Requiem for a Dream

by

Darren Aronofsky & Hubert Selby, Jr.

ON THE TV -

- is Tappy Tibbons, America's favorite television personality.
His charismatic personality shines for the entire world to
see.

His audience cheers wildly.

AUDIENCE
Juice by Tappy! Juice by Tappy!
Juice by Tappy! ooooOOOOH! Tappy's
got juice! Tappy's got juice!
ooooOOOOH Tappy!

TAPPY TIBBONS
Thank you! Thank you vey much!
Today's winner is a flight attendant
from Washington DC. Will you
please welcome Mary -

Suddenly, the plug is pulled. The TV flickers off and we -

CUT TO:

THE PRESENTATION TITLES, THEN -

CUT TO:

INT. SARA'S LIVING ROOM - DAY

Harry Goldfarb, young twenties, is an eccentric kid with a
seductive smile.

He tries to stop his mother, Sara Goldfarb, from locking
herself in the closet.

HARRY
Ma! Ma! C'mon, Ma!

SARA
Harold. Please. Not again the TV.

She slams the door closed and Harry talks to the shut door.

HARRY
Why do you haveta make such a big
deal out of this? Eh? You know
you'll have the set back in a
couple of hours.

No answer.

2.

HARRY (CONT'D)
Why ya gotta make me feel guilty?
(frustrated)
Ahhh...

Harry walks across the room to the early eighties TV with
ridiculous rabbit ears.

Sara locks the door and retreats to the back of the closet.

Harry starts to push the set on its stand when suddenly it
jerks - almost falling. Harry spies a thick bicycle chain
going from around the TV to the radiator.

HARRY (CONT'D)
Jesus! Whatta ya tryin' to do, eh?
You tryin' to get me to break my
own mother's set? Or break the
radiator?

Harry marches to the closet.

HARRY (CONT'D)
..an' maybe blow up the whole house?
You tryin' to make me a killer?
Your own son? Your own flesh and
blood? WHATTA YA DOIN' TA ME?
YOUR OWN SON!!!

Then, a thin key slowly peeks out from under the closet door.
Harry works it out with his fingernail and yanks it up.

HARRY (CONT'D)
Why do you always gotta play games
with my head for krist's sake?
Don't you have any considerations
for my feelings? Why do you haveta
make my life so difficult?

And then, meekly from the closet -

SARA
Harold, I wouldn't. The chain
isn't for you. The robbers.

HARRY
Then why didn't you tell me? The
set almost fell. I coulda had a
heart attack.

Sara shakes her head in the darkness.

SARA
You should be well, Harold.

3.

HARRY
Then why won't you come out?

Harry tries to open the locked closet door but can't.

HARRY (CONT'D)
See what I mean? See how you
always gotta upset me?

Harry walks to the TV, unlocks the chain and starts to wheel
the TV towards the front door. He pauses by the closet.

HARRY (CONT'D)
Ma? Ma? C'mon out? Please, Ma.

No response. Inside, Sara hugs her knees.

Then, he throws up his hands, mumbles -

HARRY
Eh, screw it.

- and pushes the set carefully out of the apartment.

In the closet, Sara hears the door shut. She mumbles to
herself -

SARA
It's not happening. And if it
should be happening it would be
alright, so don't worry, Seymour.
It'll all work out. You'll see
already. In the end it's all nice.

SMASH CUT TO:

BLACK -

- AND THE TITLE: 'REQUIEM FOR A DREAM'

TITLES BEGIN -

EXT. SARA'S APARTMENT - HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS

Waiting for Harry is Tyrone C. Love, young twenties, leaning
against the wall, playing skillfully with a yo-yo.

Taking his time, Tyrone helps Harry wheel the set to the
dingy elevator.

TYRONE
Sheeit, this mutha startin' to look
a little seedy, man.

4.

HARRY
What's the matter, ya particular
all of a sudden?

TYRONE
Hey, baby, ah don't care if it's
growin' hair just so's we get our
braid.

CUT TO:

EXT. SARA'S BUILDING - BRIGHTON BEACH, BROOKLYN - DAY

Lining the front of the building in beach chairs are ten
female Yentas absorbing the sun and passing judgement on
Harry.

Harry says hello and is greeted by a chorus of fake,
sarcastic 'hellos' in return.

CUT TO:

EXT. STREETS OF BRIGHTON BEACH AND CONEY ISLAND

Harry and Tyrone carefully navigate the TV through the
streets of the old Brooklyn neighborhood.

