THE WITNESS

Alberto Mielgo

EXT. CITY - MORNING

An UNNAMED CITY mixing elements of Berlin, Hong Kong,
Amsterdam and nowhere. The streets are narrow, the buildings
are worn.

FLASH FORWARD - INT. MAN'S APARTMENT - MORNING

TWO PEOPLE are locked in a vicious struggle.

INT. SHITTY HOTEL ROOM - MORNING

A beautiful WOMAN stands in front of a mirror,
applying lipstick.
BANG! BANG! Two nearby gun shots startle her! Her
lipstick smears across her lips.

THE WOMAN
Ohno ...

Then-three more gunshots! BANG BANG BANG!

She goes to the window. THROUGH WINDOW - in the apartment
across the street - A MAN holds a gun.

INT. MAN'S APARTMENT - MORNING

The Man breathes heavily. There's been a struggle. Blood
on his face. Blood on the walls.
He senses her eyes watching him. He turns, slowly. Looks out
the window. In the apartment across the street-he sees The Woman.
A WITNESS.
They lock eyes. Both are horrified for their own reasons.
He turns back to look at the DEAD WOMAN on the floor
 behind him. She's half-naked, covered with a thin red robe. Ber
mouth is smeared with lipstick.
Just like the woman across the street.
He looks back out his window but The Woman across the
street is gone.

INT. SHITTY HOTEL ROOM - MORNING

The Woman, terrified,_ kneels ~eneath the frame of the Window. In
the bed behind her, a man hes sleepmg. She grabs money from the night.
stand, crawls toward the door, keeping low.

INT. SHITTY HOTEL STAIRWELL- CONTINUOUS

Clinging to her coat and bag, she flies down the steps.

INT. MAN'S APARTMENT BALCONY - MORNING

The Man watches as-

EXT. SHITTY HOTEL - MORNING

The Woman bursts out onto the sidewalk, looks up to see The Man
is still there at the window. He sees her. She turns and runs to a nearby
taxi.

INT. MAN'S APARTMENT- CONTINUOUS

The Man runs towards the door.

INT. MAN'S APARTMENT STAIRWELL-CONTINUOUS

He runs down the building's stairs.

1/E. CAB - MORNING

th
The Woman bangs on the roof of the cab before she huddles in e
back seat.

EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING -MORNING

He sees her drive off in a cab.

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 THE WITNESS
THE MAN
(to himself)
Fuck.

INT. CAB - MORNING

The Woman turns to look through the rear windshield. She
dials her phone.

POLICE WOMAN (V.O.)

(on phone)
EmergenctJ services. What's your emergency?

THE WOMAN
Hello... ? I think I saw a murder...

POLICE WOMAN (V.O.) (on phone)

Location, please.

THE WOMAN
I think the killer's after me...

POLICE WOMAN (V.O.)

Right. Location, please?

THE WOMAN
Yes, yes, the-the-the hotel.
Fuck. The Blue Henderson? The Blue Harrington!

POLICE WOMAN (V.O)

The Blue Harrington?

THE WOMAN
But no, no wait. It's the building right in front. He saw me from the
window. I was in
the hotel. He was not. Uh, second-second floor. Ner- third floor-

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 ,c ill
POLICE WOMAN (V.O.) (interrupting her)
Ma'am. What's your name?

THE WOMAN
Just send someone!

POLICE WOMAN (V.O.)

Ma'am, we-
She hangs up.

THE WOMAN
Shit. Okay, okay.

She dials another number. As it rings, she rummages in her

purse. She puts on her sunglasses.

AUTOMATED VOICEMAIL
You have reached the number of ..

VLADIMIR (V.O.) (garbled)

... Yes, it's Vladimir... leave a message.

THE WOMAN (leaving message)

Vladimir? I'm on my way there. Please be there ...

She hangs up and slams the phone against the seat.

THE WOMAN
Shit.

ANOTHER CAB pulls up next to them. The Man sits in the back of
the other cab. He stares through the window into her cab. Trying to see
if it's her, the same The Woman.
Distracted, she has no idea he's there.
From the other cab, The Man stares at her, fascinated and hor-
rified. She remains unaware of how dose he is.
The light turns green.

