(
Editor's note: RefinedHype is proud to present the fifth scene in our very own Jacques Morel's script for "Man on the Moon: End of Day", a screenplay accompaniment to Kid Cudi's groundbreaking album. Each scene is written to parallel a corresponding track on the album. Those interested can listen to the song below while reading. Click
here for previous week's scenes. Enjoy.)
Scene 5: Heart of a Lion
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. INTERROGATION ROOM. DAY.
The room is very dark. One light sits directly on top of a small table with a metal chair on each side. On the table is an empty glass pitcher and two cups with steam rising slowly out of them. SCOTT is seen sitting on one side of the table. He is wearing a white tee-shirt and is unshaven and disheveled. He is slumped over the table with his head in his arms. COMMON is standing behind SCOTT’s right shoulder. COMMON is wearing a long black cloak covering his entire body.
COMMON places his right hand on SCOTT’s left shoulder. Shadow is created by his hand as he moves it slowly upwards towards the back of SCOTT’s head. His hand reaches its destination and his fingers slowly enclose around SCOTT’s cranium. SCOTT remains emotionless. COMMON then mumbles something inaudible and SCOTT’s head jerks upwards. His eyes frantically search the dark room.
SCOTT
(groggily)
Who are you?
COMMON
(booming)
I’m the Gatekeeper. I hold
The keys to each of the after-
life’s three stages; Hell, Limbo,
and Heaven. You are here for
a special reason.
SCOTT
(mockingly)
And what reason could that be?
COMMON
You are to figure it out your-
self. However, I will help you.
SCOTT
(increasingly louder)
Help me? You can’t. Help. me!
SCOTT jabs his right finger into COMMON’s chest. He then rises to level out his arm. COMMON towers over SCOTT. SCOTT cocks his head up to look at COMMON.
COMMON
(booming)
SIT DOWN.
SCOTT is violently thrust backwards into his chair. The chair straightens itself out automatically and slides into place at the table.
COMMON (cont’d)
Only you can decide if you
want to live or throw your fate
to chance and be judged.
You are to decide this yourself.
SCOTT
(surprised)
Chance? Judged?
COMMON
Yes, judged.
SCOTT
Judged? I don’t even know if
I’m DEAD! Why the hell would
I be judged?
COMMON
Well you have lived a very
conflicted life. You were just
in a car accident, something
which was planned at all.
See, life is meticulous, petty,
and planned. Everyone has a
purpose. However, it is their
job to find what their TRUE
purpose in life IS! It cannot
be told. If told, the consequences
could be drastic.
SCOTT
So, what does this have to do
with me at all? Like, I still
don’t understand what you want
from me here…
COMMON
You must find your purpose here,
in our travels through Hell,
Limbo, and Heaven. When you find your
purpose in death, then you will
be more apt to find your purpose
in life.
SCOTT
Travels? I didn’t plan on going
going anywhere bro.
COMMON
You really don’t have a choice.
You are going to decide, on your
own if your life is really THAT bad.
SCOTT
I’m doing this solo?
COMMON
Yes, SOLO DOLO. Only you can
live your life. Only you can
be witness to the greatness
you are to become. And only
you can save your life. Not your
mother, sister, or brother.
Only you. The first test,
begins now.
FADE TO BLACK
INT. INTERROGATION ROOM. DAY.
The room is pitch dark. One light sits directly on top of a small table with a metal chair on each side. On the table is an empty glass pitcher and two cups with steam rising slowly out of them. SCOTT is seen sitting on one side of the table. He is wearing a white tee-shirt and is unshaven and disheveled.
The light above SCOTT flickers slowly and then shuts off. The room goes black.
SCOTT
(annoyed)
Someone turn the damn lights
back on. NO! REALLY! TURN THE
GOT DAMN LIGHTS BACK ON!
The light above SCOTT suddenly flickers back on.
ANGLE ON SCOTT
SCOTT’s face contorts in horror.
SCOTT
(surprised)
What are YOU doing here?!
Why do you look like that?
