While We're Young Page #2

Pink (09/30/2013) 77.

CORNELIA:

Marina said they haven’t had sex innearly a year. Fletcher was too

weirded out by the pregnancy.

*

God.

JOSH:

A3 INT. DINING ROOM. NIGHT A3

They eat Thai take-out at a table set for two.

B3 INT. KITCHEN. NIGHT B3

They do dishes.

3 INT. JOSH/CORNELIA APT. - BEDROOM, COBBLE HILL, BROOKLYN.

NIGHT:

3

Josh, in his boxers, takes off his watch and puts it on thenight table. Cornelia undresses.

They move about in silence, finishing their nighttimeroutines. Only the sounds of footsteps, water running,

clothes coming off and going on, bed squeaks.

Josh lies on his back and shuts his eyes.

Cornelia gets in bed and clicks on her bedside lamp whichlights up nearly everything. Josh places his arm over his

eyes.

JOSH:

What is that, a seventy-five watt?

She looks under the shade.

CORNELIA:

I can’t see, it’s too bright.

JOSH:

It’s too high a wattage.

CORNELIA:

I’ll change it tomorrow.

4 INT. JOSH/CORNELIA APT. - HOME OFFICE. DAY 4

Josh paces back and forth in his home-office. His editor,

Tim, early 30’s, sits at a desk-top attached to a series ofdrives. A tousled scholar, Ira Mandelstam, 50’s, talksgravely on a TV screen.

8.

SCHOLAR (ON SCREEN)

There was a poll conducted in 1987 inwhich people were given a series ofphrases and asked which ones could befound in the US Constitution --

JOSH:

Let me see the continuity...

SCHOLAR (ON SCREEN)

One of the phrases that got thehighest percentage of votes was:

“From each according to his ability,

to each according to his need.”

This, of course, is not to be foundin the Constitution, but is thefamous Communist credo popularized byKarl Marx.

Josh takes the sheet and holds it about two feet from his

face. He squints.

JOSH:

Why do they type this stuff so small?

TIM:

I think that’s 12 point. That’s

normal.

SCHOLAR (ON SCREEN)

However, when this phrase waspresented to people as atenet of Communism, they, ofcourse, overwhelminglyrejected it.

JOSH:

That is not 12, that’s atmost eight. Look at it, it’stiny.

TIM:

We need to cut away from Ira herebecause...

We hear a ringing. On the SCREEN: the scholar goes into hispants pocket and retrieves a cell phone from a few years ago.

SCHOLAR (ON SCREEN)

Hold on...

He looks at it like he’s never seen anything like it before.

He puts on reading glasses and very deliberately pressesTalk.

SCHOLAR (ON SCREEN)

Hello?...Evelyn, I’m doing aninterview...Did you look in the car?

This is every f***ing day, sweety!

(MORE)

9.

SCHOLAR (ON SCREEN) (CONT'D)

I keep telling you: put them on afucking chain around your neck!

(mouths to the camera)

Sorry.

(back to the phone)

Sweety, if you don’t stop this, I’mgoing to f***ing screa -

Tim freezes the image on the screen.

JOSH:

We could cut to me asking the

question about hermeneutics?

TIM:

We could, but you look like this inthat footage -

He shows an image of a younger Josh in a goatee and Jew-fro.

TIM:

It’s from eight years ago. And the

previous shot of you asking anyrelevant questions is this -

He pulls up an image of Josh with short hair and his arm in asling.

JOSH:

That’s from when I fell down the

subway stairs at Grand Army Plaza.

The blizzard of 06? You remember how

icy that was?

We CUT between a series of Joshes from over the years.

Different hair lengths, a beard, a brief moustache, a black

eye.

JOSH:

You remember, I was trying my part onthe other side.

Tim doesn’t.

JOSH:

God, eight years ago. Has it been

that long?

TIM:

It’s been ten.

JOSH:

(counting in his head,

rationalizing)

(MORE)

10.

