Dream On Screenplay Draft

Dream On

By Piers Cooke Kaiser

 

Int. Hallway.  Night

Static long shot, deep depth of field.  The dark narrow hallway of a town house – the interior is saturated in cold blue.  Along the walls of the hallway hang old paintings and photographs.  Bookcases stand either side, full of antique books. On top of one of the bookcases is a large vase; the house is cluttered but in a homely way.  A woman steps into the hallway, looks back down towards the camera, turns the light on so she can see better.

 

Cut to:

Int. Hallway.  Night.  Midshot, the woman’s P.O.V. of a man standing by the front door.  He is in his Mid-40s, has stubble and wears a suit.  He has just arrived home from work and is tired.  He puts his briefcase down on the floor.

 

The Wife V/O:

Where have you been?

 

Cut to:

Int. Hallway.  Night.  Midshot, the husband takes off his jacket and hangs it on the peg.

 

Cut to:

Int. Hallway.  Night.  Close-up.  The husband’s hand placing his house keys in the dish.

 

The Wife V/O:

Where’s your wedding ring?

 

Cut to:

Int. Hallway.  Night.  Midshot.  The Wife’s P.O.V.  The husband looks up.

Husband:

I don’t know.

 

The Wife V/O:

Do you even care? 

 

Cut to:

Int. Hallway.  Night.  Midshot.  The husband is angry but tries to control his temper.

Husband:

No.

 

The Wife’s V/O:

Then why are you even here?

 

Cut to:

Int. Kitchen.  Night.

Extreme close-up, a dripping tap.  The sound of the water is amplified.  Drip.  Drip.  Drip.  It gets louder with each drop.

A ringing sound.

 

Cut to:

Int. Dining Room.  Night.

Wide shot.  The couple stand either end of the dining table, shouting at each other, jabbing the air angrily with their fingers.  We cannot hear their words, only their muffled rage.

Cut to:

Int.  Kitchen.  Night.

Close-up, an open fridge, bare of food except for a ready-made pizza, a half-open packet of cheese-strips, a few bottles of beer.  The hum of the fridge is amplified.

 

Cut to:

Int. Dining Room.  Night.  Close-up, the wife’s P.O.V.  she slaps her husband’s face.

The sound of the slap is amplified.

 

Cut to:

Int. Dining Room.  Night.  Close-up, the wife’s P.O.V.  the husband grips his wife by the throat.  His face pulses red with rage.

The sound of choking is amplified.

 

Cut to:

Int. Sitting Room.  Night.  Midshot of a television.  On the screen is the black and white Buster Keaton film, Sherlock Jr.  Keaton tentatively kisses the young woman, then looks out of the window towards the camera.

 

Cut to:

Int.  Hallway.  Night.  Midshot.  The husband picks up his keys from the bowl.

 

Cut to:

Int.  Hallway.  Night.  Close-up, the wife’s P.O.V.  From off camera a beer bottle is broken across the back of the husband’s head, causing him to lurch forward.

 

 

 

Cut to:

Int.  Hallway.  Night.  Midshot, the husband falls forward and catches the side of his head on the edge of the bookcase.

 

Cut to:

Int.  Hallway.  Night.  Midshot, the husband lies on the floor.  Blood seeps from the back of his skull.  There is a large, bleeding wound at his temple.  

 

Cut to:

Int. Hallway.  Night.  Close-up of the husband’s face.  He is dead, but his eyes are open.

A single note sounds.

 

Cut to:

Int. Hallway.  Night. Long shot.  The Wife is standing over the husband’s body, looking down at it.  Slowly she turns her head and looks at something in the other room that we cannot see.  The note grows longer, louder.

 

Cut to:

Int. Dining Room.  Night.  Midshot.  The Wife’s P.O.V, the husband is standing at one end of the dining table.  He is more presentable now: top button and tie done up, hair neatly combed, jacket on and buttoned, he wears wedding ring.  A dribble of blood runs down his chin.

 

Cut to:

Int.  Bedroom.  Night.  Close-up, the wife’s face.  She is asleep, then suddenly her eyes open and she is awake.  The sound of a man choking.

 

 

 

Cut to:

Int. Bedroom.  Night.  Midshot.  The husband and wife are in bed together.  The room is mid-size, with enough room around the edge of the bed to walk around.  On either side of the bed are matching bedside tables.  Opposite the bed is a television on a table.  On the wife’s side of the room is a wardrobe and opposite, on the left-hand wall, is a window which looks onto the street, with curtains closed.  The bedside lamp on the husband’s side of the bed is on, and there is a bowl of crisps next to it.  The husband is propped-up against his pillows and in his lap is an I-pad, which shows an episode of the tv drama, Breaking Bad; a close-up of Walter White’s face looking down at something.  The husband is choking, his wife lies next to him, staring up at the ceiling.  Throughout this next sequence, the sound of the husband’s choking is all we can hear: loud and raw and painful.

 

Cut to:

Int. Bedroom.  Night.  Close-up, the wife calmly gets out of bed as if she is waking up on any regular morning.

 

Cut to:

Int.  Bedroom.  Night.  Close-up on the bowl of crisps.

 

Cut to:

Int.  Bedroom.  Night.  Close-up on the husband’s panicked face as he continues to choke.

 

Cut to:

Int.  Bedroom.  Night.  Midshot, the wife opens the wardrobe and takes out a small suitcase.  Then she begins to pack, still with the same sense of calm, and seemingly oblivious to her husband choking in bed.

 

Cut to:

Int.  Bedroom.  Night.  Close-up, the husband is close to death, fighting for his last breath.

 

 

Cut to:

Int.  Bedroom.  Night.  Midshot, the wife begins to dress.

 

Cut to:

Int. Hallway.  Night.  Long shot, deep depth of field, the wife walks down the stairs, carrying her suitcase.  The house is silent now, except for the sound of the wife walking down the stairs and the thump of the suitcase on the stairs as she walks.

 

Cut to:

Int. Sitting Room.  Night.  Midshot of the television, the Buster Keaton film, Sherlock Jr still plays: Keaton becomes a ghost, steps out of his own sleeping body, points out towards the camera, sees the kiss scene from earlier.

 

Cut to:

Int.  Hallway.  Night.  Midshot, the wife pauses at the hall table, and looks down.

 

Cut to:

Int.  Hallway.  Night.  Close-up of a photograph of the wife and her husband smiling to camera.

 

Cut to:

Int.  Hallway.  Night.  Midshot, the wife walks to the front door, opens it, and leaves the house.  The sound of her footsteps rings out on the hallway tiles, the front door shuts with finality.

 

Cut to:

Int.  Hallway.  Night.  Close-up of the house keys in the bowl.

 

 

Cut to:

Ext.  Street.  Night.  Outside the house.  Close-up on the Wife’s emotionless face, lit by a streetlight, staring above the camera, into the darkness.  From somewhere nearby, the sound of a car passing by.

 

Cut to:

Int.  Bedroom.  Night.  Close-up on the husband’s face.  He is dead.

 

Cut to:

Ext.  Street.  Night.  Outside the house.  Close-up as before on the Wife’s emotionless face.  A single tear falls down her cheek.  Around the Wife, the street and the house behind her slowly fade to black, leaving only her face visible, lit by the streetlight from above.

 

Fade to Black.

Credits.