SCRIPT

Fallen

Act 1: The Death of Dennis
We start with a shot of an urban landscape passing around us as though we were in a car. We cut to a shot of a disheveled young man (Dennis) talking on his cell phone, and hear him leaving a message. This is shown with interspersed shots of the passing landscape with his messages being voiced over them. At a stop light we see the driver lighting what appears to be a hand rolled cigar, he takes a drag, exhales slowly, he then makes a final phone call-“Hey man, it’s Dennis. I need your help.”

We cut to a long shot of an empty, wooded landscape just as the sun is starting to set. The camera zooms out slowly to reveal Dennis sitting in the bottom left corner of the screen. In front of him are two graves, one is already filled in the other is left open, waiting for him. He is staring at the sunset with his back toward the camera. We hear a car pull up behind him; a door opens and closes. We see another character walk onto the right side of the screen, next to Dennis, he has a gun in his hand. This is Shane. Dennis turns towards the camera, revealing blood on both his hands.

Dennis-“I shouldn’t have come back.” He turns back toward the sunset but his head sinks.

We move to a profile shot of Dennis when Shane sits next to him. Shane is situated towards the back of the frame and Dennis is slightly in front of him. We see Shane place down his gun in his lap as he stares at the sunset.

Shane-“It’s been a long time.”

Dennis, whose head is still down, says without looking up-“Three years.”

Shane -“Three years too long apparently…” He gives a quick glance at Dennis then at his lap.

Cut to Dennis, he lifts his head and looks at Shane-“I can’t tell what’s real anymore. Everyday I’m right back in it, right there, and there’s nothing I can do…” voice trails off, “nothing.”

Cut to Shane, Squinting into the sunset, half to not be blinded and half steeling himself for what he was about to do-“You’ll be alright…” Shane stands up, his upper body leaving the frame.

Cut to Dennis for the final time as he hears the click of a gun. He is looking at the sunset. Dennis is in focus, Shane is behind him out of focus-“Just another order, huh?” A pathetic laugh, followed by a sad smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Focus cuts back to Shane, zooming in enough on his face to cut Dennis out of the frame.-“Yea… just another order.” We hear a gun shot and a flash of light ignites Shane’s face. Cut to black.

Act 2: Johnny Boy
We fade into the interior of a messy apartment, panning across to the front door. The door opens and in walks Johnny, he throws his keys onto a dish by the front door. After pouring himself a drink, Johnny works his way over to the blinking answering machine and plays his messages:

Answering machine-“you have two new messages…”
Voice of Dennis (frantic and out of breath, like he is recovering from being in hysterics)-“Hey man, it happened again. I can’t do this anymore. Please call me when you get this, I really need your help man.”
A.M.-“next message”
Voice of Dennis (composed)-“Hey man, its me again, I think I found another way.I’m sorry I’ve been such a burden, you were a good friend.”

Johnny picks up the phone and dials it in a panicked manner. He paces waiting for someone to pick up but no one does. He hangs up in frustration about to throw the phone. Defeated he sits down in his chair. After a slow contemplative drink, Johnny picks up the phone and dials another number.

Shane’s Voice-“Who it this?”
Johnny, staring down at the floor with elbows on knees, answers reluctantly-“It’s Johnny.”
Cut to black.

Fade to the interior of Johnny’s apartment. Camera is straight on with Johnny. Johnny is fast asleep on his couch when he hears a knock. Waking up slowly and hung over he asks-“Who is it?”

Shane’s voice, from behind the door-“It’s me, open the fuckin’ door.”

Johnny gets up slowly-“Gimme a sec…” muttering under his breath, he rubs his eyes, “fuck.”

Camera cuts to mid-distance shot with Johnny walking across his living room tripping on things along the way when he finally walks out of the frame.

Cut to Johnny at door. He unlocks the deadbolt on the door and opens the door cautiously. Upon recognizing the person on the other side he beckons them in.

Johnny- camera is mid-distance (enough to all of both men) and follows the two men as they enter the room.“Come on in man, its good to see ya. Sorry the place is such a mess.” Johnny is picking things up off of the floor, as though someone just ransacked his place and Shane caught him at a bad time. Johnny throws everything in a pile in the corner, clears off the couch and offers Shane a seat.