BACK TO SCENE
The chair across from SCOTT is now filled. A black woman in her late forties is seen. Her face is partly decomposed. Her jaw bone is seen, intact, but distinct from her skin. Her hands are sprawled out on the table. On her right hand, her thumb, middle finger, and ring finger are visibly broken. A bone hangs out of her middle finger. Her left hand is normal. She is slim and her hair is flowing.
LISA
(angrily)
My name is NOT Lisa, Scott.
I am your MOTHER. You should
call me by that name.
SCOTT
I really cannot think of a
reason why I should. Cut this
respect shit out. I’ve called
you Lisa for years now.
LISA
(nonchalantly)
I gave birth to you.
SCOTT
So?
LISA
So?! So when will you ever grow up?
You’ve always been so immature.
With your weed habit and what not.
You never made me truly happy to be
your mother.
SCOTT
Really? Is that how you feel MOM?
LISA
Really. It is SCOTT. I’ve felt
That way for a long time now.
Ever since your father…
SCOTT
(angrily)
YOU KILLED DAD! You made him
sleep in a separate room away
from us. You guys argued on
a daily BASIS.
LISA
(reassuring)
I had nothing to do with your
father’s death!
SCOTT
Don’t you LIE TO ME LISA!
LISA
Lie? Your father did that to
himself! He had issues that he
could not handle. He could not
be a m-
SCOTT
Man? Man? MY FATHER WAS A GREAT
MAN! Don’t you sit here, and
fuckin’ tell me he wasn’t!
SCOTT leans backwards in his chair. He EXHALES sharply. He stares at LISA. LISA stares back.
INSERT LISA’s EYES
They gloss over. Her eyelids shut, and then reopen. As they reopen we see that her corneas have become bright red.
BACK TO SCENE
SCOTT
Your…
LISA
Eyes? They look beautiful right?
SCOTT
You look a lot livelier
than you normally look. What’s
with the get up.
LISA
You did never have good
manners. Scott, I’m dead.
SCOTT’s face remains emotionless. He smirks.
SCOTT
(pompously)
No you’re not! I just saw
you this morning. Remember?
“Blah…blah..stop smoking pot
Scott, blah blah blah”. You
been drinkin’? Because you’re
very much alive.
LISA
(shaking her head)
No. I died years ago.
SCOTT
Years ago? Where are you getting
this shit ANYWAY?
SCOTT gets up. He places his hands on the table and leans into LISA’s face.
SCOTT (CONT’D)
You were breathing, alive, and
fucking ANNOYING this morning.
What sense does it make for you
to be dead now? Shit, I’M dead!
Not you!!
LISA
(roaring, evil)
I AM MAKING SENSE. STOP DISOBEYING
ME! STOP WITH THE DISRESPECT. I
AM YOUR GOD DAMNED MOTHER SCOTT.
SIT DOWN.
SCOTT is taken aback. His hands hold in front of LISA. His face is shocked.
SCOTT
(shocked)
No!
(pause)
You’re not dead!
LISA
I’ve been dead for years!
I was buried years ago.
LISA reaches down with her broken right hand into her pocket, lifts it upwards, and places her hand on the table palm down. She lifts her palm up to reveal a small card. She slides it over to SCOTT. SCOTT picks it up with his left hand and brings it to his face. SCOTT slowly and deliberately, sits down with the prayer card still in his face.
SCOTT
(reading)
Rest in Peace Lisa Mescudi?!
What is this?
LISA
My prayer card. It’s from the
funeral service. I’m dead Scott.
SCOTT becomes visibly shaken. His face contorts slowly. With his right hand he wipes his face down.
SCOTT
No! NO! NO!
LISA
Yes!
SCOTT
No!
The camera begins to shake.
LISA
(roaring, evil)
YES SCOTT!! I’VE BEEN DEAD
TO YOU FOR YEARS! You
stopped caring about me years
ago! You gave me your own
funeral. A funeral WHICH
ONLY YOU ATTENDED.
The camera stops SHAKING.
LISA
I was alive everywhere else,
but dead in the only place
a mother really even matters.
LISA outstretches her broken index finger. She points at SCOTT’s chest.
