Manlio Roseano

SYNOPSIS

Outline:

A traveller after loosing his path, ends up in a small cemetery.

At this point his journey becomes a metaphor for his inner journey in which strange evoked figures lead him to the end.

Script:

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT!

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1 EXT - COUNTRYSTDE ROAD - MORNING
On a sunny and quiet morning, the calm of a countryside road is disturbed only by a little breeze. A van, driving down the road, stops just after crossing a bridge on a little canal. From the back of the van a YOUMG MAN jumps down and signals the van to leave. He is a bit worn out and looks shabby from the journey; after picking up his bag, he walks towards the bridge. 

2 EXT - BRIDGE OVER A CANAL - MORNING
On the bridge the YOUNG MAN takes a map out or his bag and looks at it as he tries to keep it open against the morning breeze. With a stronger gust however, the map is swept away over the bridge. With a swift movement he tries to catch it back, but without success. He can only watch it floating away in the water below him. As if distracted by something, the YOUNG MAN raises his head and turns around. He sees TWO MUSICIANS walking along the bridge. The tallest one playing the flute and the other, the tambourine. They seem not to notice him and the only thing he can do is lean on the railing and silently observe. 

3 EXT - COUNTRYSIDE ROAD - DAY
The YOUNG MAN is now strolling down a deserted street, his bag on his shoulder. He takes a cigarette out of his jacket and tries to light it, struggling with the wind. Finally, he grows angry and annoyed, he throws the cigarette away and continues down the road. Suddenly a cyclist appears behind him and passes by. The cyclist is a FISHERMAN with all his fishing gear on the bike. The YOUNG MAN tries to catch the fisherman’s attention by shaking his arms in the air and shouting... The FISHERMAN notices him and turns around cycling back towards the YOUNG MAN. He then begins to cycle in cycles around him. They remain silent as they look and observe each other intrigued. As the FISHERMAN takes his leave, the YOUNG MAN, wanting to approach him a bit more, starts following him. The FISHERMAN speeds up and the YOUNG MAN also accelerates and ends up running after the FISHERMAN. But the man on the bike is fastest and disappears as he appeared down the left hand fork of he road. 

4 EXT - OUTSKIRTS OF THE CEMETERY - DAY
The YQUNG MAN stops running, tired and thirsty from the pointless race. He notices a fountain nearby, in front of a bush on the side of the road. As he drinks, he sees an old and sad cemetery hidden behind the bush. Out of pure intrigue and curiosity, he enters the cemetery and starts walking down the path, past the bush towards the nearest tombstones. 

5 EXT – CEMETERY - DAY
As the YOUNG MAN passes the bush a BLACK MAN suddenly pops out from behind it surprising the YOUNG MAN who stops at the sight of this strange character. The BLACK MAN is all dressed in white and holding an apple out and inviting him to take a bite. The YOIJNG MAN pushes back the hand of the BLACK MAN in refusal. A hand suddenly catches the YOUNG MAN from behind and makes him turn around. The hand belongs to a WQMAN all dressed in black. She has now completely grabbed the YOUNG MAN and starts dancing with him even though he seems quite reluctant to dancing with her. He looses his bag as they frenetically dance all aver the cemetery between the tombstones. As they arrive to the centre of the cemetery, the WOMAN spins him around so that he falls to the ground in front of a tombstone. As the YOUNG MAN pushes himself up again he glances at the tombstone and freezes with fright and looks at the grave as though he were hypnotised. He sees his face in the tombstone as though he was gazing at Death itself straight in the eyes. Frightened by his vision, he springs to his feet, but loosing his balance, he falls to the ground again to someone else’s feet, the fisherman’s feet. The FISHERMAN is there again, looking at the YOUN MAN intensely as he smokes his pipe. The YOUNG MAN turns around as he gets up again, but only to find the WOMAN behind him, as his state of fright rises, he notices the TWO MUSICIANS playing their instruments and perched like vultures on tombstones nearby. In a near state of shock, the YOUNG MAN is frozen, he can’t move. He just stands there staring at these strange characters evolving around him. A sudden burst of courage and adrenalin makes him move and he finally escapes from the strange scene and exits the cemetery running. 

6 EXT - OUTSKIRTS OF CEMETERY - DAY
As he runs out of the cemetery, the YOUNG MAN looks behind himself terrified, trips over his own bag and falls down. As he raises his head, a GIRL is standing in front of him smiling and bowing to him. The GIRL offers him a little bunch of flowers. The YOUNG MAN, still on the ground, is unable to say anything. His mouth slightly open in shock from what is happening to him, he takes the flowers as if he was enchanted by the GIRL. 

7 EXT - CANAL BRIDGE - DAY
The young man’s bag is now leaning on the railings of the bridge, nothing else in sight. Everything is like in the morning and under the bridge the water flows calm and constant taking with it the little bunch of flowers.