Adaptation · written by Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman · 2002

A head-on crash kills Laroche’s mother and sister and leaves him badly injured.

Scene 81 of 202 · ≈ 1 min on screen · Act one

Uncle Jim
Laroche
Mother

Act oneAct twoAct three

Begins 45 min into a 1:57 film

The story so farBefore scene 81

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.
Scene 75
Laroche says adaptation is learning how to survive in the world.
Just before
Scene 78
Orlean’s history of Florida’s dangerous swamp shifts from archival images into a staged diorama.
Scene 79
Laroche says darkness descended as he and Orlean sit beside his father watching television.
Scene 80
Laroche leaves home with his family while his father remains alone in front of the television.
Scene 81
This scene

81INT. LAROCHE'S CAR - A FEW MOMENTS LATER

They pile into a nice new American car, his wife in front, his mother and uncle in back. Laroche pulls into traffic.

UNCLE JIM

Nursery business good, Johnny?

LAROCHE

Everything's good, Uncle Jim. This last

year's been a dream, I'm telling you.

We're finally pulling out of this debt.

MOTHER

Amen, honey. Praise Allah, Buddha,

Vishnu. And all the rest of 'em.

Laroche smiles back at his mother. A screech of tires and another car crashes head on into theirs. Laroche's face smacks against the steering wheel, his front teeth fly in all directions. His mother rockets forward smashing through the windshield. His uncle hits Laroche's wife in the head, jerking her forward and landing on top of her.