My Own Private Idaho Page #2

MIKE CLOSES HIS EYES. THEN A WHOLE RITUAL OF EVENTS HAPPENS, HIS

EYES TURN BACK IN HIS HEAD AND HE BEGINS TO SHAKE ALL OVER. THEN

ALL GOES BLACK.

MIKE'S VOICE OVER

When I open them again, I'll be in

a completely different

surrounding.

When Mike opens his eyes, he is in downtown PORTLAND, OREGON.

A LOUD BUS drives by Mike's view in the city. He is asleep, then

wakes enough to see other UNKNOWN KIDS rifling his pockets in a

doorway, as Mike sleepily looks

on.

SUBTITLES:

It's kind of like time travel.

It's kind of good.

MIKE CLOSES HIS EYES AGAIN, AND WHEN HE OPENS THEM HE IS BACK IN

THE COUNTRY. BUT THIS TIME A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT TERRAIN. LIKE A

LONG TIME HAS PASSED. HE IS ALSO WEARING DIFFERENT CLOTHES.

MIKE CHECKS HIS WATCH AGAIN. He looks happy at the passage of

time.

MIKE:

Yeah. It's kind of good. Passes

the time. Unwanted as it is.

MIKE LEANS AGAINST THE DUFFLE BAG WITH HIM. HE LOOKS INTO THE

FIELD next to him. The wind blows a paper cup into the air.

Mike watches the cup tumble in the air, and with a few notes, a

GUITAR follows. Then an uprooted cactus.

The paper cup, cactus and guitar lyrically trade places in the

air, and are followed by a large barn, which twists and turns,

then crashes directly into the middle of the road.

On the, road. Riding in the back of a pickup truck. Mike's shirt

ruffles wildly in the wind, traveling at 60 mph.

And the truck disappears into the sun, toward a steep mountain

range.

LAS VeGAs

Mike is walking down a LONELY ALLEYWAY in the city. ALL OF A

SUDDEN he is surrounded by three BLACK BOYS, who are smiling and

joking.

BLACK 1

SAY, WHITE BOY, where you goin'?

Black 1 pulls out a knife and waves it at Mike.

BLACK 1

What's in the sack. Let's see.

Mike fights with the guy for his sack. The Black cuts Mike's

hands with his knife but Mike won't let go.

In terror he watches his hands get cut, but he won't let go. Mike

starts to yawns and does the jitters to the Black's amazement and

drops to the ground. Scottie, the older boy on the magazine

cover, comes to Mike's aid. He pushes the Black boy over, throws

some trash cans in their direction.

BLACK 1

This gonna be fun. Come on...

Scottie keeps fighting them off.

SCOTT:

Man, what do you want from us, we

haven't got anything.

The Blacks chuckle. Then they stop and slowly walk away from

Scott who hovers protectively around Mike's body on the ground.

BLACK (o.s.)

F*ggot!

We are in the city of Las Vegas in the daytime. (We are aware of

this because one character, RAY, is reading the Las Vegas

Chronicle.) Mike sleeps, as a shopkeeper washes his windows and

three other street kids, Gary, Ray and Scottie, are hanging

around on the corner with him.

Gary is hitting a public wastebasket with the end of a stick as a

MAN in a MERCEDES BENZ drives by them very slowly, and looks at

each one of the boys individually. Gary pauses for a moment and

poses.

RAY:

(to the man in the car) What's up?

MAN (in German)

[Entschuldiging, Junge...]

The man in the car speeds off.

INT. CAR DAY.

THE MAN has the look of Rainer Fassbinder and Geraldo Rivera as

the same man; is of average build and has a wash of hair gracing

his forehead that looks quite foreign. He turns to the right

three times, as he is circling his car.

OUT THE WINDOW OF THE CAR, we see the boys again.

EXT. STREET

GARY:

What's this guy want, think he

wants to party?

SCOTT:

He said "Entschuldiging, Junge."

GARY:

What's that mean? "Suck my dick?"

Does he want to suck my dick?

SCOTT:

It means, "Excuse me, boys."

GARY:

How the f*** do you know.

SCOTT:

I've studied German, in prep

school.

GARY:

You know, Scottie, I don't know

when to believe you.

SCOTT:

Here he comes again.

THE MAN leans out the window of his car.

MAN:

HELLO?

Gary leans into the man's car.

GARY:

Hey, dude.

MAN:

(speaks with a thick German

accent)

Excuse me. Can I speak to the young

man over there, with the blond hair,

ya?

GARY:

Who, that kid there? You can't

talk with him now, he's asleep.

MAN:

Can you wake him up?

GARY:

No, you can't wake him... he......

but, what about me? Don't you want

to talk with me?

The man is not interested in talking to Gary. He shakes his head

no, bothered by Gary.

SCOTT:

(speaking fluent German)

Was willist du in Gottesname mit uns

Juenge? Mach' es flar oder fanre

ab!

(What in the hell do you want with

us young kids, be specific or get

out.)

MAN:

(surprised)

Du bisst sehr intelligent mit deinem

Aksent.. Fuer elnen Puppejunge.

(You are very clever with an accent

like that.. for a street boy.)

THE MAN IN THE CAR SPEEDS OFF.

GARY:

Alright then, a**hole!

VIEW of Mike's sleeping face.

INSIDE OF MIKE'S thoughts. He is flying over the city streets,

above the Mercedes Benz, effortlessly hovering and gilding above

it, between the buildings. Like a bird.

Mike wakes and looks at Scottie, who is talking to

Gary.

MIKE'S THOUGHTS

The first time I met Scott, I had

a feeling he was a sort of comic

book hero. He was always saying

the right thing at the right

moment, and standing up for me

when there was no reason to. Look

at his face now, when the sunlight

shines off his lower lip, like it

is the face of some sort of

statue. Strong and soft at the

same time. I never could figure

out what Scott was doing here with

us on the street in the first

place, like he was on some sort of

crusade, to help the poor. Because

he really did come from a rich

Portland family. I know because he

brought me to his house one day

and showed me around. I mean, wow,

they were rich I They even had a

swimming pool. Scott's the only

kid that I had ever met that had a

swimming pool. I'd make a bet with

anybody right now, that Scott is a

saint or a hero, or some such

higher placed person.

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