Still Alice Page #12

JOHN:

I’ve got some very good news for

you. Let me help you get your

pants on.

ALICE:

I want my green one.

JOHN:

Oh, I think this one would bereally really nice. Let’s put that

one on. Lean on me. Okay hold on.

Tenderly, he helps her get dressed.

INT. HOSPITAL - DAY

Led by John, Alice walks along brightly lit corridors,

passing DOCTORS, NURSES, PATIENTS. They approach Anna’s

room.

ALICE:

(whispering)

What’s wrong with her? She looks

terrible.

PINK PAGES 77

JOHN:

She’s just delivered the babies,

honey!

INT. HOSPITAL ROOM

They walk through a door. Anna is in the bed cradling ababy. Charlie is by her side with another.

ALICE:

Anna! You had your babies!

ANNA:

I did mom!

Charlie unfolds the blanket, revealing a small pink face.

CHARLIE:

This is Allison.

JOHN:

You look so beautiful.

ANNA:

Thank you.

CHARLIE:

And that’s Charlie Jr.

JOHN:

My goodness.

Allison starts crying.

ALICE:

Can I hold her?

CHARLIE:

Um -- is that a good idea?

ALICE:

I know how to hold a baby.

ANNA:

That’s okay, Mom. You can sit rightthere in that chair.

Alice sits on a chair and Charlie hands her the baby.

ANNA:

That’s good.

PINK PAGES 78

CHARLIE:

Something tells me you’ve done this

before.

Alice looks down happily at the baby, then over to Anna.

ALICE:

She looks like you.

Something breaks in Anna -- she beams back at her mother.

Alice continues to look at the baby with pure unalloyed joy.

INT. ALICE’S HOME - LIVING ROOM - DAY

Alice is asleep on the sofa. Out of focus in the distance,

her family talks about her future.

JOHN:

There are days she knows where sheis, certainly, but just as manydays when she doesn’t. Maybe shethinks she’s a child back in New

Hampshire, or who knows where...

ANNA:

It’s happening more and more, Tom.

She doesn’t know what’s going on.

TOM:

Yeah, but...I always think of whatshe said in the speech, y’know, howimportant her memories are to whoshe is...

ANNA:

I know but, but that was months

ago.

JOHN:

Guys, this is difficult for all of

us. But what we have to remember

is who Alice was. She would not

want to be a burden. Anna, youhave the babies, and you want to goback to work. And you’re not in aposition to care for her, notseriously, Tom. And I can’t keepMayo waiting. Beginning of themonth, I’m gone.

Alice starts to wake up.

PINK PAGES 79

JOHN:

Now I want to take her with me.

And once she adjusts to Minnesota,

she’ll be happier for it and sowill we all.

A thoughtful moment.

TOM:

Lydia’s gonna flip out.

ANNA:

So let her.

TOM:

Well, she is.

ANNA:

She has no right to. If she reallycared, she wouldn’t be on the otherside of the country.

Suddenly, they become aware of Alice sitting up, listening.

ALICE:

It’s hot in here.

There’s a moment’s self-consciousness at the table: how much

did she overhear?

INT. ALICE’S HOME - KITCHEN - EVENING

Alice is talking to Lydia on Skype. A kettle is close to

boiling on a stove in the background.

ALICE:

So who is he exactly?

LYDIA:

A manager. His name’s Bill

Thompson.

ALICE:

And why is he so important?

LYDIA:

He’ll open doors, get me to

auditions I wouldn’t have access

to. He got me some good headshots.

ALICE:

I see. What’s his name?

PINK PAGES 80

LYDIA:

Bill Thompson. He’s with Thompson

and Gould if you want to look them

up. They’re good.

ALICE:

The kettle’s boiling.

LYDIA:

Where’s Elena?

Alice goes over to the stove, puts a tea bag in the cup andpours water over it.

ALICE:

I’m making myself a cup of tea.

LYDIA:

Cool...where’s your caretaker?

ALICE:

Elena is not here today. Her

daughter is sick. She’s at the

doctor.

LYDIA:

So you’re there alone?

ALICE:

I can make myself a cup of tea.

She returns to the computer.

LYDIA:

Okay. You want to check out myheadshot? If I send you a link canyou open the file - download thefile?

ALICE:

Yes!

LYDIA:

Good.

(she sends)

There you go. I’ll talk to youlater, okay. I love you.

ALICE:

Bye.

LYDIA:

Bye.

PINK PAGES 81

Alice clicks on the file from Lydia to download it.

When the download is complete, she clicks Skype closed butcannot find the file. She clicks one folder on her desktop,

then another, then another.

One of the folders opens revealing a Quicktime with a pictureof herself on it.

Surprised, she clicks on it. It is the Butterfly file.

There on the screen is Alice - younger, sharper, coherent,

reassuring.

ALICE ON QUICKTIMEHi Alice. I’m you and I havesomething very important to say to

you. I guess you’ve come to thatpoint, the point where you can’tanswer the questions. And this is

the logical next step. It’s the

right step, I’m sure of that.

Present-day Alice watches, intrigued, amused, not reckoningwith the seriousness of what her old self has to say.

ALICE ON QUICKTIMEBecause what’s happening to you,

the Alzheimer’s - you could see itas tragic. But your life has beenanything but tragic. You’ve had a

remarkable career, you’ve had agreat marriage, and three beautifulchildren.

Alice on Quicktime has to struggle to control her emotions.

Present-day Alice just sits there watching like a curiousbird.

ALICE ON QUICKTIMEAll right. Listen to me, Alice.

This is important. Make sure youare alone. Go to your bedroom.

There’s a dresser by the window,

the one with the blue lamp on it.

Go to the dresser and open thedrawer. In the back of the drawer

are some pills. It says ‘take allpills with water’ on it. There are

a lot of pills in that bottle, butyou need to swallow them all.

Present-day Alice is now listening attentively.

PINK PAGES 82

ALICE ON QUICKTIMEThen go to the bed, lie down and goto sleep. And don’t tell anyonewhat you’re doing, okay?

Abruptly, the Quicktime ends. Alice obediently gets up andleaves the room.

INT. ALICE’S HOME - STAIRCASE

Alice climbs the stairs, muttering to herself.

ALICE:

Dressing table, blue lamp.

INT. ALICE’S HOME - MASTER BEDROOM

Alice enters, still muttering.

ALICE:

Dressing table, blue lamp.

Dressing table, blue lamp.

She stands in the center of the room, looking around,

confused. She goes to the dressing table...There’s a bluelamp on it...But she doesn’t know what to do next.

INT. ALICE’S HOME - KITCHEN - EVENING

ANGLE ON THE COMPUTER

ALICE ON QUICKTIME...Go to your bedroom. There’s

that dressing table, the one withthe blue lamp on it. Go to that

table and open the drawer. In the

back of the drawer are some pills.

It says ‘take all pills with water’on it.

Present-day Alice, listens, again trying to memorize theinstructions.

INT. STAIRCASE

We follow Alice from behind as she heads back up the stairs.

INT. MASTER BEDROOM

She enters again, heads over to the dressing table.

ALICE:

Dressing table, blue lamp.

Dressing table, blue lamp.

PINK PAGES 83

She pulls the drawer out. There are bits of old jewelry andaccessories, some coins. Alice picks out a bracelet made ofpolished grey stones, puts it on and inspects it. She

realizes she’s forgotten something -- but what was it?

Rate this script:4.0 / 3 votes