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INT. HOTEL HALLWAY - DAY
The empty hallway of a decadent four star hotel. We SEE an
ELEVATOR in the middle of the hallway.
CU. ON THE DIGITAL DISPLAY OF FLOOR NUMBERS
The automatic dial reads ONE. A MAN (35) and WOMAN (33)
approach with luggage. The elevator doors open and a great
deal of people exit leaving the small elevator empty.
The MAN and the WOMAN enter. Inside the MAN presses a button.
EX CU. ON THE FINGER PUSHING THE BUTTON
The button number pressed is 21.
The doors close.
INT. THE ELEVATOR - DAY
The inside of the elevator is decorated with advertisements.
CU. OF THE COUPLE'S WEDDING RINGS
The two stand distant from each other on either side of the
elevator. The tension is thick.
MAN
Where's the music.
WOMAN
(annoyed)
What?
MAN
(sulking)
Elevator music.
The word music is lost as he mumbles it and looks down at the
floor in rejection. He looks up at her, her arms are crossed
and she's staring a whole through the elevator doors.
MAN
Dammit, I'm sorry.
WOMAN
Howard, just don't say anything.
I'm so fed up right now.
They stand silent. At this point they've only reached the
second floor.
HOWARD
(to himself)
This is a slow elevator.
He pushes the button for the twenty-first floor as he says
this.
WOMAN
Howard, just leave it, the whole
world isn't made to fit your needs.
Howard releases a sigh of exasperation.
EX CU. ON THE DIGITAL NUMBERS ABOVE THE DOOR
The digital display only reads three.
WOMAN
(to herself)
This is ridiculous.
HOWARD
Do you want to take the stairs?
She doesn't answer. She stands and continues facing front.
HOWARD
Okay.
JULIA
NO! I don't want to take the god
damn stairs!
HOWARD
THANK YOU! It pisses me off so much
when you just blow me off like
that. I swear.
JULIA
Well...
Julia lets out a small laugh to herself shaking her head and
is about to let him have it when she is cut off by the sound
of the elevator bell.
It rings and the doors open. A well dressed MAN enters. He is
on his cellular phone. The bitter couple slithers to the back
of the elevator. They stand silent.
BANKER
...yeah. Okay. We'll tell him to be
in Monday.(pause) He's been out
since Wednesday. I thought a twenty
four hour virus is suppossed to
last twenty-four hours, not three
days (pause) All right. Fine. Well
let him know that Mr. Luikart is
coming in Monday, and he's making a
huge deposit. I want him there for
that.(pause) Okay. Bye.
The three stand in the elevator, silent as they ride.
The silence is stifling.
The elevator bell sounds and the banker exits.
Howard presses the button again for his floor.
Julia goes over and pushes it as well.
HOWARD
What the hell was that?
JULIA
What?
HOWARD
Why'd you press it. You saw me
press the button.
JULIA
Oh my God. Are you really going to
be that childish? Everybody does
that its just a reaction.
HOWARD
Well, you saw me push it. You
pushing the button is not going to
make it go any faster.
JULIA
You are so immature. I can't
believe you.
HOWARD
I'm immature? You're the one who
pressed the button. You don't trust
me, that's your problem.
You act like I'm some kind of child
and I need your guidance for every
move I make, sometimes I feel like
a god damn guinea pig in some
fucked up experiment. Does it make
you feel better?
JULIA
Bold Howard. Since when are you a
counselor, hell this might be the
first time you've actually told me
how you feel. Do you really think
silence will solve everything?
HOWARD
You're just mad because I'm right
about the button.
JULIA
(under her
breath;mockingly)
Yeah....you're always right
The last few words are inaudible.
HOWARD
What...what..what was that? I
didn't hear that
There is a slight silence. By this point they're only on the
sixth floor, and the bell denotes it.
JULIA
You know what your problem is?
HOWARD
What Julia. Tell me what?
JULIA
You're a hypocrite, and completely
irresponsible, things don't just
happen by themselves.
HOWARD
(in disbelief)
What!!
Floor seven.
Several children enter. The couple silences, and the children
talk amongst themselves. On the next floor they exit.
HOWARD
Enlighten me Julia, how am I
irresponsible?
JULIA
Okay. What about the thank you
letters.
HOWARD
What thank you letters?
JULIA
Exactly.
HOWARD
No. Seriously, what thank you
letters.
JULIA
The ones I asked you to send out
before we left. The ones for Ryan's
birthday party. I asked you to send
them out before we went on
vacation.
HOWARD
I was going to send them after we
got back. What does it matter. It's
a seven year old's birthday party.
I really don't think anyone's
expecting thank you letters.
JULIA
You see. That's what I'm talking
about. You never seem to have that
fuck it attitude about work. Just
when it's something important to
me. I could run down a laundry list
of things that you either put off
to the last minute, or completely
ignore. You see that's the
difference between us. You don't
really care about things that are
important to others. Just yourself.
The elevator bell rings
A clown walks into the elevator
The couple this time takes no notice
HOWARD
You're right. But I did care. Oh I
cared Julia, but I stopped the day
I realized that no matter HOW much
I care you're going to find some
other flaw. And on the subject of
telling each other how to live,
when are you going to realize that
NO ONE is right..no one, it's one
giant opinion, marriage is just a
reminder of how wrong you are every
morning when you wake up.
The clown is visibly uncomfortable
He pushes the button for the next floor twice.
