carried to the ambulance.
PRESENT TIME / HOSPITAL ROOM
Kelly stands.
KELLY
It's not guilt, it's friendship.
I owe her. I owe her in a
strange, tragic way, meeting you,
falling in love with you, turning
my life around.
So, as long as she's like that,
I'll always come and bring her
flowers and toys, hold her hand,
tell her stories, hoping that
deep down in the darkness of her
coma, she listens.
SEAN
And this may be the only hope she
has. We've done the electrode
probe treatment and I'll continue
the direct current transcranial
stimulation. You go on with your
method, your stories. Since
there's activity in the default
network, I can only guess that
Alex is in a world that her mind
creates from visual and audio
stimuli, sometimes happy, other
times nightmarish. She’s probably
sort of trapped in an imaginary
life -- like in a house -- and
only she can help herself. She
can either burst out the door and
recover, or she can lock herself
in and never come back.
Sean lowers an electromagnetic coil in front of Alex's
forehead.
SEAN
But we won't give up, right?
Kelly nods. The door opens and RICKY, a male nurse (we
recognize him as the mysterious cab driver) enters.
RICKY
You asked for Baclofen, doctor
Forty-four milligrams?
SEAN
Yes, thanks Ricky. Leave it, I’ll
take care of it.
Ricky deposits the tiny vial next to a chrome-plated
utility cabinet. From the reflection on the cabinet, the
medicine reads NEFOLCAB in bright red and stark black
letters.
Ricky exits, while Lucia (the nurse-turned-housekeeper)
enters. She brings clean towels and places them neatly on a
rack, then something gets her attention:
A vase on the nightstand, where a bouquet of pink lilies
fights to stay fresh.
LUCIA
Want me to change those?
KELLY
I think they’re still good --
tomorrow maybe.
Lucia nods, takes a long sympathetic look at Alex and exits
quietly.
Sean picks up the Baclofen.
KELLY
You believe this will help?
SEAN
In case studies, Baclofen has
shown that recovery of
consciousness with persistent
severe disability is possible.
That, and Zolpidem.
KELLY
I don’t get it.
Sean hands her a document.
SEAN
Read the last paragraph.
KELLY
(reads)
“Further, some of these patients
have, quite shockingly, been
revived by the most unassuming
and unintuitive of things:
sleeping pills.” An over-the-
counter sleeping pill will bring
her back?
SEAN
Who knows? The brain works like
God. In mysterious ways. As John
Maynard Keynes once said, "When
my information changes, I change
my opinion.”
He fills a syringe with the drug and inserts it in one of
the tubes. He turns the valve and the liquid starts to drip
rhythmically into the plastic IV container.
INSIDE ALEX’S MIND
Alex, asleep. The sound of a dripping water faucet fades in
and starts growing in intensity. Alex opens her eyes and
looks at the ceiling. The frozen digits still read 3:16 AM.
PRESENT TIME / HOSPITAL
Sean sets electronic equipment parameters, adjusts the
metallic coil on Alex’s forehead and clicks a digital
switch.
The various pieces of equipment come alive with monotonous
electronic bleeps, familiar to us from Alex’s iPhone.
SEAN
It’s late. I’ll check on Mrs.
Garcia in 344 and come pick you
up, okay?
Kelly nods, Sean exits. The coil produces a low frequency
hum.
INSIDE ALEX’S MIND
The low frequency hum bothers Alex. She brings her hands to
her head and rubs her temple with her fingers.
PRESENT TIME / HOSPITAL
Alex stares into the nothingness of her vegetative state,
through half open, idle eyes. On the chrome plated cabinet,
her reflection looks like her doppelganger.
CAMERA examines the walls of the room. On a large board,
taped photos: a magical Santorini sunset; the Parthenon on
an August full moon night; the sandy beaches of Coronado; a
beautiful mansion with a Bentley and a Porsche parked in
the driveway; a chart displaying a labyrinthic pattern
relating to the human brain which resembles Alex’s hedge
maze; an autographed head shot of Denzel Washington;
snapshots from Kelly’s and Sean’s wedding; a lively beach
bar; an amphibian plane; and a stuffed animal, a furry,
cute, ash grey puppy with the tag FRODO attached to its
collar.
Hanging on a far wall of the room, a lightbox with Alex’s X-
rays.
Alex continues to stare into the nothingness.
Kelly leans forward near her friend, close to her face and
whispers in her ear.
KELLY
I know you can hear me,
girlfriend.
No reaction.
KELLY
You’ll come back, I know you
will.
She cups Alex's hand in hers.
KELLY
Your house is beautiful, the way
you always wanted it to be. But
you have to go out, honey. It's a
gorgeous summer day, go out,
close your eyes, feel the warm
sun on your face. Unlock the door
and go out, hear the children
sing … Row, row, row your boat …
INSIDE ALEX'S MIND
She hears the dripping faucet but the sound now becomes
rhythmic, musical, followed by distant children voices
singing.
CHILDREN
"…gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily,
merrily, Life is but a dream."
Alex starts to move quietly toward the window but stops
short of opening the blinds, as the song seems to be
getting more distant.
CHILDREN
"… life is but a dream …"
She backs off hesitantly, takes a deep breath, and then
moves away from the window and toward the towering entrance
door where the sun casts rainbows through the amber-tainted
glass.
She can hear ocean waves and the cheerful voices of people
strolling along the beach as she reaches for the doorknob,
frozen in time for a long moment.
