Live Long

FADE IN.

INT. STUDY - DAY

Having finished doing push-ups, PETER watches TV news.

PETER (V.O.)

Oh, Kirk Douglas has

died. He's 103 - more

time than others.

FLASHBACK

EXT. ROAD, CENTRAL - DAY (1959)

Peter (5) and his DAD (27) walk past a cinema advert.

DAD

Kirt Douglas's a

famous Hollywood

star.

PETER (V.O.)

His name sounds

strange - 5 words.

END FLASHBACK

PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)

From then on, he's

a famous star to me as

my Dad said so. I

can't remember if I

saw any of his films.

Pausing.

PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)

He was born earlier than

my Dad and died later

than him - by 22 years.

But my Dad was much

important than the star

as I was my Dad's son.

And I'm 65 going on 66.

FLASHBACK

INT. PLANE CABIN - NIGHT

Newspaper in hand, Peter is attracted to an article. We see the title: Facing the fact of my death.

PETER (V.O.)

Few people would like

to talk or write about

the subject.

Peter begins to read it.

PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)

Yes, we didn't have

a choice to be born or

unborn. Once born,

people believe they've

all the time in the world

and wouldn't think

about death.

Reflecting.

PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)

Now, the spread of the

new coronavirus haunts all. Many people wear

masks and do panic

buying.

Peter reads the next column of the article.

PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)

No living things, young

or old - and for humans,

good or bad, famous or

little-known - can live

forever.

Pondering.

PETER (V.O) (Cont'd)

If there's a choice

between existence and

non-existence, which

choice should one pick?

Remembering.

PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)

When I was young,

life wasn't easy. I

struggled to make a

difference.

Sighing.

PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)

When my first wife

died young, I nearly

took up the philosophy

of death. As that would

entrench my bereavement,

no one wanted to be

my thesis supervisor.

Peter finishes reading the article.

PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)

The author - a

professor wanting to

promote his project.

To talk about the subject

academically to make

a living is a way to

live a life.

FLASHBACK UPON FLASHBACK

INT. PLANE CABIN - DAY

Peter is watching in-flight entertainment. We see the title: The Strange Rock.

PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)

With plentiful of water,

planet Earth is more

than a "rock". Yes, life

came about through

its interactions with other

natural elements -

carbon, energy and

evolution.

Reflecting.

PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)

And after 4.543 billion

years, came my Dad,

me and my contemporaries!

We don't come easy.

What a privilege for

humans to exist. And

without pain, how can

we feel joy?

END FLASHBACK UPON FLASHBACK

PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)

People know death is

a fact of life and don't

think or talk about it,

so as not to spoil the

joy that remains.

END FLASHBACK

PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)

As life will end, it's good.

We envy those who live

long as they have more

moments and memories

than others.

Pausing.

PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)

While one might hope

to live long to contribute

and enjoy more, we've

to make it happen ourselves -

exercising our bodies

and minds, time after

time.

Reflecting.

PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)

In any event, if life is

well-lived, it's already

long, in my view.

FADE OUT.

The End