Captain Fantastic Page #3

BEN (CONT’D)

Tell me.

HARPER (O.S.)

Leslie killed herself last night.

The blood drains from Ben's face. He is frozen for a moment.

No reaction whatsoever.

BEN:

How?

Another pause.

BEN (CONT’D)

Harper, tell me.

HARPER (O.S.)

She jumped out of a window.

(CONTINUED)

GREEN (9.2.2014) 12.

14 CONTINUED:
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Now Ben swallows. But nothing else. No emotion whatsoever. He

nods.

HARPER (O.S.) (CONT’D)

Ben?

Ben hangs up the phone.

A14 INT. STEVE - MOVING. DAY. A14

Ben drives in silence. He looks in the rearview mirror, at

Bo, Vespyr, and Kielyr. They stare out the window, completelyunaware of his recent phone call.

15 INT. TIPI. NIGHT. 15

Illuminated by candles and kerosine lamps, all the kids sittogether, dressed for bed, staring expectantly at theirfather.

Ben takes a deep breath.

BEN:

Last night. Mommy killed herself.

She jumped out of a window. Your

mother is dead.

As the reality of Ben's words hit them, utter devastationpasses over the children's face. And then, in a matter ofseconds, they all burst into tears, snot comes out of theirnoses, tears roll down their faces, some of them are almost

hyperventilating. Grieving openly and deeply, it's likesomething out of Greek Tragedy. Elemental. Primal.

ZAJA:

What's going to happen to us?

BEN:

Nothing is going to change. We'll

continue living exactly the same

way. We're a family.

Rellian stands. He yells. Savage, guttural shouts. They're

fierce and pained, like a trapped animal.

RELLIAN:

Mom! Mom!

He picks up a knife, but just paces, red-faced, not knowingwhat to do with it.

(CONTINUED)

GREEN (9.2.2014) 12A.

15 CONTINUED:
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Bodevan moves to stop his brother, but Ben holds Bo'sshoulder.

Rellian takes the knife and stabs, over and over again, intothe side of a cabinet. Harder and harder.

(CONTINUED)

GREEN (9.2.2014) 13.

15 CONTINUED:
15

RELLIAN (CONT’D)

F*** you! F*** you! Mom! Mom! Fuckyou, Mom, you f***ing...!

Rellian drops the knife and runs out of the Tipi.

16 INT. TIPI. NIGHT. 16

LESLIE's face. Smiling. Giggling.

She is leaning over, swaying back and forth, dragging herlong auburn hair across Ben's face.

She dips down and kisses him. Over and over again. She's

laughing.

She SPEAKS, but NO SOUND comes out of her mouth.

17 INT. TIPI. NIGHT. 17

Ben opens his eyes. He sits up and blinks, peering into thedarkness of the Tipi. The kids are asleep.

Leslie is not there.

He lights a candle and opens a dresser. Under his clothes, hewithdraws a hidden manila folder. One file is marked WILL AND

TESTAMENT. He rifles through the papers until he finds whathe's looking for. He reads. His face turns white.

BEN:

Jesus f***ing Christ.

18 EXT. TIPI. DAWN. 18

Ben stands outside the Tipi. He brings his bagpipes to hislips and blows.

Out comes that eerie and persistent WAIL.

19 EXT. FOREST. MORNING. 19

Ben bolts through a dense rainforest - creating an obstaclecourse as he goes - dodging trees, bounding over rocks andfallen logs.

Straggling behind, the kids all follow his exact movements.

(CONTINUED)

GREEN (9.2.2014) 14.

19 CONTINUED:
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He reaches a meadow, stops, and clicks his stopwatch as each

kid passes him. First comes Bo.

BEN:

1:
05. Worse than yesterday!

Then the twins.

BEN (CONT’D)

1:
11. I'm embarrassed for you.

Then Rell.

BEN (CONT’D)

1:
18. You're plateauing. You're goingback to eccentric contractions and

leg cycling.

