Concerning the heat death of the universe, among other things
Working screenplay: Updated 11/16/18
by Jeff Kesterson
jeff@cafenoir.co
952-452-4471
OPENING CREDITS MONTAGE — “THE SUN RISING” BY HÆLOS
- Total solar eclipse, with prominent corona, burning into the frame for the opening seconds.
- A Mars-colony-style interior. A young man and woman reclining together stir from sleep, as solar light begins pouring brilliantly in through a window. They stare intensely at it for a moment, gathering their bearings.
- Cut to a lunar-esque exterior of that same location. They scramble outside hurriedly, wearing breathing masks, and stare transfixed at the sky. We don’t see their POV, but rather remain tightly on their faces, on their expressions of utter awe intermingled with quickly dawning distress.
- At the 0:30 mark in the song, they scramble back inside, frantically on the radio, digging through supplies, loading up gear. We catch intercut images of a command center, elsewhere, as a growing team of people chaotically jump into action, set off alarms, fuel rover vehicles, grab supplies, load into those vehicles, hit the “road.”
- At the 1:28 mark, the rover vehicles are just cresting a hill, over which the sun comes into view, and we finally get our first direct look at the unfolding situation: Huge fiery swaths of matter and energy are leeching rapidly from the star, spiraling toward a dark hidden object in orbit. We remain fixed on this wide view of the sky for several moments, then cut to the stunned faces of the spectators.
- At the 1:57 mark, the news has spread back to the wider community of the planet’s inhabitants, under their giant protective translucent dome, and exterior sirens begin blaring. The streets fill with a broiling sea of bodies and objects, as if World War III has just arrived unannounced. We survey and cut from pocket to pocket of frantic activity.
- At the 2:35 mark, we cut back once more to images of the dying star. Ghostly, almost slow-motion closeups of particles rushing inexorably toward an unseen target.
- At the 3:05 mark, we’re back to the panic in the streets, and we drift from scene to scene, as the solar light begins to fade and artificial light from the overhead city lamps rushes in to replace it.
- We continue to cut between various scenes of chaos, and eerily slow, rhythmic images of the star’s death dance. Fade gradually to permanent night, as the song fades to close.
INT. BEDROOM — NIGHT
A young man (same as in the opening moments of the film)
————-Gap in screenplay————
The opening chords of “Be True [Burial Remix]” by Commix fade in. As “Be True” plays through and then begins to fade near its end, it suddenly and jarringly gives way to the closing moments of “Endorphin” by Burial.
MONTAGE SEQUENCE AS “BE TRUE – ENDORPHIN” PLAYS:
- A small halo from the exterior floodlights of their ship illumines the ground on which it sits, a tiny island of warmth in an otherwise immense sea of black. As the ship rises gradually and gracefully from the planet, the light it’s sharing with the ground rapidly recedes from the surface, and finally the exterior floodlights are snuffed out. We then immediately cut to the interior of the ship and the soft cabin light within.
- They finish charting their course with the cabin instruments, then stare expressionless out into the void.
- Cut to them eating silently, exercising, checking flight data, finally curled up together in bed, as they drift wearily off to sleep.
- Cut to him awakening, arm still wrapped around her sleeping form. He carefully untangles himself and rises from the bed, then rounds the corner to a lamp-lit desk area and sits down, rummaging through the items on the desk. After a moment he’s lost in his thoughts, staring absently at nothing in particular.
- Images of their past, their former home, the people they love, the places they miss, the beauty and fragility of it all.
- At the 5:11 mark in the music, cut to quiet images of them at opposite ends of a dimly-lit forest path. Fading light through the barren trees. A very gentle breeze blowing. No words spoken, no movement. Intense but shy eye contact, from their distant spots among the trees.
- At the 5:52 mark, “Be True” has been gracefully fading out, and suddenly and jarringly it gives way to the closing moments of “Endorphin.” He snaps out of his daydream and back to reality, as her nude body enters his field of vision and she straddles him on his chair.
HER
(Whispering into his ear)
I’m right here.
HER (CONT’D)
(Still whispering, each word hit very deliberately)
I want you to fuck me.
Endorphin fades. Fade forward to them together in bed. The opening chords of “Four Walls” by Burial & Massive Attack fade in.
- She climaxes and exhales in ecstasy, vocalized extra-diegetically in the song at the 0:04 mark. They continue to hold one another, still fully conjoined, brushing hair gently from each other’s faces, staring into each other’s infinite, mysterious depths.
