the brother code. script draft 2. fmp. 22.1.14

8/13/2019 The Brother Code. Script Draft 2. FMP. 22.1.14

1/22

The Brother Code / Second Revision / January 22, 2014

"

By

Andrew Daley

January 22, 2014.Second Revision


2/22


#

SCENE. EXT. OPEN ROAD DAY. 1

AMANis walking down the street in a black suit, hearrives at the road and stops, waiting. The man standsstill, forlorn. After awhile, aWOMANarrives in a car,

dressed solemnly in black attire, they drive offtogether. A PRIESTis heard reciting a passage, readingfrom a bible.

PRIEST (V.O)We are gathered here today to celebrate the life ofRICHARD STONE, a valued member of our community, now

returned to the home of our Lord as we consign his spiritto the sea.

What is there for us to say about Richard, that hasntbeen said amongst us before? Lost forever to the depthsof a wide ocean, he lays now deep below, deep from ourreach, but not from our hearts. Richard was a finesailor, a faithful friend, a committed lover and a

brother. As he is delivered now back into the arms of ourLord in Heaven, we bid Richard, go with our love, and go

in peace

The man & woman continue walking, the woman slightlybehind the man as he progresses alone steadily forward.They stop occasionally; she grasps his shoulder, nods oroffers support.

The man & woman eventually stop on a hillside, watchingthe sea as the priest v/o finishes reciting. The manlooks haggard, he pulls out and takes a drink from a

whiskey bottle hidden in the suit, then empties the restoff the hill and drops the bottle after. The woman looksat him, he shakes his head, the woman grabs his shoulder.


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$

SCENE. INT. JASONS KITCHEN DAY. 2

JASONis sitting at the kitchen table reading a letterfrom a typewriter. ExW shot of him at the table, he iscompletely still, emotionless.

RICHARD (V/O)Hello Jason.

If youre reading this, then I am dead. If knowing youhas taught me anything then youre probably not taking

this too well.Dont worry about me; I hope it was a good death, notthose stupid ones you see in the news like choking on

asparagus or being savaged by squirrels Anyway Id likeyou to look after Claire, shes been through enough

trouble with our family already, and its only going toget worse without me around now.

Hopefully I would have proposed to her by the time youread this, so at least she has that to rely on, well that

and her widow pension.Everything I own is now yours, so do with it as you likebecause I dont exactly need it now where Ive gone,

however if you find some old magazines in my locked deskthen just. Just throw them away, actually, well, you can

keep them, just dont show Claire.

One last thing, theres a small catch to inheriting all

my stuff.Ive left you a present, the only condition is you

dispose of it in a way I would approve of.If Claire agrees then everything is yours, shell know.

Dont take life too seriously while Im gone Jason,your brother,

Richard

Camera slowly pans back as he is reading, alongside ExCUs of the words. Ends with a side shot of the table,

Jason at one end and the URN at the other.


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%

SCENE. EXT. BACK GARDEN/BALCONY/WINDOW AFTERNOON. 3

Jason is sitting down, staring vacantly into space andtalking almost to himself UW shot of the cabin showsJason sat at the table, completely alone.

JASONDo you remember that time we were drinking in The Ferryafter the rugger? Wales lost and you were so drunk youbrought fresh glasses for everyone in there, I thoughtall that whiskey was gonna give you a hernia. And then

you were throwing chips at the seagulls on the way home,good times good times.

Though I suppose you dont remember seeing as youre apile of bonfire ashes. What am I supposed to do with you?sigh. Good job you didnt die in June or youd makesome brilliant fertilizer for the begonias, might get a

decent flower pot out of you though

Jason is startled by a noise, he looks up and seesCLAIREapproaching up the path. Jason glances sideways atthe URNsitting opposite him on the table, the silentrecipient of the conversation.

JASONLets find out what the grieving ex girlfriend wants,

shall we?

SCENE. EXT. GARDEN TABLE AFTERNOON. 4Establishing shot of village/house?

Claire is sitting opposite Jason outside the cabin, shelooks excited whilst he is nervous, his hands holding theenvelope. The urn is in the middle of the two at a thirdplace on the table.

CLAIRE

So hes told you?

JASONYes. Well, told isnt exactly the best word

Jason brandishes the letter, waving it slightly in theair.

