The script is also
available on the net:
http://www.crownedanarchist.com/dejavuscript.doc
http://www.crownedanarchist.com/dejavuscript.htm
Please read the
treatment and the report on the Net:
http://www.crownedanarchist.com/dejavu.htm
http://www.crownedanarchist.com/dejavureport.htm
Download the doc
versions:
http://www.crownedanarchist.com/dejavu.doc
http://www.crownedanarchist.com/dejavureport.doc
www.crownedanarchist.com rm@crownedanarchist.com
A successful and rich philosophy teacher who is paid to think and
publish books by a renowned university is experiencing Deja Vu at an alarming
rate. He turns all his attention into understanding the phenomenon but as he
thinks some more he gets to uncover something really wrong with his existence.
His Deja Vu episodes no longer reflect reality. Events and people are changing
everyday, contradicting his previous memories of the events. Understandably it
makes him question not only his sanity but also the normal flow of time and the
reality we have all come to believe in.
One of the ways to explain
Deja vu is if we have actually lived those moments before. Somehow we must have
gone back in time and relived the same events as if in a time loop. Through
Deja vu we can remember having lived those events before and we can change what
is to come. If we had many Deja vu episodes and could drastically change our
future when we go back in time, then tomorrow I could be a theoretical
physicist instead of an author. This is the basis of this film.
I suggest the story takes
place in a few days and everyday life is different from the previous day. Henry
will be a philosophy teacher for the first day and then he will become
successively a medical doctor, a parapsychologist, a theoretical physicist and
a psychic medium. This should give us the chance to analyze what is Deja vu
from different perspectives.
The idea here is that the
future, the past and the present are always in movement. As a result one day we
are a philosophy teacher and the next day we can be a medical doctor as it is
possible to change the future whenever we go back into the past and are aware
of the future. Yet, everything seems fine and we don't question this
fluctuating timeline. We don't completely remember having lived in the future
(except through deja vu, intuition and feelings).
Deja vu is what will get
Henry to understand that something is not right, that perhaps yesterday he was
not a medical doctor. He remembers events from a different past and can even
predict the future to a certain extent, a future very different from his actual
life. As he struggles to understand what is going on, he will speak to his wife
and colleagues about Deja vu, trying to explain them, wondering if perhaps he
is crazy and suffering from hallucinations.
At the end he will be a
theoretical physicist explaining Deja vu via Einstein's Relativity and Quantum
Mechanics. He will not know exactly what is going on, if perhaps people are
trying to deceive him to prevent him from thinking and reaching conclusions about
the mechanics of existence. He will look for a way out and might find one
somehow…
So the story will start
slowly, our man will have some Deja vu and will try to change things, so it is
different from his Deja vu. This is all he will do at first. He will get
interested in the phenomenon because he will have four Deja vu in the same day.
He will talk about it to his class after his second experience.
His fourth Deja vu episode
will show him that something is not right. What he remembers is not what is happening.
His wife will not be or say what his Deja vu is telling him. Moreover he will
get to know something about his wife that there would be no way for him to
know. This should be a freaky experience, not only he remembers that his wife
is not what she says she is, but on top of it he knows things about her he
should not know, things he would have seen in the Deja vu.
So in a way the Deja vu is
a powerful vision as it is right, he has now a clairvoyance gift, he knows
things through some sort of sixth sense. But at the same time he does not want
to give credit to the Deja vu as the person is clearly not who he remembers her
to be. So he does not know what to make of it.
The next day his life has
changed. We follow him and we understand that he is no longer a teacher of
philosophy as he was able to change the future somehow when going back in time
and reliving the same events.
Our philosophy teacher
needs to experience Deja vu and I thought of an interesting way to represent
that on the screen without looking too much like the Matrix, Groundhog Day or
The Truman Show. I feel I came up with something new that has never been done
before and should be quite interesting on the screen.
The teacher will actually
live just before - or while it is happening - a Deja vu episode that will or
will not correspond to reality. The way to show the Deja vu will be a split
screen. We will have two realities playing simultaneously. Sometimes one of the
screens will become full, then the other one will take over. It would show that
two realities are playing out at the same time and sometimes they are
identical, sometimes they are different, and sometimes they are identical but
out of sync.
Of course, as soon as you
realize that you are experiencing Deja vu and that you mention it, you can no
longer be doing what the Deja vu shows on the second half of the screen. At
that point your reality differs from the Deja vu, especially if you do try to
change the events so you don't repeat the same actions over and over again. You
feel trapped in a time loop and you are looking for a way out. And by doing
everything differently, you might just get out of it (or so you think anyway).
The thing is, if you were
to have many Deja vu you could change your life dramatically in comparison with
what would have actually happened. As our teacher is an extreme case and
experiences Deja vu many times a day, he gets to change his life to a point
where even him would not recognize it a few days later. The Deja vu at that
point shows us what would have happened if he had not changed anything in his
life because of the Deja vu (so it becomes a Jamais vu or Never seen before).
How can he change his life
like this, why would he suddenly be someone else tomorrow or that the people in
his life are no longer what they were supposed to be? Why this multiplication
of different timelines? Good question and important answer for this film.
You see, a Deja vu
indicates that somehow we are in a time loop. We live a linear existence up to
a point where we go back in time. Could be hours, could be days, could be
years. When we go back in time we usually live a very similar timeline unless
we get a glimpse of the future, unless we remember something perhaps traumatic,
like clairvoyants and mediums can do. At that point you can change the future,
you can change who you are, you can influence everyone in your timeline to the
point that they too take different decisions.
On this timeline, if you
were to have another Deja vu episode when in fact it is the first time that you
are living this new timeline, it could tell you instead what was happening in
the previous timeline, before you went back in time. This is what is happening
here. Both Deja vu and changing the future come from this time loop that brings
you back into the past.
Though this could be a
normal physical phenomenon, we will make it more interesting by adding another
mysterious knowledge to be gained from this phenomenon. Something more
spiritual. Understanding this about the existence will give the chance to our
teacher to understand much more about the universe we live in.
In my idea we don't repeat
the same events over and over again. But from one Deja vu to the other Henry's
reality will change. In his Deja vu people will have different functions,
different job titles, are no longer there, etc. Though he will clearly remember
having lived this before, in time what he will feel that he experienced is no
longer happening in real life. Then, to his horror, he will change, though he
will not remember that everything in his life has changed. Only via the Deja vu
will he get to understand that he has already lived this life before but he was
not a doctor, he was a teacher.
So this is a good twist
about Deja vu that differs from reality, making our character question the
mechanisms of existence. At one point what Henry will be experiencing is no
longer a Deja vu (already seen) but a Jamais Vu (never seen before). He will no
longer recognize his reality and actions. He will feel lost because he will remember
having lived this in a different way. And while he will try to understand what
is going on, he will experience Presque Vu (almost seen), as if the explanation
was within his grasps and yet escaping him. He needs to find a way out of these
time loops so his life is no longer switching from one timeline to another.
This said, in order to be
different from Groundhog Day, he is not going to wake up on the same day every
day. He will not relive the same events over and over again. The way to make it
look good is that he will appear to live a normal linear life in which he will
remember that he has lived that before, and eventually that he lived it
differently and that people are no longer who they were. In any case I don't
intend to do another cheap version of Groundhog Day. I have a mystery to expose
and to understand: Deja vu, and the story is a mean to get some answers.
There will be Deja vu
episodes just before and while the real events are taking place, to remind him
of another reality while his life is going berserk. Normally he should not be
aware that everything has changed slightly from one day to another. The idea is
that life is not linear or chronological, even it changes everyday though we
are usually unaware of this fact. The Deja vu in this context will help him
understand that something is not right with reality, that things are changing
even though his memories do not contradict anything from one day to another.
