The Cycle Draft 6

Black screen Everything and everyone has to go at some point. That's the cycle of life. But if remembrance is at work, then memories we left behind could be imprinted somewhere at least. (a beat) Yet to most of us, past is a gigantic trash bag waiting to be thrown away, and so I thought. 1: FADE IN. INT. JANE'S APARTMENT - DAY 2: CAMERA FLOWS passes a trash bag throws through A NARROW, DARK HALLWAY TO JANE'S STUDIO APARTMENT: in the hallway, couples trash bags lean on the side. JANE'S apartment door is opened. Revealing JANE, 30, skinny and short, in her almost emptied apartment (only left with an old, 2 levels wooden book case [a dusty box on there] at the corner of the room -> near the window, and an old, dark brown, wooden bed frame at another corner of the room). She is talking to a SECURITY GUARD (shows only his back), skinny, same height as JANE, in security guard uniform, who is standing before the door. SECURITY GUARD You are all packed? JANE Yeah, my movers just left.

SECURITY GUARD Can you believe they are gonna torn down this place? (Sigh )This area is old, but it has so much memories...it's just sad that by tomorrow, this place will already be gone 3: JANE I know.. I know...but the old has to go, for the new to come right? Trust me this place's going to look so much better afterward.

SECURITY GUARD Sigh... Mr. Tom, he has been having a hard time dealing with all these. He said he will stay in his apartment no matter what..

SECURITY GUARD look at the box. SECURITY GUARD (CONT'D) Don't forget that box. JANE turns to look at the box too, and turns back to SECURITY GUARD. JANE Oh.. That's nothing. Just some old pictures, they are all messed up anyway. 4: Sees box on the case. SECURITY GUARD Alright then..I am gonna check on the other units, espcially Mr. Tom's. Just don't take too long. I gotta lock this place down. JANE Okay. I gotta go back to work too. Hears shutting door sound. 5: FADE OUT. 6: TITLE: THE CYCLE comes in. EXT. BUSINESS DISTRICT - DAY 7: Business people walking on street in busy business district (crowded with people). Along the side of street, many fancy glass, rectangular shaped buildings. 8: JANE walks among people. 9: Couple of buses and cars passes by in front of JANE and people next to her (left side of the frame). In each gap of cars passing, sees they stop at the crosswalk, waiting for the light to turn. 10: Many conversation going on. More focus on two business women, around 30s, talking behind JANE (left side of the frame). WOMAN 1 I was almost late today! Why?

WOMAN 2

Women's dialogues is dialed down. Now sees an OLD TRASH LADY, around 60s, short, skinny, dark skin color, slouching, slowly pushing a metal dolly (filled with trash in two baskets on the dolly) comes in next to JANE (right side of

the frame). 10a: OLD TRASH LADY's head turns to JANE, staring at her. JANE not realizing TRASH LADY looking at her first, JANE later turns to look at TRASH LADY. 11: TRASH LADY still staring at JANE, emotionless. Can see deep wrinkles on her face. 12: Sees JANE's uncomfortable expression. 13: Sees TRASH LADY'S eyes, wrinkles around her eyes. Her eye color is faded gray. 14: Sees JANE's eyes (questioning, uncomfortable). 15: Traffic light now turns green. 16: JANE and all other people start crossing the street, except TRASH LADY (still standing at the same place). 17: JANE stops at the middle of the crosswalk, she turns around and look at TRASH LADY. 18: Sees TRASH LADY still standing on the other side of the street (not crossing the street). EXT. JANE'S BUILDING - DAY 19: JANE walks inside as the building's sliding door closes behind her. INT. JANE'S BUILDING LOBBY - DAY 20: JANE walks into the elevator, full of people (blurred). Door closes. INT. ELEVATOR - DAY 21: Elevator floor light goes from 4 to 5 to 6. 22: JANE, only one in the elevator, leaves the elevator. INT. CUBICLE OFFICE AISLE- DAY 23: JANE , holding a coffee cup, walks pass many same looking cubicles, to the end of the office. 24: JANE walking down the aisle. INT. CUBICLE -DAY 25: JANE puts down the coffee cup and about to pour sugar (underneath a circular mirror). Phone rings and JANE goes to table offscreen. 26: Sees smoke from coffee cup is rising up.

27: PANS UP FROM COFFEE CUP: Sees the smoke is framing around the mirror, which forms a skull figure from the reflection in the mirror (clock and JANE putting on earpiece as the eyes; the chair as nose; and binders underneath the mirror as the teeth). 28: JANE picks up the phone. JANE Hi, Department of City Planning. This is Jane. MR. TOM (guy, around 60s), is heard. MR. TOM Janie...Janie, it's Mr. Tom. You have to save our building... I have written so many petition letters....They never respond... Today those buildings left will be torn down as well...Janie, you work there right? You can tell them to hold, can you?

