WRITTEN BYDavid Hemingson
SCREENPLAY PROFILE
This page presents the The Holdovers (2023) screenplay, written by David Hemingson, as 141 navigable scenes across 108 pages. Search the text, isolate a character’s dialogue, or link directly to any scene.
Six BOYS, all in coat and tie, all holding hymnals, stand by a CHRISTMAS TREE, listening attentively to a CHOIRMASTER.
The Choirmaster gives each boy his note, and the choir begins to sing “OH LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM.” It’s beautiful.
Snow falls on a working-class New England town in decline. Taverns, churches and weather-beaten houses taper off toward a shuttered textile mill close to a river.
Gothic spires and Georgian buildings. Ivy League romance, writ small.
As the last note rings out, the Choirmaster smiles at his young charges and critiques their performance, ending with...
Boys hurry across the frigid campus. A few of them toss a football as they hustle to class.
DANNY, a custodian, shovels the walkway, trying to keep pace with the storm. He stops to catch his breath and stares at the sky.
Establishing. A single light shines in a top-floor window.
A narrow room, blue with smoke and crowded with books. Classical music on the radio. Out the window, snow continues to fall.
PAUL HUNHAM, a heap of rumpled corduroy, grades exams at his desk, pipe wedged between his teeth.
Exhausted by the mediocrity, Paul drops his pencil and lights his pipe. As he glances at a whiskey bottle, we see that one eye veers dramatically to the left.
WOMAN’S VOICE (O.S.) Mr. Hunham?
WOMAN’S VOICE (O.S.) Dr. Woodrup asked to see you.
Paul opens the door to find MISS CRANE, a bright-eyed, middle- aged secretary, holding a plate with a napkin over it.
Paul starts to close the door. Miss Crane doesn’t move.
She smiles, lipstick on her teeth. He takes the plate, nods and closes the door.
“TIME HAS COME TODAY” by The Chambers Brothers crackles onto the soundtrack as we go to --
The song blares from a portable record player as a scrum of Boys shout and shove, dressing -- oxford, tie, blazer -- as they get ready to go home. One emerges from the shower at the end of the hall.
ANGUS TULLY, 17, hurriedly packs the suitcase atop his bed. He retrieves a PHOTOGRAPH from his nightstand drawer and slips it into his suitcase.
Knucklehead DOUG CRANDALL approaches, brushing his teeth, and plucks a BLACK SPEEDO from the suitcase.
Crandall spits in the sink. Angus rinses it away.
Crandall walks away, still brushing his teeth.
Hostile TEDDY KOUNTZE, 16, comes by in his robe.
HANS HARRIMAN approaches with a small bag of pot.
Head cook MARY LAMB leads half a dozen KITCHEN WORKERS toiling over an industrial-sized range, stirring oatmeal, scrambling eggs and frying bacon.
Mary glances up from her work to notice the snow falling outside the window.
Bundled up against the cold in a time-worn duffle coat, pipe between his teeth, Paul briskly crosses the snowy campus. Boys race past him toward the dining hall.
A grand room -- high ceiling, animal trophies -- teeming with hungry boys.
AT THE MASTERS’ TABLE
Professors ROSENSWEIG and ENDICOTT eat breakfast.
Endicott glances at an empty chair.
Large and stately. Portraits of past headmasters.
Paul stands before an acre of desk. DR. HARDY WOODRUP, late 40s, sits writing a list and smoking. His wardrobe may be Brooks Bros, but his beard says 1970.
Paul’s eyes settle on a crystal bottle of COGNAC tied with ribbon.
Woodrup looks at him.
Woodrup absorbs Paul’s “praise,” then finishes writing and hands over a LIST. Paul swivels his head to read it.
Hardy rubs the bridge of his nose. This bullshit again.
Paul fixes him with a sour stare.
Ten Boys impatiently await their teacher -- among them Angus, who checks his watch and looks --
Pimply CARTER CROCKER turns to Kountze, alarmed.
Paul bursts through the door, blue books in hand.
Whistling happily, Paul drops exam after exam onto the Boys’ desks. They stare with queasy disbelief at the parade of Cs, Ds and Fs. Angus, however, got a B+.
Panicked murmurs of agreement. Paul absorbs the squall of emotion and draws a breath, resigned.
