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The Aperture in Half-Sleep (short script)
by Ben Ziegler (totsi3@live.co.uk)

Rated: R   Genre: Miscellaneous   User Review: ***
A depressed mans life is altered when an apparently mute woman living next door enters his life.


This screenplay is copyrighted to its author. All rights reserved. This screenplay may not be used or reproduced without the express written permission of the author.



FADE IN:

EXT. CHEMIST - DAY
                                                            
A small chemist somewhere in London. No one is about; only
the dancing of plastic bags in the wind.
                                                            
 
INT. CHEMIST - DAY
                                                            
Full to the brim with an assortment of pharmaceuticals and
medicines. Nobody about.
                                                            
                       DAVD (V.O.)
Between each breath (beat) is a
pause.
                                                            
Emerging behind the counter is DAVID, 29; a man in a state
of stasis - his mind beset by chit-chat. He is here but he
is not aware he is here. A man under a self-imposed mental
tyranny who has weakened his sense of self with external
fallacy.
                                                            
                       DAVD (V.O.)
People talk to me like I'm an
alchemist. They talk about their
medication as if it's the elixir
of life; I'm all too happy to sell
them their synthetic elixirs with
a synthetic smile.
                                                            
He flashes a quick phony smile then slowly turns his head
towards the abundant shelves.
                                                            
 
INT. CHEMIST - DAY
                                                            
David hands over a prescription of Amyl Nitrate inhalant to
an elderly man.
                                                            
                       DAVD (V.O.)
This is Amyl Nitrate; a clear,
yellowish liquid having a peculiar
ethereal, fruity odour.
                                                            
David hands over a prescription of Marinol to a woman in her
fifties.
                                                            

2.

                       DAVD (V.O.)
Marinol; a light yellow resinous
oil that is sticky at room
temperature and hardens upon
refrigeration.
                                                            
 
INT. BEDROOM - DAY
                                                            
David is sitting up on his bed watching TV; dead-eyed. His
dead beat eyes slowly close.
                                                            
                       DAVD (V.O.)
In the visions of half-sleep lies
an answer just out of grasp.
                                                            
He enters a reverie.
                                                            
 
INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT
                                                            
DAVID opens a cupboard in his bathroom that looks like a
mini version of his chemist. He scans each bottle with his
faraway eyes.
                                                            
 
INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT
                                                            
DAVID pops a few capsules into his mouth and swallows them
with a glass of water.
                                                            
 
INT. CHEMIST - DAY
                                                            
DAVID is pretending to read a magazine but is more
interested in the pretty brunette woman who has just walked
into the store. She is looking at a dietary supplement. He
can see what it is from here.
                                                            
                       DAVD (V.O.)
She's got out the Herbal
Testosterone. Multiples your
testosterone by five-hundred
per-cent. Increases sex drive in
men and women.
                                                            
 
INT. PUB - NIGHT
                                                            
DAVID sits alone in a quiet pub downing a pint of bitter.
When he finishes he drunkenly looks over at a young couple
laughing, sipping wine. He looks jealous.
                                                            
 

3.

INT. STREET - NIGHT
                                                            
DAVID is staggering along a street inebriated and mumbling
to himself. He stops and notices a black cat staring at him
in a driveway. He stares back.
                                                            
                       DAVD
What yuuuu looking at?
                                                            
He walks across the road towards it and it continues to
stare at him, undaunted. Car lights flash in front of him
and the horn is beeped. DAVID just manages to get out of the
way of the speeding boy racer.
                                                            
                       MALE (O.S.)
You Muppet!!
                                                            
DAVID, exasperated, searches out the cat.
                                                            
                       DAVD
      (fuming)
Where are you?!
                                                            
He darts his head about the street searching for the cat.
                                                            
                       DAVD
      (fuming)
You tried to get me killed!! You
prick!
                                                            
 
INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT
                                                            
DAVID staggers down the hallway drunk.
                                                            
 
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
                                                            
DAVID crashes onto his bed and starts to weep.
                                                            
 
INT. HALLWAY - DAY
                                                            
DAVID, baggy-eyed and unkempt, opens his apartment door and
locks it. Walking past him with one bag full of shopping is
a WOMAN, 24; a woman with "imminence". When you watch her,
life is the dancer and she is the dance.
                                                            
                       DAVD
Hi.
                                                            
She looks over her shoulder and gives him a glint of
recognition; a fleeting yet powerful smile. She stops about

4.

