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This screenplay may not be used or reproduced without the express 
written permission of the author.

                         The Grave.
                         By Kenney Ponsaert.

               Based upon the short story "Het Graf" by Herman Pieter de
               Boer.

                                                             FADE IN:



               EXT. HANS BENDA'S GARDEN - AFTERNOON

               An old man comes to view as we pan from the sky down to the
               garden, Hans Benda, he is yelling angrily at a crowd of
               people who are on the street watching him, standing in the
               garden and how he swings his spade at them, threatening.

                                   HANS BENDA
                             (shouting)
                         Can I please dig my own grave in
                         peace?

               Some of the people are hanging on his fence, trying to
               convince Hans not to continue.

                                                       FADE TO BLACK:



               SUBTITLE: HANS BENDA.

                                                             FADE TO:



               INT. GUGGENHEIM



               SUBTITLE: GUGGENHEIM.

               We pan towards a painting, nice colors, really fresh and
               different from the other paintings surrounding it, as we go
               in closer we see it signed by Hans Benda.

                                                              CUT TO:



               INT. CENTRE POMPIDOU



               SUBTITLE: CENTRE POMPIDOU IN PARIS.

               We pan towards a painting, nice colors, really fresh and
               different from the other paintings surrounding it, as we go
               in closer we see it signed by Hans Benda.

                                                              CUT TO:



               INT. LOUISIANA MUSEUM



               SUBTITLE: LOUISIANA MUSEUM IN DENMARK.

               We pan towards a painting, nice colors, really fresh and
               different from the other paintings surrounding it, as we go
               in closer we see it signed by Hans Benda.

                                                              CUT TO:



               INT. MUSEUM OF MODERN ARTS



               SUBTITLE: MUSEUM OF MODERN ARTS IN NEW YORK.

               We pan towards a painting, nice colors, really fresh and
               different from the other paintings surrounding it, as we go
               in closer we see it signed by Hans Benda.

                                                             FADE TO:



               EXT. BELGIUM, OLD CITY - AFTERNOON

               We see Hans Benda, apparently around the age of twenty, on
               a bicycle with a wagon, the wagon is filled with bottles of
               milk. As he drives past a house slowly, the door is opened
               and a man stands in it,

                                   MAN
                         Hans
                             (beat)
                         give me two bottles.

               Hans and the man do the transaction, we hear nothing of
               their further conversation, we only hear a soft music.

                                                              CUT TO:



               EXT. BELGIUM, OLD CITY - SOME TIME LATER

               Hans is riding the bicycle in peace, suddenly one of the
               tires goes flat, Hans brakes and starts cursing.

                                   HANS BENDA
                         Oh no!

               He gets off his bike, kneels down and watches the tire.

                                   HANS BENDA
                         Hmm...

                                                              CUT TO:



               EXT. BELGIUM, OLD CITY, SHOPPING STREET - SOME TIME LATER

               We see Hans, walking with his bicycle, past some stores and
               shops. He walks past a bakery, a clothing shop, and such,
               every time Hans sees a person they greet, it seems that he
               knows all of them, and they know him as well. After a
               couple of minutes he walks up to a shop, "Art shop
               Dietrich", he suddenly stops, watching the shopwindow. In
               it we see a painting, on the painting there's a field of
               grass, it's a clear day on it, and there's a naked woman
               standing in the middle of it.

               As we pan closer to Hans's face.

                                   HANS BENDA
                             (quietly)
                         I can do that...

               The camera goes into his eyes.

                                                       FADE TO BLACK:



               SUBTITLE: MY FRIEND KRAMPF.

                                                             FADE TO:



               INT. AN OLD HOUSE - TIMELESS

               We see a man, Krampf, around his twenties too, drinking tea
               with his aunt, also eating cakes with raisin. Suddenly he
               grabs a silver spoon, he holds it for a minute, watching it
               very closely, thinking of something.

                                   KRAMPF
                         Aunt Mischa, look!

               She looks up from behind her cooking book and watches him,
               before her eyes the spoon bends from the sides of his thumb
               and pointing finger, like a weak flower. She's amazed.

                                                              CUT TO:



               EXT. FAIR, TENT - TIMELESS

               We see Krampf doing his trick before an amazed audience.

                                                              CUT TO:



               INT. FAMILY HOUSE - UNKNOWN

               A family, watching an old television, black and white. On
               the television there's Krampf, doing his trick, while the
               trick is happening, the family is stunned, but their dog is
               not, he keeps on barking.