The way I explain how this
is possible is via a fluctuating timeline due to the effects of relativity and
also via the Many-worlds interpretation of Quantum Mechanics. For more details
please read my report about Deja vu available on my website.
This film will have a slow
start so the viewer can get into the story before losing patience, and I will
try to be as evident as possible so they won't lose it, but it is something
special and different. Cinema is in great need of more complex stories and this
is it. All right, all right, I will try to make it easy to understand, but the
viewer will need to be ready to accept that one day our teacher is a doctor.
One day he is married and the other he is not. Not only that, all this will not
seem weird to our teacher, he will accept all these changes as if nothing
happened, like if yesterday he was not someone else. Only through Deja vu will
he get to understand that something is not right, that yesterday he was not a
doctor. The day is not repeating itself, but every day is different even though
we continue on some sort of linear and chronological timeline.
So at first only small
changes, and then big ones. Just like in dreams, new universes every day that
appear completely logical at the time, only to be dismissed as illogical when
we wake up.
Introduction. First Deja Vu. Day 1. Early
morning. Home hardware store
The film starts in a home hardware store
where Henry Williams, a slightly eccentric philosophy teacher at a renowned
university, is waiting at a counter for some help. He is late for his class, he
cannot wait any longer and impatiently asks the clerk to speed up a bit. While
he waits he sees a 4 year old child wandering around the shop.
This first scene is about Henry
experiencing his first Deja vu which will give him the chance of saving a young
child from having a fatal accident.
Henry williams
(While waiting at a counter.)
I need two dozen screws. You know the ones
that go into the ceiling and get stuck there?
Clerk
I don't know what you mean, sorry.
HenrY WILLIAMS
They're like little Vs that snap into a
hole you previously made in the ceiling. Then it holds there and you can
suspend a plant or something...
CleRK
You really intend to hang 24 plants from
your ceiling? Where do you live, in an institution?
HeNRY WILLIAMS
Don't worry about that...
ClerK
(We see the kid in the background running around.)
I've only recently started here, after
failing my degree, so I'm not exactly an expert "in weird screws that go
into the ceiling". I'll have to ask my supervisor.
HenRY WILLIAMS
For god's sake, I'm late! I have to teach a
class in 15 minutes! Please, screws that go into the ceiling, to suspend
things, it can't be that difficult!
ClERK
(Leaving.)
Let me speak with my supervisor...
HenRY WILLIAMS
(While the clerk disappears on to the shop floor. Henry is talking to himself...)
Finally... just go, it's your mission, find
me screws for hanging stupid plants! What can be so hard to understand, 24
screws, when you're sooo late!
I'll have to come back, I know I'll have to
come back... I'll just have to come back after school... crazy idea to believe
I could buy 24 simple screws before my class starts... and people wonder why we
become neurotic.
(Shouting.)
It's madness! 24 simple screws! Why can't
anyone help me! Where's the supervisor! Where's the manager? This home hardware
store is filled with incompetent people! If I was that stupid in my job, I
would have been sacked years ago!
The first Deja vu starts, the screen splits
into two. On the left hand side of the screen Henry shows an interest in the
child, he's not sure why. He asks him to come over, wants to know if he's lost,
wonders where his parents are. He tells him to be very careful.
On the right screen however, where Henry
hasn't asked the child to come over, we can see Louis pretending to be a plane
running around the shop with his arms stretched out. He gets dangerously close
to a pedestal sink on demonstration. We can see him put his little hand over
the sink and the whole thing crashes down on top of him. The screen returns to
one frame after that.
As Henry will have seen what was going to
happen in the deja vu, in real life he will be able to prevent the accident.
RIGHT SCREEN (deja
vu)
LouiS
(Tugging on Henry's trouser leg.)
Who are you talking to?
HenRY WILLIAMS
What? Just get lost... I'm waiting for my
screws...
LouiS
You're screws.
HeNRY WILLIAMS
Yeah, go away! I'm going to be late!
LOUIS
(Leaving to go towards the pedestal sink that will fall on him with
disastrous consequences.)
You're crazy!
HenRY WILLIAMS
Yeah, yeah... I've seen just about
everything today... It's just my day! Where is that guy?
(Witnessing the pedestal sink falling over Louis.)
Oh my God! Careful! Oh dear, now I'll be
really late!
LEFT SCREEN (real
life)
Louis
(Tugging on Henry's trouser leg.)
Who are you talking to?
HeNRY WILLIAMS
Oh, who are you? What's your name? I know
you, I recognize you from somewhere, don't I?
LouiS
My name is Louis. I am 4 years old.
HeNRY WILLIAMS
(While Louis is walking away.)
That old, he? No, no, no, don't leave, come
here.
LouiS
(Coming back.)
What do you want?
HenRY WILLIAMS
Are you lost?
LOUIS
No. Are you? You seem lost...
HeNRY WILLIAMS
Yes, most of the time... listen, where's
your mom and dad?
LoUIS
I don't know...
HeNRY WILLIAMS
You should go and find them right now.
LOUIS
Why?
HenRY WILLIAMS
Because it's dangerous to be on your own at
your age.
LOUIS
OK.
END OF SPLIT SCREEN
After Henry has finished speaking to Louis,
the child runs straight towards the sink which, in this reality, has not fallen
yet. The clerk is back and asks Henry if this is what he wanted. When he sees
Henry fascinated by the child, he asks if everything is OK.
ClerK
Here, I found these screws for you. Are
they what you wanted?
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Looking at the child instead of the clerk.)
Wait a second... look at that kid...
ClERK
(Impatient.)
What's wrong?
HeNRY WILLIAMS
Something terrible is about to happen...
ClERK
What, you've seen my supervisor? You've
already complained about me?
HeNRY WILLIAMS
No, you moron. That little boy, something
horrible... I have a bad feeling...
ClERK
(Ironic.)
Oh... a bad feeling...
Suddenly we get a close up of Louis' little
hand reaching out for the sink, and Henry's hand at the very last second
preventing him from touching the side of the sink. Suddenly the parents of
Louis arrive on the scene and are not pleased that a stranger has touched their
child. Henry apologizes but explains to the supervisor now present that this is
very irresponsible to have such a dangerous installation in a shop.
Father
Hey you! Don't touch my kid!
Mother
We could sue you for that!
HenRY WILLIAMS
Really? I'm not a lawyer, so I don't know
just yet the extent of my crime.
Father
You pervert!
Mother
Child abuser!
HeNRY WILLIAMS
Wow! Calm down! I just saved your child
from a horrible accident!
Supervisor
Really?
HeNRY WILLIAMS
Yes! It is pretty irresponsible to have
such an installation! It could have killed Louis!
Father
You know his name?
Mother
(Taking her mobile phone out.)
That's it, I'm calling the police! They
know what to do with people like you! Straight to the electric chair!
HenRY WILLIAMS
This sink will fall any second now! It
would have killed your child! Are you all crazy?
SupeRviSOR
(Laughing.)
This is madness, this is not going to fall,
it's been there for days!
(The sink falls by itself.)
Oh...
HenRY WILLIAMS
There, you see?
SupervISOR
This is magic...
Father
God, he's right!
Mother
(With her mobile phone in her hand.)
So I shouldn't call the police?
LoUIS
How did you know?
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Kneeling down to Louis.)
My poor Louis... it is Deja Vu... I saw you
getting hurt. Thankfully I was able to prevent it and change your destiny...
