SCREENPLAY OF THE FILM
"TRUE LOVE"
Written by Shanti Jayasekara
Saint Petersburg – Saint Petersburg University of Cinema and Television
2014
TRUE LOVE…
Act 1.
A blind young man is walking along the road. There is the sound of music. We can see his legs and his stick. He is going to the subway. By the entrance a woman helps him to enter. When he is going down with the escalator, we can see him all the way, including the face. Then he goes to the subway train (the woman helps him to step in). He enters the subway train and occupies the first seat.
BOARDING SCHOOL, AFTERNOON
OVERALL VIEW (OV): On the foreground is the road, which leads to the boarding school for the disabled children.
OV: Ruslan – a blind young man – is heading for the boarding school. He is walking up the stairs and opens the entrance door.
CLOSE-UP SHOT (CUS): Ruslan’s face. He is wearing black glasses, white shirt and dark jacket.
MEDIUM SHOT (MS): Ruslan is walking down the corridor.
Ruslan’s memory. Bright vision. He thinks of the time he spent with Anna two years ago. They talked to each other sweetly, walked along the river embankment and then in the park. Anna is a beautiful girl that looks like an angel.
B.S.BOARDING SCHOOL, AFTERNOON
OV: The pupils of the boarding school are talking in the corridor. They see Ruslan heading to the concert hall. Even though he is blind, his movements are still confident, because every day he repeats the same route to rehearse.
B.S. CONCERT HALL. AFTERNOON.
MS: Ruslan is going to the doors of the concert hall and opens them.
MS: Ruslan enters the empty hall and comes up to the piano. He sits by it. He is sitting and thinking. He is pushing piano keys unhurriedly, warming up his fingers.
OV: Ruslan is playing the piano. The doors are opening and Anna is appearing. She looks happy. She is approaching the piano.
CUS: Anna is bending forward and kisses Rusland on the cheek.
ANNA
“Hey, sweetie! What are we going to play now?”
RUSLAN
“We are going to play Tschaikovsky. I have written the words for the first concert by Tschaikovsky. “
ANNA
“Fantastic! I am ready for the rehearsal!”
CUS: Ruslan is playing the piano and singing (the words by Iezyotov, the music by Tschaikovsky)
OV: Anna is standing by Ruslan with the face towards the audience hall and translating the song to the sign language.
MS: Anna looks at Ruslan with admiration, at his face and lips. Her eyes are filling with tears. She is deeply moved by the music.
ACT 2.
INTERIER. CONCERT HALL. PIANO, AFTERNNON.
RUSLAN
“I love you’
(These words he pronounces still playing the piano)
ANNA
“I love you”
CUS: Anna puts her hand on the playing Ruslan’s hands, and so they play together.
CUS: The doors are opening silently. We can see Pavel’s head in the doorway. He sees them together and understands the situation.
The door is closing sharply. He is hurrying to his studio. He is looking to the portrait of Anna. He is getting angry, then he chills out and continues working on the picture.
ACT 3.
INTERIER. ROOM. KITCHEN. EVENING.
OV: The kitchen of the boarding school. Anna is cooking near the stove. Other pupils enter the kitchen. Pavel steps in and gives her bouquet of flowers.
ANNA
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“Thank you”
PAVEL
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“I am creating a picture for you”
ANNA
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“Thank you”
(OFF-SCREEN VOICE)
PAVEL
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“Let me help you!”
ANNA
“Sure”
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
MS: Pavel starts cutting cucumbers.
PAVEL
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“Soon come your Birthday. I want to make a present for you”.
ANNA
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“That’s very nice of you”
(OFF-SCREEN VOICE)
PAVEL
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“I am inviting you to my studio”.
(OFF-SCREEN VOICE)
ANNA
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“When?”
PAVEL
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“Can you tomorrow?”
(OFF-SCREEN VOICE)
ANNA
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“Yes, sounds good. How about 3 p.m.?”
(OFF-SCREEN VOICE)
Pavel
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“Alright, I will be waiting for you!”
MS: Pavel helps Anna to cook a vegetable salad (playing for time). Meanwhile Anna is cooking. Then she comes up to Pavel and watches him cutting the vegetables.