CLAIREJason, youve been stuck in this house for two weeks and

you say that his death hasnt affected you?


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&

Claire looks discretely sideways at the Urn in the thirdplace, almost as if trying to stop it from noticing her.

CLAIREI know we were never that close, but Im here for you, I

want you to know that. If you need anything, if you, ifyou just want someone to talk to

JASONClaire, im fi... *sigh*I appreciate the offer anyway,I wish I could say the same for you but im in no state to

help comfort anyone.

Claire stands up to leave, briefly looks at the Urndisconcerted, smiles back at Jason and begins to walkaway.

JASONYoure leaving so soon?

CLAIREI said Ill be here for you if you need, and at the

moment you dont

JASON *Interupts*Thats not true

CLAIREYes it is, and I dont mean to be rude Jason, its just

that I know you wont accept my help. Not until youvegot your head around all this anyway. Before I can helpyou, you need to help yourself, and to do thatyou need

to reconcile with him

Claire points at the Urn sat on the table.

CLAIREAre you busy on the 21st? Ill bring something over and

we can have dinner

JASONIm sure I can fit you in, my diarys pretty busy but

Ive got a free slot at 5pm, somewhere between wallowingin self pity and sitting around being depressed

Claire laughs, but its not a laugh of humour

CLAIREIll see you on the 21st

JASON

Dont take life too seriously Claire!


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'

Jason cheerfully waves her off. As Claire walks off withno backward glance, Jason looks at the Urn a few times

with a frown, disappointed.

JASON

Well, you were rude Our mum brought you up better thanthat RichardHe looks back at the Urn incredulously, as if it answeredhim. Eyes wide, mouth slightly open in shock.

JASONYou didnt even say goodbye, your own girlfriend!

Jason sighs, shakes his head as if he knows its a losingargument and looks away, putting his feet up to relax. Hegestures nonchalantly to the urn and talks to himself.

JASONStuck around here talking to a plant pot for two weeks,

Jesus Christ

SCENE. EXT. HILL? AFTERNOON. 5

Jason is packing a backpack at the house, putting initems to go walking. He straps the urn to the rear of thebackpack and pats it gently, almost as if it can watchthe journey, picks up his guitar and leaves. He walks

through the woods with his guitar, occasionally playingwhilst walking. Jason arrives on a hillside, overlookingthe sea. He lies down on his coat, relaxing on the grass,placing the urn beside him.

JASONYou know the Buddhists in Asia say that when you die,youll get reincarnated into something new. I always

wanted to be like, an eagle or a pigeon or a disease.Id love to be a pigeon, just spend all day crapping on

people.

Jason laughs to himself slightly, strums the guitar andlooks at the urn, as if its listening to him.

JASONIts all bullshit you know? Existentialist bullshit,

once youre dead, youre dead and thats it. No new body,no rampant outbreaks of measles in the Middle East.

sighs. Its a shame really you would hade made for alovely ecological pandemic

Jason relaxes whilst looking at the sea, gently playinghis guitar more.


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(

JASONI suppose life got a bit too serious for you big

brotherYou know, If I left youmyashes, the decent thing Id doat the veryleast would be to tell you where to scatter

them. Idiot Condescending, sarcastic tone.

JASON this songs for Richard

Jason stands up with his guitar and announces to the sea,taking a side glance at the urn

JASON because he always hated me playing the guitar

There once was a man named Richard, they stuck him inthe ground.

He used to be a sailor, but on the sea he drowned.And now hes on his way to hell with his girl left home

aboundcome on sing it with me plant pot

There was once a man named Richard They stuck him in theground

Jason finishes with a flourish and laughs at the Urn,staring out off the hillside. During playing, he isterrible and barely plucks at the strings,

overdramatically strumming and gesturing with his plechand, he almost doesnt seem to care, scornful at the

world and his dead brother.

SCENE. EXT. PORCH MORNING. 6

Jason is sitting outside the house reading a book, besidehim is a tea set, the urn is beside him in its own chair

with a cup of tea. He looks up briefly as Claire iswalking towards the house. Sighs, rolls his eyes in

disgust, and keeps reading.

CLAIRE. cheerilyGood morning!

JASON. condescendingIs it?

