2003©GREY.STREET.FILMS


SHUTTER
a film by Alejandro Lalinde


In a darkened hotel room, only a fan spins round and round. A man, sits hunched over a laptop screen. He types and types. His hands move rapidly across the keyboard.

August 7
In town square today got "cover".
Two women were dragged out up by guerrillas. 58 and half feet IN FOCUS, at an f8, 1/250.
Soldier executed the woman in back of head. The young child, in the groin, then in the head. It's MY STORY, I GOT THE SHOT. I leave tomorrow.

Alan

With a small gesture of his hand, he moves the mouse toward the SEND button. He clicks it. All fades to black.

We fade in and try to focus on photographs from war torn countries. A cigarette is lit, and burns. A silky, slithering smoke escapes from a man’s sunburned lips. A bottle of whiskey is slowly poured into a glass of ice. All fades to black.

An EDITOR, a burly man, sits at his desk working. His office overlooks the city of San Francisco. He grabs a manila envelope. He opens it. Inside are a letter and a plane ticket. He slips the ticket into his desk drawer setting the letter aside.

ALAN, an early thirties journalist bursts into the office. He slams a magazine on the editor’s desk.
The editor looks up as they argue the meaning of the cover story for the month’s new issue. Alan fights to be reassigned and sent back. He doesn’t persist.

The editor finally agrees and gives him the plane ticket.
Alan looks over the ticket, unsure of his decision. He grabs the ticket.

That afternoon on the train, Alan awakens from his lack of jet lag. He opens his eyes and sees an OLDER GENTLEMAN across the aisle from him. The man smiles.
Alan blinks.
The man is not there anymore. Alan ignores the incident and looks out the window. He notices the world rapidly slip by him.

Alan thinks about when he returned home after drinking a bit. He remembers Becca.
BECCA, Alan’s wife opened the door for him, since Alan could not find the right key. Alan, enters the small bright home filled with photographs of joyous memories with Becca. He enters their bedroom, looking though closets. Becca simply follows him, asking him why he hasn’t called. Alan dismisses Becca’s questions, as he searches through their things. Becca still follows him, trying to give him one last chance at their marriage. Becca has already made up her mind, and now sees that so has Alan. Becca stands idly by while Alan simply ignores his wife. Alan can only think about getting back to work, on a plane, somewhere else, doing his job, but Becca cannot wait any longer. She simply leaves, shutting the door behind her.

Alan has come to realize the consequences of his choices. He envisions being in a bar as the bartender asks, “What’ll you have?”

All Alan can reply is, “anything.”
Alan sips on his drink at a bar. Suddenly a strange old man enters the bar. He sits down a couple stools away from Alan and orders a drink. Alan seems to notice the man. He seems familiar.
Alan goes over to him and begins to inquire whom he is. The man’s name is NEIL, a cab driver.
They politely shake hands. Alan just looks over at him and asks him if he can get him out of here. Alan offers to pay, and Neil responds, “where to?”

The small cab cruised out of the big city and out into the great unknown.

They travel further and further away from civilization.

While on their journey, they discuss about their responsibility toward others, and how the world has become such a dangerous place.

Neil tells of a friend, killed for no other reason than about an argument over a fare. Alan becomes aware of the choices he has made.

Soon, Alan falls asleep.

The cab travels further into an unknown desolate wasteland..

He awakens to find that the cab is slowing down. It comes to a complete stop. Neil informs Alan that he cannot go any further. “This is the end. It’s out of my hands.”
Alan doesn’t understand. They argue as they exit the cab.
All around is nothing. It is desolate desert in the middle of nowhere. Even the ground beneath their feet is cracked and burned.
Alan slams his door, while Neil stands by his, and the button to the door locks. Without Alan realizing, Neil has locked all the doors.
Sadly, Neil submerges into the cab. Alan panicked finds out the door is locked. He pounds on the cab as he travels over to the driver’s side.
Neil informs him to go out to a certain part in the desert. He points out to the spot, but Alan sees nothing.
Neil encourages him to move on and “see the truth with his own eyes.”
Alan responds, “there is nothing out there!”
Neil tells him to proceed, go, and find himself out there.
Alan finally steps out away from the cab as it drives away picking up dust. Alan dumbfounded looks out into the desolate desert.
Curiousity draws him to start walking.
He ventures out to a certain point and all seems to freeze.

Alan drops to his knees. He looks at his hands. They are bloodied and his camera hangs from his neck. He hears voices. They are the yells of SOLDIERS telling him to take the picture. A gun is pointed at Alan’s head. Alan, frightened, picks out his camera and composes a horrifying frame.
A line of reporters kneels before each of their shallow graves. Alan is told to “Aim!” the voices yell, scream. One reporter looks straight into the camera. Alan focuses and hits the button, the shutter of the camera flickers as the reporter is executed through the head. The image stands still, FREEZED FRAMED for all to see.

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Alejandro Lalinde
grey.street.films

"A film is - or should be - more like music than like fiction. It should be a progression of moods and feelings. The theme, what's behind the emotion, the meaning, all that comes later."
-Stanley Kubrick (1928-1999)