ANNA
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“You are very kind, Pasha”
(OFF-SCREEN VOICE)
PAVEL
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“You mean a lot for me!”
(OFF-SCREEN VOICE)
MS: Anna stands still and looks at Pavel. Then goes away to stitch the cooker off.
ACT 4.
INTERIER. RUSLAN’S ROOM. SYNTHESIZER. EVENING.
OV: Ruslan is composing music; he is creating a song for Anna. He is playing the synthesizer and singing.
OV: Anna is entering Ruslan’s room.
ANNA
“Hey, I have brough you something to eat”
OV: Anna puts the plate with pirizhki on the table.
RUSLAN
“Thank you. I am composing a song for you. I will finish it very soon.
Do you like it?”
OV: Ruslan come up to the table.
ANNA
“Thank you. Let’s eat!”
OV: Anna takes a pirozhok and feeds hungry Ruslan. Then he takes the pirozhki and starts eating. Anna looks at him with sympathy.
RUSLAN
“It’s tasty”
MS: Ruslan comes up to the synthesizer. Accidentally he drops a bunch of books. Anna helps him to collect it. He stares at Ruslan, hugs and kisses him. Ruslan is playing the synthesizer, Anna comes up to him, listens to the music attentively (she cannon help admiring it).
OV: Anna dances to Ruslan’s music (Irish step), she enjoys it.
MS: Anna invites Ruslan to dance with her. They are dancing both.
MS: They stop. Ruslan examines Anna’s face and hair with his hands. Ruslan kisses and hugs Anna passionately. Anna is walking to her room. She is sitting in her room and thinking. She takes up her diary and pastes the photo of a loving couple kissing.
ACT 5.
INTERIER. CLOTHING STORE. AFTERNOON.
OV: Anna helps Ruslan to choose clothes for the forthcoming performance.
MS: Anna collects several suits. Then she goes to the changing room and gives it to Ruslan.
MS: Ruslan is coming out of the changing room wearing a new suit. Anna sets the suit of him straight.
ANNA
“It doesn’t suit you. Change this white suit”
MS: Ruslan comes out of the changing room again.
ANNA
“It looks perfect! We take it!”
OV: Ruslan and Anna are in the ladies’ apparel department.
ANNA
“Wait here”
OV: Anna is choosing a black velvet dress for her birthday celebration.
OV: Anna and Ruslan are leaving the shop. Anna is happy:
“How do you like it?”-she asks without thinking.
Anna stares at him. Ruslan is looking at her silently.
Anna come up to him, takes his hands and lets him to touch the dress on her. She hugs him. He kisses her.
Anna is sitting in her room. She pastes another photo with loving couple.
ACT 6.
INTERIER. FLOWER SHOP, AFTERNOON.
OV: Ruslan and Anna are walking down the street. By the entrance to the flower shop Ruslan stops and catches the smell.
RUSLAN
“Is this a flower shop?”
ANNA
“Do you want to give me flowers?”
RUSLAN
“I want it so much. But I don’t know how to choose flowers”
ANNA
“I will show you”
OV: Ruslan and Anna step in the flower shop.
OV: Anna takes a red rose and gives it to Ruslan.
ANNA
“This rose is red”
OV: Ruslan smells it.
RUSLAN
“The smell is wonderful”
OV: Anna takes a white rose and gives it to Ruslan.
ANNA
“This rose is white”
OV: Ruslan smells the rose.
RUSLAN
“The smell is fantastic!”
OV: Ruslan and Anna are moving forward. Anna gives Ruslan orchid.
ANNA
“This is wild orchid”
OV: Ruslan and Anna are going further examining the flowers and their smell.
OV: Ruslan returns to the place with white roses. Ruslan takes a flower and smells it to make sure it is a white rose. Ruslan gives it to Anna.
RUSLAN
“This white rose is my present to you!”
ANNA
“Thank you so much!”
OV: Ruslan is satistied. They both are happy. Ruslan and Anna are leaving the shop. They are going to Ruslan’s place. There he kisses Anna.
The white rose is lying on the floor. Anna has straggly hair and smile on her face. She leaves Ruslan’s room:
“I have to go. Goodbye!’
Anna returns to her room absorbed in deep thoughts. She pastes the photo, where a boy and a girl make love.
