Adaptation · written by Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman · 2002

Orlean mocks Charlie’s imagined romance and admits that she lied about the ending of her book.

Scene 193 of 202 · ≈ 1 min on screen · Act three

Kaufman
Orlean

Act oneAct twoAct three

Begins 1:41 into a 1:57 film

The story so farBefore scene 193

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.
Scenes 127–144
Charlie finds a way to focus the material by putting himself in it, then commits to meeting Orlean.
Scene 184
Donald’s notes push Charlie toward the brothers, the swamp, and a dramatic ending.
Just before
Scene 190
Donald teaches Charlie about building an image system while they pursue Laroche’s van.
Scene 191
Charlie chooses to approach Orlean and discovers her intimate life with Laroche among the ghost orchids.
Scene 192
Laroche beats Charlie and, with Orlean, plots to kill him before Donald watches from outside.
Scene 193
This scene

193INT. RENTAL CAR - BEFORE DAWN

Kaufman drives. The headlights shine on Laroche's van ahead. Orlean, no longer stoned, sits next to him, holding a gun. She skims Kaufman's screenplay.

KAUFMAN

I thought I had a sense of you from your

book.

(beat)

I had a little crush on you, to tell the

truth. You're different than I thought.

ORLEAN

Huh.

KAUFMAN

Look, I don't care what you two are you

doing. Please don't kill me.

ORLEAN

Hey, here's one of my lines.

(mockingly reading from screen)

"Isn't it ironic? You adapting my book?

My three years in Florida meditating on

my inability to experience passion

resulted in my finding it with you."

KAUFMAN

I was trying to do something.

ORLEAN

Well, it's kind of pathetic, dontcha

think?

They drive in silence. Orlean reads more of the screenplay.

ORLEAN

Here's me! Here's me again!

(mocking)

"I wanted to know what it's like to care

about something passionately."

Orlean laughs derisively.

KAUFMAN

You can laugh, but I didn't make that

line up. That's a quote from your book.

ORLEAN

Yeah, I know, Charlie-boy. Chill. I'm

laughing at who I used to be. It's sad.

KAUFMAN

So now you learned about passion.

(jealous)

From Weirdo Laroche. Bully for you.

ORLEAN

You can't learn about passion. You can

be passion. And it wasn't John who made

me passion. It was orchids.

KAUFMAN