Jason puts the book down, stands and lazily watches herapproach, leaning on the balcony


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)

CLAIREYou didnt call after we had dinner last week, did you

forget?

She is smiling, and gestures at him from below in the

garden. JASONNo

A slight grunt from Jason, he shakes his head whilsttaking a sip from his cup, confrontational and angerunder the surface bubbling.

CLAIREIm dropping into town, need to visit the market for

some veg and the usual stuff, I thought Id come see youon the way

Jason motions towards himself, turns around briefly

JASONWell youve seen me now, feel free to leave

Jason empties his tea over the balcony, turns and sitsback down, then carries on reading. Claire looks at himshocked, huffs angrily and then walks up to the house.Claire sits down in a seat opposite with frustratedpurpose, he looks up startled and slightly irritated.

JASONMumbles condescendingly

Hi Claire, why dont you sit down Claire

CLAIREWhat?

Jason quickly changes in mood, visibly cheering up andflashing her a grin, like that of a shark.

JASONI said youve got really nice hair, would you like some

tea?

CLAIREShe looks put out at his change in behavior.

no thank you. So how have you been?

JASONPretty good actually. We do a lot of walking, along thesea and talking, thats something else we do


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*

He gestures nonchalantly. She looks back at him indisbelief, unsure if its a lie to brush her off.

CLAIREWalking and talking?

JASONYeah, talking and walking, well I walk, he talks. I

normally carry him, the lazy bastar

CLAIRE.*interupts*He talks?

Claire looks shocked at Jason, he carries on as if whathes describing is a regular occurance.

JASONOh yeah, he talks. Yapping all day, hewontshut upabout the crossword. Honestly Richard, 14 down is NOT

dog, youre missing 11 other letters

Jason waves his hand in a chopping motion at the urn NOTdog to reinforce his point. There is an awkward pause asClaire watches this exchange between Jason and the urn,as Jason gestures and argues at it, she watches onslightly freaked out.Jason stops abruptly whilst staring at the urn, after a

moment he huffs and turns back to Claire.

JASONExasperated

See? And there he goes again he just doesnt shut up

They both turn and look at the Urn, completely silent.ExW side on shot of all 3 at the table, whilst birdstweet and the sound of silence lingers.Claire starescompletely silent for a few moments.

JASONSee what I mean, he just wont sto Richard! You cantsay that, shes your girlfriend. Honestly the past few

weeks have been a nightmare

Jason makes his point with a gesture, looks at the urn inshock, then shakes his head in disagreement during this.

CLAIREQuestioning

You do realize youre talking to an urn?


10/22


"+

JASONsarcasm

No Claire Im talking to a flower pot, I was at thefuneral, I know. So were you, we were the only two people

who turned up

Jason quickly looks at the Urn to acknowledge its reply.

JASONYes you too, I know you were there. Honestly hes suchan attention seeker, now I remember why I moved away and

we didnt talk for four years

CLAIREFour years?

Interrupting Claire, Jason quickly turns to the Urn

JASONShut up Richard!

He turns back to Claire

JASONYeah, four years. *sigh*He spent too much time away

with work, and we just grew apart. The two of us werentclose anymore

Hed phone sometimes but I could tell, you know, when

people do something for the sake of it, when they feellike they need to do it?

Some persistent bit of human compassion in his brainalways saying call Jason, call Jason, and he did, but I

could tell he never really cared.

But when he didphone, he wouldnt stop talking aboutyou, between the awkward pauses and the stupid questionsthe only thing hed talk about was you. Not the lads on

the ship, not the house or the dog but you.

Jason pauses to look at Claire, wringing his hands infrustration and regret.

JASONWhat does that show Claire, when the only person in the

world he cares for is you, but he sendsmehis remains?

CLAIREYoure over thinking it, you probably shouldnt take it

too seriously


11/22


""

JASONThats what he used to say, but youre the one not stuck

with a jam jar of dustTheres a moment of pause as they look at one another.

CLAIREWhat happened to his dog?

JASONDead

Jason abruptly stands up

JASONCame out here a few winters ago and it had turnedfrozen solid over night. Buried it over there

Jason gestures off towards the trees, then walks into thehouse. Claire watches him leave as he rattles aroundinside.