LISA
(nonchalantly, evil)
Your heart.
SCOTT
(sadly)
Mama…
LISA
No Scotty babe. I’m sorry.
That’s not my name anymore.
She touches SCOTT’s folded hands. SCOTT flinches but accepts her touch.
LISA
(evil)
I’m Lisa now!
The light hanging above SCOTT and LISA cuts out. The room is now dark again. Male SOBBING is heard in the darkness. The light comes on sharply again. SCOTT is seen sitting with his head in his arms.
ANGLE ON SCOTT
SCOTT
(sheepishly)
Mom! I’m sorry. I’m so
Sorry.
SCOTT lifts his head up. Tears run down his face. He then looks forward in abject horror. He slowly backs up.
SCOTT
No…none of this makes any
sense.
BACK TO SCENE
SCOTT’S POV
SCOTT is sitting across from DEAD MAN. They are wearing the same exact clothes, except his face is clearly disfigured. His nose is out of place, and there is a deep gash below his right eye on his cheek. Blood is slowly seeping out of his ears. The blood is white and reflective. The shirt that he has on is torn and bloody, however, it looks bleached because of the color of the blood.
BACK TO SCENE
DEAD MAN
You’re making me look like a
a pussy.
SCOTT
(disbelief)
Wait, how? Who are you?
SCOTTY
(nonchalantly)
Call me Scotty. I am
you. Just
(pause)
Well
(pause)
Dead. You saw that bitch
Lisa before right? She was
dead too. In this stage of
Hell, we are showing you
dead versions of people that
greatly influence your life.
And since you
(pause)
I mean we influence our life
greatly, it only made sense
for me to kill myself and come
see you. You my nigga yo.
SCOTTY nudges SCOTT in the shoulder.
SCOTT
I don’t understand.
SCOTTY
(voice rising)
How could you not understand?
It’s in plain english bro. If I,
which is you, can understand it,
then you, who is me, should be
able to understand it. Get it?
SCOTT
(shaking his head)
Stop it. Stop it! STOP IT!
(loudly)
I’M DONE. I’M LEAVING! I
WANT TO GO HOME! I WANNA LEAVE!
SCOTTY
You fuckin’ pansy. I swear bro,
when will you just MAN UP! Deal
with it! Stop trying to run away
from your problems. Because
remember, you can’t run away from
me. I’m you!
SCOTTY LAUGHS.
SCOTT
Nah yo. I’m done with this.
I want to go home. I really
Do. I can’t deal with yo- I mean,
myself.
SCOTTY
YOU CAN’T! That is the
problem. You can only progress
forward
(pause)
and I have to clear you to
move forward. And by the looks
of it, you are not going to.
SCOTT begins to SOB slightly.
SCOTTY lifts his right hand to the gash on his face. He slides his index finger into the gash, moves it around, and pulls it out. His finger gleams in the dim light with the white blood. He takes the finger and whites the blood onto SCOTT’s hand. SCOTT slaps SCOTTY’s hand away.
SCOTT
(angrily)
Don’t touch me!
SCOTTY
I am you! And you are me!
I can touch ME whenever I
feel! Are you really going
to deny me the basic right
of freedom over my OWN body?
It’s the AMERICAN DREAM Scott!
SCOTTY spreads his arms out across the table. He leans in slowly to talk to SCOTT.
SCOTTY
(whispering)
Except, we’re not in lil’
Ol’ Cleveland anymore, are we?
Nope! We are in HELL! Fire
and brimstone and shit. You,
my friend, are going to die
down here.
SCOTTY’s eyes are wide open. He cracks a crazy smile.
SCOTT
No! It does not work like
that.
SCOTTY
Yes it does! Have you not
lived your own LIFE?
You have never been
able to keep control of
yourself. So why the FUCK
would you wanna start now?
SCOTTY slams his arm down on the metal table. A CRACK his heard.
SCOTT
(increasingly louder)
Don’t you get this idea with
Me! I am NOT something to be
toyed with.
SCOTTY
Clearly you are! You cannot
even get your job in order.
