"UNTITLED"
By Stephen Mason
BLACK SCREEN
FADE IN MUSIC: LUCIANO PAVAROTTI’S “AVE MARIA”
FADE IN:
EXT.DOWNTOWN.DAY
Above a downtown setting. Christmas wreaths are on the doors below as the snow falls heavily. People are rushing up and down the streets.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT.APARTMENT.DAY
A lone rose sits on a table in front of a window which overlooks the city below. Snow is falling rather heavily. After a few moments, KATIE’s hand gently falls on top of it, picking it up. We see her sitting on the edge of her bed, her knees pulled up to her face as she brings the flower to her nose. She sniffs it gently and smiles, then drops her head.
CUT TO:
EXT.LAKE.DAY
A flashback. THAD smiles as he is led through a patch of grass by a lake. The camera takes the position of KATIE’s eyes. The camera turns to reveal the beauty of the lake.
We then see KATIE staring out at the lake, smiling, and THAD’s arms wrapping around her. She smiles and runs her hands over his face and kisses his cheek as he leans over her shoulder.
They both sit and lay down on the bank of the lake and look into the other’s eyes. MEDIUM SHOT as they lean in to kiss each other, the sun in between them. Their lips seal as they kiss passionately. After they finish, THAD pulls a rose out from behind his back and hands it to her. She takes it, glassy-eyed.
A face shot of THAD. End flashback.
BLACK SCREEN
TITLE: “HOW DOES A BOY TELL A GIRL HE LOVES HER?”
CUT BACK TO:
INT.APARTMENT.DAY
KATIE’s eyes are filled with tears as she puts the rose back on the table. Again, we only see her hand as she puts it back, and when she begins to let go, THAD’s hands enter the picture and take the rose. He, too, lifts it to his nose, though he is in a completely different apartment.
A shot from the rose as he holds it low, looking up at him. THAD stares at the rose helplessly and begins to crack a smile as he quickly wipes a tear away from his face.
EXT.DOWNTOWN.DAY
A flashback. The camera takes the place of THAD’s eyes. It is raining, and KATIE smiles and laughs as she leads THAD down the street with no umbrella.
We then see THAD from KATIE’s perception. He smiles as he throws his hands up in the air, not knowing what in the world she is doing.
INT.STORE.DAY
A view from inside a store looking out the main window. KATIE comes to it. She looks inside, pleased, and beckons for THAD to come look. He does, and when he looks, he becomes overwhelmed.
SCROLLING SHOT OF DISPLAY
A large assortment of wedding rings and flowers, particularly roses.
EXT.DOWNTOWN.DAY
A CLOSE-UP of their hands as KATIE takes THAD’s.
INT.STORE.DAY
From the window, we see KATIE pull THAD inside. The next shot shows THAD looking at the roses shaking his head. KATIE comes up behind him and gives him a card she has pulled off the shelf. A CLOSE-UP of the card. On the front is a rose with a heart around it. When he opens the card, the text reads simply “DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?”
THAD then looks at KATIE as she smiles. She hands him a rose with a big grin on her face. THAD smiles, too, though his is much more subtle, and he kisses her. End flashback.
BLACK SCREEN
TITLE: “IT MEANS WE SHOULD BE TOGETHER”
CUT BACK TO:
INT.APARTMENT.DAY
THAD’s lips tremble as he drops the rose. A CLOSE-UP as the rose hits the floor.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT.APARTMENT.NIGHT
A flashback. Both THAD and KATIE sit on the couch. In front of them is a coffee table, and to the side is a side table with a lamp and a thin vase with a single dead rose in it. KATIE is crying uncontrollably, and THAD tries to take her hand. At first she allows it, but eventually pulls it away. THAD looks at her as she still hangs her head, sobbing.
After a few moments of THAD looking at the floor, he gets up and leaves. By her body language, we can see that KATIE cries even harder. End flashback.
INT.APARTMENT.DUSK
THAD looks at the rose he has dropped as tears begin to roll down his face. He stands up and looks out the window. He turns around, pauses, and then heads for the door.
CUT TO:
INT.APARTMENT.NIGHT
KATIE is still curled up on the edge of her bed, twirling the dying rose in her hands. There are no tears. Her face is plain, though it is still hurt.
Her face perks up and looks at the door. We assume that someone has knocked and she puts the rose down to go answer it. She looks through the peephole and then opens the door slowly. A delivery man is there with a group of roses. He hands it to her. Her jaw drops as she takes it slowly.
She goes back into her apartment, closing the door. She looks at the flowers which have a small card attached to them. She opens it. It simply reads “DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?”
KATIE rushes to the window and looks outside.
EXT.STREET.NIGHT
The camera slowly moves in on THAD, who stands under the streetlight with a smile as tears streaming down his face and snow covers him. When the camera nears him, he mouths the words “I love you.”
INT.APARTMENT.NIGHT
KATIE steps away from the window, covering her mouth as she is overwhelmed by tears of joy. She smiles, stammering for a moment, and then tosses the roses on the bed as she runs to the door. She exits. The focus remains on the flowers and the card which is still open. The camera zooms in slowly on the card, which again simply reads “DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?”
It then spins around slowly and goes to the window in time to see KATIE rush out and meet THAD on the street as they embrace and kiss passionately.
FADE TO BLACK
FADE OUT MUSIC
