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OUTLINE
Characters:
RUDY– a young, surprisingly successful CEO, rocketed into money in his early 20s. Newspapers etc keep an eye on him. He has lots of power but not a lot of experience in how to wield it. Late 20s.
STEPH – his wife. Pretty sheltered. Late 20s also. High school sweethearts – never had any idea they’d ever be with anyone else.
MAX – Struggling artist with an unfulfilling day job.
MARY – Same, although she leans more toward artist, quitting the day jobs left and right when she feels they’re killing her soul a little too much. They met in NYC, only been dating for a few months but are already moved-in together, for money reasons.
VOCALIST- Young aspiring singer that lives above Stephanie and Rudy.
SOMETHING EARLY HINTING AT TONE:
- While doing shots of Rudy & Steph’s empty apartment, we can hear a voice lesson going on upstairs/a practicing singer? Or downstairs. (Or a sound sandwich)
SEQUENCE 1:
Steph and Max, in their separate homes, as they realize their partners are not coming home, and they worry. [This introduces us to Steph and Max, their different lifestyles, etc.]
INT. STEPH & RUDY’S PENTHOUSE APT. – EARLY EVENING
All is dark. Through the windows, we can see the darkening sky –The window sill is dusted with snow.
After a moment, we see the streetlamps on the street outside turn on.
Shots of the apartment:
- A framed wedding picture of Steph and Rudy in a nice frame next to a more casual picture of them in a cheaper plastic frame.
- A fat cat snoozing on the large, carefully made bed.
- Gas fireplace [off]
All over the metronome-like ticking of an imposing grandfather clock.
The jangle in the key of the front door. The handle turns, and the door swings open. STEPH enters, carrying a huge amount of dry cleaning.
STEPH
I’m home!
She closes the door behind her.
STEPH (cont)
Rudy? Why’s it so dark?
She drops some of the dry cleaning as she turns on the entryway light.
STEPH (cont)
... Rudy?
Anybody home?
She pauses, listening, then sighs and locks the door behind her.
EXT. STEPH & RUDY’S APT – CONTINUOUS
We hear the door lock from outside.
[MAX is revealed, who is revealed walking along the sidewalk outside Steph & Rudy’s apartment. He flicks a cigarette into the street, clutching an artist portfolio with the other hand.]
[During this song – following Max home, Steph in her apartment doing normal night things. For both of them – they are fine at first, but start to worry. Ends with some kind of “Where the fuck are they?”]
CUT TO:
EXT. CENTRAL PARK – MIDNIGHT
The few people outside bustle home, wrapped up tight against the cold.
We can see two figures sitting on a bench, leaning into each other like a couple in love.
Coming closer, moving around, we see that they are dead, soaked in blood.
Illuminated by the streetlights blood pools around them. Someone rushing through the park, noticing the blood, stops short – then stumbles back, fumbling for a cell phone to call an ambulance.
Another shot of them on the bench – fade out as the lights from police/ambulance sirens play on their faces.
SEQUENCE 2:
Steph & Rudy are called to the morgue to identify their partners and to answer questions from the detective. They are acquaintances (practically strangers) thrust together thanks to tragic circumstance.
Steph stands outside a blue brick building. She is wearing all black, looking around nervously. Behind her, on the building, are the large silver words “Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.”
INT. OCME – WAITING ROOM – MORNING
Steph sits in a plastic bucket seat in a monochromatic waiting room. She clutches her purse tightly and nervously picks at her gloves.
The door opens, and Max enters. He lets the door close behind him as he takes off his hat and clutches it in his hands, looking around the room.
He takes a seat one away from Steph and sits, staring at his hat.
Steph looks at him.
SEQUENCE 3
In which we find out the few details we do for sure know about the untimely deaths of Rudy & Mary.
The Details:
- Mary & Rudy found together
- There was a gun (Det. asks Steph if either she or Rudy owned a handgun. Getting a negative response, he asks Max.)
- Det. asks: “To your knowledge, were they having an affair?” [Show a despondent, depressed, shocked Max & Steph] “Here’s my card. Gimme a ring if you remember anything. I’ll keep in touch.”
SEQUENCE 4:
Steph and Max, who were never quite friends before, return home [whose?] and try to piece together what happened.
They might also try out some sexy shenanigans, but this isn’t a romance, and they aren’t actually into each other
BULK SEQUENCE:
STEPH AND MAX HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT HAPPENED – all sorts of possibilities. Why were their people in the park, why were they together, why are they dead.
- Why would they kill themselves?
- Could they have been murdered?
- If they were in love, why wouldn’t they just leave Steph & Max and be together? Why did they have to die?
This sequence is KINETIC. MADCAP.
POTENTIALLY...
- Rudy murdered (because of his position and power), Mary killed as part of a coverup [“political reasons”]
- Murder-Suicide: Rudy killed Mary, then himself. Or vice versa.
- Mary died of natural causes, and Rudy killed himself. [maybe she has some kind of heart condition?]
- Were they having an affair?
Basically, Steph & Max are using Rudy & Mary as puppets, acting out scenarios. They have just found out they apparently never knew their partners at all, and they are trying to wrap their brains around the whole thing.
IN THE END, they have to accept that they’ll never know, or something, and move on. They decide it’s best to not be friends.
LAST SCENE
Rudy & Mary sit together on the snowy bench. He kisses her. She looks in his eyes and nods. They snuggle close, leaning their heads together. Mary pulls a handgun out of her coat. She passes it to Rudy. He touches her hair, holding her close, holds the gun to his temple and fires. Blood explodes from the far side of Mary’s head and they are both dead, blood soaking the snow around them.
