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Writer's picturePeter K F Cheung SBS

"The Kiss"

  1. FADE IN


  2. Act 1


  3. INT. BEDROOM - 08:30


  4. Unwrapping a bag, PETER takes out a black T-shirt with Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss" printed on it.


  5. PETER (V.O.): I bought it in Vienna the last time my family was touring there...Oh, that was in 2005.


  6. Recalling.


  7. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Travelling to a place, I'd buy a T-shirt if the design appeals to my eyes.


  8. Checking "The Kiss".


  9. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The other day I mentioned Gustav Klimt's "Lady with a Fan" to my wife, she recalled "The Kiss".


  10. Wearing the T-shirt.


  11. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I've a white one too. I bought it in 1989, when I first visited Austria. I felt the couple's love and intimacy in a golden decorative background.


  12. Pausing.


  13. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Then, I didn't know the work was called "The Kiss".


  14. Act 2


  15. EXT. PEDESTRIAN FLYOVER, CENTRAL - 10:00


  16. Not busy. While walking towards Admiralty, Peter has eye contact with a GENTLEMAN walking in the opposite direction.


  17. PETER (V.O.): He's gazing at "The Kiss" on my T-shirt.


  18. The gentleman then looks away. And they continue their separate ways.


  19. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I know who he's. But he might not know who I'm.


  20. FLASHBACK


  21. EXT. CUHK - DAY (1976)


  22. Peter (22) is listening to a chat between VIVIEN and SHARON.


  23. PETER: Who are you talking about?


  24. SHARON: About a smart senior in another department.


  25. Then, they see a SENIOR appearing in a distance.


  26. VIVIEN: That's him!


  27. END FLASHBACK


  28. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Actually, our background doesn't matter. It's "The Kiss" that powerfully connected us briefly.


  29. EXT. REPULSE BAY - 11:30

  30. From the bay water, Peter climbs up to a floating platform and then lies flat on it.


  31. PETER (V.O.): I feel the hot kiss of the sun.


  32. Later, Peter returns to the beach.


  33. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): OMG, the scorching sand is burning my feet!

  34. Pausing.


  35. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The Hong Kong summer is showing off, hotter than any kiss on earth.


  36. INT. TIM HO WAN, CENTRAL - 13:30


  37. Peter is serving his WIFE with dim sum.


  38. PETER (V.O.): I enjoy having lunch with my wife, if we can make it.


  39. Eating.


  40. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): We've married for nearly 30 years.

  41. Recalling.


  42. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): I always remember an extract from D H Lawrence's work "Sons & Lovers".


  43. We read Peter's photographic memory: For the first six months, they were very happy; in the second six they were fairly happy. After a year, he wept to himself secretly, at night, and felt he was going mad. For the next year they were rather unhappy...

  44. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Research suggests that the initial "honey moon phase" of a romantic relationship typically lasts from six months to two years.


  45. Peter serves a shrimp dumpling and a meat dumpling to his wife.


  46. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): It's natural that the intensity of passionate feelings tends to decrease.


  47. Finishing the meal.


  48. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): But that doesn't mean that the love itself has to fade.


  49. Having checked the time, Peter pays and they leave.


  50. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): With good respect, trust and communication, a lasting love isn't impossible.


  51. Act 3


  52. INT. BEDROOM - 23:00


  53. Peter selects an AI drawing from a portfolio in his smartphone.

  54. PETER (V.O.): This is my AI cubistic version of "The Kiss"! Gustav Klimt couldn't have imagined that the machine and I can create the work in seconds.


  55. Smiling.


  56. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): "The Kiss" is what binds two souls in seconds, at least initially.


  57. Thinking.


  58. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): "The Kiss", like happiness, must be shared to be enjoyable.


  59. FADE OUT


  60. THE END


















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