I Forgot, script.

8/8/2019 I Forgot, script.

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/i-forgot-script 1/11

Characters

Alex Vitello

Alex is a sixty-six-year-old man who enjoys

flying planes as a hobby. He is married and

has three kids. During the day, he works as abusiness executive. He’s proud of his

education, and feels that his Yale degree

certifies that he is intelligent and in perfect

mental condition. In the past, he has been

emotionally stable, although he has recently

had problems controlling his temper, and he

has felt a bit “low.” He has had trouble

recently with his memory, but he is in

denial, insisting that his mind is completely

sound.

Adjectives: Classy, class-conscious, well-

educated

Jay Radi

Jay is a sixty-four-year-old man who was in

Alex’s graduating class from Yale. They

have been best friends. Whereas Alex is

proud and confident, Jay is more tempered

and more logical. Jay has a paranoia issue,

and is always afraid of the worst. During the

day, he works as a doctor.Adjectives: Pessimistic, loyal, persistent

Dr. Hu

Dr. Hu is a fifty-year-old psychotherapist

who studied medicine in China before

immigrating to the US. He has a strong

accent. He is extremely sarcastic, to the

point of bitterness. He likes to eat food, and

is constantly reminded of his “motherland.”

Adjectives: Asian, cranky, and impersonal

Dr. Khwaja

Dr. Khwaja is a sixty-five-year-old

neuropsychologist who studied medicine in

India before immigrating to the US. He has

a strong accent. He is passionate and deeply

involved in his work, and often gets

emotional. He has recently become less

organized, and is flustered whenever others

point this out.

Adjectives: Asian, passionate, and self-

conscious

PRE-TITLE

Alex boards the plane and flies it. Alex and

Jay converse over the radio.

Jay: Hey Alex, you know the Yale reunion

is in a few weeks, right?

Alex: Yeah. I don’t think I can go, though.

Jay: Why not?

Alex: I need some time with my family, and

you know how the business world works… I

don’t know when the next time will be when

I’ll have a day off.

Jay: I see. How is Ellen?

Alex: Ellen?

Jay: You know, your daughter?

Alex: obviously flustered Oh, right. That

Ellen. She is… doing all right.

Jay: …Alex, are you okay? You haven’t

seemed normal these past few days.

Alex: Yes, Jay. I am okay.

Jay: You’ve been having some memoryproblems lately. And face it: you’re getting

old. We’re not in our mind’s primes

anymore.

Alex: aggravated Jay, I’m fine.

/11



Jay: You even forgot your daughter’s name.

Alex: angry Jay! I’m fine, okay? We both

know that I’m intelligent, and that my brain

is in pretty good shape. I went to Yale, for

crying out loud. Stop exaggerating myproblems! You keep making up symptoms

to diseases that you want to believe I have!

Silence

Alex: I’m sorry, Jay. I didn’t mean that.

Jay: That’s okay, Alex. I understand.

You’ve been really stressed out lately.

Alex: Uh, Jay, have you ever flown a plane

before?

Jay: No. Why?

Alex: I just realized that what goes up, must

come down. And I don’t think I ever learned

how to land this thing.

Jay: Alex, you’ve flown plenty of planes by

yourself before. I’ve seen you land.

Alex: Well, this isn’t good. I remember

pressing a button… a button that like, puts

down the uh, the things, the rolling things on

a plane…

Jay: Wheels?

Alex: Yeah, wheels. Jay? Jay?

Jay: Alex, don’t panic. I’ll call for help.

Alex: panicking Jay, I don’t know what I’m

doing!

Jay: Alex, hang in there. Don’t touch any of

the controls. Alex?

The plane dips downward and is about to

crash.

Alex: I forgot, Jay. I forgot.

The plane crashes.

TITLE

SCENE 1

Dr. Khwaja and Jay are talking outside of

the hospital.

Jay: emotional I’m so worried. Will he be

okay? What’s going on right now?

Khwaja: He will be okay. He just needs a

few casts and a few stitches, and then some

physical therapy and rehabilitation. It is

amazing that he has survived, at his age.

Jay: Thank you. I’m sorry, what’s your

name?

Khwaja: My name is Dr. Sadiq Khwaja. Iam a licensed neuropsychologist, and I will

be one of the doctors treating your friend.

Jay: Pleasure to meet you. Wait, you’re a

neuropsychologist?