JOSH (CONT'D)

Ten this fall. Nine and a half.

Look at my jaw -- I had more babyfat.

(looks at his reflectionin the computer screen)

Are my eyes getting hollows?

TIM:

I don’t know.

JOSH:

(trying to be positive)

Well...we’re getting there.

Tim looks at him, totally skeptical.

JOSH:

When the rest of the grant moneycomes in, we’ll reshoot me asking thequestions along with the trip toIstanbul.

TIM:

Hey, Josh, I hate to bring this up,

but I’m gonna need a little money

soon.

JOSH:

No, I know, you’ve been patient. I’m

just waiting for the rest of thislast grant money.

TIM:

But soon?

JOSH:

Yeah, I’ll get you.

Goes into his wallet.

JOSH:

You need anything now?

He hands Tim a couple of twenties.

JOSH:

You know, get Maggie some flowers

or...

TIM:

I’m going to use it to buy food.

JOSH:

Oh, yeah, yeah...good idea.

Blue (09/16/2013) 1111.

5 INT. NEW SCHOOL AUDITORIUM. LATE DAY 5

A room with about fifty chairs, about seven of them occupiedby people over 50. Josh stands at a lectern with a lap top.

A blank TV screen behind him.

JOSH:

“Le documentaire, c'est ce qui arrive

aux autres, la fiction, c'est ce qui

m'arrive . moi.” “Documentary is

about someone else. Fiction is about

me.”

(glances out at the smallcrowd, having made itthrough the French part)

This is a quote from Jean-Luc Godard.

Now, what do we think about this?

Can a documentary be personal?

Documentaries, I want to say to youtoday, can and should be about me.

Josh hesitates. A guy in the audience wearing a porkpie hatis filming him with a portable camera. Josh is momentarilydistracted.

JOSH:

Me meaning all of us.

(to the room)

Lights.

(pause)

Frank, can you just hit that switch?

An elderly gentleman obliges. Josh hits a button on his laptop.

JOSH:

This is an image from -

Nothing happens on the screen behind him. Josh presses thebutton again. Nothing.

JOSH:

Well...sh*t...this should be an image

of seal hunting from “Nanook of The

North.”

CUT TO:
Josh collects his things from a chair at the foot ofthe stage. A squat woman, 50’s, who runs the lecture series,

shrugs and smiles tightly at him.

SQUAT WOMANSorry.

Blue (09/16/2013) 11A11A.

JOSH:

(suddenly paranoid)

About what?

Blue (09/16/2013) 1212.

The guy, 25, who was shooting Josh, comes forward. He wears

his mussed hair under his porkpie hat, an old plaid shirthanging out over slacks, and beat up boots. This is Jamie.

JAMIE:

Hey. Beautiful class.

JOSH:

Oh...thanks. I don’t know why thepower point didn’t work, but...

JAMIE:

I loved what you said about “hyperreality.”

I’m Jamie.

JOSH JAMIE:

Josh Srebnick. This is my wife, Darby.

A girl, 23, in a high waisted dress and lace up boots comesforward.

DARBY:

Hi. Nice to meet you. It was

interesting.

JOSH:

Thanks. I’m not sure why the powerpoint didn’t work... How did you getin here?

JAMIE:

We’re auditing your class.

JOSH:

It’s a continuing education class,

you can’t audit a continuingeducation class.

JAMIE:

(shrugs)

I’m a fan. And hey, I really lovedyour film, Power Elite.

JOSH:

(taken aback, can’t hidehis pleasure)

You’ve seen it? Hey...thanks.

JAMIE:

It’s everything I aspire to and youmake it look so easy.

JOSH:

Do you make documentaries?

Blue (09/16/2013) 1313.

JAMIE:

I shoot stuff, you know, withfriends, yeah. Nothing like you’redoing.

DARBY:

He’s always shooting.

JOSH:

Um, don’t take this the wrong way,

but how did you see Power Elite?

Rate this script:4.5 / 2 votes