christmas love story by c. munteanu.pdf
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Christmas love story
- Screenplay –
by Constantin MUNTEANU
(Protected: ProtectRite)
Contact: [email protected]
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INT. AIRPLANE – DAY
The interior of a transcontinental airplane. In the plane one can
feel the atmosphere of Christmas approaching.
MIHAI, a 45-50 years old man, is gazing out the window. Down below
there’s the ocean. Near Mihai, a child’s voice.
THE CHILD (voice off)
Mommy, where are we going to spend Christmas?
Mihai looks at the child and smiles.
INT. A PARTY HEADQUARTERS – NIGHT
Great commotion. It is the night following the presidential
elections. Television crews are broadcasting live. All those
present are holding champagne glasses in their hands. There’s an
audio signal. On a big screen, numbers are changing, and a new
number is displayed: 52.6%. Those present clap their hands. ANDREI,
a 50 years old man, is being congratulated. He comes up to Mihai.
ANDREI
By the way, I didn’t even ask you: where are you spending
Christmas?
MIHAIIn Texas. Visiting my daughter.
ANDREI
No way! Now of all times you’re leaving me?!
MIHAI
(points to the screen)
I’ve done my job. By the way, the deal was you would give
me some money if you went over 50%.
ANDREI
Sure, sure. Let me find the party treasurer, I’ll tellhim to put some money on your credit card. Don’t worry
about it.
(points to the entrance, where THE CONSUL and two
other men have appeared)
Oh, look, the two bosses from the InterMed Company.
MIHAI
If they want to know why you rejected their sponsorship,
tell them I have forbidden you from accepting any money
from businessmen.
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ANDREI
The one in the middle is the consul.
MIHAI
Nice! He’ll be the first diplomat to congratulate you.
ANDREI
Or reprimand me for having refused the counselors hesuggested.
MIHAI
Tell him that no one understands the problems of a
country better than a writer.
ANDREI
He might deny your visa. Just as well, we’ll spend
Christmas together.
(irony)
No! I’ll ask him to grant you your visa. At least I’ll
have a peaceful Christmas. Even in my sleep I keephearing your constant nagging. You’re like a mother-in-
law …
MIHAI
Go greet them. Your tie…
ANDREI
What’s that?
MIHAI
You’re about to become the President of the country. You
can no longer walk around with your collar open.
ANDREI
Mother-in-law…
INT. AIRPLANE – DAY
Mihai undoes the first button of his shirt and takes off his suit
jacket. He reclines comfortably in the chair and closes his eyes.
He wants to sleep.
INT. WAITING ROOM, THE US EMBASSY – DAY
Mihai is sitting in a chair with his eyes closed. His collar is
open and his jacket is on his lap. He’s asleep.
VOICE (OFF)
Mister Mihai Codreanu, counter 4.
Mihai opens his eyes,gets up from the chair and fixes his clothes.
INT. WAITING ROOM, COUNTER 4 – DAY
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THE CONSUL
Who are you visiting in Austin?
MIHAI
My daughter is a prosecutor. She specializes in fighting
organized crime.
THE CONSUL
Do you know who the Governor of Texas is?
MIHAI
I know who used to be, before becoming President…
THE CONSUL
Does the name Margherita Donbario tell you anything?
MIHAI
No. Who’s that?
THE CONSUL
Didn’t your daughter tell you who she’s working for, whatshe’s doing there?
MIHAI
No. I don’t care to know about the files she’s working
on, the same way I taught her not to meddle with my
manuscripts.
THE CONSUL
Manuscripts?
(glances at Mihai’s passport)
Amazing! You are Mihai Codreanu the writer.
MIHAI
Yes I am.
THE CONSUL
You know, I’ve really been wondering how the writer who
stood behind President Andrei Manole looks like.
MIHAI
He’ll only be President after taking the oath of office.
THE CONSUL
And aren’t you going to be there for the swearing inceremony? I didn’t see you at the Election Day
festivities either.
MIHAI
A good counselor always stays in the shadow.
THE CONSUL
I hope I’ll meet you again at the President’s office.
MIHAI
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If you should need me, look for me behind Andrei. Sorry!
Behind President Andrei Manole.
THE CONSUL
You don’t need to be so formal. I understand. You’re
friends…
MIHAI
We went to junior high together. And we were very goodfriends. He dreamt of becoming a writer. My dream was to
travel, to see the world. But fate would have it the
other way round. My friend has been traveling all over
the world, with his business. I got stuck to my writing
desk. The only longer trip I ever took was the one to
China.
THE CONSUL
China?
MIHAI
By the Trans-Siberian train. A long time ago, before ’89.This will be the second time I leave the country. That
is, if you grant me the entrance visa to the US.
THE CONSUL
(hands him the passport)
Have a nice trip!
INT. CAR – NIGHT
Behind the wheel is PINOCCHIO, 50 years old, a man with a long
nose. Next to him, Mihai is listening to the song “December”
performed by Nicu Alifantis.
PINOCCHIO
What a trip, Mihai! Five days. I stopped in Vienna on my
way to Germany, and also when I came back with the truck
full of clothes. 10 tons of clothes, that I got almost
for free. Next time I’m taking you with me.
MIHAI
I’m not going to Vienna.
PINOCCHIO
Yes! You have to meet them, to talk to them. Otherwisethey’ll keep asking you for money. You’ll be paying them
debts until the end of your days.
MIHAI
Pinocchio, let me listen to the song.
PINOCCHIO
Stop annoying me. Pinocchio is the name of our used
clothes store.
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MIHAI
Listen, Dumitru, the store is yours. I didn’t have time
for business lately.
PINOCCHIO
Anyway, I’m taking you to Vienna. You need to have a talk
with Mrs. Ana’s family.
MIHAI (irony)
The great Vienna family… Listen how beautiful this song
is. You can almost feel the snow covering you… Do you
remember how we used to spend Christmas together? Our
wives baking lots of cookies, the children decorating the
Christmas tree…
PINOCCHIO
(hands him an envelope)
Your share. The last shipment was a good one. Only
expensive clothes. The animal rights activists wait for
women at the exit of theatres or restaurants and throwpaint on their fur coats.
(points to the cardboard box on the back seat of the
car)
I have a surprise… Secondhand life! Just like in your
novel…
EXT. THE YARD OF A HOUSE – NIGHT
A country house. The car has stopped in front of the house.
Pinocchio takes out the cardboard box.
PINOCCHIOAt first, I didn’t think you were in your right mind
either. The campaign you were organizing for Andrei
seemed more like a book launch. Thousands of books given
to voters for free… Then I realized you were actually
trying to instill in people’s minds the idea of a
firsthand president.
MIHAI
Our voters have become allergic to promises.
INT. MIHAI’S APARTMENT – NIGHT
A writer’s apartment. On the walls, nothing but bookshelves, many
books all around. A writing desk, a computer, armchairs. In a
corner, packages of copies of the novel Secondhand life. On thedesk, several copies of a fashion album. Pinocchio comes in
carrying the cardboard box.
MIHAI
(points to the bookshelf with his books)
When you’re a writer, you don’t sell people the promise
that you’re going to write a great book. You come in
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front of the reader with what you’ve already written.
And that was my advice to Andrei too, to show people what
he has already accomplished. Facts, not promises.
Pinocchio sets aside a few book packages.
PINOCCHIO
I’ll put them up for sale in the store. Who knows, maybe
you’ll get some money out of it… Now that the electioncampaign is over, I’m going to change the name of the
store. I don’t like “Pinocchio’s” anymore. I’ll call it
“Secondhand life”!
(takes a fur coat out of the box)
It’s for Miss Cristina. She’s going to love it. It’s a
Fendi. It would be a shame to sell it for nothing.
(takes out a jacket with the Bugatti label on the
inside)
This is for you. They’ve already been cleaned. My wife
took care of it.
MIHAIBugatti?!
PINOCCHIO
It has already snowed in New York. The jacket is new.
Only here, under the arms, there are two small holes.
MIHAI
(puts on the jacket and looks at himself in the
mirror)
Dumitre, what a great gift!
PINOCCHIOTo match this gorgeous suit that Miss Ina made for you.
She’s got talent, this girl. I bet she has many talents…
MIHAI
You know I don’t like this kind of talk.
PINOCCHIO
(points to Ina’s photo on the back cover of the
album)
Do you expect me to believe that you let a beautiful girl
like that get away? You of all people?! Seeing the two of
you sitting side by side all day long working on thatalbum… I thought I was hearing wedding bells.
MIHAI
I wish… These young girls are like doves. Once their
wings have grown, you have got to let them fly… Thank you
again for the Bugatti.
PINOCCHIO
At least you’ll be elegant. I heard there’re a lot of
wealthy widows in the States…
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INT. AIRPLANE – DAY
Mihai has finished putting on his jacket. The passengers are
already getting off the plane.