They go under the elevated train, past the giant, dying
projects, across the boardwalk, beneath the shadows of the
towering parachute jump and through the cracking and boarded-
up amusement park.

THE TITLES END.

A HARD CUT TO:

BLACK

ON THE SCREEN IN WHITE LETTERS: 'SUMMER'

CUT TO:

INT. PAWN SHOP - DAY

Old and squat Mr. Rabinowitz shakes his head as Harry and
Tyrone push the set into his store.

He stands behind a cage of bulletproof glass with all of the
pawn shop's possessions.

MR RABINOWITZ
So look, the table too already.

5.

HARRY
Hey, what do you want from me? I
can't schlep it on my back.

MR RABINOWITZ
You got a friend.

TYRONE
Hey man, I ain't my leper's
schlepper.

Harry chuckles.

MR RABINOWITZ
Such a son. A goniff. Your mother
needs you like a moose needs a hat
rack.

The pawn shop owner clucks his tongue and slowly counts out
the money.

CUT TO:

QUICK HIP-HOP MONTAGE:

Lighter flicks-liquid on spoon sizzles-tourniquet snaps-
needle sucks-hand slaps vein-a thunderous rush of liquid-and
finally an ecstatic sigh.

INT. TYRONE'S DIVE PAD - LATER

Tyrone's pad is run down but it'll do. Tight on Harry back-
spinning a record on the turntable and halting the beat.
Then he lets the other turntable spin and start a new tune.

TYRONE
Sheeit, that's some boss scag, baby.
I mean DYN-A-MITE.

HARRY
Yeah, man, something else.

Harry calmly watches the record spin.

CUT TO:

INT. DONUT SHOP - NIGHT - LATER

Tyrone and Harry sit at the counter of an all-night donut
shop, sipping hot chocolate and eating chocolate Crullers.

6.

TYRONE
Ya know what we oughta do, man?
Huh? We oughta get a piece of this
Brody shit and cut it and off it,
ya dig?

HARRY
This stuff's good enough to cut in
half and still get you wasted. We
could double our money. Easy.

TYRONE
That's right. An' then we buy a
couple a pieces an' we got
something' else goin', man. It
sure would be righteous.

HARRY
In no time we'd get a pound of pure
straight from Sal the Geep.

TYRONE
No hassles. That's all I want, no
hassles.

Just then, a hulking Cop sits down on the stool next to Harry.

Tyrone and Harry both fall silent and slowly sip their hot
chocolates.

Harry looks down at the Cop's gun. It's maybe six inches
from his hand.

Slowly, he reaches over and undoes the safety latch on the
Cop's holster.

Tyrone's eyes fill with fear.

The Waitress comes over and gives the Cop his office.

WAITRESS
Can I get you a -

Just then, Harry yanks the gun out of the holster. The Cop
spins around. Harry retreats -

COP
Hey! Hey!

Harry smiles as the Cop charges. Tyrone snickers. Then
Harry tosses the gun over the Cop's head. Tyrone catches it.
The Cop chases Tyrone.

7.

Harry and Tyrone laugh as they toss the gun back and forth
just over the frustrated Cop's head. The Cop slips and
falls on his ass and we -

CUT BACK TO:

Reality. Five minutes earlier -

WAITRESS
Anything else? Huh?

Tyrone butts Harry. Harry looks up at the Waitress who
stares at him. The towering Cop looks over as well.

WAITRESS
Well.

HARRY
No, no. Just the check.

The Cop returns to his donut.

CUT TO:

INT. PAWN SHOP - DAY

Mr Rabinowitz shakes his head as Sara enters. He pulls out
a ledger book that is labeled 'Sara Goldfarb's TV'.

MR RABINOWITZ
Good evening, Mrs Goldfarb.

SARA
Good evening, Mr Rabinowitz, though
I'm not so sure how good it is.
And you?

MR RABINOWITZ
Uh, so what can I say? Are you
wanting your TV?

SARA
Yes, if you don't mind.

Sara pulls a crinkled ten dollar bill out of the corner of
her blouse and hands it to Mr Rabinowitz.

MR RABINOWITZ
Mrs Goldfarb, can I ask you a
question, you won't be taking it
personal?

Sara shrugs.

8.

MR RABINOWITZ
How many years we know each other?
(he nods his head)
Who's to count? Why don't you tell
already the police so maybe they
could talk to Harry and he wouldn't
be stealing no more the TV.

SARA
Oooo, Mr Rabinowitz, I couldn't,
Harold's my only child. He's all I
have.

