Mirror Stage

7/27/2019 Mirror Stage

1/21

FADE IN:

INT. BATHROOM NIGHT SUPER8

AARON, 22, clean-shaven, a look of desperation on his face, stares at his reflection

in the mirror. He cant bear to look at himself. After a moment, he slams his fist intothe glass.

Theres a KNOCK at the door.

Aaron slides down the wall, cradling his cut-up fist.

JOSS (O.S.)

Hey. You okay?

(pause)

Aaron?

ANGLE ON: the bathroom mirror, broken.

CLOSE ON: Blood droplets falling into a puddle on the floor.

Aarons face fills with pain. He winces.

CLOSE ON: broken glass on the floor.

CLOSE ON: the doorknob jiggling.

The bathroom door slides open. JOSS, 20, looking concerned, kneels down to

Aaron. Her face fills with fear.

CUT TO BLACK:

Joss CRIES.

JOSS

No! You cant do this to me.

CUT TO:

INT. AARONS BEDROOM NIGHT - DV

Aaron wakes up with a start. He takes a moment to regain his composure. He turns

over in his bed and tries to fall back to sleep.


2/21

CUT TO:

INT. LIBRARY BASEMENT NIGHT - DV

The CAMERA DOLLIES down the center aisle of a large college library. The

florescent lights flicker. Joss replaces books from a cart onto the shelves at the farend of the room.

We hear FOOTSTEPS approaching.

Aaron, with a five-o-clock shadow, his forearms bandaged, peeks his head around

the shelf to see Joss. Joss looks up, glad to see him.

AARON

Im gonna need to borrow your car.

EXT. LIBRARY PARKING LOT NIGHT - DV

Aaron follows Joss as she walks to her car.

AARON

Cmon, Joss. I need this.

JOSS

You need to drive my car headlong into

a telephone pole?

AARON

I hate it when you talk like that.

(beat)

Just this one favor, then I promise to

leave you alone.

JOSS

Thats not what I mean. You dont need

to leave me alone.

(beat)

Where do you need to go so badly?

AARON

Home. Theres some things I have to work out.

(silence)

Just tell me what I need to do.


3/21

Joss reaches her car. She unlocks it and gets in. She turns the car on and warms

her hands on the dashboard heater. Aaron knocks on the window. She rolls it down

a crack.

JOSS

What happened to all that work youwere complaining about?

AARON

Im taking an incomplete.

JOSS

Fine. Whatever.

Joss puts the car in drive.

AARON

So...

JOSS

Ill pick you up in the morning.

She drives away.

AARON

But...Wait.

(beat, to himself)I need to do this alone.

INT. AARONS BEDROOM MORNING - DV

The room is extraordinarily messy. Framed pictures of friends and family line the

windowsills and desktops. Piles of books are also strewn about. A jar on the desk is

filled with old hospital bracelets. Prescription bottles litter the dresser top.

Clothes, books and medications form a pile on the unmade bed. Aaron stuffs

random articles into a duffel bag.

INT. JOSS BEDROOM MORNING - DV

The room is tidy and ordered. A picture taped to the computer shows Joss and

Aaron, happy and younger. Joss places folded clothes, books, food, and her cell

phone into a backpack.


4/21

EXT. ROAD DAY - DV

CLOSE ON: the side white line of the highway.

TITLE: mirror stage.

TILT TO REVEAL: A rusted station wagon clunking down the road.

INT. CAR ON ROAD DAY - DV

Joss, driving, checks in on Aaron, who is slumped in the passengers seat. Joss

reaches for Aarons hand. She holds it a second until he pulls away. He shifts closer

to the window.

CUT TO:

DRIVING MONTAGE: Headlights pass over a dotted yellow line. The white line. The

car passes through the country. POV: Aaron states at the trees as they blur past.

The moon appears in the sky as the sun retreats. POV: Joss drives.

INT. CAR ON ROAD - DUSK

Aaron turns a map over, reading the roads. He looks up.

AARON

Turn here.