INT. AIRPORT – DAY
The waiting room of the Austin Airport. Great commotion. Christmasatmosphere. CRISTINA, a 25-30 years old woman, is restless.
GIUSEPPE, a 25-30 years old man, is also waiting. Mihai appears
dragging a large wheeled bag.
CRISTINA
Daddy, daddy…
Cristina hugs her father.
CRISTINA
(points to Giuseppe)
This is my friend and colleague Giuseppe.
Mihai and Giuseppe shake hands.
GIUSEPPE
Montealbo. Giuseppe Montealbo.
MIHAI
Viva Italia! You seem more like a character from aVisconti movie than a prosecutor specializing in catching
mobsters.
GIUSEPPEAnd you seem more like a gentleman on a diplomatic
mission than the unconventional writer your daughter has
been telling me about.
INT. CAR – DAY
Giuseppe is driving. Cristina and Mihai are sitting in the back
seat.
CRISTINA
(points to the Christmas decorated buildings the car
is driving by)This is downtown Austin.
MIHAI
I can’t wait to visit it.
CRISTINA
Did you bring me the novel “Teona”?
GIUSEPPE
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About that gynecologist lady doctor that would chill
prosecutors and policemen?
CRISTINA
I told Giuseppe about this lady doctor, how she put
prosecutors and policemen in their place and how she
terrorized the women who came in to see her with
hemorrhages…
MIHAI
(sadness)
I’d rather not talk about it.
CRISTINA
Sorry…
GIUSEPPE
Cristina tells me that your women characters are
exquisitely beautiful.
CRISTINA (irony)
And his love scenes…
(to her father)
I’d like to read to my colleagues that scene in which the
young man fucks the lady doctor. These Americans seem to
believe that it’s them who invented the hardcore sex
scenes.
MIHAI
“Fucks her”… What a language… If this is all you
understood from my novel, I’m sorry I bothered to carry
it all this way.
CRISTINA
(pause)
I’m sorry! I’m going to read to my colleagues, young men
and women like myself, about “the beautiful moment of
love, a real poem, which thaws the soul of a woman
burdened with hate and meanness, a true Bolshevik
officer”. See I remember the critical reviews of your
novel?
MIHAI
Alright…
CRISTINA
“And after having thawed her, and even made her burn in
the sacred fire of carnal love, the author kills her.”
GIUSEPPE
And wasn’t he punished for it?
CRISTINA
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Giusé… It’s about the character of one of daddy’s mostcontroversial novels.
MIHAI
(points Giuseppe to Cristina)
He’s right, you know. No crime should go unpunished. In
their old age, writers have nightmares. They are haunted
by the characters they killed.
CRISTINA
Oh, daddy, you’re not old.
MIHAI
Right, I’m just ripe for marriage.
GIUSEPPE
You won’t have any luck here in Austin. All the Sabine
women have already been raped.
(stops the car)
Here we are…
EXT. THE ENTRANCE TO AN APARTMENT BUILDING – DAY
Street sign: Lavaca Street. The car has stopped in front of an
apartment building. Giuseppe takes the luggage out of the trunk.
MIHAI
You told me you lived in a campus residence.
CRISTINA
I moved out quite some time ago.
GIUSEPPENot everyone is so lucky to have a boss like Rita… This
is the safest neighborhood.
CRISTINA
Somewhere a little farther there’s the governor’s house.
INT. CRISTINA’S ROOM – DAY
An attic room. A bed, a couch, a table, a door to the bathroom,
another table in the corner where the kitchen is. Mihai looks
admiringly around the room. Giuseppe comes in carrying the heavy
luggage bag.
GIUSEPPE
Signore Michele, I believe it’s that hardcore scene thatmakes this bag so heavy.
CRISTINA
Giusé…
MIHAI
In my novels, all love scenes carry weight.
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CRISTINA
Thanks for your help. Shall we all have a cup of coffee?
GIUSEPPE
No, thanks, I have to go finish up a file… I’ll let you
enjoy your time together. Signore Michele, tomorrowCristina will show you around the town, and tomorrow
evening you are both my guests at the restaurant on MontBonell, where we’ll admire together Colorado from above
and we’ll have a large steak, Texas style.
MIHAI
Steak? At your age, I had different tastes: doves, swans…
Until I found a nightingale…
CRISTINA
Daddy, what will Giuseppe think?
GIUSEPPE
Signore Michelle, now I know we have common ancestors.Vivat ginta latina! I can only imagine how many Sabinewomen these arms must have raped…
They hug. Giuseppe leaves. Cristina looks at the open luggage bag.
CRISTINA
I asked you not to bring me anything. I find everything I
need here.
MIHAI
(points to a jar)
Even that?
CRISTINA
Tomato paste?!
MIHAI
(opens the lid)
Just the label.
Mihai lifts up the jar. Just like a child, Cristina dips her
pointing finger into the jar and than puts it into her mouth.
CRISTINADaddy! Bitter cherry jam… But… What if they had found it
at the customs?!
MIHAI
Look how perfectly wrapped they are. You could swear they
come straight from the manufacturer.
CRISTINA
I thought I told you you’re not allowed to bring food
over the border.
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MIHAI
(points to a bottle)
Food? This is amber. “Grasă de Cotnari”. This is the wine
all the great rules of our country used to drink when
they celebrated their victories against the Tartars or
the Ottoman Empire.
(pause)
Now we give everything to the empires around us, evenourselves.
CRISTINA
Daddy, please… I know you haven’t forgotten… The trial
against mother’s relatives… I understand they’ve taken
everything from you…
MIHAI
No one ever came to my country to give something…
CRISTINA
No politics! OK?
MIHAI
No politics, no wine, no women, since all the Sabine
women have already been raped… I guess there’s nothing
else for me to do than wander around and see the city.
In the luggage bag there are a few copies of the fashion album.
CRISTINA
Daddy, daddy, what a surprise! I was going to ask you to
bring me a few more albums. The one you mailed me goes
from hand to hand among my colleagues. They all want toread the texts that accompany the pictures of Ina’s
designs. Some of them have even made copies of the
comment on the essence of sex. I spent an entire night
translating it into English, because I wanted my
translation to render exactly what you meant to say. Your
protégée Ina is very talented.
(admires Mihai’s elegance)
What an elegant suit! Did Ina make this jacket too? Oh,
Bugatti… The Pinocchio brand, I presume?
MIHAI
And you still wonder why the most fashionable novel inour country is called “Secondhand life”…
CRISTINA
(points to the photo of the album’s author on the back
cover)
You didn’t have to come all this way to find beautiful
women… Or you should have brought her with you. Say, why
didn’t you bring Ina too? I did offer to provide her with
an affidavit of support too, didn’t I? Wouldn’t that have
been great?
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MIHAI
After the success of this album, Ina was invited to go to
London. She’s involved in organizing the London Fashion
Week with her new… love interest.
CRISTINA
What love interest?
MIHAI
Ina is gay.
CRISTINA
(pause)
And I thought that you… being single and all… and Ina,
young, single too…
(pause)
Do you want to know the truth? I was really happy for
you.
MIHAIMy time is past. Let’s set the table.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. CRISTINA’S ROOM – NIGHT
On the table there are empty plates, two glasses and the bottle of
wine. Mihai is lying on the couch.
Cristina comes out of the bathroom. Cristina sits on the edge of
the couch.
CRISTINAJust like old times. When I want to remember something
beautiful, I think of those nights when we stayed up late
talking… Do you remember how you used to tell me stories?
MIHAI
What story shall I tell you tonight? “Little Red Riding
Hood”?
CRISTINA
“The Bear Tricked by the Fox”. I always fell asleep
before you got to finish the story. And after I’d fall
asleep, you’d get up and go to your writing desk…(lies on the couch beside her father)
I feel like a kid again… And safe…
MIHAI
(kisses her on the back of her neck)
You’re sad.
CRISTINA
(pause)
If you only knew what a brutal world I have to deal with…
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MIHAI
Is it that bad?
CRISTINA
Bad is not the right word… Now I’m laughing about it, but
during those first few days… I was sent to work under the
toughest prosecutor; the “stone-faced woman”,
unbelievably inflexible… The very first day, she took mewith her to cross-examine a pimp accused of having
kidnapped a little girl. The pimp was looking at us and
making sexual hints… The entire investigation seemed like
a game…
INT. THE INTERROGATION ROOM – DAY
THE PIMP, a Caucasian man of about 40-45 years old, is sitting on
a chair, checking out Cristina and Rita. RITA is a 40 years old
mulatto woman, beautiful and stately.
THE PIMPOne white, one black… Good looking both…
Rita is circling him with slow strides. Suddenly, she grabs him by
the back of his neck and smashes his face against the table. The
pimp strives to escape her grip. Cristina watches the scene with a
terrified look on her face. She notices that Rita’s other hand is
squeezing the pimp’s penis.
RITA
The address… The address… Did you hear me? The address…
The pimp says something.
RITA
Say it again! Louder!