CUT TO:

INT. SARA'S LIVING ROOM - LATER

Sara chains the TV to the radiator again. She turns on the
set, adjusts the rabbit ears and watches whatever is on.

Sara smiles as she settles into her chair. She cermoniously
removes the plastic wrapper from around a box of chocolates.

Immediately, she pulls out a chocolate, covered cream and
lets it dissolve in her mouth. Her eyes shut in gentle
ecstasy.

CUT TO:

EXT. SEACOAST TOWER - DAY

Looking straight up at the thirty-storey building with sharp
eyes is Marion. She is beautiful, fresh, and in her young
twenties.

Harry, with a stack of newspapers under his arm, comes up
from behind and kisses her on the neck.

CUT TO:

SEACOAST TOWER'S FOYER

Harry randomly presses one of countless buzzers. An Old
Lady responds a moment later.

OLD LADY
Hello? Who is it?

Harry mumbles into the speaker. He and Marion try to hold
their laughter.

OLD LADY
Who?

9.

Harry mumbles again. When the buzzer rings we're on -

THE ELEVATOR

- in black-and-white video. A security camera watches Harry
and Marion jump around as they head to the -

TOP FLOOR

PING! Harry dips his head out the open doors.

All clear. He grabs Marion and they dash to the -

STAIRWELL

- where red, bold warnings on the emergency exit roof door
threaten alarm if the door is opened.

MARION
What do we do now?

Harry pulls out a wire from his back pocket and shorts the
alarm.

Then, he kicks the roof door open. White light rushes in.

CUT TO:

INT. SARA'S LIVING ROOM

Her phone rrrings and Sara leans towards it but she continues
to adjust the rabbit ears on her set, torn between the
priorty of the two activities.

Finally, four rings later, she lunges for the phone and
flops down in her viewing chair. She is greeted by a Cheery
Voice.

SARA
Hello?

CHEERY VOICE
(off-screen)
Mrs Goldfarb? Mrs Sara Goldfarb?

SARA
It's me. Speaking.

The voice is so enthusiastic that she looks over to the TV
to see if it's coming from there.

10.

CHEERY VOICE
(off-screen)
Mrs Goldfarb, this is Lyle Russel
from Malin & Block.

SARA
I'm not interested in -

CHEERY VOICE
(off-screen)
Wait, Mrs Goldfarb. I'm not
selling anything. Nothing. I just
want to offer you a chance to be on
television.

SARA
Television?

CHEERY VOICE
(off-screen)
That's right, Mrs Goldfarb.

SARA
Look, I don't have any -

CHEERY VOICE
(off-screen)
I'm not looking for money, Mrs
Goldfarb. I'm calling to tell you
you've already won. Your name was
selected from a long list of
available contestants. You've been
chosen and you now have an
opportunity to be on television.

SARA
Me? On television?

Sara's eyes light up.

LYLE RUSSEL
(off-screen)
That's right, Mrs Goldfarb. You on
television.

SARA
I never thought I'd be on television.
I'm just a -

LYLE RUSSEL
(off-screen)
Malin & Block discovers contestants
for most of America's favorite
television shows.

11.

SARA
Ooooooo... Me... me... on... oh I
can't...

LYLE RUSSEL
(off-screen)
Yes, Mrs Goldfarb, you.
Congratulations! I can't tell you
why you are so lucky, but you are.
Congratulations!

Sara falls against the back of the viewing chair, one hand
clutches desperately at the phone, the other on top of her
dress. Her eyes bulge, her mouth hangs open.

LYLE RUSSEL
(off-screen)
You will receive all necessary
information in the mail, Mrs
Goldfarb. Goodbye and... God bless.

Click! Sara tries to catch her breath. She awakens from
her ecstasy when the phone beeps its off-the-hook sound.

INT. SARA'S BEDROOM - A BIT LATER

Sara picks up a framed photo. The picture was taken on
Harry's high school graduation day years ago. Harry, in the
middle, is an eighteen-year-old in cap and gown. Sara's
husband Seymour hovers over Harry's left shoulder.

On Harry's right is a younger-looking Sara. She is thirty
pounds lighter, has brilliant red hair and wears a red dress
and gold shoes. Sara stares at her outfit.

Then she rushes to the closet. As she hums a tuneless
monotone, she carefully pulls out the last dress on the hook.
She ceremoniously removes the dry-cleaning plastic and
smiles at her red dress.

