Adaptation · written by Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman · 2002

Charlie explains his new idea to Orlean’s photograph, then panics when Valerie says Susan wants to meet him.

Scene 134 of 202 · ≈ 1 min on screen · Act two

Kaufman
Valerie

Act oneAct twoAct three

Begins 1:10 into a 1:57 film

The story so farBefore scene 134

Unable to find a conventional story in The Orchid Thief, screenwriter Charlie Kaufman turns his own crisis into an increasingly self-referential adaptation.

Scenes 1–9
Charlie inhabits an isolated, self-condemning world while Orlean’s book supplies a distant model of obsession.
Scenes 10–88
Charlie wants to write honestly and make flowers matter, while also longing to be desired and understood.
Scenes 89–105
He leaves his familiar writing room and goes to Florida to search for the story firsthand.
Scenes 106–126
The swamp is ordinary, Orlean’s research fails, and Charlie experiments with increasingly personal versions of the book.
Scene 127
Orlean’s imagined portrait tells Charlie to focus on what he cares about, and he turns his own life into the screenplay.
Just before
Scene 131
Charlie wanders Los Angeles as a woman’s snicker confirms his self-consciousness.
Scene 132
Charlie drafts Orlean’s distant marriage as another scene in his adaptation.
Scene 133
Charlie imagines an intimate life with Orlean, who corrects his version of her marriage.
Scene 134
This scene

134INT. EMPTY BEDROOM - MORNING

Kaufman paces with his mini-recorder. Off-screen typing.

KAUFMAN

... and in the final sequence Susan as a

young girl swings alone in the backyard.

From high in the air she sees her parents

in separate rooms staring blankly in

opposite directions. This symbolizes the

profound scarring their waning passion

has had on the girl's psyche, how she

became afraid to ever really love

something because it would go away.

Kaufman is immensely pleased. He smiles at Orlean's photo.

KAUFMAN (cont'd)

This is good. I'm finding you.

The phone rings.

KAUFMAN

Yallo?

VALERIE (PHONE VOICE)

Hi, Charlie. It's Valerie. Just bugging

you again. How's everything going?

KAUFMAN

Good. I think really good now.

VALERIE (PHONE VOICE)

Great. So I spoke to Susan yesterday.

KAUFMAN

(beat)

Oh. Uh-huh, uh-huh.

VALERIE (PHONE VOICE)

I told her you were making terrific

progress and she's really excited to read

the script.

Sweat appears on Kaufman's brow.

KAUFMAN

Oh. Good.

VALERIE (PHONE VOICE)

And she said she'd love to meet you.

All color drains from Kaufman's face.

KAUFMAN

Um, well, y'know, for me it's distracting

to... or confusing to discuss what I'm

exploring in the screenplay at this

point... before I finish... it. So...

VALERIE (PHONE VOICE)

That's fair. I'll let her know.

KAUFMAN

Tell Susan I'd be very happy to meet her

at a future date. As she sees fit.

VALERIE (PHONE VOICE)