THE PIMP
Cactus street… 6… the basement…
RITA
(sadness, distress)
The basement…
INT. BASEMENT
A nightmare atmosphere. A corridor with doors on both sides. Each
keyhole has a key in it. We see from the back a 10-12 years old
girl running towards the dark end of the corridor. She’s holding a
gun in her hand. She drops the gun. She stops, picks the gun up,
puts it in the pocket of her dress and starts running again.
INT. THE INTERROGATION ROOM – DAY
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Rita smashes again the pimp’s face against the table, than lifts
up his head. The pimp’s face is covered in blood.
THE PIMP
I want a lawyer.
RITA
I’ll get you an electric chair instead. Pray to God, if
you have one, that I find that little girl alive. If Idon’t, I swear I’ll fry you.
EXT. CAR – DAY
Rita rushes to the car. Cristina is a few steps behind her. They
both get in the back seat. In the front seats sit two policemen.
RITA
Cactus Street, 6 !
The car speeds off.
INT. CRISTINA’S ROOM – NIGHT
CRISTINA
(goes on with her story)
When we got there, we found a little girl locked up in a
room in the basement. Oh, dear God! That night, I locked
myself in my campus room and I cried… If I had had enough
money, I would have taken the first flight back to
Europe.
(pause)
The next morning, I got an unexpected visit from my boss.
“How did you sleep?”, she asked me. “I slept just fine”,I answered. I pretended to be strong and cool about what
had happened the day before. I believe the boss liked me.
No one lasted more than six months working with Rita. And
I’ve been working with her for a year and a half now.
Then she helped me move here. This place is more central
and safer.
MIHAI
So your boss isn’t bad all the time.
CRISTINA
Oh, no… She’s tough, but just. Some time ago, two marriedjournalists were accused of having adopted an Asian child
without all the proper papers. My boss took the case, and
she helped them keep the baby. Daddy, will you tell me a
story?
MIHAI
Only if you promise to go to sleep.
CRISTINA
I promise.
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MIHAI
Once upon a time, there was a big grumpy bear and a
cunning and tricky little red fox… On the path along the
forest, there passed an old peasant with a cart full of
fish… The little fox was famished. It lied down in the
middle of the road and pretended to be dead. The peasant
stopped the cart, grabbed the fox by the tail and threw
it on top of the fish pile… “I’m gonna use its coat tomake a nice collar for my old lady”, he said to himself…
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. CRISTINA’S ROOM – MORNING
Cristina is sleeping on the couch. Mihai is lying on the bed
staring at the ceiling. He looks sad.
CRISTINA
(wakes up)
Good morning!
MIHAI
You are my morning, my dear little dove.
CRISTINA
Your little dove has long became an eagle, daddy. I feel
so exhilarated when I accompany the police on some
mission and they let me put the handcuffs on the bad guy
they’ve arrested and read him his rights…
MIHAI
Do you really like your job?
CRISTINA
Do you still doubt it?
MIHAI
Last night…
CRISTINA
Maybe it was the wine… Or the childhood memories… Come
on, get up. First we’ll have breakfast, then we’ll go
sightseeing.
EXT. AUSTIN – DAY
Cristina and Mihai are walking around the center of the city.
CRISTINA
I’ve been following the presidential race on the
internet. What did you tell the voters that you were so
successful?
MIHAI
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I spoke to them about love.
CRISTINA
What?
MIHAI
Like in the Bible. When the Apostle Paul said to the
Corinthians that if there’s not love, there’s nothing. To
the peasants, I spoke about the love for one’s land; tothe intellectuals, about the love for culture; to the
retired people, about the love that comes from raising
one’s grandsons without the worry for tomorrow. And I
offered them all signed copies of my book. Thousands and
thousands of books.
(points proudly to his middle finger)
I’ve got blisters on this finger from signing so many
autographs… You can find my novel Secondhand Life allover the country…
INT. AUSTIN PUBLIC LIBRARY – DAY
Mihai and Cristina are wandering around the great hall of the
Austin Public Library.
CRISTINA
I read in the papers that it was an atypical electoral
campaign.
MIHAI
(points to the books around)
People are searching for themselves in the books they
read. It’s the same thing with elections. People want to
find themselves in the concerns of the candidate. I triedeach time to reach the soul of those who listened to my
words. I introduced Andrei as the man they had all been
waiting for…
EXT. AUSTIN, CENTER – DAY
CRISTINA
You lied to them?
MIHAI
Not at all. I revealed my political credo to them; modern
society cannot move forward unless it’s based on threepillars: Power, Truth, and Justice. I offered them the
certitude that Andrei knows how to do things in a right
and just manner. Excuse me one moment.
Mihai goes to an ATM machine, inserts the card, presses a few keys
and looks at the screen. He seems disappointed.
CRISTINA
If you need money, I’ve got some on me…
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MIHAI
I do too, Pinocchio gave me some. We’re still living
under the sign of the secondhand. I was expecting some
money… A larger sum…
CRISTINA
And what if Andrei Manole deceives your expectations? Is
he worth it?
MIHAI
Do you want to know the truth? No politician is ever
worth a writer’s sacrifice.
CRISTINA
Then why did you take so many chances on him?
MIHAI
Writers greater than I risked their lives in the battles
of their time: Cervantes at Lepanto, Byron at
Missolonghi… And they didn’t do it for the army leader.
CRISTINA
(graveness)
Daddy, the times have changed. Why do you think America
has come such a long way? People are valued here to their
true worth.
MIHAI
Do you think I wasn’t valued? My novel was published in
thousands of copies.
CRISTINA
And you gave it for free to people who may never evenread it. You even signed autographs. And all this for
your friend’s campaign. “No politician is ever worth a
writer’s sacrifice”… You said it! And what did you get
out of this campaign?
MIHAI
The satisfaction of having helped elect the best
president.
CRISTINA
The best of whom?
MIHAI
Of those with money. You cannot have an electoral
campaign without money. Except maybe in the primitive
societies, when they elected their tribe chief.
CRISTINA
People are looking at us… Let’s go home. We have to get
ready for the restaurant.
EXT. MOUNT BONELL – EVENING
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Mihai is walking on Mount Bonell. Cristina and Giuseppe are
walking beside him.
GIUSEPPE
Signore Michele, I see a happy smile on your face. I’mglad you like it here in our new hometown.
MIHAII like being here with you. But our “home” is in Europe.
Are you by any chance planning to stay here?
INT. RESTAURANT
Mihai, Cristina and Giuseppe are sitting at a table.
GIUSEPPE
All my childhood I dreamt of becoming an actor, of
starring in movies… My father had a small meat products
factory in the most charming place on earth, Sicily. We
also raised pigs, hundreds of pigs. I used to take thepigs to pasture, and while watching them I’d recite
poems… One day, two men came to see my father and told
him he had to pay a protection fee. He said no. A few
days later, we found all our pigs dead. My father had a
heart attack. He had taken a large loan from the bank and
now he had no way to pay it back. So we found ourselves
poor and deeply in debt. The bank took our farm, our
house…
MIHAI
I’m sorry to hear that…
GIUSEPPE
How about you, how did you let such a beautiful girl
become a prosecutor?
CRISTINA
If I had become an actress, would we have ever met?
(pause)
Some 200 years ago, my country was being plundered by the
surrounding empires.
MIHAI
As it is now too.
CRISTINA
(to Mihai)
Please… We talked about this: no politics.
(to Giuseppe)
Those who battled against the plunderers local or
foreign, the outlaws, lived hidden in the woods, and they
would come out only to strike down their enemies. They
were called the Codreni, which actually means woodsmen. I
am the descendant of such a hero outlaw, Vlad Codreanu.
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MIHAI
By half. The scrupulousness and the tenacity with which
she pursues her goals come from her mother’s side.
GIUSEPPE
She told me. The opera singer of German descent. But I
think that her beauty and her soul come from us Latins.
CRISTINA
Thank you!
INT. CRISTINA’S ROOM – NIGHT
Cristina and Mihai come in.
CRISTINA
Thank you!
(Mihai looks confused)
For the nice things you said about mother’s origin.
MIHAI
I couldn’t deny the qualities of the people that accounts
for the other half of who you are.
CRISTINA
I sometimes speak on the phone with mother’s relatives.
They’ll be glad to hear what you said.
MIHAI
I’d rather you talk about the weather. Your mother’s
relatives in Vienna only know how to come and take stuff.
CRISTINA
The law…
MIHAI
Taking is all they know. Why didn’t they come to save
your mother when the crooked law of our country sent her
to a sure death?! Why did they remain silent when
thousands of women were being condemned to an untimely
death?
CRISTINA
Daddy, it was a long time ago. There comes an age whenpeople should become more tolerant.
MIHAI
I sent you here to learn how to be intolerant!
CRISTINA
Intransigent. It’s a totally different thing. Please
remember that! Intransigent.
