Adaptation · written by Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman · 2002

Charlie wakes to Donald typing amid the mess of his stalled writing life.

Scene 77 of 202 · ≈ 1 min on screen · Act one

Act oneAct twoAct three

Begins 44 min into a 1:57 film

The story so farBefore scene 77

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.
Scene 10
Valerie and Margaret give Charlie the assignment to adapt The Orchid Thief.
Scene 31
Donald’s rivalry and affection give Charlie a living counterpoint to his isolated view of himself.
Just before
Scene 74
Laroche entertains orchid customers while juggling plant advice, phone calls, and an invitation to the swamp.
Scene 75
Laroche tells Orlean that adaptation means learning how to survive in the world.
Scene 76
Charlie asks agent Jerry how to adapt the book; Jerry urges him to invent a story, while Charlie insists on responsibility to the material.
Scene 77
This scene

77INT. EMPTY BEDROOM - NIGHT

Kaufman awakes with a start. Enthusiastic off-screen typing. Kaufman peers through the darkness at the books, papers coffee cups, and dirty plates all around.