Beginners Page #2

OLIVER:

Look, its lonely out here, so you’d

better learn how to talk with me.

Arthur’s face looks up at him filled with a dog’s love and no

words.

ARTHUR SUBTITLE:

While I understand up to 150 words -

I don’t talk.

Oliver leans down, pushing his head into Arthur’s.

OLIVER:

I know. I know.

(CONTINUED)

10/29/07 7.

CONTINUED:

CUT TO PAST:

A SERIES OF QUICK MEMORIES...

INT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY

Camera follow’s Oliver down a long corridor.

INT. ICU ROOM - NIGHT

Oliver sits as HAL lays in a coma on a ventilator. The room

is dark, Oliver uses a flashlight to quietly read to his

father.

INT. ICU ROOM - DAY

QUICK CUTS. A nurse opens the shades. A DOCTOR and two nurses

stand over Hal, everyone's nervous. Hal is struggling with

all the tubes down his throat. Oliver is trying to help him

breathe, talking into his ear.

Oliver is ushered out of the room. The nurse draws the

curtain.

MOMENTS LATER:
Oliver sits with Hal, now off the ventilator

but still very weak and disoriented. Oliver coaches his

breathing.

OLIVER:

Calm. Calm, calm breaths.

Hal coughs.

INT. ICU ROOM

It’s the middle of the night, Hal is connected to many I.V.s

in both arms, still disoriented, he’s tangled up in the

tubes, trying to pull them out of his arms. He wakes up

Oliver.

HAL:

Oliver! Please help me with all

these ropes.

Oliver rushes and helps him.

OLIVER:

Pop, Pop, stop -- you’re gonna hurt

yourself.

A NURSE quickly enters and helps hold down his arms.

(CONTINUED)

10/29/07 8.

CONTINUED:

NURSE:

Mr. Fields, we're going to have to

secure your arms again.

She puts his hands in restraints, Oliver helps.

HAL:

You two married?

OLIVER:

No, Pop.

HAL:

Why not? She’s great.

The nurse smiles, embarrassed, and continues with her job.

OLIVER:

She’s a great nurse in the

hospital, we don’t really know her,

you’re very high on drugs.

HAL:

You always have some very good

reason, haven’t you?

OLIVER:

No, Pop, I just don't want to be

like you and mom.

(aside to the nurse)

Thank you...

CUT TO PAST:

INT. OLIVER'S CHILDHOOD HOME 1978

IN THE KITCHEN:
We see 10-year-old Oliver watching his mother

GEORGIA and father kiss quickly, politely, and then his

father leaves quickly. Hal remains in silhouette through the

shot.

DIFFERENT DAY, IN OLIVER’S BEDROOM: Oliver watches Hal and

Georgia kiss, and Hal leave - more like a performance than

anything real.

DIFFERENT DAY, IN PARENT’S BEDROOM: Oliver watches Hal and

Georgia kiss and Hal exit, quick and dry.

10-year-old Oliver studies them each time.

(CONTINUED)

10/29/07 9.

CONTINUED:

DIFFERENT DAY, OLIVER’S BEDROOM: Georgia quickly opens the

door and finds Oliver drawing.

GEORGIA:

Oliver!

He turns and Georgia shoots him with her finger, Oliver falls

to the ground.

GEORGIA:

Olly, you can do better.

He gets up and she shoots him again -He falls more

dramatically, knocking his head on the floor.

GEORGIA:

That’s good.

His mom looks at him affectionately.

CUT TO PRESENT:

EXT. ECHO PARK STREET - NIGHT

Oliver walks Arthur across a lit field, towards the dog park.

EXT. DOG PARK - NIGHT

Everywhere dogs and their people are playing. Oliver and

Arthur sit on a bench like two humans. Oliver watches the

action, Arthur stares at Oliver.

OLIVER (CONT'D)

Go have your own experiences with

your own people. I'll be right

here...

