Scene 1

INT – BEDROOM – DUSK

A couple are lying on a double bed, gently stroking each other. The window is open. It’s a warm night. We can’t see their faces. We find them mid-conversation.

Man

            I don’t know. I never really knew her. Not well anyway.

Woman

            Je croyais que vous vous étiez rencontres il y a 6 ans.

            (Subtitle: I thought you two met six years ago.)

Man

            Yeah, but we didn’t spend much time together. Although I did go to her             church group once.

Woman

            Elle est chrétienne?

            (Subtitle: She’s a Christian?)

Man

            Yep.

Woman

            Ca c’est quelque chose que je comprendrai jamais.

            (Subtitle: I’ll never understand that.)

The woman shifts positions, stretches a bit. Perhaps kisses him on the stomach or torso.

Woman

            Moi, j’aime la nature.  Ça c’est ma religion.

            (Subtitle: I love nature. That’s my religion.)

Man

            Are you still drunk?

Woman

(laughs a little)

            Ouais, un peu.

            (Subtitle: Yeah, a little.)

They lie together there in silence for a few moments. He continues to stroke her.

Man

            Do you want to hear that song again?

Woman

            Non. Je pleure toujours quand tu la joues.

            (Subtitle: No. I always cry when you play that.)

Man

            I love it when you cry.

 
CUT TO:

The same bedroom; but now the room is dark. The man’s eyes open. Reveal he is alone in the bed. The window is shut. He is under the covers. It’s cold. He was dreaming.

 *        *       *

Scene 2

INT – APARTMENT CORRIDOR – THE NEXT MORNING

The corridor is reasonably well lit by the daylight outside the window. The man locks his door and walks to the elevator, presses the button and waits. He looks solemn. As the elevator doors open he hears jovial conversation. There is a group of three inside who stop talking as soon as they see him. The man gets on. He speaks in an obvious Anglophonic accent.

Man

(A little hopeful)

            Bonjour.

Group

(Sober)

            Bonjour.

The group then drop their eye level slightly and stay silent. The lift stays silent for three floors until it stops to let the group off. The man drops his head a bit but keeps his eyes on them. He slowly and carefully looks at each one.

The doors open and the group gets off.

Group

(Sober)

            Au revoir.

They scurry off as the man is replying and so finds saying goodbye a bit futile. As soon as they are clear of the lift they start talking jovially again.

 Man

            Au revoir.

 The elevator closes again and he rides in silence until the ground floor. He walks out into the foyer.

 
*      *      *

Scene 3

EXT – A PARISIAN STREET – DAY

The man is walking down a normal, ordinary street. There is snow lining the pavement and road. He keeps his head down with his hands in his coat pockets and doesn’t interact with anyone.  He walks into a metro station.

CUT TO:

INT – METRO TRAIN – MOMENTS LATER 

The man is sitting on one of the side benches.  The train is not crowded, nor empty. He is looking at himself in the darkened window. He looks sad.

He starts looking at the people on the train: an old woman with an overflowing handbag, a business man listening to a walkman and the newspaper under his arm, a small girl tapping her shoes on the floor, and finally a young couple in love sitting together holding hands.
 

Quick series of images:

The couple in a library with their heads down reading (maybe one looks up).

The couple in a park lying in each other’s arms. 

The couple walking around an empty apartment.

The couple lying in bed with a baby between them. 

The couple’s clasped hands (again back on the train).

Return to the man’s reflection again. He has a smile forming slightly in the corner of his mouth.
 

 
EXT – THE STREET / INT – BUILDING FOYER – MOMENTS LATER

The man is walking along another street again with his head down, hands in his pockets. His solemn expression has returned. 

We follow him into the empty foyer of a building. He walks to a small safety box in the wall, unlocks and opens it. The box is empty.

*        *        * 

Scene 4

INT – FOYER OF APPARTMENT - NIGHT

The man is waiting for the elevator with his head down. As the doors open he raises his eyes and sees a pretty woman. She smiles.

Woman

            Bonsoir!

 He smiles back at her but a little startled.

Man

            Bonjour.

She walks past him and he watches her walk out of the building.

INT – APPARTEMENT – LATER THAT NIGHT

The man sits alone at a table in a poorly lit apartment. There is a single plate pushed to one side and a bit of everyday mess on the table. In his hand he is thumbing a folded piece of paper.

He lets go of the paper, pushes back his chair and crouches over in pain. He wraps his arms around his head or stomach.

Scene 5

EXT – THE STREET / INT – BUILDING FOYER – THE NEXT DAY

 The man is walking along the same street as before. Again with his head down and shoulders hunched.

CUT TO:

 EXT – A PARK – later that day

 The man is sitting on a park bench. He looks at his watch but doesn’t move. He continues sitting, looking at the occasional people walk by.

CUT TO:

 
EXT – THE STREET / INT – BUILDING FOYER – LATER that day

 The man walks down the same street and into the same building foyer. Just as before, he unlocks and opens the small side door. The box is still empty. He’s waiting for something that won’t arrive. He locks the safety box and leaves.

Scene 6

 
INT – ELEVATOR / INT – APARTMENT CORRIDOR – DAY

The man is inside the elevator going to his floor. The doors open and the woman is waiting for the lift. He is clearly surprised and quickly becomes quite nervous. She smiles.

Woman

            Bonjour!

Man

            Bonjour.

Woman

            Je t’y ai vu avant. J’ai pas su qu’on vive sur le même étage.

 He doesn’t answer. He stands there awkwardly and startled, not knowing what to do. The woman thinks for a second.

Woman

            Tu n’es pas français, c’est ca?

He continues to stand there, and raises his hands and shrugs a little in apologetic ignorance.

The lift doors close. He turns to catch them but can’t. He presses the button.

Man

            Sorry.

The woman waves her hands up to say that it doesn’t matter.

 The man tries to speak.

Man

            I, um . . .

 But then comes to a decision. His hand dives into his pocket and he pulls out the folded, white piece of paper. He gives it to her.

She opens it and reads. Then smiles and is somewhat taken a back by the message. He returns her smile. They wait a few moments in smiling silence until the lift comes.

Woman

            ‘Je suis désolé, mais il faut que j’aille.

 She taps her watch to indicate that she is late. He understands and gestures her to go. She gets into the lift, still smiling.

 
INT – FOYER – CONTINUOUS

The woman gets out of the lift and walks across the foyer.

EXT – THE STREET OUTSIDE THE APARTMENT – CONTINUOUS

The woman checks her watch again and walks across the street. She doesn’t see the oncoming car. It slides along the icy road and hits her.

The woman is lying on the road. There is blood trickling from her head. It snakes its way along the ground to her semi-outstretched hand which is still holding the white piece of paper. The paper soaks up some of the blood.

INT – APARTMENT CORRIDOR – CONTINUOUS

The man is till standing in front of the lift. His head is down. He takes a deep breath and slowly raises his head to reveal a huge beaming smile.