Screenplay / The Room with no Doors

Scene One
INT. THE ROOM

The room is completely dark except for a circle of light. In the middle of the circle, a man sits in front of a desk.  He is locked in a straightjacket, and his head is bowed. This is SIMON. On the edge of the circle, half in the light, half in the darkness, stands the DOCTOR. We can’t see his face but he circles Simon, questioning him.  Simon says not a word.

DOCTOR
Simon, you’re making this unnecessarily difficult. (Pause) I need you to talk to me. Do you understand? I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me. Trust me, Simon, I’m a Doctor. Do you know where you are? Do you know why you’re here? (Pause) What’s wrong Simon, cat got your tongue? No, that’s not it at all. There are so many doors in your head, so many shadows and corners to hide in. Why are you running, Simon? I just want…to help.

(The Doctor bangs his hand on the table, and gets into Simon’s face.)

DOCTOR (CONT’D)
Fine, be that way, but there is no door I cannot enter, no shadow I cannot search. I’m going to find you Simon; I’m going to give you what you deserve…help.

CUT TO:

EXT. PARK

Simon is running wildly. Over grass and through trees he keeps on running. He brushes a branch out of his face. Simon can’t stop running. He feels a strange fear but he doesn’t know what he’s running from.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. ROOM

Simon sitting motionless in the room. The Camera swirls around him.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. PARK

Simon runs a cross a bridge and disappears into the distance.

Scene Two
EXT. PARK

Simon finally slows down. He takes a deep weary breath.

CARD MAN (V.O.)
Hello Simon.

(Simon turns. There sitting on a bench shuffling is THE CARD MAN.)

CARD MAN (CONT’D)
I’ve been waiting for you.

(He starts to deal. Simon approaches, cautiously.)

SIMON
Do I know you?

CARD MAN
Maybe yes, maybe no. You can never be sure. For now just play the game.

SIMON
If I stay too long he’ll catch me.

(Simon sits and the Card man deals. They’re playing blackjack.)

CARD MAN
Who?

SIMON
I-I don’t know.

CARD MAN
Best not to worry about it.

The Card man turns back to the game, but Simon notices someone sleeping in the background, this is ROBERT.

SIMON
Who’s that?

CARD MAN
You tell me.

SIMON
He looks familiar but…

CARD MAN
Blackjack! (Pause) Don’t worry about him. He’s just sleeping.

SIMON
Will he ever wake up?

CARD MAN
That’s not up to me. I’m the Card Man, nothing more, nothing less.

SIMON
Then who’s it up to?

CARD MAN
Ah, ah, ah! That would be telling. You ask a lot of questions, Simon. Why don’t you try answering mine? What are you running from? I wonder if you even know.

SIMON
Of course I know!

CARD MAN
Oh?

SIMON
I-I well I…Its just that I feel like I should know. That I’ve forgotten something very important.

CARD MAN
I’ve found that the best way to know where you’ve been is to find out where you’re going and work backwards.

SIMON
Then where am I going?

CARD MAN
The Room.

SIMON
What Room?

CARD MAN
It’s what you deserve.

SIMON
What’s that supposed to mean?

CARD MAN
What ever you want it to mean.

JUMP CUT TO:
Simon running fast. A close up of a hand clutching a throat.

FADE TO:

Scene Three
EXT. TOP OF THE ARCH

Simon is standing in the middle of an arch. He looks around confused.

THE LADY (V.O.)
It’s alright Simon.

Simon turns startled and sees THE LADY.

THE LADY (CONT’D)
I’m a friend.

SIMON
A friend? What? I was just…I was with…

THE LADY
...the Card man yes I know. I brought you here. He wasn’t safe.

SIMON
Safe? But…

THE LADY
He was stalling for time. Someone bought his loyalty.

SIMON
Who? No wait. I remember now. He said he wanted to help me.

THE LADY
The Card man?

SIMON
No… the other one.

EXT. PARK
The Card man is sitting shuffling his cards. He feels a presence. He looks up and sees the Doctor standing above Robert’s sleeping form. The Doctor meets the Card man’s eyes and smiles.

EXT. TOP OF THE ARCH

THE LADY
You don’t want his kind of help.

SIMON
No. The Card man mentioned a room, but…

THE LADY
He had no right. The Card man has never been so bold.