Howard looks in his direction and then looks back
JULIA
Is it really Howard? Maybe that's
just what we've made it
The elevator stops and the clown gets out quickly. Howard
goes to press the button, but then stops.
HOWARD
Look at that you scared the clown
away.
JULIA
Oh no I didn't! He left because of
you. That's another thing. Why do
you always find it necessary to pin
everything on me.
HOWARD
Are you going to press the button?
I know you don't want me to do it.
JULIA
I married a child.
She goes over to his side of the elevator and pushes the
button. After she slinks back to her side of the elevator he
presses the button again.
WE SEE THE DOORS CLOSE
We're on the tenth floor at this point.
HOWARD
Let's go back a minute. What did
you mean I have a fuck it attitude?
JULIA
I mean, besides work you have a
fuck it attitude. That's what I
mean.
HOWARD
Explain. Details.
JULIA
You never help wash dishes. You
only take out the trash when I ask
repeatedly. You let the grass grow
until it's so high its nearly
impossible to mow. And I always
ask, do you want me to hire a lawn
mower? Then you get defensive and
say "NO, I'll get on it."
HOWARD
I'm not going to pay some guy to do
what I can do for free.
JULIA
Then why don't you do it?
HOWARD
Because I'm busy. I'm always on
call Julia. I don't have time. I
feel constantly strangled by the
hands on the clock, and you know
that.
JULIA
Well, when your home why don't you
just do these things?
HOWARD
Because I'm tired! Because I'm
lazy! I don't know. Pick! My mind
is on other things like bills,
insurance, you, Ryan. I have to
think about so much it hurts.
JULIA
So what? I don't have to think
about anything. My life is just
carefree?
HOWARD
My God. What is this? What's going
on? Everything I say you use
against me. I can't take it. Maybe
that's why I'm always at work. To
get away from you.
The elevator bell rings.
EX CU. ON THE DIGITAL DISPLAY
By now they've made it to floor thirteen.
A YOUNG GIRL (21) walks inside.
HOWARD AND JULIA ON EITHER SIDE OF THE ELEVATOR
The YOUNG GIRL is in the foreground in between them.
Julia gives her a dubious glance and then shoots a stare at
her husband who is gazing at the floor of the elevator. One
hand cupped to his mouth regretting what he just said.
Absolute silence until.
Bing
The sound of the elevator once again. Floor fourteen. The
young girl gets off.
JULIA
Are you fucking someone else. A
nurse, an intern.
HOWARD
What the fuck!? Seriously Julia.
What the fuck?
JULIA
What? I want to know? Have you
fucked someone else.
HOWARD
Fuck no. Why would you ask that?
JULIA
Because. If you're trying to get
away from me all the time. I'm
trying to figure out why. Maybe
there's another woman.
HOWARD
Fuck! I can't say anything right. I
really can't. I didn't mean it.
JULIA
(she chokes up a bit) Then why'd you say it?
HOWARD
It was one of those things you say
that you wish you could immediately
take back. I didn't mean anything
by it.
JULIA
Well I wish I could take a lot of
things back.
Silence.
The elevator bell rings.
EX CU. DIGITAL DISPLAY : FLOOR FIFTEEN
HOWARD
You know what? Fuck you. I try to
have a nice family vacation. I
bring us out here to have fun, and
it just turns to shit.
The elevator bell rings.
EX CU. DIGITAL DISPLAY: FLOOR SIXTEEN
JULIA
You dragged us out here. Ryan
didn't want to go. I didn't want to
go. We came out here because you
wanted to play golf! You only think
about yourself everything else
comes second.
The elevator bell rings.
EX CU. DIGITAL DISPLAY: FLOOR SEVENTEEN
HOWARD
Fine then you can go home. I know
Ryan's having fun and I'm having
fun.
We're all having fun except you!
You make it your goal to destroy
the party. Do you try to ruin
everyone's fun. You're always so
overcautious. You used to be fun.
What the fuck happened to you?
The elevator bell rings.
EX CU. DIGITAL DISPLAY: FLOOR EIGHTEEN
JULIA
You! You! You ruined my fun. You
happened to me! IT'S OVER! IT'S
OVER!
The elevator bell rings.
EX CU. DIGITAL DISPLAY: FLOOR NINETEEN
WE SEE THAT THE ELEVATOR IS JAMMED WITH PEOPLE
Howard and Julia are in the back. Everyone except them piles
out. They are the only two left.
THE DOORS CLOSE
They stand in silence as the humming of the elevator
continues.
Julia's hand is on her forehead while Howard's hands cover
his face.
JULIA
(with her hand on her
forehead)
You get into this thinking you can
stick it out. You can't just sit
here and avoid your differences
like they don't exist. It's a
compromise, don't you understand
that?
HOWARD
(quietly)
Oh my God.
Howard runs his hands down his face and sighs.
The elevator bell rings.
We hear elevator music.
Howard releases an exhaust of air and shakes his head at the
sound of the music.
They stand in silence for a few moments.
JULIA
I want a divorce.
The elevator bell rings
EX CU. ON THE DIGITAL DISPLAY TWENTY FIRST FLOOR
The door OPENS and Julia walks out first briskly.
Howard follows slowly.
Their bags are left on the elevator.
THE TWO PIECES OF LUGGAGE LEFT IN THE ELEVATOR
The elevator door remains open.
A young couple enter the elevator and the doors close.
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