AFTERDARK (extract from the screenplay) - adaptation of Haruki Murakami's book

INT. NIGHT     KAORU´S OFFICE

KAORU and Mari are intently watching a screen that plays the video footage of the time when a Chinese whore´s customer came.

MARI

Here he is... He‘s alone.

There‘s a moment of silence, then KAORU gives out some kind of throaty growl that makes MARI jump.

KAORU

Yeah. Alone. He waited for her in the room. Pimps deliver those girls to their customers on motorbikes like a pizza. Ha! Zoom in on his ugly mug for me.

MARI zooms in on SHIRAKAWA´s face - a man in his forties, wearing a tie and glasses, with a  run-of-the-mill face, an inconspicuous boring dude.

KAORU

Nasty man.

MARI pauses the picture at the moment when SHIRAKAWA´s face is seen best. MARI is watching the screen. Her lips are clamped together and there‘s a grudge in her eyes. A vindictive sneer spreads across KAORU´s face.

The effigy of SHIRAKAWA comes out of the printer. A second.  And a third.

Detail of his face.

INT. VERITECH´s OFFICE

SHIRAKAWA‘s face detail. He blinks and thus becomes a living, real SHIRAKAWA staring intently ahead. Suddenly, he disappears to the side. The view widens. In the Veritech´s office SHIRAKAWA moves on a roller office chair between switched screens. He pays attention to each of them for a moment and then moves to the another. ERI in a mysterious sterile room is seen on one of the screens. She stands in front of the door and wavers with her hand on the handle. We will only focus on this screen, and zoom in until it covers the whole frame. ERI presses the handle and goes through the door.

INT.  INSIDE   TELEVISION

ERI is standing at the threshold of the bathroom, looking at the austere equipment: a narrow shower, washbasin with mirror, and toilet in the corner. She turns to shut the door behind her and stiffens. Her poster hangs on the door, a perfectly retouched ERI ASAI in a perfume ad.

ERI moves backwards away from the poster, hits her back against the sink, and turns to fix her eyes on the mirror. She puckers her brow uncomprehendingly, looks over her shoulders, and then back in front of her in the mirror. Her face stiffens with fright.

ERI is staring into the mirror, which reflects everything except her person. There‘s a door with ERI´s perfect poster, a corner of the shower, but it looks like ERI isn´t in the bathroom at all. As she stares into the mirror, tired and frightened, her eyes strongly resemble MARI´s.

INT. NIGHT     KAORU´S OFFICE

MARI´s eyes. MARI holds the SHIRAKAWA´s printouts and thoroughly examines his appearance. KAORU leans back in the armchair with arms folded over her chest.

KAORU

(thinking aloud)

A regular customer. He didn´t even look around, grabbed the key and dashed towards the lift.

MARI

(notes disparagingly)

Some sort of clerk, probably was going home from work.

KAORU

So what? I´m not going to involve the Police, I avoid them if I can.

While KAORU shakes her head vehemently against the police, MARI turns to her completely serious.

MARI

And what about handing these out to those who just stopped by?

KAORU fixes her eyes on MARI as if she could see her for the first time, with admiration and a little worry. MARI obviously doesn´t know what she is talking about. KAORU wonders how to explaint it to her in the best way.

KAORU

As a wrestler I was even on a few tours in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

MARI nods, her glimpse wanders to the diplomas. KAORU follows her gaze and smiles a bit painfully. Then she reaches out and switches off the screen.

INT. NIGHT VERITECH´s OFFICE

Another screen in the Veritech´s office. It shows a gangster with a whore on the motorbike rack stopping in front of the Chinese brothel.

KAORU (O.S.)

It´s a tough business and one would find some acquaintances among the Yakuza too. But compared to the Chinese mafia the Yakuza are such nice fellas. The Chinese are unpredictable.

The WHORE gets off the motorbike and goes to ring the door bell. The GANGSTER watches her from the still running motorbike. The brothel door opens, and the WHORE goes in. A MADAM in a baggy bathrobe comes out and nods at the GANGSTER to come to her. The GANGSTER hesitates, but he respects her.

KAORU (O.S.)

If they let such an amateur get the better of them then they would completely lose face before the higher-ups of the organization...

He turns off the motorbike and approaches, taking off his helmet. The MADAM demands an explanation from him and points at her face. The GANGSTER says something to defend himself, and then shrugs his shoulders. The MADAM points at her eyes and lip, then she gestures angrily behind her into the house where the WHORE has gone.