Away from Her

1 EXT RUNDOWN NEIGHBOURHOOD - FEBRUARY 2005 1

Grant, a handsome man in his 70’s, with a constant twinkle in

his eye, drives down a suburban looking street in a poor area

of a small Ontario town. He consults an address that lies on

the seat beside him. Looks at the houses as he passes them.

Mostly rental houses. Some of the yards are marked by car

tracks, the windows plastered with tinfoil or hung with faded

flags. He finds the address he’s looking for. A small house

on a quiet street. He pulls into the driveway. This house is

much better looked after though still modest. There are

flowers freshly planted. He takes a moment. Stares at the

house. Takes a deep breath.

2 EXT PIER- 1961 - SUMMER - DAY 2

GRANT’S MEMORY: of a beautiful 18 year old girl. She is

leaning against the rail of a pier overlooking a great lake.

It is windy and cold and raining lightly. The wind blows her

pale blonde hair into her face. She is confident and strong.

She is smiling, staring straight at us. She is yelling over

the wind, a glimmer in her eye. We can’t hear what she’s

saying. We hear the voice of a man in his 70’s.

GRANT (V.O.)

She said, “Do you think it would be

fun - Do you think it would be fun

if we got married?”

A younger woman’s voice is heard.

KRISTY (V.O.)

What did you say?

GRANT (V.O.)

I took her up on it. I shouted yes.

The 18 year old girl grins. She turns away and looks out at

the water, happy.

GRANT (V.O.)

I never wanted to be away from her.

She had the spark of life.

She looks back at us. Right into our eyes.

The image dissolves to white, ski tracks melt over her face.

“Harvest Moon,” by Neil Young plays on the soundtrack.

2.

3 EXT ANDERSSON’S COTTAGE - JANUARY 2003 - MAGIC HOUR 3

A bird’s eye view of a snowy, ice covered lake. A couple skis

through frame. We follow their ski tracks in the opposite

direction. To where they came from.

GRANT (V.O.)

Over our many winters, her hair

went from pale blonde to silver.

That’s all. I don’t think I noticed

exactly when.

Credits over the ski tracks as we follow them. We arrive at a

warmly lit cottage. It is old and large but not ostentatious.

We pause here and then we continue on around their property.

We find FIONA AND GRANT ANDERSSON, skiing together through

their field. Grant is in his 70’s, Fiona in her sixties. They

are both stunning and sexy, with humour in their eyes. We

recognize Fiona as the beautiful girl we saw at the

beginning. She is ethereal, light, and sly. As though always

enjoying a private joke. They pant hard as they ski side by

side, glancing at each other.

CUT TO:

3A EXT GAZEBO - EVENING 3A

They stand in a gazeobo at the edge of the lake, staring at

the sunset over the frozen water. They stare silently,

mesmerized.

CUT TO:

3B EXT GAZEBO - EVENING 3B

CLOSE ON Grant and Fiona’s fingers, unlatching their skis

from their boots.

4 INT ANDERSSON’S KITCHEN -JANUARY 2003- EVENING 4

The cottage is warm and comfortable. Rugs crooked on the

floor and cup rings bitten into the table varnish. FIONA and

GRANT are both tastefully dressed. They prepare dinner

together. There’s a sense of easy routine about it. Grant

chops vegetables while Fiona tends the stove. There’s not a

lot of conversation about what they’re doing. As he maneuvers

around her to dump the vegetables into the pan his arms

encircle her waist and he steals the spatula from where she

has left it on the counter.

FIONA:

Careful.

2A.

He hides the spatula behind his back. She turns to look at

him, knowing what he’s done.

3.

FIONA:

Give me that.

He stays still. She scuffs his hair on the way out the door.

FIONA:

Alright then. You do it.

He smiles. Continues her work at the stove. We hear the

television come on. A news segment about an election.

5 INT ANDERSSON’S LIVINGROOM -JANUARY 2003- EVENING 5

They eat a good looking dinner. Not labour intensive but

carefully made.

FIONA:

Then they showed this totally

irrelevant clip of him running.

Apparently he likes to run when

he’s canvassing.

GRANT:

It must have had some context.

She takes a sip of wine. He laughs.

FIONA:

It didn’t. And he runs like a

goalie.

GRANT:

Oh and you’re such a hockey fan.

Show me how a goalie runs.

FIONA acts out a goalie running, laughing her head off. She

sits back down.

FIONA:

Oh, It’s too sad. He wants to be a

good samaritan in the most boring

possible way.

Grant laughs. A pause and then they both start giggling

again. She looks at his clothes.

FIONA:

Don’t you have another shirt?

4.

6 INT ANDERSSON’S KITCHEN - JANUARY 2003 -NIGHT 6

FIONA and GRANT clean the kitchen together. A warm quiet

between them. Grant steals tender glances at her as he does

the dishes and she dries them. It’s as though he is watching

for something. She goes about putting the dishes away,

oblivious to his eyes on her. This goes on for a while. We

watch them work in silence, she puts the dishes in the

cupboards. He hands her a frying pan. She stares at it for a

moment. She opens the freezer and puts it inside. As he hears

the freezer door open, he turns to look at her. She looks

back at him,oblivious. She goes back to putting the dishes

away in their proper places. He smiles at her. When the last

dish is put away she leaves the room, feeling like she’s

missing something.

FIONA:

I’ll go make the fire.

He waits until she is safely in the other room, and then,

sadly, takes the pan out of the freezer and puts it in a

cupboard.

7 INT ANDERSSON’S LIVINGROOM -JANUARY 2003 -NIGHT 7

FIONA lies with her head on GRANT’S lap. There’s a fire in

the fireplace, the house orderly and cosy. It’s snowing

outside, big fairy tale snow flakes. He reads to her from a

book of poetry.

GRANT:

(reading)

You climbed the bank and said

This is how you touch other women

The grass cutter’s wife, the lime

burner’s daughter

And you searched your arms

For the missing perfume

And knew

Fiona strokes his face. Interrupts him.

FIONA:

Don’t worry darling.I expect I’m

just losing my mind.

GRANT:

Ssshhhh.

He grabs her hand. Kisses it.

5.

GRANT:

What good is it to be the lime

burner’s daughterLeft with no trace

As if not spoken to in the act of

love

As if wounded without the pleasure

of a scar

You touched yourBelly to my handsIn the dry air and saidI am the cinnamon

Peeler’s wife. Smell me.

She falls asleep as he reads. He watches her sleep for a few

moments.

8 INT ANDERSSON’S BEDROOM -JANUARY 2003-NIGHT 8

GRANT strokes FIONA’S hair. She smiles up at him, warm. They

kiss, and slowly and calmly make love.

Title Card:

The Diagnoses

9 INT ANDERSSON’S BATHROOM -JANUARY 2003-NIGHT 9

GRANT is peeing. He finishes and washes his hands, catching a

glimpse of himself in the mirror. On the mirror is a sticky

note. It says “7am Yoga. 7:30 - 7:45 teeth, face, hair. 7:45

8:
15 walk. 8:15 Grant and Breakfast.” He puts his fingers to

it, touched by it’s precision.

10 INT ANDERSSON’S BEDROOM -JANUARY 2003-NIGHT 10

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