JASONIve got something for you by the way *shouts from

inside* Where is it, ah, gotcha

Jason walks back outside and places a small box on thetable

JASON

It came in the post last week, I think its what wasleft when they cleared out Richards house. I thought

youd want to keep it, seeing as its yours?

CLAIREThis this isnt mine

Claire stumbles over her words

CLAIREHe never proposed

Jason looks on in confusion

JASONSorry I thought, after his letter well, then wheres

the ring?

Theres a pause as they both consider

CLAIREI dont know maybe Richards death left both of us with

more cracks than we realize. This could just be his wayof helping me cope, like you, and the urn


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"#

SCENE. EXT. HILL DAY. 7

JASONMaybe I am full of cracks

Jason is sitting on a hillside overlooking the sea. Theurn is beside him, he turns slightly and looks at it.

JASONShattered like a glass, but through everything thats

happened you havent left. I thought youd abandoned me along time ago, but what if you hadnt, what if you stillcared? I mean the proof speaks for itself, youre dead

but youre still here

He looks at the urn.

CLAIRE (V/O)Your brother regretted all the missed time, every

birthday, every phone call. If he could give that back,he would

The urn seems to have an almost mesmerizing quality;Jason looks at it longingly with Claires words in his

mind.

JASONIs that why you came back Richard? You want a second

chance?

Jason takes a few moments to deliberate this

Okay

SCENE. EXT. BEACH - DAY.MONTAGE OPEN SCENE. 8

Jason is sat on the beach with the urn, they are both

sharing a picnic. Jason is eating and occasionallyfeeding food to the urn, he smears sauce on the urn

whilst feeding it a sandwich. Jason is making sandcastleswith the urn, or in a fort around it. The urn is buriedin the sand, with only the lid peeping out. All throughthe activities, Jason is taking pictures on a Kodakcamera. End shot of Jason running in the sea whilst theurn watches in the foreground in silhouette from thebeach.


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"$

CUT. 9

Claire is now at the beach with Jason, they are buildingsandcastles together, chasing each other in the sea andjoking as friends (Jason picks her up and spins Claire

around, Claire is screaming and Jason is laughing),whilst the Urn watches silently from the foreground,buried slightly in the sand (possibly)

SCENE. EXT. CAR - DAY.MONTAGE. 10

Jason and the urn are driving in a car, through thecountryside, over hills, past the seaside/beach. The urnis strapped into the front passenger seat. The pair aregoing on a journey, enjoying the scenery.

CUT. 11

Jason is driving through the same roads, but this timeClaire is sitting in the car with him. They smile at eachother as Jason drives. Claire reaches over and puts herhand on his that is holding the gear stick, Jason grinsslightly. The urn is in her lap

SCENE. INT. HOUSE - DAY.MONTAGE. 12

Jason and the urn are eating in the house, two bowls areon the table with Jason holding one and the other staticin front of the urn.

CUT. 13

The duo are playing chess by the window. As the shotcuts, the urn slowly begins to win the game, Jason gets

more frustrated and confused as the game progresses,eventually he loses the game.

JASONCheckmate? How is that checkmate?!

Jason loses the game, throws an angry fit and flips overthe board because he lost the game, the urn sits quietly

watching.

JASONI lost? How did I lose to a flowerpot!

Jason walks off angry muttering, then storms back to the

table, crouches down and points at the urn


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"%

JASONYou just count yourself lucky, I went easy on you

SCENE. INT. HOUSE - NIGHT.MONTAGE. 14

Claire is banging on the door to the cabin. Jasonstumbles drunk to the door, swings it open and slumpsagainst the doorframe, his clothes are ruffled and isholding a half full bottle of alcohol. Claire looksdubiously at him, Jason grins in delight as he opens thedoor.

JASONYou got the invite! excited

CLAIREWhat invite?

JASONYour boyfriend died!

Jason cheerily shouts this, gesturing wildly with hisarms

So I threw him a party

Jason bows at this proclamation, proud with himself

CLAIREYoure throwing Richard a party?

JASON... A death party!

Jason points with his finger, as if its an importantcorrection.

CLAIREThere was no invite..

Jason walks back through the doorway and looks at the urnon the tableside, before shouting at it.

