The Debt Page #18

A YOUNG ISRAELI and his WIFE are admiring a photograph the *

Wife has picked up from the table - a portrait of Rachel *

and Sarah. *

RACHEL *

(Mouth dry)

Thank you. *

WIFE *

(showing it to David) *

Isn’t it lovely? *

David doesn’t answer, is still staring at Rachel. The *

husband senses a scene, takes the photograph. *

HUSBAND *

(Smoothly) *

You know you have to excuse us, *

(to his wife)... we must catch *

Michael... *

His wife is confused... *

HUSBAND (CONT’D) *

(leading her away) *

...before he leaves, you *

remember...? *

Rachel is staring at David, shaking her head, eyes *

glittering with tears. *

RACHEL *

You can’t do this to me now. We *

had our chance. We said we would *

live with it. This is me living *

with it. *

David takes her hands. *

DAVID *

I’m in love with you, Rachel. I *

want my life back so I can live *

it with you. Come with me. *

RACHEL *

You can start again. You don’t *

have a child. You don’t have *

anyone. *

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DAVID *

I thought I did. *

(beat) *

Why can’t we be happy? *

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RACHEL:

(after a beat, quietly)

Because we did a terrible thing..

*

*

He nods, finally, and lets go of her hand. Beat. Then he

turns and walks away from her through the crowd to the

door, and is gone.

*

*

*

She moves to follow him, then stops. *

Rachel turns and finds STEPHAN standing against the wall,

waiting. They stare at each other.

*

*

STEPHAN *

(flat)

There you are.

*

*

He leads her back towards the party. *

184 INT. NEWSPAPER BUILDING - GROUND FL. CAFE - EARLY EVENING 184

Rachel sits, still smoking, though it’s dark outside now.

There is a sound of chatter from above her and she looks up

to see JOURNALISTS spilling out from the offices above,

coming down the stairs towards her.

Rachel eases a PHOTOCOPIED SHEET from her bag and examines

it...

INSERT SHEET:

A photocopy of a JOURNALIST’S BY-LINE - a long, rather

mournful face, the name YURI TITOV.

She checks the face, slips the sheet back in the bag, looks

up, studying the men descending towards her. Moments later

she has found him - chatting to a colleague.

He reaches the ground floor and walking past her, goes to

the bar for a coffee.

Rachel finds herself staring at him -

DESTROY HER LIFE.

the man WHO COULD

Yuri seems to sense someone watching him and looks to where

Rachel was sitting.

But there’s no-one there.

185 INT. NEWSPAPER OFFICE LOBBY. CONTINUOUS. 185

The PRETTY RECEPTIONIST stands chatting to her BOYFRIEND, a

young journalist. He is holding her coat for.

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She starts to put it on and the Boyfriend gives a brief

bark and play-bites at her neck. She laughs, pushing him

away. Rachel hurries in.

RACHEL:

(Russian)

Am I late? I’m sorry.... Can I

place an advertisement?

RECEPTIONIST:

(gathering her things)

100 grivna for twenty words. 5

grivna a word after that.

Rachel proffers an envelope.

RACHEL (CONT’D)

Here...

The girl takes it.

RECEPTIONIST:

Thanks.

Rachel fishes in her bag and hands over a 100 GRIVNA NOTE.

RACHEL:

This should cover it.

The girl drops the envelope onto her desk, and slips the

money into a small DESKTOP DRAWER UNIT, as Rachel leaves.

186 INT. NEWSPAPER OFFICE - MEZZANINE LEVEL. CONTINUOUS. 186

Rachel pauses outside the doors, zipping her bag, watching

the receptionist tap a code into the alarm key-pad before

letting herself and the Boyfriend out. She locks the door

after them and the two walk past Rachel who smiles a

goodbye.

She watches them go.

186A INT. NEWSPAPER BUILDING - GROUND FLOOR CAFE - NIGHT 186A

The place is dark now, eerily lit by the street lights

outside. An ELDERLY SECURITY GUARD trudges past, whistling

softly.

187 OMITTED 187

188 OMITTED 188

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189 INT. NEWSPAPER OFFICE - LOBBY. CONTINUOUS. 189

We’re looking through the glass doors to the shadowy

mezzanine level beyond. A DARK FIGURE stands silhouetted at

the door. We hear the scrape of tools working on the lock.

There is a click, the doors open and Rachel slips inside.

The alarm begins to BEEP. Rachel takes out a TORCH. A quick

twist and the beam becomes ULTRAVIOLET.

As Rachel moves swiftly towards the alarm box, the beam

from the torch sweeps across the girl’s desk, and we see

Rachel’s envelope glowing a deep PURPLE. We may also notice

that the desktop drawer unit where the girl placed the

money is smudged with purple FINGERPRINTS.

Rachel opens the alarm box and shines her beam onto the

keypad. We see four PURPLE FINGERPRINTS, one deeply

pigmented, the other three progressively less so.

Rachel takes a deep breath and punches the four marked keys

in what she hopes is the correct order. The alarm falls

silent.

She moves quickly out of the lobby, down the corridor...

190 INT. NEWSPAPER OFFICE - MAIN ROOM. CONTINUOUS. 190

...and into the main press room.

Using her torch on its regular setting, Rachel scours the

desks for information.

On one desk is a photograph of the journalist we just met -

YURI - HOLDING A LARGE FISH in triumph. Rachel dives into

the desk’s FILING UNIT and begins to rifle through the

files.

Presently, she finds an OLD PICTURE OF VOGEL. He wears SS

uniform, the same shot we have seen before.

Behind it, a stack of SCRIBBLED NOTES. She begins to scan

them.

191 INT. NEWSPAPER BUILDING - MEZZANINE LEVEL - CONTINUOUS 191

The Receptionist and her drunk BOYFRIEND stand at the doors

to the newspaper office, trying to open them. It takes them

a moment, as - unaware that it was unlocked - the girl has

accidentally locked it. Her boyfriend tussles with her

playfully, keen for her to let him try instead, but she

swats him away, turns the key again and finally they’re in.

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT WITH PINK AMENDMENTS - 26.03.09 94.

192 INT. NEWSPAPER OFFICE - MAIN ROOM. NIGHT. 192

Rachel, unaware, is still reading through the notes. She

takes out paper and pen and copies down the information she

needs.

193 INT. NEWSPAPER OFFICE - LOBBY. NIGHT. 193

The receptionist stands by the alarm box, drunk and

confused, as the Boyfriend, impatient and equally drunk,

comes up close behind her and reaches round to clumsily

unbutton her coat.

RECEPTIONIST:

(Whispering)

That’s weird.

The coat undone, the Boyfriend reaches round and snakes his

hands up inside her sweater. She ignores him.

RECEPTIONIST (CONT’D)

I set the alarm.

BOYFRIEND:

What?

RECEPTIONIST:

The alarm’s not on.

BOYFRIEND:

Who gives a sh*t?

He moves his hands from her breasts to grab her around the

waist and pull her away from the alarm box.

194 INT. NEWSPAPER OFFICE - MAIN ROOM. CONTINUOUS. 194

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