A wave of relief washes over the room.
Gasps of incredulity. What an asshole.
Silence, as all await Paul’s response to this insubordination.
Paul slams his textbook shut.
Paul leaves. The Boys rise. Kountze stares menacingly at Angus, who knows he fucked up but can’t show remorse. Contrition equals weakness.
The mood is festive, abuzz with anticipation for the coming holiday. Accompanied by a booming PIPE ORGAN, FATHER JOE leads a hymn.
CLOSE-UPS of the walls, where names of alumni killed in war are carved into stone. We end on a portrait of CURTIS EZRA LAMB in uniform, with a plaque bearing the dates 1951-1970.
STUDENTS, PARENTS and STAFF clog the pews. Mary sits prominently in the front row, a cardigan over her uniform.
ANGUS looks around for his parents. Seated just behind him, Kountze leans forward menacingly.
Paul glares at Endicott, who is seated next to him.
Mary can barely hide a mix of powerful emotions -- grief, anger, resentment -- behind a stoic face.
The organ starts. All stand and surge toward the exits.
SHOUTS OF JOY as boys hauling suitcases and duffel bags rush toward a line of Mercedeses, Jaguars and Cadillacs.
Angus scans the cars with growing concern.
Angus clutches the receiver.
Paul addresses the holdovers. In addition to our old friend Kountze, there are --
JASON SMITH, the long-haired senior we saw throwing a football. Up close, he’s chiseled and muscular, a heavy- lidded Viking warrior/Zen master.
YE-JOON PARK, 15, wide-eyed and innocent.
ALEX OLLERMAN, 14, pale as a light bulb.
Eyes red, Angus enters with his suitcase.
Angus drops his suitcase. Paul notes his agony but forges on.
The boys haul their bags toward the Infirmary.
Angus stops to light a cigarette. Smiles at Kountze.
Kountze grabs the lighter from Angus and sparks a joint. Ollerman and Park look at each other, terrified.
Kountze ignores him and pulls hard on the joint.
Smith looks around. The coast is clear.
Smith takes a toke.
Kountze has just spotted TWO MEN in hunter’s orange emerging from the chapel -- with the Christmas tree.
TOWNIE #1 The school sold it back to us. Scotch pine, still fresh.
TOWNIE #2 Yeah, we’re gonna put it back on the lot. Do it every year.
Mary has a smoke and a drink at a small table in the back. Paul enters.
Paul wants to comfort her but is ill-equipped.
He spots a bottle of BOURBON.
She grabs a mug for him and reaches for the bottle.
Their beds staked out, the boys are settling in.
Angus roots through his suitcase. Kountze tosses a tennis ball against the wall close to Park, who reads a book.
Kountze leaps to his feet, relishing the confrontation.
As the enormity and accuracy of this lands on Kountze, he LUNGES at Angus. Real violence. Smith pulls them apart.
FOOTSTEPS in the hallway. Paul enters and surveys the room. Kountze is in the corner, wounded and shaken. Angus is flushed. Their uniforms are askew.
Paul glares, waiting for someone to break.
The boys suppress a laugh.
Kountze sits apart and with no plate.
Mary enters and sets down a platter of chicken, potatoes and asparagus in front of Paul and the other boys.
As Mary returns to the kitchen, the boys reach for the food, all hands and elbows.
Mary returns to the table with a pitcher of water.
Kountze looks up -- “Join us?” Mary clocks his disdain.
Mary exits.
The other boys are unsure whether to agree or be horrified, or both.
Paul opens the door, looks inside. The boys are asleep.
Like a night watchman, Paul, keys and flashlight in hand, checks the campus -- CLASSROOMS, MUSIC ROOM, BASEMENT. He opens each door, peers inside. All quiet. Finally, he peers into the HEADMASTER’S OFFICE. His beam finds the bottle of Cognac.
Climbing stairs, Paul hears TV LAUGHTER.
Paul follows the sound through an auxiliary kitchen and finds Mary smoking, shelling walnuts and watching TV, a bottle of bourbon and a mug nearby.
He sits on the couch. She crosses to the kitchen.
Mary returns with a second mug. She sits down next to him and pours him a shot.
The wind whistles outside, competing with the rise and fall of TV laughter. Paul sips his bourbon. Mary nods at the TV.