(pause)
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Tomorrow morning I’m taking you to see where I work…
meet my colleagues… have them meet you… They’re all young
people my age.
(joke)
No Sabine woman worth being raped by a gentleman like
yourself…
INT. THE ENTRANCE HALL OF A GOVERNMENTAL BUILDING – MORNING
Many people in front of the elevator door. Cristina makes a sign
to her father to wait. She goes toward a door. The elevator
arrives. The door of the elevator opens. The people waiting go in.
From the entrance comes Rita. Mihai holds the elevator door. When
Rita arrives in front of the elevator door, Mihai makes an elegant
gesture, courteously inviting her to step in. The people in the
elevator seem uncomfortable with Rita’s presence – it is obvious
they don’t appreciate her company. Rita doesn’t seem too impressed
by Mihai’s gesture. After she gets into the elevator, she makes
room for Mihai to step in too. Mihai makes a sign that he is
waiting for someone. Cristina arrives carrying a pile of files.
CRISTINA
Look how many I’ve got. I have a long day ahead of me.
MIHAI
Maybe I should leave then…
CRISTINA
Please… This won’t take long, I just want to introduce
you to my colleagues. They are all anxious to meet a
writer who got to experience the interrogation rooms of
the Romanian political police.
MIHAI
Oh, no… don’t spoil my morning with bad memories.
CRISTINA
To meet the person who wrote the texts in Ina’s album
then. “The essence of sex” divided my colleagues into two
camps: the girls say the first part is the most valuable,
“not pleasure, which is so transient and fleeting, but
children”. My male colleagues are always quoting the
second part, “the exorcising of evil”…
The elevator door opens. Mihai and Cristina are in the middle of agroup of people who go into the elevator.
INT. OFFICE – DAY
Mihai is surrounded by a group of Cristina’s colleagues.
GIUSEPPE
Here he is. Ask him.
YOUNG WOMAN #1
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Does writing literature pay well?
MIHAI
No, not at all. Our country has been flooded by fast food
type subproducts, things suitable only for reading in a
train or a bus, or at the breakfast table, magazines and
novels of no value whatsoever, as toxic as food
additives.
YOUNG MAN #1
So why do you keep writing?
MIHAI
If I found an answer to this question, be sure I wouldn’t
be writing anymore.
YOUNG WOMAN #2
(points at Ina’s album)
I absolutely loved that chapter on childhood.
YOUNG MAN #1I think you liked more that quote about the essence of
sex.
(to Mihai)
She’s got four kids.
YOUNG WOMAN #2
It’s the most beautiful text in the entire album. It’s
the better definition of sex ever.
YOUNG MAN #1
I bet that such a great theorist was an expert in the
practical field as well.
GIUSEPPE
“Was”… This is an insult to out Latin blood…
Laughter. YOUNG MAN #2 points to a page of the album with a
picture showing a file of children coming out of a garden. The
children have cherries in their hands. Two little girls have their
faces painted in black, like pirates.
YOUNG WOMAN #2
(points to the text under the photo)
“The essence of sex is not pleasure, which is sotransient and fleeting, but children, who make us feel
eternal.”
YOUNG MAN #2
(points to the Young woman #2)
With four kids, your eternity is a sure thing.
YOUNG MAN #1
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And I don’t think you felt no pleasure while making
them. Or that you didn’t exorcise some of your own demons
while doing it…
Laughter. Mihai notices Rita, who has stopped to listen to their
conversation.
YOUNG WOMAN #1
(to Mihai)We were hoping you’d bring Miss Ina along with you.
MIHAI
She’s in London now. She’s working for a big fashion
house. She’s going to compete in the London Fashion Week
in February.
YOUNG WOMAN #1
I would have loved to have my wedding dress designed by
her.
GIUSEPPEWho knows, she might have even made a pass at you… My
unfailing intuition tells me she’s gay.
Pause. The men look at Ina’s photo. Then they all look at Mihai,
who nodes in approval. Mihai notices Rita walking away.
CRISTINA
Excuse us… I want to show my dad the office.
VOICE (off)
Just don’t introduce him to the boss, or she might start
an investigation on him. She’ll find a reason, she alwaysdoes.
GIUSEPPE
Guys, you’re scaring our guest.
MIHAI
It’s worse than when I was being investigated by the
communist police…
YOUNG MAN #1
Yeah! Why don’t you tell us about that…
CRISTINA
These issues concern only us…
GIUSEPPE
“Tempi passati!”
MIHAI
(whispers to Giuseppe)
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I’m afraid these wounds are still bleeding. Otherwise,
you’d have stayed in your own country and become an
actor…
INT. CRISTINA’S OFFICE – DAY
Mihai is sitting in a chair. Cristina brings in a tray with coffee
cups and glasses of water.
CRISTINA
I asked the secretary to let me know when we can go in to
see my boss. Please be especially polite to her. But most
of all reserved. She doesn’t like men.
MIHAI
And I don’t like women…
CRISTINA
God damned! Daddy, please…
MIHAIYou heard what Giuseppe said: all the Sabine women around
here have already been raped.
CRISTINA
And the only ones left know nothing but investigate…
Mihai is drinking his coffee. Cristina is going through her files.
Rita comes in.
RITA
Cristina, I need the file…
Rita stops. She looks at Mihai, who has got up from his chair with
an elegant gesture. She scrutinizes him with a cold gaze.
INT. THE BASEMENT ROOM – TERRIFYING MOMENT
We can only see THE CLIENT, a 55-60 years old male, who has just
entered the basement room. The client looks a little like Mihai;
cheerful, elegantly dressed.
INT. CRISTINA’S OFFICE - DAY
Rita startles. She recomposes herself and says, pointing to thefiles.
RITA
…the Samuel Stevenson file.
CRISTINA
I’ll read it one more time and bring it to you.
(makes the introductions)
My father, Ms Margherita Donbario, my boss.
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Mihai gazes at Rita for a few more seconds, then bows elegantly,
but also courteously to her.
Rita holds out her hand in a formal manner, but suddenly she
decides to do it more elegantly, in the French style.
RITA
Margherita Donbario. I’m just an older colleague of your
beautiful and intelligent daughter.
MIHAI
(takes Rita’s hand into his palms and kisses it
elegantly)
Mihai. Mihai Codreanu. I’m the father of this young lady
who decided to follow into my ancestor’s footsteps.
RITA
Vlad. Vlad Codreanu, the love child of a ruler who was
killed by the Turkish soldiers when they came to put
their own man on the throne.
Mihai and Cristina exchange surprised looks.
RITA
A good prosecutor must always have accurate and up-to-
date information.
Mihai gives Rita a long gaze. He decides to retort, a sort of “do
you want to play, let’s play then”.
MIHAI
A good writer, even when he doesn’t have access to
information, can always assume. I bet you too have among
your paternal ancestors a great African warrior, whofought lions with his bare hands, and that your mother’s
line descends from both Aphrodite and Nemesis. Nemesis
being…
RITA
…The ancient Greeks’ goddess of justice and retribution
against one’s enemies.
MIHAI
And I also assume, no, I’m quite sure about it, that
prosecutor Margherita Donbario solves all her difficult
cases quickly and efficiently, as this gorgeous outfitattests it.
Rita looks confused. Mihai explains.
MIHAI
If you found yourself unable to solve a major case, I’m
sure you would, like queen Isabella of Spain, put on a
white dress and not take it off until victory day.
RITA
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I prefer to call it flirting. It’s the first step
towards love.
Cristina watches nervously the dialogue of the two.
RITA
And what if your flirting is rejected?
MIHAIIt can only happen if there aren’t any flowers to go with
it. And when I don’t have flowers, I use poetry.
Unfortunately, all the poems I know are in my mother
tongue.
RITA
I’m really sorry for the women in your country.
MIHAI
It will be my pleasure to take you there, so you could
ask them yourself how they feel about it.
RITA
No, thanks. I’ll take your word for it. Cristina
translated for me some of the texts that accompany the
photos in the album of that young artist, Ina. Your
daughter gave me the digital format of the album. My
little girls and I often look on the computer at the
photos of the children, especially the one in which they
are dressed as pirates. What did you use to paint their
faces?
MIHAI
Bitter cherries.
RITA
Bitter cherries? Oh, yes, I think I know what you’re
talking about, they’re small, black and taste very
bitter.
MIHAI
Since I didn’t bring you any flowers, although I should
have, since you are my daughter’s mentor, please allow me
to send you a jar of bitter cherry jam.
RITAThank you, but I can buy it at the store.
MIHAI
Better than the one I made with my own hands? No way!
RITA
You made it yourself? And how did you get it through the
customs?
MIHAI
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What would you be doing all day long if everybody obeyed
the law?
RITA
I’d be out of work, I guess.
(to Cristina)
Please watch him. He’s a potential criminal.
MIHAIAll novel writers are essentially criminals. They steal
something from everyone they meet. I haven’t decided yet
what I’m going to steal from you. The grandeur of your
gestures? The firmness of your voice? I think I’ll prefer
the brightness of your eyes.
