Motion By Anthony Frederick

Copyright 2011

Anthony Frederick anthony.d.frederick@gmail.com 541-860-8081

FLASHBACK - EXT. BACKYARD - DAY Theres a lonely trampoline in the midst of a suburban backyard. Its a tell-tale, one-story, Midwestern home. Jumping on the trampoline is a little girl and a boy, about four years older. Then comes the voice of a 26-year-old woman, ISABELLE. ISABELLE (V.O.) My brother and I used to tell each other secrets. 8-year-old Isabelle lays next to her BROTHER on the trampoline. He leans over and whispers something in her ear. ISABELLE (V.O.) Usually just little things. ISABELLES DAD takes a swig of beer as he watches through the sliding glass door. He wears only a wife-beater and obviously hasnt shaved in days. ISABELLE (V.O.) Even then we never said the big stuff. Isabelles childish grin suddenly drops. She turns around to see her dad calling for her. ISABELLE (V.O.) It seems silly now, but that was the closest Ive ever been to someone since. Isabelle looks at her brother one more time, then walks inside. Her brother starts jumping on the trampoline again, alone. ISABELLE (V.O.) Things moved a lot slower then. EXT. URBAN CITY - DAY (PRESENT) Everything is sped up. Blurs of people move in and out of buildings, cross streets, swarm sidewalks. Cars and traffic whir by in one long mechanical flow. ISABELLE (V.O.) What is our obsession with motion?

2. INT. BEDROOM - DAY Isabelles mouth takes a heavy drag on a cigarette and releases a cloud of smoke. Shes sitting on the foot of a bed, her back to the only window. Behind her on the other side is her boyfriend, MATT. Her eyes are red from crying. EXT. URBAN CITY - DUSK TO NIGHT The sun sets behind the citys bustling skyline. Clouds interchange rapidly as the sky darkens and the city lights wake up. ISABELLE (V.O.) What words are lost in between the stillness of a room and the spin of the earth? INT. BEDROOM - DUSK TO NIGHT We circle above the bed with Isabelle and Matt lying opposite each other, their heads meeting in the middle. Strips of sunlight reaching across the room quickly retract towards the window. Isabelle chain-smokes at a rapid rate. EXT. URBAN CITY - NIGHT Lines of car headlights blur into one stream of light traveling downtown and deep into the night. Life never stops. ISABELLE (V.O.) What would hearing those words be like? INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT TO MORNING We continue circling above slowly as Matt paces around the room in FAST TIME. Isabelle remains motionless on the bed. Matt falls asleep on the couch. Morning light pushes through the blinds. Matt gets up and resumes pacing for a bit before lying opposite Isabelle on the bed again. Isabelle takes a long drag from her cigarette in REAL TIME.

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ISABELLE (V.O.) What would saying those words be like? Suddenly, the spinning stops. Everything stops moving. There is a brief stillness. MATT You could tell me anything. Did you know that? FAST REWIND: 1. The cloud of cigarette smoke flies back into Isabelles mouth. 2. We circle in reverse over the bed with Matt and Isabelle lying on it. 3. Traffic continues to blur by but in reverse now. 4. Isabelles head shakes violently on a cement floor. 5. Multi-colored disco lights flash sporadically. 6. A MANS HAND yanks up Isabelles skirt. INT. CLUB - LAST NIGHT A sensual assault of multi-colored strobe lights and loud HEAVY-BASS MUSIC. Bodies grind against bodies. Its a high-fashion club and the dance floor is hot and heavy. Isabelle and Matt are caught in the midst of the energy. Their bodies sway in tow with the swelling music. Sweat. A MAN appears behind Isabelle. His hands come round her moving hips. Isabelle loses herself in the dance, Matt in front of her, the Man behind her. And the BASS gets HEAVIER. INT. RESTROOM - MOMENTS LATER WATER GUSHES out of a dingy faucet as Isabelle takes a drink.

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She whips off the faucet as she beholds herself in the grimy mirror. Theres a brief stillness as she wipes the drips from her chin. Reaching into her pocket she produces a tiny zip-loc bag of pills. She taps one into her hand. It has a star on it. She looks at herself one more time. We hear the FAUCET BLAST on again. INT. HALLWAY - MOMENTS LATER The LADIES RESTROOM DOOR is thrust open, but theres NO SOUND. Isabelle stumbles out into the hallway. A blurred figure stands alone near the back. As Isabelle begins walking away the lone figure starts toward her. Its the Man from before. His arms come round her. INT. CLUB - SAME TIME Matt dances alone in a crowd. His eyes start to look for Isabelle. INT. RESTROOM - MOMENTS LATER Isabelle is pinned on the floor with the Man on top of her. Her eyes are flooded with tears. The Mans hands yank up her skirt. She lets out a SCREAM. INT. CLUB - SAME TIME Matts head whips toward the sound of ISABELLES SCREAM. SUDDENLY: Everything is SLOW-MOTION. Matt looks around him, the dancing crowd. Spellbound. Sweat droplets are flung free from a head-bangers Afro. A man cops a feel on the girl hes dancing with.

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INT. HALLWAY - SAME TIME Isabelles thin arms helplessly press against the thrusting body on top of her. INT. CLUB - SAME TIME SLOW-MOTION: The dance-floor swells around Matt. Then, as suddenly as it slowed, everything SPEEDS UP again. FAST FORWARD: 1. Night traffic streamlines across downtown. 2. The sun rises above the skyline. 3. We circle above Matt and Isabelles bed, the sun rising through the blinds. INT. BEDROOM - MORNING Matt and Isabelle lay on their bed, heads side by side. MATT You could tell me anything. Did you know that? Isabelle takes a DEEP BREATH. ISABELLE My brother and I used to tell each other secrets. BLACK OUT