Silence, which is broken by APPLAUSE from the studio audience.
Paul enters, stares at the sleeping boys, then BANGS BEDPANS.
The boys groan themselves awake.
The boys run laps as Paul, in his duffle coat, smokes and motions, “Go faster.”
Glaring, they pick up the pace. Paul coughs and hacks.
The boys study inside an immense study hall with 250 desks. Paul sits reading at the proctor’s table.
Angus has an English textbook open, inside of which is an issue of ZAP comics... and the SKIN MAG he got from Harriman.
Kountze stares at him, seething. Angus smiles and flips him off.
It’s full of books and family photos, many of Curtis, of course. Music plays softly on a hi-fi.
Mary sits at her dining table doing a CROSSWORD PUZZLE.
The boys walk along the river. Church bells echo and die in the distance.
Smith leads, football in hand. Angus brandishes a branch.
Smith stops to spark a joint.
Smith glances at Kountze as if to say “go long.” Smith tosses him the football, and they drift away, playing catch.
Kountze runs back into frame, grabs one of Ollerman’s gloves and throws it in the river.
Kountze shoves Ollerman to the ground and, laughing, runs to catch up with Smith. Ollerman heads over to retrieve his glove.
Ollerman returns, breathing hard.
Ollerman thinks, then runs back to throw his other glove into the river. Angus smiles at the sheer poetry of his action.
The glove floats downstream. Ollerman watches it disappear.
Angus awakens to Park crying in the bed next to his.
Angus sits up and turns to Park.
Park smiles, consoled. Angus lies down. Sniffs his hand.
The boys study. Paul reads, mug at his elbow, and coughs wetly.
All notice the sound of a faint ROAR growing in volume.
Paul and the boys rush to the window to see --
A HELICOPTER ABOUT TO LAND
Also hearing the noise, Mary approaches the window.
Paul and the boys watch the chopper touch down near the Quad. Out steps handsome captain of industry HARRY “SKIP” SMITH.
Smith runs to greet his dad. The boys look at each other hopefully.
The boys peer through the office window as Paul speaks on the phone and Jason Smith chats amiably with his father.
Paul hangs up and turns to the Smiths. Jason grins and flashes a THUMBS-UP to his friends in the hallway.
Paul glances at Angus. His face falls.
Angus pleads with Paul.
CLOSE ON ANGUS, as the other boys merrily pack up their suitcases. Park hauls his bag off the bed and heads toward the door, his sad eyes burning with survivor’s guilt.
Park leaves. Smith emerges.
Smith follows Park. Now Kountze passes Angus, suitcase in hand.
Kountze tucks a photo into Angus’s shirt pocket.
Kountze exits. Angus pulls the picture out -- it’s him at eleven on a beach smiling with his mom and dad. Across their faces is scrawled the word “fuckwad.” Ollerman walks past with his bag, smiling that cinnamon-and-brown sugar smile.
The helicopter flies away. Observing, Paul and Angus turn grimly to each other. Hard to tell who’s more disappointed.
Paul hesitantly pats his shoulder. Percolating with hurt and rage, Angus just stares at the empty horizon.
Paul and Mary watch “The Newlywed Game” and drink from mugs. Angus is there as well, flopped on a sofa, half watching, half paging through a magazine.
Paul shakes his head, grimacing at the notion.
Mary looks at him -- the pipe, the scowl, the wonky eye. Angus glances over, too.
Mary and Angus exchange a look.
Paul, now in pajamas, occupies this separate, spartan space -- a bed and a sink -- used occasionally by a nurse. He stretches unsteadily, picks up a nearby bottle of Jim Beam and takes a deep pull. He puts the bottle down, mutters to himself and collapses heavily onto the thin mattress.
Paul is passed out atop the covers. The door opens. Angus peers inside, enters quietly, and glances around the room.
He sees the RING OF KEYS and the FLASHLIGHT.
Angus raids the freezer and chips away at a tub of freezer- burned ice cream.
Angus pours sacramental wine into a chalice. Gulps it down. Not bad! Hits it again.
Angus peers at Mary, asleep on the couch, test pattern on the TV.
Angus sits at the piano. Lights a cigarette. Strikes one key. As the note decays, he expels a column of smoke that hangs in the moonlight.
