Requiem for a Dream

                            HARRY
              I don't know why I do those things.
              I don't really want to do them.  It
              just sort've happens, I guess.  I
              don't know.  It's all kinda goofy
              somehow, but I really do love ya,
              Ma, and I want you to be happy so I
              got ya a brand new TV set.  It's
              gonna be delivered in a couple a
              days.  From Macy's.

Sara squeals, but Harry wards her off with his hands.  She
sits down, grins and grinds her teeth.

                            SARA
              Oh, Harry, you're such a good boy.
              Your father would be so happy to
              see what you're doing for your
              poor, lonely mother.

Harry leans over and gives her an honest, open and perfectly
beautiful kiss.

                            SARA
              You see that, Seymour?  You see how
              good your son is?  He knows how
              lonely his mother is living all
              alone, no one to make her a visit...

Harry feels pretty good as he listens to his mother until
something puzzles him.  He stops hearing his mother and now
he suddenly hears some other, strange sound.  What is it?

He looks around until he looks at his mother.  Suddenly he
is filled with surprise, disbelief and confusion.

The noise he hears is his mother's teeth grinding.

TIGHT ON Sara's mouth.  Harry leans across the table.

                            HARRY
              Hey, Ma, you droppin' uppers?

                            SARA
              What?

                            HARRY
              You on uppers?
                     (getting angry)
              You're on diet pills, ain't ya?

                                                               48.

Sara is suddenly stunned.  She's completely bewildered.

                            SARA
              On? On?  What is on?

                            HARRY
              How come ya lost so much weight?

                            SARA
              I told you, I'm going to a
              specialist.

                            HARRY
              A specialist.  What kinda specialist?

                            SARA
              What kind?  A specialist. For weight.

                            HARRY
              Yeah, that's what I thought.
              You're makin' a croaker for speed,
              ain't ya?

                            SARA
              Harry, you alright?
                     (shrugs)
              I'm just going to a doctor.  I
              don't know from croaker, making --

                            HARRY
              What does he give ya, Ma?  Eh?
              Does he give ya pills?

                            SARA
              Of course he gives me pills.  He's
              a doctor.  Doctors give pills.

                            HARRY
              What kind of pills?

                            SARA
              What kind.  A purple one, red one,
              orange and --

                            HARRY
              No, no, I mean what kind?

                            SARA
              They're round...and flat.

                            HARRY
                     (rolls eyes)
              I mean, like what's in them?

                                                               49.

                            SARA
              Harry, I'm Sara Goldfarb, not
              Albert Einstein.  How should I know
              what's in them?

                            HARRY
              Look, Ma, does that stuff make you
              feel good sort of and give you lots
              of pep?

                            SARA
                     (nods)
              Well, I guess maybe a little.

                            HARRY
              A little?  Jesus, I can hear ya
              grinding ya teeth from here.

                            SARA
              But that goes away at night.

                            HARRY
              At night?

                            SARA
              When I take the green one.  In
              thirty minutes I'm asleep.  Poof,
              just like that.

Harry shakes his head and rolls his eyes.

                            HARRY
              Hey, Ma, ya gotta cut that stuff
              loose.  It's no good.

                            SARA
              Who said it's no good?  Twenty-five
              pounds I lost.

                            HARRY
              Big deal.  Do ya wanna be a dope
              fiend fa krist's sake?

                            SARA
              What's this dope fiend?  Am I
              foaming at the mouth?  He's a nice
              doctor.

                            HARRY
              Ma, I'm telling ya this croaker's
              no good.

                                                               50.

                            SARA
              How come you know so much?  How
              come you know more about medicine
              than a doctor?

                            HARRY
                     (deep sigh)
              I know, Ma, believe me, I know.
              You'll get strung out fa krist's
              sake.

                            SARA
              C'mon.  I almost fit in my red
              dress, the one I wore at your high
              school graduation.  The one your
              father liked so much.  I remember
              how he looked at me in the red
              dress.  It's not long after that he
              got sick and died and you're
              without a father, my poor baby, but
              thank God he saw you happy for a
              little and --

                            HARRY
              What's with the red dress?  What
              does that --

                            SARA
              I'm going to wear the red dress
              on...Oh, you don't know.  I'm going
              to be on television.  I got a call
              and an application and --

                            HARRY
              C'mon, Ma, who's pullin' ya leg?

                            SARA
              I'm telling you I'm being a
              contestant on television.  They
              haven't told me when, but you'll
              see, you'll be proud when you see
              your mother in her red dress and
              golden shoes on television.

                            HARRY
              What's the big deal about being on
              television?  Those pills'll kill ya
              before ya ever get on, fa krist's
              sake.

                                                               51.

