Chappaquiddick Page #4

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INT. LAWRENCE COTTAGE - LATER

Ted remains motionless, still staring into his glass. The firstaudible sound is the familiar yet haunting instrumental openingof the popular Frank Sinatra song playing on the radio.

FRANK SINATRA (V.O.)

And now, the end is here / And so Iface the final curtain / My friend,

I'll say it clear

The SOUND COMES BACK INTO FOCUS as Ted finally looks awayfrom the glass.

He surveys a much more chaotic party than was last seen.

Knocked over lamps cast ominous shadows along the wall. Thetable of liquor covered in mostly empty, overturned bottles.

A May-December couple sucks face in the corner.

17.

TED:

Paul, turn it up, will ya?

Markham turns up the volume. Ted, quietly revels in thissong, singing it quietly into his drink.

TED (CONT’D)

“Regrets, I've had a few / But thenagain, too few to mention / I didwhat I had to do and saw it throughwithout exemption”

As the song builds so does the bluster with which Ted sings it.

TED (CONT’D)

"I planned each charted course,

each careful step along the bywayAnd more, much more than this, Idid it my way"

Ted circles the room, passing by nearly every guest, grabbingGargan and Mary Jo particularly. When he grabs them, itsobvious he's singing this song from the deepest and darkestplace in his soul. Then the horn section comes in.

TED (CONT’D)

"Yes, there were times, I'm sureyou knew / When I bit off more thanI could chew"

Ted sings with absolute gusto as he stands at the center ofeveryone's attention. Though he performs entirely forhimself.

TED (CONT’D)

“But through it all, when there wasdoubt / I ate it up and spit it outI faced it all and I stood tall and

did it my way”

Ted hits the crescendo with the force of an opera singer. Outof breath, he nearly collapses into a nearby chair. The roomerupts into a polite applause.

Markham comes up behind Ted and pats him on the shoulder.

MARKHAM:

That was great, Ted! Are you even

sure you want to be President?

Ted continues to face forward as Markham smiles, oblivious.

TED:

Well...I sure as hell don’t want to

get my ass shot off.

18.

INT. LAWRENCE COTTAGE - LATER

Ted sits alone on the couch, the party in full swing aroundhim. He tosses back the last few drops in his glass. Ted getsup and spots Gargan in conversation with Mary Jo, who laughshysterically.

GARGAN:

You should come up for a Red Soxgame. We could get Ethel and thewhole family together. They’d loveto see you again.

MARY JO:

You just want me there to babysitthose eleven kids of hers.

GARGAN:

Yastrzemski’s on fire. Can you

blame me?

MARY JO:

I’ve been offered the chance to run

a mayoral campaign in Jersey City.

If I’m coming all the way up toBoston, I’m watching Yastrzemski.

GARGAN:

A girl who re-wrote speeches by thegreat Ted Sorenson shouldn’t bewasting her time on mayoralcampaigns -

Ted walks over and pulls Mary Jo gently away by the hand,

cutting Gargan off mid-sentence.

TED:

Want to step away with me, dear?

MARY JO:

Sure. Want to go for a walk?

TED:

How about we go for a drive?

Mary Jo smiles. As they exit, she grabs a silk scarf from herpurse on the entryway table and follows Ted out the door.

EXT. LAWRENCE COTTAGE - MOMENTS LATER

The gravel crunches beneath Ted’s shoes as he steps into thedriver’s seat.

The V8 engine roars to life. The car idles for a momentbefore it pulls out of the driveway and into the darkness.

19.

INT. EDGARTOWN POLICE STATION - DAY

A pair of rubber flip flops SLAP against cheap linoleum tile.

The pace quickens as the flopping echoes through the hall.

Blood drips from the man's big toe. A weathered SECRETARY,

mid-50s, startles as he approaches.

MAN (O.S.)

Hold all my calls.

The man pushes through a door with a sign that reads: "Chiefof Police Dominick Arena".

INT. CHIEF ARENA'S OFFICE - DAY

A small, wood-paneled room with bright fluorescent lighting.

Ted sits behind the chief's desk, looking like he's dressedfor a photo shoot with his sailboat. Every hair in its placeand a white sweater tied around his neck.

Markham stands by Ted's side in the ruffled suit from lastnight, unkempt hair and bloodshot eyes.

TED:

Good morning, Chief.

CHIEF DOMINICK ARENA, mid-40s, stands in the doorway wearinga wet, DARK-PLAID BATHING SUIT. His police shirt is

unbuttoned revealing a damp, white undershirt.

CHIEF ARENA:

Senator.

TED:

I have a statement I'd like to read

if that's, okay.

CHIEF ARENA:

Go ahead.

Ted reads from a sheet of paper filled with scribbledhandwriting.

TED:

“On July 18, 1969, at approximately

11:
15 PM in Chappaquiddick, Martha'sVineyard, Massachusetts...”

EXT. CHAPPAQUIDDICK ISLAND - SCHOOL ROAD - NIGHT - FLASHBACK

From overhead, Ted’s Oldsmobile cruises along a paved street.

The headlights pierce through pitch black darkness. The brakelamps ignite, casting a red haze over the brush behind them.

20.

TED (V.O.)

“I was driving my car on MainStreet on my way to get the ferryback to Edgartown.”

The car creeps towards an intersection. A paved road curvesslightly to the left. A dirt path juts off to the right.

TED (V.O.)

“I was unfamiliar with the road and

turned right onto Dike Road insteadof bearing hard left on Main Street.”

The car makes a methodical hard right turn, rolling off thepavement and onto the unpaved dirt of Dike Road.

The headlights pass over a sign reading "FERRY" with an arrowpointing back the opposite direction.

INT. OLDSMOBILE - DIKE ROAD - CONTINUOUS

Ted sits behind the wheel with his hands at ten and two.

TED (V.O.)

“There was one passenger with me.”

Mary Jo sits on the far side of the bench seat, a politestranger. This behavior is in stark contrast with what hascome before.

EXT. CHAPPAQUIDDICK ISLAND - DIKE BRIDGE - NIGHT

The Oldsmobile rolls steadily down Dike Road.

The car turns slightly past the dense treeline revealingPoucha Pond. Despite its name, as seen here, the currentrushes like a raging river.

Tires kick up dirt as the car starts to roll down a slighthill. It rapidly picks up speed as it approaches Dike Bridge.

IN SLOW MOTION -

The Senator and Mary Jo have a perfunctory conversation. Thehood of the car crosses over the bridge...

Tires punch up against the edge of the bridge's wooden slats.

Ted flashes his signature politician smile to Mary Jo. Bothcompletely unaware.

A loose board rattles. The surrounding planks flex. The carlumbers over Dike Bridge.

BACK TO REAL TIME. A series of horrifying, visceral moments:

21.

-Ted's foot SLAMS on the brakes.

-Rubber burns tire tracks into the wood.

-Mary Jo SCREAMS in terror.

-The car launches off the bridge, flying through the air.

-The weight of the engine pulls the car into a forward roll.

- Mary Jo SLAMS her head against the windshield.

-Ted squeezes his eyes shut, bracing for impact.

-The car flips upside down as it crashes.

-Water surges through the air.

-Bubbles rise to the surface as the car sinks below.

The current flows over the remains of the Oldsmobile for one

more extended beat.

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