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EXT. STREET, LATER
Muriel is walking down the street, half her clothes are torn
and then other half new. She looks like she might have dressed
from a dumpster. She approaches the Gallery and stops.
Her paintings only take up half the space now.
EDGE OF FRAME
Jim comes out of the Gallery and approaches her.
|
 JIM:
Hi.
MURIEL:
Uhmm. Oh, hello.
JIM:
Haven't seen you in a while.
MURIEL:
Uh huh. Looks like Luloo's doing well.
JIM:
She doesn't sell as well as you but then I'm running
short of your paintings.
|
Muriel grunts.
|
JIM:
You wouldn't have some paintings for me would you?
MURIEL:
(Shrugs)
Nothing that's ready.
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Jim nods.
Muriel turns to face him.
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MURIEL:
Why are you paying Dr. Clayburg for my visits?
JIM:
You're still my wife. You haven't divorced me yet.
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BEAT
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MURIEL:
(Turns back to window)
I don't have grounds.
JIM:
Is that your way of asking me to divorce you?
|
Muriel shrugs.
BEAT
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MURIEL:
Well, I've got to go.
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Muriel turns and continues down the street.
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INT. CONDO STUDIO, EVENING.
Muriel has finished some of her paintings and is working
on one of Ricky with a huge face and phallus. The expression
on his faces is ... deranged with fire in his eyes. (Muriel
has started to use red for the first time.)
|
 |
 |
Behind her Ricky comes in, drunk with two drunken upscale
girls with there dresses ready to fall off.
|
GIRL
#1:
Hey Ricky, somebody's here.
RICKY:
Yeah, my old lady, what did you think?
|
|
Muriel hasn't even noticed them.
|
GIRL
#2:
Does she paint?
RICKY:
Yeah, she's a famous big deal painter.
|
The GIRLS run over to look at the paintings, stumbling in their
high heal sandals. They are sloshing their drinks, Margaritas
is open topped sports bottles?
|
GIRL
#1:
I don't get it.
|
Ricky gropes her from behind and she spills some of her drink
on the painting.
Muriel is standing in front of her cupping the Girl's chin in
her left hand.
|
MURIEL:
Let me help you, get it.
|
Muriel punches the girl right in the face, breaking her nose
and Muriel's fingers.
Ricky laughs and Muriel backhands him.
A big brawl starts with everybody fighting every body which
evolves into Muriel and Ricky fighting the girls.
Girl #2 gets upset when her dress rips.
|
GIRL
#2: (Tears in voice)
This was a Versace.
|
Muriel finds a jar of paint and dumps it on the girl and the
dress.
|
MURIEL:
Now its a Fisher.
|
Ricky thinks this is hysterical and dips his hand in paint
before stroking Muriel's throat and kissing her.
Girl #1 takes more paint and approaches Muriel and Ricky from
behind like a snake, Threesome? Foursome?
|
 
|
 |
INT. CONDO STUDIO, MORNING.
CU Muriel is sleeping on the painting tarp, she smiles in her
sleep.
[sound of punctured canvas. Then of canvas ripping.]
Muriel's eyes spring open.
Ricky is ripping through the picture of himself.
A naked Muriel leaps on his back with a feral scream and locks
her arms around his throat.
BEAT
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INT. MARGOT'S APT, DAY.
Margot approaches the door, apparently in response to an unheard
bell.
She opens it to find an injured Muriel, barely able to stand
upright. Her clothes are beige and un-torn but they're not exactly
coordinated, zipped or buttoned straight.
|
MARGOT:
Muriel!
My God, come in.
MURIEL:
No! Conditions first.
MARGOT:
You're in no shape to make conditions.
MURIEL:
I don't care. I will not be remade by you.
MARGOT:
What does that mean?
MURIEL:
You want me to be ... Everything I don't want to be.
I'm an artist, not a debutante.
MARGOT:
You're a little bit damaged goods to be a debutante.
MURIEL:
That's what I mean.
MARGOT:
What?
MURIEL:
You criticize me when ever I don't follow your plan
for me. I won't have it. I'm my own person and you have
to respect that or I wont come in.
MARGOT:
You're in no condition to set ultimatums.
MURIEL:
Of course I am. I have nothing. That's a perfect time
to decide who you're going to be and stick to it.
MARGOT:
And you've chosen to disregard my values. And you insist
that I respect and support your efforts to be every thing
I've always resisted.
MURIEL:
I'm a person mother, not a doll.
MARGOT:
Well then I suggest you go be a "person" some
where else.
MURIEL:
What?
MARGOT:
Muriel, you may not have noticed this in all your time
of fighting against me but, I like who I am and I have
no intention of changing or of having some one around
me who refutes and denigrates everything I value. So,
... I don't want you.
|
BEAT
Margot walks away from the open door.
|
 
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|
INT. GALLERY, NIGHT.
Jim is walking across the dark Gallery to the door.
[Sound of knocking]
Muriel is waiting on the street, looking much as she did in
the last scene.
Jim unlocks and opens the door.
|
JIM:
Muriel! Come in. Couldn't you find your key?
|
Muriel stays outside.
|
MURIEL:
I wanted to speak with you first.
JIM:
Well, okay. Won't you come in?
MURIEL:
No.
JIM:
But ... the Gallery is still half yours.
MURIEL:
I know but I need to make some things clear before I
enter.
JIM:
(edge)
All right, what?
MURIEL:
I'm my own person.
|
BEAT
|
JIM:
Yes.
MURIEL:
You will not attempt to tell me what to do, outside
of business.
JIM:
Of course.
MURIEL:
Who I choose to date and how I choose to spend my time,
and where, are not your concern.
JIM:
As long as it doesn't impact the Gallery? Yes.
|
BEAT
|
JIM:
Yeah? What else?
MURIEL:
Nothing.
|
Muriel steps over the threshold.
|
JIM:
What was that all about?
MURIEL:
You'd be surprised how hard those assurances are to
come by.
JIM:
As my business partner, they're a given. As my wife
... they're reasonable but perhaps not practical.
|
BEAT
|
MURIEL:
Is it really necessary for you to intellectualize everything?
JIM:
No, I didn't intellectualize our love.
MURIEL:
And if you had?
JIM:
It wouldn't be love.
|
BEAT
|
MURIEL:
No, I guess not.
|
|
|
 |
(MONTAGE of Jim and Muriel working together, Muriel producing
paintings - and living in the studio, and Jim working hard at
business and maybe flirting with the occasional customer)
|
|
|
 |
INT. GALLERY, DAY.
Jim and Muriel are closing a deal with another couple.
It looks like any of the thousands of deals they have closed
over the years, only their backs are to the door. After
nods and handshakes Jim and Muriel pull out their sets of
keys and hand them over.
They then turn and walk out of the gallery.
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EXT. STREET, CONT.
They stop in the street in front of the Gallery.
|
JIM:
Well.
MURIEL:
You'll find another business Jim. You're a good manager.
JIM:
Thank you. Its clear you'll continue to sell paintings.
MURIEL:
I don't know. I think I've been trying to work things
out in my paintings.
JIM:
Uh huh.
MURIEL:
But I think I've got my head on straight now. I just
have to learn where it will lead me.
JIM:
Uh huh. You going to be staying at Margot's?
MURIEL:
Oh, God. Never again.
JIM:
Well, uh. There's still going to be papers and-
MURIEL:
I'll let you know
|
BEAT
Muriel gives Jim a good-bye hug and then they head opposite
directions on the sidewalk.
|
 
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