JOSS

Huh?

AARON

You missed it.

Joss pulls over.

EXT. CAR ON ROAD - DUSK

The car backs up and pulls onto a side road.

INT. CAR ON ROAD - DUSK

Joss drives up the road overshadowed by trees. The road ends as they arrive at a

tall house.


5/21

EXT. HOUSE - DUSK

Joss and Aaron get out of the car, grab their bags and approach the house.

INT. LIVING ROOM SUPER8

The CAMERA DOLLIES with Joss and Aaron as they travel to the front door. Joss

peers in through the windows.

EXT. HOUSE DUSK - DV

Aaron grabs the house key from under the doormat. He unlocks the door and

enters.

INT. MAIN FLOOR DUSK - DV

Aaron leads Joss into the house. Aaron goes into the living room. Joss bumps

against a mirror leaning against the wall. It falls to the floor SMASHING. Joss hand

rushes to her mouth in shock. Aaron appears suddenly beside her.

JOSS

Im sorry.

AARON

What are you doing?

JOSSI didnt see it there.

AARON

Just be more careful.

Aaron kneels down to clean up the broken glass. Joss kneels down to help. He

pushes her away.

AARON

Just let me do it.

Joss moves away. Aaron grabs a broom.

Joss walks through the rooms on the first floor. She runs her finger along a tabletop

creating a line in the dust. Every movement she makes causes something else to

move. The place is full of REFLECTIONS AND SHADOWS.


6/21

Emptying the broken glass into the trash, Aaron goes to the fireplace.

The sounds from the house and from outside start to invade: BREAKING,

CREAKING, HOWLING, WHISPERING...

Aaron builds a fire in the hearth. Joss appears at the base of the stairs. Aaron looksher way, attempting to say something. She notices and smiles at him. He looks

away, ignoring her.

Joss takes a step up the stairs.

AARON

Dont do that.

JOSS

What? Why not?

AARON

Please dont.

Joss comes back into the living room, sits on a couch and rummages through her

bag.

CUT TO:

EXT. HOUSE DUSK

The sun sets. The woods turn black. The house becomes dark.

INT. HOUSE NIGHT

Holding a flashlight, Joss runs her hand along the dusty surfaces. She checks out

the empty cupboards: canned food. She cooks the cans over a camping stove. A

bag of tealite candles sit on the counter.

POUNDING comes from the basement. She halts. Then the floorboards CREAK

under footsteps upstairs. Joss glares at the ceiling. She listens hard.

The basement door bursts open. Aaron comes upstairs with a flashlight in his hand.

Joss jumps and holds her heart. Aaron locks the basement door behind him. Joss

tries not to notice.

AARON

The furnace is out. No electric, either.


7/21

INT. LIVING ROOM NIGHT

Tealites fill the room with a glow. Empty cans and food wrappers lie in a pile on the

floor. A fire burns in the hearth. Aaron compulsively stokes the fire.

Joss shoves the remaining granola bar into her mouth and approaches the fire with

the wrapper. She reaches to throw it into the fire. Aaron grabs her wrist tight. She

pulls back, alarmed. She shows him the wrapper: paper. He retracts. She throws it

into the fire. Joss stays, kneeling next to him.

JOSS

What made you wanna come here?

AARON

Why do you care?

JOSS

You dont have to treat me like shit all the time.

Aaron looks at Joss.

AARON

This is where I grew up. Even if theres

no one here, Ive still got this place.

JOSSWhat happened, Aaron?

AARON

What do you mean?

JOSS

Youre different.

AARON

No, Im not.

JOSS

I dont know if its this place or...

You know...But somethings different

with you. I dont like it.

AARON


8/21

I dont know what youre talking about.

Beat. Silence.

Joss moves closer to Aaron.

JOSS

Wont you just tell me whats going on?

AARON

This is the only place I have left.

JOSS

You know thats not true.

Aaron pulls back. The lights flicker on and off. While the lights are on, we see the

SHADOW of a human figure looming over him.