                                                              CUT TO:



               EXT. STREET - UNKNOWN

               We see Krampf, as a rich man, in slow-motion driving by
               with a really expensive car. He's smiling widely.

                                                             FADE TO:



               EXT. ART SHOP DIETRICH - AFTERNOON

               We pan back from the eye of Hans.

                                   HANS BENDA
                         If I feel I can paint, then why
                         don't I start right now?

                                                       FADE TO BLACK.



               SUBTITLE: UNCLE JOHAN BENDA.

                                                             FADE TO:



               INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

               We see Johan Benda on a chair, smoking a cigarette,
               watching at nothing. We pan back a little, to the right,
               now we see the chair and a table with an ashtray on it, in
               it and around it are used up cigarettes and filters. He
               seems to be breathing strangely, and sometimes coughing
               because of this smoking behavior. We pan back a little
               more, now we also see a table on the left, on it are empty
               and half full bottles of alcohol. We pan back some more. We
               see a woman standing in front of him, watching him, she is
               his wife.

                                   WIFE
                         Time to go to bed.

               Johan's eyes move up to his wife, he says nothing, only
               grumping a bit.
               He tries to stand up from his chair, but to no avail, his
               wife helps him, she guides him to the stairs, where there's
               the younger Hans and a woman, his sister, they start
               helping Johan to go up the stairs, all with difficulty, but
               they succeed.

                                                              CUT TO:



               EXT. CAFE - NIGHT

               We see a door from the cafe, the door is closed. We see
               lights in the cafe, and we hear much noise. After a while
               the door opens, and we see Johan Benda slowly coming out,
               he's clearly not sober, he walks up to a wall and starts
               throwing up. He stands there for a while, wiping his mouth
               with his sleeve. Then he goes back into the cafe. As the
               door closes we;

                                                              CUT TO:



               INT. LIVING ROOM - A LOT OF TIME LATER

               We see an older Johan Benda, sitting in his chair. We pan
               back to reveal the right table full of used up cigarettes
               again. But when we pan back a little further we see the
               left table is gone. Johan is staring at something now, we
               pan back to reveal his wife with a glass of beer in her
               hands. When she moves in closer, johan slaps the bottle out
               of her hand with a sudden move. Close up when he puts his
               cigarette out in the ashtray.

                                                              CUT TO:



               INT. JOHAN'S BEDROOM - SOME TIME LATER

               We see Johan Benda in bed, underneath 3 sheets, the head is
               visible, he appears to be sweating terrible, making sudden
               moves with his head watching around. He seems to be not
               coughing anymore and not breathing that heavily as he used
               to. He stops with his head, and looks at a table nearby,
               there's a pack of cigarettes on it, close up on it, it
               looks like it ain't opened yet. Moments later Johan picks
               it up slowly, wants to open it slowly, but during the
               process he decides to suddenly throw it away.

                                                             FADE TO:



               EXT. A MARKET - AFTERNOON

               We see the younger Hans Benda selling his cows, no sound
               but music is heard through the scene, just happy faces,
               slow-motion shot of the transaction between Hans and
               another farmer.

                                                              CUT TO:



               EXT. ART SHOP DIETRICH - EVENING

               Hans Benda walks out of the shop, with a big smile on his
               face, and a painting trestle in his hands and a couple of
               linen. Just as the door closes behind him, we can see hands
               switching the board from "OPEN" to "CLOSED".

                                                             FADE TO:



               EXT. HANS BENDA'S GARDEN - AFTERNOON



               E.C.U. ON OLD HANS BENDA'S FACE AS HE TELLS A STORY.

                                   HANS BENDA
                         The first days, I remember it
                         very well.
                             (beat)
                         The neighbor comes up to me, all
                         the way up to the attic, I paint
                         there because there's good light
                         on, through the upper window, he
                         comes up to me and says:
                         "You don't really think that
                         you.." to were I interrupted,
                         "Yes asshole, go sit over there."
                         And up he goes, sitting down
                         where I told him to sit down, in
                         a timespan of three hours I
                         painted his face on the line even
                         with the weird potato-nose of
                         him. "You practiced in secret
                         already, you sneaky fuck", he
                         said, "You could do it already!"
                         "Not! This is the first painting,
                         now fuck off because now the real
                         work begins." I replied.
                         I heard that neighbor going down
                         with the painting between his
                         hands: "Godamnit, how is it
                         possible." Later he requested his
                         nose a bit flatter, but I denied:
                         "Fuck off, that's how it is, I
                         paint the truth."
                             (beat)
                         So I could paint.

