Adaptation · written by Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman · 2002

Charlie recognizes that his screenplay is eating itself, confesses his fear to Donald, and decides to meet Orlean.

Scene 144 of 202 · ≈ 2 min on screen · Act two

Five-Act Structure: Climax
Kaufman
Donald

Act oneAct twoAct three

Begins 1:15 into a 1:57 film

The story so farBefore scene 144

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 141
Orlean reads Stevens on the poverty of being cut off from the physical world and desire.
Scene 142
Charlie records a scene of himself performing insight while trying to impress Valerie.
Scene 143
Orlean calls Laroche again and secures a dawn trip to find the ghost orchid.
Scene 144
This scene

144INT. EMPTY BEDROOM - NIGHT

Kaufman types.

KAUFMAN (V.O.)

Kaufman jerks off to the book jacket

photo of Susan Orlean.

Donald appears in the doorway with a script.

KAUFMAN

What?! What do you want?

DONALD

I finished. My script. I'm done.

Kaufman stares at his typewriter, doesn't say anything.

DONALD (cont'd)

So would you show it to your agent?

Kaufman grabs Donald's script and throws it on his bed.

DONALD (cont'd)

Thanks. Also, I wanted to thank you for

your idea. It was very helpful. I

changed it a little. Now the killer cuts

off body pieces and makes the victims eat

them. It's, like, I once saw this

picture of a snake swallowing it's tail --

Kaufman collapses, puts his head in his hands.

KAUFMAN

Ourobouros.

DONALD

I don't know what that means.

KAUFMAN

The snake is called Ourobouros.

DONALD

I don't think so. But it's cool for my

killer to have this modus operandi.

Because at the end when he forces the

woman, who's really just him, to eat

herself, he's also eating himself to

death.

KAUFMAN

I'm insane. I'm Ourobouros.

DONALD

I don't know what that is.

KAUFMAN

I've written myself into my screenplay.

It's eating itself. I'm eating myself.

DONALD

Oh. That's kinda weird.

KAUFMAN

It's self-indulgent. It's narcissistic.

It's solipsistic. It's pathetic. I'm

pathetic. I'm fat and pathetic.

CONTINUED: (2)

DONALD