EXIT

by

Viktor Bogdanov

Original script

Viktor Bogdanov
72 Pr. Gagarina 333
Kharkov, Ukraine 61001
[email protected]
 1

FADE IN

EXT. STREET FRAGMENT - EVENING

MARK, about 28 years old, trots on the crowded street. He

bangs into A PEDESTRIAN, but continues walking without
looking round.

SUDDENLY, he freezes and looks into the distance. It seems

that he caught sight of SOMEBODY. Then he shakes his head
and slowly walks on.

EXT. PARKING LOT IN FRONT OF THE DEPARTMENT STORE - EVENING

PAULINE, about 27 y.o., lean complexion, casually dressed,

walks along the narrow aisles of densely parked vehicles.
She has a vacant look. In one hand she holds a cigarette, in
the other – a bottle of rum.

INT. JACK’S CAR - CABIN - EVENING

Pauline gets on the car and bangs the door loudly. JACK, her
30 y.o. husband, sits in the driver’s chair.

JACK
(crossly)
Pauline, I’ve told you one
hundred times not to slam the
door, have I not?

Jack starts the engine and twists the steering wheel.

Pauline opens the bottle, takes a sip of rum and sighs with
relief. Jack looks at her reproachfully.

JACK
You don’t wanna change! You
always have to get drunk on
this day!

Pauline makes some more sips, shivers and lights up a

cigarette.

EXT. CITY’S STREET – EVENING

Jack’s car drives along the evening city.

INT. JACK’S CAR - CABIN – EVENING

Illuminated shop-windows, buildings, trees and overtaking

cars fly past behind the front window.
 2

The car cabin is filled with melancholic tunes.

JACK
Pauline, do you love me?

PAULINE
(indifferently)
I’m cold.

JACK
The heater is on. You’ll warm
up in a minute.

Pauline shivers, turns her head round and looks out of the
window.

PAULINE
I doubt it.

She looks through the front window and makes another sip of
rum.

INT. CD RETAIL STORE - EVENING

Mark stands in front of the shelf with audio CDs. He takes

disk after disk, studies the cover of each and puts back.
Then he selects one disk.

MARK
(enthusiastically)
Here it is! You are gonna love
it! It’s a great thing!

EXT. AREA IN FRONT OF CD RETAIL STORE – EVENING

Mark shuts the front door and goes downstairs. SUDDENLY, he

freezes and gazes at the faces of THE PEDESTRIANS walking
by. Then he shakes his head and moves on.

INT. NICO’S STUDIO – EVENING

A small attic room: the walls are hung with the paintings
and sketches; tripod easels are shifted to the room’s
corner; iron stairs leading to the building’s roof are set
up a little aside. The room is messy. There is an old chair
next to the stairs. There sits IAN, about 30 y.o., a famous
fashion observer. He is dressed accordingly. He smokes
mincingly. NICO, his peer, an artist, sits nearby at the
Japanese coffee table on a settee. He drinks wine.
 3

Ian gets up and walks across the room towards a tiny

étagère. There is BOOM BOX on top of the étagère. CDs are
thrown about. He takes one and puts it into the disk drive.
The room gradually fills up with flamenco music.

IAN
What time do Pauline and Jack
come over?

NICO
Eight. I think…

Ian casts a glance at the wrist-watch.

IAN
Then they’ll be here any
minute.

Nico stands up and begins to move in rhythm to the music.

IAN
I like your new studio! It’s a
little bit too messy, but…this
exit to the roof – it’s so
avant-garde!

Ian walks around the room and gazes at the paintings on the
walls. He stops at one of them and studies it.

IAN
My favorite! How can they be
so stupid to ignore your
gift?!

NICO
Actually, it’s the fate of
many artists.

IAN
Idiots! But don’t worry. I’ve
already had some important
conversations about your
future exhibition. Believe me,
after the show these dummies
are gonna worship you.

NICO
Well, I’m not a god to be
worshipped…
 4

Nico comes up to Ian, takes his hand and spurs him to

dancing. Ian turns round and lights up a cigarette.

IAN
You know what your problem is,
ha? You’re too diffident! And
that is the main root of your
bad luck!

Nico approaches Ian from behind and puts his arms round his
neck.

NICO
I know…That’s why you left me.

IAN
Nonsense! I never left you! I
just stopped sharing my bed
with you, it’s a different
thing! It’s just…just…

NICO
It’s just unbearable to live
with me!

Ian turns back and gives him a charming smile.

IAN
Bingo!

THE DOOR BELL rings.