She puts it on. In the mirror she looks over one shoulder
and then the other. She tries to zip up the back, but after
half an inch and many minutes of exertion she gives up.

On her hands and knees, she searches through mounds of shoes
for the special pair. She pulls out the gold shoes and
dusts them off. Shakily, Sara puts them on. She smiles at
herself in the mirror.

CUT TO:

12.

EXT. ROOF - DAY

Harry and Marion throw paper airplanes down on the dying
amusement park.

HARRY
... but why you so hard on your
folks? I mean, they give you the
bread for rent, money for the
shrink -

MARION
They bug me. They're fucking
hypocrites.

Harry shrugs - no big deal.

MARION
Like they're in that big house with
all their cars and money. They pay
me off so they don't have to deal
with me. They pay off charities to
deal with their racism. Then we'll
see how liberal they are when I
come home with a black guy.

HARRY
You know what you gotta do.

MARION
Yeah.

HARRY
You gotta get away from them.

MARION
How?

HARRY
What about your clothes? Maybe you
could sell them. Open a store.

MARION
I can't.

HARRY
Why?

MARION
When will I have time to hang with
you?

13.

A deserved kiss.

CUT TO:

EXT. ADA'S APARTMENT - HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS

Sara, barely wearing her red dress, knocks on a door. Ada,
an orange-haired woman Sara's age, answers the door.

ADA
So where's the party?

SARA
Party, schmarty. This is like all
the parties. When I tell you,
you'll jump out the window.

ADA
A basement window, I hope.

CUT TO:

INT. SARA'S BEDROOM

Ada tries to stuff Sara into her red dress but it ain't
happening.

ADA
Well, I have a great diet book.

SARA
Zophtic.

CUT BACK TO:

EXT. EMERGENCY EXIT DOOR

Marion grabs Harry's short-circuit wire. Harry, who's
already inside, looks at his girl's mischievous eyes.

HARRY
Marion!

Harry gets it. He smiles. Then, Marion yanks the wire.

ALARMS SCREAM!!!

Harry and Marion bolt to the -

TOP FLOOR

- where both elevators charge the top floor.

14.

MARION
They're coming.

Harry grabs Marion's hand and pulls her down the hallway.

Dead end.

Harry and Marion squeeze against the doorway -- fighting the
urge to crack-up. Then:

PING! -- the elevator. A Security Guard charges out.

Harry and Marion hold their breath. The Guard heads straight
for the staircase.

Then our criminals charge --

THE ELEVATOR

-- and in black-and-white video make out all the way down.

THEN:

EXT. SEACOAST TOWER - DAY

Harry and Marion burst out of the front door laughing,
alarms ringing behind them.

CUT TO:

INT. SARA'S MAILBOX - DAY

The mailbox opens and Sara disappointedly peers into the
empty darkness.

CUT TO:

INT. SARA'S APARTMENT

Sara sits in her viewing chair watching television and
reading her diet book as she slides herself a chocolate.
The diet book is called 'Ten Pounds in Ten Days.'

She flips through about a hundred pages of introduction
until she comes to the words, 'FIRST WEEK.'

She stares at the page and suddenly she becomes concerned.
She reaches for a chocolate-covered caramel as we read the
page with her:

BREAKFAST

15.

1 hard-boiled egg
1/2 grapefruit
1 cup black coffee (no sugar)

LUNCH

1 hard-boiled egg
1/2 grapefruit
1/2 cup lettuce (no dressing)
1 cup black coffee (no sugar)

DINNER

1 hard-boiled egg
1/2 grapefruit
1 cup black coffee (no sugar)
NOTE: Drink at least 2 quarts of water each day.

Sara stares and chews

Her eyes focus on the words, 'no' '1,' and '1/2'. They focus
on the repetition of meals. They focus on the insanity,
searching for the real information between the lines.

She hears a giggle and turns to look at the refrigerator.
The fridge tremors slightly -- a small mechanical rattle.

Defeated, she drops the book and reaches for another
chocolate. Her head starts to hang and tears begin to well
up in her eyes.

But then she notices something on the television.

TAPPY TIBBONS
Now, let's meet our next winner.
Straight from Brighton Beach,
Brooklyn, let's give juicy welcome
to Mrs Sara Goldfarb.

There she is! Herself dressed in red, her hair gorgeous
red, walking across the screen, so slim, so trim, so sexy.
Such curves. This is Red Sara.

Our Sara's tears fade as her chin lifts and she begins to
smile.

She watches Red Sara pose for the television audience. She
can hear the applause and the wolf whistles.

