RUBEN BRANDT, COLLECTOR

RUBEN BRANDT, COLLECTOR

Screenplay By Milorad Krsti

and Radmila Roczkov

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"In my dream, I was two cats and I was playing with each other." (Frigyes Karinthy)

0010. INT. - NIGHTMARE - RAILCAR - EVENING/NIGHT

RUBEN BRANDT (45) is alone in the railcar, sitting by the window, reading a book. The monotonous clatter of the train is lulling him to sleep. He gets up and heads to the toilet through the empty hallway. The train goes into a tunnel. The hallway is dark. He goes in to the bathroom. He washes his hands while whistling.

Suddenly, a little boy appears in the background. The boy wears breeches and a shirt, stands in the bathtub and stares Ruben in the face.

Ruben wakes up in the railcar. Another boy (FRANK DUVENECK'S WHISTLING BOY, 8), holding a snail, is sitting in front of him, stares straight into his eyes while whistling.

A window abruptly falls open and a strong gust of wind slaps Ruben in the face. Ruben is horrified; a little girl (VEL?ZQUEZ'S INFANTA MARGARITA, 7), is hanging outside the railcar.

Hey!

RUBEN BRANDT

Her fingers can barely grasp the metal frame of the open window. She screams for help.

INFANTA MARGARITA (shouts) Help me! Help me!

The moment Ruben leaps over and catches the girl by her thin wrist she bites hard on Ruben's bare hand.

Ruben screams with pain, trying to pull his hand out of the girl's mouth, but the girl is much stronger and she slowly pulls him out of the train.

Ruben is struggling to no avail. He desperately turns his head towards the boy, seeking help. The boy watches indifferently and keeps whistling his tune.

Only Ruben's feet remain in the railcar; but to his horror, he notices the approaching lights of a locomotive on the opposite track. Ruben screams.

0020. INT./EXT. - RUBEN BRANDT'S ROOM. POLYART CLINIC. DORNBERK. SLOVENIA - NIGHT

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Ruben is breathing heavily as he wakes up on the couch upside down, one foot stuck in the headboard. The wall above the bed holds framed honorary diplomas from renowned psychiatric conferences. He picks up a voice recorder.

RUBEN BRANDT My nightmares are getting stronger and stronger. Characters from famous paintings continue to attack me. This time, it was Vel?zquez's Infanta Margarita and Frank Duveneck's Whistling Boy. I haven't had a good night's sleep in three weeks now.

(takes a deep breath)

Meanwhile, in the hall of the Polyart Clinic, the NIGHT GUARD (38) watches the news.

WEATHER FORECAST ... 20 degrees and highs near 27. Mostly sunny and dry for the weekend. Lowest relative humidity, 25 percent.

BREAKING NEWS I. Breaking News! Approximately 30 minutes ago Paris Police announced that the priceless fan owned by Egyptian pharaoh Cleopatra was stolen from the Louvre Museum. Witnesses reported that a young woman in black broke the glass case containing the fan and then escaped by doing a back flip out of the window and speeding off in a red Mercedes in the direction of the Place de la Concorde.

0030. EXT./INT. - STREETS AND HOUSES OF PARIS. FRANCE EVENING

Two cars are chasing each other through the streets of Paris. Behind the wheel of the first car is MIMI (28), the second is driven by MIKE KOWALSKI (40). Their cars drive in parallel, close to each other. After taking a sharp turn, their cars slightly bump into each other.

MIKE KOWALSKI Bonjour, Madame!

MIMI Mademoiselle!

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MIKE KOWALSKI Well, Mademoiselle... you didn't come to Paris to steal that fan, did you?

MIMI Non, d?tective Kowalski. I just wanted to give you something to do.

Mimi puts the car into gear and rushes away. Kowalski drives after her. The car chase continues. Their way is littered with damaged cars, busted up shop windows, scattered tables, frightened tourists. The cars almost hit a CONSIERGE(65), who is feeding a cat.

CONSIERGE Cicicicicici!

At a restaurant, a couple, GEORGE (60) AND MARGARET (55) are having a romantic dinner.

GEORGE Oh, Margaret, this city is just so romantic!

MARGARET Oh, George!

GEORGE I wish we could stay in Paris forever.

MARGARET How about another bottle of wine?

GEORGE (In French) Garcon, s'il vous plait! (Waiter, please!)

Mimi and Kowalski crash into the restaurant, but the couple doesn't pay attention. The cars continue to chase each other. They enter a narrow street, where Mimi pushes Kowalski's car on the wall. Kowalski is struggling to keep the car in the right direction.

MIMI (in a sarcastic tone) Impressive!

A YOUNG MOTHER (25) is crossing the road with a crying baby.

YOUNG MOTHER (to the baby in the

carriage) Bidibidibidi!

They almost hit the mother with the baby in the carriage.

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A YOUNG MAN (19) stands beside a small truck with his phone in hand.

YOUNG MAN Mom, I'm old enough, I can take care of myself...

Mimi's car almost hits him but in the last moment he is pushed away.

0035. EXT./INT. - STREETS AND HOUSES OF PARIS. FRANCE EVENING - CONTINUOUS

After a wild crash, they fall into a dance bar and continue their race on foot through the streets and rooftops of Paris. Mimi nearly makes her escape with an elaborate somersault from one rooftop to another, but the chase continues until they end up on a boat over the Seine, where Kowalski entraps Mimi with an anchor rope.

Mimi hangs upside down while Kowalski takes out a pair of handcuffs.

MIKE KOWALSKI Mademoiselle... you were sent to steal the Regent Diamond!

MIMI Not bad for a Frenchman.

MIKE KOWALSKI I'm not French.

MIMI (in French) Visiblement. (Obviously.)

MIKE KOWALSKI Why the fan?

MIMI Because beauty shouldn't be locked away.

Mimi whips out Cleopatra's fan.

MIKE KOWALSKI Some beauties must be locked away.

MIMI Well, then choose wisely, mon ch?ri!

She spreads the fan open and all of a sudden tosses it into the river.

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