The Shape of Water Page #12

a couple of blocks away.

132B INT. ELISA’S APARTMENT - DAY 132B

Tunes the radio:

WEATHER MAN 1

Storm system is moving in from the

east and heavy downpours are

expected... A week from now...

She flips through the calendar pages and circles a date in

RED and writes:
ONE WEEK. RAIN. DOCKS

Giles helps Elisa unpack the bags: SALT, SALT and more SALT.

He pulls out a postcard that reads: THANK YOU FOR BEING MY

FRIEND.

The postcard gets neatly set on the edge of the bathtub.

Elisa prepares to sleep leaning against the tub, holding the

creature’s hand.

Giles smiles, turns off the light and closes the door.

133-135 OMITTED 133-135

135A INT. ELEVATOR - NIGHT 135A

ZELDA:

That’s good, you keep that up.

Elisa signs, what?

ZELDA (CONT’D)

(sotto)

Looking like you don’t know

anything. Lord help me if they ask

me if I do. I am not a good liar-

(beat)

Except to Brewster. Takes a lot of

lies to keep a marriage going...

136 INT. HERDING AREA - NIGHT 136

Elisa and Zelda check in.

MP’s watch everyone coming in and out.

Behind the central glass window Strickland argues, agitatedwith Fleming.

137 INT. COMMAND CENTER - SAME 137

FLEMING:

If you’ll allow me, sir? In my

opinion, we are looking at a highly-

trained group, Sir.

Behind the glass, in the corridor: the employees punch intheir cards. Amongst them: Zelda and Elisa.

FLEMING (CONT’D)

I’m thinking- Conceivably- Sir-

Special Forces and so on and so

forth.

STRICKLAND:

Red Army Special forces?

FLEMING:

Conceivably.

Fleming nods, solemn. Dabs his runny snot.

FLEMING (CONT’D)

A highly-trained, well-financed,

elite group.

(MORE)

FLEMING (CONT’D)

Infiltration took less than five

minutes, Sir. Highly efficient.

Fearless precision

He looks out. Elisa meets his eyes. He smiles. She turns

away.

STRICKLAND:

It’s a theory. Run with it.

FLEMING:

Yes, Sir. You won’t regret it.

CUT TO:

137A INT. GILES APARTMENT - NIGHT 137A

Giles pushes away his commercial paintings and pulls out a

large portfolio- Full of male nudes.

He takes a large sketch pad.

137AB INT. GILES APARTMENT - MOMENTS LATER 137AB

Giles places a blank paper on his easel. He sketches the

Amphibian Man.

137B INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT 137B

Giles sits on a small chair by the tub. Sketching theAmphibian man.

GILES:

You are not the anomaly, are you?

(beat)

We are. We are what happened to you-

did we not?

He sketches the fish man’s eyes.

GILES (CONT’D)

Were you always alone? Did you everhave someone?

(beat)

Do you know what happened to you?

(beat)

‘Cause I don’t.

(beat)

I swear I don’t- I look in the

mirror and all I recognize are myeyes- in the face of this old man.

Points at himself.

GILES (CONT'D)

Seems like I was born both too

early or too late for my life...

Sits by the creature’s side.

GILES (CONT’D)

Maybe we’re both relics.

The Amphibian Man blinks.

138-148 OMITTED 138-148

149 INT. STRICKLAND’S OFFICE - NIGHT 149

Strickland stands outside his office- contemplating. Rolls up

his sleeves.

Video images- rewinding. Strickland, watching, numb with

boredom.

STRICKLAND:

4:
10, 4:20, 4:30

SALLY:

Sir, General Hoyt is on the phone.

He signals her to go away.

STRICKLAND:

I know Sally. I will call him back.

4:
40.

Just then, he sees something on the tape -- Hoffstetler.

He freezes on Hoffstetler. He writes down the time: 4:40 am.

STRICKLAND (CONT’D)

4:
50... 4:50 again.

Rewinds all tapes to that time.

The camera on the dock moves.

He toggles between two moments on the same camera: Sees thatsomeone moved it. Clearly.

