MAY DECEMBER

Story by

Samy Burch & Alex Mechanik

Screenplay by

Samy Burch

Draft: December 20th, 2019

Ben Rowe & Gabrielle Lewis

Grandview
323-297-3440
EXT. THE OUTDOORS-- DAWN

A monarch butterfly lands on the leaf of a milkweed plant.

Its thick black body curves up underneath and lays the

smallest little white egg you’ve ever seen.

And then it flies away.

The delicate egg sticks to the bottom of the leaf impossibly.

A bit further back, we see there are hundreds more.

EXT. CAMDEN, MAINE-- DAY

Memorial Day. A beautiful small town on the coast. An area of

New England that still somehow feels untouched. And pure.

American flags in store windows, young girls in baton

twirling outfits readying themselves for the parade.

The houses are beautiful and old, but modest. Pastel colors,
big yards, trees everywhere. A bright, breezy day.

INT. KITCHEN-- DAY

GRACIE ATHERTON-YU, 59, floats around her sun-drenched

kitchen, spreading whipped cream on cakes and laying
strawberries atop them in a pleasing way.

There’s energy in the house, and in the backyard, which can

be seen from the kitchen windows.

With her is RHONDA, 60s, who’s filling up deviled eggs with a

piping bag.

RHONDA
This one or this one?

She holds out two metal tips.

GRACIE
The open star-- start in the
center, end in the center.

Rhonda gets it.

MARY ATHERTON-YU, 18, runs through the kitchen with her

friends.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
Where you going?
 2.

MARY
The roof.

A hard look. And then a permissive nod.

GRACIE
Go on. I will not be calling
anyone’s mother today to say
someone broke their neck and died,
do you hear me?

MARY (O.S.)
We’ll be so safe.

GRACIE
Honestly.

She muddles up some fresh blackberries and drains the juice.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
The actress is coming.

RHONDA
Today??

GRACIE
Mm-hmm.

RHONDA
Are you worried?

GRACIE
Worried? Why would I be worried?

RHONDA
Oh. I don’t know. That’s just where
my mind goes I guess.

GRACIE
I just hope she’s polite. Not
sitting there with big Jackie O
sunglasses, too good for
everything. If she’s gonna be here,
I want her to participate.

RHONDA
I’m sure she will. Look at this
beautiful day.

It is beautiful.

JOE YU, 36, comes in from the backyard and gently kisses
Gracie on the cheek. He too is beautiful. Like a despondent
aristocrat in a Dutch painting.
 3.

GRACIE
You just never know, I told you
what happened when I met Judge
Judy...

Joe takes a beer from the fridge and heads out.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
(to Joe)
That’s two.

An embarrassed smile.

JOE
Rhonda.

RHONDA
Joe.

Big smile back from Rhonda as he leaves.

GRACIE
But I’m sure you’re right. I’m sure
we’ll be right as rain.

She hands Rhonda the paprika from the cabinet before she
asked for it.

Then suddenly a dark cloud overtakes Gracie’s expression,

like something very terrible has just occurred to her.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
I don’t think we have enough
sausages.

EXT. BACKYARD-- CONTINUOUS

Joe mans the grill. There are so, so many sausages. Kids and
dogs are running around playing. Adults drink. They’re not on
a lake but one feels close by.

He stands with his friend BEN, 40s, who kind of evokes “P.E.
Teacher.”

BEN
I saw a movie she was in, a really
weird one, where she gets naked and
does like a blood ritual. I
couldn’t follow it.

JOE
Where’d you see it?
 4.

BEN
Just on TV.

Joe rolls his eyes.

BEN (CONT’D)
Alright I looked up “Elizabeth
Bryce naked.”

A CHILD SCREAMS A BLOOD-CURDLING SCREAM-- but then it’s fine,

he just fell.

JOE
Why don’t you go deal with that.

He flips the sausages, one by one.

INT. LAKE STREET INN-- DAY

ELIZABETH BRYCE, 36, unpacks and reorganizes the room of the

small town bed & breakfast. She wears all black, big chunky
running sneakers, and talks through wireless headphones.

ELIZABETH
Yeah... It’s quaint...

She picks up a sand dollar and drops it in a drawer with

disdain.

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
It’s very “Maine.” Mm-hmm... Mm-
hmm...

She looks out the window. Across the street is a middle

school. Closed for the holiday but colorful remnants remain.

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
Mm-hmm... I’m listening! You
said...

There is a slight pause but she gets there, has the recall of
a trained bird.

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
“I feel bad because I’ve canceled
the last few times and she’s so
nice...” You know what I’m gonna
say, I think you shouldn’t do
anything you don’t want to do.

She notices a gift basket on the chair.

 5.

A note: Ms. Bryce, We are so excited to you have here. We

hope you fall in love with Maine. Best, Management (Bonnie &
Jim). P.S. We are huge fans of “Animal Hospital”

She rolls her eyes.

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
You know what-- tell her that
you’re having a birthday dinner
that night and you were just about
to invite her, and then you don’t
have to go to her party and you get
the credit for inviting her to
something. Even if you never would.

INT. LAKE STREET INN-- A BIT LATER

Elizabeth rips the top blanket off and sits cross-legged on

the bed. She opens a brand new (tiny) notebook. Page one.

She writes: Gracie

And then she underlines it. And then she thinks.

EXT. ATHERTON-YU HOUSE-- AFTERNOON

Now in a carefree summer dress, Elizabeth drives up in her

rental car to the house. She looks different, has an ease.
She carries a bottle of wine from the gift basket she was
given.

No one hears her front door knock, so she goes around the
side, following the playful noises.

EXT. ATHERTON-YU BACKYARD-- CONTINUOUS

The barbecue is in full swing. A touch football game going

on, the teens sprawled out on the roof. Everyone wears red,
white and blue. But in a subdued way. In a Maine way.

Elizabeth scans the crowd, where she finds Gracie already

starring right at her. She waves.

ELIZABETH
Hi.

She puts her hand to her heart.

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
It’s such a pleasure to meet you.
 6.

GRACIE
Oh I don’t know about that.

They hug.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
You’re so tall!

ELIZABETH
I’ll try to work on it.

She offers the bottle.

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
I cannot thank you enough for
welcoming me into your life-- you
didn’t have to, and I so appreciate
it.

GRACIE
Well, of course! I want you to tell
the story right, don’t I?

ELIZABETH
That’s all I want. I want you to
feel known--

Three large Clumber Spaniels rush up to protect Gracie. Big,

sloppy white dogs that look like melted ice cream.

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
Oh wow.

GRACIE
(to the dogs)
It’s okay, my boys, settle down.
You can trust her.

Elizabeth tries to look happy petting them.

ELIZABETH
Striking.

GRACIE
They were bred to be hunting dogs.
For kings.

Joe approaches.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
Here he is.

Elizabeth really takes him in. She knows she must remember
this moment.
 7.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
Joe, Elizabeth.

They shake hands.

JOE
Nice to meet you.

GRACIE
Elizabeth-- so formal-- do you have
a nickname?

ELIZABETH
No, just Elizabeth. Growing up it
was Betsy, but I sort of outgrew
it.

Gracie doesn’t follow.

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
What a beautiful property.

GRACIE
Thank you. Joe does all the
landscaping.

ELIZABETH
Lovely.

They all just stand there, admiring the shrubs.

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
Well, look, I don’t want to be in
your way, I certainly don’t want to
interrupt your party.

JOE
Can I get you something to drink?

ELIZABETH
I’m fine, thank you.

GRACIE
You do what you gotta do, look
around, talk to people, but first
go get yourself a hot dog.

ELIZABETH
(has literally never had a
hot dog)
Great.
 8.

EXT. BACKYARD-- A BIT LATER

Elizabeth wanders dreamily around like the ghost of this

party.

She takes notes in her tiny leather book: Americana. Is there

something underneath?

MARY
Hi.

Mary and her two best friends (MOLLY & SOFIA, both 18) hover
by the back door.

ELIZABETH
Hello. Are you Mary?

MARY
Yeah.

They giggle.

ELIZABETH
You’re the youngest, right?

MARY
Yeah, my sister’s at college
already.

The trio stares at Elizabeth, her make-up, her clothes.

MARY (CONT’D)
I’ve never met anyone who was on TV
before.

ELIZABETH
Well, your parents.

MARY
Yeah but like, for real.

SOFIA
What is James Marsden like?

ELIZABETH
So sweet. Really nice guy.

MARY
I want to minor in Drama. We were
all in the play together last fall.

ELIZABETH
That’s wonderful-- which play?
 9.

MARY
Macbeth.

ELIZABETH
“I have no spur
To prick the sides of my intent,
but only
Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps
itself
And falls on the other.”

MARY
Oh it was like, translated.

MOLLY
We were the witches.

EXT. BACKYARD-- SUNSET

The party has settled into a nice lull. Everyone sits on

picnic blankets or lawn chairs. Kids run around with
sparklers.

Elizabeth sits next to Rhonda, but watches Gracie, who’s

curled up in Joe’s arms. Her hand holds his tight.

RHONDA
Sweet, aren’t they?

ELIZABETH
Very.

RHONDA
It really feels like things just
settled down. And now you’re making
a movie.

ELIZABETH
It’s a great, human story. And
Roberto is such a thoughtful, kind-
hearted director.

RHONDA
Well, I won’t get to sit on the
lawn with Roberto. So I’m telling
you: This is their real life.
They’ve been put through the
ringer, and have come out the other
end of it.

ELIZABETH
I know.
 10.

RHONDA
All the awful things people said.
For a while there she lost
everything. She’s very strong, but
there are limits.

ELIZABETH
I completely agree.

RHONDA
Just be kind, that’s all.

Elizabeth nods as the fireworks start in the sky over the

trees. She looks over, Gracie still grasping Joe’s hand,
knuckles white.

INT. ATHERTON-YU ENTRANCE-- NIGHT

Cleaning up, most guests have gone. Gracie fusses as

Elizabeth gathers her things.

GRACIE
I was thinking you may want to come
with me to my class tomorrow.

ELIZABETH
I’d love to.

Gracie opens the front door.

GRACIE
(calling upstairs)
Oh no. Joe!

Elizabeth peers over to see a barely taped together package.

Gracie just shakes her head in a knowing way. Joe comes down.

JOE
What?

GRACIE
You’re not gonna believe this.

JOE
I’ll get a garbage bag.

Gracie puts on some colorful rubber gloves and takes the box
inside-- she flips the lid.

GRACIE
I knew it. My goodness, we haven’t
gotten a box of s-h-i-t in I don’t
know how long.
 11.

Joe holds out a garbage bag, she drops it in. He wraps it up

and heads outside. Routine.

ELIZABETH
Someone put... s-h-i-t in a box and
delivered it here?

GRACIE
And on a holiday too.

INT. LAKE STREET INN-- NIGHT

Elizabeth, in sleepwear, sits up in bed with a People

Magazine from 1997.

Gracie, twenty years earlier, is on the cover in handcuffs,

starring off into the distance in a dreamy way. We get a
sense in pieces.

“Gracie Atherton pleads guilty to pet shop romance!” “13-year-

old lover will be father of her child!” “Ouch mommy I hwurt
my finger!” etc.

Picture of young Joe completely back-lit to hide his face.

One of Gracie with lovely, soft curls, her pastel prison
jumpsuit very flattering.

Elizabeth hits her light in the same way. The same martyred
expression.

ELIZABETH
Who me?

Strikes the pose again.

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
I just want to go home, your honor.

INT. ATHERTON-YU DEN-- NIGHT

Joe is mindlessly scrolling on Facebook-- mainly made up of

his incredibly active Raising Monarch Butterflies group (”Has
anyone seen this before?” “What to do about frozen milkweed?”
etc).

He hesitates but then types “Elizabeth Bryce” into youtube--

Interviews, weird montages set to music, her winning an MTV

Movie Award.

He clicks on a commercial for a skin care line. It’s

Elizabeth, in like 2005.
 12.

ELIZABETH
So pure, you can hardly tell its
there.

She smiles, fresh and dewy. A SLOW MOTION shot of her

splashing water on her face and smiling, her hands rising up
in a way that feels oddly religious.

Joe rushes to turn the sound down to mute.

He replays it over-- Elizabeth splashing herself in the face,

and loving it.

INT. ATHERTON-YU BEDROOM-- A BIT LATER

Joe quietly gets into bed, Gracie is facing the side, looks
asleep.

GRACIE
You smell like charcoal.

JOE
... Smoke.

She turns suddenly.

GRACIE
Excuse me?

JOE
We have a gas grill, not a charcoal
grill, so, you must be smelling
just smoke.

