Captain Fantastic Page #13

(CONTINUED)

GREEN (9.2.2014) 78.

94 CONTINUED:
94

Bo opens his backpack and hands Ben his stack of collegeacceptance letters. Ben sits in front of the fire. He readsthe letters. After he finishes, there's a long moment ofsilence.

BEN (CONT’D)

Well done.

BODEVAN:

Thanks.

BEN:

Very impressive.

BODEVAN:

I guess.

Ben passes the letters back to Bo.

BEN:

All this time, you've been deceiving

me.

BODEVAN:

What? No.

BEN:

I allowed you to go to the libraryand you were sneaking around behindmy back, taking the SATs, contacting

and applying to universities.

BODEVAN:

Not like that.

BEN:

We're not an accredited home-school,

but secretly, you filled out theseapplications, you got your workapproved, you managed to createacceptable transcripts.

BODEVAN:

No.

BEN:

All without my knowledge orapproval. I don't know what's moreimpressive. The fact that you gotinto all these schools. Or that for

months, you were lying directly to myface!

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GREEN (9.2.2014) 79.

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BODEVAN:

It was Mom.

Ben is silent. This is clearly a surprise.

BODEVAN (CONT’D)

She helped me. With everything. Wedid it together. I just want to go tocollege.

BEN:

You speak four languages. High math!

Theoretical physics! What are theygoing to teach you there?

BODEVAN:

I know nothing.

Ben stares at his son.

BODEVAN (CONT’D)

Mom understood! She knew! We're

freaks. You've made us freaks.

Unless it came out of a book. I

don't know anything about ANYTHING!

Bo storms into the bus.

Ben sits there for a second, at a loss.

NAI (O.S.)

Dad?

Ben looks up to see Nai, naked.

BEN:

Put on some clothes, buddy.

Nai shakes his head no. He holds a piece of paper and reads.

NAI:

"Don't try and get me. This is realthis time. - Rellian."

95 INT. STEVE - MOVING. SUBURBAN STREET. NIGHT. 95

All the kids are standing, peering out the windows as theydrive Steve down a city street.

BEN:

He couldn't have got very far.

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95 CONTINUED:
95

NAI:

Is he going to die?

BEN:

No, buddy.

ZAJA:

According to recent FBI statistics,

in exurban and suburban semi-dense

residential areas, there was an

average of 1,242 incidences ofviolent crime, murder, forcible

rape, aggravated assault BEN

Zaj!

ZAJA:

I'm just saying, he COULD die.

Statistically speaking.

BEN:

He'll be fine. Rell is confused.

We're all confused. The world is a

confusing place. We just have tofind him.

BODEVAN:

I know where he went.

Everyone turns to look at Bo.

96 EXT. GRANDPARENT'S HOUSE. NIGHT.

Ben jumps off the bus and runs up to the front door of Jackand Abigail's house, followed by Bo, Vespyr, and Kielyr.

BEN:

Bo, make sure everyone stays onSteve!

Bo pushes the twins back toward Steve.

96

97 INT. FOYER. GRANDPARENT'S HOUSE. NIGHT.

Ben pushes his way into the house, Abigail right behind him.

ABIGAIL:

Ben, no. No!

97

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Abigail steps in front of him, physically stopping him.

Behind them, all over the walls, are mounted game trophies:

deer, wild boar, pheasants.

BEN:

Where is he?

Abigail pauses, seeing the anxiety on Ben's face.

BEN (CONT’D)

He's my son.

Abigail finally nods her head.

ABIGAIL:

Follow me.

And she leads him down a hallway.

98 INT. GAME SIMULATOR ROOM. GRANDPARENT'S HOUSE. NIGHT. 98

Ben follows Abigail into the dark, game simulator room. On

one entire wall is a large projected image: a field, bluesky, trees in the background.

Rellian holds a shotgun, bright orange cords running from thestock to the central console of this Marksman ST-2 Indoor

Shooting Simulator. On the screen, a grouse flies up andRellian fires.

BEN:

Okay. Rell. Get your things.

JACK:

One second there.

Rellian doesn't move.

BEN:

Rell, come on.

JACK:

I said, one second.

Ben ignores Jack and speaks directly to Rellian.

BEN:

Rell, look at me. I understand that

you're angry for making us go to the

church with us dressed like that. And

I apologize. But sometimes you have

to do things that you

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98 CONTINUED:
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Jack turns on the lights.

JACK:

Rellian has something to say.

BEN:

-that you don't want to do, thatyou do because it's what someone RELLIAN

You killed Mom!

Ben pauses.

RELLIAN (CONT’D)

I heard you. I heard you fightingabout where we live! Mom wanted to

leave! I heard.

BEN:

Mom and I made certain decisions

about how

RELLIAN:

You're the worst dad in the whole

world! I want to live here, with

Nana and Grandpa!

Rell is so angry that his face is turning red.

BEN:

Well, that's not possible.

RELLIAN:

F*** you. I hate you! I f***ing hate

you!

Rellian bolts out of the room, followed by Abigail, leaving

Ben and Jack alone.

Ben turns, calling after Rell.

BEN:

Come back here right now!

Not five feet from Ben's head, an arrow THUDS into the wall.

Ben jumps.

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98 CONTINUED:
98

BEN (CONT’D)

Jesus!

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GREEN (9.2.2014) 83.

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He stares at the arrow, buried deep in the wall.

BEN (CONT’D)

What the f***.

He turns to see Jack lower Rellian's bow.

BEN (CONT’D)

That almost hit me.

Jack examines the bow, then points to the various mountedgame around the room.

JACK:

If I had wanted to hit you, I wouldhave hit you.

Jack pours himself a drink, but doesn't offer one to Ben.

JACK (CONT’D)

Isolated from the world. No friends

their own age. It will have aprofoundly deleterious impact onthem. For the rest of their lives.

BEN:

You just shot a f***ing arrow at me!

Jack sips his drink.

JACK:

You told us that they were in school.

BEN:

Leslie and I are their teachers.

Were. Their teachers.

JACK:

You teach them to steal?

BEN:

Of course not.

JACK:

"Mission:
Free the Food."

BEN:

That was part of their training.

JACK:

So you're "training" them to steal.

(CONTINUED)

GREEN (9.2.2014) 84.

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