LOUIS
Are you not going to be late?
HenRY WILLIAMS
As a matter of fact, I'm terribly late... I
have to go!
CleRK
What about your screws?
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Starting to run.)
You know what you can do with those...?
CuT TO:
Second Deja vu. Day 1. Morning. green in
front of university
The second experience will simply be a
normal Deja vu and Henry will not react until the Deja vu is finished where he
will say: strange, I feel I have done this before.
Henry has a lot of money and has written
many books. He walks over the grass to reach the pavilion where his class is
waiting for him. He meets one of his students along the way.
HeNRY WILLIAMS
(Looking at his watch.)
Oh God, oh God, oh God... I hope they
waited for me!
Esteban estevez
Hey, professor, professor!
HenRY WILLIAMS
What now? I'm late! I can't deal with that,
I just cannot! Not now! I'm terribly late!
EsTEBAN ESTEVEZ
(Handing an essay as he reaches Henry.)
Professor! Wait!
The screen splits into two where on the
left we see real life and on the right we see a Deja vu. For this whole Deja vu
both realities are identical for the only time of the entire film. The meaning
is that Henry needed to change something but he did not. He will get a chance
at the end of the film to act differently at that very moment.
LEFT AND RIGHT
SCREEN
EsTEBAN ESTEVEZ (CONT'D)
(Giving his essay to Henry to look at.)
It's not fair! I shouldn't get an F for
this!
HeNRY WILLIAMS
Esteban, Esteban, Esteban... you know you
deserve an F for that essay...
EsTEBAN ESTEVEZ
Why! I worked very hard on it!
HenRY WILLIAMS
Esteban... when I correct everyone's paper,
I see wonderful things, intelligence, a great future. When I come to your
essay, it makes me despair.
EsTEBAN ESTEVEZ
Nooo? It can't...
HenRY WILLIAMS
You simply have no future in this
university or any other.
EsTEBAN ESTEVEZ
But I want to enter the Masters degree
program...
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Laughing.)
There's no way this will ever happen, I'll
make sure of that!
EsTEBAN ESTEVEZ
What is there left for me then? As a
career, I mean...
HenRY WILLIAMS
Well, there's a home hardware store close
by hiring people like you... perhaps one day you'll make it as a supervisor, if
you work more seriously there than you studied in your entire life.
END OF SPLIT SCREEN
HenRY WILLIAMS
Strange, I have the feeling we already had
this conversation before...
EsTEBAN ESTEVEZ
Yes! In one of my nightmares!
HenRY WILLIAMS
Just run! You're already late!
EsTEBAN ESTEVEZ
(Running away as he says that.)
Just one more thing, professor...
HenRY WILLIAMS
What?
EsTEBAN ESTEVEZ
(Shouting from a distance.)
You're late too!
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Talking to himself and walking faster as he looks at his watch.)
I know! I know... If I could only stop time
once in a while, life would be so much easier! The screws did it, I will have
to blame it on the screws... no one will believe it. It's my damn destiny,
always late... stupid clerk... no brain, no future, I tell you... it's just
perfect... perfect for Esteban...
CuT TO:
Day 1. Morning. classroom
Once Henry enters the class room with the
student he drops his books on the table while Esteban goes to sit down. Henry
states to his class that something strange just happened to him, he just
experienced Deja vu twice in a row.
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Dropping his books on the table.)
Thanks for waiting for me... Even though,
as usual, I'm late! I've got a good reason this time... ah, never mind. I didn't
prepare anything for today's class, so I'm going to talk about myself...
EsTEBAN ESTEVEZ
As usual!
HenRY WILLIAMS
Come on! I sometime prepare my course...
don't I?
EsTEBAN ESTEVEZ
Well...
HenRY WILLIAMS
All right! Anyway... you know which books
you have to read for the test, read them and we'll all be fine ...I hope... Now
I need to speak about my personal experiences. About deja vu...
EstEBAN ESTEVEZ
Please, we're eager to hear what you have
to say!
HenRY WILLIAMS
I'm sure you are! Well... where was I? Ah
yes, deja vu... I've been experiencing it recently at an alarming rate. I don't
know if it's because I'm writing a book about it, but I tell you, it has opened
the doors to a series of deja vu and I'm not sure what to make of it. I was
visiting a town recently and I'm certain I had been there before. I remembered
every single detail, I knew what to expect around the next corner, but it was
my first ever visit.
So he launches into a discourse about Deja
vu.
HeNRY WILLIAMS (CONT'D)
Apparently some Freudians believe that the
Deja vu phenomenon is a about experiencing something resembling a repressed
memory suddenly escaping the unconscious. The two events are not identical,
they appear to be. I don't really believe that crap.
From a medical and more scientific point of
view, we are talking about neurochemistry, a glitch in the brain's ability to
process recognition and memory. Your two eyes processing the same event but at
a fraction of a second difference, making you think you have lived these events
twice when in fact you didn't. The memory is not authentic. And I won't get
into the two different processing centers of the brain... ah! I admit that I'm
not a psychologist or a specialist of the brain and I can't comment on these
theories.
From the philosopher's point of view, Deja
vu could be interpreted as a higher power giving you the chance to learn from
your mistakes. It represents a desire to have a second chance, to set things
right. It makes you go through some experiences again to see if this time you
can pass the test and learn whatever it is you have to learn from your
existence.
EsTEBAN ESTEVEZ
What would this higher power be?
HenRY WILLIAMS
(We see Henry lost in his thoughts while dissolving to the next scene.)
God, destiny, or perhaps a higher self
awareness? I'm not sure...
DISSOLVE TO:
Day 1. Late morning. Corridor
Henry is going back to his office but on
his way there he meets Elizabeth, the right hand of the dean.
Elizabeth Fairwater
Henry, the dean is looking everywhere for
you, you should go to his office immediately.
HenRY WILLIAMS
What does Charles wants with me, I wonder?
ElizaBETH fairwater
Perhaps it is about Esteban Estevez... your
biggest fan!
HenRY WILLIAMS
What? He came to see you, once again?
EliZABETH FAIRWATER
Yes, the poor kid is trying hard. He wants
to do a Masters degree now...
HenRY WILLIAMS
(With a smile.)
Can you imagine, two or three more years to
endure his overzealous attitude?
EliZABETH FAIRWATER
Don't worry, Charles told him that his
average results were not good enough.
HenRY WILLIAMS
He spoke to the dean? Nothing can stop him
from dreaming, but that's pushing it. And now, my dear Elizabeth, I need to get
back to my office.
EliZABETH FAIRWATER
What about the dean?
HenRY WILLIAMS
Oh! I almost forgot. Must be old age.
EliZABETH FAIRWATER
You're not that old. It's just that you're
always in thinking mode, must be hard to remember anything in that sort of mind
state?
HenRY WILLIAMS
Very funny Elizabeth. But I must admit,
better blame philosophy than old age.
ElizaBETH FAIRWATER
Don't worry Henry, every single philosophy
teacher in this college suffers from amnesia, just like you. Thankfully you
have me to show you the light!
HenRY WILLIAMS
What would we do without you? Fall in
precipices lurking around everywhere, while reciting in our heads Aristotle's
wisdom?
EliZABETH FAIRWATER
(Laughing softly.)
Huh, huh, huh.
HeNRY WILLIAMS
(Ironic laugh while entering the next door.)
Huh, huh, huh...
CuT TO:
Third Deja Vu. Day 1. Late morning. the
dean's office
The third time, Henry will feel weird
physically until he will decide to speak about it. From there the Deja vu will
be a bit different and out of sync with reality.