She puts the chocolates away and lifts up the book -- new
hope.

CUT TO:

16.

INT. MARION'S APARTMENT - MIDSUMMER DAY

Bright, summer sun shoots through the window and screams
across Marion's living room floor until it slows and falls
upon Harry and Marion.

They are asleep, fully dressed in each other's arms.

The racing sounds of the outside midday summer traffic
dissipate and they are alone in a vacuum of melodious
heartbeats and deep breaths.

CUT TO:

INT. SARA'S APARTMENT - DAY

Ada strips Sara's hair wth a smelly home-made peroxide
concoction at the sink. They're positioned so that they can
both watch the TV set from the corners of their eyes.

SARA
Ech, what a smell. That's the
Gawanus Canal?

ADA
Just relax, Dolly, you got a long
way to go. You'll get used to it.

SARA
Get used to it? I'm almost losing
my appetite.

They chuckle

SARA
When's lunch?

Bigger laugh.

ADA
Sweetie, we're lucky if we're
finished before supper.

SARA
So long?

ADA
That's right. With you we're
starting from scratch one.

SARA
And I thought I would catch a
little sun today.

17.

ADA
In a box you'll catch it. You just
relax and think how gorgeous you'll
look with your red hair. Today the
hair, tomorrow the sun.

CUT TO:

INT. MARION'S KITCHEN

Marion straightens up the kitchen. Harry is spinning some
records on his portable turntable. Tyrone plays with his
yo-yo.

MARION
Anybody wanna waste some time?

Marion pulls out three pills. Harry and Tyrone each grab
one. Ingestion...

WIDE SHOT of the kitchen in time lapse. The next three-
minute scene is actually a three-hour event as Harry, Marion
and Tyrone hang out. We listen to them at normal, if not
slightly slowed down, speed.

HARRY
I'm starving.

TYRONE
Yeah, me too, get me a Snickers.

HARRY
Damn, Ty, don't you eat anything
except Snickers?

TYRONE
Yeah, Chuckles. Ah digs Chuckles.

MARION
You sure as hell don't know anything
about eating, man.

HARRY
What you need is some good noodle
soup.

TYRONE
Sheeit, Pepsi and Snickers'll take
care of anything.

HARRY
And maybe some bread.

18.

TYRONE
I prefer the type that goes in my
pocket not my mouth.

HARRY
Exactly. Angel told me about a
job --

In the flash of an eye, Harry changes record after record,
Tyrone rolls a joint and Marion lights some candles.

TYRONE
A job! Hah!

MARION
What? You lose a bet?

TYRONE
(giggles)
Damn, this is a righteous chick, Jim.

HARRY
No, we got this idea. Tyrone has
this connection, Brody, with some
dynamite shit. If we can get some
cash together we can get a piece,
cut it up and make a fortune.

TYRONE
Soon we could get a pound of pure
and retire.

HARRY
We'd get off hard knocks and be on
easy street.

Someone is at the door. Marion answers it and seven friends
pile in.

Everyone is in time lapse and everyone is partying. We
watch and listen to the evening's festivities until --

MARION
What's the catch?

Suddenly, the racing kitchen clock stops.

CUT TO:

INT. SARA'S BATHROOM - DAY

Sara stares in the mirror, blinking at her ridiculously
orange hair. It's nowhere near red.

19.

SARA
That's red?

ADA
Well, it's not exactly red but it's
almost, maybe, in the same family.

SARA
The same family? They're not even
distant cousins already.

ADA
It's a red. Not a red red, but a
red.

SARA
Red? You're telling me this is a
red?

ADA
Yeah. I'm telling. It's a red.

SARA
Then what's orange? If this is a
red I want to know what's orange.

Ada looks at Sara's hair, then her reflection, then back to
Sara's hair and then back to her reflection. She purses her
lips and shrugs.

ADA
Well, it could be a little orange,
too.

SARA
A little orange? It's a little
orange like being a little pregnant.

ADA
(shrugs)
So what's to worry? It'll be
alright.

SARA
What's to worry? Someone may try
to juice me.

ADA
Relax, relax, Dolly. It just needs
a little more dye. It'll be
alright for television.

20.

SARA
All day long, I'm getting my scalp
scraped and burned and smelling
like dead fish and I look like a
basketball.

ADA
Relax. You should learn to relax.
That's your trouble, you don't know
how to relax already. I'm telling
you it's alright. Tomorrow we'll
do it again and you'll look like
Lucille Ball.

