Do Not Disturb (Shooting Script) v2.

Joe Mischo & Stephanie Zamarripa

2020 joe.mischo@gmail.com
INT. HOTEL - DUSK

A key WIGGLES into place and a deadbolt TURNS. The door to a

modest hotel room swings open to reveal a young woman.

JUDY, a wiry tomboy in her late 20s, enters with a sigh,

tossing her purse on the bed and sitting down. She leans
forward, folding her hands, and takes a deep BREATH. She's
timid and fragile - like a white china tea cup that's been
glued back together.

She's wearing a bracelet that reads GEORGIA STREET RECEIVING

HOSPITAL.

Judy throws open the curtains and cracks the window before
LIGHTING a cigarette.

Staring out the window, Judy takes in the night. Sirens swirl
and traffic hums. Downtown Los Angeles is SLITHERING with
life and Judy gets lost in reverie.

AUDIO: AS JUDY ZONES OUT, THE AMBIENT SOUNDS OF THE DIEGESIS

BLEND TOGETHER TO FORM A LOW FREQUENCY HUM.

The sounds of a man and woman YELLING slowly rise up and out
of the sound bath until they're no longer muffled.

THE ANGRY MAN

What the fuck do you think you're
doing?

GRACE
Tom, please. I thought you'd be out
all night with the guys from work. I
had no idea...

Judy's ears perk up and she ashes the cigarette. She pauses
and turns to the wall connecting her room to the one next
door.

(A GLASS BREAKS)

Judy winces as the woman next door cries out.

THE ANGRY MAN

Shut your fucking mouth and clean this
up.

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 2.

(THUD!)

GRACE
(Inaudible).

Trembling, Judy faces straight ahead and turns up the volume

on the television.

CAMERA: THE CAMERA FLOATS LATERALLY OFF JUDY IN A TIGHT

PROFILE AND DRIFTS FORWARD TO THE OPEN WINDOW, EVENTUALLY
SETTLING.

(CRACK!)

GRACE
(Choking, GASP, screaming)

SOUND: AS WE MOVE CLOSER TO THE WINDOW, THE AUDIO SHIFTS FROM

SOUNDS OF ESCALATING VIOLENCE IN THE OTHER ROOM TO SOUNDS OF
THE CITY. AN AMBULANCE SIREN SWELLS AND BLENDS WITH CURTAINS
FLAPPING IN THE BREEZE UNTIL A DARK & HEAVY LOW FREQUENCY HUM
IS ALL THAT REMAINS.

CAMERA: THE CAMERA STARTS TO PULL STRAIGHT BACK FROM THE

WINDOW.

SOUND: LIKE COMING UP OUT OF WATER, THE DIEGESIS BLEEDS BACK

INTO THE AUDIO MIX. WE HEAR THE TELEVISION AND SOME RUSTLING
FROM THE NEXT ROOM.

CAMERA: LANDING WHERE WE LEFT JUDY, THE CAMERA FINDS AN EMPTY

FOOT OF THE BED WITH A SMOKING CIGARETTE IN AN ASH TRAY BUT
NO JUDY.

(A BOTTLE CLINKS AND A DRINK IS

POURED)

CAMERA: WE DRIFT TO THE HEAD OF THE BED AND REVEAL JUDY WITH
HER EAR PRESSED AGAINST THE WALL.

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 3.

SOUND: A BAG IS ZIPPED, THE MAN SPITS, DOWNS A DRINK AND

STOMPS OUT OF THE ROOM, SLAMMING THE DOOR.

Judy holds her breath, not daring to move, like a deer in

headlights. Her hand slides up the wall, feeling for any sign
of life. NOTHING.

With a JOLT, a dry croak reverberates through Judy's body.

The sounds of Grace's choking cries fill Judy's room.

CAMERA: THE CAMERA PUSHES IN CLOSER TO JUDY'S FACE, RIDING

THE WALL.

Judy sits there and listens to every delicate noise. There's

empathy and catharsis in her eyes.

Slowly, she forms a fist and... KNOCK.

Judy EXHALES and KNOCKS two more times. KNOCK! KNOCK!

(SILENCE)

A faint knock echoes Judy.

JUDY
Hello?

(NOTHING)

Judy KNOCKS again.

GRACE
Hello.

JUDY
I... I heard yelling and I wanted to
make sure no one was hurt.

GRACE
Everything's fine.

(PAUSE)

JUDY
Is he coming back?

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 4.

GRACE
I don't know...

JUDY
What did he do to you?

We hear Grace pour a drink from a liquor bottle and take a

big shot.

Judy thinks hard before raising her head.

JUDY
I can help you get a gun.

Grace lets out a sick laugh.

GRACE
He's put up with me for years, it's
the least I'd expect.

(SILENCE)

JUDY
My name's Judy.

GRACE
Grace.

JUDY
If he comes back, you ca--

GRACE
He's not coming back (raising her
voice).

(SILENCE)

GRACE
And now I really have no one.

JUDY
I'm sure that's not true.

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 5.

GRACE
I wish it wasn't. But I gave up and
now I have no one.

JUDY
Grace (pleading).

GRACE
I... I gave up my baby.

Grace breaks into a whimper.

GRACE
I gave up our baby (whispered).

Judy reaches out and places her entire palm against the wall
as if to comfort Grace through it.

JUDY
I'm so sorry. Is that why he's hitting
you?

GRACE
No. He doesn't know (crying).

JUDY
I'm here, Grace.

GRACE
Thank you.

JUDY
You're not alone.

GRACE
I am. But a life of loneliness is
better than a life of pain.

JUDY
I don't know..

GRACE
Loneliness is next godliness, isn't
that what they say?

JUDY
You mean cleanliness?

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 6.

GRACE
No, what I'm saying is that I've
chosen for myself. To be alone. And
that choice is freedom.

Grace's words rock Judy to her core. She's devastated. Just

then, an ambulance siren breaks their silence.

JUDY
Grace?

GRACE
Yes?

JUDY
Please call. If you need anything. I'm
Room...
(she fumbles with her keys)

GRACE
213.

JUDY
Yeah...

GRACE
We're in 214.

JUDY
Please, let me know if I can help.

GRACE
Goodnight.

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 7.

INT. HOTEL - MORNING

JUDY jolts awake in bed to HARD knocking. She's sleeping in

her clothes with the comforter pulled over her body.

She checks her face in the mirror and puts on shoes

lethargically.

She walks into the hall and sees a cleaning cart in her way.

The door to the room next door is cracked open and she
covertly waits until she's sure she's alone before entering
the room.

Everything is pristine, the bed is made, sheets folded.

Judy makes her way to the back of the room and pulls the
chain on a lamp, turning it off.

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees the red blinking of an
unplayed message on the answering machine.

CAMERA: FIRST & ONLY HANDHELD SHOT

Judy picks up the phone from the receiver and puts the phone
to her ear. She hears Grace frantically leaving a message
late last night...

GRACE
Hello, hello, please... he's on his
way back and I can't walk well. Please
pickup...

Grace's tone slowly shifts from helpless to malignant -

accusing Judy of being complicit in her suffering (GUILT),
then worse than THE ANGRY MAN, finally accusing Judy of being
a whore. As Grace's ranting crescendos, her voice shifts to
Judy's voice - now leaving herself a fully manic and hateful
voicemail. Judy's face turns white and she drops the phone,
her voice now screaming on the answering machine.

The phone dangles by the cord in Close-Up with Judy in the

background out of focus.

Totally fucked and destroyed, Judy walks to the window and

rests her arms out on each side of the window frame.

BLACK.

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 8.

We hear the window OPEN and the sound of the city enters
again.

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