voorman shooting script

8/10/2019 Voorman Shooting Script

1/15

THE VOORMAN PROBLEM

Screenplay

By Mark GillBaldwin Li

Based on anextract fromNUMBER9DREAM

By

DavidMitchell

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2/15

2

SCENE 1 - EXT. PRISON - DAY

A man of about thirty five stops at a street corner, he looks

at a piece of paper before heading off in a new direction. Hewalks past an enormous wall that almost obscures the sky.

Gothic turrets poke out above the wall. He is dressed in a

suit and overcoat, he carries an umbrella and a laptop case.

He arrives at a gate and presses an intercom button. He

waits a few seconds: no reply. He tries again. The intercom

channel eventually clicks open but no one talks.

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

I am Dr. Williams. Governor

Bentley is expecting me.

Silence. The black lens of a camera leers at him.

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

Is anybody there?

He puts his ear to the intercom - distant and eerie chanting

can be heard. After a pause the gate opens by itself. Witha

puzzled look at the intercom he steps through the gate.

SCENE 2 - INT. OFFICE - DAY

GOVERNOR BENTLEY is decrepit, nervous and slightly drunk.

The Doctor stands, looking over the room. The Governor is

pouring brandy into a coffee mug.

GOVERNOR BENTLEY

Doctor. Please, sit down.

Thank you.

DOCTOR WILLIAMS


3/15


4/15

4

GOVERNOR BENTLEY

The point is (he leans forward and

lowers his voice almost to a

Whisper) the Voorman problem.

GOVERNOR BENTLEY shifts in his chair. The Doctor frowns.

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

Voorman is a prisoner here?

GOVERNOR BENTLEY

He is. Voorman is a prisoner who

maintains he is a god.

A god.

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

GOVERNOR BENTLEY

Each to his own, I'd normally say,

but he has persuaded the entire

prison population to share his

delusion. We've isolated him but

it's no use. The chanting youheard coming in? The Song of

Voorman. The inmates are restless

doctor. I fear disturbances ...

riots.

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

I see you have a problem, but how-

GOVERNOR BENTLEY

-I ' m asking you to examine him. If

you decide he is clinically insane

I can ship him off to the asylum.

WILLIAMS reaches for his n o tebook.


5/15

5

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

Of what crime was he convicted?

BENTLEY leans back and shrugs.

GOVERNOR BENTLEY

The computer system - it crashed

last year and all the files were

deleted.

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

But how will you know when to

release the prisoners?

BENTLEY is flummoxed.

GOVERNOR BENTLEY

"Release?" "The prisoners?"

SCENE 3 - INT. INTERVIEW ROOM - DAY

VOORMAN is already seated in an inter v iew room. He is

straitjacketed with his ankles bound to the legs of the

chair. His hair is lank and he is unshaven. He fixes the

doctor with a cool stare. An empty chair opposite. WILLIAMS

empties his case. He removes his laptop, then his pen and

notebook onto a table. He turns and addresses his subject.

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

Mr. Voorman. . .

can you tell me how long have you believed yourself to

be a god?

VOORMAN

I may ask you the same question.


6/15

6

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

I do not believe I am a god.

VOORMAN

But you believe yourself to be apsychiatrist.

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

Yes. Ever since I began practising

my profession.

VOORMAN nods considering his response.honlodge productions

ltd registered office: 18 St. Andrews Drive, Heywood, Lanes,

OLlO 2DT

VOORMAN

I have been a god since I began

practising my profession.

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

I see. What does your profession

involve?

VOORMAN

Chiefly, on-going maintenance.

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

Maintenance of what?

VOORMAN

Of the universe.

DOCTOR WILLIAMS So you created our universe?

VOORMAN

Exactly. Nine days ago.

WILLIAMS weighs this up.


7/15

7

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

Evidence suggests that the universe

is somewhat older than nine days.

VOORMAN

I know. I created the evidence 1

too.

WILLIAMS sits down.

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

I am thirty five years old 1 Mr.

Voorman. How do you account for my

memories of last summer 1 my

childhood 1 my-

VOORMAN

-I created your memories when I

created you.

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

So everything in this universe is a

figment of your imagination?

VOORMAN

Precisely. You 1 this prison 1

reality TV 1 Barack Obama.

WILLIAMS makes notes. On his pad are the words: "delusions

of grandeur" 1 "Sollipsism syndrome."

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

Must be quite a workload.

VOORMAN

Greater than you could ever

conceive.

(MORE)


8/15

8

VOORMAN (cont'd) Worse

still, I have to keep imagining

every single last atom, or it all

goes... upoof!U Up in smoke ...

Solipsism only has one L, Doctor.

WILLIAMS looks up quickly eyes narrowing. He subtly closes

his notebook. Voorman sighs.

VOORMAN

I know you are sceptical, Doctor.

I made you that way. May I propose

an objective experiment to verify

my claim?

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

What do you have in mind?

Belgium.

VOORMAN

Belgium?

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

VOORMAN I don't suppose even the Belgians

would miss it, do you?

SCENE 4 - INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT

The WILLIAMS live in a modern apartment. Unpacked boxes are

all over the room. A TV serves its menu of fear . MRSWILLIAMS is serving take out food. A bottle of wine stands

on the table. She looks at her husband. He doodles on his

notebook, the words sollipsism syndrome stand out amongst his

many scribblings. The laptop screen shows a report about the

ongoing war.


