This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.
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Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.
Laundromat
by J. Ott
EXT. LAUNDOMAT - DAY - ESTABLISHING
There are some trash cans visible at the mouth of an alley to
one side. RAP MUSIC, or HEAVY METAL, or PUNK ROCK - some
track that prides itself on being unlistenable.
EXT. ALLEY - CONTINUOUS
Music becomes louder on the cut. We pan from a tight shot of
the trash cans to an open door on a car (whose stereo is the
presumed source of the music) to the face of...
GARY, teens, earring in his left ear, chewing gum. We follow
along the graffiti'd wall to...
CODY, teens, smoking a joint, a cold look in his eyes.
Note: All people are shown only in tight close-ups. We do
not know how tall they are. We do not know what they are
wearing.
CODY
The dinosaurs, I bet they never saw
it coming.
He passes the joint to Gary, who nods in silent assent.
INT. LAUNDOMAT - DAY
Two or three machines in the whole place are on, loudly
grinding the clothes within them.
CUT TO:
A LAUNDRY BASKET, moving down the aisles, carried by someone
we can't yet see. The laundry basket pauses and hands unload
from it several articles of loose hempen clothing and a yoga
mat.
A hand, also holding a pill bottle, feeds quarters into the
machine. Tilt up from the hand to the face of...
BHANU, a stressed-out yoga instructor. He pops a pill into
his mouth and chews.
CUT TO:
Bhanu, now seated. On the wall behind him are signs like
"MANAGEMENT NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR CLOTHING LOST OR STOLEN."
Bhanu puts a cell phone to his ear.
BHANU
Steve, I gotta tell you-- Om
shanti to you too man, listen--
No. No. I'm in a...
(looks around)
...An effing laundromat right now.
I said, I'm in an effing
laundromat. A laundromat. Yeah,
it broke down. I'm probably going
to be like fifteen or so minutes
late to the lesson.
(pause)
Okay, just do some sun salutations
to warm up then. Sun salutations.
I said do some--
CLOSE ON THE PHONE - the display reads "Battery Low - Please
Recharge".
BHANU (CONT'D)
(in lieu of 'shit')
Shiatsu.
He pops another pill.
EXT. LAUNDOMAT - DAY
The direction of the sunlight has changed.
GARY
You know how at the dentist's, they
put the metal implements in like
plastic?
CODY
Yeah, to show they're sterilized.
GARY
Yeah, supposedly. Doesn't fool me
though.
He takes a long drag.
GARY (CONT'D)
Doesn't fool me...
INT. LAUNDOMAT - DAY
Bhanu is asleep.
CLOSE ON THE PILL BOTTLE - Tylenol PM.
Snickers of laughter off-camera. The sound of the door
chime.
Bhanu wakes up. He's groggy. He looks at the clock.
Quarter after five.
BHANU
Son of a Bikram!
CUT TO:
His machine. Open. One lone shirt trails out.
Bhanu is upset. He looks around.
EXT. LAUNDOMAT - DAY
Bhanu emerges from the shop. Looks toward the sounds of bad
music drifting from the alley.
EXT. ALLEY - CONTINUOUS
Pan from the trash cans to Bhanu, coming around the corner
fast and with a purpose. His eyes light up when he sees...
Gary and Cody. They are leaning against the wall. We can
see nothing different about them.
BHANU
Have you seen my clothes?
GARY
What, like other than the ones
you're wearing?
BHANU
I was washing clothes in there;
somebody took them.
Silence. Cody removes an orange from (?) his pocket and
starts peeling it.
CODY
Orange?
BHANU
No, I don't want orange. I want my
clothes back.
GARY
Chillax, man.
BHANU
No, I will not "chillax" until I
have my effing clothes back.
CODY
I wish we could help you man.
Bhanu moves like he's going to bitch-slap Cody but at the
last second decides instead to adjust Cody's posture. When
he does, the camera drops down to reveal that Gary and Cody
are wearing yoga clothes.
BHANU
You have a lot of tension in your
shoulders.
Cody takes a deep hit off a joint.
CODY
Don't I know it, dude.
BHANU
Ok guys, here's the thing. I'm
sorta into non-violence.
GARY
What, like Ghandi?
BHANU
Yeah, pretty much exactly like
that.
GARY
(to Cody)
His refusal of your orange was like
a hunger strike.
BHANU
I'm asking you to give me my
clothes back.
GARY
Are you? Or are you just taking
the present progressive tense to
avoid localizing your request to a
specific and definite time?
Bhanu bitch-slaps Gary.
BHANU
Give me back my clothes.
GARY
Geez, man. All you had to do was
ask.
As they take off the yoga clothes, we see they are wearing
other people's clothing under them. Gary wears a pregnancy
dress; Cody a tuxedo shirt.
BHANU
Now where's my yoga mat?
Gary nods to the car.
Bhanu removes the mat from the car. It has black streaks
running across part of it. He smells it. He blanches.
CODY
Sorry, man. We sorta converted it
for weed purposes.
Bhanu walks over and bitch-slaps Cody. He then exits.
Silence.
GARY
Wow.
CODY
Did not see that coming, man. Did
you?
GARY
Friggin' Ghandi pulling a Dirty
Harry? No way.
Silence. Cody passes Gary some orange.
GARY (CONT'D)
Just like the dinosaurs, man. Just
like the dinosaurs.
Cody nods his head in appreciation as we...
FADE OUT.
This work is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution 2.5 License.
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Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.