Arthur stays by Oliver’s side.

OLIVER (CONT'D)

I’m a human. I’m not a dog.

And you're a Jack Russell, that’s a

breed. Your personality was created

by this guy John Russell, a hunting

enthusiast, in the 1800s. And he

bred your ancestors to have stamina

and courage for the hunt. You think

you’re just you, and you want to

chase the foxes, but other people

planted that in you years ago.

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

10/29/07 10.

CONTINUED:

OLIVER (CONT'D)

Now, somewhat arbitrarily, you are

considered very cute by us humans,

and we keep breeding you not to

chase foxes, but to be cute, and we

put you in movies and television

shows, and you, you're chasing

tennis balls cause there as close

to a fox as you're going to get.

Arthur stays by Oliver’s side.

INT. OLIVER’S OFFICE

CU on Oliver’s hands as he draws a T-shirt that reads:

“My personality was created by someone else and all I got was

this stupid T-shirt.”

Reveal that Oliver is in a design office. LIZ, 30’s enters,

they IMPROV hellos.

JUMP CUT thru a series of Oliver’s drawings. A speech bubble

that reads:
“A fair amount of failures.” He draws portraits

of girls with dates: “Ellen O. 1984-1988” -- “Julie P. 19881989”

-- “Liz B. 1993 - 1995” -- “Lynette I. 1995” --

“Amanda Y. 1996-2000” --“Yuki H. 2000” --“Christina S.

2001” -- “Michelle M. 2001-2003”

Oliver stops drawing, lost in his thoughts...

CUT TO PAST:

INT. HAL’S HOSPITAL ROOM - NIGHT

In the dark I.C.U. room, Hal is still attached to many I.V.s,

Oliver is helping Hal look at a book of Japanese rock gardens

with a flashlight.

OLIVER:

Want me to read this? I found it in

your books.

HAL:

Yeah, alright. Give me the

flashlight.

Oliver opens it, they look at a few pages together, photos of

serene gardens.

OLIVER:

Nice.

HAL:

Oh, that’s nice.

(CONTINUED)

10/29/07 11.

CONTINUED:

Hal keeps peeking at a bouquet of flowers in the corner of

the room. Hal takes the flashlight from Oliver and guides it

to the flowers.

OLIVER:

Oh, Andy brought those for you.

HAL:

Oh, yeah?

Hal continues to direct the light across the room, we follow

the circle of light as it moves a cross a wall landing on a

painting.

HAL:

Oh, who did that painting?

OLIVER:

Well, I don’t know. Its just a

painting on the wall.

Hal continues exploring, Oliver’s enjoying his father’s

curiosity, he lands on some photos displayed on the table.

HAL:

A--, and these?

OLIVER:

They’re just photos, Pop.

HAL:

But how do they relate to the

exhibit?

OLIVER:

They’re just personal photos.

They’re not art.

Hal slowly moves the flashlight up the wall, across the

ceiling to a strange assortment of fire detectors,

sprinklers, sensors, all laid out against the acoustic tile

ceiling. Hal points up. Oliver looks for a beat, then...

OLIVER:

Uh, well that’s the water sprinkler

thing.

HAL:

Well, its beautiful.

OLIVER:

What is?

HAL:

Putting the Japanese gardens there.

It’s just beautiful.

(CONTINUED)

10/29/07 12.

CONTINUED:

Oliver looks from the ceiling to the rock garden book. The

ceiling and the gardens look the same. Oliver is moved by

Hal's confusion. ANDY, 45-years-old, physical, boyish, storms

into the room.

ANDY:

Hal.

HAL:

Andy!

Andy gets on the bed opposite Oliver. He gives Hal a big kiss

on the lips. Hal glows. Oliver backs away slowly. Andy picks

up Hal's hand, turns it palm up and presses his face into it.

ANDY:

I brought something for you.

Oliver watches from outside the room as Andy excitedly pulls

a portable tape player out of his bag.

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