Where is Your Heart?
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- Apr 12, 2025
- 3 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. STUDIO - 17:30
Dimly lit. As PETER gazes at the old Clarinova, he sees a songsheet for the Theme from Moulin Rouge.
PETER (V.O.): I intended to learn to play it, but have set it aside due to travels and work.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Now, I've time. I've completed two-thirds of my daily routines. The only task is to write my daily screenplay after dinner.
We see that the songsheet's subtitle reads "Where is your heart?"
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I first travelled to Europe in 1984, and while in Paris, I visited the Moulin Rouge.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I had just finished my LLB exam and had been married for five years. Sharon worried that my heart had gone.
Act 2
INT. STUDIO - CONTINUOUS
Peter searches YouTube and types "how to play the Theme from Moulin Rouge on piano".
PETER (V.O.): I want to learn the finger positioning and different interpretations of the song.
Peter selects an online tuturial, begins to study it and move his fingers on the keyboard.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): No, the demonstration is in the key of G major, while the sheet music I've is in E-flat major.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I prefer to stick to the original key to preserve the emotional impact of the piece.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Let me improvise on the song's intro and position my fingers as naturally as posisible.
As he plays, Peter looks content. Then he pauses.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Earlier, news reports indicated that a sightseeing helicopter disintegrated midair and crashed into the Hudson River, resulting in the deaths of the pilot and a family of five.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In 2003, my new wife and I took a helecopter ride to explore the Grand Canyon valleys. Our three children weren't with us.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The side winds were so strong that the helicopter lurched violently and I feared that it might disintegrate.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): We assumed the risk voluntarily right before boarding.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I could only comfort myself that the pilot flew the helicopter many times each day, and if it was unsafe, would he fly it?
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Now, I realize he had to fly it, even though it felt like a tragedy waiting to happen.
INT. LIVING ROOM - 19:30
Quiet. Peter appears and sees Kaji, the family pet, resting in the massage chair.
PETER (V.O.): My wife has gone out.
The MAID appears.
MAID: Sir, sister wouldn't be home for dinner. Would you prefer to eat in or dine out?
PETER: Eat in; I'm fine with whatever you've.
PETER (V.O): This isn't the first time this has happened. I've been making some adaptive changes.
Peter sits down at the Kawai piano and begins to play "Where's your heart?"
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'll rearrange the latter part of the chorus to serve as the intro: When we kiss, do you close your eyes, pretending I'm someone else?"
Pausing.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): My wife's heart has been drawn to a narcissist.
As Peter continues to play, the melancholic melody fills the room.
Suddenly, Peter sings.
PETER (Singing): You must break the spell of this cloud that I'm under.
PETER (V.O.): This line is particularly relevant.
INT. DINING ROOM - 20:00
Quietly, Peter is sharing dinner with his loyal fury friend Kaji.
Act 3
INT. STUDIO - 21:15
Peter inserts an AI drawing titled: "Where is your heart?..." to a draft on his laptop.
PETER (V.O): The hardest grief is when a loved one stays but her heart is already gone.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Now I play and ask where's your heart? But I know I'll have no reply.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): A heart won't go missing - it just beats for someone else.
FADE OUT
END
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