CUT TO

INT. NICO’S STUDIO – NIGHT

Music plays quietly. Ian sits on a settee and eats salad.

Nico sits on the couch and smokes. Jack stands aside from
others and studies the paintings. Pauline walks around with
a glass of wine in her hand. She is already drunk.

PAULINE
I propose to drink!

All keep silent. Pauline sits on Ian’s lap.

PAULINE
Why the hell are you so sad
and snobbish? It’s a goddamn
party! Let’s dance!
 5

IAN
Pauline, it’s not exactly the
party…

PAULINE
(aggressively)
It’s not exactly the funeral,
is it?!

Pauline shoots up and makes sound volume up. Jack gets up

and goes upstairs to the roof.

EXT. THE BUILDING’S ROOF - NIGHT

Jack comes up to the edge of the roof and lights up a

cigarette. Nico approaches him.

NICO
How’re you doing with her?

JACK
(shrugging his
shoulders)
Hard to say. Sometimes
everything seems to be just
fine, she’s very tender and
caring. But then all of a
sudden she becomes…
intolerable. She seems to do
everything to spite me…

NICO
Well, she changed after…

JACK
(interrupting)
Yes, she did. But why didn’t
you change? Why didn’t Ian
change? Even Mark, he doesn’t
seem to change much! Where is
he, by the way?

NICO
Have no idea. He knows where
to find us anyway.

Nico puts his hand on Jack’s shoulder.

 6

NICO
Look, she’s always been
bizarre, a bit lunatic. It’s
just coz she’s very
sensitive...

JACK
And what am I supposed to do
with her hypersensitiveness?

NICO
You can either take her as she
is, or…

JACK
Or divorce? That’s not want I
want. I love her. Sometimes I
think I love her more than she
deserves!

NICO
I understand you…

JACK
And how are you doing? Still
alone?

NICO
Yep! Unloved, unwanted,
unrecognized.

Nico stands with a ghost of a smile upon his face. Jack hugs
him.

JACK
Nico, if only I were gay, I’d
fall in love with you! You
deserve love! But God made me
straight and my straight love
does not make me happy at all…

Nico kisses Jack in the forehead.

NICO
Sometimes I wish I were
straight, coz my gay love
doesn’t make me happy either.
 7

INT. NICO’S STUDIO - NIGHT

Pauline and Ian dance to the rhythmic music. Both laugh and
make faces.

THE DOORBELL rings. Ian moves towards the door, Pauline

pours some more wine into her glass and drains it in a gulp.

INT. NICO’S STUDIO - NIGHT

Mark comes in. Jack and Nico come downstairs from the roof.

MARK
(cheerfully)
And here I am! Tired of
waiting, ha?!

PAULINE
(with a jeer)
Don’t be flattering yourself.

MARK
I’m happy to see you too,
Poly.

Mark comes up to the table, pours some vodka into a glass,

then pours some tonic in. He takes A PICTURE out of his
pocket and puts it on the table between the bottles and
plates. The picture portrays smiling Ian, Nico, Mark,
Pauline and A HANDSOME STRANGER. Jack is not portrayed.

MARK
So, guys, let’s drink!

He pours vodka in four other glasses. Pauline places ONE

MORE GLASS in front of him.

MARK
Yep, there’re six of us…

PAULINE
(to Mark)
You’re pathetic.

Mark gives her a gloating smile.

NICO
(raising his glass)
So, what shall we drink to?
 8

MARK
Let’s drink to VIC and let…

Pauline drains her glass in a gulp and throws the empty

glass on the floor. The glass breaks. Jack grasps her by her
sleeve. She throws his hand aside furiously. Everybody
watches this scene silently.

PAULINE
(to Mark)
Why did ya shut up? Go on. And
let what? Let him rest in
peace? Is that what you wanted
to say?

JACK
Pauline, cool down! Let’s just
go home, I guess you’ve drunk
enough for today.

PAULINE
(ignoring Jack)
I suggest that we all drink to
you, Mark!

Pauline fills another glass with wine.

IAN
Poly, let’s go upstairs, get
some fresh air…

PAULINE
No way! I need no bloody air!
Let’s drink to Mark instead!
I really feel like drinking to
him!

NICO
Pauline, stop it now!

PAULINE
Mark, I wanna drink to you and
to your good luck! Coz you’re
really lucky to be alive in
spite of your fucking
lifestyle.

Pauline comes close to Mark and adjusts his collar. Jack

grasps her by her hand roughly.
 9

JACK
I’m fed up with your quirks!
Let’s go home!