JASONYou forgot to invite your own girlfriend! Useless jar

Claire shakes her head and leaves whilst Jason isshouting incoherently at the Urn. He walks back throughthe cabin shouting to Claire, who he thinks is stillthere.

JASON

Sorry, hes been so inconsiderate since he drowned


15/22


"&

Jason arrives at the doorway; he stops startled, looksaround for Claire, either side of the house, turns in acircle, shrugs and shuts the door. Claire is walking offaway from the cabin.

SCENE. INT. HOUSE - NIGHT.MONTAGE. 15

Jason is sitting at the table doing shots with the Urn,he fills the glasses up shakily, slams the bottle downand slurs towards it.

JASONOkay ready? 3.. 2.. 1

Jason downs the shot *ExCU*, puts his glass back down andlooks at the urn *Wide*, who has an empty shot in frontof him. Jason looks confused.

JASONHow the hell are you doing that?

CUT. 16

Jason is leaning against the table. He picks up the urnand unscrews the top, then empties the bottle of alcoholinto it from high in the air. Screws the lid back on andshakes it like a madman whilst drunkenly laughing.

CUT. 17

Jason is staring close-up at the open urn, both handsgripping the table. He slowly lifts one hand up, dips afinger into the open top, pulls it back and licks it,then smiles mischievously.

Jason is holding the Urn underneath his arm, he reachesin and grabs a handful of ashes before poofing it intothe air (blows like a cloud), and smiles/laughs wildly as

it rains down around him.

SCENE. EXT. HILLS - DAY.MONTAGE. 18

Jason and the Urn are hiking through the hills, Jason iswearing a backpack and the urn is strapped to the outsideof it. He is smiling as he looks back at the urn, and isoccasionally singing or talking as they walk through thelandscape.


16/22


"'

CUT. 19

Jason and Claire are walking in the countryside, throughthe same woodland and hills that Jason and the Urn were.They are holding hands, Claire looks over and smiles at

Jason.

CLAIREYou seem to be doing a lot better with Richard now

Jason turns his head and smiles at her.

JASONHes doing me the world of good Its funny, we were

never this close when he was alive

The duo walks off down the wooded path holding hands.

SCENE. INT. HOUSE - DAY.MONTAGE. 20

Jason and the Urn are sitting at the table, the table isfull of papers and paints, they are doing artistic stuff.Jason looks over at the urn, smiles broadly then lays hishand on the sheet of paper in front of him. He pulls backto reveal a hand print, the camera pans over *Birds Eye*and it reveals there is a perfect circle on the paper infront of the Urn.

CUT. 21

Jason is exercising in the house. He is doing situps andthe Urn is watching from the table with a little whistletied around the top of it. Jason then carries on withdoing pushups, the Urn is now standing on his back with alittle sweatband around the top, coaching him on. Jasonis then in the garden doing various exercises such asstar jumps, whilst the Urn is watching from the balcony.

CUT. 22

Claire and Jason are in the garden acting childish andplaying games, they are jokingly pushing each other backand forth and laughing, tagging each other and racingaround slightly. Jason falls over and Claire jumps on topof him, they are both joyfully laughing, the Urn is

watching silently from the balcony. Claire leans overJason sensually whilst laughing.


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18/22


")

But if you think if you think that 2 months of runningaround Devon with the remains of a dead guy is going to

change anything..? *chuckles*

We had adventures, we went to the beach and I took you

hiking, the stuff I only dreamed of doing together Thatwas *chokes up slightly*..that was fun right?*looks for approval from the urn*

You never mattered when you were alive, why does it hurtso much now that youre dead?

*sobs*

I want you back Richard...

I want my brother back

Jason beings to cry and shake as he is overcome withemotion, breathing deeply and shaking, his hand holdingthe bottle gently slumps against the table as his othercradles his head, sobbing as he breaks down in emotion.

Scene fades out/pulls out side-on with a wide of thetable, both characters at either end,potential outsideshot of the cabin shot.


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"*

SCENE. INT. HOUSE - MORNING. 26

Jason is sitting at the table on the balcony reading anewspaper. Claire walks up the path and sits downopposite, she passes over an envelope, he raises an

eyebrow, Claire shakes her head and passes it over. Jasonslowly opens the letter.