AARON

I made a mistake. You shouldnt be here.

JOSS

Too bad. Im not going anywhere.

Aaron takes his sleeping bag and moves to the opposite side of the room.

JOSSSulking wont do anything.

Joss stares into the fire.

INT. LIVING ROOM NIGHT

Joss, on the sofa, lays asleep. Aarons eyes are still wide open. Aaron turns over to

see Joss. He silently gets up.

Aaron ascends the stairs.

INT. SECOND FLOOR - NIGHT

Aaron peeks into one of the rooms. He takes a key from off the table and locks the

door.

INT. MAIN FLOOR NIGHT


9/21

Aaron watches Joss as she sleeps. He creeps into the basement.

SHADOWS loom by the windows. Every reflection looks animate.

The SOUND of the door latch rouses Joss.

INT. BASEMENT

The flashlight slices into the dark. Aaron, from the upstairs door, peers into the

basement.

He goes to the furnace, fiddling with it in an attempt to fix it. The door slams on his

hand. He pulls it out, kicking the furnace.

He leans back against the wall, overcome with frustration. He sinks to the dirt floor

and rubs his hand.

His flashlight flickers. He takes a small maglite out of his pocket, swishing it around

to glimpse the corners of the darkness. Nothing. He relaxes and closes his eyes.

FADE TO:

SUPER8 MONTAGE: A knife rips into sensitive flesh. A bloody molar is extracted

then placed on a clean cloth. The Shadow looms over Aaron. CU: Aarons face.

The Shadows hand passes over Aarons face.

INT. LIVING ROOM NIGHT - DV

Joss sleeps soundly. She rolls over.

INT. BATHROOM FLASHBACK SUPER8

Aaron stares at his reflection in the mirror. He leans against the wall and his face fills

with pain. He slides down the wall to the floor. His fist clenches and blood trickles

down his arm.

CU: Drops of blood fall, collecting in a puddle on the white tile floor.

Aaron moves to a sitting position on the floor. Blood trickles from his arms and the

white tile wall.

CU: The mirror, shattered.


10/21

INT. LIVING ROOM NIGHT - DV

Joss startles awake. She takes a breath. The SOUNDS of the house grow in

intensity. She grabs her flashlight. She puts on a sweater, shivering. She goes to

the stairway warily.

A Shadow passes quickly over a window behind her. She shines the flashlight

sporadically around, trying to catch every dark object in the light.

Distant, echoing sounds of SMASHING glass come from outside. Joss goes to the

windows.

A window at the far end of the room is open. A faint WHISPERING can be heard.

As Joss approaches, the lines and curves in the glass and curtain look more and

more like a face. Its mouth is moving, but the words make no sense. The face

vanishes.

She pulls herself into a corner, full of terror. She stares at the open window. The

draft is dead cold. She quickly closes the window and looks around. She peers out

the windows into the woods, shrouded in black night. The SMASHING continues.

Joss sees the basement door cracked open. She goes to it.

INT. BASEMENT NIGHT

Joss shines her flashlight down the stairs. She cant see anything. She

apprehensively descends the stairs.

She shines her light around on the ground to bring dimension to the objects. Her

light falls on Aaron, curled up asleep. Joss touches his foot.

He jars awake with a YELP. His eyes find Joss. Aaron immediately jumps back

away from her. His hands clasp his mouth.

JOSS

Dont you want to sleep in a real bed?

AARON

(whispering)

What are you doing?

JOSS

I had a bad dream.


11/21

AARON

What do you want me to do about it?

JOSS

Sorry. I dont expect you to be able

to do anything.

AARON

What do you want?

JOSS

Nothing, Aaron. I dont want anything from you.

AARON

Good.

Joss tries to get closer to him, but Aaron pulls further back. Confused, Joss leaves.

Aaron relaxes again.

INT. LIVING ROOM

Joss comes back upstairs. She scans the windows. Nothing. She goes to the

hearth. The fire burns low. She takes a few more logs and rekindles the fire. She

warms her hands.