                            SARA
              Big deal?  You drove up in a cab.
              You see who had the sun seat?  You
              notice your mother in the special
              spot getting the sun?  You know who
              everybody talks to?  You know who's
              somebody now?  Who's no longer just
              a widow in a little apartment who
              lives alone?  I'm somebody now,
              Harry.  Everyone likes me.  Soon
              millions of people will see me and
              like me.  I'll tell them about you
              and your father.  I'll tell them
              how your father liked the red dress
              and how good he was to us.  Remember?

Harry nods.  Defeated, he stares at the floor.

                            SARA
              And who knows what I might win?  A
              new refrigerator.  A Rolls-Royce,
              maybe.  Robert Redford.

                            HARRY
              Robert Redford?

                            SARA
              So what's wrong with Robert Redford?

Harry blinks and shakes his head.  Bewildered, he surrenders
to her flow.

Sara looks at her entire family and a softness overtakes her.

                            SARA
              It's not the prizes, Harry.  It
              doesn't make any difference if I
              win or lose.  It's like a reason to
              get up in the morning.  It's a
              reason to lose weight so I can be
              healthy.  It's a reason to fit in
              the red dress.  It's a reason to
              smile, already.  It makes tomorrow
              alright.
                     (close to Harry now)
              What have I got, Harry?  Why should
              I even make the bed or wash the
              dishes?  I do them, but why should
              I?  I'm alone.  Seymour's gone,
              you're gone, I have no one to take
              care of.  Anybody.  Everybody.
              What do I have?  I'm lonely, Harry.
              I'm old.

                                                               52.

Harry fidgets, his eyes blink, he tries:

                            HARRY
              You got friends, Ma.  What --

                            SARA
              It's not the same.  You need
              someone to make for.  No, Harry, I
              like how I feel this way.  I like
              thinking about the red dress and
              the television...and your father
              and you.  Now when I get the sun I
              smile.

                            HARRY
              I'll come visit, Ma.  Now that I'm
              straight, my business is going
              good, I'll come.  Me and Marion.
              Honest, Ma.  I swear.  We'll come
              for dinner.  Soon.

Sara shakes her head and smiles at Harry, trying hard to
believe.

                            SARA
              Good, you bring her and I'll make
              your soup and a roast.

                            HARRY
              That sounds great, Ma.  I'll give
              you a call ahead a time, OK?

                            SARA
                     (nods)
              Good.  I'm glad.  I'm glad you got
              a nice girl and a good business.
              I'm glad.

Sara gets up and hugs Harry, tears welling in her eyes.

                            SARA
              Your father and I were always
              wanting only the very best for you.
              I'm glad, Harry, that you have
              someone to be with.  You should be
              healthy and happy.  And have lots
              of babies.  Don't have only one.
              It's no good.  Have lots of babies.
              They'll make you happy.

Harry does his best to hug his mother.  He fights his
desperation to get away and holds onto her.

Eventually, Sara backs away and looks into his face, smiling.

                                                               53.

                            SARA
              Look, I'm crying already.  I'm so
              happy I'm crying.

                            HARRY
                     (forces smiles)
              I'm glad you're happy, Ma.  I
              really love ya.  An' I'm sorry --

Sara waves his apology away -- tosh, tosh.

                            HARRY
              I really am.  But I'm goin' ta make
              it up now.  You should just be happy.

                            SARA
              Don't worry about me.  I'm used to
              being alone.

A long silent beat as child and parent smile at each other.
Harry looks at his watch.

                            HARRY
              I got to go, Ma.  I have an
              appointment in Manhattan in a
              little bit.  But I'll be back.

                            SARA
              Good.  I'll make for you.  You
              still have your key?

                            HARRY
                     (shows her)
              Yeah, I got it, Ma.  I'd better
              hurry.  I'm late now.

                            SARA
              Goodbye, Son.

One more kiss and hug and Harry is gone.  Sara stares at the
door for many long moments.

Then she takes her orange pill -- pop, hit, glup, snap --
and washes it down with a fresh cup of coffee.

                                                 CUT TO:

INT. MOVING CAB

Harry sits in the back seat filled with worry and concern.
Tears well up into his eyes until he can't hold it any
longer.  He sobs hard, real hard.

                                                               54.

A moment later he collects himself and gets high: flick,
sizzle, snap, suck, slap, rush, sigh...

Harry wipes away his tears.

                                                 CUT TO:

INT. SARA'S BEDROOM

Sara zips up the red dress.  It closes.

She swings around gloriously and her locked jaw smiles at
herself in the mirror.  Eyes glow.

And she begins to waltz by herself.  Humming...

                                                 HARD CUT TO:

BLACK

ON THE SCREEN IN WHITE LETTERS: 'FALL'

                                                 CUT TO:

INT. BRODY'S LIMO

Tyrone steps into a white limo with leopardskin upholstery.

He exchanges fives with, Brody (late twenties, bespectacled,
highly intelligent looking) and his two Henchmen.

Brody doesn't speak.  He signs to Henchman #1

                            HENCHMAN
              Brody say you coming up quick, kid.

                            TYRONE