Hardcore Page #8

JAKE:

No.

MAST:

Do you know what a "hardcore" movie

is?

JAKE:

That's like a stag film.

MAST:

Yeah. You ever seen any of those?

JAKE:

No.

MAST:

They're legal now.

JAKE:

They are?

MAST:

Yeah.

(a beat)

All over. Even here in Grand Rapids.

JAKE:

Hmm.

MAST:

There's a little stall theatre up

here.

(gestures)

It's closed now, but I'm borrowing

it for an hour. I think there's

something you'd better see.

INT. THEATRE - DAY

Jake is uncomfortably seated in the dingy thirty-seat theatre.

Mast walks back from the projection booth as the film starts.

He sits next to Van Dorn. We slowly TRACK INTO Jake's face

as the color drains from it. O.S. We HEAR groans and the

sounds of flesh on flesh.

We TRACK SLOWLY INTO the film itself:

A 16mm hardcore short on a simple, but classic theme -- rape.

Two young men force a young, unwilling girl to submit to

their desires. The girl -- Kristen -- nude, tries to get out

of a wrinkled bed but is restrained by the long arm of a

languid, long-haired nude youth. Another young man, wearing

only pink elastic shorts, steps into the frame and takes

Kristen into his arms.

The quality of the action is quite low; the young men posture

and overact in the manner of high school dramatics.

Occasionally, the action stops while the actors receive cues

from an off-screen director. Grunts and groans are dubbed

into the screen action.

Only Kristen's performance lends a note of credibility to

the proceedings. She is genuinely disoriented or frightened --

or both. She's not play acting.

For one frightening moment, Kristen, regaining full

consciousness, fights back, but the youth in pink shorts

slaps her into submission. Her eyes turn pleadingly toward

the camera.

The first youth laughs and takes Kristen into his arms. The

youth in the pink shorts kneels on the edge of the bed and

instructs Kristen to remove his shorts. As she begins to do

this, the first youth fucks her from the rear.

As the film ends, Jake sinks his head into his hands, speaking

to himself. It's almost as if we're hearing his thoughts:

JAKE:

It can't be. Why me? What have I

done?

Looking up, he says softly, then louder:

JAKE:

(continuing)

Turn it off.

(a beat)

Turn it off.

(a beat)

Turn it off!

(a beat)

Turn it off!

Only then does Jake realize that the film has already been

shut off and he's sitting alone in the quiet theatre.

Mast stands by the exit. Jake gets up and walks toward him.

CUT TO:

INT. LOBBY

Jake catches up with Mast in the small lobby.

JAKE:

(aggressively)

Where is she?

MAST:

I don't know.

JAKE:

Where did you get that film?

Jake backs Mast from one side of the lobby to the other.

MAST:

I bought it at a store in L.A.

JAKE:

Who made it?

MAST:

I don't know.

JAKE:

What do you mean?

Mast calms him down.

MAST:

Wait. Slow down. A film like this,

16mm, cost two three hundred dollars,

sold outright, shown in peep machines,

maybe theatres, maybe not, is almost

impossible to track. 'Nobody' makes

it; 'nobody' shows it; 'nobody' sees

it. It's like it doesn't even exist.

JAKE:

What's it called?

MAST:

It was called 'Slave of Love' when I

bought it. Next time it's sold, it'll

be called something else.

JAKE:

But the police...

MAST:

The police? They know less than you

do.

JAKE:

Do you think she's safe?

MAST:

Yeah. Probably.

JAKE:

You like this, don't you. Showing

me... this.

MAST:

I hate it. But you gotta know, buddy.

(thinks)

A lot of strange things happen in

this world. Things you don't know

about in Grand Rapids. Things you

don't want to know about. Doors that

should never be opened. I've known

more about this sort of thing than a

man should. Don't ask me why.

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