Her ears move back in her head, and she stares at him
blankly.

GRACIE
Well you’re stinking up the sheets.

JOE
Do you want me to shower?

GRACIE
No what I want is for you to have
already showered, before you got
in.

JOE
I’m sorry.

She closes her eyes and tears start to immediately, quietly

fall.
 13.

JOE (CONT’D)
I’m sorry, Gracie.

He pulls her into his chest. She looks relieved, but then.

GRACIE
More smoke.

He rips his shirt off, pats some bedside water on his chest.

JOE
Okay?

She curls up in his lap, still gently weeping.

GRACIE
Okay.

JOE
Everything’s fine.

GRACIE
Okay.

He pets her hair as she falls asleep.

EXT. BACKYARD-- EARLY MORNING

It’s quiet and still, the sun just rising. Joe tiptoes around
his milkweed bushes, looking at each leaf really carefully.

When he finds one with tiny little pearlescent eggs he

delicately clips it off the plant and lays it on his tray.

It’s slow work, and deliberate.

INT. DINING NOOK-- A BIT LATER

Joe takes his leaves and puts them gently inside white mesh
cages that are lined up on the table and chairs in the small
room. It’s a well-organized space, and his routine feels
lived in.

He adjusts the shades and observes. Nothing is moving--

they’re just eggs.

He gets out his phone and takes a picture of one leaf that
has three eggs in a perfectly straight line.

He considers, but then texts it to MICHELA “MONARCHS” (as he

has her listed in his phone).
 14.

JOE
(texting)
Looks like “...” doesn’t it? Like
they’re about to text me something?

She immediately starts writing back (...)

MICHELA
OMG so funny. I’ve never seen them
in such a straight line before!

JOE
I know, strange right?

MICHELA
I wonder if it was one who laid
them in a row, or just a weird
coincidence.

JOE
I know, me too.

Pause. A natural time to put away his phone but he hesitates.

JOE (CONT’D)
How’s your day going?

MICHELA
Good, I just got to work. You?

JOE
Peaceful.

MICHELA
Great.

(...)

MICHELA (CONT’D)
Enjoy it!

He chews his lip and puts his phone away.

INT. WINDOWLESS COMMUNITY CENTER-- AFTERNOON

Gracie and Elizabeth share a table in the back of a flower

arranging class. They both have a vase, a hunk of that green
spongy stuff, and access to flowers.

There are a half dozen other women also at their stations,

and a teacher (LYDIA, 60s, in a loose-fitting sunflower
smock).
 15.

LYDIA
That is lovely, Sheila.

SHEILA, 80s, blushes with pride. It’s a gentle environment

but people talk among themselves.

ELIZABETH
How long have you been coming?

GRACIE
A little over ten years now.

ELIZABETH
Amazing. What draws you to this?

GRACIE
(duh)
The flowers.

ELIZABETH
Right. But--

LYDIA
Beautiful, Gracie.

GRACIE
Thank you. Lydia, this is
Elizabeth. She’s playing me in a
movie.

LYDIA
How interesting.

GRACIE
Trying to show her a good time.

LYDIA
That I don’t doubt.

Lydia strolls away. Gracie’s arrangement is really tight and

organized. Formal. Elizabeth (who does not care) is making
one that’s more breezy and natural.

GRACIE
You want to start in the center and
build outward.

ELIZABETH
What’s the reason for that?

GRACIE
It’s just the rule.

Elizabeth tries to copy Gracie’s style and movements.

 16.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
My brother Scott, he’s a Rear
Admiral in the Navy, he always
says, “Order is its own reward”--
No, like this.

She takes over her arrangement.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
See?

ELIZABETH
Got it.

She distractedly places carnations in a row.

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
... So did you have any classes
like this in prison?

A harsh, flip of the head-- Gracie holds a rigid finger up at

Elizabeth like you would a dog. They lock eyes until an Alpha
is established (guess who won?).

GRACIE
Not here.

Elizabeth sucks her teeth as she shoves handfuls of baby’s

breath in her stupid fucking vase.

INT. KITCHEN-- NIGHT

Elizabeth and Joe sit in their seats at the kitchen table as

Gracie sets plates in front of them of meatloaf and mashed
potatoes.

GRACIE
Do you want milk?

ELIZABETH
Milk? Um, no thank you.

JOE
I’ll take a beer.

ELIZABETH
Water would be great.

She doesn’t seem thrilled with either answer but brings them
to the table.

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
Where’s Mary?
 17.

GRACIE
She’s at her friend’s house,
they’re working on a project.

ELIZABETH
Well thank you for having me for
dinner, I really appreciate it.

GRACIE
Of course.

They begin.

ELIZABETH
Mmm, this is wonderful, thank you.

GRACIE
An Atherton-Yu special.

ELIZABETH
It really is unlike any meatloaf
I’ve had.

GRACIE
It’s moose.

ELIZABETH
Is it?

GRACIE
I brought her home myself.

ELIZABETH
You... shot a moose, and ground up
its meat and, that’s this meatloaf?

GRACIE
(getting a kick out of
this)
Yes.

JOE
Gracie hunts all the time.

Elizabeth strains.

ELIZABETH
Remarkable.

GRACIE
My daddy taught me, I started going
with him and my brothers when I was
really young. Four, five.
 18.

ELIZABETH
Wow. This was in Virginia?

Gracie raises her eyebrows, still not quite thrilled about

research being done.

GRACIE
Tennessee, and then Illinois, and
then Montana, and then Virginia.

Chew, chew, chew, swallow.

ELIZABETH
What was like to move so much? To
have to uproot your life--

GRACIE
It was fine. I made friends
everywhere I went. I always had my
brothers. My childhood was
exceptional.

Next topic.

ELIZABETH
Well, I do have a lot of questions
for you both, please let me know if
now’s not the time.

GRACIE
Good a time as any.

Tight smile.

ELIZABETH
Great.

She gets out her tiny book and pen.

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
Do you remember the first time you
met?

JOE
I don’t.

GRACIE
I met Joe... let me think. It must
have been his first day of
Kindergarten I would think?

ELIZABETH
(acting casual)
Oh.
 19.

GRACIE
My son, Georgie, was the same year
as Joe, and all the mother’s would
go for the first day of school. So
that was probably the first time.
We didn’t talk or anything.

ELIZABETH
Of course.

GRACIE
And then I had processed the
family, his dad was a tailor, I
would go get dresses taken in, that
kind of thing, and I’d see him at
the recitals and the soccer games
and all that.

Elizabeth takes studious notes.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
And then around sixth grade I think
it was, Joe and Georgie got a
little closer, and they were at the
same pool parties, and slumber
parties-- one of them was at my
house! If you can believe that.

She laughs and takes a big gulp of her milk. Elizabeth also
manages a laugh.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
And the next year, that next
summer, he came in to the pet store
and said he was looking for a
summer job.

ELIZABETH
This was the summer after sixth
grade?

JOE
Seventh.

GRACIE
And he started working there in the
afternoons and on weekends. And
that’s when we... Got close.

ELIZABETH
Were you still friends with
Georgie?
 20.

JOE
At the time, yeah. But not after...
I really haven’t ever talked to
George, uh, ever again really.

GRACIE
Georgie is really sensitive, he was
always a really sensitive boy.

ELIZABETH
What’s your relationship like with
him and his siblings now?

GRACIE
(suddenly harsh)
How is that relevant?

ELIZABETH
Um.

GRACIE
My understanding is that the movie
is taking place in 1996-1998, why
would you need to know anything
really about my life after that?

ELIZABETH
Well sometimes things that exist
inside people don’t come to a head
until later... And I’m looking for
the seeds of those things. So... I
feel it’s my job to get to know you
as best I can, and part of that is
a bit of reverse engineering, I
guess you would call it.

Gracie thinks about it, skeptical.

GRACIE
(cheery)
Alright...

Elizabeth and Joe both look relieved.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
Yes I talk to George, I talk to
Billy and Cassidy. We keep things
pretty separate when we can.

JOE
Are you gonna tell her about
graduation?

Gracie clears her throat.

 21.

GRACIE
Mary is in the same class as
Cassidy’s son Peter, my grandson.
So we’ll all be at the graduation,
which you are welcome to come to if
you’re still in town.

A big smile.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
Now who wants cake?

EXT. ATHERTON-YU HOUSE-- NIGHT

Joe takes the trash out as Elizabeth goes to her rental car.
The moon looms large over their Kia Sedona.

ELIZABETH
Goodnight.

JOE
Goodnight.

She hesitates, doesn’t get in the car.

ELIZABETH
Actually. I wanted to ask you.

She approaches the bins.

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
How would you feel about me coming
to work with you one of these days?

JOE
Fine.

ELIZABETH
Okay great. That’s great.

He’s giving nothing away but it is taking him a long time to

deal with the trash.

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
Thank you.

JOE
It’s no problem.

ELIZABETH
Great.
 22.

JOE
Good.

She stares at his face. Grasping.

ELIZABETH
I just realized that we’re probably
the same age.

JOE
Is that right?

ELIZABETH
I’m 36.

He nods.

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
Funny. I keep thinking of you as
younger.

JOE
Makes sense.

ELIZABETH
But, only in the last few years
have I been able to imagine having
a baby, I can’t imagine doing it
when you did.

JOE
I was almost too young to know what
a big deal it was, in a way.

ELIZABETH
Right.

They stand there.

JOE
I should probably head inside.

ELIZABETH
Of course.

JOE
But. I didn’t mean to make it seem
like I have any regrets.

ELIZABETH
Oh no, I didn’t think that.

JOE
I really don’t.
 23.

ELIZABETH
Hey, I mean, I have regrets.

JOE
I just think the way people have
written about us in the past, it’s
like I’m a victim. And... we’ve
been together almost twenty-four
years now... like... why would we
do that if we weren’t happy? If
you’re together for that long it’s
because you’re happy being together
for that long...?

ELIZABETH
Makes sense.

A light goes on in a second floor window. They both notice it

and pretend they haven’t.

JOE
All right, well, get home safe.

ELIZABETH
Thanks, you too.

INT. COFFEE SHOP-- MORNING

Feels like the kind of place that was thriving in the ‘90s--
dark wall paint, fun lighting fixtures, fliers for bands.

Elizabeth finds TOM ATHERTON, early 60s, sitting a booth,

waiting for her. He’s aged since that 1997 People Magazine
where he looked like the heir to a boat fortune, but he’s a
handsome, straight-forward man.

TOM
I ordered you a coffee.

ELIZABETH
I can’t tell you how much I
appreciate this.

TOM
(bashful)
It’s just coffee.

ELIZABETH
No, I mean-- well, yes, thank you
for the coffee. But meeting me. I’m
sure it’s not your favorite thing
to talk about.
 24.

TOM
I don’t mind. I think talking can
feel... good.

ELIZABETH
Well, great. Me too.

TOM
Do you want anything to eat? They
have quiche, and they even make
crepes here with all kinds of crazy
fillings. Kind of what they’re
known for.

ELIZABETH
I’m okay with just coffee.

TOM
An actress.

ELIZABETH
Excuse me?

TOM
Seems typical of an actress. I
haven’t met one before but it seems
that way.

ELIZABETH
Yes. Ha.

She takes out her book.

TOM
That’s small!

ELIZABETH
Yes, it’s discrete.

TOM
I don’t know, if I saw someone
writing in that I’d think-- what
are they writing?

ELIZABETH
Well, you’d just have to wonder I
guess.

He waves to his friend who walks by the front window.

TOM
That’s Carla from my dentist’s
office.
 25.

ELIZABETH
So, why don’t you tell me about
what Gracie was like when you first
met?

TOM
Aw, Gracie was beautiful. We met at
a party and I was really drunk,
just blotto. And she took care of
me.

Nurtures the wrong men, she writes and quickly covers.

TOM (CONT’D)
And then we dated for a bit. Gracie
was in high school-- a senior, it
was all, you know, above board--
and I was in college. And I
graduated, and she graduated and I
proposed and that was that. We had
a really fun wedding with all our
friends there, and then I got with
the same company I’m with now, and
we moved up here and started our
family. It was kind of A, B, C...
D, you know?

ELIZABETH
Would you describe your marriage as
a happy one?

TOM
I would! I know later, she said
that things weren’t working but at
the time I thought everything was
normal. Couples fight sometimes.
She would spend too much money, I
would leave my shoes in the wrong
place-- stuff like that. But our
house was really organized and the
kids are so fun-- will you meet
them?

ELIZABETH
I’d love to.