Cut to tight angle on Shane from the waist up surveying his haphazard host.
Shane-“Cut the shit, Johnny, what do you want me to do.”

Cut to: Johnny seated on the couch, drink in hand.
Johnny-“What makes you think I want anything from you.”

Cut back to Shane. At this point Shane is frustrated, tire, pissed, and already doesn’t like Johnny.
Shane-“Don’t fuck with me man. Every time y’all call me you need me to do something.”

Cut to Johnny, taken back by Shane’s attitude.
Johnny-“Fuck you man, I don’t need this shit…”

Cut back to Shane. Red in the face.
Shane-“Look asshole, you called me!”

Cut back to Johnny. At first he leans back in the couch and takes a sip of his drink.
Johnny-“Fuck…” spoken as though he was caught in a lie. Leans forward, as though about to tell a secret, “Alright man… it’s Dennis.”

Cut to a tight angle shot on Shane’s shoulders, neck and head, eyes focused now,
Shane-“What about Dennis?”

Cut to a mid distance shot of the two looking at each other intensely. At this point, Shane would love to beat the shit out Johnny, but he also wants to find out what Johnny exactly knew about Dennis.

Johnny-“You may wanna take a seat.” We see Johnny push a chair in Shane’s direction, and Shane obliges.

Cut to frontal shot of Johnny-“He called me. He’s in a bad place. I think… I think he’s gonna kill himself.”

Cut to shane-“What’s left to kill. We both know he died along with everyone else three years ago.”

Johnny- “What the fuck are you tryin’ to say?”

Shane-“you know exactly what I’m sayin. We all died that day Johnny; you, me, and especially Dennis.”

Johnny-“Your wrong man. Dead fuckin’ wrong!”
Shane-“Wake the fuck up Johnny! All you do is sit there up on your fuckin’ high horse and leave me to clean up your mess. I’m sick of it man!”

Johnny-“Shane, what the… that was long time ago man. That’s got nothin’ to do with Dennis.”

Shane-“That has everything to do with Dennis. Isn’t that why were here. To figure out what to do about Dennis. Because we both know, he aint doin’ shit!”

Johnny-“What the fuck does that mean?”

Shane-“Dennis called me too, Johnny. He told me he couldn’t get out. He needed help, my help.”

Johnny-“What did you do?”

Shane-“I did what you couldn’t do. He asked for my help, and I delivered’

J-“What the fuck…how could… Dennis? This is the fuckin war anymore Shane!”

S-“If you wanted to do it your way then you should have called him back, instead of stick you thumb your ass.”

J-“I didn’t have a chance… I mean… it’s just that…”

S-“You had your chance Johnny. We don’t have time for you moral attitudes to kick and take chare. We act. And that’s what I did.

J-“This isn’t the war man,” almost to himself, as though to reaffirm it to his character.

S-“He killed someone, Johnny. Someone close to him. Now how many people have to die before you’ll do something about it?”

J-“He needed you to help him. Not kill him!!”

S-“Help him do what, Johnny.”

J-“He was sick shane he needed help.

S-“He wasn’t sick Johnny. Hell, he might have been the only sane one. He acted the way a person should. Your th sick one man. You deny the fucking thing even happened.”

J-“I don’t… I never… you… you can’t…”

S-“You’re a killer Johnny. Because you didn’t do a damn thing. You let Dennis die just like you let all those people die, right in front of your eyes.”
J-“You killed him man!”

S-“A good person doesn’t deserve to live with what we did.”

j-“you fuckin killed him man.” After a moment Johnny takes a swing at Shane. Shane parries and knocks jonny to the fllor. Johny screams, “ Get out! Get out, or I’ll fuck kill ya.”

S-“thants more like it.” Shane then tosses a piece of paper–cul to black.

Act 3:
Shane is driving back to where he killed Denis-next to the two graves Shane is digging a third – he is just finishing up when hear a car pull up behind him. He stops to wipe his forehead with a dirty ad – leaving a mixture of sweat, dirt and blood on hi forehead. Johnny gets out of the car.

S-“It’s about time.”
Cut to black.