               We pan back to see the people from before and new people
               have gathered around Benda's fence.

                                   HANS BENDA
                             (shouting)
                         I have painted everything!
                             (beat)
                         The Central Station, the aunt of
                         the prime minister, still lifes
                         with skulls and tomatoes, the
                         artial road to Kontich, the
                         watertower from Meilingen,
                         mountains, rivers, farms,
                         trainemplacements, Brigitte
                         Bardot, I haven't backed up for
                         nothing,
                             (beat)
                         did you knew that I painted Ben
                         Goerion when we were floating on
                         the salt of the dead sea
                         together? No probably, huh? I
                         have found a colorscheme that no
                         painter is going to imitate: you
                         can spot a Benda from a kilometer
                         away. All done it myself, I never
                         needed someone with it. I don't
                         need anybody now either, not to
                         help, not to watch and certainly
                         not to think something of it. You
                         understand? Nobody ever told me
                         how to live my life.

               Benda rested on his spade, his voice got less heavy, he
               talked more to himself now.

                                   HANS BENDA
                         Rectors, priests, preceptors,
                         they got nothing to do with it. I
                         could tie my shoe laces together
                         when I was two, without someone
                         ever showing me.

               Slowly, thinking, he looks up to a cloud.

                                   HANS BENDA
                         Am I even born on the world? I
                         guess I worked my way out of my
                         mom, searching for the light.

               A brutal adolescence works his way to the fence.

                                   ADOLESCENCE
                         Yo! Start digging, old guy!

               Hans pretends he didn't hear it, he stares in front of him.

                                   HANS BENDA
                         And now I'm old, my bit doesn't
                         fit, my buttocks have
                         disappeared, my skin is rimpling,
                         I have no purpose anymore. And
                         can I please know that myself?

               A much younger boy, blond hair, works his way over the
               fence, in his hands we see a little spade.

                                   BLOND BOY
                         Can I help, sir?

                                   HANS BENDA
                         No kiddo
                             (he waves the boy away
                              with his skinny hand)
                         Benda can do it himself, even if
                         he went past eighty.

               We pull up to see that he has dug quite a hole, but ain't
               finished yet.

                                                       FADE TO BLACK.



               SUBTITLE: THAT MORNING.

                                                             FADE TO:



               EXT. HANS BENDA'S GARDEN - MORNING

               From the same angle of last scene, we see the garden
               untouched, suddenly the balcony doors fly open, Hans walses
               out of the doors on the music notes from Siegfrieds Tod
               (Richard Wagner). He is dressed in a bathrobe made of black
               silk, his hair waves to every direction, out of his pocket
               we see a bottle of gin. While singing out loud with the
               music he rises the Belgium flag halfway up a pole.

                                                              CUT TO:



               EXT. HANS BENDA'S GARDEN - MOMENTS LATER

               He comes through the doors again with his shrine, a wooden
               cross with black painted epitafium:
                         "Here lies Benda
                         He dug his own grave
                         Then he was done"

                                                              CUT TO:



               EXT. HANS BENDA'S GARDEN - MOMENTS LATER

               We see Hans digging as some people start to gather, we pan
               in their direction, we see some of them thinking he's mad,
               others having pity and others clapping their hands and
               shouting at Benda. An elder woman asks him something.

                                   ELDER WOMAN
                         Isn't it hard work for an old man
                         like yourself?

                                   HANS BENDA
                         That's okay, I'm dying anyway.

               We pan to the crowd, the mailman is leaving with his
               bicycle, also the milkman can't stand there forever, but
               the rest of the crowd stays.

                                                       FADE TO BLACK:



               SUBTITLE: PRESENT TIME.

                                                             FADE TO:



               EXT. HANS BENDA'S GARDEN - ALMOST EVENING

               We see the pit, from fence height, we see a sudden move of
               a spade out it, dropping of dirt, then back in. We pan back
               a bit, revealing that the crowd is climbing the fence, all
               getting on Hans Benda's territory. They all walk to the
               pit, neighbor Astra watches them brutal people with anger.

                                   ASTRA
                         Watch out for them roses, will
                         you?

               Every now and then the spade drops of some dirt. The crowd
               has gathered around the pit, we hear Benda talking, his
               voice got tired.

                                   HANS BENDA (O.S.)
                         Who has a piece of paper?

