DARKNESS FALLS "WATCH" BY PAUL GLASER FIRST DRAFT FADE IN: EXT. DANIEL'S HEAD Head of a male, 19 years of age INT. DANIEL'S MIND All white with no objects in it. 4 "walls", floor and ceiling visible. DANIEL'S GOOD SIDE (very pissed off tone with a gun in hand.) I can't believe you. I should have done this a long time ago before you had a chance to ruin things for me. DANIEL'S BAD SIDE (in an all-knowing, accepting manner) You're right, you should have. Now please, will you go ahead and do it already. Or are you going to sit here and talk about it all day. NARRATOR (voice over, not visible) Freeze. (as narrator says freeze the action stops moving and time stands still. (nothing to do with the watch though.)) Okay I bet you're all wondering what's going on. First of all, that's me right there. Yeah, the guy in all white... and actually... I'm kind of the guy in all black too. Figured it out yet... that's right. That's my conscious, fighting it out. Some really strange things were taking place in my life and I had to take control of them, of my life. It wasn't easy either. I know I couldn't have had the strength to do it if it weren't for the watch... wait I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me tell you how all this started, the watch, the fight, everything. FADE OUT FADE IN: EXT. GRANDFATHER'S HOUSE - NIGHT Well-kept nice looking, large house but not gigantic, with cars in driveway and cars parked in street. Family (Consists of a mother, father, 2 boys and a girl.) that has pulled up, is walking in and travels through front door. INT. GRANDFATHER'S HOUSE The inside is conservative with a large clock (Grandfather, perhaps) in the main living room accompanied by art hanging and flowerpots around. No bright, loud colors are notable characteristics of the hallway and living room. (Front door leads to living room, which leads to hallway, which leads to grandfather's bedroom.) Somber family members, some more distraught than others can be seen throughout the house. INT. GRANDFATHER'S BEDROOM Wooden dressers and a full-sized bed raised to normal height. GRANDFATHER in bed surrounded by family on all sides and grandfather is lying down, propped naturally up with pillows supporting his body and can barely be seen because family members so densely surround him. NARRATOR (voice over, not visible) There's my Aunt... and my Grandpa. GRANDFATHER (in a determined, but tired voice. Exclamation in tone, not in volume.) I know I need to rest, but I need to speak with my grandson! DAUGHTER #1, JANE You need to rest papa. You can speak with DANIEL tomorrow. GRANDFATHER (in a persistent voice) No I can't. I must speak... (interrupted by Elli, Daniel's mother) DAUGHTER #2, ELLI Dad, How are you? GRANDFATHER (in a tired voice.) I'm tired ELLI (or pumpkin depending on rapport). (with great positive intonation) Is Daniel with you? ELLI Yeah Dad, why? GRANDFATHER I need to see him. ELLI Alright. (Shouting out the door.) Daniel! Your Grandfather would like to speak with you! (Daniel, running in and practically jumping on his Grandfather.) NARRATOR (voice over, not visible) Look there I am. Aren't I cute? DANIEL GRANDPAAAAA! GRANDFATHER (to Daniel) Hi Daniel. How are you? (looks up at family members) I'm sorry everybody, but I'm going to need a second to speak with my grandson... in private. (room clears out, slowly. Daniel and Grandfather left alone.) GRANDFATHER Daniel you know I love you, right? DANIEL (immediately knowing, no hesitation or question in his voice.) Yeah Grandpa. GRANDFATHER Good, I knew you did. I just wanted to make sure. Well Daniel, I am going away for a while to see your GRANDMOTHER. I probably won't see you for a long time. DANIEL What do you mean, Grandpa? GRANDFATHER You'll understand someday. Anyway Daniel, I wanted to give you something. Something I made. It took decades to create and one day, when you're older, you'll be able to appreciate it. (Grandfather signals for Daniel to get him his box that is sitting on his night table.) This watch. (As he removes a watch (aged, but nice. not made from gold or any other goldish metal) from his box.) NARRATOR There it is the watch, the source of all this turmoil. GRANDFATHER I constructed this watch with years of research and decades of traveling the globe looking for the parts necessary to complete it. Now that it's finally done, I'm too old to appreciate it. That's why I want you to have