8:42 p.m. - 2003-08-04
scene breakdown of "this is not a sci-fi movie"
This is not a Science Fiction Movie
Scene Breakdown:
1. INT HOSPITAL SEMINAR ROOM MORNING
Intro: A darkened room, slides being flashed onto a screen: a montage of various mathematical diagrams of vortexes, strange monsters, alien movie posters, sci-fi book covers, transformer toys transforming in animation, blurry photos of flying saucers, drawings of giant squids, calendar pages falling onto the floor played back in reverse motion, finally a slide showing title-text printed white against a black background: This is not a Science Fiction Movie. All these is accompanied by a droll off-screen voice-over by RICK.
This is not a Science Fiction Movie.
There are no time machines, no monsters from outerspace;
there are no androids counting sheep, and no robots turning into trucks, cars, aeroplanes or motorcycles� and twisting back into robots again�
there are no green aliens, or flying saucers from planet Mars.
There are no expeditions deep into the sea,
nor are there creatures in the Earth�s centre.
This is not about the future, nor will it bring back the past.
This is not a Science Fiction Movie.
With a click, the title-slide changes to a picture of a diseased lung with blocks of text around it, RICK�s voice becomes business-like; he concludes his sentence about the picture and as he is about to click a handheld switcher to change the slide, someone in the room gives a funny remark and the other doctors in the small darkened seminar room broke into laughter. RICK pauses, not understanding the joke, but he laughs along anyway and proceeds to the next slide, introducing mechanically the quarterly report about the hospital�s production of new drug treatments.
As RICK continues to gesticulate at the slides and do various elaborations, his initial off-screen voice comes back on: I hate myself.
The slides on the screen change to a picture of a balding man�s before and after photos. A sad face for BEFORE and a smiling face for AFTER.
2. INT HOSPITAL CANTEEN AFTERNOON
A rather cosy hospital canteen, furnished with small round formica tables with orange chairs and a television set hung from the ceiling displaying the day�s programming, its volume audible in the background.
RICK is sitting at one of the coffee-cup strewn tables, together with four other colleagues in white coats. He is sitting back in his chair, looking at his colleagues talking animatedly with a bemused expression on his face.
RICK�s off-screen voice: I hate them too.
Laughter breaks out around the table. COLLEAGUE A slaps his thigh, holds up a finger as if to make a point, and tells the other colleagues about his new discoveries at the laboratory. The mood all round the table is rather rah-rah. COLLEAGUE B thrusts out his fist and states that the situation has become a war. COLLEAGUE A intercuts him with a grunt of agreement and together they start to talk about the quarterly report.
RICK, who is sitting at a corner of the discussion, brings a cup of decaffinated coffee to his lips, turns his head slowly and looks at the television screen.
The television is showing a news program with an attractive NEWSCASTER reading the news. She reports the ranking list of illnesses (High-blood pressure, Cancer, Aids, Acne, Baldness, Fatness, Thinness, a long list of various illnesses) and gives the current index of drugs production. Then the news program cuts to a commercial about toothpaste.
COLLEAGUE C nudges RICK out of his reverie and asks him if there is anything. RICK startles and apologises and excuses himself from the table and heads towards the toilet.
3. INT HOSPITAL TOILET AFTERNOON
RICK bends down over the running faucet and splashes water onto his face. His face is scrunched up as if in pain. He pats at his eyes and cheeks and stares at the water-speckled mirror, with water dripping down his chin.
4. INT-EXT HOSPITAL WARD LATE AFTERNOON
A NURSE pushes a trolley of medicines into a ward full of patients and proceeds to dispense the drugs. A pair of patients is sitting facing each other on their beds; they are talking about their impending operations. PATIENT A is lengthening his legs while PATIENT B is going for an appendix-removal operation. He says that his relatives have also removed their appendixes and he was losing sleep for some time over his.
Opposite their beds, at a corner of the ward is an OLD MAN tossing and turning in his bed underneath his blankets. He is in pain and he rubs his shins and back of his thighs with his hands profusely, trying to soothe the pain in them. He groans loudly and his face is red; he starts to cry in pain.