               A big man, with a pencil on between his ear and head,
               replies as he clumsily takes a notebook and his pencil.

                                   BIG MAN
                         Here, I have!

                                   HANS BENDA (O.S.)
                         Write down. The house goes to
                         aunt Ante, you got that?
                         The paintings go to my dearest
                         niece Natalie with her nice butt,
                         she can do with it what she
                         pleases. Furthermore, I have
                         nothing, because I ate all and
                         drank all, ha-ha.
                             (the laughing ends in
                              coughing)

               The crowd go further to the pit, we pull up to see Benda on
               his knees.

                                   ASTRA
                         Are you okay, mister Benda?

                                   HANS BENDA
                         Yes.
                             (coughing)
                         I feel fine.
                             (beat)
                         Go away, please, all..

               But the crow doesn't move.

                                   A MAN
                         Are you really going to lie down
                         there, dying?
                             (beat)
                         You look like mad, man!

               A skinny woman, with a big hat from ear to ear, pushes
               trough the crowd.

                                   SKINNY WOMAN
                         Benda, what are you doing with
                         that gold ring? Give it to me,
                         you hear, you don't take
                         something like that in your
                         grave, that's a shame!

                                   HANS BENDA
                         That ring is going with me, bitch
                             (beat)
                         I'll pay Petrous with it at the
                         gates of heaven.

               Hans Benda lies on his back, closes his eyes and sighs. He
               makes a movement with his hand, obviously very demanding.

                                   HANS BENDA (CONT'D)
                         Go, go all of you, let me die.

               One way or another, the crowd gets impressed, a retired
               sergeant, with cloths, brings a military salute.

               Neighbor Hencke takes of his hat and drops a tear, a girl
               runs up to Hencke, Hencke holds her in his arms, it's his
               daughter, she has some flowers picked, wrapped with a cord,
               she drops it into the pit. In slow-motion we see it landing
               on the neck of Hans.

               Hans takes it with his hand, and places it on his chest.

               The people walk by the grave, all looking down then
               leaving.

               Benda was alone.

                                   HANS BENDA
                             (singing)
                         Me and my shadow-

               He gets disturbed by a threatening looking big gray cloud
               above him, who opens u.

                                   HANS BENDA (CONT'D)
                         -Goddamn, Goddamn, the artist has
                         to suffer. 'Till the end.

               Water is dripping down already.

                                   HANS BENDA (CONT'D)
                         This ain't dying normally.
                             (beat)
                         This is drowning. Damned poor.

               A head appeared above the pit, it's a punk, Peter Hoymayer,
               his black hair is formed in strange shapes on his head, he
               also has painted cheeks.

                                   PETER
                         Benda, it'll rain soon. Don't you
                         want uh...

                                   HANS BENDA
                         Want what?

                                   PETER
                         An umbrella.

                                   HANS BENDA
                         I think you're the only person
                         here..

                                   PETER
                             (giving the folded
                              umbrella, handle down)
                         Here you go.

               Benda takes it by the handle, and unfolds it, he's dry now,
               but can still see Peter.

                                   HANS BENDA
                         Peter, before I die
                             (beat)
                         Why do you have your hair like
                         that?

                                   PETER
                         Non of your business, more of
                         those stupid questions and I take
                         the umbrella back.

                                   HANS BENDA
                         Fine, fine, not saying a word.

               The rain pleasantly drops on the umbrella. Hans Benda looks
               like he is thinking a bit.

                                   HANS BENDA
                         What do you want to become,
                         Peter?

                                   PETER
                         Treesurgeon.
                             (beat)
                         So, die well, I have to go.

               Peter's head goes away.

                                   HANS BENDA
                             (mumbling)
                         Treesurgeon..
                             (beat)
                         Hey, Peter?

               We pan up to reveal Peter riding away on a pink bicycle, in
               the rain.

               Back to Benda, Benda places the umbrella on top of his
               grave, so that he doesn't have to hold it anymore, but
               still stays dry. We listen to the rain dropping on it for a
               minute.

                                   HANS BENDA
                         I believe I have never died so
                         beautiful.
                             (beat)
                         Bye world, bye punk, bye
                         everything, I'm going.

               He sighed one last time, close up on his eyes, they slowly
               fade, we fade with it;

                                                       FADE TO BLACK:

               Not entirely black, we see a light in the middle of the
               screen, slowly getting bigger and bigger, untill it fills
               up the screen.

                                                              CUT TO:



               BLACK SCREEN

               Credits roll.