TOM
Billy is such a ham, and Cassidy is
beautiful and a real over-achiever,
and George-- he’s creative. But we
had a great family I thought. I was
shocked. Shocked. And then when I
found out with who.
 26.

His jaw tightens.

ELIZABETH
I imagine that was hard.

TOM
It was just so strange. I started
to feel like... I didn’t even know
Gracie. I didn’t know what was
going on in her head, you know? It
used to make me really angry but
I’m able to control it now.

ELIZABETH
How did you find out?

TOM
I found out with everyone else!
After they got caught in that
stupid stockroom, and she was
arrested. The police came to my
house to tell me. I was like... Uh,
what?

Not smart, she writes.

ELIZABETH
I’m so sorry, I can’t imagine.

TOM
It’s okay. Ultimately it was for
the best. I met Tina and we have
such a nice life now-- she’s a
nurse.

ELIZABETH
That’s great.

TOM
And I mean I don’t really see them
too much but her and the boy seem
happy too.

“The boy.”

TOM (CONT’D)
All’s well that ends well, I guess.

INT. HOSPITAL - X-RAY ROOM-- DAY

Joe puts that heavy blanket on an older man’s bare legs and
lines up the X-Ray machine.
 27.

MR. WOGENSEN
It’s cold.

JOE
I know, Mr. Wogensen. It’ll be over
before you know it, I promise.

He goes into the other room. Click, it goes white.

INT. HOSPITAL - X RAY ROOM-- LATER

Joe lines up different x-ray slides of lungs. Scary pictures

that he does not interpret, only takes.

INT. BRIDAL SHOP-- AFTERNOON

Gracie and Elizabeth sit on a plush bench in a sunny,

feminine store for women.

Mary comes out from behind the curtain wearing a modest white
dress with long sleeves and lace.

GRACIE
Isn’t that lovely!

ELIZABETH
Beautiful.

MARY
I feel like a bride.

GRACIE
You look youthful-- like the first
day of Spring.

MARY
I just feel like everyone else is
gonna be wearing like more summer-y
dresses.

GRACIE
And who cares about everyone else?

MARY
Me, I, am saying I don’t like it.

GRACIE
Fine. Go try on the others.

She goes back behind the curtain.

 28.

ELIZABETH
Will they not be wearing robes?

GRACIE
They’ll be wearing robes. It’s for
under the robe.

ELIZABETH
Does it have to be white?

GRACIE
No, I like white.

Elizabeth checks her phone. Mary comes back out in a white

sleeveless number. She looks happy.

ELIZABETH
So cute.

MARY
I love it.

She’s admiring herself in the mirror.

GRACIE
It’s lovely-- I love the fabric.

MARY
I like how it flows.

GRACIE
Mary, I really want to commend you.
For being so brave and showing your
arms like that. I really mean it,
that’s something I’ve always wished
I could do. Just not care about
these unrealistic standards. You’re
a modern woman.

Elizabeth looks really uncomfortable, Mary straining to

maintain her dignity.

MARY
I’m gonna try the other ones on...
I really like this one but I think
maybe it’s too similar to the one
Molly has.

GRACIE
Whatever you want.

She slinks off.

 29.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
I heard you saw Tom.

ELIZABETH
Yes, for coffee.

GRACIE
What’d you think?

ELIZABETH
Handsome.

GRACIE
He is.

ELIZABETH
And I could see how being in a
marriage with him could be
isolating.

Gracie snaps her head towards her in shock. And then she
smiles.

GRACIE
Good.
(beat)
It’s not my business who you talk
to around here, go through the
phone book for all I care, but let
me know ahead of time so I won’t
have to lie to my neighbors.

ELIZABETH
Understood.

GRACIE
It’s a small town.

Mary comes back out in a girlish baby-doll dress, sleeves to

the elbows.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
How sweet is that?

ELIZABETH
Really sweet.

MARY
You like it?

ELIZABETH
Very in.
 30.

Mary looks at herself in the mirror, was clearly just crying.

They all pretend.

INT. PET STORE-- DUSK

The bells chime as Elizabeth peeps her head in. The sun is
about to set on charming Main Street visible from the big
glass windows.

ELIZABETH
Hi.

MR. HENDERSON, 70s, looks flustered behind the counter.

Puppies and kittens whine and roll around in the front areas.

MR. HENDERSON
You must be Ms. Bryce.

ELIZABETH
Yes, so nice to meet you.

MR. HENDERSON
The pleasure is all mine. Do you
want to, um...

He motions like-- “play with the puppies?”

ELIZABETH
So tempting, but no I’d rather just
look around. If you want to show
me... how the pet store works?

INT. PET STORE-- CONTINUOUS

Mr. Henderson gives Elizabeth a tour. Tidying things as he

goes, trying to impress her.

Birds, Fish, Hamsters, Mice, Frogs, Lizards, Snakes. Some

skittish, some lethargic, but they all seem to look at her
like they know they’re in jail.

MR. HENDERSON
So this is the bulk of the
business.

He motions to the food aisle.

MR. HENDERSON (CONT’D)

Pets are only about 10% of sales.

ELIZABETH
How long have you owned this place?
 31.

MR. HENDERSON
It was my mother’s. She opened it
up in 1972.

ELIZABETH
And she hired Gracie.

MR. HENDERSON
Yes. Her health was in decline. And
Gracie had been a really loyal
customer, they opened a K-Mart in
Waterville.

Clearly a sore subject to this day.

MR. HENDERSON (CONT’D)

And Gracie-- have you met her dogs?

ELIZABETH
I have.

MR. HENDERSON
We don’t carry specialty breeds
like those-- usually we just have a
golden retriever, and a lab, and
something small and fluffy. But we
work with customers to find
breeders if they want something
specific, like Gracie.

A pause as she writes.

MR. HENDERSON (CONT’D)

Are you an animal lover, Ms. Bryce?

ELIZABETH
I grew up with cats.

MR. HENDERSON
Well that may kick in again for you
at some point, I’ve seen it a
million times.

ELIZABETH
We’ll see I guess. So, at what
point did Gracie start working
here?

MR. HENDERSON
It was after mother’s fall. That
was... 1995, October. First she was
just watching the store-- I wasn’t
living in town then.
(MORE)
 32.

MR. HENDERSON (CONT'D)

And then she took on more and more
responsibilities, balancing the
books, orders... She’s very
organized, we still use some of the
systems she put in place.

ELIZABETH
Like what?

MR. HENDERSON
Well like we have this.

He pulls out a huge dusty Rolodex.

MR. HENDERSON (CONT’D)

And instead of it being organized
by name it’s by date, so that we
can call, say...

He picks one out, so slowly.

MR. HENDERSON (CONT’D)

Mrs. Bundy, and remind her that
she’s almost out of bird feed, or
that her flea medication is up in a
month. That kind of thing.

ELIZABETH
Incredible.

She notices she’s about to run out of pages...

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
Did she have other co-workers?

MR. HENDERSON
No it was just her, the store
wasn’t open full time. And then in
the summer of ‘96 she asked if she
could hire a part-time helper for
minimum wage and mother said yes
and she put a little sign out that
said, “Help Wanted” and we were all
quite surprised to have been part
of then what had happened.

ELIZABETH
What was that like?

MR. HENDERSON
“Henderson Pets” was suddenly in
print in every major publication in
the country.
(MORE)
 33.

MR. HENDERSON (CONT'D)

Our friends, the O’Connor’s,
brought us back a tabloid newspaper
from Rome that even said it. We
have it in a scrapbook somewhere--
“Il negozio di animali Henderson.”

ELIZABETH
Bene.

MR. HENDERSON
But the journalists were
relentless. The photographers
swarmed right outside. Oh, I have--

He looks through a drawer and pulls out a photo of himself

twenty years younger screaming in the center of a huge mob of
media. “Henderson Pets” painted in the store window.

MR. HENDERSON (CONT’D)

That’s when I still had hair!

She stares at the image, really does seem to be moved.

MR. HENDERSON (CONT’D)

Well I supposed you want to see the
stockroom.

INT. STOCKROOM-- A BIT LATER

The door creaks open, and Mr. Henderson pulls the light on
with a draw string. The light bulb swings.

Elizabeth steps inside.

MR. HENDERSON
I don’t like to come back here
honestly. I’ll let you look around
if you don’t mind.

ELIZABETH
(barely noticing him)
Great.

He closes the door.

It’s pretty big. And grey. Dark wooden floors, no windows.

Some waist high shelves and a couple of aisles. Places to
hide, places to duck.

Elizabeth walks around the space with bated breath.

The darkest corner is almost pitch black, a narrow aisle of

fish tanks. They glow, and so do the creatures inside.
 34.

INT. BACK OF THE STOCKROOM-- CONTINUOUS

She turns the corner and sees a private area with A COUPLE OF
WOODEN STAIRS leading up to the furnace room.

On one side is a shelf of files and old leather books. On the

other is a REFRIGERATOR with clear glass doors.

Inside are frozen mice, barely alive crickets. Things that

tick with a tiny pulse. She runs her fingertip over the
glass.

She sits on the stairs. Then she lies back. Tries to get
comfortable. She puts one leg up on the book shelf. She
covers her own mouth as if someone else is doing it. As if
she’s about to scream with pleasure.

Then she sits up, and nods to herself, like, “Yeah, that
would do.”

INT. BUTTERFLY CAGES-- NIGHT

Progress has been made. The eggs have hatched and now the
bottoms of the cages are full of thick, green caterpillars of
various sizes.

They squirm on a bed of leaves and eat and eat to their

hearts content.

Their meaty bodies writhe around in a hedonist swell.

INT. ATHERTON-YU DEN-- NIGHT

Joe sits in a lounge chair watching the TV on low. “This Old

House” on PBS-- a show where really calm older men explain
how air conditioners work in extreme detail.

Upon closer inspection, he’s antsy. Can’t sit still, can’t

focus on the air conditioner.

He takes out his phone. It’s 9pm. Pretty late. Or is it?

Still prime time, no? Friends text other friends at all
times.

JOE
(texting)
Up to twenty-five so far, how about
you?

(...)
 35.

MICHELA
31 but I lost one tonight.

JOE
Oh no, I’m sorry.

MICHELA
I think it was the milkweed I
bought at Lowe’s-- they said it was
organic but I don’t trust them.

JOE
It’s crazy how untrustworthy they
are.

(...)

But then it disappears and nothing comes.

JOE (CONT’D)
How was your day?

MICHELA
Kind of shitty-- between that and
work.

JOE
What happened?

MICHELA
It’s just really stressful because
it’s peer review week and I feel
like I spend a lot of my day
managing my boss’s moods.

JOE
That’s hard. I know how that can
be.

MICHELA
But whatever, it’s fine. I’m home
now, gonna relax and take a bath.

Joe hesitates. Stares at the word “bath” as if it’s

pulsating.

JOE
I’m sorry you had a rough day.

MICHELA
That’s sweet of you.

JOE
I--
 36.

GRACIE (O.S.)
Joe where’s the step stool!

He jumps so far, drops his phone down the side of the chair.

JOE
One sec!

INT. KITCHEN-- A BIT LATER

Joe brings the step stool in. Gracie is in the middle of

making several layer cakes.

GRACIE
Where was it?

JOE
I hung some netting for the
caterpillars.

She takes the step stool and uses it to get down food
coloring and a variety of sprinkles from the tall-person
cabinet.

GRACIE
What are you gonna do with your
bugs when the Poversteins come
over?

JOE
I’ll figure it out.

He heads back to the den.

GRACIE
(calling after)
Don’t put them in our bedroom
again.

Now back to the cakes. Well, she never really broke her
stride or looked up at him to begin with.

She mixes dark red dye in with some batter. It ripples in a

hypnotic way.

She smears chocolate, watches a strawberry jam bubble on the

stove, whips cream.

All of the textures evoke a certain eroticism and she tastes

with her finger are she goes. But she doesn’t enjoy those
tastes, it’s scientific.
 37.

INT. LAKE STREET INN-- NIGHT

Elizabeth sits in bed her robe (one from home, obviously).

She takes a few puffs of her asthma INHALER, and opens an e-

mail that says “Joe - Pre-read Selects” and clicks a link.

It’s a casting website with auditions posted. About ten 13

YEAR OLD BOY ACTORS.

She starts to click through.

BOY ACTOR #1
Benny Kim, 5’4”, I’m 13 years old,
my date of birth is September 8th,
2006, and I’m with Coast to Coast.

He smiles as the camera pans up his tiny body.

ELIZABETH
2006, Jesus Christ.

The scene begins.

BOY ACTOR #1
Do you need help?

READER (O.S.)
That’d be great, Joe, thank you.