Once in the dean's office, the screen
splits again for the third Deja vu. The images will be identical until suddenly
Henry decides to act against the Deja vu and leaves hurriedly.
The right image on the screen (the Deja vu)
will show him having a normal meeting with the dean as if nothing had happened.
We will hear the voices of both screens at the same time, perhaps the voices on
the right (the Deja vu) could be more distant. We will have to alternate the
voices so no one speaks over the other.
RIGHT SCREEN (deja
vu)
Charles Worpington
Ah, Henry, please sit down. Am I glad to
see you! There's something important we need to talk about.
HenRY WILLIAMS
Not Esteban, I hope?
chaRLES WORPINGTON
Don't worry, it's not about Esteban
Estevez. I trust you will deal with him in time... It's about the marketing of
your new philosophy book expected to be a best-seller.
HenRY WILLIAMS
Of course! A best-seller you say?
ChARLES WORPINGTON
George is eager to get the ball rolling and
is waiting after the final version. They are in a hurry to get it out there.
HenRY WILLIAMS
The book will be sent to George today. A
best-seller you say? From the University Press? Times are changing...
ChaRLES WORPINGTON
Aren't they just? It's very exciting! I'll
be able to get you a big raise after publication, we wouldn't want to lose you
now to some better university somewhere willing to give you more money...
HenRY WILLIAMS
Don't worry Charles, I'm already more than
comfortable, thanks to you. Though I wouldn't mind having less courses to give
so I can spend more time thinking. It's my job, after all.
ChaRLES WORPINGTON
Say no more Henry. I'll see what I can do.
Soon you'll be a free man! And you will beg for teaching more classes when you
will get bored thinking your heart out.
Henry WILLIAMS
Thanks Charles, I'll get in contact with my
assistant Marianne. She's working at correcting the last chapter right now at
my home.
ChARLES WORPINGTON
I'll call George to let him know. Have a
nice evening, alone as usual... once Marianne goes back to her husband...
HenRY WILLIAMS
(He closes the door very softly with a smile.)
You wouldn't have it any other way, that's
why I can be so prolific and contribute to philosophy and the department.
Goodbye Charles!
ChARLES WORPINGTON
(Happily picking up the phone to call the publisher.)
Hello George? Great news...!
LEFT SCREEN (real
life)
Charles Worpington
Ah, Henry, please sit down. Am I glad to
see you! There's something important we need to talk about.
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Realizing he is going through a deja vu.)
Weird...
ChaRLES WORPINGTON
Don't worry, it's not about Esteban
Estevez. I trust you will deal with him in time...
HenRY WILLIAMS
I...
ChARLES WORPINGTON
Everything's OK, Henry?
HenRY WILLIAMS
Wait, please...
ChARLES WORPINGTON
(Silent for a few seconds while we hear what's happening on the other
screen.)
...how long should we stare at each other
like this?
HenRY WILLIAMS
Shush, I'm having a deja vu.
ChaRLES WORPINGTON
...a deja vu? Isn't that the subject of
your book? You certainly do live in what you write.
HenrY WILLIAMS
(In a panic state.)
I have lived this before! I know this
meeting is about the book and I don't give a damn about it!
ChaRLES WORPINGTON
What are you saying?
HenRY WILLIAMS
George can wait as far as I'm concerned. I
need to get out of the office
immediately, I feel trapped in a temporal causality loop of some sort and I
want to free myself.
ChARLES WORPINGTON
A temporal what? What are you talking
about?
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Getting out and slamming the door.)
A time loop! Charles...
ChARLES WORPINGTON
(Completely taken aback from what just happened.)
A time loop...? Henry's gone mad...
CuT TO:
Third Deja Vu (continuing). Day 1. Late
morning. corrIDOR
Outside the office the Deja vu continues.
Henry on the left is walking like a madman, trying to do things differently to
escape the Deja vu. On the right he walks normally with a big smile at the
prospect of his latest book already being considered a best-seller.
No matter what Henry does on the left to
escape the Deja vu, the same happens on the right.
RIGHT SCREEN (deja
vu)
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Walking normally with a big smile. Stopping for water.)
What a nice day this is. I feel like
singing.
LEFT SCREEN (real
life)
HenRY WILLIAMS (CONT'D)
(Realizing that he is going to drink water on the right, he stops
halfway there, sweating. He decides to go in unpredictable directions until he
decides to knock on Elizabeth's door.)
This is a nightmare, I have experienced
this before! Let's get back to some reality, perhaps Elizabeth can help me!
That's it, Elizabeth's job is to keep us all sane.
He opens Elizabeth's door, the woman we saw
before. On the right she opens the door to find out about what the dean had to
say. At that point the synchronicity of both screens is not exact.
On the right Elizabeth drops a pen on the
floor and Henry gets down to pick it up, at that moment we hear a shot and
Elizabeth receives a bullet in her chest. As the dean comes out of his office
to find out what is happening, he too gets shot by Esteban.
RIGHT SCREEN (deja
vu)
EliZABETH FAIRWATER
(Opening the door and calling for Henry. Happy and smiling.)
Henry, how was the meeting with Charles?
Was it about Mr. Estevez?
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Over the moon.)
Nope! It was about my new best-seller.
EliZABETH FAIRWATER
(Big smile. Dropping her pen on the floor.)
We are confident, aren't we? Oops...
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Bending down to pick up the pen while we hear a shot and Elizabeth
receives a bullet in the chest.)
Oh my God! Elizabeth! Elizabeth!
EsTEBAN ESTEVEZ
(Shooting Henry but missing as Henry turns around horrified.)
This one's for you professor!
ChARLES WORPINGTON
(Coming out of his office to find out what's happening.)
What's going on? What's all the noise!
EstEBAN ESTEVEZ
(Suddenly looking at the dean and shooting him too.)
I might as well shoot you Worpington.
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Running into Elizabeth's office while he can.)
Oh God! Oh God!
EsTEBAN ESTEVEZ
(Other students are trying to stop him, holding his arm, while Esteban
finally shoots himself.)
Let me go! I've had enough! Please, you
don't understand!
LEFT SCREEN (real
life)
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Knocking on Elizabeth's door.)
Elizabeth! Elizabeth! You've got to help
me. I'm trapped... oh no, you're opening the door...
EliZABETH fAIRWATER
(Surprised.)
Calm down Henry, calm down. What's going
on?
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Silent for a few seconds.)
You don't know...
ElizABETH FAIRWATER
(Dropping her pen on the floor.)
Oops...
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Realizing that she will get shot and pushing her right back into the
office while she receives a bullet in the forehead.)
Watch out!
EsTEBAN ESTEVEZ
(Shooting Henry but missing as Henry turns around horrified.)
This one's for you professor!
ChARLES WORPINGTON
(Coming out of his office to find out what's happening.)
What's going on? What's all the noise!
EstEBAN ESTEVEZ
(Suddenly looking at the dean and shooting him too.)
I might as well shoot you Worpington.
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Running into Elizabeth's office while he can.)
Oh God! Oh God!
EsTEBAN ESTEVEZ
(Other students are trying to stop him, holding his arm, while Esteban
finally shoots himself.)
Let me go! I've had enough! Please, you
don't understand!
END OF SPLIT SCREEN
CuT TO:
Day 1. Afternoon. car park of the
university
Henry is now outside, the screen is no
longer split. He jumps in his car and the wheels are screeching. We can see in
the background many police cars, ambulances and journalists. He rushes home.
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Having a nervous break down.)
This is not happening. This can't be
happening to me. Why is this happening to me? Why? Oh why? Or how.... Yeah, how
can this be happening to me? I need to get into thinking mode as soon as
poss... I'm already in thinking mode... figuring this out... I need to figure
this out! I need to understand! I need to free myself!
