Screenplay: Ethan Frome

EXT. FIELD - DAWN

A vast tree strains towards the sky, framed against snow so white and reductive that all sense of depth is lost. Glimmering from everything is a pale and faintly purple light, the light of dawn that passes so easily for dusk.

A MURMUR of wind INTENSIFIES slowly, and the smaller and defenseless twigs of the
tree’s crown begin to shiver.

The twigs vibrate, fighting against the relentless wind, until, finally, a TWIG snaps.

It is borne on the currents of the wind. This solid twig drifts and circles in the air as it falls, tossed and turned like a wisp of fluff by an invisible force.

It finally settles on the ground. Only a moment passes, before it is obliterated by A HEAVY BOOT.

A bulk of clothes shaped like a person stands in the snow, the vast tree a short distance away. Only a sliver of face peeks out from underneath the layers, but it is enough to suggest that this figure is one of freezing femininity. This is MATTIE SILVER (23).

Mattie crosses her gloved hands under her armpits as she trembles her way to the tree, her difficulty against the wind betraying a slip of a woman underneath the bulk.

She reaches the tree, and leans against it for a moment. Then she circles the tree, until it shields her against the bitter wind.

Mattie sits down, letting the vast tree support her back. A twig falls on her head, and then onto her lap. She takes it and throws it away.

Mattie looks around, clearly expecting someone.


EXT. FIELD - DAWN

A man behind a window pane buttons his coat. The window is set in a dark grey wall slowly being sieged by snow.


INT. BEDROOM - DAWN

ETHAN FROME (45), a hale man just past his prime, smooths his coat out against his
body beside the window as he looks out of it. The dirty light streaming through the grimy window illumes him, but the rest of the room, blocked from the light, is shadowy and hazy.

Outside, snow and sky divide the world, but thin wooden fingers poke up from the dividing line.

Ethan leaves the window. Grubby light floods in, revealing part of a cheerless room unsuited to light, and the corner of a bed.

Ethan opens a wardrobe quietly. He takes out another heavy coat with minimal sound, but there are suddenly LOUD BEDSPRING NOISES.

Ethan freezes instantly, but -

ZEENA
Ethan?

Ethan turns around, sheepish and guilty all at the same time.

ETHAN
Sorry.

Not knowing what else to say, Ethan puts on the second coat.

ZEENA FROME (39), dressed in a shapeless nightgown poked out by her gaunt frame, pushes herself up into a sitting position despite PROTESTING BEDSPRING NOISES.

Zeena stares fixedly at Ethan as he dresses. Ethan consciously evades her stare.

Zeena smooths Ethan’s rumpled side of the bed back and forth repeatedly in a grotesque mockery of seduction as she clears her throat.

Ethan looks and instantly looks away, but too late to hide his reaction.

Zeena’s angular hand freezes mid-smooth. Her face paralyzes in a stony expression, but her lips quiver ever so slightly.

Her hand, seemingly disconnected from the rest of her body, gathers up a fistful of bedsheet and twists, even as Ethan smooths out the second coat against his body.

A tense moment passes between husband and wife as Ethan brushes his coat one last time.

Ethan turns towards Zeena, who awkwardly pulls up the fistful of sheet to her chest as if to ward off the cold. She looks away with a clearly hurt expression.

Ethan braces himself, and goes to his wife. Seeing that she will not look at him, he bends over and kisses her head instead.

He turns to go, but Zeena catches his hand. Ethan turns around again. The two of them stare at each other. After an unbearable silence -

ETHAN (CONT'D)
I have to go. The workers -

Zeena’s face freezes. Ethan gently takes her hand from his wrist and touches it to his lips, but as he brings her hand down she reaches with her other hand and caresses his chin.

ZEENA
Stubble. You never shave closely enough.

Zeena lets her hand fall from his face and pulls her other hand from his hold. She sinks back into the bed.

Ethan fingers his chin. He looks at Zeena, who shrugs.

Ethan walks towards the connected bathroom, stops, looks briefly at Zeena, and continues walking.

Zeena watches with petty vindictiveness as Ethan enters the bathroom, turns on the light, and closes the bathroom door.


INT. BATHROOM - DAWN

Ethan tilts his head backwards, jerking it this way and that as he looks at his reflection in the mirror and fingers his chin.

After a while, he suddenly realizes how foolish he looks.

His hand falls slowly, as he tilts his head forwards again.

Ethan looks at himself in the mirror for a long searing moment.

His head falls forwards as his eyes close. An expression of pain and frustration tightens his face as his hands grip the bathroom counter.

BEDSPRING NOISES, MUFFLED.

Ethan looks up instantly. He looks at himself in the mirror one last time, and turns to open the door.

Framed by the doorway, Zeena stands with her arms hanging limply by her side. In one hand she holds an empty cup, and in the other a bottle of pills.

ZEENA
Doctor Hailey gave me these new pills. On account of my health.
She looks directly at him, but Ethan looks away, unable to meet her accusing eyes.

Zeena maintains her defiant gaze for an instant longer, but she too suddenly looks down, and her entire body sags.

After a moment -

ETHAN
I’m sorry, Zee -

ZEENA
Sorry ain’t never any good, Ethan Frome.

Zeena pushes past him into the bathroom. He stands in the threshold of the door, looking at her with a tortured expression as she fills her cup with water.

Without once looking at Ethan, Zeena uncaps the pill bottle, shakes out two pills, puts them on her tongue, swigs a mouthful of water, and throws back her head to swallow the pills.

Zeena caps the pill bottle.

She looks in the mirror for a moment, and then turns to look at Ethan.

Then, abruptly, she sweeps past him out of the bathroom, leaving the bedroom. As she leaves -

ZEENA (CONT'D)
You ain’t leaving without breakfast.

An obstinate expression sets in Ethan’s face. He braces his shoulders as if preparing for battle and goes after Zeena.