Khwaja: Yes. It was very strange that your

friend forgot how to properly fly a plane,

and I will be running tests on him to see if

he has any problems with his brain.

Jay: I see.

Khwaja’s phone rings. He picks up.

Khwaja: Hello? Ah yes. The friend? Yes, I

am actually talking to him right now. The

/11



psychotherapy department? Yes, I will send

him. Yes. Thank you.

Khwaja: I’ve been asked to take you to the

psychotherapy department, where you are to

meet one of your friend’s other doctors. Hewill ask you a few questions.

They walk .

Khwaja: Here we are. I will see you soon!

SCENE 2

Jay enters a room, where he sees Dr. Hu

lounging on a chair .

Hu: Please. Take a seat.

Jay: Thanks.

Hu: So. My name is Dr. Hu. I am a trained

psychotherapist. Your little buddy, Alex? I

will be his therapist. First, I have a few

questions to ask you.

Jay: Sure.

Hu: First of all, how come you didn’t catch

him when the plane crashed?

Jay: What?

Hu: Oh, sorry. Too soon. Bad joke. Laughs

to himself . Anyway. Monotone drone. What

is your relation to the subject?

Jay: Friend, and classmate.

Hu: How long have you known the subject?

Jay: About thirty, forty years.

Hu: Okay, actually, this form is so stupid. I

remember, back in mother China, we never

had to use stupid forms like this. We would

just ask useful questions, and get answers

quickly. Stupid American bureaucracy. So

let me ask you. Has Alex had problems withmemory lately?

Jay: Yes, actually. He didn’t recognize the

name of a family member, and obviously, he

didn’t remember how to land a plane.

Hu: Very interesting…

Jay: Really? What’s interesting, doctor?

Hu: Nothing. I was just kidding. Have you

noticed any emotional problems?

Jay: Yeah. He’s been a pretty angry person

lately. And also, he’s a business executive,

and he used to be on top of his game. He

would be the first to work and the last to

leave. He would be innovative, and –

Hu: Come on, you’re not giving him a

eulogy yet. What other emotional problems?

Jay: He doesn’t seem to have the same drive

anymore. And he doesn’t sleep well.

Hu: I see. Well, I think this paints a pretty

clear picture. Have you ever seen those

pictures of the rice paddies that Chinese

artists drew? The masterpieces?

Jay: No…?

Hu: Oh… well, never mind. Anyway, I

believe your friend Alex may have the

Alzheimer’s Disease.

Jay: That’s what I was afraid of…

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Hu: Symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease

include memory loss, confusion, loss of

initiative, increased anxiety and aggression,

outbursts of anger, problems recognizing

friends and family members, and

restlessness.

Jay: You sound like you have that

memorized.

Hu: My mother made me memorize the list

when I was twelve.

Jay: Oh. Well, these all sound like

symptoms that Alex has. I’ll do some

research when I get back home. Thanks, Dr.

Hu.

Hu: You don’t need to thank me with words.

That’s what money is for.

Jay exits.

SCENE 3

Khwaja enters.

Hu: Hey, Dr. Khwaja. So, I think he has

Alzheimer’s.

Khwaja: Who?

Hu: Alex.

Khwaja: I thought Alex was in the Planned

Parenthood department…

Hu: No, that’s Dominic. Alex is the guy whocrashed his plane.

Khwaja: Oh, right right right. Yeah, that

makes sense.

Hu: Well, work with him and tell me what

you think later.

Khwaja: Got it. I’ll see you later, Dr. Hu.

SCENE 4

Alex is in a hospital bed. Jay is at his side.

Jay: Alex, I have something serious I have

to talk to you about.

Alex: What is it? Is everything okay?

Jay: Yes, but… very deeply emotional well,

the past few months, whenever I’ve been

around you, I’ve gotten this feeling.

Alex: Do you want to talk about it?

Jay: Whenever I talk to you, or email you, or

call you, I… I start to feel… I feel…

Alex: …Yes?

Jay: …Worried, I guess. Worried that you’re

not okay.

Alex: Jay, are you trying to tell me

something?

Jay: No… I mean, yes. Yes, I am.

Alex: Come on, Jay. We’ve been friends for

ages.

Jay: I know, but… I just don’t want to say

this. It might make things awkward betweenus.

Alex: Spit it out, Jay.

Jay: Okay. Alex, I… I feel… silence. I feel

like you have Alzheimer’s Disease.

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Alex: shocked What? No! calmer Well,

thankfully, you’re not a doctor.