Rita fixes him again with her eyes.All this time, Mihai displays a
friendly and elegant smile, like the smile of a skilled diplomat.
RITA
I’m sorry… I’m missing something here… Tell me, was there
a woman prosecutor as well among those who investigatedyou for writing that pamphlet against the communist
regime?
MIHAI
Only officers of the political police. At that time, our
prosecutors were much too busy with pregnant women…
RITA
Pregnant women? What did they want with pregnant women?
Again, I’m missing something…
MIHAIThat something is still on the other side of the ocean,
in Eastern Europe. You know, Eastern Europe stretches
from the former Berlin Wall to the Ural Mountains.
Anyway… I love this word: anyway…
RITA
(decides to go)
Anyway… I wish you a pleasant stay here in Texas!
MIHAI
How pleasant could it be, since my daughter has to keep
an eye on me? I knew Texas to be a land of freedom…
RITA
Of freedom, yes. However, the boundaries of freedom are
defined by the law.
Rita is about to leave the office. Mihai has gotten up from the
chair as a sign of politeness to her leaving the room.
MIHAI
This means I am surrounded by the best frontier guards.
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RITA
No. In this particular case, everyone is their own
frontier guard. We are dealing with those who have
already crossed the border fraudulently.
Rita tries to leave the room with a firm stride, as she had come
in, but she stops in the doorway with a discreet smile at the
corner of her mouth, turns her head and says, slightly ironically.
RITA
Au revoir, cher Monsieur Michel.
MIHAI
À bientôt, chère Madame Margueritte!
Rita gives him one more quick glance and leaves the office.
Cristina remains quiet for a while, then explodes.
CRISTINA
Daddy, tomorrow you’re taking the first flight back toEurope!
MIHAI
But what did I do?
CRISTINA
“What did I do”?! What in God’s name possessed you to
flirt so openly, and with Rita of all people?! I had
asked you to be reserved! All the sexual harassment files
she’s ever worked on ended up with a guilty verdict. Rita
is the terror of Texas. Everyone is scared of her. The
office in Los Angeles has already invited her to takeover an entire department. She is…
MIHAI
I can see that.
CRISTINA
What?
MIHAI
That she’s… mean.
CRISTINAI thought you were going to say something ironic again.
MIHAI
I noticed that people around here have some sense of
humor after all.
CRISTINA
Well, Rita doesn’t.
MIHAI
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It depends who the humor comes from. I know how to read
people.
CRISTINA
(in a secretive tone)
Rita’s not human. She’s a robot.
MIHAI
Is she married?
CRISTINA
Twice. A little girl from each marriage.
MIHAI
A new sieve hangs on the nail only while it’s new.
CRISTINA
Please stop talking in proverbs.
MIHAI
This woman has a shaky nail, on which the clothes ofdaily bliss hang much too heavy.
CRISTINA
I still don’t get it. You writers have such a weird way
with words… The thing is Rita doesn’t like men.
MIHAI
Anyway, she’s not a lesbian.
CRISTINA
Oh, no!
MIHAI
She’s rather…
CRISTINA
Rather what?
MIHAI
I don’t like to discuss women with my own daughter. I
find it indecent.
CRISTINA
Shifty as always. Come on, I’ll show you out, to makesure you don’t screw anything else up.
EXT. STREET – DAY
Cristina accompanied her father all the way to the street.
MIHAI
Maybe I should have stopped by Rita’s office to tell her
good bye.
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CRISTINA
The best thing you could do is take a cab and go home, so
I can have some peace in my office.
MIHAI
The best thing would have been to have stayed home, in
Romania, to spend Christmas with my friends…
EXT. AUSTIN – DAY
Mihai is walking and admiring the city. Mihai goes to an ATM
machine and inserts his card in it. He seems angry. Mihai dials a
number on his cell phone.
INT. A SECRETARIAL OFFICE – DAY
The secretarial office of the Romanian Presidency. THE CHIEF
SECRETARY, 30-35 years old, good looking, stately.
THE CHIEF SECRETARY
You have reached the President’s Office. Who’s speakingplease? Who? Mihai Codreanu? No, I haven’t heard of you,
you’re not on my protocol list… Certainly, as soon as I
find an opportunity, I’ll inform Mister President Andrei
Manole that you called.
EXT. THE TERRACE OF A RESTAURANT - DAY
Mihai is sitting at a table with a cup of coffee in front of him.
He looks deep in thought. His hand is playing with his cell phone.
EXT. LAVACA STREET – EVENING
Mihai is walking leisurely towards Cristina’s place.
INT. CRISTINA’S ROOM – EVENING
Mihai and Cristina are sitting at the dinner table.
CRISTINA
I must remember to take the novel with me, to read to my
colleagues from it.
MIHAIAnd that jar of jam I promised Rita.
Cristina wants to refuse it. She finally takes it and puts it into
her bag.
EXT. AUSTIN CITY CENTER – MORNING
Cristina stops the car so her father can get off.
CRISTINA
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I’ll see you tonight. Have a great day! And take care.
MIHAI
I don’t think it’s very easy to get lost in a museum.
INT. MUSEUM
Mihai is walking around the Museum of Art. He examines the
paintings with an expert look.
EXT. AUSTIN – ZIUA
Mihai is sitting on a bench in the park. He has just finished
talking on the phone. He closes the phone’s flap with an angry
gesture. He gets up and starts walking.
EXT. LAVACA STREET – EVENING
Mihai is walking slowly towards Cristina’s place. From the
opposite direction comes a girl running. She’s jogging. It’s
Cristina.
CRISTINA
Bonsoir!
MIHAI
I didn’t recognize you. What’s with you?
CRISTINA
I come from the gym. I go there twice a week. If Giuseppe
hadn’t been in San Antonio, we could have all went to a
restaurant for dinner. I’m so hungry…
INT. CRISTINA’S ROOM – NIGHT
Mihai and Cristina are sitting at the dinner table. Mihai is
telling her about the electoral campaign.
MIHAI
I told him from the very first day: “The minute you start
making electoral promises, I leave you and go back to my
writing desk!”
CRISTINA
And did he listen?
MIHAI
He’s now staying in the Presidential Palace, isn’t he?
(irony, whisper)
Even got a secretary who’s never heard of me…
CRISTINA
What’s that?
MIHAI
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I promised him I’d get him a cowboy hat.
CRISTINA
You can get him one in Fort Worth. This weekend we’ll go
visit Dallas and Fort Worth. Giuseppe has already talked
to his boss to give him the weekend off. And I talked to
Rita…
(the phone rings)
Hello. Ms Donbario, what a pleasure!…(covers the receiver with her hand and whispers to
her father)
I hope she doesn’t call to send me on a mission or
something…
(in the phone)
Yes, ma’am, I’m listening. I was having dinner with my
dad. Yes, he loves the city. He wandered around Austin
all day long. In fact, he just got home a short while
ago. And I was just telling him about the trip to Dallas
and Forth Worth that Giuseppe and I have planned… When he
was young, my dad loved cowboy movies. Sure… He’ll be
glad to talk to you…
Cristina looks baffled. She hands Mihai the phone.
CRISTINA
(irony)
Maybe she wants to charge you with verbal assault…
MIHAI
What’s one more experience… Bonsoir chère madame! Notrouble at all. It’s a very nice surprise…
INT. RITA’S HOME STUDY
Rita’s home study. A desk covered with files, a computer, a few
paintings hanging on the walls, a large bookcase covering a whole
wall. A window covered by a curtain. Rita is leaning against the
desk and talking on the phone.
VOICE MIHAI
…although… receiving a call from a prosecutor can be
quite a frightening experience… When do I have to come in
for questioning?
RITAWhat are you talking about?
VOCE MIHAI
You’re not going to charge me with…? I don’t know? Oh,
yes, Sheba… I’m not going to take that back. You can
bring me before the court, I’ll still claim that you look
like the Queen of Sheba.
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For a few moments, Rita seems disconcerted by Mihai’s words. She
murmurs “God damned”. She looks lost for words. She straightens
her back and says in a firm tone.
RITA
I’m calling to say thank you for the jam. My girls have
already finished up the jar…
Next to Rita, on the desk, there’s the half empty jar.
RITA
I don’t usually give them sweets, I’m afraid they might
get fat. Today I made an exception.
INT. CRISTINA’S ROOM - NIGHT
MIHAI
Chère Madame Margueritte, you haven’t even got to LosAngeles yet and you have already embraced the movie
stars’ mentality: you can never be skinny enough or
appreciated enough by the movie critics.
INT. RITA’S HOME STUDY
RITA
(decides to play along)
I had heard differently: that anything good is either
illegal, or fattening.
INT. CRISTINA’S ROOM – NIGHT
MIHAI
What’s even worse is that some people are never satisfiedwith how rich or powerful or influential they are.