ACT 7. CONCERT HALL. AFTERNOON.
OV: The hall is full. Ruslan is playing the piano and singing, Anna is translating. The group of performers also sings with them. Ruslan is wearing a white suit with a bow. Anna is wearing a black velvet dress. Couplet is finished.
MS: Anna is dancing Venice dance. Ruslan is playing the piano.
OV: Anna comes up to Ruslan and puts a black mask on him. She put a white mask. Anna asks him to dance in the center of the hall. They start to dance. At the same time children put on the masks and dance with them. These masks are special for the blind. They dance “we are one”.
CUS: Pavel’s face. He is sitting among the audience in the corner of the hall. He is mad. He is leaving the hall and goes to his studio. He looks at the portrait of Anna and completes it. He invests a lot of love in it.
OV: There is loud applause in the hall.
OV: Anna and Rusland are bending with children.
ACT 8.
INTERIER. ROOM. ARTSTUDIO. AFTERNOON,
OV: PAVEL’S PICTURES ON THE WALLS.
CUS: Pavel is working on the picture, glues little pieces of glass on the picture. On the picture an angel with Anna’s face is depicted, whose hands are spread towards (the picture isn’t finished yet).
OV: Anna comes to the studio.
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“Hey, am I in time?”
(OFF-SCREEN VOICE)
PAVEL
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“As usual”. Now, take a place and look”
(OFF-SCREEN VOICE)
OV: Anna sits in the armchair. Pavel shows Anna the way she should sit.
OV: Pavel draws a picture with a pen, so that he will be able to deliver Anna’s image in the mosaic. He is working pretty long on the picture, while Anna is sitting motionlessly. He is admiring her.
OV: Anna is hurrying to the rehearsal.
ANNA
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“How much time do you need more?”
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“Just a little bit”
(OFF-SCREEN VOICE)
ANNA
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“I have to go now. I am late for the rehearsal!”
(OFF-SCREEN VOICE)
OV: Pavel wants to holds her back. So he starts showing Anna the picture, where she is depicted.
PAVEL
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“Will you wait for another minute? I want to show you some pictures”.
“This picture I wrote 2 years ago”
“Take a look”
(OFF-SCREEN VOICE)
ANNA
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“Fantastic! How beautiful! But I am sorry, Pasha, I need to go!”
(OFF-SCREEN VOICE)
OV: Anna leaves.
OV: Suddenly Pavel stops working, as he is very sad. He stands up abruptly and walks very fast out of the room.
ACT 9
INTERIER. CONCERT HALL. AFTERNOON.
CUS: Pavel’s mad face in the doorway.
OV: Ruslan is playing the piano. Pavel come up to him. He wants to shout, but he can’t. Pavel actively gesticulates in sign language trying to express his thoughts. Ruslan can’t hear Pavel, because the music is too loud. Pavel is mad, he is messing around the piano.
OV: Pavel realizes, that Ruslan cannot hear him and sits in the chair. He looks at Ruslan thoughfully, he cannot hear anything. We get into the world the deaf-and-dumb for some time. Pavel understands that Ruslan is harmless.
OV: Pavel stand up from the chair, turns around and walks away from the concert hall.
ACT 10.
PARK, BENCH, EVENING.
OV: Anna and Pavel are walking along the park. They notice the bench.
ANNA
“Fantastic! Really Beautiful!”
OV: Anna and Pavel sit down on the bench.
PAVEL
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“Your birthday for me is a special day”. Your present will be ready very soon…”
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“Thank you so much. I am very happy”
(OFF-SCREEN VOICE)
PAVEL
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“I think of you very often”
(OFF-SCREEN VOICE)
OV: Anna looks surprisingly at Pavel.
PAVEL
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“You help me a lot in my life”
ANNA
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“But how?”
(OFF-SCREEN VOICE)
PAVEL
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“You give me the power and inspiration for the creation of my pictures “
(OFF-SCREEN VOICE)
ANNA
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“I don’t understand. In what way I help you?”
(OFF-SCREEN VOICE)
PAVEL
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“The creation of pictures is my life”
(OFF-SCREEN VOICE)
ANNA
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“What do you mean?”