Jay: Actually, Alex, I am.

Alex: What? Okay, okay, maybe I am losing

it. Maybe. But I’m not convinced.

Jay: sighs I’m quite convinced, actually.

Alex: Anyway, Jay, I’m bored. Tell me a

story. I want to get my mind off of things.

Jay: Okay, let me think. Pause So there was

once a German doctor. It was the year 1906,

and he had discovered a bunch of weird

clumps and tangled bundles of fibers in a

woman’s brain.

Alex: Gross…

Jay: And his name was Dr. Alois Alzheimer.

Alex: Okay, Jay, not funny. You really want

to talk about this, don’t you?

Jay: I’m concerned, Alex.

Alex: Fine. Tell me how I’m at risk for

Alzheimer’s Disease. Convince me.

Jay: Well, doctors aren’t entirely sure what

makes certain people at greater risk than

others…

Alex: So what gives you the authority to tell

me?

Jay: Well, here are a few findings from

recent studies. Let’s see… thinking People

in urban areas are at greater risk. Men and

women are at equal risk. Caucasians are at

greater risk than Asians. But you might be

right about one thing – studies suggest that

people with a higher level of education are

at a lower risk.

Alex: Ha! There you have it. I can’t have

Alzheimer’s.

Jay: Lower risk, Alex. Five percent of

people between the ages of 65 and 74 have

Alzheimer’s, and the proportions increase

dramatically with age. Almost half of people

over the age of 85 may have the disease.

Alex, five million people in America have it.

Why do you think you’re immune?

Alex: I don’t know, Jay! Leave me alone! I

want to rest.

Jay: sighs I’ll see you later tonight.

SCENE 5

Khwaja is looking for his office and

stumbles into Hu’s office on accident. Hu is

doing Tai Chi, accompanied by old Chinese

music.

Hu: in Chinese (And then, we release the

chi…)

Hu sees Khwaja and is startled .

Hu: Khwaja, you have interrupted me. This

makes me unhappy.

Khwaja: I’m sorry, Dr. Hu. I was –

Hu: Dr. Khwaja! I challenge you to a battle.

Khwaja: incredulously A battle?

Hu: Not a martial arts battle. That would be

too simple. No, we must fight like real men.

I will destroy you with my Pikachu –

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Khwaja: Dr. Hu, I’m really sorry, I was just

trying to get to my office and I… I forgot

where I was going.

Hu: Khwaja, your office and my office areso far apart. I made sure of that when they

designed the hospital.

Khwaja: Honestly, Dr. Hu. I just got lost.

Hu: Shame.

SCENE 6

Khwaja finds his office. Jay is waiting

inside.

Khwaja: Oh, Jay. Please, have a seat.

Jay: Thanks.

Khwaja: So, you’re a doctor. Let’s talk

details. What do you know about

Alzheimer’s?

Jay: Not much, to be honest. I don’t dealmuch with the brain or the mind. I’m a heart

surgeon.

Khwaja: Okay. Well, some of what I tell you

should be a review from medical school.

Jay: Shoot.

Khwaja: Alzheimer’s patients have two

types of abnormal structures in their brains

that consist of misfolded proteins.

Jay: So, like prions.

Khwaja: Oh, you know about prions?

Jay: Yeah. I read about diseases caused by

misfolded proteins, like Mad Cow Disease

and CJD, in a book called Deadly Feasts.

Khwaja: I see. Well, anyway, the two

abnormal structures are amyloid plaques andneurofibrillary tangles.

Jay: Whoa, that sounds complicated.

Khwaja: I won’t go into complicated detail.

These two structures disable brain cells,

especially in regions of the brain that are

used in memory.

Jay: I see. Wait, I read somewhere that

Alzheimer’s patients have clumps and

tangled bundles of fibers. Are these what

you’re talking about?

Khwaja: Pretty much. The clumps are made

of amyloid, a protein that’s also involved in

Parkinson’s and Huntington’s Diseases.

Neurofibrillary tangles, on the other hand,

are really only known as the primary marker

of Alzheimer’s.

Jay: Marker? What does that mean?

Khwaja: Basically, if you find

neurofibrillary tangles in a patient’s brain,

you are probably dealing with Alzheimer’s.

The tangles “mark” the patient.

Jay: Okay, that makes sense. So you said

that these structures are especially present in

regions of the brain used in memory?

