Amour Page #8

Geoff gets up, hesitantly.

GEOFF:

Hey, dear...

He goes toward her and leads her to the armchair where he was

sitting.

GEOFF (CONT’D)

...come here, sit down, it's OK.

She shakes him off, irritated, and sits down.

EVA:

Nothing is OK.

At first he’s vexed by her brusque response, but then goes to

sit down on the sofa. Meanwhile, Eva turns to Georges:

EVA (CONT’D)

What’s going on, actually? You

can’t just leave her lying on her

bed like that! She’s

unrecognizable! It's ridiculous!

GEORGES:

We can’t do anything for the

moment. Calm down, darling. She’s

getting medical treatment, they

give her the necessary medication,

and there are no other options

right now.

EVA:

What does that mean, “no other

options”? Why isn’t she in a

hospital?

GEORGES:

She had a second stroke. Bertier

examined her and felt we could

spare her all the hospital

inpatient procedures.

(MORE)

44.

GEORGES (CONT'D)

Anyway, they wouldn’t keep her,

they'd send her to a care home.

What they do in those places, we

can do here.

Eva looks at him, amazed.

GEORGES (CONT’D)

And she won't be put in a care

home. I promised her that.

GEOFF:

Don't you think you’re taking on

too much?

GEORGES:

Have you got a better idea?

Geoff doesn't know what to say. Eva has composed herself

somewhat and blows her nose.

EVA:

I can’t believe that these days

there's no way of handling this

efficiently.

GEORGES:

(curtly)

No one’s stopping you from finding

out.

Eva gets up, furious, and goes to the window. Georges follows

her with his eyes.

GEORGES (CONT’D)

(peaceably)

Believe me, I love your mother as

much as you do. So please, don't

treat me as if I was a total idiot

incapable of doing the obvious.

EVA:

I didn't say that. I’m simply

questioning whether what I see

going on here is the answer to

everything!

GEOFF:

(to Georges)

Don't you want to get a second

opinion?

45.

GEORGES:

Now you two had better stop, OK?

Another doctor did come. He said

Bertier was right. From Monday, a

nurse will come three times a week.

Now can we talk about something

else?

EVA:

Like what?

SCENE 38 - INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT

Georges washes the tea cups that he used for Eva and Geoff.

On the radio, the EVENING NEWS.

SCENE 39 - INT. BEDROOM - DAY

With expert gestures, a nurse shows Georges how to lie Anne

down and put an incontinence pad on her. She’s now almost

incapable of moving, and has to be turned over like an

object, as tears flow silently down her face.

SCENE 40 - INT. LIVING ROOM -DAY

Anne is at the piano and plays the piece from the Scene 3. We

watch her and listen to her for a while.

Georges is seated in his armchair and looks at the piano.

Finally he leans over toward the CD player and stops it. The

MUSIC suddenly stops. Georges remains silently seated.

SCENE 41 - INT. KITCHEN - HALLWAY - BEDROOM - DAY

He prepares a bowl of muesli, fills a sipping cup with water

and brings both into the bedroom. Sits down on the bed close

to Anne to feed her her food.

GEORGES:

There, my love, I hope you like it.

ANNE:

OK...

He begins to feed her.

GEORGES:

I added a little orange juice. I

find it tastes quite good.

She can only swallow slowly, and so something keeps running

back out of her mouth. He wipes it with a tea towel,

continues to feed her. Finally, after a few mouthfuls, she

keeps her mouth shut.

46.

GEORGES (CONT’D)

Come on, Anne, you have to eat some

more. You've only swallowed three

mouthfuls.

Anne continues to keep her lips sealed.

GEORGES (CONT’D)

Please, darling. A bit more.

Anne doesn't move. He puts the muesli on the night stand and

holds the sipping cup to her lips. She drinks slowly, one sip

after the other. He pulls the cup back between each sip, to

give her more time. Suddenly she says:

ANNE:

...Mom to the concert...

GEORGES:

Yes?

ANNE:

...Mom to the concert... no

dress...

GEORGES:

Mom has no dress for the concert?

ANNE:

...Mom to concert... no ... uuu...

no...

GEORGES:

Yes?

Long PAUSE. Georges waits.

SCENE 42 - INT. BATHROOM - DAY

Georges and the nurse install Anne on a metal armchair in the

shower.

As she does so, the nurse keeps talking reassuringly to Anne.

Finally, she turns on the tap.

ANNE:

(in a monotone)

Help! Help! Help! Help! Help!

Help!...

Without being phased, the nurse continues to speak

reassuringly. Georges remains standing there, helpless.

SCENE 43 - INT. KITCHEN - HALLWAY - BEDROOM - DAY

47.

Kitchen.

Georges and the nurse are seated at the table with a cup of

coffee. In front of the nurse, on the table, is a sum of

money. As they speak, we hear, coming from the room, Anne's

CALLS FOR HELP.

NURSE:

... we could take turns. She’d come

from 8 till 12 and I’d do 2 until

6, or 3 to 7. That would certainly

relieve the pressure on you.

GEORGES:

I’ll think about it.

NURSE:

She just has to know in time so she

can arrange it in her schedule.

GEORGES:

Yes, of course, I’ll let you know

in the next few days.

NURSE:

Very well. I have to go now...

She takes the money on the table, pockets it and gets up.

NURSE (CONT’D)

Thanks for the coffee.

GEORGES:

My pleasure. I’ll see you out.

They both leave the kitchen. As the nurse, in the hallway,

takes her jacket off the hook in the closet and puts it on,

she comments on Anne's continuing CALLS FOR HELP.

NURSE:

You mustn't take it too seriously.

Usually they always say something.

She might just as well say “Mom,

Mom, Mom”. It’s just mechanical.

GEORGES:

(nodding, softly)

I know.

They’ve reached the door.

NURSE:

Goodbye, sir.

48.

GEORGES:

Goodbye.

He closes the door behind her. Remains motionless a moment,

then goes into the bedroom, where Anne's CALLS FOR HELP,

unaltered, continue.

Georges sits down beside Anne on the bed, takes her hand,

holds her. After a while, Anne calms down, her CALLS FOR HELP

become quieter and finally stop altogether.

After a long PAUSE:

GEORGES (CONT’D)

(slowly, softly)

I’d like to hire a second nurse.

The two could take turns. That

would make everything a bit

simpler. What do you think?

Long PAUSE. Then:

ANNE:

(softly) ...Help...Help...

SCENE 44 - INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT

They are both lying in bed. Georges SNORES noisily. Anne’s

eyes are open.

SCENE 45 - INT. HALLWAY - KITCHEN - DAY

The front door. We hear the key in the lock. Georges enters

with a shopping bag, and behind him is the superintendent. He

carries bigger and heavier bags. Georges holds the door open

for him.

GEORGES:

Would you mind putting them in the

kitchen.

The superintendent precedes him into the kitchen with the

bags. Georges calls toward the bedroom:

GEORGES (CONT’D)

I’m ba-aack!

He then follows the superintendent into the kitchen.

The superintendent has put the bags on the work surface.

GEORGES (CONT’D)

Thanks very much.

49.

SUPERINTENDENT:

Can I do anything else for you,

sir?

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