CuT TO:
Fourth Deja Vu. DAY 1. Late Afternoon.
Henry's Office in his house
Once home he is visibly shaken. Trying to
forget he opens books where he hopes to find some explanation about Deja vu.
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Getting books, opening them and throwing them on the floor. Still
neurotic.)
There must be an answer somewhere in there.
Someone must have experienced this before and documented it. Shame, philosophy
appears to be useless at explaining this. Plato, Socraties, Saint Augustin,
Joan of Arc, no, no, no!
HenRY WILLIAMS (CONT'D)
(Sitting down at his desk.)
Philosophy won't help me this time...
ignorants! Just a bunch of stupid people who thought they knew everything! They
know nothing! Mmh... must be a medical condition, I must be crazy... do I have
any books about...
Getting up to look at other books.
The fourth Deja vu will already show that
elements of his reality are no longer quite right, people changed somehow and
they do unexpected things compared with the Deja vu. His assistant is no longer
his assistant, she is his wife.
The screen splits again for the fourth Deja
vu. While he is looking at his books on the left and finally sits down with one
of them to read, on the right screen we see a woman called Marianne entering
the room.
LEFT SCREEN (real
life)
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Reading a book at his desk while things happen on the right screen. He
will get up and pick another book eventually.)
Ah... I see...
HenRY WILLIAMS (CONT'D)
(Once Marianne enters on the right screen, he will say:)
Strange, I feel my assistant will come in
any minute now...
RIGHT SCREEN (deja
vu)
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Reading a book at his desk.)
Ah... I see...
Marianne Wilkins
(Entering the room.)
You're here already? I was not expecting
you for a few hours after what I heard on the news. As your personal assistant
I would like to know if there is anything else I can do with your book before
sending it to the publisher.
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Somewhere else in his mind.)
Yes... of course... you do that.
MaRIANNE WILKINS
I have done all the corrections and I need
to get back to my husband Martin. Should I send the book to George?
HenRY WILLIAMS
After the shooting, George will not be
expecting the book anymore. Leave it, anyway I think I need to rewrite that
book now.
MaRIANNE WILKINS
So, nothing better than facing death to
inspire you, right?
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Lost in his reading.)
Yes... of course... you do that... don't
forget to send the book to George! He's expecting it today.
MarIANNE WILKINS
(Leaving the room.)
You're crazy! I'm out of here!
HenRY WILLIAMS
Marianne! Don't send the book! Marianne? Oh
never mind... go and snuggle with your Martin for all I care. Why do I care? I
don't care. Why should I care? I don't care. I don't... Martin Wilkins...
sex... hard-core and sweaty sex... must be nice to have a life... a hot and
sexual life... like if I care. Marianne! You're fired! You hear me? You're
fired! And please send the damn book to George! It's going to be a best-seller
for god's sake! Yeah, a damn best-seller... it's better than sex. Marianne?
END OF SPLIT SCREEN
At this point in real life Marianne enters
the room, she is in fact his wife though he never had one, and she knows
nothing about his new book.
MaRIANNE williams
Oh hi Baby, I didn't know you were back
already. What would you like to eat tonight? Crepes, pasta... oh I know, what
about a huge Shepherd's pie, just like my mother used to make them, with no
onions, I know how you hate onions darling.
HenRY WILLIAMS
Marianne! Marianne? What are you doing
here? Have you sent the book to George?
MaRIANNE WIllIAMS
What book? You're working on a new book
darling?
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Uncertain about if Marianne is his wife or his assistant.)
Of course I am, it's finished! You know
that... or do you...
MaRIANNE WILLIAMS
Well, you're always talking about one book
or another... I wish you wouldn't. It's been two weeks now, you know.
HenRY WILLIAMS
Two weeks?
MariANNE WILlIAMS
Yes, two weeks and I can't stand it
anymore. Whether you want it or not, tonight we're making love.
HenRY WILLIAMS
You want sex?
MariANNE WIllIAMS
Oh, sorry! I didn't know we could say the S
word around here. Usually you can only survive hearing snuggle... making love
is already too much for your poor mind. Yes darling, tonight we're having sex!
HenRY WILLIAMS
Who are you?
MarIANNE WILliAMS
What do you mean?
HenRY WILLIAMS
Well, what are you? My T.A.?
MariANNE WIllIAMS
T.A.?
HenRY WILLIAMS
My teacher assistant... or are you my
wife...? Yes, you are my wife, aren't you? This is confusing.
MaRIANNE WILlIAMS
Darling... you've been reading too much,
once again you're completely lost. I know just what to do to get you back on
track. I'll bake you those little cakes you're so fond of.
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Getting up and ready to strangle his wife.)
Don't joke with me! Who are you? What are
you doing here?
MariANNE WILliAMS
You've really lost it this time! I'm
telling you Henry, I won't suffer this anymore, I'm tired of caring for a mad
man! I will ask for a divorce pronto if you force me to! I won't stick around
until they put you into a mental hospital!
HenRY WILLIAMS
Yeah... go back to your Martin... he must
need a nice Shepherd's pie tonight... or does he prefers crepes?
MaRIANNE WILliAMS
(She breaks down crying.)
You know about him? How did you know?
HenRY WILLIAMS
I don't know. I don't know where that came
from. I'm sorry baby, I must be losing it. Unless... you're having an affair
with a certain Martin Wilkins?
MaRIANNE WILLIAMS
So you didn't know? How...
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Taking her in his arms.)
Don't worry Marianne. I must deserve it,
I'm such a bad husband.
MaRIANNE WILLIAMS
Well, you're usually so absorbed with your
philosophy...
HenRY WILLIAMS
I can't believe you're my wife. I know you
are, but somehow I feel that I almost
let you slip away for that Martin.
MaRIANNE WILLIAMS
I'm sorry.
HENRY WILLIAMS
I just had a deja vu, very vivid, in which
you were my assistant and not my wife. I tell you, this reality must exist, I
was even confused when you entered the room. You were married to a certain
Martin Wilkins.
MaRIANNE WILLIAMS
You do remember that before we got married
I gave you an ultimatum? I said I loved me but if you were not to marry me I
would marry Martin.
HenRY WILLIAMS
It was not appropriate for me to marry my
assistant, but I married you anyway. In the other timeline I must have told you
to marry Martin.
MaRIANNE WILLIAMS
You must have dreamt all that.
HenRY WILLIAMS
I don't think so. I have experienced many
deja vu recently and they could be considered to be a consequence of time
loops. We could be going back in time with the chance to change our future if
we can remember, via deja vu, our mistakes. I sincerely thought you were my
assistant today. What if my reality has changed somehow?
MaRIANNE WILLIAMS
Well, I'm sure you will write it all down
in your books. Though, is this philosophy?
HenRY WILLIAMS
Good question.
MaRIANNE WILLIAMS
I'm sorry baby for Martin.
HenRY WILLIAMS
There are worse things...
MaRIANNE WILLIAMS
What can be worse than infidelity?
HenRY WILLIAMS
Haven't you heard the news?
MariANNE WILliAMS
What news?
HenRY WILLIAMS
The killings at the university?
MariANNE WILLIAMS
What killings?
HenRY WILLIAMS
Let's open the TV, it must be on every
channel by now, nationwide.
CUT TO:
Late afternoon. Day 1. Living room.
So Henry turns on the TV where we can see
photos of Esteban, Charles and Elizabeth, and scenes of where the shooting took
place.
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Turning on the TV and switching the channels.)