it. I hope it can bring you half the happiness you have brought me for the last 8 years. (Grandfather hands watch over to Daniel.) DANIEL Thanks Grandpa. (Daniel hugs him.) GRANDFATHER (in a serious tone.) Now, Daniel this watch will bring you anything you want, but be careful with it. Now that you own it, you are responsible for its well being. (realizing how over-protective and un-granderfatherly he's being, he suddenly becomes grandfatherly again) I mean if you don't take care of it, how are you going to be able to give it to your grandson. (Rhetorical question) So take care of it, okay Daniel (or nickname). DANIEL (too young to understand and accept responsibility. Basically just agreeing with his Grandfather because he loves him so much) I love you, Grandpa. GRANDFATHER I love you too, Daniel. (Daniel hugs Grandfather) FADE OUT Ten years later. FADE IN: EXT. DANIEL'S HOUSE - DAY Daniel's House is 2-story and nice. INT. DANIEL'S ROOM Music and movie posters everywhere. Room is kind of dirty, but not a mess. Television in room is on, but muted with music playing in the background ("Strange" by R.E.M.) Daniel is sitting on his bed talking on the phone with friend from school. NARRATOR Okay, that's me 2 weeks ago, before my world got turned upside down. Wow, you know seeing myself now, it's like I'm a totally different person. Anyway, just watch what's about to happen. DANIEL So things didn't seem a little slow you today in school? (As Daniel listens to response he is messing with his yearbook, drawing a heart around a girl's picture.) I don't know, RICK. I know school always feels a little slow, but I'm serious. People seemed to be talking slower, walking slower, doing everything slower. I don't know. I must be going crazy. I'll call you tonight, okay? (Listens to response and places yearbook down on his floor.) Later. (Daniel hangs up phone and just sits on his bed, looking around his room. Then he looks at his watch and realizes that it actually is slow and takes it off. That's weird, my watch is ticking way too slow, but the time is still right (Checking his alarm clock and his watch again.) Well, I better put a new battery in it. (Daniel rising off bed.) (in a joking tone.) I knew I wasn't totally crazy. (Daniel shuts television off and goes into kitchen, goes to a draw and pulls out a watch battery. He returns to his room with watch and battery in hand.) This better be the right battery, I never had to change it before. (Daniel sits on his bed and begins to fidget with his watch. He removes the back of it and then takes out the battery. As he does that, the music shuts off and for that matter, any sound ceases to exist. He looks up in amazement and sees that the power is still on and his clock's face is still lit. Immediately in a manner showing that he wants things back the way they used to be, (filled with life) he puts the new battery in the watch and time starts again. The music begins playing and everything is back to normal.) (in disbelief of what just happened.) Oh my God. (Daniel then takes watch in hands and manually stops it. Time stops once again. Then Daniel manually winds the time back one-minute. The television turns back on, but is still because time has not restarted yet. Daniel's alarm clock is also a minute back. Daniel then restarts time and the music is a minute back and the television is on again.) (in realization of what is happening.) Oh my God. I can control time. (realizing what this means.) Thank you Grandpa. NARRATOR (voice over, not visible) I know what you're all thinking. This has got to be the greatest gift in the world. The ability to move time, forward and backward, but you see it's not all it's cracked up to be. Obviously, there are 2 paths I could walk. The good one... or the bad one. And it's a tough question... tougher than you'd think. I mean to be righteous or wicked, benevolent or malevolent. Everyone knows what they think they'd say, but if you actually had the chance to choose. It's like answering the question of "If you could have one superpower, which one would you choose?" You answer it in a second because you know it doesn't matter, but I mean if you would actually get a superpower, I guarantee you'd think about it long and hard before you answered. Anyway, this is where my conscious and the battle of it come into the story. FADE OUT FADE IN: EXT: DANIEL'S HEAD INT: DANIEL'S MIND NARRATOR (voice