INT. BASEMENT DV

Aaron sits in a ball on the ground. WHISPERING can be heard. A CROAKING

sound comes from the far corner. Aaron takes the flashlight and shines it in that

direction, trying to make out the objects. The light flits around, never settling.

SUPER8: A human Shadow appears on the ground behind Aaron. It approaches. It

comes into his view. Aaron jumps and leans back. His eyes meet its.

SLOW MOTION: Aaron looks up. His mouth opens, as if surprised. His eyebrows

are high. He reaches his hand up and he stands.

FADE TO:

INT. FALLING-DOWN ROOM - DAY SUPER8

Aaron lies in pain, eyes closed, on a dirt floor. Metal tongs extract a bloody molar.

Aarons fists clench. The Shadow moves over Aaron, placing him in darkness. A


12/21

hood is placed over Aarons head. Ants crawl over Aarons body. The sound of

CHANTING grows louder and louder.

Dirt is shoveled over Aaron until he is covered, buried.

INT. FALLING-DOWN ROOM LATER SUPER8

The decrepit walls are riddled with holes allowing shafts of light to filter into the

room. Aaron lies on the ground partially covered by dirt. A hood covers his face,

blocking his vision. He is immobile, lying as if dead. He breathes heavily. The

Shadow appears in the room. The CHANTING dies down.

SHADOW

Take off the mask.

POV: from black, the hood is removed from Aarons face. He sees the shadow,

black, lit by the streams of light.

Aaron gasps, but remains still. Aaron makes subtle movements, waking up. His

head is dripping blood.

SHADOW (CONTD)

You know whats happening. Do you want this?

Aaron watches the Shadow. His face, at first suspicious grows curious and soon

afraid.

AARON

Is this dying?

SHADOW

Look to the sky.

Aaron does. The SOUND cuts out.

INT. CHIMNEY DAY SUPER8

The sky is framed through the chimney. Clouds pass. The SOUND of light wind

blowing through trees underscores the Shadows voice.

SHADOW

This is changing. You must never tell this.

You must not tell your mother, nor your sister, nor any other who is

not like you, like us.


13/21

INT. FALLING-DOWN ROOM A MOMENT LATER SUPER8

Aaron, whose eyes are filled with curiosity, looks back at the Shadow.

SHADOWYou know me.

AARON

I do?

SHADOW

You do. You do.

The Shadow puts its hand to Aarons lips, quieting him.

Aaron is distracted by a moving shadow at the edge of the room. The shadow

passes through a door, accompanied by a CREAKING sound. Aaron, curious,

summons the strength to rise. He exits the room.

INT. FALLING-DOWN HALLWAY

Aaron follows a shadow down the hall.

INT. BASEMENT - DV

Aaron, sleepwalking, ascends the stairs.

INT. FALLING-DOWN HALLWAY SUPER8

Aaron continues to follow. The shadow passes through a door. Aaron curiously

goes to it.

INT. LIVING ROOM - DV

Joss sits in a chair asleep, a book open on her lap. The sound of FOOTSTEPS can

be heard ascending the stairs. Joss rouses. Aaron approaches the front door.

A figure appears in the window, a reflection of Aaron in the hall. Joss tightens.

She hesitantly enters the hall to find Aaron at the front door.

JOSS

Aaron?


14/21

He remains silent.

JOSS

Are you trying to scare the shit out of me?

Aaron stands perfectly still and silent, clenching the doorknob.

JOSS

Where are you going?

Joss approaches him and reaches out her hand, about to touch me.

AARON

Dont touch me!

JOSS

Whats wrong? Aaron?

Nothing.

JOSS

If I did something wrong, then Im sorry.

Silence.

JOSSPlease tell me whats going on.

AARON

(blank)

I dont know.

Joss looks him in the eyes.

AARON

Dont.

Joss takes his elbow. He furiously pulls away, backing himself into a corner.

JOSS

What happened?

AARON


15/21

I cant tell you.

Joss tries to grab his hand. He shuts his eyes tight, as if in pain, and lets her lead.

