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homeless love (short)
by xuxE (xuxE@scarycow.com)

Rated: PG-13   Genre: Miscellaneous   User Review:
NOT YET
RATED

A unique blend of documentary, narrative, poetry, and music on the subject of love and loss. In candid interviews, homeless citizens of San Francisco reveal their stories about love to a beat poet who is living on the streets as she tries to deal with the loss of her boyfriend. The 10 minute short film features original music by xuxE and Dorian Maras, produced by Bay Area producer Jaswho?


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. STREET - DAY
                                                            
Beat Poet walks hurriedly down the street with a look of
anxiety

Beat Poet is shaking a pen in her hand
                                                            
Beat Poet ducks into alley, scrambling with something in her
backpack.
                                                            
Beat poet pulls out a notebook, starts writing furiously as
poem starts.
                                                            
BEGIN POEM
                                                            
BEGIN MUSIC
                                                            
                       BEAT POET
      (me'shell type)
i walked through a dream
when i saw you there.

lying there.
never moving again.

i felt a new kind of cold
in my eyes.

you CHANGED me when you were
alive-

you changed me back when you
died...

my heart reached out to you but my
hands stayed idle-
                                                            
WORDS START TO APPEAR ACROSS SCREEN AS SHE WRITES THEM.
                                                            
                       BEAT POET
      (writing showing)
what is love?

color my love story
in black and white.
                                                            
 
EXT. A BOY HUGS A GIRL FROM BEHIND AND THEY LAUGH - DAY
                                                            

2.

BEGIN MONTAGE OF POETRY AND FLASHBACKS
                                                            
SOME WORDS REAPPEARING BOLDLY AND IN LARGER FONT, THEN FADE.
                                                            
BEAT POET WRITES FEVERISHLY
                                                            
A SMASHED AND BURNED CAR
                                                            
BEAT POET THROWS HER BOYFRIEND THE KEYS
                                                            
THE SKY WITH CLOUDS ROLLING IN
                                                            
BEAT POET WRITING IN RYTHM
                                                            
THE ALLEY AND THE CITY WITH THE BEAT POET IN A SMALL CORNER
                                                            
BEAT POET LYING ALONE IN A BED CLUTCHING HER EYES SHUT AND
HOLDING AND SMELLING A PILLOW WITH A SHIRT WRAPPED AROUND
IT.
                                                            
OVERHEAD, IN BED, BEAT POET CURLS UP INTO A BALL AND
SQUEEZES THE PILLOW TIGHT
                                                            
Beat Poet finishes writing, takes a breath and looks back
into her backpack

Beat Poet pulls a video camera out of bag and looks at it.

Looks at words written on paper, turns the page and writes:
"What does love mean to you?"

"black and white"

Beat Poet collects her things and walks away calmly.
                                                            
*PASSES BY A HOMELESS MAN SMOKING AND LEANING OUT INTO THE
STREET WITH A SIGN THAT READS "EX-WIFE NEEDS MORE MONEY -
ANYTHING HELPS"
                                                            
                                         CUT TO
                                                            
TITLE SEQUENCE
                                                            
                                         FADE INTO
                                                            
MICHAEL'S INTERVIEW (BLACK & WHITE)
                                                            
 
EXT. MICHAEL'S INTERVIEW ABOUT TONY - DAY
                                                            
San Francisco cityscape
                                                            

3.

                       MICHAEL
The only person I love is my
friend Tony. That's it he's the
only person I love, I do anything
for him.
                                                            
Man sleeping on the statue in front of city hall, fountain
blowing in the background
                                                            
                       MICHAEL
One time we were camping and we
were walking down this Hill and he
slipped and like this steel rod
that was stuck in the ground went
right through his kneecap, and I
like took
this rag wrapped it in my mouth
and pulled it right out of his leg
and just yanked it out and like
blood just started gushin' out. I
had to pick this big old man, put
him over my shoulder steal a car,
I stole a car and drove him to the
hospital and I didn't care about
the cops or nothin' like that I
just put him over, as big as he
was, I just put him over my
shoulder and the doctor told me if
I probably wouldn't have brought
him to the hospital it probably
would have killed him, and that
was one of the bad times that
happened you know, but yet it was
one of the good times because I
saved his life…
                                                            
                       BEAT POET
      (Offscreen)
So it was a good and a bad time
                                                            
                       MICHAEL
Exactly
                                                            
                                         CUT TO
                                                            
 
EXT. GINGER'S INTERVIEW - DAY
                                                            

4.

GINGER'S INTERVIEW
                                                            
                       GINGER
      (serious, to
       camera)
i don't know, love's overrated,
right?
                                                            
Ginger looks into camera with hard yet vulnerable look.
Surface toughness, not sure if anything soft is underneath.
                                                            
                       BEAT POET
      (slightly muffled)
have you ever been in love?
                                                            
Ginger hesitates.
                                                            
                       GINGER
      (calmly)
Feels like i've always been in
love. But that's different than
being loved, which is important.
                                                            
                       GINGER
      (Looking away)
Me and Joe were together for a
really long time, you probably
seen him, he lives around here,
we're both from back East.
                                                            
                       GINGER
it's like, if you saw us you
probably woulda thought we were a
perfectly happy couple, but
reality was i was totally out of
my mind in love with him - god! i
was in love with him. and he was
basically indifferent. it was like
i was just there, basically, and
over time a realized he just could
not give two shits about me. i
gave him all my love and he didn't
give back. couldn't give anything
back.

i don't know, i see him all the
time but i can barely stand him
now. i'm over it, just sick of
him, basically.
                                                            
                       GINGER
      (to beat poet)
So there you go.
                                                            

5.