They’re always striving to be and have more, so they can
control the others’ destinies. I wonder where these
people are.
INT. RITA’S HOME STUDY
RITA
If you’re suggesting that they are all here in America,
on Wall Street, I have to tell you you’re wrong. The
world is filled with financial criminals. Cristina could
tell you more about it, since she decided to specializein financial criminality as well.
(pause)
Today I heard your daughter translating to her colleagues
from one of your novels. I refuse to believe that any
prosecutor would take orders from a doctor, even if she
was the best doctor in that hospital.
VOICE MIHAI
That doctor you’re talking about was married to a
politician.
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RITA
Here in America even presidents have been under
investigation. And we did it in the name of justice.
VOICE MIHAI
I know. Because America’s interests demanded it.
RITA (long pause)
Yes… I admit… It’s a pleasure to chat on the phone with a
writer. I read on the internet that the current Romanian
president owes you his electoral victory. In one of the
papers, a journalist was making ironic remarks about you,
calling you “the little Demosthenes” and wondering where
you were hiding during the swearing in ceremony.
VOICE MIHAI
When I’ll feel I’m needed, I’ll be there, together with
my counselors.
RITA
Oh, so you had counselors too. That’s news to me.
VOICE MIHAI
A writer always has hundreds of counselors: Homer,
Aeschylus, Sophocles, Plato, Aristotle, Dante, Petrarca,
Shakespeare… Do you want me to go on?
RITA
No.
(walks along the bookcase. On a shelf we see the
books by the authors that Mihai mentioned)This list should be part of any person’s cultural
baggage. But… To get back to the sweet-black-bitter…
That’s how my girls named your cherry jam. My youngest
daughter, who’s here with me…
(Rita is alone in the room)
…wants me to send you… I think you know what the word
kiss means… It’s from my girls… This is the reason I
called… I had to give you this message…
INT. CRISTINA’S ROOM – NIGHT
MIHAII’m surprised you found it so difficult to deliver it.
It’s not a bad message, it’s not one of those whose
delivery ends up with the beheading of the messenger. On
the contrary. It’s the nicest message I got lately. Too
bad it got lost on the way… maybe the messenger is too
tired… Anyway, please tell your daughters I’ll send them
two more jars. Bringing joy to children is always an
uplifting experience, and if it’s us who get to bring
that joy, we climb another step from the daily inferno
towards Dante’s fascinating paradise. A propos, chère
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Madame Margueritte, did anyone ever tell you that youhave the most beautiful dark eyes?
Cristina looks at her father in despair. She makes frantic signs:
“What’s the matter with you?!” Mihai ignores her.
MIHAI
I believe, chère Madame Margueritte, that when they wrote
that famous song “Dark eyes”, the Russians, who generallyhave blue or green eyes, had a lady with eyes like yours
in mind. Do listen to the song. You can find it on the
internet, it’s called Ocii ciornâi, and it’s beautiful,melodious and mysterious. You’ll find it suits you.
Cristina’s room is filled with a tense silence.Even Mihai looks
worried. He seems to be asking himself: “Did I go too far?”
VOICE RITA
(after a pause)
Mister Codreanu, please let me speak to your daughter.
MIHAI
Certainly, madam. And in case I don’t speak to you again
tonight, I wish you and your two little princesses good
night. I hope you have some jam left, so you can paint
them like pirates. Maybe they’ll come to you in the
middle of the night and steal your sleep, since your
heart must have been stolen a long time ago. À bientôt,chère Madame Margueritte! Ou, peut-être, une véritablereine Margot.
Mihai hands the phone to his daughter, who looks at him with
frightened eyes.
CRISTINA
Yes, madam… Yes, of course… I wish you a pleasant
evening…
(hangs up. A long pause)
Now I really regret that moment of enthusiasm when
Giuseppe and I invited you to come here. You had to flirt
with Rita! God damned…
(sits for a while on the edge of the bed with her
temples between her palms)
Alright then… If Rita doesn’t tear me to pieces tomorrow
at work, in the afternoon we’ll be her guests at herhome. She says that her daughters want to meet the sweet-
black-bitter mister. You can be sure that this gesture of
inviting us to her villa is in fact a present to her
daughters. I didn’t hear of any other colleague of mine
ever being invited into her courtyard, let alone the
residence itself. They say her villa is like a fortress,
with sensors on the fence and bulletproof doors.
MIHAI
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(reads over Mihai’s shoulder)
“To her Excellency Ms. Margherita Donbario…” Smooth…
Mihai puts on his Bugatti jacket. Cristina comes near him and they
both admire themselves in the mirror.
CRISTINA
Really, I don’t think this is wise. We’re overdressed.
MIHAI
If I had known, I would have brought with me those jeans
I put on when I work in the garden.
CRISTINA
It’s too much luxury. What will Rita think?
MIHAI
That we are paying her a respectful homage by coming into
her house wearing our best clothes.
CRISTINAWith clothes worth thousands of dollars but with empty
pockets…
MIHAI
Sorry, I beg to differ! I still got some money left on my
credit card…
INT. CAR – DAY
They are driving in Cristina’s car through a neighborhood of
houses decorated for Christmas. Mihai has on his lap a map of the
city and indicates to Cristina which streets to take. In front ofthem there’s a barrier. Cristina stops by the guard at the barrier
and shows him her identity card.
CRISTINA
We’re here to see Margherita Donbario.
The guard examines the card, then checks his notebook.
THE GUARD
Yes. I was informed about your coming. Please, go ahead…
The guard lifts up the barrier. On the right side of the roadthere’s a large, magnificently decorated shopping mall. Lots of
people.
EXT. RITA’S RESIDENCE – DAY
The car has passed by a tall board fence and stopped in front of a
villa. The garage door is up. Rita is standing in the garage door
opening. She signals them to pull the car into the garage.
INT. THE GARAGE OF RITA’S RESIDENCE
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The garage door closes with a loud sound behind the car. The
garage lights go on. In the garage there’s also a black VolkswagenTouareg .
CRISTINA
I heard it’s bulletproof.
MIHAIWhen you come back to the country, I wish you’ll come to
need a bulletproof car too.
CRISTINA
The enemies of a good prosecutor are always behind bars.
MIHAI
I’ll ask Rita who she’s afraid of.
Mihai steps out of the car and goes to the left front door to help
his daughter get out. Mihai takes the flower bouquet and the bag
with presents from the back seat of the car.
RITA
Did you have a hard time finding the place?
CRISTINA
My dad has an excellent sense of direction.
RITA
I only hope he had it also when he helped Andrei Manole
become president.
MIHAI (morose)
The best of the worse…
Rita pushes a glass button by the door. The door opens with a loud
noise. Cristina goes in. Mihai makes an elegant gesture, inviting
Rita to go in first. Rita shows her appreciation for Mihai’s
gesture by a slight bend of the head.
INT. THE HALLWAY OF RITA’S RESIDENCE
Mihai has put the bag with presents and the flowers on a small
table and now he’s helping Cristina take off her fur coat.Cristina goes to a mirror in the hallway and arranges her outfit
in front of it. Rita takes the fur coat from Mihai’s hand to put
it on the hall stand.
RITA
(admiringly)
Fendi, Italy…
(notices the “Bugatti” label inside Mihai’s jacket)
And Bugatti…
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MIHAI
I’m afraid they both carry the Pinocchio brand.
RITA
Is that the company that sells them?
MIHAI
“Company” is a bit of an overstatement. It’s a store… A
boutique, as the French would call it.(points to the two coats)
This one, one hundred. The other, two hundred max.
RITA
Thousands of dollars?!
MIHAI
No, madam. Plain dollars. Pinocchio is a used clothes
store selling Western stuff.
(points to the clothes)
The Fendi had a paint stain right here: the animal rights
organizations… This other one… (shows her the hole under the sleeve near the armpit)
…a bullet… But I don’t mind as long as only the wrapper
is secondhand.
RITA
Secondhand… I read in some paper that during the
electoral campaign you launched your novel “Secondhand
life”. What is it about?
MIHAI
About life, obviously.
INT. THE LIVING ROOM OF RITA’S HOUSE – DAY
An elegant living room. Through the window one can see the garden.
In the garden, the little girls’ playground. There’s a door that
connects the living room to the garden. A sofa, armchairs, a
table, paintings on the walls. A fireplace. The fire is lit. On
the sofa sit quietly two little girls, looking silently at the
guests who come in. JEANNE, white skin, 6-7 years old. SARA, black
skin, large, beautiful eyes, curly hair, 4-5 years old.
RITA
These are my daughters. Jeanne…
Jeanne gets up and curtsies.
RITA
…and Sara.
Sara is having a hard time coming down the edge of the sofa. She
finally slides off and curtsies. The girls resume their seats on
the sofa, as quiet and apprehensive as before.
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MIHAI
Aren’t they the sweetest little girls you’ve ever seen?