Then Zaja and Nai pass him.

BEN (CONT’D)

1:
26 and... 1:29. Fine if you bothwere THREE! Subpar! This is subpar!

No rest!

Ben dodges back the woods and the kids follow.

20 EXT. MEADOW. MORNING. 20

In a meadow, Ben leads everyone through a complicated seriesof calisthenics: jump squats into burpies into holding plank.

This is hard-core functional training and the kids movethrough the exercises like athletes.

BEN:

The Rule of Three. Nai.

NAI:

You can survive 3 minutes without

air.

BEN:

Zaj.

ZAJA:

You can survive 3 hours without

shelter.

The kids are in plank, holding themselves in a push-upposition only by their elbows.

(CONTINUED)

GREEN (9.2.2014) 15.

20 CONTINUED:
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BEN:

Kielyr.

KIELYR:

3 days without water.

BEN:

Vesp.

VESPYR:

3 weeks without food.

BODEVAN:

Dad.

BEN:

Hold it.

BODEVAN:

Dad.

BEN:

Keep holding. Rell.

The kids are now really struggling, sweating, their smallbodies quivering with effort.

RELLIAN:

3 years without human companionship.

BODEVAN:

DAD! When's Mom's funeral?!

Ben finally turns to look at his son.

21 EXT. SMALL TOWN BAR. DAY. 21

Ben is again on the bar’s house phone, now talking to

Leslie's father, JACK.

JACK (O.S.)

The utter recklessness, the

instability and insecurity that youhave brought to her life

BEN:

WE decided to live here. BOTH of us.

This was a mutual decision.

JACK (O.S.)

This is YOUR goddamned fault!

(CONTINUED)

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21 CONTINUED:
21

BEN:

Leslie had a disease. She needed to

be in a good facility, you'll onlypay if she's treated near you, fine.

We did that. Listen. I found her

Will. I assume you know that Lesliewas a Buddhist.

There is a long pause on the line.

JACK (O.S.)

Leslie was a nudist?

BEN:

Buddhist. Leslie was a BUDDHIST. She

wanted to be cremated. Not buried. It

was very important to her that

JACK (O.S.)

I have just lost my only child. I’min no mood to discuss the particularsof her funeral.

BEN:

There's more. Look, this is...

strange, I admit, but in her Will,

Leslie clearly stipulated that

JACK (O.S.)

I rue the day she met you. Whereveryou are, you stay there.

BEN:

Jack.

JACK (O.S.)

I miss grandchildren. But you are notwelcome here. Is that clear? You show

up. I will have you arrested.

The phone goes silent.

BEN:

Can we just speak civilly? Hello?

ABIGAIL, Leslie's mother, now speaks.

ABIGAIL (O.S.)

Leslie is in Heaven now. She is

finally at peace.

BEN:

When's the ceremony?

(CONTINUED)

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ABIGAIL (O.S.)

In five days. Here in Albuquerque. At

our church. How're the children?

BEN:

They're... in shock.

ABIGAIL (O.S.)

It's been years.

BEN:

Did you hear what Jack just said?

ABIGAIL (O.S.)

I miss them. The children.

BEN:

Jack just said he'll have usarrested if we come. Did you hearthat?

ABIGAIL (O.S.)

He's very upset. I'm sorry. It'sbest to do what he says.

There's a CLICK and a DIAL TONE as she hangs up the phone.

22 EXT. TIPI. EVENING. 22

While Ben cooks venison over a large fire, the kids, all deepin their private thoughts, stare into the flames.

Nai exits the Tipi. He's completely naked.

BODEVAN:

Mom hated that world.

BEN:

Clothes when we eat.

Nai disappears back into the Tipi.

VESPYR:

We're in the very unique position ofhating those people.

BEN:

Can "unique" be modified?

All the other kids respond with a "no."

Nai comes out of the Tipi wearing a beat-up Whale costume.

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