Académique Documents
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Title: UNTITLED
2010
ghost
1980s
POLICE OFFICERS
Space:
1
Hong Kong, 1982
White screen. Birds are chirping. It sounds like the birds are saying a Chinese name, Chi-
Yu.
Angle: point of view of Jake, the cloudless big blue sky of Calgary.
Angle: A 21-year old boy wearing a white gown, sitting upon a hill. His back is facing the
camera.
2
The image whites out.
A rainy day.
Jake just woke up from his nap. He was sleeping on the wooden couch bed in the living
room. His vision is blurry. Birds are chirping. Then he sees his GRANDFATHER, an old
man in his 70s, wearing traditional Chinese clothing. He is feeding his two birds live
crickets. The birds are hopping up and down in the cylindrical Chinese bamboo birdcage.
GRANDFATHER(In Cantonese)
JAKE
3
Theyll be back tomorrow morning.
Okay.
Jake stands up and walks around the house. He is a 21-year-old boy. He is wearing a
necklace with a jade pendent, craved into the shape of an ancient Chinese girl dancer.
Jake walks over to the bookshelf. He picks a Chinese book, it takes him a good 10 seconds to figure out
the book is up side down. Jake takes up another book, an English book, Maurice by E.M. Forster. There
are a couple of Chinese characters written on the front page: To Chi-Yu. Jake is excited because those are
Grandfather stands frozen, clearly shocked by Jakes question. He slowly turns his head towards the
window.
Who is it?
4
GRANDFATHER (in Cantonese)
I didnt even know I had an uncle, Ive only met Aunt Jody.
The old mans hand is shaking, he slowly turns his whole body towards the window.
GRANDFATHER (Cantonese)
The old mans trembling. He bends down, slowly opens the drawer down the bookshelf. There are some
JAKE(Cantonese)
Grandfather takes out a black and white photo and hands that to Jake.
GRANDFATHER (Cantonese)
His eyes redden. He shuffles down the hall back into his bedroom.
Jake looks at the picture carefully. Jake looks very much like his uncle, Chi-Yu. The picture shows him from
waist up, wearing a black suit. He has very beautiful facial features. He looks somewhat feminine in the
way he smiles.
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3. EXT. STREET (HONG KONG 2010) EVENING
It is still raining. Long tracking shot of Jake dashes out of the library and runs down the
Jake is checking out the microfilm clippings of South China Morning Post, an English
newspaper, in the public library. On the newspaper of September 24th, 1982, the day
People on the street seems to be muttering something to Jake, but he cannot hear. Jake
bites his lips so hard that he can feel blood in his mouth. Its 6PM, people are either
hurrying home or going out for the night. Jake reaches Nathan road, one of the busiest
streets in Hong Kong. He cant breathe. He is mesmerized by the car headlights, the
neon signs, the outdoor LCD screens, the moving advertising boards, the people passing
Desaturated colors. Jakes Vision. Montage of images of Chi-Yus wounded body lying
in the bathtub.
6
(A newsreel)The body of Wong Chi-yu, 21, was found in the blood-splattered bathroom at his home on
Perth Street, Kowloon yesterday. It is our understanding that it was a suicide. Wong left a suicide note in
his room, Police spokeswoman Hung Ching-yi said. There were multiple wounds on the body, 2 fatal
wounds on the neck and the right waist respectively. Wong also castrated himself. The Wong family was
Aunt Jody and Grandfather are standing outside the house, crying. While the police
officers are carrying a black metal casket out from the house.
Angle: The red octagonal stop sign (with stop in Chinese and English on it) was flashed by cars
headlight.
STOP!
Angle: White screen. The birds are chirping, saying Chi-Yus name.
Angle: Someone opens his eyes and see the cloudless big blue sky of Calgary.
Angle: CU of Jake lying on the grass, talking to someone on screen left, but the person is not shown in the
frame.
No one replies.
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You should have come to Calgary with us.
I wish I had.
Jake wakes up in his bed. Grandfather comes in with a cup of hot ginseng tea. He puts it down.
Grandfather leaves the room. Jake drinks it slowly and goes back to sleep.
The room is too dark that you cant really see anything. The room is dead silent, there are no birds
chirping.
Chi-Yu? (beat)
Is that you?
Jake takes out the lighter. With the lighters flame, he sees his uncles face. But the lighter goes out again.
Is it Chi-Yu? (beat)
Im you.
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9. INT. JAKES BEDROOM (HONG KONG, 2010) MORNING
Jake wakes up and sees his MOTHER sitting next to him. Her eyes are swollen with tears,
she has clearly been crying for the past couple of hours.
MOM
The woman shakes her head, her slender fingers are touching Jakes face.
Tell me Mom!
She gently grabs the jade pendent Jake is wearing on his neck.
She puts the jade pendent close to her face for a moment and hands it back to Jake.
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She closes her eyes, reminiscing, there is a faint smile on her face.
She covers her face with both her hands. She could not go on for some time.
Grandfather sitting on the floor outside the attic door as Chi-Yus sister, a woman of 31
Grandfather( In Cantonese)
10
Go away! Im just trying to do him good.
She leaves.
Grandfather opens the door. Chi-Yu is lying feebly on the floor. Jody and Jakes mother
Continuing scene 9.
JAKE(in English)
11
Grandfather is standing alone out at the balcony. Jake walks towards him.
(beat)
12
The graveyard of Chi-Yu is up on a small hill, facing the big blue sky. Jake touches the
black and white picture on the gravestone and the golden letters carved there. Jake
Jake fell asleep on the bus. He wakes up and doesnt seem to know where he is. He gets
off the bus. He is in Central, where all the fashionable bars and restaurants are located.
Jake is in an old wine bar/restaurant, with live jazz piano and a small dance floor. He
orders a vodka tonic. People are dancing. He starts feeling a little dizzy after finishing
ANDERSON
13
JAKE
Im Chi-Yu.
ANDERSON
Anderson orders another drink for Jake. Jake sees the ghost of Chi-Yu, his uncle, dancing
with the ghost of Will, an African-British man, his lover, who looks exactly like Anderson.
Jake looks closely at Anderson. He has this expression on his face like he begins to
realize something.
JAKE
ANDERSON
JAKE
Im from Calgary.
ANDERSON
I see.
Anderson is telling Chi-Yu about his trip. (dialogue inaudible) Jake takes out the jade
pendent from his pocket. Jake is out-gazing at Chi-Yu and Wills ghosts.
Will
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(long pause)
Angle: Shooting from the back of a BMW, Anderson and Jake are in the back seat.
Birds are chirping, singing Chi-Yus name. Jake wakes up. There is a serene lake right by
him. Jake looks at his image in the lake. The image (it is actually Chi-Yu) talks to him.
CHI-YU
Chi-Yu!
Jake tries to kiss his image/Chi-Yus image, but he falls into the water. He is drown. Jake is sinking in the
JAKE(voiceover)
THE END
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