While We're Young Page #10

39 EXT. CLAPBOARD HOUSE. DAY 39

The three of them wait at the door. Tipper films. Jamie

knocks. A skinny woman in her 30’s appears.

JAMIE:

Hey, I called, my name’s Jamie, I’m afriend of Kent’s.

SISTER:

Kent isn’t here.

JAMIE:

Oh...well, will he be back soon?

She shakes her head. She looks over at Tipper who’s filming.

SISTER:

What’s -

JAMIE:

We went to school together. It’s

been a while, but he contacted merecently on Facebook. It would mean

a lot to me if I could see him.

The sister hesitates. She’s debating something in her head.

61.

40 INT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY. DAY 40

Jamie, Josh and Tipper are led by an orderly down a longsterile hallway. They reach a set of automatic doors. A

loud buzz.

They go through the doors to another set of doors. Another

loud buzz. They open.

41 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM 41

Kent, 20’s, pale and thin, lies in bed watching a cookingshow. He’s eating ice cream out of a container. Jamie,

Tipper and Josh enter. He looks up as they approach, placingthe ice cream on the bed-side table.

CUT TO:
Josh shoots Jamie. Tipper shoots Kent. Kent sits upin bed, he talks somberly. Jamie sits at his bed-side.

KENT:

A ceramic platter didn’t break and

accidentally cut both my wrists.

JAMIE:

No?

KENT:

No. I’ve been unhappy. I did it to

myself. I cut my wrists.

JAMIE:

You broke a ceramic platter and used

the shards to cut your wrists?

Josh starts to say something, he knows where Kent’s goingwith this, but he holds himself back.

KENT:

No, there was no ceramic platter. I

mean, there is, I had one in mind

when I was telling the story.

JAMIE:

But the shards were from the platter?

JOSH:

(can’t help himself)

What Kent is saying is he imagined an

actual platter to make his story feel

more authentic, but really he just

cut his wrists with what, probably a

razor blade?

Kent and Jamie look over at Josh. Kent looks annoyed.

Blue (09/16/2013) 6262.

KENT:

(to Jamie)

Who is he?

CUT TO:
Jamie leans in. Kent seems emotional.

JAMIE:

You were the guy, you know. You were

beautiful. I mean you dated JennyPepperdine!

Kent flashes a weary smile.

JAMIE:

You know I bought a necklace like theone you used to wear -

KENT:

My puka shells?

JAMIE:

Yeah. You know, I was going througha tough time in highschool, my momwas really sick with ovarian cancer,

I was pretty promiscuous, but Icouldn’t love anyone, I had bodyissues -

We slowly ZOOM in on Jamie as he talks.

Josh’s closed eye opens. While keeping the camera trained onJamie, he inspects it, bewildered. He’s not pressinganything. He sees -

Jamie holds a small remote in his hand. He’s zooming in onhimself.

JAMIE:

You had written a poem for English,

you were this athlete and you wrotethis beautiful poem. Do you knowwhat poem I’m talking about?

KENT:

I wrote a lot of poems.

JAMIE:

It was a line, very simple, buteffective, “I want to beunbridgeable.” That one line got methrough my mother’s illness.

Blue (09/16/2013) 63.

KENT:

Yeah? I don’t know why I stoppedwriting poetry. I stopped doing alot of things. Why do we stop doingthings? I guess life happens.

JAMIE:

Life is other plans.

KENT:

Yeah.

JOSH:

(from behind the camera)

Life is what happens when you’remaking other plans.

Jamie and Kent both startle and turn to the camera.

KENT:

(again annoyed)

Who is he?

DARBY (V.O.)

I keep trying to get people to agreewith me on this: I hate Tipper.

42 INT. OLD BARN 42

Antiques and vintage clothing. Darby helps Cornelia lace upa corset.

DARBY:

She ends every word she can with“ish.” I thought she was making funof this way of talking until it wasclear that she wasn’t.

CORNELIA:

She tries too hard.

DARBY:

Exactly! But it’s low-key so youdon’t notice it. I shouldn’t shittalk

Tipper. I have so many things.

CORNELIA:

You and Jamie were highschoolsweethearts?

DARBY:

No, Jamie was only in Santa Cruz fora semester.

(MORE)

Blue (09/16/2013) 63A.

DARBY (CONT'D)

His dad worked for a medical supplycompany that was contracted by thearmy and they were never in one placevery long. Jamie can be at home

anywhere.

CORNELIA:

Josh is only at home at home.

64.

The corset is laced. Cornelia turns and looks at herself in

the mirror. She’s horrified.

43 INT. DINER, HUDSON, NY. DAY 43

The four of them and Tipper in a booth. Jamie and Tipperhave just finished telling Darby and Cornelia about the day.

Josh is looking at something on his phone.

TIPPER:

He was soulful-ish, you know.

JAMIE:

Sister, that’s an understatement. Youcan tell he’s been to some dark

places.

DARBY:

(petulant)

We went to some dark places too. I

bought a dress. Cornelia didn’t buya corset.

JAMIE:

(eating)

Mm, this burger is in-cred-ible.

JOSH:

(re:
his phone)

Holy sh*t.

CORNELIA:

What’s wrong?

JOSH:

No...nothing...I just Googled Kent...

(looks up to Jamie)

Did you Google him?

JAMIE:

No, I wanted it to be fresh.

JOSH:

This...it’s there’s a picture, it’sthe same guy. He was in Afghanistan.

JAMIE:

(surprised)

Really?

JOSH:

Yeah...he...this article says he waspart of a massacre in Wanat.

(MORE)

65.

JOSH (CONT'D)

They opened fire on a bus full ofcivilians... He then spoke outpublicly about it and then he refusedto fight. He was jailed briefly thenhe returned to battle, was injuredand given the Purple Heart.

JAMIE:

You’re kidding?

Josh hands Jamie his phone. Jamie beams.

JAMIE:

It says two men in his unit havekilled themselves. Tipper -

Tipper gets out the camera and turns it on Josh. Josh looks

into the lens strangely.

JAMIE:

Do it again, what you did.

JOSH:

Which part?

JAMIE:

The phone, the discovery, everything.

JOSH:

Oh...

Josh awkwardly looks at his phone then back up. The four of

them are waiting.

JOSH:

(stilted)

It’s the same guy... Is that what I

said? How did I say it?

Jamie yawns, impatiently. Josh tries again:

JOSH:

(acting now)

It’s the same guy! Holy sh*t.

Jamie, take a look at this.

Tipper swings the camera at Jamie. He grabs Josh’s phone andreacts almost identically.

JAMIE:

It says two men in his unit havekilled themselves.

66.

JOSH:

(excited, getting the hangof it)

We have to go back!

JAMIE:

Yeah?

JOSH:

We have to get him talking aboutthis. This is the movie! Now it’s

not just some stupid Facebook thing.

Jamie looks at Josh oddly. Josh backtracks:

JOSH:

Not that that wasn’t a good idea too.

But, and I hate this expression, butyou stepped in sh*t!

(suddenly)

Cornelia!

CORNELIA:

(caught off guard)

What?!

Josh kisses her.

JOSH:

I don’t know!

Jamie digs into his food.

JAMIE:

Thank God I’ve got you, Joshy! We

did what you said: we didn’t know theanswers, we discovered it. I should

get a good book on Afghanistan. And

war in general. I really know solittle about it.

JOSH:

(decides to go for it)

You know who you should talk to. Ira

Mandelstam, the guy in my film hecould tell you a lot about war andthe politics of war.

JAMIE:

That’s your guy, though, Joshy. I

can’t take your guy.

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