Angus sits in the front pew, contemplating the photo of Curtis Lamb by the altar.
Mary enters the chapel, takes off her winter coat and takes a seat in a rear pew.
Angus notices her and nods a greeting. She nods back.
Paul and Angus eat lunch. Mary has coffee and a smoke.
He produces the Christmas cookies Miss Crane gave him.
Paul smiles thinly, bites into one, makes “yummy” noises. Angus stares at this loser.
Angus stalks out of the room. Paul looks at Mary, flummoxed.
Mary can’t help but laugh at his pathetic attempt.
Angus talks on a PAY PHONE.
Paul comes around the corner.
Paul hangs up the phone on him.
Paul stares at him incredulously, then pulls a slip of paper from his pocket.
Angus walks away.
Angus sets off down the hallway, knocking over trash cans, tearing down fliers, general mayhem. Paul chases him.
Angus rounds a corner, stops, and turns to peer back at Paul, who is huffing and puffing in pursuit.
As Paul struggles to catch up, Angus sprints away.
Angus dashes up stairs and across a room filled with mementoes honoring past athletes. He stops to wait for Paul, who is out of breath on the steps.
Once Paul reaches the top, Angus cartwheels toward the door to the --
Angus stands at the threshold. It’s pristine. Jordan Osgood’s father really did spend a lot.
Angus steps onto the freshly lacquered floor.
Despite the circumstances, Paul is impressed by Angus’s reference.
Angus eyes a POMMEL HORSE across the gym, takes a deep breath and runs toward it. He vaults over it but topples clumsily -- and hard -- on the other side.
A beat, then Angus rises to his knees, his LEFT ARM DANGLING oddly. He SCREAMS in agony.
Paul goes white.
A frantic Paul struggles to scrape the windshield of his 1964 NOVA. In excruciating pain, Angus wears his coat with only one arm in a sleeve.
Paul white-knuckles the wheel. Angus whimpers in the back.
Angus chokes back tears, the effort transforming his face. Paul realizes he’s just a terrified kid with a fucked-up arm.
Angus and Paul sit in a hallway.
A friendly NURSE comes by and hands Paul a clipboard.
Paul reluctantly starts writing -- it’s going to be official now. Angus clocks Paul’s dread and calls the Nurse back.
A shirtless Angus sits on a stretcher, his shoulder blade protruding at a sickening angle. Paul stands nearby. A young INTERN points at an x-ray.
The Intern and the Nurse wind a bedsheet around Angus, creating a slipknot with Angus’s shoulder at the center.
The Intern and the Nurse yank the bedsheet in opposite directions. Angus writhes and SCREAMS.
We hold on Paul’s horrified face and hear a wet POP!
His arm now in a SLING, Angus walks with Paul toward a small dispensary.
Paul hands over a prescription to a PHARMACIST.
The Pharmacist walks away.
A weather-beaten watering hole in the heart of Barton.
A working class tavern -- pizza, burgers, beer, jukebox, pinball machines. A TV shows protests, Nixon, and choppers with wounded.
Paul and Angus sit at a table. Angus scans the menu.
A WAITRESS approaches. Why, it’s none other than --
She smiles and exits. Paul watches her go. Angus grins.
They stare at each other. Angus peels off to the bathroom. Miss Crane returns.
Miss Crane LAUGHS. Paul joins in.
Miss Crane smiles warmly. Paul smiles back, a deer in the headlights.
OUTSIDE THE MEN’S ROOM
Angus exits and sees a young man playing pinball, kind of a PINBALL WIZARD. Angus approaches and lays a COIN on the edge of the machine.
Angus stares at him. He breaks his focus and loses the game.
Angus turns to see KENNETH, a YOUNG VET in an army jacket, a little drunk, and a HOOK where his right hand should be.
Angus stares at the hook.
Kenneth steps toward Angus. They’re nearly nose to nose now.
Kenneth pokes Angus in the chest with his hook.
Kenneth closes on Angus. Mayhem is a moment away.
Kenneth considers the offer. Finally, he steps back.
Paul and Angus leave the tavern.
Paul tosses his keys at Angus, who reflexively catches them.
Paul unlocks his Nova, but the door sticks, so he walks around to unlock the passenger side. He gets inside and slides over to the driver’s seat -- clearly a routine.
