Requiem for a Dream

                            MR RABINOWITZ
              Good evening, Mrs Goldfarb.

                            SARA
              Good evening, Mr Rabinowitz, though
              I'm not so sure how good it is.
              And you?

                            MR RABINOWITZ
              Uh, so what can I say?  Are you
              wanting your TV?

                            SARA
              Yes, if you don't mind.

Sara pulls a crinkled ten dollar bill out of the corner of
her blouse and hands it to Mr Rabinowitz.

                            MR RABINOWITZ
              Mrs Goldfarb, can I ask you a
              question, you won't be taking it
              personal?

Sara shrugs.

                                                                      8.

                            MR RABINOWITZ
              How many years we know each other?
                     (he nods his head)
              Who's to count?  Why don't you tell
              already the police so maybe they
              could talk to Harry and he wouldn't
              be stealing no more the TV.

                            SARA
              Oooo, Mr Rabinowitz, I couldn't,
              Harold's my only child.  He's all I
              have.

                                                 CUT TO:

INT. SARA'S LIVING ROOM - LATER

Sara chains the TV to the radiator again.  She turns on the
set, adjusts the rabbit ears and watches whatever is on.

Sara smiles as she settles into her chair.  She cermoniously
removes the plastic wrapper from around a box of chocolates.

Immediately, she pulls out a chocolate, covered cream and
lets it dissolve in her mouth.  Her eyes shut in gentle
ecstasy.

                                                 CUT TO:

EXT. SEACOAST TOWER - DAY

Looking straight up at the thirty-storey building with sharp
eyes is Marion.  She is beautiful, fresh, and in her young
twenties.

Harry, with a stack of newspapers under his arm, comes up
from behind and kisses her on the neck.

                                                 CUT TO:

SEACOAST TOWER'S FOYER

Harry randomly presses one of countless buzzers.  An Old
Lady responds a moment later.

                            OLD LADY
              Hello?  Who is it?

Harry mumbles into the speaker.  He and Marion try to hold
their laughter.

                            OLD LADY
              Who?

                                                                      9.

Harry mumbles again.  When the buzzer rings we're on -

THE ELEVATOR

- in black-and-white video.  A security camera watches Harry
and Marion jump around as they head to the -

TOP FLOOR

PING!  Harry dips his head out the open doors.

All clear.  He grabs Marion and they dash to the -

STAIRWELL

- where red, bold warnings on the emergency exit roof door
threaten alarm if the door is opened.

                            MARION
              What do we do now?

Harry pulls out a wire from his back pocket and shorts the
alarm.

Then, he kicks the roof door open.  White light rushes in.

                                                 CUT TO:

INT. SARA'S LIVING ROOM

Her phone rrrings and Sara leans towards it but she continues
to adjust the rabbit ears on her set, torn between the
priorty of the two activities.

Finally, four rings later, she lunges for the phone and
flops down in her viewing chair.  She is greeted by a Cheery
Voice.

                            SARA
              Hello?

                            CHEERY VOICE
                     (off-screen)
              Mrs Goldfarb?  Mrs Sara Goldfarb?

                            SARA
              It's me.  Speaking.

The voice is so enthusiastic that she looks over to the TV
to see if it's coming from there.

                                                               10.

                            CHEERY VOICE
                     (off-screen)
              Mrs Goldfarb, this is Lyle Russel
              from Malin & Block.

                            SARA
              I'm not interested in -

                            CHEERY VOICE
                     (off-screen)
              Wait, Mrs Goldfarb.  I'm not
              selling anything.  Nothing.  I just
              want to offer you a chance to be on
              television.

                            SARA
              Television?

                            CHEERY VOICE
                     (off-screen)
              That's right, Mrs Goldfarb.

                            SARA
              Look, I don't have any -

                            CHEERY VOICE
                     (off-screen)
              I'm not looking for money, Mrs
              Goldfarb.  I'm calling to tell you
              you've already won.  Your name was
              selected from a long list of
              available contestants.  You've been
              chosen and you now have an
              opportunity to be on television.

                            SARA
              Me?  On television?

Sara's eyes light up.

                            LYLE RUSSEL
                     (off-screen)
              That's right, Mrs Goldfarb.  You on
              television.

                            SARA
              I never thought I'd be on television.
              I'm just a -

                            LYLE RUSSEL
                     (off-screen)
              Malin & Block discovers contestants
              for most of America's favorite
              television shows.

                                                               11.