There, on every channel... just like I
predicted.
MarIANNE WILLIAMS
(Hearing about the shooting.)
Oh my God!
TV
...a student called Esteban Estevez pull
out a gun and shot the dean Charles Worpington and his assistant Elizabeth
Fairwater... no one knows yet the motive for such a crime but it is said
Esteban suffered from bad results and could not enter the Masters degree
program at the University.
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Muting the TV.)
And that's nothing, even though the media
will miss this part of the story, as they always do, one bullet was meant for
me.
MariANNE WILLIAMS
What do you mean? How come...?
HenRY WILLIAMS
This morning I told that kid he had no
future and that I would go out of my way to make sure of it. So he shot
everyone... but missed me in one of nature's wildest ironies. I feel totally
responsible for this.
MarIANNE WILLIAMS
(Putting the sound up as we see the picture of a young girl.)
Maybe not, you never know. Perhaps he had
other problems, his girlfriend might have left him, maybe she just died or
something.
Tv
His girlfriend died unexpectedly two weeks
ago from a car accident. This new incident reminds us of other killings in the
United States, notably...
At that point the TV confirms that the
girlfriend of Esteban died 2 weeks before. As Marianne virtually just said it,
they both look at each other thinking about the coincidence.
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Muting the TV again.)
How did you know, Deja vu?
MaRIANNE WILLIAMS
A lucky guess... I guess.
HenRY WILLIAMS
Well, I need to get back to work, despite
everything that has happened. There's more to it than you'll ever know but I
won't tell you just yet.
MaRIANNE WILLIAMS
Why?
HenRY WILLIAMS
Because you would get me declared insane
and ready for the asylum, while you go and enjoy a better life with Martin.
MaRIANNE WILlIAMS
Don't say that, you don't know anything. I
love you Henry, I always did and I always will. Martin is just, you know,
snuggling at a higher speed...
HenRY WILLIAMS
Sex, hot and sweaty sex... is that all? I
need to get back to work! Go and cook your cakes... I have a lot of soul
searching to do.
MaRIANNE WILLIAMS
I'll bring you your bottle of Port, I'm
sure you'll need it.
HenRY WILLIAMS
(On the verge of crying but getting back to reality.)
You know me so well Marianne... I'm so
sorry... I must be to blame for everything that is happening... You know...
MaRIANNE WILlIAMS
No, you must not blame yourself...
HenRY WILLIAMS
I must get back to work!
CUT TO:
DAY1. Tea time. Henry's office in his house
So he goes back in his office while
Marianne brings him a bottle of Port with a glass on a platter. She pours him a
glass. She then go and watch the news. He sits down and starts thinking. He
goes to get a medical book about the human brain, hoping that this is where he
will find the answer.
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Getting a book and sitting on his chair.)
Right, nothing will stop me now. I need to
read about the human brain, that's what I need to do.
HenRY WILLIAMS (CONT'D)
(He sits down huffing and puffing. )
I wish I was a medical doctor and not just
a philosophy teacher, then I might find the answers I'm looking for.
HenRY WILLIAMS (CONT'D)
(The door bell rings once. Then twice. Then three times.)
Marianne, are you getting it? Marianne?
Marianne!
CUT TO:
Day 1. Getting dark. Henry's doorstep
HenrY WILLIAMS
Esteban?
EsTEBAN ESTEVEZ
(Surrounded by a large limousine and five dancing girls dancing to a
popular tune.)
Hello Professor! I thought you must be
bored by now.
HenRY WILLIAMS
What is this? That's it, I'm completely
mad! Marianne! Marianne? You're doing this to me, aren't you? You're
responsible for what is happening to me. I knew
it...
EsTEBAN ESTEVEZ
Calm down, professor Williams. I'm only
bringing in the entertainment! I know you live alone, I just wish to make you
understand that I'm on your side. I will free you from your boring life as a
philosopher.
HenRY WILLIAMS
Are you not in prison? Oh wait... you are
dead! Perhaps you did shoot me... Maybe I'm dead. Is this what purgatory looks
like? Esteban Estevez haunting me for eternity? Bringing down the
entertainment?
EsTEBAN ESTEVEZ
(Dancing and singing, taking his shirt and trousers off.)
Bring down the Dancing Girls! You know
these girls are special, if you know what I mean! I Never felt so alive! And
you will too after tonight. Can we get in? Are you not an old pervert? Like all
the other philosophy teachers at the university? This worked well with
professor Burnaby, and Williamson...
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Completely out of it.)
Get out! Get out! All of you, and your
stupid dancing girls and flashy car! Marianne! Call the police!
EsTEBAN ESTEVEZ
Your assistant lives here now? I don't
understand! I thought you were human, after all! Don't you enjoy the company of
women? Maybe you're gay? That's it! You're gay! Next time I'll bring dancing
boys. Are you going to write that letter for me for the department? I'll bring
you dancing boys next time, I promise. I'll bring them tonight if you wish... I
should have known you were gay, like half the department... What am I talking
about? The whole department is gay except Burnaby, Williamson, and... ah yes,
me! The gay Maffia has taken over... does this mean I have absolutely no chance
in my studies, Mr. Williams? Bring down the dancing boys!
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Red with rage. Slamming the door at which point the music stops.)
Get out of here!
MarIANNE WILLIAMS
What's wrong baby? You're in such a state!
What happened?
HenRY WILLIAMS
Open the door and find out for yourself!
MaRIANNE WILLIAMS
(Opening the door.)
There's no one there!
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Looking for himself.)
What? Impossible... You're right, I've
imagined it! This is more serious than I thought... I need a psychotherapist...
there's no more answer to be found. I'm just completely berserk!
MaRIANNE WILLIAMS
Have you drunk the whole bottle of Port
again? You know Port is not like wine, you can't just drink the bottle and hope
to remain sane. Why don't you come to bed? Perhaps tomorrow everything will be
clearer.
HenRY WILLIAMS
You're probably right... Tomorrow's another
day. A normal day I hope!
MarIANNE WILLIAMS
(Under the suspicious eyes of Henry, as if the nightmare was
continuing...)
Any chance of snuggling tonight?
HenRY WILLIAMS
...not after the day I had.
CuT TO:
Fifth Deja Vu. Day 2. Early Morning.
Henry's kitchen
As Deja vu shows that perhaps there is a
time loop in which from the future we go back in time and are able to act differently,
then the second time around we can be someone totally different. Somehow Henry
took advantage of this somewhere along the way, and instead of becoming a
philosophy teacher he became a medical doctor.
The next day Henry is a specialist of the
brain, as if being a philosopher could not help him understand Deja vu and
somehow he decided he needed some new skills to help him understand.
So Henry wakes up and gets ready to leave
the house. The screen is split again for the fifth deja vu. On the left in real
life he gets all his medical instruments in order and on the right he is
preparing his books.
LEFT SCREEN (real
life)
HenRY WILLIAMS
Where are my instruments? I'm late, again!
Marianne! Marianne? She always conveniently disappears when I need her the
most.
RIGHT SCREEN (deja
vu)
HenRY WILLIAMS
Where are my books? I'm late, again! Damn!
We see him in his car on the left going to
a hospital while on the right he goes to the university. On the right we see
the police barriers around where the shooting took place, and Henry looking at
this being sorry. Then the screen gets back to normal.
RIGHT SCREEN (deja
vu)
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Seeing ambulances, police cars and journalists' vans.)
They're still here? Unbelievable. How long
can it be to figure out that a loser student did not get what he wanted?
LEFT SCREEN (real
life)
HenRY WILLIAMS
Finally, here's the hospital. I thought I
would never get here.
