Memory Games - Screenplay

After Memory Games was published, I had several inquiries from people interested in adapting the story as a short film. None of these came to fruition, but I was inspired to write a screenplay myself. 

 MEMORY GAMES - Screenplay

FADE IN:

INT. UPSTAIRS BEDROOM — NIGHT

CELINE faces the large mirror of an old-fashioned vanity. DANIEL embraces her from behind, kissing her neck. He opens her shirt,revealing her white bra. She watches suspiciously as he moves his hands down from her breasts to her waist, and begins unfastening her jeans.  She grabs Daniel's fingers. 

CELINE

Your hands are cold.

DANIEL

Yeah. We’d better get into bed.

His silhouette is barely visible in the darkness until a glare of headlights sweeps into the bedroom from the street, catching Daniel in their photographic flash. 

CU - Daniel’s face in the mirror – concentrating intensely.

CELINE

We should talk first.

She tries to push his arm away, but he holds onto the waistband of her jeans.

DANIEL

You’re not starting that again,

are you?

Celine shrugs and begins rebuttoning her blouse. 

CELINE

Did you know that Alan Winston was

one of them?

DANIEL

Don't start again.

CELINE

You remember Alan Winston, don't

you?

DANIEL

No.  I don't remember Alan‑fucking‑

Winston!

(Beat)

This is a crock.  Sometimes I wonder

what you'd really do if I failed one

of these tests.

CELINE

Kill you.

Daniel chuckles, silently and mirthlessly.

DANIEL

Yeah, sure you would.

He turns her to face him, undoing the buttons she just fastened and opening the front clasp of her brassiere. He cradles her heavy breasts in his hands, pinching her nipples between his knuckles. 

DANIEL

Would a Morph know that you like

it when I do this?

CELINE

Probably. Since it’s not the kind

of thing you’d store in your

long-term memory. And even a Morph

should be able to tell when I’m

not in the mood.

As he kisses her neck, he starts to pull down her jeans. She squirms away with a surge of terror.

CELINE

Stop.

She pulls her blouse shut.

CELINE

Look, I might not kill you, but I

will not be with you anymore. At

least until you tell me about Alan

Winston.

DANIEL

(Shaking his head)

We worked with him.

CELINE

Which department?

Headlights light up the room again allowing Celine to see how angry he is. He walks to the window to look out.

DANIEL

They’re finally here.

CELINE

Who?

DANIEL

Must be morphs, since they’re the

only ones who drive cars anymore.

          (Beat)

I called them, when you started

freaking out.  We'll never catch

this woman by surprise, I told

them.  Might as well take her now.

Celine cringes and then scowls.

CELINE

That’s not funny.

More headlights illuminate the room. This time, it stays lit. Celine walks up beside him and stares out.

DANIEL

If you send me away, you'll never

make love to another man.  You'll

never be sure about anybody or

anything. You'll be afraid of living.

CELINE

Aren’t we all?

DANIEL

I’m not.

Celine takes a deep breath, and turns back. 

CELINE

I've lived alone for half my adult

life, Daniel.  I'll survive.

He doesn't speak for a long time. 

DANIEL

But will it be worth it?

CELINE

At least I’ll be alive.

DANIEL

If you call that living.

She walks past him into the hallway, and turns back to look at him.

CELINE

So. We were talking about Alan

Winston.

DANIEL  

I'm not playing tonight, Celine.

Daniel walks up to her and puts his hands on her shoulders.

CELINE

Suits me fine.  Neither am I.

He watches her go down the stairs.

INT. LIVING ROOM — NIGHT

Celine is sitting on the couch, fully dressed again. There is a fire in the fireplace and tall lit candles on the endtables. She stares at a framed photograph in her lap, not looking up as Daniel enters the room.

Daniel sits down beside her, wearing a look of boyish contrition. When she finally looks up, her eyes are filled with tears.

CU - The photo is of Celine hugging an older woman.

CELINE

I wish there was some way I

could make sure she’s still

alive.

DANIEL (shrugging)

She’s had a hysterectomy, so

they can’t use her womb. She’s

probably fine.

CELINE

You think the breeders die

during child...or...

whatever-birth?

DANIEL

It’s all bullshit. Urban myth.

Stuff made up to explain things we

don’t have answers to.

CELINE

Shirley Dougall down the street

says she saw one being born.