As he opens the letter, the emotions on his face changefrom anger to sadness, distraught to fleeting laughs.Whilst reading, various wide shots of the house areshown, along with landscape and the sea.

RICHARD (V/O)Hello Jason,

Its Richard. Again

There have been times when, you, as a brother, may havequestioned if I love you. This is one of those times.

When I became a sailor, I knew there was a big chancethat one day; I probably wouldnt be coming back

If that ever happened, god forbid, and I left you alone,then I knew you wouldnt take it well, so I wrote you

this letter. We may not have got on so much as brothers,but I know youJason. I know, that you wouldnt be ableto cope. We are two opposites Jason, and whereas I would

weather it, you most likely would not stop grieving tillthe end of your days, so I came up with a plan. The urnin front of you does not contain my ashes, most likely I

died at sea, and my body was lost.

Claire knows and, she will give you this letter whenyouve overcome your grief. Dont be angry at her, as Iknew, I knew you would need to work past my death before

you could move on with your own life.

Im gone, Jason.

This is the last thing I can ever do for you

I love you.Richard

Jason looks up at Claire, distraught and pain clear inhis eyes, as she looks back at him, seeking forforgiveness.

JASON

You knew


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#+

CLAIREYes

JASONhow long was this wrote?

CLAIREabout a year ago..

JASONSo whats in there?

CLAIRE *quietly*flour

Jason shakes his head

CLAIREReally, its just a jar of flour

JASON *agitated*No Claire, thisis whats left Richard.

Ive been a terrible brother and we never talked at all,for four years.

Four years!

Jason looks up at Claire with a slight smile

He may but dead butI at least owe it to him to do the right thing now

Jason smiles, stands and picks up the Urn. She stands andsmiles, they both run off down the path.

CUT. 27

They are driving in a car, heading towards the sea. Jasonis holding the urn and talking animatedly.

JASONIt doesnt matter if thats Richard or not, to me it is.I need to do this, it wont make up for it all, but itll

be a start

CUT. 28

Jason and Claire are walking with purpose along thehillside/field, the car has been left behind on the road.Jason is holding the urn now in his hands; he turns and

looks at Claire as he talks.


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#"

JASONIn his first letter he wanted me to scatter his ashes,

well then where would be better than the place he lovedthe most? Where better than the sea?

Jason and Claire walk down from the hillside and onto thebeach, Jason walks close up to the waves and stops alone.Claire stands beside him. The beach is empty, the onlysound is the ocean.

Jason looks out over the sea, he turns to Claire and shenods reassuringly. Jason is staring off, he takes a fewsteps forward on his own, then looks up and talks as ifto the sky.

JASONSo this is it.

Richard youve brought me this far, and Im deliveringyou to the end.

It was never about your stuff, your house, Claire Ididnt want that. As much as I didnt want to say it at

first, I wanted my brother back.

Thank you.Over the past two months youve gave me that

He looks backwards, Claire smiles at him.

JASON*whispers*

I think its time to say goodbye Richard

Jason unscrews the top of the Urn, drops it to the sand.He takes a handful of flour and gently lets it blow away

in the wind.

JASON*whisper*

goodbye

Jason begins to get emotional, blinking gently to stopfrom crying, he breaks out in a grin, brushes his hand

and reaches in for more flour.

The next handful he throws into the air high in front ofhim and watches it get taken by the wind, then throwsanother, and another. Jason keeps throwing flour highinto the air, laughing and turning around on the beach,

spinning in circles and throwing the flour out all around

him.


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He throws the last handful, it drifts down around him ashis hand drops, a smile still briefly on his face as he

looks out to sea.

Claire walks up beside him, as he gently places the empty

urn on the sand there is a RATTLING NOISE. Jason reachesin and pulls out a RING. He places the urn between themlike a child, screwing the top on, then takes her outheld hand, places the ring in the palm and closes it,

holding it tight in his hand...

Claire looks over at Jason and smiles widely. He mirrorsher.

JASONRichard always said there were two women in his life.

You,the woman he loved.

And the seathe woman he lived

The two hold hands tightly and quietly watch the tidecoming in with a smile, the empty urn between them on the

sand.

Sun setting maybe? U-Wide Shot.

END

the brother code. script draft 2. fmp. 22.1.14

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