END OF SPLIT SCREEN
CuT TO:
Day 2. morning. hospital reception
Once inside the hospital, Henry meets
Elizabeth, she is now a nurse.
EliZABETH FAIRWATER
Hello Doctor Williams. Did you have a good
night sleep?
HenRY WILLIAMS
I think so.
ElIZABETH FAIRWATER
Your patient Mrs. Winterbottom is not
recovering very well from her brain operation. I'm frightened she won't make
it.
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Looking at a medical folder with a photo of Mrs. Winterbottom on it.)
I knew it... unfortunately we found out too
late about her brain's tumor. There wasn't much we could do for her. I'll go and see her later. But now... please
come into my office.
ElIZABETH FAIRWATER
I've got lots to do, I'll come in half an
hour.
HenRY WILLIAMS
Now!
ElIZABETH FAIRWATER
All right, all right! I'm coming!
Then he takes Elizabeth the nurse to his
office hurriedly and tells her there's something wrong with him.
CuT TO:
Day 2. morning. henry's office at the
HOSPITAL
HenRY WILLIAMS
(In a panic state.)
Are you the one keeping us sane around
here?
ElIZABETH FAIRWATER
(Joking.)
Are you kidding? The more you doctors
operate on people's brains, the more you seem to be losing yours. What would
you do without me?
HenRY WILLIAMS
Good!
ElIZABETH FAIRWATER
But please bear in mind that I'm also the
biggest gossip of this hospital. Anything you will say will be held against you
and will be repeated to everyone else.
HenRY WILLIAMS
I don't care. Listen, I'm experiencing Deja
vu and something is not right. I feel I should be a philosophy teacher at the
University, not a medical doctor specialist of the brain. Somehow I've changed
my present, as if the past, the present and the future were all intertwined.
Like if there was no linear existence to be lived. And through my deja vu I've
changed everything. Like if we were living as much in the future as in the
past.
ElIZABETH FAIRWATER
Just what I said. You're all going insane!
Ye ha! And I'm the only sane person around here! I should be operating on our
patients... if they wish to stand any chance of survival. How much Brandy did
you have yesterday, my God?
HenRY WILLIAMS
You were also in this other reality, you
were not the head nurse, you were the right hand of the dean!
ElIZABETH FAIRWATER
(She laughs.)
That's the best I heard so far! Wait until
I tell every single nurse in this department! They'll go insane too!
HenRY WILLIAMS
Elizabeth! I'm serious!
ElIZABETH FAIRWATER
Studying the brain must have somehow
wrecked your mind! Forget about it! I need to remind you that Charles the
director is looking for you. Something about your latest book on mapping the
human brain or something...
HenRY WILLIAMS
Charles, you say? That's the name of the
dean!
ElIZABETH FAIRWATER
Apparently he says that it should
revolutionize the brain as we understand it. Are you a genius after all? No
wonder you're completely mad.
HenRY WILLIAMS
Oh God! What book is that? Is it not about
philosophy? About Deja vu perhaps?
ElIZABETH FAIRWATER
(Getting up and leaving the office with a big smile.)
How should I know? I'm only the head nurse,
no one's telling me anything. And they sure are right in not doing so! Thanks
Henry, you made my day! Soon all 13 floors will be talking about you!
He quickly opens his computer and read
about his book.
HenRY WILLIAMS
Where's that damn book...? Ah, there it
is... Deja vu, from a medical doctor's perspective.
ChARLES WORPINGTON
(Entering Henry's office.)
Henry, about your book!
HenRY WILLIAMS
Forget the book, sit down, I need to speak
about Deja vu.
ChARLES WORPINGTON
(Laughing.)
Well, as this is exactly the topic of your
book, let's talk about it then.
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Still looking at his computer screen.)
As far as I can tell, being a specialist of
the brain does not help me understand what Deja vu is.
ChaRLES WORPINGTON
What are you talking about? Your study is
perfect, no one ever mapped the brain like you did. You explain just about
everything that goes on in there! The two brain processes for example, studying
the blind people still able to process certain images. This book will be a
best-seller!
HenRY WILLIAMS
I don't believe you see an event twice because
the brain takes some fraction of a second to interpret what it sees from your
two eyes. Well, in theory it is possible, but considering what I'm going
through right now, it no longer makes any sense. This book needs to be
rewritten.
ChaRLES WORPINGTON
Who cares? We'll make a lot of money, the
hospital will get a better reputation, you can't let me down!
HenRY WILLIAMS
Rewritten not from the point of view of a
medical doctor, but from a paranormal investigator's point of view. What I'm
experiencing is definitely supernatural.
ChaRLES WORPINGTON
In that case I no longer wish to publish
the book as this will not be right in our curriculum. I'm warning you Henry,
this is a big mistake. Parapsychologists are just charlatans without any
credibility! I'll have your head on a platter for this! Mark my words.
HenRY WILLIAMS
You're a real nightmare! Just like when you
were the dean of the university! I will no longer suffer any pressure from you!
ChaRLES WORPINGTON
Hey, a bit of respect, I'm still the
hospital director around here. Dean's university? What are you talking about?
HenRY WILLIAMS
Never mind.
ChaRLES WORPINGTON
Oh, which reminds me... a young and
promising new graduate called Esteban Estevez, was denied working at the
hospital because of one person only: Henry Williams.
HeNRY WILLIAMS
(At this name, Henry goes white.)
Ah yes, Esteban… I know something about
him... something terrible... I just don't know what.
ChaRLES WORPINGTON
Well, get over it because we need him.
Please reword your report so we can hire him.
HenRY WILLIAMS
I have a feeling that something is not
right with that young man…
EsTEBAN ESTEVEZ
(Entering the room in a big bang.)
Where is Doctor Henry Williams?
ElIZABETH FAIRWATER
You have no right to go in there!
EsTEBAN ESTEVEZ
(Looking at Charles.)
Is it you? Yes, I do recognize you from the
back cover of your books.
HenRY WILLIAMS
He's got a gun, I'm sure! Take cover!
EsTEBAN ESTEVEZ
(He takes his gun out and shoots Charles, misses Henry and kills
Elizabeth. Other people come in and try to stop him and once again he shoots
himself.)
Let me go! I've had enough! Please, you
don't understand!
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Once everyone is dead.)
Not again!
Man
(Completely horrified.)
Oh my god! This is horrible!
HeNRY WILLIAMS
(Sitting down.)
A parapsychologist… this is what I need to
be to understand what is happening to me.
Man
(Puzzled.)
What?
HenRY WILLIAMS
Get out! All of you! Get out of my office!
And take those corpses to the morgue for me, will you? While I try to figure
out what's happening here...
Man
Well, good luck! But I'm going to call the
police and don't you dare touch anything before the coroner finishes his job!
For all I know you're to blame for all this!
HENRY WILLIAMS
Who are you? I've never seen you before.
Not even at the university...
Man
I think you've been hit.
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Suddenly frightened and looking at himself everywhere.)
Really? Where, where?
Man
In the head, right through your brain.
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Understanding it was a joke and now being ironic.)
Ah, ah, very funny. Now go call the police
somewhere else.
Man
What about the bodies?
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Pushing them out and closing the door on them.)
I won't touch anything but I have some
thinking to do. So thank you very much for your visit, you're not welcomed back
at any time.
DiSSOLVE TO:
Sixth Deja Vu. Day 2. Morning. Henry's
office at the paranormal study center
As Henry said that he wished to be a
parapsychologist, once he turns around there are no more bodies anywhere. He
has switched reality once again and no one has been killed yet.
