Signs Page #12

Synopsis: Everything that farmer Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) assumed about the world is changed when he discovers a message - an intricate pattern of circles and lines - carved into his crops. As he investigates the unfolding mystery, what he finds will forever alter the lives of his brother (Joaquin Phoenix) and children (Rory Culkin), (Abigail Breslin). A unique story that explores the mysterious real-life phenomena of crop signs and the effects they have on one man and his family.
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Production: Buena Vista Distribution Compa
  3 wins & 32 nominations.
 
IMDB:
6.7
Metacritic:
59
Rotten Tomatoes:
74%
PG-13
Year:
2002
106 min
$227,935,522
Website
1,160 Views


MERRILL:

That's right.

THE SWIRLING TEXTURE SOUND FLOATS THROUGH THE AIR ABOVE THE

STATION WAGON.

MERRILL:

Let me see it.

Beat. Graham moves. He hands the monitor over the hood.

Merrill reaches for it.

THE SWIRLING, MOVING TEXTURE BECOMES LOUD AND FILLED WITH

UNINTELLIGIBLE NOISES.

MORGAN:

Stop!

Graham and Merrill freeze -- both touching the monitor over

the roof of the station wagon.

WE HEAR SOMETHING THAT SOUNDS LIKE A VOICE EMERGE AND THEN

QUICKLY FADE AWAY.

MORGAN:

It doesn't sound like words.

Merrill concentrates on THE SWIRLING MOVING TEXTURE COMING

FROM THE BABY MONITOR.

Graham looks around at his rapt family.

GRAHAM:

See this is why we're not watching

those news reports. People get

obsessed.

(beat)

I'm letting go now.

BO:

No dad!

MORGAN:

Don't do it!

MERRILL:

You'll lose the signal!

Graham looks at Merrill, who's now one of them. Beat.

Morgan is the first one to move.

MORGAN:

Don't let go.

He moves from the back passenger door to the back bumper

where he begins to climb onto the station wagon.

GRAHAM:

Morgan?

MORGAN:

It gets clearer, the higher you hold

it.

Morgan crawls on the roof and takes the monitor ever-so gently

out of Graham and Merrill's outstretched hands.

GRAHAM:

Morgan, be careful.

MERRILL:

I got him.

Merrill climbs up over the side and joins Morgan on the roof.

Merrill keeps a hand on his nephew. Morgan raises the monitor

above his head.

THE RED LIGHTS ON THE BABY MONITOR ALL TURN ON.

THE SWIRLING TEXTURE COMING FROM THE MONITOR BECOMES SOMETHING

MORE MECHANICAL, LIKE THE HUM OF LARGE EQUIPMENT IN THE

DISTANCE.

THE VOICE LIKE SOUNDS ARE UNDER A CRACKLE BUT ARE CLEARER

AND LOUDER.

Bo runs to the front bumper and climbs onto the hood.

GRAHAM:

Hold on.

Graham cuts her off by taking a seat on the hood. He takes

hold of Bo. All four are on the car now.

Morgan stands up on the roof of the station wagon. Merrill

holds him by the waist.

Bo tries to get up onto the roof by climbing over Graham and

the windshield. Graham boosts her up over his head with both

hands.

GRAHAM:

Merrill you got her.

Merrill reaches out his free hand. Bo reaches out to him.

THE SOUND FROM THE MONITOR SUDDENLY CHANGES.

MORGAN:

Stop!

Everyone STOPS exactly where they are. Graham holds Bo over

his head. Bo reaches out to Merrill. Merrill sits on the

roof with one arm out. Morgan stands with the baby monitor

raised high in the air. The Hess family remains very still

on the hood of their station wagon as they listen.

THE CRACKLING IS GONE. THE VOICE-LIKE SOUNDS ARE CLEAR AND

UPFRONT. THERE ARE TWO DISTINCT TONES IN THE MIX.

MORGAN:

(soft)

There's two of them talking.

THE VOICE-LIKE SOUNDS ARE NOT WORDS BUT MORE LIKE GRUNTS AND

GURGLING LIKE SOMEONE DROWNING. THE SOUNDS ARE BEING CREATED

BY INHALES, NOT EXHALES. A SEQUENCE OF THESE SOUNDS IN ONE

TONE IS FOLLOWED BY SILENCE AND THEN THE SECOND TONE BEGINS

ANOTHER SEQUENCE LIKE A CONVERSATION.

Graham struggles to hold Bo up. Bo struggles to keep her

arms out. Merrill struggles not to turn his face to the

incredible SOUNDS ABOVE HIS HEAD.

THE TONES ESCALATE IN VOLUME.

Morgan's eyes widen as THE SEQUENCE OF SOUNDS BECOMES SHORTER

AND FASTER. THE TONES BECOME HARDER, ANGRIER. THE SILENCES

ALMOST GONE.

THE VOICE-LIKE TONES REACH A LOUD FEVERISH PACE, ALMOST

VIOLENT AND THEN WE HEAR A CLICK AND THEY'RE GONE.

Beat. Everyone looks up at the baby monitor. The red lights

are off. ONLY THE BLAND HUM OF NORMAL STATIC COMES FROM IT'S

SPEAKER.

Beat.

MORGAN:

(soft)

They hung up.

Graham brings Bo down into his lap. Morgan takes a seat next

to Merrill on the roof. The Hess family sits like mental

patients on the top of their station wagon.

CUT TO:

EXT. BACKYARD - EVENING

WE ARE AT THE EDGE OF THE CROPS LOOKING BACK AT THE HOUSE.

The LIGHTS are on in the kitchen. We see Graham, Merrill and

the children doing dishes after dinner.

The DOG IS BARKING FURIOUSLY.

OUR VIEW TURNS TO LOOK AT THE BARN THROUGH THE CROPS.

Isabelle, the remaining German Shepherd is tied to a post

outside the barn. The dog whips back and forth frantically.

She keeps looking in our direction.

WE HEAR A SCREEN DOOR OPEN. WE TURN TO LOOK BACK AT THE HOUSE.

Graham steps out the back screen door with a bowl of dog

food and a bowl of water.

We watch him as he walks towards the frantic dog. When he

gets close, Graham slows. He approaches the dog carefully.

He places the two bowls close but not too close. The dog has

no interest in them. She keeps barking and glaring in our

direction.

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M. Night Shyamalan

Manoj Nelliyattu "M. Night" Shyamalan is an American filmmaker, philanthropist and actor. He is known for making films with contemporary supernatural plots and twist endings. He was born in Mahé, Pondicherry, India, and raised in Penn Valley, Pennsylvania. The cumulative gross of his films exceeds $3 billion globally. more…

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