BOY ACTOR #1
What should I do?

READER (O.S.)
If you want to get the box of
pinkies from the back-- I’m feeding
the snakes.

BOY ACTOR #1
Live mice?

READER (O.S.)
They’ve been in the freezer so I
don’t think they feel anything.

BOY ACTOR #1
Cool.

He fake looks in a fake box.

BOY ACTOR #1 (CONT’D)

So small.
 38.

READER (O.S.)
They’re little babies.

BOY ACTOR #1
Where is their mom?

READER (O.S.)
In the mice tank with the other
grown ups.

She skips to the next boy.

BOY ACTOR #2
(super slick)
Hi everyone, my name is Tyler Ko,
I’m 5’6”, I’m 14 years old--

Skips to the next. We see a few. None of them feel like Joe.

INT. HOSPITAL - X RAY ROOM-- DAY

Elizabeth watches as Joe lines up a lot of slides of broken

arms. Even we can tell they’re broken.

It’s quiet and dark, besides the glow of the walls.

ELIZABETH
Is this a bad one?

JOE
Pretty average.

ELIZABETH
How’d he do it?

He checks a chart.

JOE
Skateboarding.

ELIZABETH
Ah.

JOE
It’s usually something like that.
Playing on the roof, falling from a
tree. A lot of times their friends
are filming it, so we sometimes add
that to the report for the doctor.

ELIZABETH
Can I see?
 39.

He shows her the file. There are pictures of a tiny boy. One
of him on the skateboard (a screen shot) and one of his
scratched up face).

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
He’s thirteen.

She puts her hand up to one of his on the wall. It’s so tiny
in comparison.

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
Are these true to scale?

JOE
Yeah.

ELIZABETH
So small.

JOE
I mean, skin adds a bit, but yeah.

She turns to face him. She stares into his eyes, neither say
anything for a beat.

ELIZABETH
It’s peaceful in here.

JOE
Very different than a movie set, I
would think.

ELIZABETH
That’s true. It’s not very peaceful
when I’m working usually. Except
right before we shoot and everyone
has to be very quiet and perfectly
still.

He just smiles. He seems very comfortable in silence.

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
Or backstage, when the play is
going on. It’s kind of like this.

JOE
You act in plays?

ELIZABETH
Sometimes. I should do it more.
It’s how I started.

JOE
I’ve seen your show.
 40.

ELIZABETH
Oh, god.

JOE
It’s very intense.

ELIZABETH
I’ve been very lucky to have it but
I wish no one ever watched it.

JOE
I saw one where you had to operate
on an elephant.

ELIZABETH
I’m so embarrassed, I’m gonna go
jump off the roof with those boys.

She covers her face sweetly with the chart. It’s easy to see
why she’s a movie star.

JOE
Was it a real elephant?

ELIZABETH
Part of the time it was, yes, her
name was Lola, she was very smart.
And then on the table it was like a
huge slab of silicone that they
filled with all kinds of disgusting
goo I had to get elbow-deep in.

JOE
That’s pretty gross.

ELIZABETH
It’s not as romantic as one would
think.

They hold each other’s eyes for a moment too long, in the
silence.

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
Thank you for taking me to work.

JOE
You think it helped?

ELIZABETH
I do. Because I can start to
feel... what it was like. A little
bit.
 41.

JOE
What what was like?

ELIZABETH
Sneaking around with you.

It’s too dark to tell, but he is definitely blushing.

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
I hope you don’t mind my saying so.

JOE
No. I don’t.

ELIZABETH
I’m glad.

A beat.

JOE
Do you think she’ll come off well?
In the movie?

ELIZABETH
I’m gonna do my best. I want the
audience to understand her. To see
what had been missing in her life,
and what a relief it was. To find
you.
(beat)
And I’ll smooth out any rough
edges.

JOE
Rough edges?

Uh oh.

ELIZABETH
I just meant. Sometimes, I’ve
found, she can be a little... Maybe
harsh is too strong a word--

JOE
I don’t see her that way at all.

ELIZABETH
And neither do I, that’s all I’m
saying. I want America to
reconsider all that they thought
they knew. And how badly they
treated her.
 42.

JOE
Right.

He puts the file in the wall pocket, opens the door, and
flips the little colored plastic switch on the frame.

JOE (CONT’D)
It’s kind of lunch time now.

She nods and leaves.

EXT. RHONDA’S HOUSE-- DAY

Gracie unloads her minivan in front of Rhonda’s sweet house.

RHONDA
Oh isn’t that lovely.

It’s a birthday cake for a young child. Sprinkles and spooky

creatures.

RHONDA (CONT’D)
He will love it! Look at these
little werewolves!

Gracie attempts to hide all pride. Only business.

GRACIE
There’s the full moon in the
middle. That’s lemon curd.

RHONDA
I love it!

GRACIE
And here’s your weekly coffee cake.

RHONDA
Mmm, Frank’ll be thrilled.

Rhonda hands her about $60 in cash.

RHONDA (CONT’D)
What are you doing now?

GRACIE
I still have a few more deliveries.

Rhonda looks around the empty street, steps closer.

RHONDA
(whisper)
How’s it going?
 43.

GRACIE
Just fine!

RHONDA
Good, good. Is she participating?

GRACIE
Why yes she is.

INT. DIVE BAR-- EARLY EVENING

Elizabeth sits down in the corner booth of a seemingly clam

chowder-themed establishment. It has some sloppy, mellow live
music playing.

Across from her is MORRIS SPERBER, 60s. He’s a lawyer--

criminal defense attorney. Short, sweet smile, the kind of
New York accent you don’t hear anymore.

MORRIS
I must say, you evoke her. You
really do.

ELIZABETH
Thank you.

She wipes away an old ketchup stain on her side of the table.

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
What specifically?

MORRIS
You just have a loveliness-- a
brightness. It seems like there’s
not an angry bone in your body.

She gives a big smile, but dead eyes.

ELIZABETH
That’s very sweet.

Elizabeth has graduated to a yellow notepad.

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
So when did you meet Gracie?

MORRIS
My wife and kids and I had just
moved up from New York. I had been
doing some pretty high-profile
cases, defending some pretty
despicable men, as it were.
(MORE)
 44.

MORRIS (CONT'D)
Sharon finally had had it, she said
I’m moving to Maine, feel free to
come with, I said fine. It was a
change of pace, and it is
beautiful.

He waits for her to agree.

ELIZABETH
It is.

MORRIS
Well it was funny really, because
for all the rapists and murderers,
blackmailers, frauds, hit men!
Never did I end up on the front
page of the New York Times. For
Gracie, I ended up on the front
page of the New York Times. Up in
slow Maine. It was very funny, in
that way.

He puts some oyster crackers in his soup.

MORRIS (CONT’D)
I get the call to go down to the
police station. It’s right after
dinner. And I walk in and sitting
there in this little flowery blouse
is Gracie, and I look around-- I
almost thought she was another
lawyer. I said, “I think I know
you.” She said, “My name is Gracie
Atherton, I’m your neighbor, I
brought you a blueberry pound
cake.” And of course it was. I had
moved into a house on her very
block, and she had brought us a
very wonderful pound cake, a few
weeks earlier. So I said, “What can
I help you with?” And that’s when
she told me.

ELIZABETH
How did she word it exactly?

MORRIS
She said, “I’ve been caught having
an affair.” And I said, Gracie,
forgive me, but that’s not illegal
in this country, and if it were a
lot of people would be in serious
trouble. It was then that she
started to cry.
(MORE)
 45.

MORRIS (CONT'D)
She said, “We’re in love. I didn’t
mean for it to happen, but we fell
in love.”

ELIZABETH
So she was in denial, you would
say?

MORRIS
She was... firm. Right from the
beginning she didn’t feel they had
done anything wrong, she was head
over heels, she trusted him
completely. She didn’t seem to
believe she may be going to prison,
she thought the judge would
understand if they just explained
it. It was a bit Romeo and Juliet,
a bit starry-eyed.

ELIZABETH
When did it sink in?

He takes a sip of his cream soda.

MORRIS
Does it seem like it’s sunk in now?

There’s a big crash of the drum cymbals over in the live

band. The LEAD SINGER is visibly drunk. 30s, blonde hair dyed
pastel colors, wearing a wife beater.

MORRIS (CONT’D)
(motioning to him)
Have you met Georgie yet?

ELIZABETH
That’s Georgie?

MORRIS
I had hoped things would turn out
better for him, he was a very sweet
boy. Very sensitive.

GEORGIE flings some Sprite onto his bandmate, who gets up and
leaves the set in the middle of covering “Landslide”.

Georgie scoffs, and his eyes suddenly snap into focus on

Elizabeth and Morris. He drops the microphone and walks right
over to them. (His drummer is left to sing, which to his
credit, he does).

GEORGIE
Well look what the cat dragged in.
 46.

MORRIS
Georgie, how are you? This is
Elizabeth Bryce.

GEORGIE
Oh I know who this is. I know
perfectly well.

He stumbles, pulls up a chair and sits on it backwards,

straddling. He taps his temple with his index finger, sizing
her up.

GEORGIE (CONT’D)
So how much are they paying you?

ELIZABETH
Excuse me?

GEORGIE
Is it a lot? Are they paying her?

ELIZABETH
It’s an independent film...

GEORGIE
Turn to the side?

She hesitates, but does it with contempt.

GEORGIE (CONT’D)
You’re prettier than her.

MORRIS
Well Georgie, we don’t mean to
interrupt your set--

GEORGIE
(to Elizabeth)
Look me in the eye and scream at me
how selfish I am.

This really cracks him up.

GEORGIE (CONT’D)
Then I’ll tell you how close a
match.

MORRIS
Let’s get the check.

ELIZABETH
I’m glad this happened, I’ve been
wanting to meet you.
 47.

GEORGIE
Oh really.

He twiddles his fingers.

GEORGIE (CONT’D)
What have you heard?

ELIZABETH
That you’re creative, and
sensitive, and sweet.

GEORGIE
They would say that wouldn’t they.

ELIZABETH
What are you then?

GEORGIE
I’m a phoenix rising from the
ashes, I’m a ghost.

He takes a little plastic cup of half & half and downs it

like a shot. And then, yuck, regrets it.

ELIZABETH
So tell me what you think I should
know.

GEORGIE
They’re both liars, and they
deserve each other.

ELIZABETH
What did they lie about?

GEORGIE
To me! They lied to me. He said,
“oh I can’t sleep over,” blah blah
blah. Or, “ugh, your mom’s so
tough, I have to work extra at the
shop.” And her! “Your friend seems
a little fast, I don’t want you
going to that party, I don’t want
you renting Mallrats” on and on--
and why not?? It was all fake, it
was just lies.

He grabs a bottle of beer from a waitress’s tray who’s

passing by. Gulps some.

GEORGIE (CONT’D)
Ugh, kind of still tastes like the
milk from before.
 48.

Morris motions for Elizabeth to let it go.

ELIZABETH
Do you remember when you found out?

GEORGIE
Of course I remember. Tommy sat me
down in my room. And I thought he
was lying to make me upset until I
went and found my dad and he said
it was true. He had slammed his
fist down on his desk so hard that
this part had split and was
bleeding.

He stares at the fold of skin under the pinky, when

clenching. His eyes struggle to focus a bit.

GEORGIE (CONT’D)
It was right before my birthday. We
forgot to cancel the party but only
one guy came anyway and we just
hung out in my room and ate so many
warheads that I threw up, and we
watched the portable TV until the
sun was almost up and I gave him a
handjob and then he never spoke to
me again.

A beat where no one knows what to say. And then his band
suddenly starts playing Leon Russell’s “Tight Rope” (a fun,
upbeat-sounding song that I think is about suicide).

GEORGIE (CONT’D)
Oh this is my favorite one, I gotta
go.

He rushes over to the stage like a rag doll.

GEORGIE (CONT’D)
(shouting back at them)
See you around, nice to meet you!

He grabs the mic from his drummer and picks up singing in the
middle of sentence.

GEORGIE (CONT’D)
(singing)
---tightwire! Linked by life and
the funeral pyre,
But the top hat on my head is all
you see...
 49.

MORRIS
Well, as you can see, the situation
is not without casualties.

ELIZABETH
Strange that him and Joe are the
same age.

Morris shrugs as he pays the bill.

MORRIS
A lot more people in this town feel
the way that he does, than the way
I do.

ELIZABETH
From what I’ve seen, she’s pretty
well-liked here.

MORRIS
She has a community that takes care
of her.

ELIZABETH
She seems busy with her business.

He hesitates.

MORRIS
You may want to check the names on
those orders. It’s a handful that
repeat over and over, my wife’s is
one of them.

