Real Love

by

Ed Love

[email protected]
+61-411-111-816
FADE IN:

INT. RESTAURANT - NIGHT

JANE, attractive, in her 30s, looks up at the camera. She
stands in an empty but stylish restaurant.
Roses and hearts are everywhere.
JANE
Tonight, we reveal the two winners
of our exciting online dating
competition From Spark to Flame,
where we offered you the chance to
record a personal video and upload
it to our website.

She turns to PHIL, well presented, in his 30s.

PHIL
Yes, Jane, out of thousands of
entries from around the country,
we’ve selected two winners who will
meet for the first time tonight,
here at the Red Roses restaurant,
and share an intimate dinner.
JANE
And after their meal, they’ll be
off for a week long all expenses
paid cruise to the Caribbean.
PHIL
So let’s get started by watching
the video introduction from our
winning lady Jasmine Johnson.

EXT. BEACH

JASMINE stands alone in a green bikini. She’s blond,

attractive, in good shape, in her 30s.
JASMINE
Hi, I’m Jasmine, and I’m thrilled
to be doing this video! I’ve always
found it hard to find a suitable
man, as the only ones I meet are
only interested in my looks. I have
a PhD, I run my own company, but
most men aren’t interested in that.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 2.

A fat guy appears in the background from the left, waddling

along. He stops, scratches himself, leers at her.
JASMINE
I joined Mensa to see if I could
find a smart man, but none of them
had any social skills. Plenty of
IQ, no EQ. What a waste of brains.
The fat guy notices the camera, waves wildly. A thin man in
black, wearing headphones, runs into frame from the left,
pushes away him to the right, they both disappear.
JASMINE
So I go to some classes teaching
relationship skills, but the men
there are hopeless beyond belief.

She adjusts her bikini top and looks around.

JASMINE
Maybe it’s just a numbers game,
which is why I’m hoping to win this
contest. Surely, if my video is
screened all over the country,
there must be one suitable man
watching! Here’s hoping ...

INT. RESTAURANT - NIGHT

JANE
Well done, Jasmine! Now here’s the
best gentleman’s video from our
other lucky winner Donald Perrin.

EXT. PARK
DONALD sits on a bench, dressed casual smart. He’s in his
mid 20s, looks like a model, but doesn’t seem to know it.

DONALD
Well, hi there! Thanks for this
opportunity, I am so grateful to be
able to make this video! I have to
admit it, I’ve tried all sorts of
things over the years, but I just
can’t find the right woman.
A panting, chubby, middle aged woman jogs past.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 3.

DONALD
Sure, I get models keen to meet me,
but they are all so vacant! I don’t
care if a woman’s pretty, I want to
know what she’s like on the inside.

His trousers ring and vibrate, break his concentration. He

reaches into a pocket and presses a button. The noise stops.
DONALD
I ask women out who seem nice but
aren’t so pretty, and they all back
off, like I’m some kind of leper!
A scruffy dishcloth of a miniature dog trots into sight,
sniffs at the bench leg, cocks his own, and leaves a
deposit. He barks once at Donald, and rushes off.

DONALD
I really don’t know what to do
about it. Women seem either
gorgeous and empty, or nice but
uncomfortable around me. Maybe if
this video screens nationwide, at
least one woman with presence and
confidence will contact me!

INT. RESTAURANT - NIGHT

PHIL
Now you’ve seen our leading lady
and gentleman on video, you’re
going to see them live, as they’re
due to arrive here right about now.
From screen left a middle aged man ROBERT strides up,
followed by a shy young woman carrying a tablet PC.
She is definitely NOT Jasmine.

ROBERT
Good evening, we are here for the
Dating Life presentation.
JANE
Welcome! Ah ... where is Jasmine?
ROBERT
Well, there’s a small problem.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 4.

JANE
What do you mean? Is she ill?
ROBERT
No, no, she’s not ill. The thing
is, there is no ... Jasmine.

JANE
I’m sorry, what ... no Jasmine? I
don’t understand. We loved her
video, she was adorable!

ROBERT
Yes, I know, thank you! But that
doesn’t change the fact that she
isn’t real. We designed her. She
only exists on our computer.

PHIL
Is this some kind of joke? We all
watched her video several times,
and she is most definitely real.

ROBERT
Oh, this is wonderful! I’m
delighted. We have struggled for
years to make her believable.
JANE
But this is outright fraud!
ROBERT
No, I believe not. The rules don’t
forbid what we’ve done. We have
consulted our lawyers, and they say
it’s all perfectly legitimate.
PHIL
We can’t let you win like that,
it’s just not ... well, it’s not
fair. How is Donald going to feel
when he finds out the truth?
From screen right, an older woman SUSAN approaches, trailed
by a shy young man, also with a tablet.

He is definitely NOT Donald.

JANE
Ah, here comes our male winner now.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 5.

PHIL
Wait a minute, you’re not Donald!
Oh, no. Don’t tell me Donald is
another computer character.

SUSAN
How did you know? Wait a minute,
what do you mean, another?
JANE is disoriented, looks around in confusion.

Phil whispers into his headset.

JANE
That’s uncanny! This is getting out
of hand. Ah ... Phil?

PHIL
I’ve just checked with the studio,
there’s nothing in the rules that
even considers this kind of thing.
The geeks with tablet PCs look on with embarrassment.

They both put on spectacles, and inspect their tablets. They

both touch, type something, grimace, put them down, look up.
SUSAN
So the winning lady is a fake?

ROBERT
Excuse me! Who are you calling a
fake? Jasmine is no more fake than
your artificial gentleman. And
she’s a lot more convincing, too!
The geeks’ eyes meet. They freeze. A look of wonder breaks
out on their faces, an oasis of calm in the storm.
JANE
Quieten down, you two, there’s no
need to raise your voices. We’re
live on prime time television here!
ROBERT
That’s even more reason for them to
watch what they’re saying!
The geeks make their way over to the right side of the
screen, all but invisible behind the arguing parties.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 6.

ROBERT
(to Susan)
What you said about Jasmin is
libel. We will sue if you don’t
immediately retract that comment.

The female geek carefully removes the male geek’s specs. He

does the same for her. He gently takes her hands in his.
SUSAN
How will you sue us? With a
computer generated lawyer?
The geeks move closer, gaze into each other’s eyes.
They frown.

They replace each other’s specs. Smiles return.

PHIL
Whatever happened to love?
The geeks relax, eyes locked, lost in their own world, and
inch their faces closer and closer together to share a kiss.
Their lips meet.
DIMINISHING RED HEART SHAPED IRIS FADE OUT.