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 THE WITNESS
EXT. CITY - MORNING
Both cabs drive through city revealing an incredible landscape of
windows, roads and overpasses.

EXT. MARKET/MALL-MORNING
The cab pulls to a halt. She grabs her belongings and runs out
of the cab in a hurry.

INT. MARKET/MALL STAIRWELL-CONTINUOUS

The Woman jogs up a narrow staircase. She knocks on a door
illuminated by cold pink light.
A tall HOST wearing red latex from head-to-toe, heavy makeup,
and a homed headdress opens the door. The music thumps loudly from
behind another door at the end of the short hallway.

HOST
About time you got here. What the fuck, bitch!

Both begin speaking at the same time.

HOST
You are fucking late. You missed your show. I cannot believe you. Just
shit it.

THE WOMAN
Hi, sorry ... yeah, no, I know ... I... just ... I know, I know ...

HOST
This is a fucking disaster. I mean look at me.

THE WOMAN
... fuck ... I just saw a murder!

HOST
Ewm gross. I mean, you always have the most bizarre excuses. Just
come in and get read y!

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 • X II
THE WOMAN
Ok, ok. I am going to dance. Fuck.

The Host pushes The Woman inside the club.

THE WOMAN ( CONTD)

But I need to see Vladimir, is he here?

HOST
Yeah, yeah, he's here, he's here. Somewhere. I don't know.

At the very same moment, The Host hears The Man walking up
the stairs. She shifts her attitude and demeanor quickly.

HOST (CONTD)
Oh, hi. Hello, young man! Are you a member?

When The Man sees the Host at the door, he stops.

MAN (surprised and embarrassed)

...Oh,no ...

HOST
Oh, you are not... it's ok, don't worry! You want to see some PUSSY?!?!?

INT. STRIP CLUB DRESSING ROOM - MORNING

The Woman walks alone into the changing room and starts
dressing for her performance. All the while, the Host seats The Man
in the audience.

INT. STRIP CLUB HALLWAY -MORNING

The Host leads the Man to-

INT. STRIP CLUB STAGE- MORNING

The club is strange and full of fetishes. Audience members sit 00
the floor and on sofas, all wearing latex and masks, except The Man•
Everyone turns and notices him.

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 THE WITNESS
HOST
Make some room.

The Host takes to center stage, grabs the rnic, and begins
. dUCl·ng the next act, the Woman's performance.
intro

HOST (CONTD) (irritated)

May I have your attention, please bitches? ... Because ... our next dancer is
here, finally ... YEAH ... TO ... AROUSE ...

The Woman walks out onto the stage and the shadow-crowd leans
forward. As she begins her dance, the music picks up, pulsing itself into
a violent fury.
She begins slowly, hesitantly, but soon she begins to lose herself
in the rhythm. She whips her body around. Her dance is overwhelm-
ingly sexual.
The dance reaches a climax. As it does, she looks up and
sees, a face watching her from the crowd -
- it's the killer.
Her eyes go wide. The spell of the dance broken.

INT. CHANGING ROOM-MOMENTS LATER

The Woman, nude save for her stiletto heels, explodes back into
the changm
· F . .
groom. rantic, she pulls on a robe. Grabs her belongings.

INT. STRIP CLUB STAGE- MORNING

The Man struggles to free himself from the tangle of bodies.

INT. HALLWAY -CONTINUOUS

She hu . fr
ings rnes om the changing room, her arms full of her belong-
, anct scurn d
left. es own the narrow hall. She knocks on a door to the

THE WOMAN
VLADIMIR!

35
 •x~
There's no answer.She casts a terrified glance over her should
then opens the door. er,

INT. VLADIMIR'S OFFICE

The Woman shuts the door behind her. She's in a dark, mystenaus
office.

THE WOMAN
Vladimir.
Vladimir happens to be inside the room. Unconscious, half-naked
,
half-asleep, and extremely high. Useless, lying on a messy bed. We can
barely distinguish the few other bodies strewn about the bed, naked
girls, also high. Vladimir is mumbling, speech slurred by the drugs and
unintelligible. She runs to him.

