INT. TRAIN. -- NIGHT P.O.V. NARRATOR. THE MAN sits in his seat tapping his foot and looking down at a bottle of hair creme in his left hand. Passengers board in the background. The man's foot tapping can be heard, as well as ambient sound of people boarding the train. The NARRATOR lines are to be read in French by an adult male and subtitled in English. NARRATOR (V.O.) I sit on a crowded train, watching an older gentleman a few rows ahead of me-- his seat reversed to face mine. Earlier, he tapped his foot in time with mine as I tried to find some rhythm in the scuttlebutt of strangers boarding the train. ANGLE ON MAN'S FOOT TAPPING IN TIME WITH NARRATOR'S FOOT ACROSS THE FLOOR OF THE TRAIN. NARRATOR'S FOOT IN FOREGROUND, OUT OF FOCUS. ANGLE ON NARRATOR'S FOOT TAPPING FROM ACROSS THE FLOOR, OTHER PEOPLE'S FEET IN FOREGROUND. NARRATOR (V.O.) (CONT'D) He was not in a position to see my left foot, the one I was tapping. The beat of my sole against the hardened rubber floor of the train was inaudible. NARRATOR's foot taps slowly as other people's feet walk by in the background. Unintelligible bits of other conversations and ambient sounds are heard. NARRATOR (V.O.) (CONT'D) In any event, he hadn't yet taken notice of me. P.O.V. NARRATOR LOOKING AT THE MAN, WHO IS LOOKING DOWN AT THE HAIR CREAM IN HIS HAND. NARRATOR (V.O.) (CONT'D) (pause) No, he was pensively eyeing a tube of anti hair loss cream in left hand. P.O.V. THE MAN LOOKING DOWN AT THE TUBE OF HAIR CREAM. NARRATOR He kept the label carefully covered, placing two or three fingers over the product name. It could have been easily covered by one, and his smallest at that.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. WIDE SHOTS OF THE MAN IN HIS SEAT, PRESUMABLY FROM P.O.V. OF OTHER PASSENGERS. THE MAN looks from side to side, uneasily, and continues to look down at the label. CLOSE UP ON THE MAN'S EYES MOVING FROM SIDE TO SIDE AND LIPS MOVING, MOUTHING THE WORDS TO THE INSTRUCTIONS. Sound effect of the man's foot tapping on the floor, growing slightly louder, like a heartbeat growing more intense. ANGLE ON TUBE OF HAIR CREAM WITH THE MAN'S LEG MOVING SLIGHTLY AS HE TAPS HIS FOOT. CLOSE UP ON THE MAN'S TAPPING FOOT. NARRATOR (V.O.) (CONT'D) After reading the instructions what must have been three our four times through, he stopped tapping his foot. THE MAN stops tapping his foot abruptly, the last beat of his foot on the floor echoes. CLOSE UP ON THE MAN LOOKING ABRUPTLY TO THE SIDE, ALARMED. THE MAN looks back down at the hair cream and starts to put it away. He shifts his eyes watchfully as he puts it away. P.O.V. NARRATOR LOOKING AT THE MAN. NARRATOR (V.O.) (CONT'D) He put the tube back into his leather bag, keeping it carefully covered until it was at the bottom. As THE MAN closes the bag and puts it off to the side, he looks at the top of his head in his reflection in the train window. Reacting to his reflection self-consciously, THE MAN looks down at the bag, puts it in his lap and folds his arms over it. His eyes shift from side to side as he checks the people around him, trying to look nonchalant. NARRATOR (V.O.) (CONT'D) As he closed the large black bag, he saw his reflection In the darkened window to his left. He decides that the bag is best kept close. He pulls it to his lap. The train is coming into a station to make a stop. THE MAN smiles politely, nervously at a woman who walks past THE MAN to exit the train. THE MAN's eyes follow her leaving the train. CLOSE UP ON THE MAN WATCHING THE WOMAN LEAVE THE TRAIN
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. ANGLE ON THE WOMAN LEAVING THE TRAIN. MEDIUM SHOT FROM ACROSS THE AISLE IN THE SAME ROW AS THE MAN. He looks back down at the bag in his lap. See his chest rise and fall a sigh. He taps the bag a couple times with his knuckles uneasily. He begins to tap his foot. NARRATOR (V.O.) (CONT'D) His foot began to move again, slowly at first, then more rapidly than before. ANGLE ON THE MAN'S FOOT TAPPING FROM ACROSS THE FLOOR. Sound affect of foot tapping, in time with the acceleration of the train sounds. P.O.V. NARRATOR LOOKING AT THE MAN. NARRATOR (V.O.) (CONT'D) His eyes once again scanned the train car for people like myself, who recognized the object of his embarrassment. (pause) Or, maybe, for people who would not have taken note of his baldness until seeing the tube. Perhaps he thought that it was not yet obvious. It had surprised him. The man is looking around the train car self-consciously, uneasily looking down at the bag from time to time. His right hand finds his left, and he begins to fidget with his wedding ring. He looks down and notices it. MEDIUM-CLOSE SHOT OF THE MAN. Uneasily, he readjusts his hands, folding his left over his right, then his right over his left. He stares down at his ring. NARRATOR (V.O.) (CONT'D) There, his eyes rest. CLOSE UP ON WEDDING RING P.O.V. NARRATOR LOOKING AT THE MAN NARRATOR (V.O.) (CONT'D) No wonder he is going bald. FADE OUT.