Bursting out in a big mess of blood

and guts.

(Beat)

So the other stuff is probably true

too.

DANIEL

(sighing)

What stuff?

CELINE

How negative emotions at the time

of 'conception' spoil the pre‑natal     environment. Maybe as long as I stay

scared and avoid sex, I’m safe. 

DANIEL

Or maybe you just keep yourself from

ever enjoying life again.

CELINE

Did you enjoy getting drunk

and staying out last night?

DANIEL

It’s been a long time.

CELINE

Where did you find booze?

DANIEL

That bottle of Scotch Marcel

was saving for Sandra.

CELINE

The one he wasn’t gonna open

until she came home?

DANIEL

(Beat)

Who really believes she’s coming

home?

CELINE

When you didn’t come home last night

I thought I’d never see you again.

DANIEL

It’s hard enough to sneak home

after curfew when I’m sober.

(Beat)

I need you, Celine. You're all I have.

(Beat)

I thought you felt the same...

CELINE

We don't love each other. 

(Beat)

We only stay together because we're

afraid to find someone else.

DANIEL

But I love you.

He puts an arm over her shoulder and tries pulling her toward him.  But she stands up, stares him in the eye and practically hisses her ultimatum.

CELINE

Then answer my questions.

DANIEL

I’ve always been shitty with names.

You know that. All I have to do is

put a face to him. Gimme a kickstart.

CELINE

(shaking head)

Alan Winston. Medium height. Sort of

stocky. I think he was into

weightlifting or something.

DANIEL

Wait, wait, wait.  He was...an analyst

from Systems Support.

CELINE

No, that was Ernie Williams.

DANIEL

Ernie, Alan, what's the difference?

CELINE

Alan was the expenditure coordinator

from Investment Administration.  He

and Gary from Payroll were known

as the two musketeers cause they

couldn't keep their swords in their     scabbards.

(BEAT)

What did Gary always tease you about?

DANIEL

(BEAT as he thinks about it

then he gives her a big grin) 

It was about you.

(BEAT)

He was jealous that I’d won the hand

of the fairest damsel.

CELINE

What would you have done if he said

something to your wife?

DANIEL

(shrugging)

Never thought about it.

She gets quickly up off the couch.

CELINE

I want you to leave right now.

DANIEL

Come on.  I'm only teasing.  I

wasn't married. 

(Beat)

I figured that if you could dredge

up a cast of characters to test my

memory, I could play the same game. 

(Beat)

To show you how stupid this whole

thing is, how willing you are to

believe everything you hear from

everywhere.

(Beat)

Except from me.

Celine rolls her eyes. 

CELINE

Well, you argue exactly like Daniel.

DANIEL

I get so tired of this crap!

(He punches the couch cushions           angrily.)

Now come sit down.

He sighs and waits, when she doesn’t respond, he stands up, walks to the closet and gets out his jacket.

CELINE

Where are you going?

DANIEL

Back to my brother’s. Maybe he has

some scotch left.

Celine walks up behind him.

CELINE

Look. It’s too risky. They’ve been

patrolling the neighbourhood.

(BEAT)

You don't have to leave just because

we're not going to make love. If

you really need me, if you love me,

why can't we just sit and talk?

DANIEL

Because you'll just be playing memory

games the whole time. Trying to trick

me into slipping up.

(Beat)

You know what I just thought of?

(Beat)

What if the Morphs have found some way

to erase chunks of our memories? If

real people start forgetting things,

then we wouldn’t be able to tell if

one of us has been affected. 

Celine stands, nodding as he speaks. Then she suddenly snaps to -- getting a look of disgust on her face.

CELINE

Why would they do that?

Daniel turns to face her.

DANIEL

To make us afraid of each other.

Maybe they even started the story

about morphs having incomplete

memories just to fuck us around.

The less we trust each other,

the less likely we are to mount an

effective resistance.

CELINE

What resistance?

DANIEL

Precisely.

CELINE

Your bafflegab isn't going to work

on me tonight, Daniel. Goodnight.

He turns and leaves without further protest.

She looks as though she’s about to call him back, but instead, watches the door close behind him.

INT. LIVING ROOM -- NIGHT

Celine, in her housecoat, makes tea with a kettle she heated on the fire. The candles have melted down to short stubs. There is a furtive knock on the door. Cautiously, she peeks out the window, then she opens the door. Daniel slips in, looking scared and dirty. There is an encyclopedia open on the coffee table, displaying a small drawing of Santa Claus. Above him in the column is a sand dollar. 