ELIZABETH
People are just ordering things to
keep her busy?

MORRIS
It’s a kindness. How many pineapple
upside-down cakes could one family
need?

INT. JOE’S CAR-- DUSK

Joe sits in the front seat, about to run into the grocery
store.

MICHELA
(text)
Just found out I’ve got some time
off later in the year, I’m trying
to decide if I should go somewhere.
 50.

JOE
That’s exciting.

MICHELA
Where would you go?

JOE
I don’t even know, I haven’t gone
anywhere in a long time.

MICHELA
I was thinking maybe Mexico, to the
butterfly sanctuary in Piedra
Herrada.

She sends a picture-- so many orange butterflies line the

trees that they look like fall leaves.

JOE
Wow, I never knew this existed.

MICHELA
Amazing right??

JOE
Incredible.

(...) and then it disappears, and then reappears a few times.

MICHELA
Maybe we could make a trip of it.
Like a field trip.

He just stares at it. Then (...)

MICHELA (CONT’D)
Finally see where all these
butterflies we raise end up.

He still doesn’t write.

MICHELA (CONT’D)
I’m sure you’ve got your vacation
days allotted for family time
though. It was just an idea.

He puts his phone in his pocket and heads into the store.

INT. LAKE STREET INN BATHROOM-- DAY

Elizabeth puts her make-up on in the mirror, her phone

propped up on speaker. She’s on with her boyfriend AARON,
30s.
 51.

AARON (V.O.)
So the two of them basically
haven’t spoken since Nana’s
funeral, and Aunt Judy has just
gotten them both to agree to sit
down together!

She’s busy with precise eyeliner.

AARON (V.O.)
Hello?

ELIZABETH
Yes, that’s great!

AARON (V.O.)
Yeah it feels like a really big day
for the family. I’m so relieved.

She rolls her eyes really far back in her head.

ELIZABETH
(with a smile)
A huge relief!

AARON (V.O.)
How much longer do you think you’ll
be there?

ELIZABETH
I’m not sure, I’m getting a lot of
good work done.

AARON (V.O.)
What are you doing today?

ELIZABETH
Going to speak at the high school.

AARON (V.O.)
As you or as Gracie?

ELIZABETH
What? As me. How could I go speak
as Gracie?

AARON (V.O.)
Oh I don’t know, like method
acting.

ELIZABETH
No. Her daughter asked me.
 52.

AARON (V.O.)
Well stay away from the young boys.

ELIZABETH
Excuse me?

AARON (V.O.)
Because of your character.

ELIZABETH
I get it.

A beat.

AARON (V.O.)
You’re starting to sound like her.

ELIZABETH
I don’t think you know what she
sounds like at all.

AARON (V.O.)
Only what you’ve told me.

She mutes her side and screams towards it.

ELIZABETH
Well maybe I haven’t given you a
minute-to-minute report because it
wouldn’t really mean much to you
anyway because you’re a fucking
podiatrist!

Un-mutes.

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
No, you’re right, I’m sorry, I
think I’m just really in it right
now.

AARON (V.O.)
Totally. I know how that can be.

She makes a ridiculous face.

ELIZABETH
Thanks.

INT. HIGH SCHOOL-- DAY

In slow motion, Elizabeth walks down the crowded hallway of

lockers. It’s in between classes and there’s a lot of
movement.
 53.

The kids look so young.

Elizabeth locks eyes with a CONFIDENT FRESHMAN BOY as he

jumps to tap the door frame to impress her.

She gives him a little nod like she is impressed.

INT. BLACK BOX THEATER-- A BIT LATER

Elizabeth sits on a painted black cube next to drama teacher

MS. LABRIOLA, 40s, severe bob, chip on her shoulder. A co-ed
class of about twenty (including Mary) sit in the stands.

MS. LABRIOLA
This is the first time in my
experience, I’ve worked here twenty
years, that a Juilliard-educated
actor has sat in this theater. It’s
an incredible opportunity--
Cameron, quit it.

A kid named CAMERON stops fucking around.

MS. LABRIOLA (CONT’D)

Ask questions.

A DOPEY BOY, 16, raises his hand.

ELIZABETH
Yes.

DOPEY BOY
Have you acted in sex scenes?

MS. LABRIOLA
You’re staying late.

ELIZABETH
Yes, I have.

MS. LABRIOLA
You don’t have to--

ELIZABETH
No, it’s fine. I have, and it is a
strange part of acting.

DOPEY BOY
Like what?

His friends giggle. She really thinks about it.

 54.

ELIZABETH
It can vary. Sometimes it’s really
mechanical, choreographed like a
dance, where the only thing you can
really think about is where you’re
supposed to be and when. And other
times I’ve gone into kind of a
fugue state. I forget where I am, I
forget that I’m an actor, I forget
that I’m a person, really. Just
repetitive, hypnotic energy.

The boys have stopped giggling. A BLONDE GIRL raises her

hand.

BLONDE GIRL
How did you become famous?

ELIZABETH
Well, I’m not that famous. Like,
internationally my name doesn’t
mean that much, but, hmmm. Well I
trained, I learned a lot about
myself and others. And I got a job
right out of school. I think that’s
the unfair part, how much is
chance. I think because I was
pretty and went to Juilliard it was
easier for me to get that first
pilot. And then once you get one,
it’s easier to get the next, work
begets work. And I’ve seen it now
happen over and over with the young
pretty girl from Juilliard, or
Yale, or some interesting movie
star’s daughter, or even a writer’s
daughter. Just a short cut. “Who is
that?” “Oh she’s x, y, z.” Even you
Mary, “Oh she’s Gracie Atherton-
Yu’s daughter” that would be enough
to get your in some doors, but
you’d have to be really careful.
You’re not starting necessarily at
a fresh clean slate, there’s more
notoriety, you’d have to
overcompensate by making only
classy choices-- good directors,
FX, HBO, A24-- you know what I
mean?

DOPEY BOY
...What’s a pilot?
 55.

ELIZABETH
It’s the first episode of a TV show
that they usually don’t air.

DOPEY BOY
Why?

ELIZABETH
They like make the show to see if
it works.

DOPEY BOY
Why can’t they just read the script
and imagine it?

ELIZABETH
I’m not sure.

MARY
How do you choose your roles?

ELIZABETH
When I have the choice, I want to
play characters who are complex.

MARY
Do you always like them?

ELIZABETH
No.

INT. KITCHEN-- AFTERNOON

Gracie is in the middle of baking as the front door shuts

loudly.

The spaniels bark really loudly as they enter but then settle
down.

Mary clomps up the stairs, Elizabeth enters the kitchen, puts

her purse down.

ELIZABETH
Hello.

GRACIE
How was it?

ELIZABETH
I think it went well.

Mary’s door SLAMS from above.

 56.

GRACIE
Great.
(beat)
Why don’t you give me a hand?

ELIZABETH
I’d love to.

She throws her an apron.

GRACIE
Do you bake?

She grimaces.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
Okay, go get a stick of butter from
the fridge.

She does.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
Now heat up a cup of sugar over
medium in that thick pot, yes that
one. Stir it with that red spatula.

ELIZABETH
Just dry sugar?

GRACIE
(almost concerned)
It’ll melt.

It starts to.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
Just keep stirring.

It turn into an amber liquid.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
Ok this all happens quickly.

She hands her a whisk.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
Put the butter in and whisk
constantly.

They both peer over the pot to see caramel starting to form
and bubble.

ELIZABETH
Wow.
 57.

Gracie pours in some cream by sight. Elizabeth whisking

furiously.

GRACIE
It’s temperamental. You have to
keep an eye on it every second or
you could ruin it.

She adds a pinch of salt.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
Alright now pour it into this pan.

Elizabeth grabs for the hot handles.

ELIZABETH
Fuck!

GRACIE
Well, use the mitts...

She does. Gracie scraps out every last bit.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
Now line these up, and really do it
nicely, it matters how it looks.

Elizabeth places dark red cherries in the caramel. Gracie

mixes a batter and looks over Elizabeth’s shoulder.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
That’s very nice.

ELIZABETH
Thank you.

They work in silence for a bit, side by side.

GRACIE
This is my brother Bill’s favorite
cake.

ELIZABETH
Is it for him?

GRACIE
No, he’s in Minneapolis. He works
for the Twins.

ELIZABETH
Which twins?

GRACIE
It’s a professional baseball team.
 58.

ELIZABETH
Oh. Of course.

GRACIE
He played Varsity, and then college
ball and now he’s the assistant
pitching coach.

Elizabeth keeps lining up cherries.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
It’s pretty great.

ELIZABETH
Wonderful.

GRACIE
Growing up he was always really
protective of me, even though he
was younger. He was so big, in
stature. Any boys that got near me
he’d throw up against the locker
and say, “What are your
intentions!”

She laughs about this, lovingly.

ELIZABETH
What were their intentions?

Gracie gives her a side-eyed glance. She pours the batter in

pan over the cherries.

GRACIE
This way, once it’s baked we flip
it and the caramel and cherries are
on top. That’s why they call it an
upside-down cake.

Elizabeth watches her put the cake in the oven.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
You know Joe’s slept with more
women than I have men.

Elizabeth tidies up, tries not to look her in the eye, tries
not to spook her.

ELIZABETH
Is that right?

GRACIE
Nobody really seems to remember
that.
(MORE)
 59.

GRACIE (CONT'D)
But I had only slept with Tom
before Joe. He had slept with two
or three girls before me.

ELIZABETH
When he was in seventh grade?

GRACIE
Yes.

She mixes frosting for something else.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
He lead a very different kind of
life than I did. I was very
sheltered. My father had a lot of
rules. And there were a lot of
consequences for not obeying them.
Joe, he had a lot of responsibility
put on him very young. The oldest.
He grew up fast.

She holds out a spoon of light blue frosting.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
Does this look too blue? I don’t
like it when it looks artificial.

ELIZABETH
It’s a... subtle blue.

GRACIE
For the Aaberg’s baby shower.

ELIZABETH
How nice.

GRACIE
I wanted to show you something.

She hands her a poem, written by a child.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
Joe gave that to me, back then. I
just think it’s lovely.

ELIZABETH
“Peace is sitting by a lake in the
summertime,
Peace is a Coca Cola on a hot
summer day,
Peace is being with you.”
 60.

GRACIE
The assignment was “What is peace?”

INT. DEN-- AFTERNOON

Joe, home from work and in casual clothes, watches more “This
Old House” on PBS.

The curtains are drawn but room has that warm, sickly
afternoon glow.

On screen, TOMMY SILVA instructs a HOMEOWNER as she caulks

her bathroom tile.

TOMMY SILVA
Push it in there, there you go, put
your hand closer to the tip, keep
the gun level...

The woman’s hands move slowly along her bathtub, the sexual
connotations obvious (though not to Tommy, completely
innocent on his part, all my respect to Tommy Silva).

Joe seems hypnotized be the caulking.

GRACIE
Knock-knock.

Gracie and Elizabeth poke their heads into the den. It does
oddly look like he’s seeing double.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
Sweetie, I was hoping you could
clear your bugs out before Honor
comes home tomorrow. And then pick
up dinner, I’m swamped.

JOE
Sure.

ELIZABETH
I can help.

JOE
Sounds good.

TOMMY SILVA (O.S.)

Now that’s a caulking that will
stand the test of time.
 61.

INT. DINING NOOK-- A BIT LATER

Joe and Elizabeth stare into the mesh cages. His caterpillars
have gotten even plumper, wiggling around eating leaves.

JOE
They’re hungry this year.

He starts to carefully prepare them for a move into the den.

ELIZABETH
How long have you been doing this?

JOE
Four years I think.

ELIZABETH
What started it?

JOE
I saw an article on Facebook about
how the Monarch butterfly
population is dwindling
dramatically, and they mentioned
that people help raise them. I’m
not the only who does this-- Gracie
makes it seem that way, but all
over the country people are doing
this.

ELIZABETH
Do you send away for a kit or
something?

JOE
No you just keep your eyes open.
Look for the eggs, take them inside
and protect them, so they have a
chance to grow.

On this subject Joe lights up in a way we haven’t seen

before.

JOE (CONT’D)
We’ve actually made a significant
impact, the numbers are up by the
thousands.

ELIZABETH
Who’s we?
 62.

JOE
People like me. I’m part of a
Facebook group... I don’t know,
that sounds dorky when I say that.

ELIZABETH
Not at all.

JOE
It’s really active. We have almost
ten thousand members.
(beat)
My friend Michela, from the group,
she’s in Pittsburgh, she actually
told me to put these little wooden
sticks inside. They sort of act as
ladders, to help them along.