Ada leads Sara away from the mirror.

CUT TO:

INT. MARION'S APARTMENT - DAY

(Post-sex) + (pre-sleep) = (intimate talk)

HARRY
You know something? I've always
thought you are the most beautiful
woman I've ever seen.

MARION
Really?

HARRY
Since the first time I met you.

MARION
That's nice, Harry. That really
makes me feel good.

HARRY
Good for your ego, eh?

MARION
Well, I can't say that it does it
any harm, but that's not what I
mean. It makes me feel good all
over, like...well, you know lots of
people tell me that and it's
meaningless, completely meaningless.

HARRY
You mean because you think they're
putting you on?

21.

MARION
No, no, nothing like that. I don't
know or care if they are. I guess
maybe they really mean it, but from
them it just doesn't mean anything
to me. When you say it, I hear it.
You know what I mean? I really
hear it.

HARRY
Someone like you could really make
it alright for me.

MARION
You think?

HARRY
Yeah. I've been thinking...

Harry drifts off. Marion's interest is sparked.

MARION
What?

Harry looks at Marion. A beat. Then he gets the courage.
He jumps out of bed.

HARRY
Here.

He pulls Marion. She laughs:

MARION
What?

CUT TO:

INT. MARION'S KITCHEN

Harry in a shirt stands over Marion who's wrapped in a sheet.
They lean over a folder on the kitchen table.

MARION
What is it?

HARRY
You remember when I told you about
the store. Well, I've been thinking
about it. I put together some
numbers and it's not impossible. I
think you can do it. We should do
it. We can do it together.

22.

MARION
How long have you been thinking
about this?

HARRY
Not so long. Since we started
hanging out.

A pause. Marion thinks.

MARION
It's a great idea.

HARRY
Yeah?

MARION
It is. Let's do it. Let's open it
in the city. How do we start?

HARRY
Well, first me and Ty gotta get
money for the piece and then --

MARION
I'll get it.

HARRY
Nah.

MARION
No, I can.

HARRY
Really? How?

MARION
How do you think? My fucking
parents.

A laugh. And then they hug and kiss gently.

Harry pulls his face back a few inches from Marion's.

HARRY
I think I'm falling in love with you.

MARION
Think?

TIGHT SHOTS and QUICK CUTS as Harry kisses the tip of
Marion's nose, then her eyelids, then her cheeks and her
soft lips, her chin, her neck and lastly her ear lobes.

23.

Then he whispers in her ear:

HARRY
Marion, Marion, I love you.

FADE TO BLINDING WHITE -- THEN:

INT. SARA'S MAILBOX - DAY

We pull out of the white and into Sara's mailbox. She peeks
in -- empty.

CUT TO:

INT. SARA'S KITCHEN - DAY

TIGHT ON kitchen clock ticking normally.

ON Sara's breakfast -- one hard-boiled egg, half a grapefruit
and a mug of black coffee.

ON the directions in Sara's diet book.

ON Sara -- blinking at her 'meal', a sigh.

We watch as she tries to enjoy her breakfast.

After the food is gone she fills a glass of water. As she
sips it, she notices her hand reaching for something --
something more to eat.

TIGHT ON the kitchen clock ticking real slow. Her Timex the
same.

We see her eyes, her lips, her twitching fingers.

A quick glimpse at the fridge. She grabs her stomach and
says to it:

SARA
Stop already.
(then to herself)
You'll feel better in the red dress
than a cheese danish.

CUT TO:

INT. MARION'S BATHROOM

Marion throws some cold water on her face. She looks at her
naked body in the mirror. She feels lifeless, drab and dead.

QUICK CUTS: Tinfoil crinkles, powder sprinkles, lighter
flicks, smoke drifts, straw sucks, a pleasure sigh...

24.

Once again, Marion looks in the mirror.

Now she looks alive and glorious. Rays of golden light
encase her body in a gentle glow.

She cups her hands under her breasts and smiles as she turns
and poses, admiring their size and firmness.

'Not bad,' she thinks.

CUT TO:

INT. SARA'S MAILBOX - DAY

Nothing.

CUT TO:

INT. SARA'S APARTMENT

Sara tries to watch TV but the fridge beckons her.

TIGHT ON the kitchen clock, slowly, slowly ticking.

The fridge shudders. Frustrated, Sara grabs her folding
chair and heads out.

CUT TO:

EXT. SARA'S BUILDING - DAY

The outside of the building is lined with the old Yentas
sitting in beach chairs catching the sun. A few have
reflectors and stare up at the sun.