three doors down from him, takes out a set of keys and puts
them in the key hole.
                                                            
                       DAVD
      (hesitant)
You must be here… you must be new
here?
                                                            
She opens the door, enters and closes it behind her. DAVID
looks dejected at THE WOMAN'S apparently impolite ignorance.
                                                            
 
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
                                                            
DAVID lays on his bed smoking a cigarette, watching the TV,
dead-eyed and hypnotized, flicking through channels with one
hand as he takes drags of his cigarette with the other. A
tear falls down his cheek.
                                                            
                       DAVD (V.O.)
In the visions of half-sleep…
                                                            
 
INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT
                                                            
DAVID faces himself in the mirror, eyes glazed over. He has
a glass of water in one hand and one pill in the other.
                                                            
                       DAVD (V.O.)
Lies an answer…
                                                            
He stares at the pill in his hand then swallows it with the
water.
                                                            
 
INT. CHEMIST - DAY
                                                            
DAVID is staring into space standing behind the counter in
the chemist with no customers.
                                                            
 
INT. HALLWAY - DAY
                                                            
DAVID re-imagines the fleeting moment between him and THE
WOMAN. As she turns to smile at him his right eye flashes
like a camera and takes a photograph of her mid-smile.
                                                            
 
INT. BEDROOM - DAY
                                                            
He sits on his bed and takes out a capsule from his mouth.
He takes apart the capsule and inside it is a rolled up
photograph of THE WOMAN and her smile. He unrolls it and

5.

analyses it. He then places it next to a tin of hand-made
cigarettes on the bedside table.
                                                            
 
INT. CHEMIST - DAY
                                                            
DAVID looks down on the counter and sees the same photograph
looking up at him. Until a customer snaps him out of his
daydream and the photograph turns into what is really there;
somebody's written prescription.
                                                            
                       FEMALE CUSTOMER
Do you have any plasters?
                                                            
 
INT. HALLWAY - DAY
                                                            
DAVID stands outside THE WOMAN'S door and knocks on it. He
looks as stiff as the door he's knocking on. The door opens
and THE WOMAN pokes her head around the door; her clear,
peaceful eyes put him under an instant spell for a few
seconds.
                                                            
                       DAVD
Hi.
                                                            
She blinks.
                                                            
                       DAVD
Hi, we haven't introduced
ourselves yet, my name is David.
                                                            
She opens the door fully. She shakes his hand.
                                                            
                       DAVD
What is your name?
                                                            
She gestures "hold on" with her hands and disappears into
her apartment.
                                                            
                       DAVD
Ok…
                                                            
DAVID loosens up a little bit as she disappears, flexes his
hands and plays with his stubble. She returns with a plant
pot, with dirt in it, but no plant, and hands it to him.
                                                            
                       DAVD
Ok…
                                                            
She smiles then closes the door. DAVID stands there baffled
facing the door.
                                                            
 

6.

INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
                                                            
DAVID sits up on his bed smoking a cigarette watching the
TV, dead-eyed. He moves his nose about as if something is up
it. He blows a transparent capsule out through his right
nostril. He stares at the capsule in the palm of his hand,
stunned. He takes the capsule apart and loosens a photograph
of THE WOMAN from earlier; standing at the door.
                                                            
 
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
                                                            
A little later on in the night and he's still sitting up on
the bed. This time he has a small tray on his lap with two
photographs of THE WOMAN on the tray, a lighter, and some
laid-out tobacco. He analyses them with his eyes. The plant
pot sits on the bedside table.
                                                            
 
INT. APARTMENT - DAY
                                                            
DAVID is smoking a cigarette out of his small window. He
hears the sound of keys and somebody walking down the
hallway. He darts towards his door and puts his ear next to
it. When the sound of walking moves past his door he gently
opens it and peeks down the hallway, seeing the back of THE
WOMAN walking.
                                                            
 
INT. HALLWAY - DAY
                                                            
DAVID is standing outside of THE WOMAN'S apartment with the
plant pot in his hand and a note attached to the side of it.
He places it on her doormat.
                                                            
 
INT. CHEMIST - DAY
                                                            
DAVID is standing at the counter staring into space. Nobody
there. A knock on the glass pane of the door alerts him. He
moves towards the door.
                                                            
 
EXT. CHEMIST - DAY
                                                            
DAVID opens the door and notices the plant pot sitting
there. He looks left, right and up and nobody is about but
the dancing of plastic bags.
                                                            
 

7.