over, not visible) Now, every person's conscious is there, but it is rare that we ever hear about it. Normally, we go through life with the two sides compromising inside our head on every little decision we make. On one side we have our good side that would commit all virtuous and moral acts if it had the chance. (enter Daniel's Good Side wearing all white) And on the other side is our bad side that would commit all immoral and evil acts if it had the chance. (enter Daniel's Bad Side) You can see the two sides come out more at different times for different people. For example, when people drink alcohol their bad side usually takes charge and when people go to church their good side is usually making the decisions. Okay, now here was my predicament. My good side wanted to use the watch to better mankind and to help Daniel get ahead, while my bad side wanted to wreak havoc and help Daniel get ahead in let's say, less virtuous ways. And with the opportunities offered by the watch they both realized compromises just wouldn't do. Good wanted no part of Bad and Bad wanted no part of Good. They decided that they would split their time controlling me. They would have no part in the other's decisions. Oh yeah, there was one rule: They could not go back in time and change what the other did. FADE OUT Next few scenes have no audio just music, really fast scenes showing off what Good does with the watch and what Bad does with the watch. FADE IN: EXT. STREET Busy street with many cars passing through. (Little boy on bicycle about to fall off and into traffic when Daniel runs up and saves him) FADE OUT FADE IN: EXT. HIGH SCHOOL INT. CLASSROOM (Daniel has stopped time and is looking at answers on paper next to his.) FADE OUT FADE IN: EXT. HIGH SCHOOL Back of High School. Bridge area where troublemakers hang out. (Two tough guys are about to fight. Daniel is seen with two mothers pointing at tough guys. The tough guys look and see their mothers and cower away as their mothers yell at them. FADE OUT FADE IN: EXT. HIGH SCHOOL INT. CAFETERIA (Daniel laughing as everyone's flys are undone, some kids pants are down, food is all over everybody, chaos is ensuing. FADE OUT Music slowly fades out as fast-cut scenes are ending. FADE IN: EXT. HIGH SCHOOL INT. HALLWAY (Beautiful girl at her locker in cheerleader's uniform getting books and Daniel is walking up.) DANIEL Hey JACKIE. What's up? JACKIE Oh nothing... (making face that she is trying to remember name, but really wondering if she ever knew it.) DANIEL Daniel, we met at the pep rally about six months ago. JACKIE Oh yeah, I remember now. I'm sorry. I am just so ready to get out of here. I've had a long day. DANIEL Yeah, me too. It's been a long week. So, anyway I was wondering if you weren't busy tonight, maybe we could do something? JACKIE Actually, I'm going to that party in The Villas. You should go. DANIEL Really. The Villas. I hadn't heard about it. JACKIE You should go. Well, I'm gonna miss my bus. I've got to go. Maybe I'll see you there. (Jackie begins to walk away like she really wasn't even phased by her conversation with Daniel.) DANIEL Okay, yeah I'll see you tonight. (Daniel walks the other way discouraged, but confident.) FADE OUT FADE IN: EXT. DANIEL'S HOUSE INT. DINING ROOM The dining room is very informal. Elli, Daniel's father, JOHN, Daniel's sister, JENNIFER and Daniel are all eating dinner. JOHN So, Daniel have you put any more thought into where you want to go to college next year? DANIEL (in an annoyed tone.) Dad, I already told you that I don't even know if I want to go to college yet. JOHN I know what you told me and I already told you that you have to go to college. I mean how do you expect to make a living. The world gets more and more competitive everyday. If you don't want to go to college, how do you plan on making an income or having kids or anything? DANIEL (ego-filled voice) Dad, don't worry about me, I'll be just fine. JOHN That's great, just great. My son doesn't know how he'll survive in this world, he just knows he will. Do you think it's just going to happen? (in a sarcastic, pissed off tone, mocking Daniel) "Poof, I'm rich..." because it won't. Your mother and I worked very hard for what we have provided you with. You don't just get all this overnight. DANIEL (growing increasingly tired of the conversation.) Dad you are so pathetic. Do you think for one minute your measly existence