Angus gets in the car, too. Paul looks at him sadly.
Angus nods. Paul shoots looks at him, thinking. There are a hundred things to say, but he just starts the car.
Paul and Angus eat breakfast. Mary enters with her coffee.
Danny -- the custodian with the snowblower from the opening -- enters, carrying a mop and bucket.
Mary raises an eyebrow at Paul and Angus.
She looks at Danny. Danny sets the mop and bucket down beside Angus, then heads into the kitchen. Mary lights a cigarette and follows.
Taking a vigorous “constitutional,” Paul finds a FOOTBALL abandoned in the snow. He stares at it, then picks it up and throws it. It’s the most awkward throw ever.
Mary prepares a roast. Paul peels potatoes. A bottle of bourbon and two mugs sit nearby.
Angus enters and notices a PLATE OF BROWNIES on the table.
Angus snags a brownie and devours it.
Angus flings his half-finished brownie and storms out.
At a small sink with tiny mirror, Angus tries his hand at shaving. Really, there’s no need.
In a robe, Mary stands in front of her open closet flipping through dresses.
CURTIS’S DRESS UNIFORM hangs among her clothes. She pauses when she comes to it, then looks at a worn BROWN CARDBOARD BOX on the shelf above it. She touches the box, then chooses an outfit.
She glances out the window. It’s SNOWING again.
Paul stands at a mirror in a fresh shirt and tie under his corduroy jacket. He smooths his hair, checks his breath, discreetly smells himself. Not good. He heads into --
The Nova rattles past shuttered shops and darkened homes strung with Christmas lights.
A modest house on a tree-lined street.
Paul, Mary and Angus stand on the porch. Miss Crane opens the door. Already a little lit, she wears a bright “midi” dress and holds a highball.
They share a laugh. Miss Crane takes Mary’s arm and leads her into the party. Paul and Angus follow.
A Christmas party is in full swing. There’s a large silver Christmas tree in the corner. ADULTS drink, talk, laugh, smoke. KIDS run around.
She points to an OLDER LADY on the sofa, chatting with friends.
Then she points at a PRETTY WOMAN holding a THREE-YEAR-OLD BOY. The boy wears a dress shirt, tie and shoes, but no pants.
She points to ANOTHER MAN standing with a twelve-year-old BOY, both in matching turtlenecks.
On a mantel crowded with Christmas tchotchkes, Angus spots a SNOW GLOBE. He picks it up and shakes it. For a moment, the party falls away completely as he stares at the swirling snow, lost in a sweet, distant memory.
Jolted back to reality, he turns to Miss Crane, who stands with a lovely GIRL, 16.
Paul gives him a look.
Elise leads Angus away.
Miss Crane smiles and wanders off. Paul ambles over to the buffet. A PARTY GOER smiles at him. Paul smiles back but makes no effort to engage.
Elise leads Angus downstairs to sort of ARTSY-CRAFTSY AREA, where YOUNGER KIDS are gluing Popsicle sticks together and decorating them with glitter, pipe-cleaners and paint.
Angus can’t stop glancing at Elise.
He pulls a twisted Guernica face.
Mary stands by the hi-fi, drink in hand, clearly melancholy. Custodian Danny enters the party and spots her.
They exchange a chaste little hug.
An awkward moment. Danny produces a small gift.
Danny nods -- Go on, open it.
She unwraps the gift -- it’s a pin.
Mary smiles, almost despite herself.
Elise and Angus finger-paint.
She leans toward him, spreading the paint across the paper. Angus tries not to stare.
She smiles and keeps on painting.
She leans closer, pointing to a blank space. Their eyes meet. She smiles and kisses him gently. We can tell it’s his first. It takes a moment for him to process it before kissing back.
Paul examines the silver Christmas tree. Miss Crane approaches with his drink and kisses him on the cheek.
She hands him his glass of Jim and points at the ceIling.
Paul shakes his head, loath to get into something unpleasant.
Paul looks at her, wheels turning.
Miss Crane absorbs this and studies Paul.
She smiles at him -- dazzling even with the dark sentiments. A bittersweet Christmas moment.
Finally Artie Shaw’s “WHEN WINTER COMES” comes on.
A MALE GUEST heads toward the stereo.
