Philomena Page #14

He gets out his camera. He fiddles with a setting.

PHILOMENA:

Is this for the article?

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PHILOMENA - Final Shooting Script 61.

MARTIN:

Erm, yeh.

PHILOMENA:

Only I’m a little bit worried you

see, because if I find him he might

be very disapproving of talking to

the papers. Families are very

private things.

MARTIN:

(Half distracted, fiddling

with camera)

Well, yes, that’s true, but

tracking him down’s a very

expensive business so it’s a sort

of quid pro quo...

PHILOMENA:

What does that mean?

MARTIN:

It means you don’t get something

for nothing.

He’s happy with the camera now and lines up the shot again.

MARTIN (cont’d)

I won’t write anything you’re

unhappy with. Just the truth.

PHILOMENA:

That’s the thing I’m worried about.

A beat. She feels she has no option but to go along with it.

PHILOMENA (cont’d)

Should I smile or should I be

serious?

MARTIN:

Let’s do one happy, one not so

happy, then we’re covered.

(Poised to take it)

Ready...

PHILOMENA smiles, he takes the snap. She changes to a worried

expression and he takes another snap.

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MARTIN (cont’d)

Great.

CUT TO:

64B EXT. LINCOLN MEMORIAL REFLECTING POOL/HOTDOG STAND. NIGHT64B

PHILOMENA is working her way steadily through a huge hotdog

with onions and fries.

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PHILOMENA - Final Shooting Script 62.

PHILOMENA:

-if you want chips here, by the way

Martin, you have to ask for French

Fries. Because if you ask for chips

they’ll just bring you crisps.

(Thinks about this)

And if you ask for crisps... well,

I don’t know what they’ll bring

you.

MARTIN:

(Jet-lagged, just wanting

to go to bed)

Yes, it can be very confusing.

PHILOMENA takes a thoughtful bite of her hotdog.

PHILOMENA:

I’m getting scared... now we’re

getting closer.

(Beat)

All these years, wondering whether

Anthony was in trouble, or in

prison... or goodness knows what.

As long as I didn’t know, I could

always tell myself that he was

happy somewhere, and he was doing

all right.

She starts to get really upset.

PHILOMENA (cont’d)

But what if he died in Vietnam? Or

came back with no legs, or lived on

the street...

MARTIN:

(Gently)

Well... no point upsetting

yourself. We don’t know what we

don’t know. We’ll just have to deal

with that when we get there.

She nods. Takes a slurp of her milk shake.

They are further away, walking near some trees.

PHILOMENA:

What if he was a drug addict

Martin, or... what if he was obese?

MARTIN:

(Incredulous)

Obese?

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PHILOMENA - Final Shooting Script 63.

PHILOMENA:

I watched this documentary that

said a lot of Americans are huge -

what if that’s happened to him?

MARTIN:

But... what on earth makes you

think he’d be obese?

PHILOMENA:

(Tearful)

Well, because of the size of the

portions...

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They walk away under the trees.

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CUT TO:

65 INT. CORRIDOR/ROOM, WASHINGTON DC HOTEL - NIGHT 65

MARTIN escorts PHILOMENA back to her room.

MARTIN:

Night Philomena, if you need me

just dial 7, and then my room

number 524.

PHILOMENA:

7524. Okay, good night Martin, and

thank you. Oh - would you like some

biscuits because they gave me two

in a little packet and I don’t want

them.

MARTIN:

No, thank you.

PHILOMENA:

Well if you change your mind just

call me - what do you dial?

MARTIN:

I dial 7534 for your room.

PHILOMENA:

If you need them just call 7534 and

I’ll bring them round to you.

MARTIN:

I won’t. But thank you.

PHILOMENA:

Good night Martin.

MARTIN:

Good night.

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PHILOMENA - Final Shooting Script 64.

She closes the door.

CUT TO:

66 INT. BAR, NEW YORK - NIGHT [VIDEO FOOTAGE] 66

(Previously Sc. 69)

NOW WE HAVE SOUND. Mid-80s. A track plays - ‘Doot Doot’ by

Freur, as a POV shot, grainy early video, takes us through a

packed ‘Studio 54’ type place, full of beautiful 80s people -

lots of neon, flashing lights, wild hair styles, women with

bright lipstick and avant garde outfits.

CLUBBERS part, smiling, as the camera ploughs between them -

whoever is shooting this wants to capture as many faces and

memories of that night as possible. They react to the camera -

video cameras are a novelty. We hear snatches of

conversation, high spirits. Finally the camera reaches a

group of men and women in their 20s and 30s, including MARCIA

WELLER, late 20s, back-combed dark hair, bright lipstick. And

there in the middle of everyone is MICHAEL, now mid-30s,

smiling, enigmatic. He speaks to the guy behind the camera:

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MICHAEL:

Hey Pete...

MARCIA plants a kiss on MICHAEL’S cheek and gives the camera

a smouldering look as they both ‘pose’ for the camera. The

scene tells us that Anthony/Michael has grown into a young

man with a louche, cool private life.

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CUT TO:

67 INT. MARTIN’S ROOM, WASHINGTON DC HOTEL - NIGHT 67

The still image of a nun, wearing bright red lipstick, eyes

closed in ecstasy, her bare breasts covered by the hands of

another topless nun behind her wearing only a wimple. We

REVEAL MARTIN has dozed off, fully clothed, on his bed, TV

remote on his stomach. The room phone rings, he wakes with a

start and picks it up.

MARTIN:

Hello?

(Listens)

No... no I’ve got a bath robe

Philomena.

(Listens)

Yes, there are two in every room.

And the slippers.

(Listens)

Thanks, see you in the morning.

He hangs up, looks at the image of the nun, then checks his

watch. Time to call home. He picks up his mobile and dials;

waits for a connection.

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PHILOMENA - Final Shooting Script 65.

MARTIN (cont’d)

Hello sweetheart, how’s everyone?

He puts her onto speaker as he settles back onto the bed and

pours himself a miniature brandy over ice, takes a sip.

KATE (V.O.)

We’re all good, Danny won his rugby

match today and he nearly scored a

try. How’s Philomena?

MARTIN:

(Big sigh)

Well, I have now seen, first hand,

what a lifetime’s diet of Reader’s

Digest, the Daily Mail and romantic

novels can do to a person’s brain.

I don’t know who I want to strangle

first - Mills or Boon.

KATE laughs.

MARTIN (cont’d)

She keeps telling all the hotel

staff how kind they are - she must

think they’re volunteers. She met

four people today who were all,

‘one in a million’. What are the

chances of that?

KATE (V.O.)

Oh come on she’s just a little old

Irish lady.

He finishes off his brandy.

MARTIN:

What are you wearing?

KATE (V.O.)

Um... fleecy pyjamas, bed socks and

men’s slippers.

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