She leads them to a mirror on the wall. She hugs him. He stares at his own image.

JOSS

Look. You see? Im right here with

you. You see?

POV: Joss stares into Aarons eyes.

POV: Aaron looks at Joss.

CUT TO:

INT. BATHROOM FLASHBACK SUPER8

POV: Aaron stares at himself in the mirror.

Joss stares as Aaron, unconscious in his resting place on the floor. She touches his

face. He is covered in blood. Aarons eyes slowly open. Joss opens her mouth as if

about to speak.

CU: The bathroom mirror, broken.

CUT TO:

BACK TO SCENE

Aaron breaks from the hug. He faces the mirror to see a different reflection: stubble,

large, dark bags under his eyes. He looks very sick.

JOSS

You see?

AARON

(astonished)

Yeah.

Aaron touches her hand as if for the first time. Joss takes his hand and leads him

back into the living room. Aaron hesitantly follows. As they pass the stairs, he looks

up warily.


16/21

Joss helps Aaron into his sleeping bag. She holds his shoulder.

JOSS

Youll live.

AARONI dont know if I even care.

JOSS

How can you say that? How can you say

you dont care about your own life?

AARON

Thats not what I meant. I dont care

about where Im gonna end up. Cause

itll end bad. I know that. And I dont

care.

Joss eyes fill with compassion. She holds him. His face is blank.

AARON

You know how, sometimes, and only rarely, when you look at the sky

at night, the moon can be filled with this magnificent glow...

She kisses him on the cheek. He acts like he doesnt know how to care for himself.

CUT TO:

SERIES OF SHOTS: The fire dies in the hearth. The moon sits low on the horizon.

The woods and yard remain silent and still.

AARON (VO)

...Giving it off, radiating it onto everything: the clouds, the trees. It fills

you with this hope. That now is not the only now. I do have hope, but

not for me. My now is always and only a then. I have no now. I

could never live past my then.

The shadow returns, creeping down the hallway. The WHISPERING returns, more

powerful this time.

SHADOW (VO)

This is changing.


17/21

INT. LIVING ROOM PRE-DAWN SUPER8

Aaron and Joss lie next to each other on his sleeping bag on the ground. Aaron

wakes. He cautiously gets up so as not to disturb her.

Aaron creeps out of the room into the hallway. The shadow appears at the end ofthe hall. Aaron leaves through the front door.

EXT. YARD/WOODS CONTINUOUS - SUPER8

Aaron goes out onto the porch. Snow falls in tiny perfect flakes. The snow is so

light it almost looks like down feathers. He catches one in the palm of his hand and

watches it melt. The water flows in tiny rivulets down the creases of his palm.

Aaron soaks in the cold. He raises his head to the sky.

He feels the snow on his face as he watches the sky. Its like freedom. He stares

into the sky and finds the moon.

INT. LIVING ROOM EARLY MORNING

Joss turns over in her sleep. She wakes; Aarons gone. Concerned, she jumps up

and looks around. There is no sign of him.

JOSS

Aaron?

Joss races into the hall. Theres still no sign of Aaron.

The front door is ajar. Joss sprints to the door.EXT. HOUSE/PORCH CONTINOUS

Joss stands in the doorway.

JOSS

(calling)

Aaron!

The place is silent. Joss bundles up and goes out on the porch. The car sits still

under a layer of snow.

INT. LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS


18/21

Joss returns to the living room. The fire in the hearth is nearly out. She throws

another log on the fire.

In the dining room she notices the mirror on the wall. It is the one she broke, only it

has been pieced back together. She approaches to examine it.

Shadows cast in the room reflect in the mirror. They begin to animate. Her heart

stops. She turns around. A look of utmost horror fills her face. She bolts.

EXT. HOUSE

Joss races out of the house to the car. She frantically searches for her cell phone.

She finds it between the seats. She opens it to find there is no reception.

JOSS

Shit.

She throws the phone back onto the seat and slams the door. She holds her face

in her hands, trying to think of what to do next.