(OFF-SCREEN VOICE)
PAVEL
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“I think of you when I create a picture”
(OFF-SCREEN VOICE)
ANNA
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“I don’t understand”
PAVEL
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“I wouldn’t create any picture without you.
Every piece has your love in it”
(OFF-SCREEN VOICE)
ANNA
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“So it means that this picture is you and me?”
(OFF-SCREEN VOICE)
PAVEL
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“Yes”
(OFF-SCREEN VOICE)
CUS: Anna is looking at Pavel gratefully.
OV: Anna and Pavel are returning home holding each other’s hands.
ACT 11.
INTERIER. CONCERT HALL. PIANO. EVENING.
(a melody by Dvořák for the violin and the piano is playing)
OV: It is Anna’s birthday. Her friends sit around the table on the scene. The hall is empty.
CUS: Ruslan is playing the piano.
RUSLAN
“This song is for you. Dance, Anna!”
MS: Ruslan is playing the piano. Anna is dancing to the music by Dvořák a Slavionic dance No. 9-10. She dances amazingly.
RUSLAN
“I give you my music and song”
ANNA
“Thank you”
RUSLAN
“I am happy to have you”
ACT 12.
INTERIER. CONCERT HALL. PIANO. EVENING.
OV: Anna walks away from the piano and goes to the center of the hall (as if she wants to dance).
MS: Suddenly the door opens and Pavel steps in. He approaches Anna, gives her flowers and the picture, the one, he worked on for a long, packed in the paper. Anna unwrapped the picture. She sees herself in it depicted like an angel with her hands spread forward.
ANNA
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“How beautiful!”
(OFF-SCREEN VOICE)
PAVEL
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“Happy birthday!”
(OFF-SCREEN VOICE)
ANNA
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“Thank you!”
(OFF-SCREEN VOICE)
CUS: Anna kisses Pavel on the cheek.
CUS: Ruslan feels that something is going on still lpays the piano.
MS: Anna wants to tell Ruslan about the picture. She looks at Ruslan, he is constrained.
There is a sound of music by Dvořák-the 9th Symphony.
OV: Anna comes up to Ruslan and shows him a picture.
ANNA
“This is me!”
MS: Anna is looking at Ruslan’s face. He is sad. She gives him the picture (the music plays louder). Ruslan takes the picture and feels it with his hands.
RUSLAN
“Anna, this is you! Now I see you!” This picture has a million of pieces of glass.
He must have been working incredibly long to make such a masterpiece!”
ANNA
“Right, he worked a lot”
OV: Anna walks away from Ruslan.
OV: Pavel follows her.
ANNA
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“I showed the picture to Ruslan.
Thank you so much!
You know, Pasha, Ruslan can’t live without me!
I cannot see the way he suffers!”
(OFF-SCREEN VOICE)
PAVEL
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“But what should I do? To be without you? I love you!
(OFF-SCREEN VOICE)
ACT 13
INTERIER. CONCERT HALL. PIANO. EVENING
(The music plays louder, lightning becomes brighter. Ruslan feels as if he sees everything.
(Music and light) (the sound of music by Dvořák.
RUSLAN
“Anna, at last I see you now. Love…
Now I see the light. You worth the true love”
CUS: Anna and Pavel look at each other.
MS: Ruslan come up to Anna.
MS: Anna introduces Pavel to Ruslan.
ANNA
(IN SIGN LANGUAGE)
“Meet Ruslan”
(OFF-SCREEN VOICE)
ANNA
“This is Pavel”
MS: Ruslan examines Pavel’s face with his hands, feels his hair. Then he touches the picture. Then examines Anna’s face comparing the picture of angel and Anna’s face.
RUSLAN
“Anna, you are worth his love”
OV: Ruslan takes Anna’s and Pavel’s hands and join them together.
MS: Ruslan takes the picture in his hands and silently walks to the piano,
CUS: Anna follows him.
MS: Pavel stops her.
CUS: Anna goes forward, but Pavel stops her.
OV: Ruslan takes the picture again and feels it.
RUSLAN
“Goodbye, my love!”
OV: Ruslan leaves the picture on the piano and leaves.
(The sound of music – words by Iezyitov, music by Tchaykovsky).
Titles