Khwaja: That is correct. Actually, a recent

study showed that high numbers of

neurofibrillary tangles in the nucleus basalis

of Meynert are associated with low

neuropsychological test scores and long

disease duration.

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Jay: Nucleus basalis of Meynert?

Khwaja: It’s a group of nerve cells in the

basal forebrain. The basal forebrain is

important in the production of acetylcholine.

Jay: What’s acetylcholine?

Khwaja: It is good you ask that question.

That brings me to another point.

Alzheimer’s Disease is also characterized by

reduced production of neurotransmitters,

which are chemicals used for

communication between nerves.

Acetylcholine is one neurotransmitter. Two

others linked to Alzheimer’s are serotonin

and norepinephrine.

Jay: I’m guessing neurotransmitters travel

between one nerve cell’s axon terminal and

another cell’s dendrite?

Khwaja: You are correct, my friend. Well,

where was I?

Jay: You were talking about the causes of Alzheimer’s.

Khwaja: Ah, yes. Sorry, I’ve been a bit

scatterbrained lately. When all the things I

was just talking about happen, the brain cells

lose connection, so the cells slowly lose

their function and die.

Jay: That’s kind of scary. So Alex’s brain

cells might be dying?

Khwaja: That is what we believe.

Jay: sighs I don’t know what to do… He

won’t believe me. He’s in denial.

Khwaja: When you have a mental disorder,

you often don’t want to believe it.

SCENE 7

Khwaja is sitting in Hu’s office. Silence for a few seconds.

Hu: Well? Why are you not talking?

Silence.

Hu: Confucius said, “Be not ashamed of

mistakes and thus make them crimes.”

Silence.

Hu: Well, if you are not going to talk, I am

going to watch Korean soap opera. New

episode: so good!

Khwaja: Okay, I’ll talk.

Hu: Oh thank you. I thought I was really

going to have to watch the Korean drama.

Khwaja: I’m not myself lately.

Hu: Having girlfriend problems? That’s why

arranged marriage is such a good idea.

Khwaja: No. I just… I’ve been really

disorganized lately, and I keep missing

appointments and getting lost, and it’s

getting to me. I’m just getting old, I guess.

But it’s frustrating. I keep waking up at

night, and I’m anxious. I don’t even know

why.

Hu: Hmm, I know what will help.

Khwaja: excitedly What? You do?

Anything!

/11



Hu: Acupuncture.

Khwaja: Really?

Hu: No, you fool! You are a doctor, not an

old Chinese grandmother. Think like adoctor.

Khwaja: I think it’s just a normal part of

aging.

Hu: How would you know? You’ve never

aged before.

Beeping. Khwaja looks at his cell phone.

Khwaja: Oh, I have to see my patient.

Hu: Take care of yourself. Drink tea, it helps

with memory.

Khwaja: Really?

Hu: No, you fool!

SCENE 8

Jay and Khwaja are next to Alex’s bed.

Jay: Alex, do you remember the list of

Alzheimer’s symptoms I gave you

yesterday?

Alex: Yeah. To test my memory, I tried to

remember as many as I could.

Jay: What are the early symptoms?

Alex: Well, the easy one is memory loss.

Other ones include disorientation, difficulty

performing familiar tasks, problems with

planning, trouble with language, personality

changes, changes in sleeping habits, and

poor judgment.

Khwaja looks concerned.

Jay: Well done. Are you convinced yet?

Alex: Maybe…

Jay: What are the middle symptoms?

Alex: Uh, let me see. Anger, wandering,

problems recognizing family members,

inability to learn or cope with new

situations, lack of self-control…

Jay: Alex, you’re matching with a lot of

these…

Khwaja looks very concerned .

Alex: Well, I know I don’t have any severe

symptoms, like weight loss, seizures, or

inability to swallow or communicate.

Jay: Are you convinced, though?

Alex: Fine. I have to admit that I’ve been

worried about it since… it’s just that I’verefused to acknowledge it.

Khwaja looks very, very concerned .

Jay: Dr. Khwaja, you look… concerned.

Khwaja: Yes… to be honest, I’ve been

having many of the same issues lately. And

I’m getting old. Alzheimer’s isn’t a normal

part of aging.

Jay: Do you think you might have it?

Khwaja: Perhaps…

Hu walks in.

/11



Hu: Aha! So there we have it. Perfect.

You’ve both gotten past denial.

Khwaja: Dr. Hu? You knew?

Hu: The whole time.

Jay: So what’s next?