The house looms. A gust of cold wind blows across the grounds. Joss pulls her

clothes closer. She looks up to see a figure in an upstairs window of the house,

holding a curtain back. Their eyes meet. It is Aaron. He stares down at her blankly.

AARON (V.O.)

(whispering)

Joss. Look.

JOSS

Aaron?

Aaron disappears from the window. Joss races to the house.

CUT TO:

INT. HOUSE

Joss races through the front door and climbs the stairs.

The house seems empty and silent.

INT. SECOND FLOOR

Joss reaches the landing; three doors stand in front of her. Joss notices a key in

one of the doors. She swings the door open to REVEAL a storage room.


19/21

A gust of wind flows through the house. A door slams downstairs. Joss falls back

against the wall, jarred.

On the table nearest the window Joss finds an old family bible. She leafs through it.

An old family portrait is used as a bookmark. Joss turns to the page and looks atthe photo. The faces are blurry and ghostlike.

AARON (OS)

(whispering)

Joss. Watch.

CLOSE ON: a blurry face in the photograph.

Joss searches through family albums and slides.

Joss backs up, hitting into a full skeleton replica. It falls to the ground.

CROSS DISSOLVE TO:

INT. FALLING-DOWN-ROOM DAWN SUPER8

Aaron lays on the ground, unconscious.

SHADOW

You are not to speak.

Aarons face slowly animates. His eyes fall on the shadow, filling with fear, then

understanding.

AARON

I know you.

SHADOW (OS)

You do. You do.

AARON

How can this be?

SHADOW (OS)

Neither dead nor living. But beginning.

EXT. HOUSE DAWN


20/21

Clouds pass behind the chimney. The grounds are silent in the morning. The trees

WHIPSER and CREAK in the wind. The sun peeks up over the horizon. The house

remains, silent.

INT. SECOND FLOOR MORNING - DV

Joss sits curled up staring out to the horizon and the rising sun.

FOOTSTEPS can be heard moving around above her. She shelters her ears, full of

fear. She shrinks.

Her eyes fall on the door at the opposite end of the hall. Her eyebrows rise in hope.

The footsteps stop.

Joss perks up. She stands, hesitates, then consumes her fear and runs to the door.

Joss turns the knob and, with heart in throat, pushes the door open.

INT. UPSTAIRS ROOM - CONTINUOUS

It is pitch black. Joss takes the flashlight, shining it around to make sense of the

place. A string hangs from the ceiling. Joss pulls it. The attic staircase opens up

from a trap door in the ceiling. Joss goes up.

INT. ATTIC - CONTINUOUS

Joss peaks her head into attic crawl space. She shines the flashlight around and

feels around in the darkness.

Suddenly, her hand and flashlight fall on a foot. A look of terror washes over Joss

face. She puts a hand to her mouth. She shines her light on Aarons face.

JOSS

Aaron?

He makes a slight movement. Joss cradles his head and looks him in the eye.

CUT TO:

INT. BATHROOM SUPER8

POV: Joss looks at Aaron.

POV: Aaron looks at Joss.


21/21

CUT TO:

BACK TO SCENE

Aaron lets out a deep sigh. Josss face fills with relief. She looks as if she could

laugh.

FADE TO BLACK:

INT. CAR ON ROAD NIGHT

Aaron lays asleep in the passenger seat. Joss drives, holding his hand.

The headlights beam against the asphalt, the yellow lines, the trees ahead. The

trees, lit only by the headlights, begin to look animate.

The moon shines brilliantly. Joss stares at the moon, taking her eyes off the road.

Her face fills with wonder.

A black figure appears in the road ahead. Joss flinches.

AARON (VO)

Sometimes, and only rarely, the moon can be filled with this

magnificent glow... And it fills you with this hope. And this envy. And

this pain. Now is not the only now. I do have hope. And along with

everything else, I dont fear the then. There is an infinite now. I will

continue.

The car slams into a snow bank.

FADE TO BLACK.

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Mirror Stage