DANIEL

You were right. There are too

many in the neighbourhood. They

almost got me.

Celine peers out through a crack in the curtain, then looks back at Daniel, who is still catching his breath.

CELINE

Want some tea?

He looks up at her gratefully.She fills the teapot and lowers in a well-used teabag on a string, then takes the kettle to the kitchen. When she returns with a cup, Daniel intercepts her,putting his arms around her. She wriggles violently away and he puts his hands out placatingly.

DANIEL

I’ll leave again if you want.

He stands sideways in the kitchen doorway. Celine pauses as she is brushing past him into the living room.

CELINE

(Abruptly)

No. 

(BEAT)

I’ve been thinking about what

you said. Were you serious about

them tampering with our memories?

Celine walks to the coffee table, lifting the book to display the spine.

CELINE

The letter "S".

He walks toward her and she looks down at the trail of muddy footprints.

CELINE

Shoes.

DANIEL

Sorry.

CELINE

If you are a morph, they bred you in

the same barn Daniel was raised in.

He takes off his shoes and leaves them by the door.

CELINE

I want to see if there's anything

I've forgotten. Anything I should

remember.

She opens the big book to the middle. 

CELINE

South Dakota.

DANIEL

I think you should look for

something a little more obscure.

She flips back through it. .

CELINE

Slipperwort?

    

He takes the book from her and flips to the end.

DANIEL

Tell me about Stone Mountain.

CELINE

I don't...c'mon, Daniel,

that’s too obscure.  Nobody's

ever heard of Stone Mountain.

Daniel puts the encyclopedia back on the table in front of her.

DANIEL

One of the world’s largest

granite masses. The Confederate

Memorial is carved into the

eastern slope, for Christ’s sake.

(Beat) 

The figures of Robert E. Lee,

          Jefferson Davis and Stonewall Jackson

are carved into the mountain.  You at

least remember Mount Rushmore, don't

you?

    

Celine nods mutely. 

CELINE

It’s not...I mean...I’m Canadian.

DANIEL

Don’t you remember the reports from

the Olympic Games in Atlanta?

CELINE

I never watched sports.

(BEAT)

Give me another one.

He flips through the pages.

DANIEL

Then who's Snorri Sturl-uson?

CELINE

A famous medieval Norwegian writer. Ha!

Daniel nods, impressed as Celine reclaims the book

CELINE

Now it's my turn.

 Reluctantly, he hands it to her.  She flips through several more pages

CELINE

The Suez Canal. Where is it?

DANIEL

It's in...Arabia or somewhere

in the middle east. It connects

the Mediterranean with...some

other big body of water. The

Indian Ocean, the Red Sea,

something like that.

 Nodding, Celine turns some more pages. 

CELINE

How 'bout the Spanish Inquisition?

DANIEL

And how about those Blue Jays.

    

CELINE

Come on.  I'm serious.  You’ve

know absolutely nothing about

the fucking Spanish Inquisition?

DANIEL

(shrugs)

It was in Spain.

CELINE

Good start.  What else?

DANIEL

Something to do with religion,

Christians being persecuted or

something?

CELINE

Come on, Daniel.  It was the

Christians who did the persecuting.

DANIEL

Maybe that's why they never talked

about it much in Catholic school.

CELINE

Hmmmm... Somehow your ignorance is

more convincing than your knowledge

would be.

DANIEL

History was never my forte. I

preferred Sex Education.

Celine laughs as he kisses her neck. 

DANIEL

That's the thing about memory. How

can you ever be sure about something

you've forgotten?

CELINE

Good point.

He kisses her lips as she speaks, muffling the word "point".  She kisses back.

He pulls her to her feet.

CELINE

I was so scared when you left.

DANIEL

So you’re glad I came back?

In response, she kisses him deeply. He undoes her housecoat.

CELINE

Not here.

He takes her hand and leads her up the stairs.

INT. BEDROOM -- NIGHT

They are in bed together. She looks concerned as he slides his hand down between her legs.

DANIEL

I love you. 

 

CELINE

I need you.

DANIEL

I know.

Daniel’s eyes glint unnaturally as he enters her.

— End —