He puts his arm around her. She removes it.
Teetering, she finds a seat. We move CLOSER to her as she listens. Danny looks at her, seeing she’s unreachable.
She has a point. Paul looks at her, touched.
He basks in this small intimacy. Behind him, the front door swings open. Her face lights up.
Paul turns to see a somewhat HANDSOME MAN taking off his coat and waving. She rushes to the door and greets him with a deep kiss. Paul’s smile fades. Angus comes over, concerned.
Angus pulls Paul across the living room and into--
-- where Mary stands by the sink, her back turned away. Danny is next to her, trying in vain to comfort her.
Paul approaches, finding Mary weeping quietly.
Stung, Danny retreats. Paul closes the door. Mary starts to SOB.
No more brave face. Real grief in real time. The enormity of her heartbreak leaves the men speechless.
Supporting her on either side, Paul and Angus guide Mary down the front steps and toward the Nova.
Angus heads over to open the car door.
She grabs his arm.
DAY 8 - CHRISTMAS DAY, 1970
Paul lies awake, staring at the ceiling. He sits up.
Now dressed, Paul looks in on Angus, still asleep.
More snow. Paul trudges toward the Nova.
The Nova motors past us.
The Townies in orange sit drinking coffee on the hatch of a pick-up. The Nova rattles up. Paul gets out.
TOWNIE #1 What can we do for you, chief?
TOWNIE #1 (pointing to runty trees) You’ve come to the right place. Big fire sale on all remaining inventory.
The Nova heads back to school, a small tree tied to its roof.
Paul is puzzled to find the room empty.
Paul enters to find Mary cooking, on the downslope of a hangover.
She shakes her head.
Paul scans the empty quad.
Now a little panicked, Paul ascends a stairway.
He hears MUSIC and follows the sound into --
Angus plays piano. Paul listens for a few moments before making his presence known.
Angus, Mary and a very proud Paul behold the bare tree, atilt in a makeshift stand. Beneath it sit three small GIFTS.
Paul picks up a gift and hands it to Angus.
Angus is so surprised that he just looks at it before unwrapping it. It’s a book.
Paul gives Mary a gift.
Mary opens it. It’s another copy of “Meditations.”
Paul hands Mary the remaining gift. It’s a badly-wrapped bottle of whiskey.
Paul hands Angus an envelope. He opens it. It’s a card stuffed with CASH. “Happy Holidays from Mom and Stanley.”
They exchange looks, a new sort of intimacy among them. Mary lights a cigarette.
She winks at him and smiles. Paul raises a glass.
Paul catches Mary and Angus’s look. Sighs.
Angus rises and sprints away happily.
The BOSTON SKYLINE comes into view.
The Nova pulls to the curb across from a TRIPLE-DECKER apartment building.
Paul puts it in park.
Who’s not getting the hint?
Angus gets out, opens the trunk, grabs Mary’s bag and the BOX we saw earlier.
Angus carries her luggage and the Box and crosses the street.
Paul takes Mary’s hand and squeezes it. She makes a face.
Through the windshield they watch Angus navigate the stairs. On the second level he looks down. Mary opens her door.
They see Angus summit the stairs and put the bags down. Mary’s sister PEGGY and her husband LESTER come onto the balcony and wave.
Mary’s face lights up. She calls back to Peggy.
She turns to Paul.
Mary gets out, slams the door, crosses the street and passes Angus at the bottom of the stairs.
Angus takes her arm and they begin the ascent.
The room is being converted into a nursery. Someone has started painting a wall, and there’s a crib in the corner. Mary is seated on the bed. The Box is next to her.
She stands, picks up the Box and carries it to a bureau. She opens it, revealing OLD BABY CLOTHES. She takes out a bottle, then a pair shoes. She holds them for a moment, smiles sadly, then starts putting the items into the drawers.
Peggy appears in the doorway. Mary turns. They look at each other. Mary takes a step toward her. They hug for a long time.
Mary and Peggy sit on the bed, talking and laughing. Lester sticks his head in. The women don’t notice him. He smiles and keeps moving.
Paul and Angus walk the sun-dappled, snowy streets...
...through bustling crowds going about their holiday business.
Paul and Angus browse at an outdoor bookstore open even during winter. Soon a HOOKER in a short coat and go-go boots wanders by. She approaches Paul.