Elizabeth nods.

JOE (CONT’D)
Anyway, I know it’s boring.

ELIZABETH
No, I think it’s amazing.

Joe blushes, as he takes the cages to the next room.

EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD-- A BIT LATER

Late afternoon, the sun still bright. Joe and Elizabeth take
a walk through the neighborhood. Tall, old trees everywhere.
Flowers, blue sky. Historic houses. Basically no one on the
road.

ELIZABETH
This is a beautiful place to live.

JOE
Yeah, it’s been really nice.

ELIZABETH
Do you think you’ll stay here
forever?

JOE
I’m not sure. It’s the only place
I’ve ever lived.

ELIZABETH
Have you traveled?
 63.

JOE
I’ve been to Boston, I’ve been to
Portland... Other places in Maine.
My sisters live more inland. And
Gracie was in Warren, at the
prison.

He picks a leaf off a tree and tears it up, absentmindedly.

JOE (CONT’D)
I’d like to visit other places.
Korea, Mexico...

ELIZABETH
I went to Japan last year, it was
gorgeous.

He nods.

JOE
Where are you from?

ELIZABETH
Right outside San Francisco. It’s
very pretty like this, but bigger.
Not as much shrimp.

JOE
Right.

ELIZABETH
And then I lived in New York for
five years, and I’ve been in LA
since then. Except for some movies
on location for little chunks at a
time.

They walk along in agreeable silence.

JOE
What do you think of all this? Of
us. It’s hard to tell exactly.

ELIZABETH
I’m trying to approach this without
judgement. My only obligation is to
see and interpret what I believe to
be true.

JOE
And what’s true?
 64.

ELIZABETH
I think you have a nice family. I
think you’re both interesting
people.

JOE
What else?

ELIZABETH
I think that even if I can
understand her motivations, and her
perspective at the time... what she
did was wrong.

JOE
How can you say that?

ELIZABETH
You were really little.

He doesn’t seem upset, just tired.

JOE
It’s different in my memory.

ELIZABETH
Yeah.

JOE
I was a lot older than the kids
around me.

ELIZABETH
I’m sure you were.

JOE
And I wanted it.

That kind of just hangs there.

ELIZABETH
Yeah... I guess, just as your
friend, I would hope that you’ve
dealt with it. With the past. If
everything is great now, you’re
happy where you are, then that’s
all that matters. Mary’s great,
Honor seems to be thriving. I just
know from my own past how things
have a way of bubbling up.

JOE
I guess. I don’t know.
 65.

A tight, barely passable smile.

JOE (CONT’D)
Oh you may want to see this.

EXT. SWIMMING HOLE-- CONTINUOUS

Joe and Elizabeth trek through old trees to reveal a

beautiful, natural swimming hole with clear water. Surrounded
by plants and smooth rocks to sit on. A heaven. The sun
streams in a lovely way.

ELIZABETH
Holy shit. Is it safe?

JOE
Yeah, kids swim in it all the time.

She touches the water.

ELIZABETH
Should we dip our feet in?

JOE
Sure.

They giggle as they take their shoes off at how cute and dumb
it all is.

ELIZABETH
I love it here.

JOE
I do too.
(beat)
Gracie and I used to come here
sometimes that first summer.

Elizabeth looks around and seems to mentally note all the

places where one could have sex.

ELIZABETH
I don’t blame you.

She leans back, basking and stretching.

JOE
What did you mean before, about her
motivations?
 66.

ELIZABETH
I guess the way I see it, she
wasn’t getting what she needed at
home, she saw something she wanted,
so... she took it.

He looks at her, she’s almost completely silhouetted by the

sun.

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
You were both at a really sexually
heightened phases in life.

JOE
Is that right?

ELIZABETH
Women reach their sexual peak at
thirty-six. Did you really not know
that?

JOE
I didn’t.

ELIZABETH
I found that out in a People
Magazine from 1997, but I looked it
up to confirm.

JOE
Does it feel true?

She considers it.

ELIZABETH
Yeah.

They stare at each other, an energy between them.

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
Anyway, I just mean that I
understand some of it. It’s fun to
have a secret.

JOE
Do you have secrets?

ELIZABETH
Yeah, I have a secret.

JOE
What is it?
 67.

ELIZABETH
I can’t tell you, or else it
wouldn’t be one, would it?

She kicks a bit of water in his direction.

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
Do you have any?

JOE
Yeah.

INT. ATHERTON-YU HOUSE-- DUSK

Joe comes back into the house as the sun setting and can
immediately tell something is amiss. All the lights are off.
It’s silent.

He drops his head like, “fuck.”

INT. ATHERTON-YU BEDROOM-- A BIT LATER

From the doorway Joe can see Gracie silently weeping, laying
flat on the bed. The last light from the window making the
room feel pale blue.

JOE
What happened?

Silent weeping, stillness. Finally some sniffling, words

caught in her throat.

GRACIE
Joyce Mercer called and cancelled
her order, and all future orders.

He lets out an almost undetectable sigh of relief, sits on

the bed.

JOE
I’m sorry.

GRACIE
And I told her I had already made
it (!) and she said she’d pay for
this one but that she didn’t need
it, and they were leaving town.

JOE
Where are they going?
 68.

GRACIE
To visit her sick Aunt or something-
- it doesn’t matter! I wasted hours
that I could have used, and I just
feel stupid.

JOE
You couldn’t have known.

GRACIE
I know but... She had called me
yesterday and I didn’t call her
back.

JOE
It’s okay.

GRACIE
I just hate making mistakes.

JOE
I know.

GRACIE
And now I have this cake that’ll go
right in the garbage.

JOE
You don’t have to throw the cake in
the garbage.

She starts to slow down. Turns her head to face him but is
still lying down.

GRACIE
Where were you?

JOE
Oh I just took a walk, showed
Elizabeth the neighborhood.

GRACIE
Elizabeth.

He treads very carefully. Starts folding the clothes that

Gracie shed on her way to the bed.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
She’s getting on my last nerve.

JOE
Why?
 69.

GRACIE
She’s just everywhere I look. And
for what?

JOE
I don’t know. She’ll be gone soon.

She examines his face for something, but doesn’t find it. She
gives a last sob, wipes her tears, sits up. She looks so
tiny.

GRACIE
So do you want the cake?

INT. KITCHEN-- NIGHT

Gracie presents her cake to Joe. It’s pretty sizable, three

layers. Covered in frosting with mounds of shredded coconut.

She cuts him a big piece and smiles at him, expectantly.

He smiles back. He takes a big bite as she watches, chin on

her hands.

JOE
Mmmm, so good.

GRACIE
There’s a layer of butterscotch
cream inside.

JOE
I can definitely taste that.

It looks very sweet. They sit in silence as he chews and she

watches.

INT. LAKE STREET INN-- MORNING

Roberto, Italian film director, is on the phone with

Elizabeth, who is distracted and happens to be looking up the
Sex Offender Registry for Maine.

ELIZABETH
I’m telling you, it’s going great,
I think I’ll have all I’ll need by
next week.

ROBERTO (V.O.)
I’m very happy to hear this, but
you’re already over the amount of
days that we budgeted for.
 70.

ELIZABETH
(with a smile)
Well it sounds like the crew wrap
sweatshirts have just turned to
crew wrap mugs, doesn’t it?

They both laugh. She takes a few puffs of her inhaler.

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
I know you trust me, and I’m
confident that all of this is going
to enrich my performance, my sense
memories, my physicality--

She finds Gracie’s registry photo-- it looks like the ID for

a country club. A big, toothy, confident smile and a bow in
her hair.

ROBERTO (V.O.)
Ok, ok. I’ll tell Carlo. Now, did
you watch the “Joe” tapes?

ELIZABETH
I did.

ROBERTO (V.O.)
Wonderful.

ELIZABETH
Look, I’m sure they’ve seen a lot
of people, but have they covered
New York? Chicago? The kids I saw
were cute, but they just weren’t
like, sexy enough. He has this
certain quiet confidence, or
something.

A pause on the line.

ROBERTO (V.O.)
I think... you need to come home.

EXT. AIRPORT-- DAY

HONOR ATHERTON-YU, 22, runs up to the car with her rolly

suitcase. She has bleached hair, looks like she just pulled a
few all-nighters.

Mary bounds out of the car to hug her.

Joe looks on so happily as he loads her suitcases.

She hugs him.

 71.

JOE
I’ve missed you.

HONOR
I’ve missed you too.

INT. JOE’S CAR-- A BIT LATER

They have a beautiful drive through town and to their house.

The girls sit together in the backseat as Joe drives.

JOE
How’s the roommate?

HONOR
She’s fine, we got over it.

JOE
I knew you would.

HONOR
How’s mom?

JOE
Great. Busy.

Mary rolls her eyes and looks out the window. The girls hold
hands gently.

Mary starts to trace letters on the back of Honor’s hand. A

secret way to communicate. T-H-E, a gentle pat for a space. A-
C-T-R-E-S-S, space, I-S, space, A-N, space, A-S-S-H-O-- Honor
starts to laugh and nod like she gets it.

Joe watches them from the rearview mirror but doesn’t have a
guess.

INT. SEAFARER’S-- DUSK

Gracie, Joe, Honor, Mary and Elizabeth sit at a the corner

table of an upscale seafood restaurant. Outside the window is
the bay. It’s a busy night.

In front of each of them sits a giant, bright red lobster.

Side dishes of melted butter, rolls. The girls have Shirley
Temples, Joe has a beer, Gracie white wine, Elizabeth water.
They hold their glasses up, mid-toast.
 72.

GRACIE
I am so glad that Honor was done
with her finals in time to come
watch our little Mary walk across
that stage tomorrow. I couldn’t be
prouder of the both of you. And to
Joe.

She gives him a big (maybe a little theatrical) warm smile.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
The love of my life. To entering
this next phase of our life
together. But as our little girls
fly away from the nest, they know
they can always come home.

They all click glasses, and start cracking into the lobster.

Elizabeth struggles a bit.

ELIZABETH
How’s my technique?

HONOR
You don’t eat lobster in Hollywood?

ELIZABETH
It’s a rare treat. And never have I
seen ones this big, my goodness.

GRACIE
Crack its claw like this-- there
you go.

ELIZABETH
Delicious.

They eat (in a calm manner) but don’t talk to each other.

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
I read that lobster used to be food
for the poor before it became a
delicacy.

GRACIE
Is that right?

ELIZABETH
There was such an overabundance,
they fed them to prisoners.

She seems to have realized what she said right as the word
left her lips.
 73.

GRACIE
(smiling)
How interesting.

Elizabeth nods. Becomes quiet. Slowly, she starts to copy

Gracie’s movements. Posture.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
Honor, when we get back home I’ll
show you what your dad and I got
Mary for graduation.

HONOR
Is it a scale?

GRACIE
Excuse me?

HONOR
When I went to college you bought
me a scale.

Gracie’s ears pull back in her head.

GRACIE
That was just part of setting you
up at your school, you know
perfectly well that wasn’t your
graduation present.

HONOR
Well it came wrapped with a bow.

GRACIE
We got her a necklace! With her
birthstone on it, just like we got
you, although I see you’re not
wearing it.

Honor sucks her teeth.

Gracie eyes Elizabeth.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
Is this you trying to sit like me?

Completely caught.

ELIZABETH
What? No. I just--

GRACIE
How long does this usually take?
This method acting.
 74.

ELIZABETH
That’s not really what method
acting is--

GRACIE
And you. I got you that scale, like
I told you at the time, as a
tradition, because that’s what my
mother gave to me when I graduated
high school. And try going through
life without a scale!

An indignant scoff.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
See how that goes.

WAITRESS
How are we doing?

They all say, “Great, thank you so much” in a scattered

chorus.

INT. LADIES ROOM-- LATER

Elizabeth comes out of the stall to find Gracie washing her

hands. She goes to the next sink.

The bathroom has a very distinct color scheme and odd, formal
touches.

GRACIE
My brother, Mark, he still lives in
Richmond. He always says to keep
your expectations low and that way
you’ll never be disappointed. I
always forget that.

ELIZABETH
(with disdain)
How many brothers do you have?

GRACIE
Four. Two younger, two older.

Elizabeth dries her hands.

ELIZABETH
So what were your expectations?
 75.

GRACIE
That tonight would go well. That my
children would love me, that my
life would be perfect.

She pops open her lipstick and applies it in the mirror,

emotionless.

ELIZABETH
That’s a little naive.

GRACIE
I am naive. Always have been. In
some ways, it’s been a gift.