9/15

9

MRS WILLIAMS

Are you OK? You look worried.

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

Not worried exactly yet...

MRS WILLIAMS

Is it this new case? Forcing you

to do the job of a court judge,

it's so unreasonable.

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

It's not that that worries me. In

this country there ' s little

difference between the prison and

the asylum.

MRS WILLIAMS

Then what is it?

She places a plate of food in front of him.

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

Is he the slave or the master of

his imagination? He swore to make

Belgium disappear by teatime.

MRS WILLIAMS

Is Belgium another prisoner?

WILLIAMS starts to eat, eyeing his wife.

Belgium.

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

MRS WILLIAMS

A new cheese?


10/15

10

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

Belgium. The country. Between

France and Holland. Belgium.

MRS WILLIAMS shakes her head doubtfully. Her husband smiles

to hide his annoyance.

Bel-gi-um.

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

MRS WILLIAMS

Is this a joke?

DOCTOR WILLIAMS You know I never joke about my

work ...

There is a pause, a moment of tension. MRS WILLIAMS still

shows no sign of recognition.

Right!

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

The doctor gets up from his seat, he starts to rummage

through some of the unpacked boxes. He eventually finds what

he's looking for and returns. He opens an atlas book of the

world and starts to flick through the pages. Eventually he

finds what he's looking for. His face stiffens. Between

France and Holland is a feature called the Walloon Lagoon.

He gazes, thunderstruck.

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

This cannot be. This cannot be ...

this cannot be


11/15

11

SCENE 5 - INT. INTERVIEW ROOM - DAY

The chanting can be heard faintly through an air vent in the

interview room. Voorrnan is humming his song. His eyelids

are closed. A door can be heard opening and closing.

VOORMAN

Hello Doctor. Will Belgium figure

in your session notes today?

WILLIAMS ignore this, his eyes are dark and baggy.

VOORMAN

Sleep badly last night, Doctor?

WILLIAMS glares at Voorrnan. After a moment he begins

emptying his case, yet it is now with shaky hands that he

arranges his materials. Voorrnan licks his lips. WILLIAMS

tries his best to ignore Voorrnan.

VOORMAN

Tut tut... Is that your medical

opinion, Doctor? I am not a

lunatic, not a malingerer, but a

demon? Am I to be exorcised?

WILLIAMS slams down his notebook and looks at the prisoner

sharply.

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

Do you believe you should be?

Voorrnan shrugs.

WILLIAMS sits down.


12/15

12

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

Just supposing you are... who you

claim to be -

VOORMAN

Say it, Doctor, say it.

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

What is a god doing straitjacketed

in a prison?

VOORMAN

What would you do if you were a

god? Spend your days playing golf?

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

So what do you do with y our time?

VOORMAN

I seek amusement - in humans. Take

this war for example: comed y gold.

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

I am not a religious man, Mr.

Voorman -

VOORMAN

That is why I chose you .

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

- but what kind of god finds warsamusing?


13/15

13

VOORMAN

A bored one. Yes. I equipped

humans with imaginations merely so

they can dream up new waysto

entertain me.

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

Which you choose to observe from

the luxury of your cell?

VOORMAN

I am rather fond of prisons. And

prisoners are more fun than well-

fed congregations. Yet you amuse

me more than most, doctor. Your

remit is to diagnose me either a

faker or a lunatic, and yet you end

up proving my omnipotent divinity.

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

Nothing of the sort has been

proven.

VOORMAN

True, doctor true. But I've made a

decision. We're going to change

places. You can juggle time,

gravity, waves and particles. You

can sift through the trashcan of

human endeavour for tiny specks of

originality. You can watch

glaciers fall and continents

pillaged in your name, while I.. I

am going to make you your wife

smile in a most involuntary way and

partake of the Governor's brandy.


14/15

14

DOCTOR WILLIAMS

You are sick, Mr. Voorman. The

Belgium trick stymies me, but-

WILLIAMS freezes.

VOORMAN whistles the national anthem of France.

DOCTOR VOORMAN

Time has flown... I must be going.

WILLIAMS, now the prisoner, chokes.

What-

WILLIAMS

The new Doctor flexes his new muscles. The chanting begins

again, low and steady.

WILLIAMS

What have you done to me?

DOCTOR VOORMAN If you can't discuss things like a

rational adult I'll be left with no

choice but to terminate this

interview.

WILLIAMS

Put me back you... you monster!

DOCTOR VOORMAN

You'll soon learn the ropes .

DOCTOR Voorman clips his bag shut.

DOCTOR VOORMAN

Watch North K orea. Hot spot.


15/15

15

He takes off the glasses and lets them fall to the floor, the

lenses crack.

WILLIAMS

Guards! Guards!

The door bursts open and DOCTOR VOORMAN shakes his head sadl y

at the prison guard, TODD, and leaves. TODD slams the door

shut and slides the bolts into place.

WILLIAMS

Stop him! I'm the real Doctor

WILLIAMS! He... he made Belgiumdisappear!!!

WILLIAMS shrieks and twists but being strait-jacketed to a

chair makes his attempts to escape futile.

WILLIAMS

I am Doctor WILLIAMS, Stop him!

He's going to molest my wife!! I am

Doctor WILLIAMS!!I

am DoctorWILLIAMS!!

The chanting which is reaching a feverish pitch and cell bars

are being banged in time.

voorman shooting script

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