The NURSE hurries over to his side and tries to soothe him as his cries were getting louder.
RICK enters the ward, glances at the OLD MAN and continues with his work routinely, going to PATIENT A and Bs� beds and flipping through their daily reports at the foot of their beds. The OLD MAN�s anguished cries reached a climax.
With a swift turn, RICK moves towards his bed.
RICK looks down at the OLD MAN lying on the bed. The OLD MAN has stopped crying but he is still breathing heavily. The NURSE pats his back, glances at RICK and moves away to get her medicines.
RICK asks the OLD MAN how he is feeling now. The OLD MAN nods, his eyes watery and looking elsewhere. RICK sighs and signals the NURSE to bring the medicine over. He then informs the OLD MAN his operation/surgery date, which is about tomorrow or 3 days later. The OLD MAN shifts and looks RICK in his eyes. RICK falters, turns and walks out of the room hurriedly, his clipboard clenched tight under his armpit. The NURSE moves to the OLD MAN�s side with a glass of water and several large red and yellow capsules.
RICK hurries out of the ward and walks along the corridoor, wiping his sweated brow.
He passes by a television set in the visitor�s corner. The familiar NEWSCASTER program is showing then. He glances at it and continues walking; his steps breaking into a stumble, his eyes turning blurry and his head lolling a bit. Images from the news program and various photos of diseases swarm his mind.
5. INT EXAMINATION ROOM FLASHBACK: FEW DAYS AGO
The OLD MAN and RICK are alone in the room. The OLD MAN is sitting on a wheelchair and RICK is sitting behind his doctor�s desk.
They are talking about the OLD MAN�S illness, a pain that comes and goes, which morphine and various nerve injections have not cured or relieved. RICK talks about the dangers of doing an invasive surgery on the OLD MAN�s spine, the OLD MAN listens and nods. He looks up and says that he wants to do it. RICK starts to protest, to dissuade him. But the OLD MAN waved his hand to silence him. The Old MAN stares at the ground for a while, looks up and says solemnly, � I want you to operate on me, son.�
6. INT/EXT K�s HOME (LIVINGROOM) NIGHT
RICK is running on a treadmill in his living room. He is sweating and panting, and watching a news programme on the television. The advertisements come on. It is an advertisement for liposuction and has a doctor using a vacuum cleaner analogy. RICK steps off the treadmill and walks to a table, picks up a bottle from a tray of bottles and pours out some tablets. He pops them into his mouth and downs a glass of water. He stares at his reflection from the glass cabinet. He sees his skinny body. The sounds from the television ads go on in the background. RICK stands there, silent.
The phone rings suddenly.
RICK shifts, as if from a trance, and walks to pick up the phone. It is a call from the hospital. His FATHER�s cries can be heard in the background as the nurse informs him that some complications have arose when they gave him some drugs. RICK shouts in shock at the NURSE. She tries to give him an answer but is cut off as she hurries to help in the background. RICK shouts again and rushes out of the house.
7. EXT STREETS NIGHT
RICK runs along the streets, his shoes pounding the pavement. He is still dressed in his running singlet and shorts. As he runs, an internal monologue goes on in his head:
I finally get it. I�m going crazy everyday staring at myself and thinking how I can improve myself by buying some treatments or some new exercise equipment and I finally get it. This world is crazy. Everyone is crazy. There�s the promise of happiness but its not so simple. You can be so cheerful and so miserable. Drugs alone do not cure you.
RICK jumps across a paperbag of groceries placed on the pavement beside a HOUSEWIFE. He stumbles but keeps on running, running for his life.
I realise this is crazy too. Running to the hospital. I�ll never get there in time.
RICK halts his running and waves for a cab. A cab pulls up immediately and he hops into it and gives instructions to the driver to drive fast to the hospital.
Dad, dun die on me.
RICK sinks back onto the back seat, his eyes watery with sweat or tears.
Please.
The taxi speeds away down the street.
The END.