VLADIMIR
Penalty!

THE WOMAN
(slaps his face) Fuck. Vladimir. Shit.

Vladimir is a total mess, The Woman is hopeless. She turns her

head, we can feel her wheels turning, something in her expression -evil
and desperate. She turns back and walks to a nearby dresser.

VLADIMIR
Keep is straight.

The Woman beg:ms . teanng

. through drawers. In one: noth'mg buta
rainbow of pills in various bottles. In another: sex toys. Finally ... a gun.
She grabs it, stuffing it in her purse, and leaves the room as fast
as she can.

INT. HALLWAY - MOMENTS LATER

She exits into the hallway.

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- THE WITNESS
As she closes the door behind her, we see The Man, only feet away
from her.
They stare at each other for a long beat, studying one
another.
He takes a step towards her- she THROWS her clothes at him and
RUNS through an emergency exit, SCREAMING, her red robe flowing
behind her, her handbag clutched close.

EXT. MARKET/MALL- MORNING

The Man chases her down the stairwell and through
the labyrinth of the empty mall.

MAN
Fuck.

EXT. STREETS - MORNING

The Woman runs down an alleyway that leads onto a main street.
Still empty, still early AM.
The Man reaches the alleyway, hears the click-clack-dick- clack
of her heels, runs into the main street, and sees her in the near distance.

MAN
Wait a second.

She SCREAMS as she runs.

He bolts after her. She does a half-hop step and pulls her heels
off. Ditches them.

MAN (CONT'D)
Just fucking WAIT!

~he flees along an overpass, then runs down a side street. The
fllan
IS · · . .
down. gaming on her. She flings boxes in his path to slow him

MAN (CONT'D)
Hold On. Wait a second. Just wait a fucking minute.

37
 • )( ii
She sprints under an overpass SCREAMING in hopes
someone hears her. The Man calls after her.

MAN(CONTD)
Wait!

Nearing exhaustion, she tries door after door, looking for some
respite. They're all locked.
She tries another door. It OPENS. She ducks inside.

INT. MAN'S APARTMENT BUILDING- MORNING

She sprints up the stairs. On her way up, she tries every door. On
the third floor she finally reaches a door that's unlocked.

INT. MAN'S APARTMENT-MORNING

The Woman dives in. Clicks the lock. And for a second, she
feels secure.
She creeps away from the door. Exhausted, panting.

INT. MAN'S APARTMENT BUILDING -MORNING

The Man enters, confused but relaxed.

INT. MAN'S APARTMENT- MORNING

The Woman listens to the Man's FOOT STEPS, get
closer. Closer. They stop at the door. He's right outside. He
tries the door. But it's locked. She might be okay. Then she
hears the sound of KEYS. Her face contorts in horror ... What
the hell? Why does he have keys?
The keys slide into the lock. The lock clicks. The door
opens.
The Man steps into the apartment. The Woman desper·
ately searches through her bag.

MAN
(panting, exhausted)
Oh ... hi .. . hi...

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 THE WITNESS
The Woman keeps searching frantically until she finally pulls out
the gun.

MAN(CONTD)
Let's just talk. Just chill out.

The Man sees the gun and stops in his tracks.

MAN(CONTD)
Holy shit!

She starts walking back and he steps slowly towards her.

MAN(CONTD)
Let's just talk.

Then, The Man LUNGES for the pistol. They WRESTLE over it,
bodies twisting and thrashing. Crash! Smashing against furniture, glass,
mirrors ... ! BANG!
He grabs the gun. The fight is chaotic. Messy. BANG BANG BANG!
Three more shots.
The fight stops.
The Woman staggers to her feet, breathing hard. Wind from the open
balcony window rustles her red robe. The gun heavy in her hand.
We recognize now that it's the SAME APARTMENT The Man was
in at the beginning.
The Man dies slowly at her feet, gazing up at his murderer - still in
shock, not believing his own eyes.
Then The Woman senses something. Eyes watching her. She turns
slowly. Looks into the apartment across the street.
There - staring back at her - a MAN identical to the one she's just
killed.
A WITNESS.
They lock eyes. Both horrified for their own reasons.

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