You worthless sack of SHIT!
I REGRET THE DAY WE WERE BORN.
Why did you not just kill
yourself the other day? Huh?
You came THIS close. THIS
FUCKING CLOSE and you didn’t
do it. You cannot do anything
on your own. You have no will!
No DRIVE! DO EPIC SHIT SCOTT.
BUT YOU CAN’T! YOU CAN’T! YOU
CAN’T DO-
Suddenly SCOTT rises. With his left hand, he picks up the empty pitcher and throws it at SCOTTY. SCOTTY’S face absorbs the blow. The glass SHATTERS and shards fall to the floor. SCOTTY’s face is now visibly bleeding as white blood protrudes from his right eye.
SCOTTY
I’m DEAD. How are you going to
hurt me? IF YOU HURT ME, YOU
HURT YOURSELF! Now…
SCOTTY’s face widens into a large smile again.
SCOTTY (CONT’D)
(nonchalantly)
Ask yourself…do you really want
to hurt yourself? Do you SCOTT?!
SCOTT takes both of his hands and turns the table to the side. SCOTTY sits there emotionless. SCOTT lunges forward and punches SCOTTY with his right hand. He then comes back around and punches him with his left hand. SCOTT then, with his right hand, clenches SCOTTY’s neck and lifts him upwards.
SCOTT brings him to the back wall and begins to bash SCOTTY’S head against the wall. With each THUD more and more white blood splatters against the wall. The blood, being reflective, begins to act as mirror next to SCOTTY’s head.
ANGLE ON SCOTT’s REFLECTION IN BLOOD
We see SCOTT’s face in an angry pose. His teeth are showing. Slowly he begins to notice his face in the reflection. He stops.
BACK TO SCENE
SCOTT then suddenly stops. He lets go of SCOTTY and falls to the floor. SOBBING is heard. SCOTT’s head rests in his arms. SCOTTY stands over SCOTT. His stance wavers. Blood falls to the floor onto SCOTT’s clothes.
SCOTTY
(sputtering blood)
You cannot kill me! I’m dead!
Look at you crying. You are
absolutely useless! A waste
of flesh, breath, SPERM. All
the lackluster shit that
represents you. I spit
on everything you MADE ME!
SCOTT brings his head upwards. His eyes are burning red and tears fall from each side of his cheek. He slowly stands up and looks into SCOTTY’s eyes.
SCOTT
(screaming)
I AM NOT. USELESS!!
With both of his hands SCOTT turns SCOTTY around facing the wall. With his left leg he kicks the legs out from under SCOTTY.
SCOTTY
What are you doing? Stop
this! YOU CANNOT KILL ME
BRO! I AM ALREADY DEAD!
NO! NO! NO! NO!
SCOTT
Yea!
SCOTTY
No! no! no!
SCOTT turns around and scans the floor.
INSERT INTERROGATION ROOM FLOOR
A large shard of glass glimmers. We see SCOTT’s right hand reaching downward for it.
BACK TO SCENE
ANGLE ON SCOTTY’S FACE LOOKING UPWARDS TOWARDS SCOTT
SCOTT takes the shard of glass and drives it downwards on the back of SCOTTY’s head. SCOTTY’s eyes open wide and his mouth opens. He struggles to speak.
SCOTTY
(shocked)
This is impossible!
BACK TO SCENE
INSERT SCOTTY’S NECK
A large glass shard sticks out. White blood flows outwards on both sides. Suddenly we see a red sneaker into the picture. It drives the shard deep into the back of SCOTTY’s neck. SCOTTY falls forward.
BACK TO SCENE
SCOTTY is seen lying facedown in a pool of white blood. SCOTT walks over to him and looks downwards at SCOTTY’s lifeless body.
INSERT PUDDLE OF BLOOD NEXT TO SCOTTY
SCOTT is seen reflecting in the blood on the floor. He checks his hands and touches his face.
BACK TO SCENE
COMMON (O.S)
You have completed the first
first stage.
The light flickers slowly and then turns off.
FADE TO BLACK
©Copyright 2010
WGA Registration #1410132
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