This is hopeless. The Hooker walks away.
They leave the bookstore. Paul lights his pipe.
Paul and Angus wander among ancient Greek artifacts.
Paul directs Angus’s attention to a display of CERAMICS.
On the vase, a naked Greek couple are seriously going at it.
Paul gestures around the room, and we cut to CLOSE-UPS of the art -- conquest, passion, sacrifice.
Paul looks at him, then down, straining not to feel hurt.
Festooned for the holidays, the public rink is alive with SKATERS.
From the sidelines, Paul watches Angus skate laps, quietly marveling at the lad’s vitality.
Paul and Angus leave, a new ease between them.
Paul turns to see a COUPLE, Paul’s age, approaching at speed. They have that holiday glow.
Paul’s forced jocularity vanishes, and he marches away.
Paul just keeps walking.
Paul enters and starts scanning the shelves. Angus follows.
Paul finally sees his Jim Beam behind the register and approaches the stone-faced CASHIER.
Paul pulls out his wallet and pays the Cashier.
They exit the liquor store and walk around the corner.
Paul gives him a look -- “I’m more mysterious than you thought.” He cracks open the pint of Jim. Takes a pull.
A moment later --
Angus awakens to find Paul fully dressed.
Angus swings his legs out of bed. Paul gestures to a ROOM SERVICE TRAY.
Angus grabs something out of his suitcase but drops it on the way to the bathroom -- a BOTTLE OF PILLS. Paul picks it up.
Angus grabs a slice and disappears into the bathroom. Paul reaches into his suitcase, pulls out a BOTTLE OF LIBRIUM of his own, and unscrews the cap.
There’s a BAR inside, and Christmas decorations. LOCALS laugh, drink, bowl.
Angus rolls. Spare. Rolls again. Strike!
Paul rolls again. So-so.
Paul glares, then tries it. Much better.
Angus notices a LOCAL GIRL smiling at him from a nearby lane. Her GIRLFRIEND whispers to her. They laugh. Angus doesn’t quite know how to take this.
Paul just smiles before lifting his ball for another roll.
LATER - AT THE BAR
A bourbon lands in front of Paul. He takes a big slug.
In the distance, Angus now bowls with the girls. Paul shoots amused looks at Angus before losing himself in reverie.
Drinking and smoking a few barstools away is a gin-blossomed SANTA chatting with the BARTENDER.
Paul lights his pipe and leans towards them, full of bonhomie.
Paul puffs on his pipe, satisfied. The Bartender and Santa just stare at him. Who is this pedantic asshole?
Paul and Angus watch “Little Big Man,” popcorn between them.
Paul nods.
Angus walks downstairs from the balcony, but rather than heading for the bathroom, he chooses the front doors.
Engrossed by the film, Paul suddenly glances in alarm at Angus’s empty seat.
Paul emerges from the theater just in time to catch Angus climbing into a TAXI.
He sprints toward Angus, who slams the door shut. Paul opens it.
Angus stays put.
Through the taxi windshield, we motor up a long access road.
The taxi arrives at a large stone building.
An ORDERLY leads Angus and Paul up stairs and toward a door.
A look passes between Angus and Paul. Angus enters alone. Paul sits on a nearby bench.
A large, bright space for supervised visits. A couple of OTHER PATIENTS have visitors, too.
The Orderly enters with THOMAS TULLY, 50ish. He’s wearing hospital garb and his eyes have that glazed Thorazine look. The Orderly steers him towards Angus.
Angus embraces him.
Thomas doesn’t respond. Confusion in his eyes. The Orderly guides him to a table.
Father and son sit across from each other.
Thomas stares at him. Angus nervously fills the silence.
Thomas takes his hand. Angus leans forward eagerly, listening.
A TAXI heads back toward Boston. It’s snowing. Angus gazes sadly out the window. Paul sits beside him, watching him.
Angus sits across the table from Paul.
Paul trails off, stares into space. Angus takes note.
Angus absorbs this wide-eyed, like a benediction.
Mary approaches the table. They stand as Mary sits.
The host leaves, and shortly the WAITRESS approaches.
A WAITER at a nearby table sets fire to a chafing dish. A YOUNG COUPLE marvels at the spectacle.
