Basquiat Page #8

INT – BASEMENT, ANNINA'S – DAY (LATER)

GRANDMASTER FLASH'S "WHITE LINES" fills the room.

The walls are covered with half-finished, unstretched CANVASES.

Two or three more lie on the floor.

He works like a maniac, buzzing back and forth from one painting

to another, adding figures, crossing out words, all the while

smoking and eating cookies. The crumbs fall onto the paintings. He

walks on them.

Every so often, he refers to a book of DaVinci drawings. Torn

pages litter the floor beneath the book.

We hear someone THUMPING down the stairs.

It's Rene. A PUPPY follows him.

He dumps a huge load of paint supplies, art books, and carryout

ribs. The puppy sniffs around happily, licking at Jean and walking

over the paintings, wagging his tail.

He stops the tape player and inserts some Persian music.

Jean empties some foil-wrapped bags of coke. He cuts a line of

coke on a foil plate.

Rene starts reading from a poem he's evidently written:

RENE:

3rd night I called him 'boy'

He sed "don't call me 'boy'" "Well

Then don't call me 'Boss'" That

Was the end for us and I've

Been seeing him for 2 1/2 years.

In kangaroo court I want to be

Able to say I never kept a

Slave. But he tricked me in

To Tying him up and busting his

Face. He'll jump up at my Trial

Yelling 'He wupped me gud.'

Jean warms the plate 'til the coke crackles, and then "chases the

dragon," sucking the smoke through a straw.

He offers it to Rene, who refuses. He lights and hands Rene the

joint. Rene takes a hit. Jean takes it back.

Jean starts to work again.

The PUPPY runs around, chasing after him, getting in his way,

running across the paintings. Jean laughs, playing tag. The puppy

gets a hold of Jean's sleeve. It unravels about ten feet.

While Jean's playing, Rene spots a painting with the words "Famous

Negro Athletes."

RENE:

Oh man! That's one looks famous already.

Without hearing him, Jean walks towards the painting and with a

swipe, paints out what Rene is pointing to.

RENE (CONT'D)

You are a willful boy. How'm I s'posed to

write about you if you keep changing

everything?

The phone RINGS... Jean ignores it. Rene gets it –

RENE (CONT'D)

Uh huhh... Band practice?

(to Jean)

It's Benny. He wants to know why you're

not at band practice...?

BASQUIAT:

(quietly)

F***...

(to Rene)

I forgot about that.

He sets his brush down.

Rene hold the phone against his leg.

RENE:

F*** band practice... If you're gonna be a

painter you're gonna have to break a few

hearts – you don't wanna be like Tony

Bennett..

BASQUIAT:

Tony Bennett... What do you mean?

RENE:

Singing on stage and painting in your

spare time.

BASQUIAT:

I didn't know Tony Bennett painted.

RENE:

My point exactly.

Jean picks up the phone... All he hears is a DIAL TONE.

RENE (CONT'D)

So keep painting.

BASQUIAT:

Yes, Boss.

(beat)

If you're so smart, why are you here with

me in this basement?

RENE:

You're news. I want the scoop. I write it

down. When I speak, no one believes me.

But when I write it down, people know it's

true.

(beat)

There's never been a black painter in art

history that's been considered really

important, you know?

BASQUIAT:

So what?

RENE:

So shut up and keep painting..

BASQUIAT:

(touched)

What time is it?

RENE:

5:
11.

Jean regards a near-finished painting. He writes "5:11" on it. He

crosses it out and re-writes it, "Rene 5:11." Rene looks pleased.

BASQUIAT:

That one's for you.

RENE:

Thanks... I'll take it tonight.

BASQUIAT:

I can't. After the show.

Jean continues painting. Rene slumps down onto the floor, happy –

a parasite content to have a host, impressed with Jean's limitless

energy. Rene closes his eyes.

BLACK:

INT. ANNINA'S BASEMENT – LATER

Jean is bent over his work. He looks to see a pair of legs. They

belong to Albert Milo.

BASQUIAT:

Hey – it's the big A.M..

ALBERT MILO:

Rene's been telling me about your work.

Milo takes his time looking at the paintings.

Jean continues to work, never wanting to appear impressed by

anyone. He walks on top of the paintings.

ALBERT MILO (CONT'D)

Is this finished yet?

BASQUIAT:

I don't know.

ALBERT MILO:

When's your show?

BASQUIAT:

Not sure. How was yours?

ALBERT MILO:

I haven't decided yet.

(beat)

Rene, you wanna come over to the studio

tomorrow. I wanna make a painting of you.

RENE:

How about now?

Rene shrugs to Jean. He prepares to leave.

ALBERT MILO:

See you at your opening. Thanks.

Albert and Rene begin to ascend the stairs. Jean continues

painting. The dog leaves with Rene and Albert.

WOMAN'S VOICE (O.S.)

Ohhh, Albert Milo, what a pleasure to meet

you.

Jean's brush stops.

ALBERT MILO (O.S.)

This is Rene Ricard.

Jean paints over the words "Rene 5:11."

We hear FOOTSTEPS COMING DOWN THE STAIRS. The woman continues –

WOMAN'S VOICE (O.S.)

We're Tom and Cynthia Kruger – nice to

have met you.

JEAN'S POV

We see Annina's legs coming down the stairs.

REVEAL:

A man wearing a pin-striped suit and gold-rimmed glasses. The

woman is wrapped in a cashmere shawl.

ANNINA NOSEI (O.S)

Tom and Cynthia Kruger.

BASQUIAT (O.S)

I know.

We SEE that Jean continues to paint, looking down.

ANNINA NOSEI:

This is Jean Michel Basquiat.

(beat)

You've seen the SAMO graffiti everywhere.

That's his. This is the true voice of the

gutter.

As she speaks, Jean squirms. He grabs a banana from a fruit bowl.

Without peeling it, he takes a big bite. And another. And another.

Everyone looks uncomfortable. Annina starts showing them the

paintings.

CYNTHIA KRUGER:

We've seen the graffiti. I work on Wall

Street. And I've heard wonderful things

about the paintings. Everybody's talking

about you.

BASQUIAT:

Yeah.

He looks up at them, eating the banana.

ANNINA NOSEI:

Here's a very good example of his recent

work that's not spoken for yet.

(beat)

He's got to work in a basement. He's got

so much energy that if he worked in a

place with a window, he'd jump right

through it. Most of these are reserved

already. After this week, this work will

not be available.

TOM KRUGER:

(to his wife)

... I don't know.... This one's nice, but

I don't know if I could live with it. That

green is so... institutional.

He (Kruger) looks up to see two KIDS enter – young black artists,

one of whom we saw with Rene at the loft party.

They walk right into the middle of the room, completely oblivious

to the presence of Annina and the Krugers..

KID #1

(enthusiastically)

Yo, man, you're a damn lucky n*gger

selling this sh*t!

BASQUIAT:

You like it?

KID #1

Not bad. Yeah, I do.

The Krugers hem and haw in front of the painting next to Jean.

CYNTHIA KRUGER:

I'm fascinated by his choice of crossing

out words that way.

ANNINA NOSEI:

Yes, well, they are more meaningful in

their absence, no?

KID #1

(to Jean, joking)

What does it mean?

Jean paints the words "Rene 5:11" back into a painting. They

ignore the kid..

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