                            SARA
              Ooooooo... Me... me... on... oh I
              can't...

                            LYLE RUSSEL
                     (off-screen)
              Yes, Mrs Goldfarb, you.
              Congratulations!  I can't tell you
              why you are so lucky, but you are.
              Congratulations!

Sara falls against the back of the viewing chair, one hand
clutches desperately at the phone, the other on top of her
dress.  Her eyes bulge, her mouth hangs open.

                            LYLE RUSSEL
                     (off-screen)
              You will receive all necessary
              information in the mail, Mrs
              Goldfarb.  Goodbye and... God bless.

Click!  Sara tries to catch her breath.  She awakens from
her ecstasy when the phone beeps its off-the-hook sound.

INT. SARA'S BEDROOM - A BIT LATER

Sara picks up a framed photo.  The picture was taken on
Harry's high school graduation day years ago.  Harry, in the
middle, is an eighteen-year-old in cap and gown.  Sara's
husband Seymour hovers over Harry's left shoulder.

On Harry's right is a younger-looking Sara.  She is thirty
pounds lighter, has brilliant red hair and wears a red dress
and gold shoes.  Sara stares at her outfit.

Then she rushes to the closet.  As she hums a tuneless
monotone, she carefully pulls out the last dress on the hook.
She ceremoniously removes the dry-cleaning plastic and
smiles at her red dress.

She puts it on.  In the mirror she looks over one shoulder
and then the other.  She tries to zip up the back, but after
half an inch and many minutes of exertion she gives up.

On her hands and knees, she searches through mounds of shoes
for the special pair.  She pulls out the gold shoes and
dusts them off.  Shakily, Sara puts them on.  She smiles at
herself in the mirror.

                                                 CUT TO:

                                                               12.

EXT. ROOF - DAY

Harry and Marion throw paper airplanes down on the dying
amusement park.

                            HARRY
              ... but why you so hard on your
              folks?  I mean, they give you the
              bread for rent, money for the
              shrink -

                            MARION
              They bug me.  They're fucking
              hypocrites.

Harry shrugs - no big deal.

                            MARION
              Like they're in that big house with
              all their cars and money.  They pay
              me off so they don't have to deal
              with me.  They pay off charities to
              deal with their racism.  Then we'll
              see how liberal they are when I
              come home with a black guy.

                            HARRY
              You know what you gotta do.

                            MARION
              Yeah.

                            HARRY
              You gotta get away from them.

                            MARION
              How?

                            HARRY
              What about your clothes?  Maybe you
              could sell them.  Open a store.

                            MARION
              I can't.

                            HARRY
              Why?

                            MARION
              When will I have time to hang with
              you?

                                                               13.

A deserved kiss.

                                                 CUT TO:

EXT. ADA'S APARTMENT - HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS

Sara, barely wearing her red dress, knocks on a door.  Ada,
an orange-haired woman Sara's age, answers the door.

                            ADA
              So where's the party?

                            SARA
              Party, schmarty.  This is like all
              the parties.  When I tell you,
              you'll jump out the window.

                            ADA
              A basement window, I hope.

                                                 CUT TO:

INT. SARA'S BEDROOM

Ada tries to stuff Sara into her red dress but it ain't
happening.

                            ADA
              Well, I have a great diet book.

                            SARA
              Zophtic.

                                                 CUT BACK TO:

EXT. EMERGENCY EXIT DOOR

Marion grabs Harry's short-circuit wire.  Harry, who's
already inside, looks at his girl's mischievous eyes.

                            HARRY
              Marion!

Harry gets it.  He smiles.  Then, Marion yanks the wire.

ALARMS SCREAM!!!

Harry and Marion bolt to the -

TOP FLOOR

- where both elevators charge the top floor.

                                                               14.

                            MARION
              They're coming.

Harry grabs Marion's hand and pulls her down the hallway.

Dead end.

Harry and Marion squeeze against the doorway -- fighting the
urge to crack-up.  Then:

PING! -- the elevator.  A Security Guard charges out.

Harry and Marion hold their breath.  The Guard heads straight
for the staircase.

Then our criminals charge --

THE ELEVATOR

-- and in black-and-white video make out all the way down.

THEN:

EXT. SEACOAST TOWER - DAY

Harry and Marion burst out of the front door laughing,
alarms ringing behind them.

                                                 CUT TO:

INT. SARA'S MAILBOX - DAY

The mailbox opens and Sara disappointedly peers into the
empty darkness.