150 EXT. LOADING DOCK - NIGHT 150

LAUNDRY is being loaded.

Strickland notices a couple of WORKERS (including DUANE and

LOU) smoking under the camera, goes over to them.

STRICKLAND:

You-

They hurriedly stub out their cigarettes.

STRICKLAND (CONT’D)

You smoke out here. Because the

camera doesn’t catch it.

Worker one gives worker two a look.

STRICKLAND (CONT’D)

Do you move it- the camera?

One of them reluctantly nods.

STRICKLAND (CONT’D)

Do you always meet at the same

time?

DUANE:

End of lunch break.

Strickland thinks.

STRICKLAND:

Hoffstetler. Doctor Hoffstetler-

has he ever joined you?

Confused looks- “Who?”

150A INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT 150A

Amphibian Man awakens, looks around - rises from the tub,

stepping gingerly out into the room.

150B INT. ELISA’S APARTMENT - NIGHT 150B

Giles sleeps on a chair in the bathroom. Amphibian Man takesGiles’ toupée, tries to eat it. Tosses it on the floor. He

looks at Giles head - signs “egg” with his hands.

OUT OF THE GATE by Jon Erik Kellso starts

Amphibian Man leaves the bathroom. On the kitchen table on apiece of newspaper sits three pair of Elisa’s shoes next tothe Duck Brush and the shoe polish.

The green pair. Is it a

frog? He grabs a

green shoe and

tries to eat it - Spits

it out. He sees the Duck Brush -

Slowly grabs for it and attempts eating it.

He pulls out the brush while chewing it. Spits it out.

Amphibian Man sniffs. He smells food somewhere in the

kitchen. He turns and approaches

the fridge.

Sliding his hand around the fridge, he opens the door, grabsa jar of mustard.

He licks around the jar

-nothing. Drops the jar. He takes

out a bottle of milk - licks around it turning it upside down

as milk spills

out onto

the floor. He tries to suck up the

last drops of milk, drops the bottle.

A leftover piece of green pie sits on the

shelf. He takes out

the pie, licks it, then throws it on the floor.

He opens the freezer, grabs an ICE CUBE TRAY.

He tries to lick the tray. His tongue sticks to the tray.

He pulls. It won’t come

off. He

panics!!

He grabs

it with

his other hand, pulls it off of his tongue.

Now it is stuck to both

hands. He pulls it off his Right

hand, then violently flicks it off of his Left hand.

150C INT. CORRIDOR - APARTMENT COMPLEX - NIGHT

150C

Fish Man steps out into the hallway.

He sniffs more

as he moves toward Giles’ door. He stops at

the door, inhales deeply.

150D INT. GILES APARTMENT -NIGHT

150D

Amphibian Man enters timidly. He

sees the

drawings

of

himself, stares at them. He crouches down, looking

at each

painting.

He catches sight of the

TV. MR ED is on. He goes over to it,

mesmerized by the music. He watches intently.

He hears a HISS. He disengages and turns,

sees LILLIE baring

its fangs, hair standing on end.

The Amphibian Man responds in kind. And eats LILLIE.

SNOWFLAKE approaches the creature- hissing.

150E INT. ELISA’S APARTMENT - SAME 150E

Giles awakes and he goes to his apartment. There150F

INT. GILES APARTMENT - SAME 150F

Amphibian Man is finishing eating SNOWFLAKE.

The creature’s paws and face are covered in blood.

Shocked-horrified, Giles tries to stop the creature.

GILES:

No! No! No No!! Snowflake!

The Amphibian Man hisses- and lunges.

Giles recoils-scared. His toupee is displaced to the side.

It all seems fine, but then, blood starts trickling from a

deep cut in Giles’ arm.

GILES (CONT’D)

Oh dear-

He examines the cut: a long gash along his forearm. Blood

pours freely from it.

151 OMITTED 151

151A INT. LOCKER ROOM 151A

Elisa and Zelda are ready to leave. Hoffstetler appears in

the shadows.

ZELDA:

Holy Jesus! What are you doing

standing there in the shadows ofthe women’s locker room??

HOFFSTETLER:

They may be watching me- and there

are no cameras here

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