JANE Calm down, Mr. Tom...I thought we have already come to an agreement in the last town hall meeting.You will get enough compensation for a new apartment. MR. TOM You just don't get it, do you? Beat. MR. TOM I have been living there my whole life. There is so much memories attached. And now it has to be torn down. You know how that feel? You grew up there too Janie...How could you be so indifferent? MR. TOM hangs up the phone before JANE could reply. JANE Oh! Hel..hello? JANE hangs up the phone. 29: MRF's hand, trash bag texture, transparent, out from the garbage can, reaches and grabs JANE's right leg. 30: JANE jumps, she looks down on her lap, nothing is there.

31: She looks down at the floor, nothing is there. 32: Shows JANE lap and the floor. 33: She slowly leans to the right to see what was grabbing her. 34: JANE then realizes that her garbage can, next to the desk (on the right) is overloaded. 35: JANE approaches to trashcan and take out trash. INT. OFFICE KITCHEN - DAY 36: JANE walks in and turns on light on the light switch. The office kitchen is dim-lighted. There is a small refrigerator, a small rounded desk next to refrigerator, and a metal door mounted on the wall for collecting of trash throughout the building. 37: JANE pulls the door open. She tries to fit the trash bag in, but can't. The trash bag is twice her size. 38: She pushes and pushes harder. 39: JANE pushes even harder. 40: JANE exhausted. Third of the trash bag went it. 41: JANE getting her breath. 42: She pushes harder, trash bag and her hands go through the door. 43: JANE trips, both feet off the ground, 44: Sees JANE falls into the door. 45: POV OUTSIDE THE METAL DOOR: Jane holds one hand up, tries to grasp onto something. Trash falls out of the trash bag shattering around her. EXT. TRASH PIT -DAY 46: FADE IN 47: JANE POV: JANE opens her eyes, gloomy sky becomes clear. 48: She finds herself within a gigantic pit of trash bag. End of JANE POV.

49: Sees JANE in a gigantic trash bag pit 50: JANE tries to swim to the side of the pit. 51: JANE reaches to to side of the pit. When she looks up, she sees MRFs (trash bag form, hunch back, transparent, sees trash inside). 52: MRFs ignore JANE's presence, they continue to find trash that is suitable for them. If it isn't suitable, they throw them out. They consume them and become less hunch back. 53: JANE scared. Shakes her head to see if she is dreaming. 54: She quickly climbs to the edge of the pit, tries to see what's outside. 55: JANE can only see a long ladder down. But fog is covering what is down there. 56: She climbs down the ladder. EXT. EMPTY CITY STREET - DAY 57: JANE walks down the ladder. Confused. She moves forward. 58: Sees the entire underground city and the trash pit in the middle. Underground city is filled with old buildings. Some buildings have bamboo fences covering the exterior wall (construction). Trash pit is in the middle of the surrounding old buildings. 59: JANE walks empty streets through the old buildings, observing. 60: On the street, there are various types of stores. Trash bags are by the side of the store (right side). 61: On the left side, there are stores where trash bags are by the side. 62: Sees trash bags on the side of street coming alive, becomes MRFs. Face is formed (skull-like). They are forming into a hunch back looking. They start chasing JANE. 63: JANE scared. 64: DOLL, rabbit-looking, torned, saggy body, runs toward JANE. Quick!

DOLL

65: DOLL grabs JANE's hand, starts running. DOLL Run! I will explain later!

66: DOLL and JANE run along the street. 67: JANE looks back while they are running away. 68: More and more MRFs are filling up the street. All chasing after JANE and DOLL. EXT. NARROW ALLEY WAY - DAY 69: DOLL drags JANE to turn to the corner to a narrow alley between old buildings. Trash bags on the side. 70: They both are running in the narrow alley. 71: DOLL tears down trash bag (trash revealing out), and throw behind them. 72: MRFs that are chasing them, now are distracted by the trash that DOLL threw. They stop chasing and dig through the trash. 73: At the end of the narrow alley, comes to another cross street. EXT. EMPTY CITY STREET - DAY 74: DOLL and JANE exits the other end of the alley. They come to the cross street, finally stop. DOLL turns around to JANE. 75: DOLL We are safer here...as long as they have trash to dig through, they won't bother us. 76: JANE What's this place? And what are those...trash bags? I was throwing trash out, and the next thing I know, I'm... here. 77: DOLL and JANE walk along the street (toward the trash bag pit direction), sees along street there are many MRFs on the side. 78: Sees both of them walking. DOLL They are the MRF, MEMORY RE-ABSORB FIGURE. They were actually bags of trash you human threw away. They become to look like that after some years down here.