Hu: First, we’ll have to test you to see if you

really have Alzheimer’s. I’ll give you a few

neuropsychological exams to assess your

intellectual function, including memory tests

and naming tests. I’ll also see if your

symptoms are so severe that they prevent

you from everyday activities. If these two

steps pass, I will make sure that it’s

Alzheimer’s and not something else that’s

causing you problems; you’ll need blood

tests, x-rays, CT scans, and MRI scans.

Alex: Is there a cure for Alzheimer’s?

Hu: Unfortunately, no. But there are

treatments that will slow down brain

degradation and suppress some of the

symptoms.

Khwaja: Ah, yes.

Hu: Donepezil, rivastigmine, and

galantamine are three drugs that will treat

mild or moderate symptoms. They slow

down and inhibit the action of

acetylcholinesterase.

Jay: Acetylcholinesterase? That word seems

to contain “acetylcholine.”

Hu: Well done, Captain Obvious.

Acetylcholinesterase breaks down

acetylcholine, which is a necessary

neurotransmitter. So by inhibiting

acetylcholinesterase, the drugs maintain a

healthy level of acetylcholine, increasing

brain function.

Jay: It makes sense!

Hu: Of course. Memantine is a new drugthat regulates levels of glutamate, which is

another neurotransmitter involved in

memory.

Alex: So if I take all of these drugs at the

same time, will it be like a super drug? I

know that AIDS victims take drug cocktails.

Hu: I would not recommend taking multiple

acetylcholinesterases at the same time. With

drugs, it’s not like one plus one equals two.

It could equal three, or fifty, or negative one

million. Confucius said that “To go beyond

is as wrong as to fall short.” I say we start

both of you on donepezil, one of the

acetylcholinesterases, and memantine. A

reputable study has shown the combination

of donepezil and memantine significantly

improves brain function in Alzheimer’s

patients with moderate to severe symptoms.

Khwaja: How about Ginkgo biloba? I’ve

heard it helps.

Hu: It may, but scientists haven’t found

anything significant. Drinking green tea may

help though.

Khwaja: Really?

Hu: No, you fool! Well, Dr. Khwaja, I think

you should order the drugs.

Khwaja: I’ll do that right away.

Hu: Well, I think we are finished here. Let’s

not get too sentimental with goodbyes.

/11



Alex and Jay: Thanks Dr. Hu!

Hu: Yeah, yeah. Feel better soon.

Hu exits, and quickly returns.

Hu: And also, my Pokemon challenge still

holds.

Alex: Pokemon?

Khwaja: Long story.

Jay: Tell us!

Khwaja: Oh, I forgot.

FADE TO BLACK.

FADE FROM BLACK TO AERIAL

FOOTAGE; CALM AND HAPPY MUSIC

IN THE BACKGROUND. PLAY

CREDITS ON THE FOOTAGE.

Pre-Title: Dominic, with Sadiq filming.

(Tamer voice-over).

Scene 1: Tamer and Sadiq

Scene 2: Tamer and Kevin

Scene 3: Kevin and Sadiq

Scene 4: Tamer and Dominic


Scene 6: Tamer and Sadiq


Scene 8: All

Filming

Day 1: (Dominic and Sadiq, Pre-Title and

Credits) Dominic and Sadiq will arrive at

the airfield. Sadiq will film Dominic

entering the plane. Dominic will take off and

/11



start flying. He will read his lines in the Pre-

Title section and pause, to accommodate

Tamer’s “radio” conversation. Dominic will

pretend to crash the plane. Sadiq will stop

filming here. Next, Dominic will continue

flying for a bit, and Sadiq will hold thecamera against/out of a window to get aerial

footage for the Credits.

After Day 1, Sadiq should lend his camera

to Dominic for Day 2.

Day 2: (Tamer and Dominic, Pre-Title

voiceover and Scene 4)

After Day 2, the Pre-Title should be

complete. Try to have the files so far

uploaded to Dominic’s computer so that

Dominic can work on editing. Dominic

should hand off the camera to Sadiq in class

for Day 3.

Day 3: (Kevin, Tamer, and Sadiq, Scenes 1,

2, 3, 5, 6, 7) When one person is not acting,

he can be filming. After Day 3, Sadiq should

hand off the video to Dominic in class.

After Day 3, Dominic should upload the

files to his computer and edit.

Day 4: (All, Scene 8) After we are done

filming, we should stay and help Dominic

edit.

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