PANDORA IS HOT

HEAVY METAL

The character of Faust is based on the story by Goethe. The story was also conceived after reading the play all the way back in college. Over time, the themes have changed and deepened, but the constant element has always been a concern with the difficulties of trying to reconcile personal ambition and a desire for love with elements from a traumatic and painful past.


Faust is a powerful performer with a decidedly mixed character. He is equally capable of gentleness and tenderness as well as cruelty and bitterness. He loves life and at the same time, he is tortured by his past and he is sometimes very angry about that. He loves Susan but he's convinced that love is impossible for him because he can't trust and because he is self-destructive.


All this plays out against the backdrop of a heavy metal band on a fateful tour to try and regain lost glory. With his old friends Duncan and Toby and their new bassist Pandora (who is also involved in a relationship with Duncan), the band is traveling America in an attempt to take advantage of rock and roll nostalgia and make some money. Their tour isn't going very well though. They aren't filling the venues and their performances are mostly listless and uninspired recreations of things they did in the past. It's only after Faust's mother dies and he meets a preacher's daughter named Susan that things start to change for the group. Faust suddenly begins to find his energy and passion for rock again and the fans catch on and the while thing begins to take off. Of course, just when things are starting to pick up, Faust soon comes to realize that he is finally getting the benefits of a long ago pact with the titular Devil.

PANDORA

INT. MOTEL ROOM

Faust is talking to Pandora alone.

FAUST

What are you trying to do to her?

PANDORA

What do you mean?

FAUST

You know what I mean. Leave her alone.

PANDORA

Make me.

FAUST

You're crazy.

PANDORA

Make me.

Faust starts to touch her but he knows that his attraction to her is too intense and backs away.

PANDORA (CONT'D)

You think you can ignore this?

FAUST

Duncan is my best friend. We shouldn't be doing this.

She pushes close to him and again, it's electrifying and he almost can't contain himself.

PANDORA

Forget about Duncan. Forget about Susan. Nothing can stop this Faust.

Faust begins to hear all the devilish sounds that he hears when he is alone drinking in his room. Voices and whispers and sexy murmurings from female voices and his attraction to Pandora is becoming too much. His next words could be to Pandora or the devil and maybe even he doesn't know.

FAUST

Shut the fuck up.

PANDORA

Make me.

FAUST

What the fuck is wrong with you?

PANDORA

Make me.

She slaps him.

FAUST

You fucking bitch. What the hell is the matter with you? You know I -

She kicks and tears at him with her fingernails, until he finally reacts and pins her against the wall. Their faces are close together and they are both breathing heavily. She still struggles and he holds her as they stare at each other. Finally, the closeness and the energy begin to break down resistance and as Pandora moves closer to him, Faust kisses her. The kiss is angry and explosive. They both open up to each other and the floodgates open. It becomes passionate and desperate as they tear at each other removing clothes and kissing and touching. When Faust and Pandora finish their violent sexual encounter, Faust looks at the smeared makeup and the scratches on him and Pandora and he sees for the first time, a scar on Pandora's wrist where she had obviously attempted suicide. As he stares at her face, he is suddenly transported back to his mother's room once again.

INT. MOTHER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Faust finds his mother's bedroom door open and enters. His Mother sits at her dressing table with her back to him. As he approaches, he notices an empty bottle of Jack Daniels on the floor and then he sees a small pool of blood near the bottle. Finally, when his mother turns toward him, she has blood smeared over her face like lipstick and her wrists are slit.

MOTHER

Do you like my lipstick?

INT. MOTEL ROOM

Faust goes from looking at Pandora's wrists to looking at her face and running out of the room.

STRIP CLUB

INT. STRIP CLUB - SAME NIGHT

Flashing lights. Pounding music. A stripper with an apple and a snake slinks on stage in low light. She looks at the apple alternately with fear and desire until she finally bites into it. The tempo of the music and the flashing lights increases. Her sexuality begins to blossom and she flicks her tongue at the snake. Faust enters just before she bites the apple and she plays some of her act toward him after he seats himself at a table. When her set ends, another stripper appears and she takes the snake offstage and comes back on in a robe and goes over to Faust's table. 

MARY

I love your music.

FAUST

Yeah, I like your act too. Turn around.

MARY

What?

FAUST

Turn around so I can see your ass.

She reluctantly obeys.

Nice.

Mary is obviously disappointed.

MARY

Thanks. I've got to -

FAUST

Don't go.

MARY

Look, I definitely don't want to be rude to you, but I'm not in the -

FAUST

I'm sorry.

MARY

Really?

FAUST

I,m sorry. I'm not always this bad. I swear.

MARY

It's not that guys don't ever talk to me like that, It's just tonight I'm kind of moody and - Do you have a light?

Faust lights her cigarette.

MARY

I've been under a lot of - well, you don't want to hear this.

FAUST

No, what's the matter?

MARY

Oh --- nothing.

FAUST

Come on. Tell me.

MARY

My little boy's been sick and my mind's just - out there.

FAUST

He's sick? Is he gonna be -

MARY

Oh yeah. He'll be OK. He just feels really bad,ya know? Strep. He'll be fine. It just makes me sad to leave him when he really needs me.

She smokes and fidgets.

FAUST

I like your ring.

MARY

Thanks. My mom gave it to me. My mom's really cool. She's got this amazing tattoo - what?

FAUST

Your mom is cool, huh?

MARY

What? Did I hit a sore spot-

FAUST

No. I don't have parents really.

MARY

Not really?

FAUST

Well, my dad disappeared a long time ago and my mom's - well, she just died.

MARY

Oh baby. I'm sorry.

This show of sympathy touches Faust deeply, but he immediately toughens up.

FAUST

No. No. No pity. What does not kill us makes us stronger - or stranger. Whichever. How old is your little boy?

MARY

He's six.

FAUST

Six, huh? He must be a handful.

MARY

Oh yeah. He wears me out.

FAUST

What's his name?

MARY

Johnny.

FAUST

You really love him, huh?

MARY

Oh god. He's my whole life. It's just me and him, ya know. Gotta stick together.

FAUST

No husband.

MARY

No nothin'.

Pause. Faust stares at her intensely.

FAUST

You are so familiar.

MARY

My next set's coming up soon and I gotta go upstairs for a minute. Will you be here when I get back?

FAUST

No - uh, no. I gotta go. I - what's your name?

She instinctively answers with her stage name and then tells him her real name.

MARY

Melody - Mary.

FAUST

Mary. I'm sorry I was such an asshole earlier. I-

MARY

Don't worry about it. It's no big -

Faust takes her hand in a spontaneous gesture of tenderness. He then takes out a wad of hundred dollar bills and hands them to her.

FAUST

Take care of Johnny.

She kisses him. There is a connection. Faust looks at her and heads for the door. Mary smiles as she watches him leave.

A DOG RETURNS TO ITS VOMIT

PREACHER

These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity. Of them the proverb is true: "A dog returns to its vomit.