79: MRF (on the street where JANE and DOLL are standing) is eating a milk carton, an image is projected behind its head. 80: Shows the image a blurred mother figure pouring milk from the carton to a blurred boy's figure's bowl. 81: JANE Wait...WHAT? 82: Shows another MRF eating a ring. projects an image behind its head. DOLL's voice offscreen. DOLL They suck in memories of the human trash, and recycle them to form their own memories. 83: Shows the projected image behind the MRF shows two blurred figures (one figure opens a ring case, the other figure hugs the first figure). 84: DOLL But now, we have to go to the "Memorium" to get you out of here. INT. MEMORIUM - DAY 85: Shows the Memorium, dim-lighted, square-shaped, huge. On the wall, there are numerous square spaces that contain boxes. DOLL's offscreen voice. DOLL (CONT'D) Listen to me carefully, the only way for you to go back is to get you memory box that is stored in the "Memorium". Everybody comes in here differently, and they also have different ways of going back out. 86: CLOSE UP SHOT on JANE's memory box on the wall, which carved her name and her photo ( in her 30, just like the present look) on it. DOLL (CONT'D) Once you open the box, it will tell you how to get out of here. EXT. EMPTY CITY STREET - DAY 87: A MRF finishes eating its trash, turns around to look at DOLL and JANE as they pass by it. Offscreen Dialogue.

JANE But.. why am I here in the first place? 88: DOLL and JANE, in the foreground of frame, unaware that MRF, in the background, is approaching them. DOLL Different people have different reason. It might be a last calling of something you threw away... But whatever it is, it must have a really strong memories in order to bring you here. 89: MRF's hand suddenly gets a hold of JANE's right leg. JANE and DOLL turn around to see MRF. JANE nervously shakes off MRF, but not working. JANE GET OFF ME! GET OFF ME! Sees MRF's hand is holding JANE's skirt.

OFFSCREEN. Suddenly loud noise echoing throughout the city. DOLL and JANE turn around to see the trash bag pit. DOLL(TO JANE) Oh....No...The trash pit is overloaded again...run...we have to get to the "Memorium".. Once the gate underneath the pit open, it will suck everything in. MRF, that's holding JANE's skirt earlier, scared, let go. Trying to run away. The rest of the MRF on the street starts running away from trash pit. EXT. TRASH PIT -DAY Sees Trash bags falling down, and a huge force sucking trash bags down. The huge force of suction destroys and torns couple MRFs apart. They are now exploded into pieces of trash. EXT. EMPTY CITY STREET-DAY

The force of suction rapidly sweeps through the city's street. Sees JANE and DOLL running to the opposite direction of the street. But they are then pick up by the force. They are quickly suck into the Deep hole beneath the door. INT. DEEP HOLE Inside the deep hole are many layers occupied by MRFs. Shows a MRF have a nest to catch the trash that is falling through. Sees JANE screams as she falls down, and DOLL next to her. EXT. LANDFILL - DAY JANE and DOLL drops on the ground. The land is filled with broken pieces of almost undefinable trash. The land is actually an island. In the middle of the land, there is a municipal incinerator, playing a mellow lullaby song. Black smoke coming out of the chimney, burning garbage. Air is filled with dust. Trash continues to fall through the hole. Sees decayed photos fall through the deep hole. WIDESHOT of LANDFILL: Hear people speaking, arguing, crying,and laughing in the air. But no one is around. JANE and DOLL slowly get up. JANE o... it hurts..where are we now? DOLL I don't know. JANE runs to the shoreline of the island. Sees nothing out there at the ocean. JANE turns back to look at DOLL. JANE Great...Now we are really stuck.

JANE turns back toward the ocean JANE (YELLS) Get me out...I don't belong here! and looks down to notice a familiar picture at the shoreline of the island. She picks the picture up. Sees hand holding a decayed photo: On the photo is LITTLE JANE, 3, chubby, hugging DOLL, on a bench. DOLL on the picture looks new, fluffed with cotton, bright color. JANE surprised. She doesn't know what to say. She turns to look at DOLL. Sees DOLL walking toward the incinerator. EXT. INCINERATOR - DAY Shows DOLL walks toward the opened door of the incinerator. DOLL stops at the front of door. Sees 3 fireplaces interior, burning the trash. He looks down and notices a FORGET-ME-NOT FLOWER petal covered by broken pieces of glass bottle on the ground. DOLL picks up the the petal. He then turns to look at JANE (who is also looking at him), in the far distance. Suddenly, a strong wind blows away the petal on DOLL's hand. FOLLOW SHOT of FLOWER PETAL: the petal slowly flows away from DOLL's hand to JANE, landing on her hand. DOLL speaks loudly to JANE. DOLL Look...I think I know a way out. DOLL turns to look at the incinerator. Sees black smoke coming out of the chimney of the incinerator. DOLL turns back to JANE. DOLL I guess this is goodbye now. DOLL smiles, and begins to walk inside the incinerator.