PAULINE
(hysterically)
Leave me alone!

She raises her glass.

PAULINE
(to Mark)
To your remarkable gift to
ruin people’s lives!

Mark stands, eyes cast down. Pauline hits her glass against
Mark’s one. Nico waves his hand and sits on the low stair.
Ian opens the book and pretends to read it. Jack fills a
glass with vodka and drains it in a gulp.

MARK
(smiling)
It’s a great toast! Let’s
drink to it!

Mark drains his glass.

JACK
(to Pauline)
You finished?

PAULINE
It was just a prelude!

Pauline lights up a cigarette.

PAULINE (CONT)
We all are pathetic! We’re
cowards! Locked ourselves up
in tight capsules and are
afraid of getting our asses
out! We gather on this day for
four bloody years and pretend
that nothing had happened!
Idiots! We deceive ourselves
and believe it’ll be easier to
live like this.

Pauline dashes around the room nervously.

 10

PAULINE (CONT.)
We celebrate Vic’s birthday,
drink and pretend to have fun
and don’t fucking understand
how stupid it looks like. Vic
is gone! He passed away four
years ago! He died in a car
accident because of this
bastard!
(pointing at Mark)
Coz of his selfishness and
insatiable desire for sex
adventures!

NICO
Are you out of your mind? What
the hell are you talking
about? It’s nobody’s fault
that he died! It’s only his
fault! It’s not up to us to
decide how many years one will
live! He was fated to die
young, that’s it!

Nico points to Pauline with his index finger.

NICO (CONT.)
And you have no right to
accuse anybody of this! He
died because of his own
mistake. He shouldn’t have
driven the car drunk!

PAULINE
I do have a right! We all know
it’s Mark’s fault, but pretend
it’s not!

JACK
Shut up!

MARK
Why? Let her continue!

PAULINE
Vic never sat behind the wheel
drunk and we know it! Never!
And on that fucking day he
did!
 11

PAULINE (CONT.)
And we all know why he did so,
why he got drunk! Because he
found out that you
(looking point-blank
at Mark)
cheated on him with some cheap
hustler! Didn’t you?

Mark takes the picture from the table and looks at it.

MARK
I did.

NICO
He knew Mark was a cheater!

PAULINE
Nope, he had no bloody idea
until he saw it.

NICO
He did know! We discussed it
with him many times! Believe
me – it’s nobody’s fault that
he died, nobody’s but his own!
We all feel pain, but we
should live on. And we try to
live on! It’s only you who
locked up in the capsule, only
you!

IAN
And our decision to celebrate
his birthday instead of his
death day doesn’t mean we
wanna pretend that nothing
happened! We just don’t wanna
remember the day he passed
away!

Pauline sits on the couch and closes her face with her
palms.

PAULINE
It’s a lie. Time will pass and
none of you will ever remember
him. You
 12

PAULINE (CONT.)
(to Ian)
will become more successful
and will soon keep aloof from
us, the live, not to mention
the dead. You
(to Nico)
will ruin yourself like all
other losers and…

JACK
Shut up! You’re totally nuts!
These are your friends!

PAULINE
(ignoring)
…and then we will keep away
from you…
(to Mark)
And you – you’re not long for
this world either.

Mark sits down on the floor and crosses his legs. He begins
to tear the picture in tiny pieces. Pauline gets up, comes
and squats near him.

PAULINE
One day your continuous
searches for sexual adventures
will be over when someone
awards you with AIDS and then
the justice will triumph at
last!

NICO
(pouring wine)
And you? What about you?

Pauline stands up.

PAULINE
There’s nothing good about me!
But one thing I know for sure
– I’ll always remember him,
always, always, do you hear?

Mark gathers the pieces of the picture and throws them on

his head. Then he stands up and comes close to Pauline. He
breathes into her face.
 13

MARK
(smiling)
Poly, you’re totally right. We
are pathetic, coz we gather
each year on this day to
celebrate Vic’s birthday. In
fact, as you all must’ve
noticed, it is the only link
between us now. We’re no
longer good friends, each
follows his own way and the
others just don’t care. And
you’re right that I’m lucky
enough to be clean considering
my chaotic sexual life. Life
is very unfair, Poly. Vic was
very logical and careful and
he challenged the chance just
once and where’s he now, ha?
In the grave. I challenged the
chance one million times and
am still alive. Maybe you’ll
put an end to this and the
justice will triumph at last?

Mark grasps a knife from the table and thrusts it in

Pauline’s hand forcefully.

MARK (CONT.)
C’mon, Poly, stab me right
here!