CRISTINA
Yes, of course…
The little girls are smiling. Sara bursts into laughter, but stops
laughing abruptly when she hears Rita’s footsteps. Rita comes in
holding a vase with the flowers.
RITA
At this hour, do you have regular coffee or decaf?
MIHAI
Whatever you’re having.
RITA
Regular. I usually work until midnight.
MIHAI
For a writer, midnight is usually the time when the musecomes knocking.
RITA
So when do writers sleep then?
MIHAI
They hardly ever do.
RITA
Judging by the way you look, I wouldn’t say you’re sleep
deprived. On the contrary, I’d say you sleep long and
soundly.
MIHAI
My muse has left me. If she had still been with me, do
you think she would have let me come to Texas?
RITA
The texts in that fashion album show your muse has always
been at your side.
MIHAI
That album was made last summer.
RITA
For a writer, six months is not a long time.
MIHAI
On the other hand, a mere second can mean everything if
it brings with it a brilliant idea.
RITA
Allow me to leave you for a few brilliant ideas, so I can
bring in the coffee. I gave Clara the day off. She’s my
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housekeeper. She used to be a policewoman in Miami when
she was young.
Rita leaves the room. Mihai looks at the two little girls. The
girls keep glancing at the jam jars. Cristina and Mihai look at
each other. Their eyes are filled with pity for the two little
girls who sit so quietly on the sofa. Mihai makes a decision. He
gets up and goes to the table with the two jars on it. He picks up
a jar and takes off its lid.
MIHAI
I wonder if this jam is as black as the other one. Yes.
It’s very black. Then it must be very tasty too.
Mihai leans down in front of the little girls. He looks at each
one in turn and decides to go to Sara. He holds out the jar to
her, but the little girl doesn’t know what to do. Mihai takes
Sara’s right hand, bends all her fingers, except for the pointing
finger. Mihai dips the tip of Sara’s finger into the jam jar, then
takes it to her mouth.Somewhat apprehensive, Sara puts her finger
into her mouth. As soon as she feels the taste of the jam, hereyes lit up with a spark of joy.Mihai nods encouragingly. Sara
dips again her finger into the jar.Sara looks at Jeanne and
smiles.Mihai holds the jar out to Jeanne.
Jeanne dips her finger, then tastes.Jeanne and Sara taste in
turns. They keep giggling while doing it.Suddenly, they freeze in
fright and look up.Mihai slightly turns his head, without getting
up. He notices Rita’s legs. He slowly raises his eyes. He sees the
bottom of a crystal tray with coffee cups on it.
Mihai gets up slowly. Mihai and Rita give each other intense
looks. Mihai is fixing Rita, like before a duel. He utters in a
calm voice.
MIHAI
Cristina, please take the tray, will you?
Cristina takes the tray and puts it on the table.
MIHAI
The lady needs her hands free…
Mihai and Rita are still fixing each other. The room is filled
with tension. Rita looks like she’s about to slap Mihai, but she
refrains from it. Mihai holds out his right hand, takes Rita’s
hand, bends her fingers, like he had done with Sara, places thejar under her pointing finger and dips her finger into it. A drop
of jam trickles from Rita’s finger back into the jar.
MIHAI
Matthew’s Gospel, just like Mark’s, says that it’s not
what goes into your mouth that defiles you, but what
comes out of it…
Mihai slightly lifts the woman’s hand. Rita takes herself her
finger to her mouth and tastes. Still fixing Mihai, she dips her
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finger again into the jar. This time she thrusts it more deeply
into her mouth and sucks it somewhat voluptuously. She bends her
head in a thank you gesture.
RITA
Thank you, my lord!
Mihai bends his head too, in a “you’re welcome” gesture, and steps
back to put the jar on the table.Sara and Jeanne jump off the sofa and run to hug Rita. Sara hugs
her thigh, while Jeanne puts her arms around her waist.
Rita is seized by a tremor, like a shiver. She bends down and
kisses the girls on the top of their heads.
The girls climb back on the sofa. They are no longer frightened.
They keep looking at each other and smiling.
RITA
Can I offer you a drink, brandy, whisky, vodka?
CRISTINA
Only for my dad. I’m driving.
MIHAI
Vodka.
Rita brings in a bottle of vodka and two glasses.
Sara jumps off the sofa and whispers something in Rita’s ear.
RITA
Sure, honey.
The little girls take their plush toys and lie on their bellies in
front of the fireplace. They begin to play.Rita sits down in the armchair.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. RITA’S LIVING ROOM – LATER
The little girls are playing in front of the fireplace.
Rita, Cristina and Mihai are sitting in armchairs and talking.
RITA
If you’re going to Dallas tomorrow, you should stay in a
hotel there overnight, so you could be in the city Sundaytoo.
(slight irony)
Any European who comes to Dallas insists on visiting the
Ewing family ranch. I’m sure you’ve been watching the
show.
MIHAI
Before communism collapsed, it was our moment of
relaxation every evening.
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RITA
(to Cristina)
Have you bought plane tickets for New York yet?
CRISTINA
Just for me. My dad leaves on the 27th on the Amtrak.
RITA
The Amtrak?! But it takes 48 hours to get there by train…28 hours to Chicago… an 8 hour wait there… and then the
trip to New York.
Rita seems more “loose”. She’s even agreeable.
MIHAI
Since we’re enjoying Russkaya vodka, why should 48 hoursscare us? What would you say if you had to spend 7 days
on a train crossing Siberia, from Moscow to Beijing?
RITA
Seven days, on a train?
MIHAI
Half the charm of my trip to China was the journey by
train. New people… all with their life stories… endless
plains and birch tree forests… Those birch trees… like
standing bones growing in a hostile and much too green
Siberia, like a forgotten graveyard where the dead rose
and went to meet God green and upright…
RITA
That’s beautiful. Who wrote that?
CRISTINA
Daddy…
MIHAI
(simultaneously with Cristina)
From the novel of an unknown author…
(sadness)
From the Berlin Wall to Vladivostok, communism was
equally “triumphant”, with slight differences from
country to country.
RITAI know what happened in Eastern Europe.
MIHAI
(staring intensely into her eyes)
Are you sure?
RITA
(pause)
The first advice I always give to my younger colleagues
is to get to know in depth all versions…
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Cristina is puzzled by the sadness with which Mihai and Rita look
at each other from time to time.
CRISTINA
Rita has on her desk a golden plaque that reads: Audiaturet altera pars.
RITAIt’s a prerequisite of our profession.
MIHAI
And were you never tempted to quote from the Bible too?
He who sows wind… for instance.
RITA
The law says that he must still reap wind. It’s only fair
that the punishment should fit the crime. Are you a
religious man?
MIHAII do have a God.
RITA
I don’t understand.
MIHAI
Dostoevsky says that people who do not have a God think
they’re allowed to do anything.
RITA
I read mostly French literature. Dostoevsky’s
undergrounds didn’t appeal to me. I have my ownundergrounds…
(to the girls, who are having an argument)
Jeanne, Sara!…
SARA
Jeanne says that my fox is smaller than her bear…
JEANNE
And Sara makes fun of my bear because it doesn’t have a
tail…
MIHAIHey, princesses, come here. Do you want to know how that
bear lost his tail? If you come sit here, in my chair,
side by side, like two good sisters, I’ll tell you…
Mihai gets up and helps the girls climb on the armchair. He sits
down on the carpet and picks up the two plush toys.
MIHAI
It was a freezing winter day and this little fox had
nothing to eat.
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From where he sits, Mihai glances at Rita.
Rita presses her knees together, so Mihai can’t see her legs under
her dress. Mihai smiles discreetly. He holds out his hand and
takes his glass of vodka, slightly raising it to Rita in a
“cheers” gesture. Rita is watching him with distrust.
MIHAI
And on that freezing winter day, the starving little foxsaw passing on the road a man driving a cart full of
fish… a lot of fish… Do you girls like fish?
The two girls vigorously shake their heads no.
MIHAI
Well, little foxes love fish…
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. RITA’S LIVING ROOM – LATER
Rita is taking slow sips from her glass of vodka while listening
attentively to Mihai’s story. She is now sitting relaxed, with her
legs crossed. Mihai is illustrating his story using the two plush
toys.
MIHAI
Do you want fish? the little fox asks the bear. Then you
should do as I did. Go to the lake, dip your tail into
the water, and then stay like this all night long,
without moving a muscle, ‘cos if you move, you might
scare the fish away. And in the morning, when you’ll pull
your tail out, you’ll find a lot of fish hanging on it.(changes the tone of his voice)
Until the night is over, I’ll take a little break, and
drink some vodka, otherwise I risk freezing like that
poor bear’s tail.
The little girls laugh in amusement. Mihai picks up his glass.
Rita notices the look on his face, but this time she doesn’t press
her knees together. She faces his glance with calm eyes.