Characters:
RUDY– a young, surprisingly successful CEO, rocketed into money in his early 20s. Newspapers etc keep an eye on him. He has lots of power but not a lot of experience in how to wield it. Late 20s.
STEPH – his wife. Pretty sheltered. Late 20s also. High school sweethearts – never had any idea they’d ever be with anyone else.
MAX – Struggling artist with an unfulfilling day job.
MARY – Same, although she leans more toward artist, quitting the day jobs left and right when she feels they’re killing her soul a little too much. They met in NYC, only been dating for a few months but are already moved-in together, for money reasons.
VOCALIST- Young aspiring singer that lives above Stephanie and Rudy.
SOMETHING EARLY HINTING AT TONE:
- While doing shots of Rudy & Steph’s empty apartment, we can hear a voice lesson going on upstairs/a practicing singer? Or downstairs. (Or a sound sandwich)
SEQUENCE 1:
Steph and Max, in their separate homes, as they realize their partners are not coming home, and they worry. [This introduces us to Steph and Max, their different lifestyles, etc.]
INT. STEPH & RUDY’S PENTHOUSE APT. – EARLY EVENING
All is dark. Through the windows, we can see the darkening sky –The window sill is dusted with snow.
After a moment, we see the streetlamps on the street outside turn on.
Shots of the apartment:
- A framed wedding picture of Steph and Rudy in a nice frame next to a more casual picture of them in a cheaper plastic frame.
- A fat cat snoozing on the large, carefully made bed.
- Gas fireplace [off]
All over the metronome-like ticking of an imposing grandfather clock.
The jangle in the key of the front door. The handle turns, and the door swings open. STEPH enters, carrying a huge amount of dry cleaning.
STEPH
I’m home!
She closes the door behind her.
STEPH (cont)
Rudy? Why’s it so dark?
She drops some of the dry cleaning as she turns on the entryway light.
STEPH (cont)
... Rudy?
Anybody home?
She pauses, listening, then sighs and locks the door behind her.
EXT. STEPH & RUDY’S APT – CONTINUOUS
We hear the door lock from outside.
[MAX is revealed, who is revealed walking along the sidewalk outside Steph & Rudy’s apartment. He flicks a cigarette into the street, clutching an artist portfolio with the other hand.]
[During this song – following Max home, Steph in her apartment doing normal night things. For both of them – they are fine at first, but start to worry. Ends with some kind of “Where the fuck are they?”]
CUT TO:
EXT. CENTRAL PARK – MIDNIGHT
The few people outside bustle home, wrapped up tight against the cold.
We can see two figures sitting on a bench, leaning into each other like a couple in love.
Coming closer, moving around, we see that they are dead, soaked in blood.
Illuminated by the streetlights blood pools around them. Someone rushing through the park, noticing the blood, stops short – then stumbles back, fumbling for a cell phone to call an ambulance.
Another shot of them on the bench – fade out as the lights from police/ambulance sirens play on their faces.
SEQUENCE 2:
Steph & Rudy are called to the morgue to identify their partners and to answer questions from the detective. They are acquaintances (practically strangers) thrust together thanks to tragic circumstance.
Steph stands outside a blue brick building. She is wearing all black, looking around nervously. Behind her, on the building, are the large silver words “Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.”
INT. OCME – WAITING ROOM – MORNING
Steph sits in a plastic bucket seat in a monochromatic waiting room. She clutches her purse tightly and nervously picks at her gloves.
The door opens, and Max enters. He lets the door close behind him as he takes off his hat and clutches it in his hands, looking around the room.
He takes a seat one away from Steph and sits, staring at his hat.
Steph looks at him.
SEQUENCE 3
In which we find out the few details we do for sure know about the untimely deaths of Rudy & Mary.
The Details:
- Mary & Rudy found together
- There was a gun (Det. asks Steph if either she or Rudy owned a handgun. Getting a negative response, he asks Max.)
- Det. asks: “To your knowledge, were they having an affair?” [Show a despondent, depressed, shocked Max & Steph] “Here’s my card. Gimme a ring if you remember anything. I’ll keep in touch.”
SEQUENCE 4:
Steph and Max, who were never quite friends before, return home [whose?] and try to piece together what happened.
They might also try out some sexy shenanigans, but this isn’t a romance, and they aren’t actually into each other
BULK SEQUENCE:
STEPH AND MAX HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT HAPPENED – all sorts of possibilities. Why were their people in the park, why were they together, why are they dead.
- Why would they kill themselves?
- Could they have been murdered?
- If they were in love, why wouldn’t they just leave Steph & Max and be together? Why did they have to die?
This sequence is KINETIC. MADCAP.
POTENTIALLY...
- Rudy murdered (because of his position and power), Mary killed as part of a coverup [“political reasons”]
- Murder-Suicide: Rudy killed Mary, then himself. Or vice versa.
- Mary died of natural causes, and Rudy killed himself. [maybe she has some kind of heart condition?]
- Were they having an affair?
Basically, Steph & Max are using Rudy & Mary as puppets, acting out scenarios. They have just found out they apparently never knew their partners at all, and they are trying to wrap their brains around the whole thing.
IN THE END, they have to accept that they’ll never know, or something, and move on. They decide it’s best to not be friends.
LAST SCENE
Rudy & Mary sit together on the snowy bench. He kisses her. She looks in his eyes and nods. They snuggle close, leaning their heads together. Mary pulls a handgun out of her coat. She passes it to Rudy. He touches her hair, holding her close, holds the gun to his temple and fires. Blood explodes from the far side of Mary’s head and they are both dead, blood soaking the snow around them.