Sara exits her building and lets the sun hit her hair. Her
friend Rae says something first.

RAE
Ada told us. It's gorgeous.

SARA
Thank you. We're making it a
little darker tomorrow.

RAE
So why darker?

SARA
To match my red dress.

RAE
But now it's looking like Lucille
Ball.

25.

SARA
But I'm not. But soon...I'm on a
diet.

ADA
Yes, she is.

YENTA #1
Cottage cheese and lettuce?

ADA
No.

RAE
What diet you on?

SARA
Eggs and grapefruit.

RAE
Oi vay. I was on that once. Lots
of luck, Dolly.

SARA
It's not so bad.

RAE
How long you been on already?

SARA
All day.

RAE
All day? It's one o'clock.

SARA
So, I'm thinking thin.

Now, old Mrs. Scarlini pipes up.

MRS SCARLINI
My Rosie lost fifty pounds like
that almost.

YENTA #1
Like that?

SARA
Like what?

MRS SCARLINI
Poof.

26.

RAE
You put her in a sweat box?

MRS SCARLINI
A doctor. He gave her pills. It
makes you not want to eat.

YENTA #1
So what's so good about that? You
mean I'm sitting here not thinking
about chopped liver and pastrami on
rye?

MRS SCARLINI
With a slice of onion and mustard.

YENTA #2
Herring.

YENTA #1
Herring?

YENTA #2
Yeah, herring. In sour cream.
When the sun goes behind the
building I'm having a nosh.

ADA
You shouldn't talk like that when
someone's on a diet.

SARA
Eh, big deal. I'll sneak an extra
piece of lettuce. I'm thinking thin.

RAE
The mailman...

Just then, the Mailman arrives. Sara picks up her chair and
follows him into the building. Ada, Rae and the other
Yentas follow Sara.

SARA
Goldfarb. Goldfarb. I know you
have something for Goldfarb.

MAILMAN
Let's see. Not much around here
except at the beginning of the
month with the social security
checks.

SARA
But I'm expecting something --

27.

MAILMAN
Here we go. Something for Goldfarb,
Sara Goldfarb.

He hands her a thick manila envelope.

CUT TO:

INT. SARA'S APARTMENT

The Yentas follow Sara into the apartment. Yenta #2 flips
on the TV, someone else starts a pot of coffee.

ADA
So let's see.

YENTA #1
Open it, open it.

Sara carefully opens the envelope. She takes out a
questionnaire.

RAE
So when do you go on?

SARA
They decide after you send this form.

ADA
Oh, it's so exciting.

The other women murmur their excitement, too. Ada takes the
application from Sara and places it on the table.

ADA
OK, OK. You sit, Dolly and just
answer the questions.

Sara, a bit nervous, sits down. Ada gives her a pencil and
leans over her shoulder. The Yentas crowd around.

ADA
Name? Easy enough. S-a-r-a G-o-l-
d-f-a-r-b.

SARA
You call that a question? That
kind I take six at once.

The Yentas laugh as Sara carefully prints her name.

ADA
Address.

28.

SARA
A breeze.

Sara fills out question after question until:

ADA
Uh-oh.

SARA
What? What?

ADA
Date of Birth.

SARA
So now you're getting personal.
OK, I'll tell you.

She fills it in.

ADA
Age?

SARA
So now you want me to count for you!

ADA
Marital Status?

SARA
(smiles)
Wanting, needing. How about if I
win Robert Redford?

A big laugh.

ADA
Sex?

A bigger laugh.

SARA
Please?

The biggest.

ADA
That's it, Dolly.

Sara holds the paper against her chest and says a short
prayer. The Yentas respect her silence.

Then she carefully folds it and places it in the self-
addressed envelope.

29.

She seals it and holds the flap down for many seconds.

Then she puts it on her chair and sits on it, just to make
sure it's sealed.

Next she tosses her head and shoulders at the refrigerator
and says to it:

SARA
Who needs you?

CUT TO:

EXT. SARA'S BUILDING - A MOMENT LATER

Sara marches out of the building waving the envelope. The
Yentas follow their friend. Victorious, they march to the
mailbox.

YENTA #1
I wonder when you'll hear?

ADA
Maybe they'll send you to Tavern on
the Green, that's where they send
all the stars.

SARA
I'm eating eggs and grapefruit at
Tavern on the Green.

The ladies laugh as they follow their hero, their savior,
their victor. Suddenly, the envelope begins to glow. It
glows a brilliant white.