She smacks her lips together.

ELIZABETH
When you started the affair, do you
really mean to tell me you didn’t
know what would happen?

GRACIE
I knew I wasn’t supposed to because
of my husband. His age didn’t
factor into it.

She plops her things in her little purse and turns to leave.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
Our house is closer than the inn,
he’ll drop us off and then swing
back around for you.

The door closes behind her.

INT. JOE’S CAR-- NIGHT

Joe drives the empty streets with Elizabeth in the front.

Elizabeth coughs.

ELIZABETH
I think she’s had enough of my
being here.

JOE
Maybe.

ELIZABETH
I don’t blame her, I guess.

More coughing.
 76.

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
Ugh, the air feels different here.

JOE
Yeah, it’s clean.

ELIZABETH
Sometimes I think it’s the
different pollen, or something.

JOE
Are you asthmatic?

ELIZABETH
Yeah.

She takes out her inhaler and puffs.

JOE
My little sister is too.

She tips her inhaler to him like a top hat.

ELIZABETH
It’s been bad today.

JOE
Do you have a nebulizer up there?

ELIZABETH
You really do know about asthma.
Yeah I think I’m gonna do that now
actually.

He pulls up to the Inn. A big tree hangs overhead. It’s very

end-of-the-date.

JOE
Do you need help?

ELIZABETH
Do you mind?

JOE
No, not at all.

INT. LAKE STREET INN-- A BIT LATER

Joe enters Elizabeth’s room stiffly. She immediately goes to

set up her asthma breathing machine (rinsing tubes, getting
out little plastic vials of liquid).
 77.

JOE
This is a nice room.

ELIZABETH
Isn’t it?

They sit together on the floor. She drops the chemicals in

and turns the machine on. It hums loudly and a chemical steam
starts to come out the little mouthpiece, which she inhales.
Her words are a bit muffled.

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
This is funny. You’re one of very
few people I’ve nebulized in front
of.

JOE
They haven’t changed this machine
since the 80’s.

ELIZABETH
I know. Thank you for helping me, I
get a little shaky afterwards.

JOE
What?

ELIZABETH
(taking away mouthpiece)
I get a little shaky usually.

JOE
Oh, yeah, of course. My sister had
this so bad, thankfully she’s
mainly grown out of it. But I
remember when she was really little
she’d sometimes wake me up in the
middle of the night she would be
wheezing so much, it sounded like a
duck or something. It was scary.

ELIZABETH
Where were your parents?

JOE
They usually woke up before the sun
came up and would be working. I got
my sisters and I ready for school
most days.

ELIZABETH
How old were you?

He sighs, thinking about it.

 78.

JOE
Maybe nine? Something like that.
And they were six and four. That
sounds right.

She takes the mouthpiece away, chemical vapor pours out of

her mouth like smoke.

ELIZABETH
You’ve always had so many
responsibilities.

JOE
Yeah. But it’s okay.

She puts her hand on his and keeps breathing. He stares at

her.

JOE (CONT’D)
I wanted to give you something.

He hands her a tattered letter in a pink envelope. Several

handwritten pages in feminine cursive.

JOE (CONT’D)
It’s the only one I could save.

We can see bits of it:

“My love...”

“I think about you all the time...”

“Please burn this, you know what could happen to me...”

“I think I’ve lost track of where the line is...”

ELIZABETH
She knew what she was doing was
wrong.

He chews on his thumb.

She turns the machine off. It’s suddenly so quiet. She gets
closer to him.

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
You are so young. Believe me. You
could start over.

JOE
If I left she would fall apart.
 79.

ELIZABETH
You can’t give everything to her.
She’s taken a lot already.

She holds his hands in hers.

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
And honestly, she’ll find someone
to do keep her pieces in place,
people like that always do.

JOE
What am I supposed to do? Where
would I even go?

ELIZABETH
You can go anywhere.

JOE
You don’t know what it’s like.

ELIZABETH
Some of my friends are just now
deciding what they want to do.

JOE
But the people you’re around...
It’s just different. You’re so much
more together, you have
opportunities.

ELIZABETH
Me? I’m a mess.

JOE
You seem... Perfect.

She laughs. Holds up her shaking hands from the Albuterol.

ELIZABETH
I’m not.

JOE
You’re a movie star.

ELIZABETH
Ugh, barely.

JOE
You’re beautiful, you’re talented.

ELIZABETH
You’re really kind to say those
things.
 80.

JOE
How do you not see that?

ELIZABETH
I feel like... I keep trying to
build a house on quicksand. And
even though I know it’ll sink, you
think, well one of these days all
the houses will have stacked up on
top of each other and hit the
bottom. Then, maybe.

Without warning, he kisses her. They look at each other and

she kisses him back.

She leans onto the floor as he climbs on top of her. It’s

hurried and passionate.

Her position mimics the one on the pet shop stockroom stairs.

ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
Wait, once second.

She grabs a condom from her suitcase on the floor next to

them.

They fumble with it.

JOE
I’ve never actually used one of
these before.

She laughs, but then a second later when his head is buried
in her hair she makes an expression like, “what the fuck.”

It doesn’t last long but there’s force. The tension between

them finally breaking. If she’s acting we can’t tell.

He gets up and goes to the bathroom. Not embarrassed, not

cold.

Once out of sight she scrambles to get her notebook, quickly

writes:

Loving, eye contact. Solid, strong. Smells like black pepper--

JOE (CONT’D)
Should we get in the bed?

ELIZABETH
That’s a great idea.

She slides the book aside and gets into bed with him. Lies
her head on his bare chest.
 81.

JOE
That was crazy.

She traces her fingers over his skin.

ELIZABETH
I know.

JOE
How’s your breathing?

ELIZABETH
It’s good, thank you.

The trees outside the window sway in a comforting way.

JOE
How much longer do you think you’ll
stay?

ELIZABETH
Probably just until Sunday. I’ve
been pushing it.

JOE
Oh. Then were do you go?

ELIZABETH
I’ll go back to LA for a few weeks,
and then we shoot this in Atlanta,
yuck, and then I’ve got a little
time before my show goes back in
Vancouver. Thinking I may go
somewhere with my boyfriend.

JOE
You have a boyfriend?

ELIZABETH
Yeah. You have a wife.

JOE
Yeah, I know.

He picks at his nail.

JOE (CONT’D)
Where do you think you’ll go?

ELIZABETH
I’m not sure, maybe Portugal. Maybe
South Korea, actually. My friend’s
been working at a design studio
there.
 82.

JOE
Wow.

He seems to be sinking, where she is perfectly at ease.

ELIZABETH
You know, if you do decide to leave
Gracie, it would kind of be smart
to wait until a time where it would
really resonate.

JOE
What do you mean?

ELIZABETH
Like right before the movie comes
out, or if it premieres at a
festival. Like you could time it
with something.

He sits up suddenly, she falls off his chest in the process.

JOE
I can’t tell if you’re joking.

ELIZABETH
Jesus, it was just a thought, you
don’t have to get to hysterical.

JOE
Do you even like me?

She rolls her eyes big time.

ELIZABETH
Calm down.

She gets a vape pen from her side table.

JOE
What kind of asthmatic are you?

ELIZABETH
It’s just CBD, it’s fine.

JOE
I feel like I don’t know you all of
a sudden.

ELIZABETH
I mean... you don’t...? But it’s
okay. Really. Everything’s fine.
 83.

JOE
Why did I do this?

He sits on the edge of the bed, stares at the nebulizer on

the floor. She crawls up next to him, puts her lovely
manicured hand on his leg.

ELIZABETH
If you want my honest opinion, I
think you’re trying to blow up your
life.

JOE
I’m not.

ELIZABETH
And I don’t think anyone would
blame you.

JOE
That’s a rotten thing to say.

ELIZABETH
It’s true. She’s a lot, and she
took advantage of you, and she’s
still taking advantage of you.

JOE
Stop!

She stacks her pillows to a sitting position.

ELIZABETH
Alright, you know what? Go play
with your bugs.

“Your bugs.” He just stares at her as she takes out her phone
and scrolls.

He dresses quickly.

JOE
I thought you were very different
from this.

ELIZABETH
Yeah, well, I’m an actress.

He leaves. The pink envelope with the letter inside still

sits on floor.
 84.

INT. ATHERTON-YU BEDROOM-- LATER

It’s the middle of the night. Joe has showered and is sitting
in the rocking chair of their dark room, watching Gracie
sleep.

She’s lying on her back, occasionally wincing from some

dream.

Suddenly she snorts awake. Sees him in the corner.

GRACIE
You’re lucky I’m not jumpy.

JOE
I’m sorry.

GRACIE
What happened?

She turns the lamp on.

JOE
I’ve just been thinking.

She adjusts her pillows and sits up in bed, the same as

Elizabeth earlier.

GRACIE
Okay.

JOE
I think there are a lot of things
that we haven’t talked about in a
long time. Maybe ever.

GRACIE
What kind of things?

JOE
Things about our relationship. How
it started.

Gracie starts to tense up.

GRACIE
Well I’m not gonna cross examine
you, say what you want to say.

JOE
I’ve just been remembering things,
feeling strange, and creeped out.

He’s struggling for composure.

 85.

GRACIE
What brought this on?

JOE
What does it matter?

GRACIE
Is it the actress? Did she say
something?

JOE
No. I don’t see what difference it
makes, it’s how I’m feeling.

GRACIE
Come sit by me.

He does. On the edge of the bed as she’s still inside it. She
rubs his back. It’s very “Mom I had a bad dream.”

GRACIE (CONT’D)
Now what’s making you feel creeped
out?

JOE
Just, that what if... What if I
wasn’t ready to be making any of
those decisions and I’ve just stuck
to them because of the girls, and
because I was too... scared, of
what it would mean if I didn’t.

GRACIE
I don’t understand what you’re
saying.

JOE
I’m saying what if I was too young.

She sits up straight.

GRACIE
You seduced me.

He just stares at her. Her formal nightgown, her sleeping

headband.

JOE
I was thirteen years old.

GRACIE
Don’t give me that.
 86.

JOE
But I was.

GRACIE
You weren’t a typical thirteen year
old, you know that.

JOE
Maybe not, but...

He shakes his head, confused, trying to work it all out. She

rubs his back again.

GRACIE
(soothing)
I think because of this movie, it’s
drudging up old stuff, you’re
hearing voices that aren’t yours
and it’s feeling confusing.

JOE
It’s not that! It’s not about the
fucking movie.

She whips her arms away and crosses them.

GRACIE
Language.

JOE
I am your husband, we are in our
bedroom, I am allowed to curse in
here.

GRACIE
Oh really. You know I’ve been very
sympathetic but you’re starting to
upset me.

JOE
You have not been sympathetic. Not
for a second. You’re not listening
to me, you’re not understanding.
Why can’t we talk about it? If
we’re really as in love as we say,
if we have that... rare connection--
shouldn’t I be able to talk about
this with you?

GRACIE
“If we’re really as in love as we
say”?
 87.

JOE
You know what I mean! Gracie. I’m
begging you. I’m feeling lost. I
need you to help me. Please.

Her arms stay firmly crossed and she looks past him at the
wall.

GRACIE
“If we’re really as in love as we
say”...

Shaking her head. He holds out for a moment but then gives
up, hunches over. Looks to the floor.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
I’m taking a shower.

She brushes past him, but pauses at the bathroom door.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
And on Graduation.

She leaves. He lies down in their bed with his clothes on.
Sick.

INT. LAKE STREET INN-- NIGHT

Elizabeth looks at herself deeply in the mirror. She seems

different. The pink envelope and letter sit on the chest in
front of her, already read.

Her voice has changed, her rhythm. The look in her eye.

She feels like Gracie. Not a cutesy impression, but something

real, almost as if channeling.

ELIZABETH
My love. After you left tonight I
thought about the kind of life we
could have if things were
different. If I had been born
later, or you long ago. But who
knows what we’d be like then, or
where? Or what tragedies we’d have
had to faced, or what bad luck
along the way. This isn’t ever what
I would have wanted, but I’m so
grateful that our paths have lead
us to this road, no matter what the
cost. I think about you all the
time. And the feeling that I get
when we look each other in the eye.
(MORE)
 88.