is enough to justify let alone convince me that college will make me successful? Cause here's a news flash. It won't. JOHN (shocked) What? I can't believe what I just heard. (Interrupted by Elli) ELLI Daniel apologize to your father right now! What has gotten into you? JOHN (disgusted) What I've provided isn't enough for him. (to Daniel) Sometimes... I can't believe you are actually a part of me. FADE OUT FADE IN: EXT. DANIEL'S HEAD INT. DANIEL'S MIND DANIEL'S GOOD SIDE What are you doing? DANIEL'S BAD SIDE Just having some fun with the old man. He is so weak. DANIEL'S GOOD SIDE Look we can't get grounded. I have to go somewhere tonight. DANIEL'S BAD SIDE Really, where? DANIEL'S GOOD SIDE To see Jackie. DANIEL'S BAD SIDE (rising intonation) Oh. Is that who you were talking with today. (in a sarcastic tone) She seemed really interested in you. DANIEL'S GOOD SIDE She will be... once I figure out what she finds interesting. DANIEL'S BAD SIDE That doesn't seem to be a very virtuous thing for Mr. Goody Two-Shoes to do. DANIEL'S GOOD SIDE Oh. Give me a break. DANIEL'S BAD SIDE Hey, whatever. I don't care what you do as long as you don't get us killed or put in jail, but then again I guess we don't have to worry too much about jail. DANIEL'S GOOD SIDE Look. Let me take control for the rest of the night and you can make the decisions all day tomorrow. DANIEL'S BAD SIDE Alright, fine. I'm kind of tired anyway. Just make sure you don't mess up because I'll be waiting. FADE OUT FADE IN: EXT.: DANIEL'S HOUSE INT. DINING ROOM ((Good)Daniel so upset over the conversation decides to wind time back to before the conversation even started. Daniel takes watch off.) DANIEL I'm sorry Dad. (Daniel stops time.) I swear that wasn't me... exactly. (Daniel winds time back. Then he restarts it.) JOHN So Daniel, have you put any more thought into where you want to go to college next year? DANIEL Yeah, I was thinking about applying to N.Y.U. JOHN Great school. Tell me if you need any help with the application. DANIEL Okay, I will. FADE OUT FADE IN EXT. THE VILLAS INT. APARTMENT Party scene with keg and mixed drinks. Loud music playing. Crowded with people. Everyone is holding a cup with an alcoholic beverage. Dark. Cigarette smoke everywhere. (Daniel walks in. Walking through people looking for Jackie. He can't seem to find her. All of the sudden from the back in the back of a room, he sees her.) DANIEL Jackie? JACKIE (mildly intoxicated) Hey... Daniel, right? (Daniel shakes his head.) How's it going? Are you having fun? Why don't you have a beer? DANIEL I just got here. JACKIE Well, We'll take care of that. (to her friends) Hey you guys, get me another beer. (Guy hands her beer and she hands it to Daniel) There you go. DANIEL (in a nervous voice) Thanks. JACKIE So tell me about yourself. DANIEL Well okay, I have lived here... FADE OUT FADE IN: EXT. THE VILLAS INT. APARTMENT (Daniel and Jackie are sitting in same spot. Ten empty beer bottles on counter top next to them, which shows that they have each drunk five beers and are intoxicated.) JACKIE (giggling) I think you are the funniest thing. DANIEL Really, so does that mean you are going to hook up with me? JACKIE What? DANIEL You didn't think I would have wasted my night getting drunk with a bimbo if I didn't think I was going to get laid, do you? JACKIE I can't believe you. To think, I thought you were different. (Jackie slaps Daniel as she storms off.) DANIEL I guess I won't be having any of that tonight. Damn it's late, I have got to go home and get to sleep. FADE OUT FADE IN: EXT.: DANIEL'S HEAD INT.: DANIEL'S MIND NARRATOR (voice over, not visible) I believe this is where we started, isn't it? DANIEL'S GOOD SIDE (very pissed-off tone with a gun in hand) I can't believe you. I should have done this a long time ago before you had a chance to ruin things for me. DANIEL'S BAD SIDE (in an all-knowing, accepting manner) You know you're right, you should have. Now please will you go ahead and do it already. Or are you going to sit here and just talk about it all day. DANIEL'S GOOD SIDE (emotional) How could you? How could you ruin my chances with Jackie? DANIEL'S BAD SIDE What are you talking about? I just took over when you got too inebriated to carry on your duties as Romeo. She never liked you anyway. Just because you kept reversing time on her and answering questions exactly how you know she'd like you to doesn't mean