INT. APARTMENT - EVENING
                                                            
DAVID is smoking a cigarette out of his small window. He
moves his hands about to signify an inner monologue taking
place; deeply indulged in inner chit-chat. He then stops and
stiffens and drops the cigarette from his window. He holds
his left eye.
                                                            
 
INT. BATHROOM - EVENING
                                                            
He stares at himself in the mirror, confused and scared.
                                                            
                       DAVD
      (panicked)
There's something in my eye…
there's something in my eye.
                                                            
His left eye starts to twitch. Something then appears to be
poking through the inner corner of his left eye; as it
gradually pokes out more he realises it is a capsule.
                                                            
                       DAVD
      (blaring)
Oh fuck!!
                                                            
He uses his fingers to carefully take out the capsule. He
holds the capsule in the palm of his hand. Almost the size
of his little finger.
                                                            
 
INT. BEDROOM - EVENING
                                                            
DAVID takes apart the capsule, takes out and unrolls a
photograph of the plant, showing the first signs of plant
growth. He takes a good look at it.
                                                            
 
INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT
                                                            
DAVID is laying on his back surrounded by a thousand
different capsules and pills that he has emptied from every
bottle from his cabinet. He sits up and picks up a capsule
and takes it apart, tipping the powder onto the palm of his
right hand.
                                                            
 
EXT. FLORISTS - DAY
                                                            
DAVID stands outside a florists analyzing the flowers on
display outside. He fixes his sight on some African Violets.
                                                            
 

8.

INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
                                                            
DAVID is analysing seeds in the palm of his right hand and
picks up one seed with his fingers and looks at it. Then he
holds his left ear as if something is inside his ear. His
eyes twitch. He gradually pulls out a capsule from his left
ear. He takes apart the capsule. A knock on the door is
heard.
                                                            
 
INT. HALLWAY - DAY
                                                            
DAVID opens his door and sees at his feet an eggshell with a
tiny plant growing from the dirt inside the top of the
cracked open shell, on a small terracotta tray. The tray of
which has a few small bags of seeds placed next to the
eggshell. He picks it up and analyses it.
                                                            
 
INT. BEDROOM - DAY
                                                            
He sits back on the bed and gets back to seeing what is in
the capsule. What he unrolls is a white glossy photo. He
stares at it.
                                                            
 
INT. APARTMENT - DAY
                                                            
DAVID stands looking at something. We realise he is looking
at a board on his wall full of photographs. The first
photograph on the top left is the photo of the first time he
laid eyes on THE WOMAN, followed by the second photo to it's
right of THE WOMAN at the door. The third is the photo of
the plant pot with slight plant growth. The fourth is a
photo of him crying at himself in the mirror. The fifth is
of him laying in copious amounts of pills and capsules on
his bathroom floor. The sixth is a photo of the plant pot
with more plant growth than before. The seventh: DAVID in a
fight with a drunken lad on the street. From here we see
fifty or so more photos in quick succession; photos of DAVID
as a child, with his mother. Happier times; photos of
childish joy and Beingness. More sad photos; his mother on
her death bed and a picture of her funeral. The last photo
on the board is the white glossy photograph.
                                                            
 
INT. APARTMENT - DAY
                                                            
DAVID now looks like a man at peace with himself; a still
mind, colour in his cheeks and a cleaner apartment. He is
looking at a white African Violet in his little plant pot on
his window sill. He breathes in deeply, closes his eyes.
                                                            
 

9.

EXT. CHEMIST - DAY
                                                            
Plastic bags dance in the wind.
                                                            
 
EXT. STREET - DAY
                                                            
More plastic bags dancing in the wind.
                                                            
 
EXT. PARK - DAY
                                                            
A dog chews on a stick and a young father swings his child
on a swing.
                                                            
 
EXT. A KITCHEN - DAY
                                                            
A tap drips.
                                                            
 
INT. BEDROOM - DAY
                                                            
A little girl watches a confused moth bouncing off her wall.
She giggles.
                                                            
 
INT. BUS - DAY
                                                            
THE WOMAN sits on a bus and watches the world go by out of
her window.
                                                            
 
INT. APARTMENT - DAY
                                                            
DAVID breaths out.
                                                            
                       DAVD (V.O.)
Between each breath (beat) is a
pause… and in the visions of
half-sleep, lies an answer (beat)
just within grasp.
                                                            
 
INT. HALLWAY - DAY
                                                            


FADE OUT.


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From Daniel Siegel Date 4/28/2013 ***
OK story, OK structure but, way to short.


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