Beat poet thanks Ginger, but Beat Poet seems to be very
obviously distracted inwardly as thoughts race through her
head.

Beat poet shakes head as if to shake out words as Ginger
leaves.

Camera follows Ginger as she walks off.
                                                            
*PASSES BY A WOMAN COVERED IN BLANKETS WITH A SIGN THAT SAYS
"NEED MONEY FOR FAITH HEALING - ANYTHING HELPS."
                                                            
CUE MUSIC & POEM
                                                            
BEGIN MONTAGE OF GINGER AND JOE
                                                            
JOE LOOKS DOWN STREET AT A PARKED CAR WITH 2 PEOPLE IN IT.
                                                            
Yelling ensues, lots of emotion under the surface.
                                                            
Ginger exits car, car drives off.
                                                            
JOE RUNS UP TO HER AND AS HE CATCHES UP, SHE TURNS AROUND.
                                                            
Yelling ensues, lots of emotion under the surface.
                                                            
Joe turns around and walks off scowling, does not turn back.
                                                            
Ginger calls after him, keeps yelling at him as he walks
off.
                                                            
                       BEAT POET
      (Devin Dazzle
       style)
Well you made me
you made me
you made me so mad

I hated you
and loved you
I hated you
and loved you
I hated you
and loved you
bad bad bad bad bad

i wish i never...

bad bad bad bad bad

i wish i never

bad bad bad bad bad

            (MORE)

6.

                       BEAT POET (cont'd)
never never.

where am i at

right now

i want to

bleed on this page

i want to

smear the man's ink

with my blood

and exchange

meaning

with rage-
                                                            
*DISTANT SHOT OF GINGER SHOWS YOUNG HOMELESS KID ON
SKATEBOARD SITTING ON STREET NEAR GINGER, SIGN SAYS "NEED
MONEY FOR HEART TRANSPLANT - ANYTHING HELPS."
                                                            
                                         CUT TO
                                                            
 
EXT. INTERVIEW MONTAGE - DAY
                                                            
TBD INTERVIEW (BLACK & WHITE)
                                                            
*PASSES TWO OLD MEN PLAYING CHECKERS ON MILKCRATES. SMALL
SIGN BESIDES THEM READS "NEED MONEY FOR VIAGRA - ANYTHING
HELPS"
                                                            
                                         QUICK FADE INTO
                                                            
 
INT. BEAT POET'S TENT - NIGHT
                                                            
Beat Poet begins to settle in for night. Unpacks scant
belongings from bag, including old bus ticket. Personal
belongings tell part of back story.

Beat Poet pauses on bus ticket.
                                                            
                                         QUICK FADE OUT
                                                            
 

7.

EXT. OPHEUS INTERVIEW - DAY
                                                            
B&W INTERVIEWS (TBD)
                                                            
OPHEUS INTERVIEW (B&W)
                                                            
                                         QUCK FADE OUT
                                                            
 
EXT. STREET - DAY
                                                            
Beat Poet races down street again towards alley, almost as
though she is running away from someone.
                                                            
PASSES WOMAN AND CHILD SITTING ON SMALL SUITCASE. SIGN
READS "NEED MONEY TO GET OUT OF HERE - ANYTHING HELPS."
                                                            
Beat Poet collapses on ground. She curls up and starts
writing in notebook.
                                                            
Beat poet repeats Opheus's last line over and over, loops
into song.
                                                            
CUE MUSIC AND POEM
                                                            
Beat Poet puts head down into notebook and sobs.
                                                            
                                         FADE INTO
                                                            
BEGIN ANIMATED MONTAGE OF JOE AND GINGER
                                                            
Joe and Ginger's faces side by side, looking like they are
wishing hard for something and meditating, lines of poetry
written all over their faces, lines go on and are erased, go
on and are erased. Ends last line of poem written over and
over again on faces.
                                                            
                                         FADE INTO
                                                            

8.

BEGIN POEM AND MUSIC
                                                            
                       BEAT POET
      (Bowie vs.
       Radiohead)
Where are you when I am here

Did I give you one thing

That means anything at all.



If I showed you every tear

You would not believe me

Every step ahead just makes me
fall.

Down with love.

Down with love.

Down with love.

Down with love.


Why do people die

when love is life...
                                                            
                                         FADE INTO
                                                            
 
EXT. STREET - DAY
                                                            
Ginger is by herself looking very alone on the corner.
                                                            
Beat poet approaches Ginger.
                                                            
Ginger sees Beat Poet approach and is not eager to talk to
her.
                                                            
Beat Poet hands camera to Ginger and turns it on.
                                                            
Ginger face is visibly shocked to see Joe on the monitor.
                                                            
WE HEAR JOE'S VOICE FROM THE INTERVIEW.
                                                            
CUE MUSIC AND POEM
                                                            

9.

Ginger is riveted to the screen.
                                                            
Joe's voice carries as we see Ginger's face react to his
first few words.
                                                            
                                         CUT TO
                                                            
JOE'S INTERVIEW
                                                            
                       JOE (slowly and carefully)
      (deeply moved,
       sincere interview)
I worry about my life and death.

I always have, not just now.

Ever since I can remember.

Sometimes I feel like I can't make
a move.

No matter what I do, something
will go wrong.

I feel like I'm standing on the
edge all the time.

Man, I just.

Ginger was the only person I ever
really loved, and it scared me
more than anything else in my
whole life.

And there I go just to prove
myself right, best thing that ever
happened to me, and I fuck it up.

Just like always.

Everything I touch.

Doesn't matter how much I love
someone, I'm just afraid of
what'll happen next.
                                                            
Beat poet walks away.
                                                            


FADE OUT.


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