MIHAI
And the bear stayed with his tail in the water all night
long. And he had a big tail, bigger than the fox’s. Whenthe morning finally came, he tried to pull his tail out
of the water. “I must have caught a lot of fish”, he
thought, feeling very happy. And he pulled, and pulled,
delighted that he had caught so much fish. Alas, his tail
was trapped in the frozen water. You girls know how hard
ice cubes are, don’t you? Well, so was the ice where the
bear’s tail was trapped. And while the bear was pulling
harder and harder, thinking happily of all the fish he
was soon going to eat, all of a sudden, snap, his tail
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broke off. Angry and upset, the bear went to look for
the little fox, but she had hidden…
(pause)
And that’s how the poor bear lost its tail…
The girls are laughing. Rita whispers: “kiss”. The girls come to
Mihai and kiss him on the cheek. Rita pours vodka in Mihai’s
glass.
RITA
The storyteller must be thirsty by now.
Mihai takes the glass.
MIHAI
Thank you.
Sara whispers something in her mother’s ear.
RITA
My daughters would like to show you their playground.
Rita leads the way to the door opening to the garden. She pushes
the glass button. The door unlocks with a click.
EXT. PLAYGROUND – DAY
An elegant patio. A few steps descending into a large garden. A
board fence surrounding the entire garden. A swing and a play
slide under a big tree. The little girls run to the swing.
JEANNE
Mommy, mommy, can we?
RITA
Sure.
SARA
(to Mihai)
Come see how high we go on the swing…
The girls climb on the swing. Cristina goes to the swing and
starts pushing it. The girls are laughing. They’re happy.
Mihai looks at the sky, which is filling with clouds. Rita sees
him and says…
RITA
We have a saying here in Texas: if you don’t like the
weather, wait a minute and it will change. I’m sure that
within the hour, the sun will smile to you again.
MIHAI
Only the sun?
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Rita smiles. Mihai is glad to see her looking happy at her little
girls. Rita and Mihai are leaning against a tree. Mihai’s left
hand is very close to Rita’s right hand. They are both looking in
front of them, at the swing. Rita’s and Mihai’s little fingers are
now touching. Their eyes are still staring ahead. Their fingers
touch even more. The swing has stopped moving. The little girls
get off and come running towards their mother.
SARAMommy, you too, you too…
JEANNE
Mommy too can go in the swing.
SARA
I’ve seen her. In the evenings, she comes here sometimes
and reads sitting in the swing.
The little girls take Rita to the swing. Mihai goes in front of
the swing and starts pushing it. The swing goes high into the air.
The hem of Rita’s dress floats up in the air. The girls arestanding on one side of the swing, next to Cristina. Mihai pushes
the swing even harder. Rita and Mihai look into each other’s eyes.
RITA
Please stop…
Mihai stops the swing. Rita’s knees open and catch Mihai’s knees
between them. Rita gets off the swing.
RITA
Thanks, but the swing if for the children. And we have
three children here. Please… I’m sure there’s room forall three of you on it. Cristina, I want to ask your
father to find for me that Russian song on the internet.
Don’t go near the fence, you’ll set off the alarm. If you
want to go in, give me a call, I’ll unlock the door for
you.
(to Mihai)
Please…
Rita goes to another door. She pushes a button, opens the door and
makes a sign to Mihai to go in. Mihai invites her to go in first.
The door locks electronically behind them.
INT. RITA’S HOME STUDY
Rita and Mihai enter Rita’s home study, the room from where Rita
spoke on the phone with Mihai the night before. The sound of the
door closing behind them. Mihai looks around the study admiringly.
He stops by the window and looks closely at it. Rita pulls the
curtain a little to the side. The window is bricked in.
RITA
It makes me feel safer when I work late at night.
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MIHAI
I keep the window open during the night. So the muse can
get in.
RITA
Well, you’re in no danger of being killed by one of your
characters.
MIHAI
That’s true, I’m sorry…
Mihai walks by the bookcase admiring the books. On the desk there
are a lot of files. Rita turns on the computer.
RITA
Can you please look for that song?
MIHAI
Sorry? Oh, sure… “Ocii ciornâi”…
Mihai searches for a link. We can hear the song playing.
RITA
You were right. It’s very beautiful.
EXT. PLAYGROUND – DAY
The swing moves through the air. The girls are laughing. Cristina
holds them by the waist, so they don’t fall. The garden is filled
with the little girls’ laughter.
INT. RITA’S HOME STUDY - LATER
MIHAI
(presses some keys on the computer)
I want you to listen to this song as well.
Finds on YouTube the song “Moscow Nights”, performed by
singer Vladimir Trochyn.
RITA
(enthusiasm)
“Moscow Nights”… Young people sing it sometimes… Do you
know what the lyrics say?
MIHAI
(searches on the Internet)
Here’s the English translation…
Mihai wants to get up from the chair, but Rita stops him. She is
standing behind Mihai, with one hand leaning on his shoulder,
reading the lyrics in English.
RITA
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Beautiful lyrics. Thank you! I don’t know if I have any
vodka around here…
Rita opens a liquor cabinet, takes out a bottle of amaretto and
pours the drink into two glasses. The song replays automatically.
RITA
It’s amaretto. I sometimes pour some in my coffee…
Rita holds both glasses out to Mihai, so he can pick one. Mihai
takes a glass. Rita’s eyes are watching the computer screen. On
the screen we see the people in a concert hall singing along with
the performer. We see old Russian generals and young girls swaying
in the rhythm of the music.
MIHAI
(sings quietly along with the singer)
Песня слышится и не слышится/ В эти тихие вечера…
RITA
You speak Russian?
MIHAI
(comes near Rita with the glass in his hand. Recites)
“A song sounds and is not to be heard / In those quiet
evenings”…
(raises his glass)
To your health and to the happiness of your two
princesses.
RITA
There are three princesses in the garden.
MIHAI
To this quiet evening and to the happiness of the three
princesses.
Rita and Mihai clink glasses. They drink with slow sips.
RITA
If we had drunk vodka, we would have had to break the
glasses after emptying them, isn’t that right?
MIHAI
It would have been a shame to break them after just onedrink.
Rita is moving her head to the song. She looks happy.
RITA
Anyway, the amaretto seems to go better with this song…
MIHAI
I don’t know if this liqueur is very expensive, but I do
know it’s precious.
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INT. RITA’S HOME STUDY
Rita puts her hands on Mihai’s chest and pushes him back hard. Her
right arm points to the bathroom door in a commanding gesture.
RITA
The bathroom is over there.
INT. THE BATHROOM NEXT TO THE STUDY
Mihai looks at himself in the mirror. He’s covered in sweat. He
looks scared. He begins to wash his face.
INT. RITA’S HOME STUDY - LATER
Rita is leaning against the desk. She’s back to her old self:
cold, distant, stately. The computer is turned off.
Mihai comes out of the bathroom. Rita hands him his tie. She waits
for him to put it on, then hands him his jacket. They both start
walking to the door. Mihai walks like a sleepwalker.
EXT. THE PLAYGROUND – EVENING
The little girls come running to greet their mother.
SARA
Cristina went on the slide with us. I can go faster than
she.
CRISTINA
(to Mihai)
I recall when you used to take me to the park downtown…You were so tired, you would fall asleep on the bench
waiting for me.
RITA
Your father was right. That song “Dark eyes” is very
beautiful.
They all walk together towards the entrance into the house.
INT. RITA’S LIVING ROOM – EVENING
Rita brings in a tray with cookies and refreshments. She pours thelittle girls two glasses of juice. She pours Cristina a glass of
orange juice.
RITA
I know you like it.
(to Mihai)
What kind of juice would you like?
MIHAI
(sad irony)
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Sour.
RITA
I’ll go to the kitchen then and squeeze two lemons for
you.
MIHAI
Thanks, you don’t have to do that. Water is fine.
Mihai has a hard time hiding his annoyance.
Rita glances at him from time to time.
RITA
I think you should take the Tarantula train from Dallas
to Fort Worth.
CRISTINA
Giuseppe would know. He took his sisters there in
September.
RITA(to Mihai)
I hope you’ll have enough money, to see all there is to
see. A writer has to see, know things…
(to Cristina)
I think you should have dinner at the Dandelion. The
restaurant is in a tower, you can see all the surrounding
sights from up there. And I hope you’ll take your father
to see Southfork. For a European…
MIHAI
(in a sour tone of voice)
…it’s a must, I get it. How would we have made itthrough without the Dallas-Ewing Oil Company ? We wouldhave never known how plentiful life can really be and we
would have been content with living forever under a
totalitarian regime.
RITA
So the US are responsible for all the evils in Europe.
MIHAI
I didn’t say that.
RITAAll you Europeans say it…
MIHAI
We’re not “all Europeans”. Although…
RITA
Although…?
MIHAI
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I read in some book that the old French adage cherchezla femme should be replaced with “ask the Americans”…
RITA
And you’re saying that in the home of an American
prosecutor?
MIHAI
I