Something weird happens, a slight change in
the atmosphere, everything around the room has changed. Henry looks out the
window, everything is different. He is no longer at the hospital.
HeNRY WILLIAMS
(Amazed.)
Where am I? Something happened... or am I
just tired?
He is now in a small building where he
based his paranormal investigation organization. All around, he picks up books
about ghosts, paranormal stuff, etc.
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Picking up books and then sitting down.)
Ghosts, Paranormal Investigations,
Clairvoyance, Precognition... this is much more like it. These books I need to
read right now!
The screen splits into three. We see him as
a paranormal investigator, a medical doctor and a philosophy teacher, while he
is trying hard to understand what's going on.
SCREEN 1 (real
life, Paranormal Investigator)
HenRY WILLIAMS (CONT'D)
(He is sitting at his desk reading, sometimes stopping like if he was
absorbing what happens in the two other timelines.)
Wow... this is amazing... I have a psychic
gift, I can see other timelines. I seem to know all possible realities and can
act according to what I learn.
Henry is reenacting the shooting scenes at
the University and the hospital. The sound for both deja vu screens should be
very distant, with only key sentences being heard, like if it was a dream.
SCREEN 2 (deja vu
1, Philosopher)
HenRY WILLIAMS (CONT'D)
Watch out!
EsTEBAN ESTEVEZ
(Shooting Henry but missing as Henry turns around horrified.)
This one's for you professor!
ChARLES WORPINGTON
(Coming out of his office to find out what's happening.)
What's going on? What's all the noise!
EstEBAN ESTEVEZ
(Suddenly looking at the dean and shooting him too.)
I might as well shoot you Worpington.
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Running into Elizabeth's office while he can.)
Oh God! Oh God!
EsTEBAN ESTEVEZ
(Other students are trying to stop him, holding his arm, while Esteban
finally shoots himself.)
Let me go! I've had enough! Please, you
don't understand!
SCREEN 3 (deja vu
2, Medical Doctor)
EsTEBAN ESTEVEZ
(Entering the room in a big bang.)
Where is Doctor Henry williams?
ElIZABETH FAIRWATER
You have no right to go in there!
EsTEBAN ESTEVEZ
(Looking at Charles.)
Is it you? Yes, I do recognize you from the
back cover of your books.
HenRY WILLIAMS
He's got a gun, I'm sure! Take cover!
EsTEBAN ESTEVEZ
(He takes his gun out and shoots Charles, misses Henry and kills
Elizabeth. Other people try to stop him and once again he shoots himself.)
Let me go! I've had enough! Please, you
don't understand!
END OF SPLIT SCREEN
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Feeling illuminated.)
I know what will happen! Esteban Estevez...
At this time enters Charles, our
dean/director and now director of the Paranormal Study Center.
ChARLES WORPINGTON
Good morning Henry! I need to speak to you
about your book...
HenRY WILLIAMS
A book... let me guess, about Deja vu? Yes,
yes, it is coming to term. I think. I just need more time.
ChaRLES WORPINGTON
More time for what, it is finished!
HenRY WILLIAMS
Yes, it is finished, I know what I'm
talking about. Wait... Sixth sense, extrasensory perception, getting
information via other means than our five senses...
ChaRLES WORPINGTON
Yes, why are you telling me this? It's
fine, this is perfect for the book.
HenRY WILLIAMS
This is how I can explain my deja vu. It is
like a clairvoyance gift, the acquisition of information about another person,
object or events not involving the known senses or logical inference.
But Charles, I think I've uncovered a
breakthrough here! I know the mean by witch mediums and psychics tap into the
unknown! It's like deja vu, but it's more!
ChaRLES WORPINGTON
Better be a great breakthrough if you wish
to take the time to rewrite the book. If you think it can impact that much on
the sales...
HenRY WILLIAMS
Charles, have you become a money motivated
person? I'm talking about real life here, explaining the unknown! I hope to
help people with this, not make a fortune!
ChaRLES WORPINGTON
Well, get rich first, you know how the
Paranormal Study Center is in great need of money. Then you can help people.
Anyway, how would you help anyone?
HenRY WILLIAMS
I have the gift! I can even predict the
future, I'm telling you!
CharLES WORPINGTON
Precognition? Prove it!
HenRY WILLIAMS
You're about to die, and Elizabeth too.
ChaRLES WORPINGTON
Could we pick up another example, if I'm
dead you won't exactly prove me anything.
HenRY WILLIAMS
This is serious Charles. I cannot stop it,
a young man called Esteban Estevez will do the killings and even shoot himself.
ChaRLES WORPINGTON
Are you sure? How can you be certain?
HenRY WILLIAMS
I can't, you're right. I've only seen
possible futures. Heck, I'm not even sure.
ChaRLES WORPINGTON
Who is this Esteban Estevez, I never heard
of him. Why would he want to kill me?
HenRY WILLIAMS
Ultimately he wishes to kill me, but
somehow he fails in every timelines that I'm aware of. I don't even know where
to start to find him, but I guess he will come to us. Perhaps we can change the
future, prevent the killings?
ChaRLES WORPINGTON
I'm all up for it... though I don't believe
your new found precognition gift.
HenRY WILLIAMS
You know I've always been a bit psychic.
ChaRLES WORPINGTON
A bit crazy, yes, psychic... I still need
hard proof! How would you know the future? Can you explain it to me?
HenRY WILLIAMS
Time loops, going back in time, changing
the future the second time around, remembering
different timelines… that's it! I need to study theoretical physics, I
need to look into fluctuating timelines, relativity and quantum mechanics!
ChaRLES WORPINGTON
Quantum what?
HenRY WILLIAMS
Physics, Charles! It is all down to
physics. Somehow we are going back in time, this is why we have deja vu. And if
you go further, you can see much more, have many deja vu, know the future, or at
the very least possible futures.
ChaRLES WORPINGTON
This is crazy stuff Henry... I don't
know... I don't like it. Let's stay within the boundaries of paranormal
investigations, or else the book will be useless.
ElIZABETH FAIRWATER
(Entering the room.)
You want coffee in here? You seem to be
involved in quite a discussion.
HenRY WILLIAMS
Elizabeth, do you know a certain Esteban
Estevez?
EliZABETH FAIRWATER
Yes, as a matter of fact, he came here this
morning. He wanted a job, he's a huge fan of yours.
HenRY WILLIAMS
Has he left a CV?
ChaRLES WORPINGTON
(Ironic.)
What? You can't guess his address?
HeNRY WILLIAMS
Charles, I need your support here. I'm only
trying to save all our lives.
ElizABETH fAIRWATER
Save our lives? Charles! Why do you keep me
in the dark about these things? I knew the finances were bad but I didn't know
you were planning to close down the Study. I suppose I'll need to find a new
job now...
HenRY WILLIAMS
Euh, Elizabeth... let's talk about this
another time. Has he left a CV?
ElIZABETH FAIRWATER
Well, if that kid can save us, I'll go and
get his address immediately! Wait a second...
HenRY WILLIAMS
(Taking his jacket.)
Right, I'm off.
ChARLES WORPINGTON
Don't you think I should come with you?
HenRY WILLIAMS
No, I don't want you to die.
chARLES WORPINGTON
What about you?
HenRY WILLIAMS
Somehow I feel he cannot kill me even if he
wants to.
ChaRLES WORPINGTON
Why?
HenRY WILLIAMS
Because it's not my destiny to die at his
hand.
ChaRLES WORPINGTON
Call the police, at least!
HeNRY WILLIAMS
The police won't do anything, until we're
all dead, that is... Goodbye Charles.