Basquiat Page #15

BASQUIAT:

I need a dealer.

MARY BOONE:

You have a bunch of them, don't you?

Albert Milo walks in from another room.

ALBERT MILO:

Hey Jean!

(to Mary)

It'll never fit.

MARY BOONE:

It'll be ok.

ALBERT MILO:

You better take a look. Why's your door so

small? The ceilings are sixteen feet and

your door's the size of a mouse hole!

MARY BOONE:

Why are your paintings so big? Just go

home. I'll get it in.

ALBERT MILO:

(to Jean)

You doing anything right now?

BASQUIAT:

Naa..

ALBERT MILO:

Let's get out of here.

BASQUIAT:

See ya in an hour.

(to Mary)

So what do you think?

MARY BOONE:

Bruno spoke to me already. We could talk

about it.

BASQUIAT:

I'm here.

MARY BOONE:

OK. I'll be at your studio Thursday three

o'clock.

INT. ALBERT MILO'S LOFT – DAY

Albert shows Jean through a series of large rooms filled with

enormous paintings.

It looks like the Cairo Museum.

They pause before a painting.

ALBERT MILO:

This is painted on a backdrop from the

Kabuki theater in Japan. I painted it

after Joseph Beuys died. A rebirth

painting. I felt like he could've painted

it, or maybe someone else was painting it

instead of me. The Chinese calligraphers

used to change their name mid-career so

they could start over as someone else..

BASQUIAT:

Do you ever get sick of it?

ALBERT MILO:

Of what?

BASQUIAT:

The whole thing – painting.

ALBERT MILO:

No. It's one of the few times I feel good.

I used to have to go to work and cook

every day. That I got sick of.

BASQUIAT:

What about the sh*t they write?

ALBERT MILO:

You're asking me this because of the

'lapdog' remark. I read that. The person

that wrote that has the compassion of a

housefly. That's your enemy, not your

audience. Your audience hasn't even been

born yet. It's a lie that art is popular.

The only thing popular about it is that

it's written about in newspapers. I'm

surprised when anybody comes to my

openings. There're about ten people on the

planet who know anything about painting,

and Andy's one of them.

BASQUIAT:

I haven't felt like talking to him since

that thing came out.

ALBERT MILO:

As long as I've known Andy, he's never

asked me for anything except to speak to

you about getting off drugs. He's painted

my picture, we've eaten dinner in God

knows how many places together. But he

doesn't care about me. He cares about you.

You're the only person he cares about.

He's your friend. F*** that article. You

want a toasted bagel with cream cheese?

Milo's daughter STELLA (12) calls out from over the balcony.

STELLA (O.S.)

Papa, the TV's broken... Will you fix it

please?

ALBERT MILO:

Alright. I'll be right up.

Albert leaves.

Jean looks at some paintings.

Stella comes downstairs.

STELLA:

(to Jean)

Hi.

BASQUIAT:

Hi.

STELLA:

I've seen you before. I like your

paintings a lot. Your hair was different.

BASQUIAT:

You like your dad's paintings?

STELLA:

Some of them.

BASQUIAT:

Stand still.

He draws her.

BASQUIAT (CONT'D)

See you later.

STELLA:

Thanks

He walks to the door, leaving the drawing on the floor.

Albert returns.

ALBERT MILO:

Where's Jean?

STELLA:

He just left.

Albert opens the door to the stairwell looking for Jean.

He hears the sound of URINATING.

He leans over the stairwell.

He sees Jean Michel, taking a piss on the landing.

He shuts the door quietly.

EXT. GIFT SHOP WINDOW – DAY

Jean walks out of the gift shop (seen earlier, next to

beautician's)

EXT. BROADWAY AND HOUSTON STREET – DAY

Jean walks through the middle of the intersection. He carries two

yellow, furry toy ducks under his arm.

SUPER:
"FEBRUARY 22, 1987"

Seeing Bruno at the wheel of a black Mercedes stopped at a light,

Jean clowns around like a street vendor who wants to wash his

window.