At the mailbox Sara kisses the envelope and drops it in the
mail slot. She closes the lid and then opens it to make
sure it has dropped into the box.

And then the ladies huddle around Sara as the blue mailbox
begins to radiate and bathe them in a cool blue light. The
Yentas 'ooooh' and 'ahhh'.

CUT TO:

INT. TYRONE'S DIVE PAD

Tyrone is on the phone with Brody's Henchman. Harry sits at
the table counting twenties into a small, neat pile.

TYRONE
Dynamite? Dynamite. Dynamite!
Alright, we's on the way.

30.

Tyrone hangs up.

TYRONE
Brody's man says it's real fine shit.

HARRY
Alright. Here we go.

TYRONE
Here we go.

HARRY
(serious)
Let's do this right.

TYRONE
Naturally.

Tyrone takes the money and slaps Harry five. Exit Tyrone.

Harry spins some vinyl, rolls a joint, sparks it and takes a
few pokes. He starts grooving with the music as his
nervousness dissolves.

Then something is off and Harry feels it. He stops the
turntable.

Suddenly, it's a sunny day in Tyrone's bedroom. The back
wall is gone and stretching into the sea is --

THE CONEY ISLAND PIER

Now, strolling with a baby carriage is a woman in a red
dress. It's Marion.

Harry watches her from Tyrone's apartment.

He calls for her but she keeps going. He chases after her.

He's trying to get a glimpse into the carriage. Finally,
Marion hears him and she spins around. She smiles and waves.

She reaches into the carriage to pick something up. Harry
is almost with her. He keeps running.

And just as he's about to get a peek, he stops. He hears a
key in a lock.

He spins round and we --

CUT BACK TO:

31.

INT. TYRONE'S DIVE PAD - NOW

Tyrone enters the room with a big-ass, shit-eatin' grin on
his face.

He drops a little package on the table.

TYRONE
There it is, Jim.

HARRY
Huh?

TYRONE
There it is.

Harry snaps out of it and he looks at the package.

TYRONE
Shall we try?

HARRY
Wait, Ty. This is our chance to
make it big and I mean really big.
We don't have to be dealin' in no
petty-ass pieces all our lives. We
play it right an' we can get a
pound of pure, but if we get wasted
we'll fuck it up.

TYRONE
Right, on, baby, ahm not jivin' you.
Ah doan' want to be runnin' no
streets the res' of mah life in no
ripped sneakers, mah nose runnin'
down to mah chin. All we gotta do
is have a little taste so we know
how much to cut it.

HARRY
Fair enough.

Palms slap, then: flick, sizzle, snap, suck, slap, rush,
sigh...

And: flick, sizzle, snap, suck, slap, rush, sigh...

Tyrone and Harry look at each other with flush faces and
hanging heads.

They grin at each other.

TYRONE
Sheeit...

32.

Then they laugh and laugh and laugh.

CUT TO:

EXT. BOARDWALK - DAY

Marion sits in front of the Wonder Wheel watching the summer
crowd play.

She unpacks the shopping bag next to her. She pulls out
some sketch pads, pencils, charcoal and a sharpener.

She stares at the blank page. A moment later, she begins to
sketch.

CUT TO:

INT. SARA'S APARTMENT

Sara sits in her chair trying to watch TV.

But she can't concentrate. The kitchen clock ticks terribly
slowly. So does her Timex.

Everywhere she looks in the room steaming hot food appears.
Over there, by her plants, is a bacon doublecheese burger.
Then over there, by the lamp, is a chocolate-covered eclair.

She grabs a glass of water and downs it.

She turns to the fridge. It shudders at her. She screams
at it:

SARA
Shut up!

Suddenly the fridge door becomes transparent. She can see
all the produce in her stuffed fridge beckoning her.

She turns away and goes into --

THE BEDROOM

She flips off the light and tries to sleep.

She closes her eyes but they pop open. Then slowly her
beige ceiling disappears and turns into a clear blue sky
with puffy, white clouds. Then it dissolves into a sizzling,
juicy pizza-pie.

Sara twists and turns. Then the pie turns into a chocolate-
covered cherry. Then it becomes a bagel smothered with lox,
onions and crowned with a healthy slice of tomato.

33.

There's no hope. Sara sits up in her bed and reaches for
the phone. She dials.

MRS SCARLINI
(off-screen)
Hello?

SARA
Louise, it's Sara. I need the
number of that doctor.

CUT TO:

INT. MARION'S APARTMENT

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