ELIZABETH (CONT'D)
Do you feel that too? I know that
you don’t have much to compare it
to (except those girls at your
cousin’s barbecue haha) but let me
assure you that it’s rare. I’ve
gone my whole life without it, and
now that I’ve found it, I can’t
imagine going back. And pretending.
Sometimes I wish we hadn’t met. Or,
you hadn’t gotten a job at the pet
shop at least. Because I know that
our lives will be forever changed
because of this, no matter how it
turns out. I know that my husband
and my children, oh God... This
will affect them too. My hope is
that we can keep our secrets until
at least there’s no danger from the
law. Maybe by then I’ll have enough
time to end things cleanly, and
make sure my children know that I
love them. Maybe by then we’ll have
figured out what to say. When this
first started, I didn’t know what
to think. I knew we had crossed a
line, and I felt in my heart we
would cross it again. But now, I
think I’ve lost track of where the
line is. Who even draws these
lines? All I know is that I love
you, and you love me. And you gave
me so much pleasure tonight. I hope
I did the same for you. I’ll see
you on Saturday. Please burn this,
you know what could happen to me if
it were ever found. Good luck on
your Algebra quiz. Your Gracie.

Damn she really did go to Juilliard.

INT. MESH CAGES-- DAWN

The sun is just rising out the window. A few dozen

chrysalides (green pods with butterflies inside) hang from
the tops of the white fabric cages. Each has a delicate rim
of glowing, metallic gold.

We focus on one in the corner, who’s the furthest along.

Gracie gets ready in the background, we can’t see what she’s

doing but she moves from room to room, packing things.
 89.

The chrysalis starts to move. From the bottom, a nudging, as

slowly a monarch butterfly nibbles his way out, leaving the
clear shell behind him like dead skin.

EXT. BACKYARD-- A BIT LATER

We see now that Gracie was preparing to hunt. She’s in full

gear, and holds a rifle.

The sun is still low in the sky, and she heads out into the
woods behind their home.

She whistles and her large spaniels follow her.

INT. ATHERTON-YU BEDROOM-- MORNING

Joe wakes up suddenly, surprised how bright it is. It’s a few

hours later and the room feels yellow and hot. He’s still in
his clothes, on top of the blankets. Gracie is gone.

He sits up and sighs, takes it in.

INT. KITCHEN-- A BIT LATER

Joe makes breakfast for four but he’s the only one there so
far. As he brings the plates to the table he notices movement
in his butterfly nook.

INT. DINING NOOK-- CONTINUOUS

The one hatched butterfly flitters around the green pods. Joe
bends down to meet him.

JOE
Oh, hi.

He unzips the cage, and puts his finger inside. The butterfly
hops on.

INT. KITCHEN-- CONTINUOUS

Joe walks slowly with the butterfly perched on his hand. He

goes over to the window and carefully opens it.

He reaches his hand outside, feels the wind.

JOE
Good luck.
 90.

It flies away. Simple as that.

MARY (O.S.)
Hey.

Mary’s in the doorway in the sweet, but childish, white

dress.

JOE
Wow, you look so great.

MARY
Thanks.

JOE
Are you hungry?

MARY
No.

She sees the plates of pancakes.

MARY (CONT’D)
Maybe coffee?

JOE
Coffee. That’s new.

She shrugs, he gives her a mug.

MARY
When are we gonna leave?

He thinks about it.

JOE
Uh, we... We’ll leave in twenty
minutes. I’ll just run up and get
changed. Is your sister up?

MARY
Yeah. Mom’s gonna hate her dress.

Joe laughs.

MARY (CONT’D)
Where is mom?

JOE
I don’t know honestly, but there’s
no doubt in my mind that she’ll be
there. I bet she went to the
hairdresser.
 91.

EXT. THE WOODS-- DAY

Gracie holds up her rifle, ready to shoot. Her dogs stand at

attention.

She’s making direct eye contact with an incredibly still

BEARDED WILD TURKEY.

He’s VERY fancy-- haloed by golden tail feathers, with a fat

chocolate body, a bright blue head, and an impressive crimson
wattle.

He looks like a mythical god of the land, and stands proudly

as such.

But Gracie, too, stands proudly. And then she pulls the
trigger and shoots him in the head.

EXT. FOOTBALL FIELD-- DAY

A clear blue sky silhouettes the handsome face of actor

PATRICK DEMPSEY, 53. He smiles that crooked smile we can all
picture, and scans the horizon with his sapphire eyes.

PATRICK DEMPSEY
Today is a day of hope.

He speaks into a microphone, on a podium, at this high school

graduation.

PATRICK DEMPSEY (CONT’D)

As a proud Mainer, born and raised,
I was honored to get the call to
come and speak with you today.

Mary and her classmates wear robes and hats the color of
blood. It pops against the sky in a way that’s so pretty it
almost makes your eyes hurt.

The crowd is placid.

In the very back row sits Elizabeth, Gracie and Joe. All
wearing dark sunglasses, all looking tired. They stand out.

PATRICK DEMPSEY (CONT’D)

As some of you may know, in
addition to acting, I have spent
the last ten years racing cars. And
I wanted to share with you some
lessons that I’ve learned from
doing that.

As he speaks we focus on the three of them.

 92.

PATRICK DEMPSEY (CONT’D)

When you’re driving, as I’m sure
you’ve all learned to do by now,
it’s important not only to focus on
what’s directly on the road in
front of you. But then again, as
many of us do, it’s easy to get
caught up in what’s way down the
line. What we can’t even see yet.
Well I’m here to tell you that the
key to a successful life is to find
a balance in the middle. If you’re
too busy thinking long term, you’ll
miss the important things along the
way. And if you get caught up in
all the little details right in
front of you, you’ll have no idea
where you’re going. You have to
find the middle ground, of the far
and the near. This isn’t easy to
do, it took me years to figure it
out. It may take you that long too.

He bows his head.

DOPEY BOY
(calling out)
McDreamy!

PATRICK DEMPSEY
Yes, that’s right. To the Class of
2019 of Camden High School in the
great state of Maine-- may you
drive safely and enjoy the ride.

The crowd gives him a standing ovation which he humbly

accepts.

GRACIE
Do you know him?

ELIZABETH
Yeah.

They sit back down.

EXT. FOOTBALL FIELD-- A BIT LATER

The kids walk across the stage as their names are called.
Mary waves to Joe, they all cheer.

The class throws their red-orange hats into the air! There
are so many of them, a swarm.
 93.

EXT. FOOTBALL FIELD-- A BIT LATER

It’s over and everyone is excitedly milling about.

Mary hugs Honor and then she runs off with Molly and Sofia.
Honor wears a short halter dress with a frayed hem.

Tom, Georgie, and Gracie’s other two adult children (BILLY,

40, and CASSIDY, 38) walk reluctantly over.

Before they get there, Joe ducks away.

CASSIDY
Mom.

GRACIE
Wasn’t that great?

Gracie hugs them, shakes Tom’s hand.

TOM
(to Elizabeth)
Nice to see you again.

ELIZABETH
You as well.

GRACIE
What are y’all doing today?

TOM
Having a barbecue. How about you?

GRACIE
Also having a barbecue.

CASSIDY
Mary looked beautiful up there.

GRACIE
Thank you.

None of them look happy. Georgie, hungover and with bold

fashion choices, has not looked at Gracie at all.

GEORGIE
Alright, enough of this, I can’t.

He turns around and walks away.

TOM
Sorry about that.
 94.

GRACIE
There are a lot of people to see
today.

She shakes hands goodbye with the rest of her old family.

EXT. FOOTBALL FIELD-- A BIT LATER

In a shadier area under some trees Joe sits with his father
JOE SR., 70. He drinks from a little plastic cup of water
that people have been passing out.

JOE
Did you like Patrick Dempsey’s
speech?

JOE SR.
I did. I didn’t recognize him.

JOE
I didn’t realize he was from Maine.

Joe Sr. nods, contemplatively.

JOE (CONT’D)
Pretty amazing. That Mary’s off to
college.

JOE SR.
It is.

JOE
Two adult kids.

JOE SR.
Yes.

There’s a nice breeze.

JOE
Dad, did you suspect anything? At
the time.

JOE SR.
Yeah.

JOE
Did mom?

JOE SR.
No, your mother thought I was
paranoid.
 95.

He shrugs like, “We sure showed her.”

JOE
Why didn’t you do anything?

JOE SR.
What was there to do?

JOE
Maybe, you could have talked to me
about it.

JOE SR.
Maybe.

JOE
Even after, I don’t really remember
talking with you about it.

JOE SR.
We were very busy. You, your
sisters, and then a new baby in the
house.

JOE
Yeah.

Rhonda comes over with her pitcher.

RHONDA
Would you like some more water Mr.
Yu?

JOE SR.
Thank you.

RHONDA
Summer has arrived.

JOE SR.
It has.

She scoots over to others.

JOE
But did you ever worry about me?

JOE SR.
About what?

JOE
That was I too young. That I would
be damaged.
 96.

Joe Sr. thinks about it.

JOE SR.
When I was growing up there was a
lot to worry about. So much
destruction. It’s hard to look back
on, but I can still feel it. I
wanted your life to feel like fresh
air. To not burden you with worry
and fears. You seemed happy. I’m
sorry if that wasn’t the right
thing to do.

Joe holds his hand.

JOE
It’s okay.

JOE SR.
Okay.

They watch a family take a group picture. Smiles all around.

INT. FOOTBALL FIELD-- A BIT LATER

Elizabeth and Gracie stand next to each other but both scan
the crowd. Honor sits on one of the folding chairs behind
them, on her phone.

It’s clear that a lot of people are whispering about Gracie.

Little whispers, points, glances. Elizabeth sees it too.

Gracie holds her head high behind her dark round glasses.
Ignores it all.

GRACIE
Are you leaving tomorrow?

ELIZABETH
Yes.

GRACIE
Good.

She nods. Surveys the land like an army general.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
Insecure people are dangerous. They
will do just about anything.

Elizabeth watches her but she doesn’t look back.

 97.

GRACIE (CONT’D)
I am secure. Make sure you put that
in there.

ELIZABETH
I will.

Gracie gives one last nod and marches into the crowd, her
tiny body lost immediately.

Elizabeth sits next to Honor in the empty stands.

HONOR
Hi.

She still has her phone out. Is very blasé.

ELIZABETH
Hey.

HONOR
So this is really just the
beginning for you, huh.

ELIZABETH
I guess so. We start shooting in
two weeks.

HONOR
I really wish they weren’t making
this movie.

ELIZABETH
Sorry.

HONOR
I mean, it’s more people than just
you I would think.

ELIZABETH
That’s true.

HONOR
And all the people that would want
to see it. They’re part of it too.

ELIZABETH
But maybe you’ll feel like the it
had something to say. That we
captured... the truth.

Honor laughs.
 98.

HONOR
Doubt it.

ELIZABETH
He’s a really good director.

HONOR
I just think it’s too complicated,
to really “get”-- my mom is...
really complicated. Maybe for like
a TV show, where you have a lot of
hours. Or a novel, really. I guess
I just see a movie being really
bad. Like one of those things that
comes out and you can tell
everyone’s wearing a wig and you’re
like ugh, no thanks. You know?

She looks her right in the eye. Smiles. There’s a resemblance

to Gracie that clicks in that moment.

ELIZABETH
Yeah. I know.

EXT. HIGH SCHOOL-- A BIT LATER

Joe waits for his father to come out of the men’s room. He
takes out his phone.

He pulls up the thread with Michela, scrolls through. Since

asking him to go to Mexico she’s written a few times-- “Are
you okay?” “I’m so embarrassed that I said that” etc. He
hasn’t responded.

JOE
(texting)
Hey.

He sends it immediately. An act of bravery, no going back.

JOE (CONT’D)
I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you
before, it’s been really hectic
over here and I’ve been thinking a
lot.

He takes a deep breath.

JOE (CONT’D)
Let’s go to Mexico.

(...)
 99.

Before he even sees her response, he smiles.

INT. SOUNDSTAGE-- DAY OR NIGHT (*CREDITS*)

As if watching dailies, we see the following scene over and

over. Raw, with the clapper and fuck-ups.

The set is an exact replica of the pet shop stockroom.

Elizabeth, as Gracie, sits next to a YOUNG ACTOR, as Joe.

The costumes are a little broad. Gracie holds a striking,

medium-sized snake.

ROBERTO (O.S.)
Action!

“GRACIE”
Are you scared?

“JOE”
No.

“GRACIE”
It’s okay to be scared.

“JOE”
I’m not.

“GRACIE”
She won’t bite.

“JOE”
How do you know?

“GRACIE”
She’s just not that kind of snake.

He takes the snake from her, their hands intertwined.

ROBERTO (O.S.)
Still rolling, take it from the
top.

And they do. Over and over and over.

ELIZABETH
(out of character)
Honestly, do we not have it? I’m
hitting my limit.
 100.

ROBERTO (O.S.)
One more time, I promise. It’s
almost perfect.

THE END