Bruno doesn't notice him.

BASQUIAT:

B.B. It's me – Jean! What's the matter? No

snow in Switzerland this year?

BRUNO:

I didn't see you.

BASQUIAT:

What do you mean?

BRUNO:

You haven't heard? Andy's dead.

The light changes.

Bruno pulls across the street because of the traffic.

Jean drops one of the ducks in the street and walks off.

ANGLE ON:

The duck lying in the street.

EXT. GREAT JONES ST. LOFT – NIGHT

The "OUT FOR RIBS" sign hangs outside Jean's door.

EXT. GREAT JONES ST – DAY

Mary sits in her limo trying to call Jean.

INT. GREAT JONES ST. LOFT – DAY

Near darkness. The curtains are drawn. Music plays: `Birds' by

Neil Young:
"it's over.....it's over".

Jean watches a video tape with the sound MUTED. The screen fills

with Andy's face. We SEE a series of quick scenes from his life.

Jean and the remaining duck are lit by the TV.

INT. GREAT JONES ST. LOFT – DAY

EXTREME CLOSEUP:
A COLORED PENCIL TIP

Held in Jean's hand. It's stalled in mid-stroke. He writes with a

magic marker on the heel of two wooden clogs the word: "TITANIC"

There's a loud BANGING at the door.

When it stops, the pencil tip resumes its long voyage across the

page.

MUSIC UP:
Tom Waits' "Tom Traubert's Blues"

EXT. GINA'S APARTMENT – DAY

Jean buzzes the doorbell. He's wearing the clogs. He's hurting.

The intercom comes on.

BASQUIAT:

Hello? Gina?

MALE VOICE:

Who is it?

Jean recognizes Benny's voice.

ANGLE UP:

Gina and Benny look out the window into the street.

Jean's a block away.

EXT. MENTAL HOSPITAL – NIGHT

Jean gets out of a cab. He walks up to the entrance.

The doors are locked. He rattles them.

Inside, an OLD JANITOR keeps mopping.

Jean pounds harder, RATTLES the doors more.

BASQUIAT:

Hey, come here! Please. Just for a second.

Open the door.

The janitor gets nervous. He leaves.

He returns a moment later with a large SECURITY GUARD.

BASQUIAT:

Open up! Open up!

The guard unlocks the door, hoping to settle Jean down.

BASQUIAT (CONT'D)

My mother's inside.

GUARD:

Come back tomorrow. Visiting hours are

over.

(beat)

Don't cause any trouble.

BASQUIAT:

I'm not here to visit... I wanna take her

home.

The guard gently ushers Jean out through the door.

GUARD:

Don't cause any trouble.

He locks the door and walks off with the janitor.

EXT. STREET – DAYBREAK

Jean, walks around, drifting, stoned. He looks up at the skyline.

DISSOLVE TO:

Waves crash silently over a surfer.

FADE TO BLACK:

FADE IN:

STREET SOUNDS:

BENNY (O.S.)

Willie Mays.

FADE IN:

EXT. STREET – MORNING

Jean has been passed out on a sidewalk.

CLOSE ON:
Benny's face.

He leans over Jean and helps him up.

BASQUIAT:

Willie Mays... Nice to see you.

Benny looks at Jean's eyes.

Jean stretches, kicking life back into his limbs.

BASQUIAT (CONT'D)

How's Gina? You guys getting along?

Benny looks at him guiltily.

BENNY:

She's good.

BASQUIAT:

I guess it was a long time ago.

BENNY:

Come on, let's get out of here.

EXT. JEEP – STREETS – DAY

Jean and Benny zoom along in a battered old Army Jeep. Now

revived, Jean stands up, waving at people miming General Patton.

We HEAR the music of "Summer of Siam."

BENNY:

Sit down! You're gonna fall out!

BASQUIAT:

Me fall? Let's get some drugs!

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