anything. DANIEL'S GOOD SIDE (almost hysterical) Shut up! That's not true. You ruined my chances with the girl of my dreams. DANIEL'S BAD SIDE What are you talking about? Do you know how crazy you sound? Girl of your dreams... You make me sick. First of all, she wouldn't be the girl of your dreams, she would be the girl of our dreams, and she's not. Cheerleader bimbos are not my type. I think these weeks apart have really messed you up. We both control things. This ship has more than one captain... but I guess you're doing something about that, huh? DANIEL'S GOOD SIDE (focused) You are not messing things up for me anymore. DANIEL'S BAD SIDE (to camera) He doesn't get it yet. I can't believe he doesn't get it yet. DANIEL'S BAD SIDE Fine, righteous one, kill me. Just because I am the only truth or boundary in your life and I make things harder, go ahead. DANIEL'S GOOD SIDE You don't make things harder, you just manipulate everything I create for us and make it ugly. DANIEL'S BAD SIDE I make it ugly. You are the one that has made the world we live in ugly. That watch has made you greedier and more power hungry than I could ever be. Controlling emotions, people, feelings. All I do is tell people how I feel. You are what has manipulated our world and made it ugly. I hope that when I'm gone you can realize one day how wrong and sick you are. DANIEL'S GOOD SIDE Shut up! Just SHUUUUUUUUUT UUUUUUUP!!!!!!! (Daniel's Good Side fires the gun at Daniel's Bad Side.) (A big puff of smoke from the gun covers the face Daniel's Good Side. As the smoke clears Daniel's Bad Side is holding the gun and on the ground is Daniel's Good Side, dead.) (Daniel walks out into area where the confrontation just occurred and the other characters are frozen.) DANIEL (to camera) I know you're probably confused and upset. Let me tell you something, he killed himself. (Pointing at Daniel's Good Side) I tried to warn him. He had his heart set on destroying me. That's why he died. That gun couldn't do anything. It was the notion that he had the conviction to kill. That is not a virtuous thing. Therefore, he's gone. It had to turn out this way. Pure good is like utopia. Anything too perfect is not. On another note, I'm sorry for keeping you guys in the dark. I mean "Good Side" and "Bad Side." I could have just said Good Side and me, but I wanted you guys to take the journey and decide for yourselves who was right. I mean if you knew bad was right from the beginning, you would have disagreed and never truly listened. Think about it, you know I'm right. So now that that is taken care of, we have got things to do. FADE OUT FADE IN: EXT. HIGH SCHOOL (Radio announcer speaking as school is shown) RADIO STATION D.J. Well it's 8:55 on another manic Monday morning with highs in the 60's today and it's going to be partly cloudy for most of the day. An $11 million dollar weekend bank heist tops the news this hour. Police are baffled at the disappearance of over $11 million dollars from banks around the city. "The money was there one second and gone the next, it seemed.", said bank teller Stacey Doherty yesterday in a press conference. INT. HALLWAY Crowded. Many kids at their lockers. (Daniel walking around with an attitude like he owns the place as students look at him and seem to gossip. Daniel mistaking negative for positive gossip, just smirks.) DANIEL Could things get any better? (He walks up to his locker and begins to work his lock. Across the hall, Jackie and a big guy are talking.) ROBERT Is that him? Is that the little prick that said that to you the other night? I'm going to rearrange his face. JACKIE No, please ROBERT, don't do anything? ROBERT Thinks he can talk to my sister like that and get away with it. I'll show him. (Robert walks over to Daniel at a quick pace.) Hey Daniel, that was real funny what you said to my sister the other night. You prick. (Daniel turns realizing what is going on as Robert goes to punch him in the face. Daniel reacts by putting his hands up to his face to block the punch. As the punch closes in and then never hits, the same lifeless sound he is used to hearing now is heard, he opens his eyes and sees that Robert is frozen right at his hand. Daniel sighs with relief, then realizing he must check his watch wondering why time has stopped. As he turns it, its smashed face is revealed. DANIEL NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! FADE OUT 17 1