INT, ADULT CARE FACILITY – DAY
Jennifer Peterson’s first glimpse of her new “home from home.” A white hell, straight out of “THX-1138.” Over-medicated elderly guests wander around in a daze. They’re not even that elderly.
Marla's right behind her. Happy. She's led a new sheep to the slaughter.
Marla: Could I have your cell phone? I’ll call my number so you can add me to your contacts. It’s just easier.
Marla reaches out her hand. The woman known as “Jennifer Peterson” hesitates. She knows it’s a trick. She blinks.
Flashback to a memory from Jennifer’s point-of-view.
Black and white footage.
INT, SOVIET MENTAL HOSPITAL (Circa 1980)
Objective POV. Jennifer, younger, no lines on her face, but clearly the same person.
All hell is breaking loose. Alarms are ringing, lights flashing. Jennifer has broken into the nurse’s station. She’s desperately punching the numbers of an ugly phone.
A brutal orderly runs up and shouts at her.
Orderly: Nyet telefona!”
The Orderly smashes her hand with a truncheon. The young woman winces her eyes but doesn’t cry out.
Back to the present. Color footage.
INT, ADULT CARE FACILITY - DAY
“Jennifer” opens her eyes.
Like a simpleton who just fell of the turnip truck, Jennifer hands her cellphone to Marla. But speaks before Marla can pocket it.
Jennifer: Just keep it, Marla. Please. I won’t be needing it, hmm? This wonderful place has everything I need.
Jennifer smiles like a happy dimwit.
Marla looks at her suspiciously.
Jennifer’s point of view. Montage, indication that time is going by. She looks at various nurse’s and orderlies in the care facility. She also studies the patients, but mostly keeps an eye on the professionals. Their patterns of movement, attitudes, personalities. She’s studying the chessboard.
INT, MARLA’S OFFICE - DAY
Marla and her flunky study security footage of Jennifer.
Flunky: She seems to be taking it well.
Marla: (Not buying it.) Seems to be.
INT, ADULT CARE FACILITY
Back to Jennifer’s point of view.
The montage continues. More time passes. Jennifer narrows her focus to a caregiver named LuAnn. Sees little acts of warmth, empathy, compassion. Studies her for awhile.
Then, one day, in a blind spot away from the cameras, she palms LuAnn a piece of paper with a number on it.
Jennifer: I need your help, LuAnn.
LuAnn: I’m happy to help …
Jennifer: (whispering) Call this number.
LuAnn doesn’t take the paper. Afraid of losing her job.
Jennifer: Please, LuAnn. It’s the right thing to do. It’s the human thing to do.
Jennifer’s big, sincere eyes appeal to LuAnn’s humanity. She melts. And takes the piece of paper.
After this set-up, Marla and Jennifer would have a cat-and-mouse game over the course of the movie. The dynamic would resemble "The Prisoner," especially the "Hammer into Anvil" episode. Jennifer would slowly regain control and assert her agency in a battle of wills with Marla. (And Jennifer — who's the real mob boss -- would bring an amazing skill set to the battle. Compared to the Soviet Union, the f**king nursing home is no big deal.) Jennifer's scenes would be intercut with scenes of Marla starting to panic, and Roman and the Russian mob giving her reason to panic. (These could be relatively unchanged, though the Russian mobsters should be more competent.) But they'd be acting under Jennifer's smuggled-out orders, not trying to rescue granny. And Jennifer would have agency. The point of the story would be that Marla bit off more than she could chew.
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