The Waitress leaves in a snit.
Paul, Angus and Mary stand before a TAKEOUT CONTAINER atop the trunk of a car. Mary has a cigarette in her mouth and matches in her hand.
Paul unscrews his flask and soaks the cherries a little too much.
Mary lights a match and touches it to the cherries. FLAMES.
The flames shoot up so much that the takeout container catches fire.
The Nova heads home.
The threesome ride home in silence, and we observe each of them in close-up. Each smiles faintly.
Paul, Angus, Mary and Danny cluster around the TV -- GUY LOMBARDO AND HIS ROYAL CANADIANS.
Angus produces an M-80 from his pocket.
THE COUNTDOWN to 1971 begins. They turn to watch.
Paul shakes everyone’s hand.
They head to the adjacent kitchen area. Paul gives the M-80 to Angus and lights it for him. Angus throws it off-screen. LOUD EXPLOSION.
Through the windows we see the threesome hugging one another.
The CROSS-COUNTRY TEAM races across the quad in watch caps and grey sweats.
The Barton CREW cranks away on indoor rowing machines as the COACH keeps the cadence, urging them on.
The BASKETBALL TEAM runs drills on the new gym floor.
Boys dress, laugh, fight. Two play lacrosse in the hall. Smith steps from the shower, toweling his FRESHLY-CUT hair.
The cooks are back at work. Mary checks the seasoning on a big pot of soup.
Angus and the rest await the start of class. Kountze is terribly sunburned except for the outline of his goggles.
The boys groan and put their books on the ground. Angus and Paul share a conspiratorial smile.
A shiny Cadillac pulls up and parks. Out step a WELL-GROOMED COUPLE, and they head inside.
Paul sits alone at his desk, correcting exams. Miss Crane opens the door.
As Miss Crane and Paul arrive, Paul is surprised to find Angus seated in the waiting area. Their eyes meet.
Miss Crane opens Woodrup’s door, and a puzzled Paul crosses the threshold, still looking at Angus.
Miss Crane closes the door, glances at Angus, then hurries away down the corridor.
Dr. Woodrup sits across from the Well-Groomed Couple.
Stanley reaches into his coat and places the SNOW GLOBE atop Woodrup’s desk. It’s the same one we saw Angus playing with at Miss Crane’s Christmas party.
Angus overhears his fate being decided by muffled voices. Miss Crane returns, now accompanied by Mary in her kitchen whites and hairnet.
Miss Crane turns and leaves. Mary looks at Angus long and hard, then sits next to him, and takes his hand.
The reckoning continues.
Judy holds up a hand to quiet Stanley.
The Clotfelters and Dr. Woodrup look at Paul expectantly for a long beat. Then:
Mary and Angus wait, holding hands. They hear approaching footsteps.
Dr. Woodrup opens the door. Paul slowly walks over and joins Woodrup at the threshold.
Paul emerges. He looks squarely at Angus. Then at Mary. Again at Angus. Angus searches Paul’s face. Finally, Paul points to an eye.
Paul smiles thinly. Angus smiles back. As Paul walks away, the office door opens again.
ON PAUL, as he continues walking.
The place is largely emptied out. Paul is packing a box. In one box is a stack of copies of “Meditations.”
Mary appears in the doorway.
She hands him a small gift. He opens it. It’s a leather- bound NOTEBOOK. He’s touched.
Carrying a box to the parking lot, Paul passes a GROUP OF BOYS -- Smith included -- playing grab-ass football.
On the margins, Kountze, Angus and Park watch him pack up his U-HAUL TRAILER.
Angus doesn’t take his eyes off Paul.
TIGHT ON Kountze.
WIDE - Angus is no longer there.
Paul loads the last box. He slams the door to the U-Haul shut. Angus is there.
They look at each other a moment.
The BELL rings.
Reflexively, Angus takes a couple steps away, then turns.
They look at each other a long moment.
They lock eyes. They want to hug, but instead they just SHAKE HANDS. Angus abruptly starts running back to campus.
Paul watches him go until he disappears inside the building, and then stares after him for a moment or two longer.
The Nova, towing the U-Haul, drives past the Main Hall.
Paul’s face reveals the terror and hope he feels at leaving the only home he’s ever known.
He stops at the edge of the road.