Away from Her Page #4

rest of their lives.

BUDDY (V.O.)

How long ago...

GRANT:

Oh. A lifetime ago.I think it may

have coincided with the discovery

that she was not likely to have

children. Something about her tubes

being blocked or twisted - I can’t

remember now.

31 INT ANDERSSON’S LIVINGROOM- NOVEMBER 2003-EVENING 31

Buddy looks at Grant across the dining room table, Fiona skis

on the lake in the background.

GRANT:

I’m afraid I’ve always avoided

thinking about all that...female

apparatus.

BUDDY:

So they were dogs. Dogs she had a

long time ago.

Grant has a far off look.

GRANT:

She picked them up on one of her

more eccentric whims. But they were

well looked after. I think I may

have been picked up in much the

same way. I don’t think I

understood that until quite

recently.

He chuckles to himself.

18.

BUDDY:

Have you been to see Dr. Fischer

about this?

GRANT:

No. I suppose I don’t really want

to hear what she has to say do I?

BUDDY:

You can’t just walk down the centre

of Main Street and then have

everything go back to normal.

GRANT:

No. I realize that.

32 INT DOCTOR’S OFFICE -NOVEMBER 2003- MORNING 32

Dr. Fischer is a kind, attractive small town doctor in her

mid forties. Fiona and Grant sit in the office.

DR. FISCHER

And what year is it?

FIONA:

It’s 2003.

DR. FISCHER

And what is the Prime Minister’s

Name?

FIONA:

(to Grant)

It seems to me Grant that no one in

this town reads the paper.

Grant and Dr. Fishcer smile and glance at one another. Fiona

catches this look and her eyes seem to hone in on something

between them. Just as fast as this intensity came into her

eyes, it goes away again.

FIONA:

Peter Martin.

Grant lets out a small breath.

DR. FISCHER

And Fiona, if you were to find a

letter on the street, addressed,

with a stamp on it. What would you

do with it?

Fiona looks at her.

19.

FIONA:

I would mail it.

DR. FISCHER

And where would you put it to mail

it?

Fiona is silent. There is an endless pause.

DR. FISCHER

And if there was a fire in a movie

theater, and you were the first one

to spot the fire. What would you

do?

Another endless pause.

FIONA:

We don’t go to the movies much

anymore. Do we Grant? All those

multiplexes playing the same

American garbage. Have you seen my

jacket?

She begins to look around the room. She gets up, looking

under things, behind the desk.

GRANT:

It’s on the back of the chair

there.

She stops and looks at it. Then picks it up and puts it on.

DR. FISCHER

Fiona. Would you mind if I asked

you a few more questions? Would you

mind taking a seat?

Sits back down. Feeling their gaze on her.

FIONA:

I was feeling a little cold. That’s

all.

33 INT DOCTOR’S OFFICE WAITING ROOM -NOVEMBER 2003-DAY 33

Fiona and Grant walk out of the office, holding some

brochures. They pass a few elderly people and a mother

holding a large baby. Fiona comments quite loudly.

FIONA:

What an ugly baby.

20.

Grant lets out a laugh. They snicker together as they go out

the door.

34 EXT COUNTY ROAD- NOVEMBER 2003-DAY 34

Fiona and Grant drive through town, and out into the country

side. Down the country roads, through fields, past farms. The

brochures sit between them, advertising a retirement home

called Meadowlake. Most of them focus on early onset

Alzheimer’s. They look at each other every now and then. They

turn down the desolate road towards their house. It runs

through fields, across train tracks. They turn onto their

road, and into their driveway.

35 EXT ANDERSSON’S DRIVEWAY - NOVEMBER 2003-DAY 35

They turn up the drive to their cottage Fiona looks at the

cottage as though for the first time.

FIONA:

When did we move into this cottage?

Was it last year or the year

before?

Grant stops the car. Answers directly, with courage.

GRANT:

It was longer than that. It was

when I left the University. About

20 years ago.

Shakes her head, casually surprised.

FIONA:

Hmmm. That’s shocking.

She looks at the brochures. One for meadowlake, a few on

living with Alzheimer’s. They look at each other tenderly.

She shrugs. Strokes his face.

FIONA:

Let’s just see how it goes shall

we?

36 EXT MARIAN’S HOUSE - FEBRUARY 2005-MORNING 36

Marian still stands in the doorway of her house. She

addresses Grant aggressively.

MARIAN:

My husband did not try to start

anything with your wife, if that’s

what you’re getting at.

(MORE)

21.

MARIAN (cont'd)

He did not molest her in any way.

He isn’t capable of it and he

wouldn’t anyway. From what I heard

it was the other way round.

GRANT:

No. That isn’t it at all. I didn’t

come here with any complaints about

anything.

MARIAN:

Oh. Well I’m sorry. I thought you

did.

She doesn’t sound sorry. She looks at him for a moment,

thinking.

MARIAN:

You better come in, then. It’s

blowing cold in through the door.

It’s not as warm out today as it

looks.

Grant enters the house. Relieved that he’s been let inside.

37 INT ANDERSSON’S LIVINGROOM - NOVEMBER 2003 - DAY 37

Fiona is pouring through books on Alzheimer's. Grant glances

at her over his paper every now and then.

FIONA:

“Never let a person make you feel

guilty for your anger with God.”

Hmmm. Random.

GRANT:

I don’t see what the point is. We

can’t even be certain that this is

what...you’re far too young.

FIONA:

There’s a reason it’s called “early

onset” dear. Or maybe I’ve always

been a flake. Oh. I like this.

“Apraxia is usually present early

in Alzheimer’s disease...In the

early stages, apraxia may be more

apparent when the patient faces

several choices. He may have no

difficulty putting his shirt on,

but when faced with a variety of

shirts, ties, underwear, trousers,

and coats, he may become confused

as to which one to pick first.”

22.

She thinks about this.

FIONA:

(with weight)

They left you undiagnosed a long

time.

She lets out a little laugh.

She lets this hang between them. They stare at each other.

Something unspoken but clear. She flicks through pages. A

tense silence. Then she begins to read again.

FIONA:

Should the patient afflicted with

the disease remain at home, the

caregiver will very often be the

spouse.

38 INT ANDERSSON’S KITCHEN -FLASHBACK WINTER 2003- SUNSET 38

Over Fiona’s reading we see : A pot of water sits on the

stove untended, forgotten about. Grant approaches it. Looks

at it, sad. He slowly removes it from the element. We stay on

his face for a long time. He looks out the window at Fiona

skiing around the large field in the pink sunset. She waves

cheerfully. He waves back. She continues skiing, until she

gradually comes to a stop, gliding a little. We see the

earlier sequence that she told the Hart’s about from his POV,

through the window.

FIONA (V.O.)

The caregiver must preside over the

degeneration of someone he or she

loves very much; must do this for

years and years with the news

always getting worse;not better,

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