JANE, knowing what DOLL is going to do, immediately runs toward to the incinerator. JANE No!You don't have to! She trips over and falls on the ground. She gets back up and runs toward to the incinerator. Door closing slowly after DOLL goes in. When JANE approached to the door. It is too late, door closing, only see through the gap between the closing door: DOLL walking toward a fireplace. Door closes. JANE, uncertained what to do now that she is alone, looks around the landfill. Scared. EXT. LANDFILL - DAY Water level is rising up, as the landfill island is getting smaller and smaller. JANE runs toward to the edge of the island. Sees she looks to the left, right, and up, worried. EXT. INCINERATOR - DAY White smoke, shape of DOLL, comes out from the chimney of the incinerator. Follows WHITE SMOKE DOLL moving toward JANE. WHITE SMOKE DOLL wraps around JANE's hand. WHITE SMOKE DOLL lifts her up to the air. DOLL In this form, I can bring you back. A beat Jane, remember present always contains the past. You can not and should not erase the past simply because it does not fit the present. But this all depends on you human beings if the future will have any memory of the past...hope you can do what is needed before it's too late. FADE OUT. EXT. BUSINESS DISTRICT - DAY Sees JANE zones back in. She stands on the side of crosswalk (waiting for the light

to turn), crowded with people behind her. She looks around her, confused of what just happened. She spots OLD TRASH LADY again, who is now standing on the other side of the crosswalk. OLD TRASH LADY, pushing the metal dolly, already crosses the crosswalk to the other side of the street. OLD TRASH LADY (still pushing dolly) slowly turns around to look at JANE, she smiles at JANE. Shows JANE's surprised expression. Shows JANE's hand is grasping something in her hand. JANE looks down at the photo that she is now holding. Shows JANE is holding the decayed picture of LITTLE JANE and DOLL (same one as in the LANDFILL). Two women (same as the ones from the beginning) behind JANE, talk to each other. WOMAN 1 I was almost late today! Why?

WOMAN 2

WOMAN 1 You know that really old area... Yeah?

WOMAN 2

WOMAN 1 They are gonna to start torning it down today. So they blocked couple streets in that area. I was stuck in traffic for HOURS! Geez... WOMAN 2 They should have torn those buildings down years ago already! It looks like a dumpster. No one even wants to live there anymore. WOMAN 1 I heard they are building a new.. WOMAN 1's dialogue dialed down. JANE (eavesdropped on the two women talking), remembers that her apartment (the place the women are talking about) is being torned down, and she remembers the box of photos that she has left behind this morning, now wanting to go back and get it before it is too late. JANE whispers to herself.

JANE (TO HERSELF) The photos... JANE turns around, pushes her way out of the crowd, and runs out. FOLLOW SHOT: JANE runs back to her old apartment. EXT. JANE'S APARTMENT - DAY JANE continues running pass old buildings. She runs toward her apartment,stops at a tree (on the opposite side of her apartment, hiding behind. Sees three construction workers, 30s, all in construction uniform, exits JANE's apartment building. Two costructions workers are bringing MR. TOM, 60s fat, short, wearing glasses,(trying to resist) out. MR. TOM I'm not leaving! I'm not leaving! They walk away. WORKER 1 speaks to walkie-talkie in his hand. WORKER 1 (TO WALKIE-TALKIE) All clear! JANE goes toward her building now, goes under the caution tape around the whole block. She runs straight into her apartment building. The three workers, joining other workers, walk toward excavators behind JANE's apartment buildings. Sees some workers get inside the excavators. INT. JANE'S APARTMENT - DAY JANE opens the door to her apartment. She walks toward to the bookcase, where the box of photos is on the 2nd level). Sees the box is covered with dust. JANE opens the lid of the box, and takes out decayed photos from the box. Sees JANE's hand holding and flipping through the pictures: One with LITTLE JANE, 1, lying on bed, and DOLL is next to LITTLE JANE (color is almost faded out); flips to another one with LITTLE JANE, 3, holding DOLL on one hand, while another hand holding a peson's hand on the side (person not shown). Sees JANE smiles.

Suddenly the building shakes, JANE raises her head to see what is happening outside through the window. Sees JANE's surprised expression. Shows shadow of wrecking ball coming closer to JANE's shadow on the apartment wall. CUT. Blank Screen V.O. (JANE) Many images from the past flash through my mind in that second. It was quiet beautiful...in a way I never imagined before. I saw a milk carton turns into a butterfly and flies away,(smiles) if you know what I mean. It'll all make sense when it's your turn to claim your memory box. This story will keep repeating itself in the shape of an expanding gyre. UNLESS you all take charge of stopping this tragic cycle.