Then the children's song returns, closer and louder this
time and she turns the key fiercely three full times,
unlocking the door.
She opens the door and brilliant sunlight pours into the
dark house, blinding her.
She takes in the warmth on her face, revels the sea breeze,
and takes a step toward the light.
The slow moving people are faceless, silhouetted against
the incredibly bright sky. One of the shadowy figures takes
a step forward and extends a hand.
Alex pauses, makes a move to walk toward the shadow, then
hesitates and retreats again inside the house.
ALEX
Maybe tomorrow.
Alex closes and locks the door, escapes into the bedroom,
locks that door too and lies down. She puts her arms
around a body pillow and goes back to sleep.
A quiet drama plays in Room 316. Standing over Alex’s bed
are Lloyd and Madeleine Powers with Kelly and Sean behind
them. Ricky, the male nurse, stares at a suited hospital
official who looks like Lieutenant Davis. He reads
inaudibly from a document.
INSIDE ALEX’S MIND
The house is ablaze with light. Every single lamp is on.
Alex stands in the middle of the locked room, looking at
the very last document.
CLOSE TO SEE: The title is POWER OF ATTORNEY / DNR .
The last paragraph of the document specifying Alex’s
termination of life support in the event of prolonged coma
has just started to emit a sinister glow.
Denzel’s voice echoes strangely in Alex’s ears.
DENZEL (O.S.)
To find yourself, think for
yourself.
Alex’s heart starts pounding in her chest.
DENZEL (O.S.)
Acceptance is the key to unlock
the door and get out.
The projection clock which used to be in the bedroom, is
now throwing its frozen 3:16 digits on Alex. Then the
digits start a frantic countdown and tenths of seconds
flash insanely on her face.
Confusion gives way to realization, her subconscious starts
to fight back, instinct kicks in and alarm bells go off.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY
The official looking gentleman finishes his inaudible
reading and nods. Ricky swallows hard and reluctantly
reaches for a band of switches.
Kelly buries her head in Sean’s chest.
Ricky turns the first switch off in slow motion. The
transducer monitor goes black.
INSIDE ALEX’S MIND
The lights inside the room abruptly go off. She panics.
The rock song, Metallica’s “One”, reverberates throughout
the darkened room.
“I can't remember anything
can't tell if this is true or
dream...”
On the iPhone screen, the once frozen Palomar video starts
to play in striking black and white, except now Alex sees
through the camera’s POV: Her car skids, then as it’s hit
by the Jeep it slides toward the darkness of the cliff. The
screen goes black.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - CONTINUOUS
The thin arterial line is pulled. A second switch. The
ventilator dies with a hiss.
INSIDE ALEX’S MIND
She’s hit by a suffocating feeling and starts to run.
The song continues louder:
“... deep down inside I feel to
scream
this terrible silence stops me.”
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - CONTINUOUS
The feeding tube is pulled. A third switch and the EEG
machine flatlines.
INSIDE ALEX’S MIND
One by one the lights of the long corridor die while the
song plays, louder still:
“I'm waking up, I cannot see
that there's not much left of me
oh please God, wake me...”
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - CONTINUOUS
The IV tube is pulled. A fourth switch and the ECG monitor
flatlines too.
INSIDE ALEX’S MIND
All the lights inside the house go off. Then the moonlight
coming in from the huge windows dissipates to total
darkness.
Visible is only the white of her eyes. Alex’s heart pounds
slower and slower. Her breathing gets unbearably heavy. The
song starts to echo and fade:
“...tied to machines that make me
be cut this life off from me.”
With great effort, she drags herself to the door.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Kelly and Sean step out of the room quietly, leaving the
tearful Lloyd and Madeleine alone with Alex.
INSIDE ALEX’S MIND
She lies motionless on the floor in total darkness. The
song now reverberates in the distance:
“... oh please God, wake me
now the world is gone I'm just
one”
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - LATER
Ricky, assisted by another orderly, moves Alex’s body to a
gurney and covers it with a white linen.
INSIDE ALEX’S MIND
Alex starts to move and in a moment she’s trying to pull
herself closer to the exit. Fainter still, the song:
“... oh God, help me hold my
breath
as I wish for death”
Genres:
["Drama","Psychological Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
60 -
Miraculous Revival
INT. HOSPITAL - LONG CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS
Ricky pushes the gurney, flanked by Kelly and Sean. Kelly,
in a desperate move, still hoping, uncovers Alex’s face
which now has the serenity of death.
INSIDE ALEX’S MIND
A faint light appears outside. Alex manages to stand up
and, staggering, throws herself toward the door but falls
again.
The song is now a distant whisper:
“... darkness imprisoning me
all that I see
absolute horror...”
INT. HOSPITAL - LONG CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS
Close on Alex’s face: Morbidly still.
INSIDE ALEX’S MIND
A deadly silence. Alex’s heart has slowed down to a few
drum-like beats. She crawls the last three feet to the
door.
Jaws clenched, she takes a last long breath, reaches for
the doorknob, and with her very last heartbeat manages to
turn it. The doorknob lets a piercing metallic squeak.
INT. HOSPITAL - LONG CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS
CLOSE ON the gurney’s wheel. An identical metallic squeak.
On the gurney, Alex’s eyelids twitch, then a moment later
she blinks open her eyes.
A spasm hits her chest.
She gasps violently and starts to choke.
Ricky freezes in his tracks.
Stunned, Kelly and Sean turn in slow mo, eyes bulging, to
see Alex back to life and coughing uncontrollably.