Mark points to his heart with his fist. Jack, Ian and Nico
stand still and look confused and taken aback.

MARK (CONT.)
Finish this story! Make
yourself happy! I’m fucking
tired of living with the
burden of guilt for four
years. I’m already dead inside
and it’s unbearable to live
when something very important
died in your heart. I tried to
kill myself many times, but
I’m too weak and a coward to
do it. So, be my guest and
stab this bloody knife into my
dead heart! C’mon!
 14

Pauline stands for the moment in front of Mark pointing the

knife at him. Then her hand begins to shake and she drops
the knife. She squats down and begins to yell.

PAULINE
(desperately)
He wanted children! He wanted
children so much! I could give
him these children! Jack, you
hear me? I never loved you! I
loved him, only him! Always! I
married you coz of despair…I
was so much afraid of
loneliness. It’s awful to have
no one to cook for, no one to
argue with. Woman should
always feel man’s presence by
her side, otherwise she stops
feeling like a woman! And he
was fucking queer loving
another fucking queer. Jack,
forgive me!

Jack takes his blazer from the couch and leaves without
uttering a work.

NICO
Jack! Wait!

Nico runs after Jack. Ian puts on a jacket and follows Nico
and Jack.

Mark approaches the pile of old plates stored in the corner

under the stairs. He takes one, puts it on his index finger
and begins to rotate. Pauline sits on the floor with her
eyes cast down. She is in stupor.

Mark throws the plate away, takes a bottle of wine and goes
upstairs.

CUT TO

EXT. HIGHWAY – NIGHT

Jack’s car goes at full speed. Then it stops by the

roadside.

INT. JACK’S CAR - CABIN - NIGHT

Jack throws his head on the steering wheel. He sobs quietly.

 15

EXT. STREET AVENUE - NIGHT

Ian walks along the avenue with an absent look upon his
face.

EXT. STREET AVENUE – AREA IN FRONT OF SOME BUIDING – NIGHT

Ian stops in front of the illuminated mirrored door and

studies his reflection narrowly. He shakes his hand and
walks on.

EXT. DARK STREET - NIGHT

Nico walks slowly. A LITTLE HOMELESS DOG tags along. Nico

stops, bends and tries to stroke the dog. The dog runs away.
Nico follows the dog with his eyes. He looks devastated.

EXT. THE BUILDING’S ROOF - NIGHT

Mark sits on the concrete parapet and rolls a joint of

marihuana. Pauline appears on the roof. She comes up to Mark
and sits nearby.

Mark slavers the joint with his fingers and lights it up. He
makes a deep pull and passes it to Pauline. She takes the
joint and inhales.

MARK
I bought him a present today…
Radiohead’s new album…How do
you think, would he like it?

Pauline nods her head.

MARK
I also think so…You know, I
still see him in transport, on
the street, in the night
clubs. Every-fucking-where! I
see him as distinctly as on
the day he got on that bloody
car and left me…forever…

PAULINE
Me too…

Pauline takes another pull and coughs.

PAULINE (CONT.)
 16

Nico’s right, I locked myself

up in the capsule, let the air
out and chose to stay
pressurized.

MARK
I think you got locked up in
the capsule long before he
died…

Pauline gets up and looks into the darkness.

PAULINE
All these years I was trying
to justify his stupid death.
It seemed to be so illogical…

MARK
Well, any death at young age
is illogical…

Pauline sits back, takes a joint, pulls and coughs.

PAULINE
I made up the happiness that
we might have had together. I
convinced myself that if only
he’d stayed alive, we could’ve
had this fucking happiness. I
clutched at this chimera with
my last ounce of strength.

Pauline puts her hand on Mark’s shoulder.

PAULINE (CONT.)
And it was a goddamn self-
delusion. And jealousy. I
always envied you, coz you had
him, you could caress and kiss
him whenever you wanted. And
what could I do? Just play an
eternal role of a good friend,
to calm him down when you made
him upset, to give him pieces
of advice when he cried on my
shoulder! And he still wanted
you! He never saw a loving
woman in me! Never! It drove
me mad!
 17

Mark gets up and hugs Pauline.

MARK
Fucking queer loving another
fucking queer!

They both begin to laugh hysterically.

Silence. Pauline gets up and begins to dance. She sobs while

dancing. Mark joins her and they dance together. It is a
very sad and silent dance.

Camera moves from dancing Pauline and Mark and gives

panorama of the night city.

PAULINE (O.S.)
Time to exit the capsule,
isn’t it?

FADE OUT