Captain Fantastic Page #8

Most of the homes are new and have grass lawns out front.

The bus stops in front of a two-story house.

58 INT. HARPER'S HOUSE. NIGHT. 58

JUSTIN, Harper's 15-year old son, sits in front of his

computer. He wears over-sized skater clothes and has a shavedhead. He shows Rellian how to play Grand Theft Auto 5.

Rellian is in heaven.

Over the SOUNDS of EXPLOSIONS and GUNFIRE and SCREAMS, Bo,

Kielyr, Vespyr, and Zaja just sit on Jackson's bed, trying tomake sense of this alien environment.

The walls are plastered with band and movie posters. Peoplethey don't recognize and movies they've never seen or heardof.

GREEN (9.2.2014) 45.

59 INT. HARPER'S HOUSE. NIGHT. 59

Nai is alone in the living room, staring at a framed

photograph on the wall.

The photograph is of Ben and Leslie, taken at their wedding.

She wears a white dress and pushes cake into Ben's mouth.

JACKSON (O.S.)

Life's a b*tch.

Nai turns to see JACKSON, Harper's 13-year old son. He is

dressed in the same over-sized skater clothes as his brother

and has the same shaved head.

NAI:

Yeah.

JACKSON:

Then you die.

Nai nods.

JACKSON (CONT’D)

Life f***ing sucks, man.

Nai has no answer for this. He bites his lip.

HARPER (O.S.)

Dinner! Everyone!

JACKSON:

Dude.

Jackson just nods his head over and over. Then he spots the

knife on Nai's belt.

JACKSON (CONT’D)

Whoa! Can I check that out?

Nai hands Jackson his new knife. Jackson swings it around.

JACKSON (CONT’D)

Rad.

Harper comes into the room.

HARPER:

Boys, dinner!

Her face drains of blood when she sees the knife. She rushes

over and yanks the knife away from Jackson.

(CONTINUED)

GREEN (9.2.2014) 46.

59 CONTINUED:
59

HARPER (CONT’D)

Ben! Ben!!

Ben runs in.

BEN:

What? What?!

Harper holds out the knife.

HARPER:

What is this?

BEN:

Jesus, you scared me. It's okay. It'sNai's.

HARPER:

This is Nai's? Nai is 6.

BEN:

He is.

HARPER:

Do I really have to say this outloud? Why does a 6-year old have a

real sword?

BEN:

It's not a sword. It's a knife.

HARPER:

Why does a 6-year old have a knife...

this BIG?!

BEN:

It's primarily for butchering meat,

but you can use it for making skins,

creating shelters. It has many uses.

Harper stares at her brother for a minute. Then she shakesher head, resigned disappointment on her face.

HARPER:

I'm putting this in the knife drawer.

He can have it back when you leave.

60 INT. DINING ROOM. HARPER'S HOUSE. NIGHT. 60

The dining room is nothing especially elegant, but comparedto what Ben's kids are used to, this is very formal.

(CONTINUED)

GREEN (9.2.2014) 47.

60 CONTINUED:
60

Napkins are lined up at every seat and glasses and silverware

set out.

Harper and Dave are placing food on the table: roasted

chicken, mashed potatoes, and salad.

HARPER:

Jackson! Now!

Jackson sulks in. His face is buried in his Nintendo DS.

HARPER (CONT’D)

Not at the table.

Jackson plops down and continues to play.

HARPER (CONT’D)

Jackson.

JACKSON:

Alright!

Once everyone sits, they pass the food around and Dave holdsup the wine bottle for Ben.

BEN:

Please.

HARPER:

Everything is local and organic andnon-GMO. I'm just saying.

Ben smiles and Dave passes Ben the wine bottle. Ben pourshimself a glass.

BEN:

Bo, little Syrah?

Bodevan nods and Ben pours his 18-year old son some wine.

Justin and Jackson freeze, wide-eyed.

HARPER:

Ben.

BEN:

It's one of the great pleasures inlife, it's not crack.

ZAJA:

What's crack?

(CONTINUED)

GREEN (9.2.2014) 48.

60 CONTINUED:
60

BEN:

A crystallized, highly addictiveform of the stimulant cocaine.

Accelerated the decimation of urban

inner-city neighborhoods in the mid1980s.

Crack-heads, some of them just

kids, were killing each other fortheir Nikes.

Harper smiles. Weakly.

HARPER:

Children do not drink wine.

BEN:

In France, children drink wine all

the time. It's a digestive.

HARPER:

Well, we're not in France.

Ben smiles. He puts the wine glass down.

NAI:

They killed each other for Nike? The

Greek winged Goddess of Victory?

At this, Justin and Jackson laugh.

JACKSON:

He's joking, right?

They can see, by their cousin's faces, that he is not.

JUSTIN:

They're like Adidas. But cooler.

ZAJA:

Who's Adidas?

Justin and Jackson cannot believe their ears.

JACKSON:

You're serious?

Zaja nods.

JUSTIN:

They're shoes.

Everyone is silent for a moment. Harper and Dave share alook.

(CONTINUED)

GREEN (9.2.2014) 49.

60 CONTINUED:
60

DAVE:

Ben. We're... I'm so sorry for yourloss.

BEN:

Thanks, Dave.

DAVE:

I don't... really know what else to

say.

Dave looks at Harper for help.

BEN:

It's okay. I know you had issueswith Leslie. It's not a secret.

DAVE:

I wouldn't say that!

BEN:

Last time we saw you, you called hera "f***ing b*tch."

HARPER:

Ben!

BEN:

It's okay. The kids know. Rightguys?

All of his kids nod, completely unaffected by it.

Justin and Jackson look absolutely stunned.

DAVE:

No, wait. I said... we all had a hugefight about sugar... I gave the kidsFrosted Mini-Wheats! The extremity ofher position... She was YELLING atme, she PUSHED me, and I said

BEN:

"Don't be such a f***ing b*tch."

HARPER:

Ben!

DAVE:

That kind of language isinappropriate in front

(CONTINUED)

GREEN (9.2.2014) 50.

60 CONTINUED:
60

BEN:

They're just words. YOUR words. Butjust words.

HARPER:

Not spoken in this household.

BEN:

Absolutely. Understood.

There is another protracted and awkward silence. Dave looksvery concerned.

DAVE:

My point was... it's not easy toexpress... to try and articulate...

When someone dies....

Dave gives up. He sighs.

DAVE (CONT’D)

We're all... devastated. We’re

just... so sorry.

Ben nods.

BEN:

None of us grew up with a ritualthat helps us deal with the confusionand sorrow that comes with death.

JUSTIN:

Dad, how did Aunt Leslie die?

Dave looks at Ben. Then back at his son.

DAVE:

Well. Aunt Leslie was sick. And she

had some... complications. From hersickness.

BEN:

She had a mental illness called

Bipolar Affective Disorder. We thinkit first started after Bo was born,

the genesis of which was probably aform of postpartum psychosis.

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

GREEN (9.2.2014) 51.

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BEN (CONT'D)

Her moods would swing radically from"mania," she would be elated, have so

many plans and ideas for the future,

to severe depression, where she'd bealmost catatonic, utterly withouthope. We weren't really able todiagnose the

HARPER:

I'm not sure the kids need to know

all the details.

Dave tries to take over.

DAVE:

The doctors put her in the hospital.

They gave her medicine. But shewas... really sick. And she... died.

Sick people die. Sometimes. They die.

And she... she just... died. Diedof... Because she was sick. She died.

His children look at him, confused by the inadequacy of hisexplanation.

DAVE (CONT’D)

These things can be very difficult toexplain.

BEN:

She jumped out a window. She killedherself.

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