Amour Page #7

ANNE'S VOICE:

Georges, what's going on?

SCENE 29 - INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT

Darkness. GEORGES HOLLERS

37.

ANNE’S VOICE

Calm down will you! There's nothing

there. It’s nothing.

She manages to switch on the bedside lamp. Georges is sitting

up in his bed, having just awoken, wide-eyed with terror. His

breathing is labored.

Anne extends her good hand toward him, caresses his back to

calm him. He slowly calms down and flops back on his pillow.

ANNE:

What was it?

He doesn't answer. Continues breathing heavily. She caresses

him.

GEORGES:

(still with labored breathing)

I didn't understand... I thought

I’d gone mad... It was something

impossible...

ANNE:

What was?

SCENE 30 - INT. BEDROOM - DAY

Close shot on the screen of a cell phone. We read on it:

Coming to Paris on 12th. Plan to stop by in afternoon. Hope

all well. So look forward to seeing you. Love Eva.

We hear O.S. the voice of

GEORGES:

Eva. They’re coming on the 12th.

He crouches down in front of Anne who is seated on the bed,

puts his mobile phone back in his pocket and continues to put

on her socks and her shoes.

ANNE:

Why?

GEORGES:

No idea. Apparently she’s coming

with Geoff.

ANNE:

When is it?

38.

GEORGES:

I don't know exactly. What day is

it today? I’ll go and look.

Short PAUSE.

ANNE:

I don't want that.

GEORGES:

What?

ANNE:

Geoff doesn't need to come.

PAUSE.

Georges doesn't agree, but continues to dress Anne.

ANNE (CONT’D)

I don't need any comments on my

predicament. I can only take his

British humor in small doses.

SCENE 31 - INT. HALLWAY - DAY

Once more the set of physiotherapy exercises. Things are

going better. Georges smiles encouragingly at Anne, noticing

her improvement. She reacts like someone duty-bound, but

without conviction.

SCENE 32 - INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY

Close shot:
a CD is inserted into a player. As the MUSIC

begins (the concert heard in Scene 3), Georges takes a card

out of the envelope that contained the CD and reads it to

Anne:

GEORGES:

Dear Madame Laurent, Dear Monsieur

Laurent, it was beautiful and yet

sad to see you. My heartfelt wishes

that things will get better.

With deep gratitude, your former

pupil, Martin.

The MUSIC makes their SILENCE less awkward. Then, after a

long while, Anne says:

ANNE:

Stop the CD.

He hesitates, looks at her, then stops the music. They remain

SILENT.

39.

SCENE 33- INT. KITCHEN - ADJOINING ROOM - DAY

They eat. Suddenly, Anne says:

ANNE (CONT’D)

Where are the family albums?

GEORGES:

The family albums? I don't know,

there, in the other room. Why?

ANNE:

Can you get them for me?

GEORGES:

What, now?

Anne nods.

GEORGES (CONT’D)

Why, Anne?

ANNE:

I’d like to look at them.

Georges hesitates, and doesn't understand the suddenness of

this request.

ANNE (CONT’D)

Please!

He finally gets up and goes into the adjoining room. He comes

back after a few moments with a stack of albums, pushes away

the remains of Anne's meal and sets down the first album in

front of her.

ANNE (CONT’D)

Thanks.

GEORGES:

(a bit irritated)

You’re welcome.

With her able hand, Anne opens the album, looks at the

photos, turns the pages, looks.

ANNE:

That's nice.

GEORGES:

(self-consciously, softly)

What?

40.

ANNE:

Life...so long... What a long

life...

Georges looks at her. She continues to thumb through the

pages. After a while she turns toward him.

ANNE (CONT’D)

Stop watching me.

GEORGES:

(caught in the act)

I wasn't watching you.

ANNE:

Of course you were. I’m not that

dumb yet.

SCENE 24 - INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT

They are both lying in bed. Georges reads the day's news to

Anne from the newspaper. When he looks over to her, she has

fallen asleep. He then puts the newspaper on the night stand

and turns out the light.

SCENE 35 - INT. BEDROOM - HALLWAY - BATHROOM - DAY

Bedroom.

It’s morning. Georges is helping Anne to get out of bed into

her wheelchair. As he does it, he notices that the bed and

her nightgown are wet.

GEORGES:

You’re soaked through.

ANNE:

What do you mean?

Brief PAUSE.

GEORGES:

Hold on.

He sits her back on the bed and goes out of the room.

GEORGES (CONT’D)

I’ll be right back.

During this time, she remains seated, feeling embarrassed,

and waits. He comes back with a towel and puts it on the seat

of the wheelchair.

41.

GEORGES (CONT’D)

It’s no big deal. Come on.

He lifts her out of the bed into the wheelchair and pushes

her through the hallway into the bathroom.

He lifts her out of the wheelchair, sits her on the stool and

takes off her wet nightgown, pulling it over her head. She

starts to SOB inconsolably. He caresses her face.

GEORGES (CONT’D)

Come on, darling. It’s nothing

serious. Things like that happen..

ANNE:

(sobbing)

I can’t... take it any more.

He holds her tightly against him, strokes her hair, feeling

helpless.

GEORGES:

My love. My darling.

SCENE 36 - INT. BEDROOM - DAY

Anne is in bed. She’s on a drip. Eva is seated on a chair

beside the bed.

EVA:

... thinking about whether it

wouldn’t be better to invest the

money in an apartment block. If

inflation gets going again,

property is the only sure thing.

Right now, savings accounts pay

1.75% at best. Four years ago,

Geoff bought some stocks with a

small sum of money and the whole

thing collapsed. So now we’re

obviously worried. Unfortunately,

in the meantime, other people have

had the same idea, and property

prices are going through the roof.

Since we came back from

Scandinavia, I spend all my spare

time looking through newspaper ads.

To put an end to the PAUSE that follows, she adds:

EVA (CONT’D)

It takes time, that’s all. We’ll

find something in the end.

42.

Another oppressive PAUSE.

ANNE:

(slowly) Yes yes I have... I

have... the grandmother... woman

with house... not... the house then

... money

EVA:

I don't understand you, I'm afraid.

ANNE:

... yes... now... it’s all... house

sel... sel... sel... was... in two

strokes of... so quickly... god

it’s hard... to say... sell...

money gone... left... there too...

PAUSE. Eva has tears in her eyes.

SCENE 37 - INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY

Georges and Eva's husband, GEOFF, around fifty. He speaks

with a British accent.

GEORGES:

... three times a week... I’m not

experienced enough. We’ll see if

that’s enough.

GEOFF:

How much is she asking?

GEORGES:

It’s paid by the hour. We’ll see.

GEOFF:

And her?

GEORGES:

Anne?

Geoff nods. Georges shrugs.

GEORGES (CONT’D)

It’s hard to say. Sometimes I get

the feeling she’s totally unaware

of the state she’s in. And then I

feel the opposite. It’s... I don't

know.

GEOFF:

And what about the doctor? What

does he say?

43.

GEORGES:

He's...

Eva comes in through the door. She’s in floods of tears.

EVA:

(crying)

She only talks gibberish. I don't

know what...

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