EXT. ARCH
Beneath the arch, the Doctor appears out of thin air.

EXT. TOP OF THE ARCH
The Lady looks around worried.

THE LADY
He’s here.

SIMON
What? (Then he sees the Doctor standing below.) Oh, him.

The Doctor is looking around almost like a predator smelling the air, searching for the scent of his prey.

THE LADY
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men.

SIMON
Huh?

Scene Four
INT. CLASSROOM

Simon is standing at the blackboard with a piece of chalk clutched in his hand. He jumps back startled dropping the chalk. On the board the phrase: “Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall” is written many times. Simon stares in shock.

ROBERT (V.O.)
Humpty Dumpty…

Simon turns.

EXT. PARK

Simon has turned to face Robert.
ROBERT
...had a great fall.

SIMON
I know you. You were sleeping when I talked to the card man.

ROBERT
You know me better then that Simon. But I’m not surprised. He said you wouldn’t remember me.

SIMON
Why should I?

ROBERT
You haven’t got a clue, do you? (Laughs) I could destroy this world you’ve built with a single word. Should I tell you, Simon? Do you really want to know?

Robert pushes Simon to the ground.

ROBERT (CONT’D)
You’re going to get what’s coming to you.

EXT. TOP OF THE ARCH
The Doctor turns and looks up right up at the camera and smirks.

Scene Five
EXT. PARK

Simon runs with the Doctor always just behind.
EXT. PLAYGROUND
Simon is swinging back and forth. He smiles contentedly. Finally, he’s really escaped. We pull back to see the Doctor pushing the swing.
DOCTOR
Gotcha!
FADE OUT.

Scene Six
INT. THE ROOM W/ NO DOORS

Simon is sitting in the chair with his straightjacket on. The Doctor circles him.

DOCTOR
Welcome back Simon. I’ve missed you.

SIMON
What the hell do you want?

DOCTOR
A million dollars, but right now I just want to help.

SIMON
I don’t need your help.

DOCTOR
No? Then tell me who this is.

He throws a picture of Robert on the table.

SIMON
I don’t know. All I know is that he attacked me, and said something about Humpty Dumpy.

DOCTOR
No Simon. None of that really happened. It was all in your head, the Card man, the Lady, all of it.

SIMON
What?

DOCTOR
Oh, I apologize. I thought you knew. You’re crazy Simon, round the bend, out of your mind, one card less then a full deck, a raving lunatic, psychotic, criminally insane.

SIMON
Liar! How dare you?

DOCTOR
Don’t you remember Simon? Don’t you remember coiling your fingers round his neck and chocking the life out of him? Don’t you remember the look on his pale lifeless face? Don’t you remember what you are…murderer!

SIMON
It’s not true. All lies, all lies.

DOCTOR
The first step to solving a problem is recognizing it.

INT. MURDER ROOM
Robert is standing to one side. Simon comes in behind him.

SIMON
Robert…

Robert turns.

SIMON (CONT’D)
You’re going to get what’s coming to you.

Simon strangles Robert.

INT. THE ROOM W/ NO DOORS
Simon is sitting, dejected, broken. The Doctor stands above him triumphant.

DOCTOR
Do you know where you are?

SIMON
The Room.

DOCTOR
Do you know why you’re here?

SIMON
It’s what I deserve.

DOCTOR
You remember, then?

SIMON
Everything.

DOCTOR
And you’re not going to do something stupid like try to break yourself again.

SIMON
No.

DOCTOR
It wouldn’t have worked anyway; you can’t escape the truth anymore. Last time I made a few mistakes, but this time it truly is a room with out doors. Now that I’ve cured your self-induced amnesia, I am no longer your Doctor. I’m your jailor and this is where you will spend the rest of eternity.

Simon looks at the Doctor.

SIMON
Wait a minute. This is the room with no doors? No one can get in or out.

DOCTOR
Yes.

SIMON
Then you’re stuck here with me. So Doctor, what was your crime?

The Doctor throws back his head and laughs. We pull back to see that he is seated in the chair with a straightjacket on laughing. He morphs into Simon also laughing, quite insane.

FADE TO BLACK.

SIMON (V.O.) (CONT’D)
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.

DOCTOR (V.O.)
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

SIMON/ DOCTOR (V.O.)
And all the King’s horses and all the King’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again.

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