1. "KEEPING UP WITH APPEARANCES"
an original screenplay by
Kera Hildebrandt
Kera Hildebrandt
kerahildebrandt@yahoo.com

2. INT. BEDROOM - DAY
Very stylish bedroom of a young, fashion-conscious woman.
Bed with silk sheets. Walk-in closet with all the best
fashion. Mirrors on every wall. Other pieces of furniture
includes a few chairs and a dresser.
At the dresser is LAURA (25, super model-type who grabs a
man's heart with one hand and his balls with the other).
Dressed in business casual, Laura is applying her make-up,
going for a bold/alluring approach to her color choices. Her
cell phone is at her side.
At her dresser, there's pictures of her and DAN (26, the
sort of nice, somewhat-nerdy guy who used to be the boy next
door), Laura looking only kinda-interested in every picture.
Laura puts the finishing touches on her make-up, clearly
liking what she sees in the mirror. She checks her phone.
To her dissatisfaction, nobody has texted her or anything.
She pulls up a selfie of her and ROGER (25, the sort of stud
you find on the cover of romance novels). Laura looks
longingly at the picture.
She starts texting Roger.
Text, "Hey"
She sends it.
INT. OFFICE AREA - DAY
Cubicle labyrinth. Printers, computers, and nothing really
all too special. The place is an advertising firm. OFFICE
PEOPLE are going about their business...
Then Laura walks in. She strides down the middle of the
cubicles. The men look at her in longing and the women in a
jealous, "oh, it's this bitch" way. Either way, Laura's
loving the attention.
INT. BATHROOM - DAY
Ladies room. Nothing too fancy, but it's still the cleaner
of all the public rest rooms in the world.
Laura's at the mirror, looking for flaws and only seeing
things she likes. After a few moments, in walks ALEX (25,
Laura's also-very-pretty rival who, as per some unwritten
code, acts cordial).
ALEX
Oh, Laura.

3. 2.
Laura glances at Alex for the few seconds common courtesy
demands before going back to looking at herself.
LAURA
Hi, Alex.
Alex goes to the mirror and begins touching up her appearance
as well. As the women talk, they glance at each other, as
if checking out the competition.
ALEX
Did Bendelman try to get you to come
in tomorrow?
LAURA
No, and I'll say no like I do every
time.
Alex smiles wryly.
ALEX
But you know what he'll say-
(Mocking tone)
"You need to be a team player."
Laura scoffs.
LAURA
I'll just have to use the good old
charm to get him to see it my way.
ALEX
Guess I'll have to, too.
Alex recalls something.
ALEX (CONT'D)
Oh, I've been meaning to ask- what
did you think about that outlet mall?
Laura's puzzled at Alex's words.
ALEX (CONT'D)
A friend of mine is coming into town
and I was thinking about taking her
there.
LAURA
What?
ALEX
The new outlet mall that just went
up. What's it called? Bridgepoint?
Lakeview? Either way, what's it
like?

4. 3.
Laura shrugs.
LAURA
Well, I wouldn't know. I've never
been there.
ALEX
What? I saw you go in there.
Laura scoffs and smiles wryly.
LAURA
Well you must have been mistaken,
hon. You wouldn't catch me dead at
an outlet mall.
ALEX
No, I'm sure it was you. Looked
like you. Dressed like you. Even
walked like you.
Laura furrows her brow in thought.
LAURA
Hm...
Laura shrugs.
LAURA (CONT'D)
Maybe I have a double or something.
She's been showing up a lot lately.
Laura's phone rings, prompting her to take it out of her
purse.
LAURA (CONT'D)
I'd hate to think there's someone
else in town that's as pretty as me.
She has a hint of excitement in her eyes and a slight smile
as she take out her phone. But once she looks who it is,
the excitement dies.
LAURA (CONT'D)
Oh. It's just Dan.
Laura walks away from Alex and answers the phone, her voice
one part seductive, three parts irritated/bored.
LAURA (CONT'D)
Hello, Dan.
DAN (O.S.)
Hey Laura. Sorry to call during
work. I know how much you hate that.

5. 4.
Alex checks out Laura one final time before leaving the room.
LAURA
Then why do it?
DAN (O.S.)
Well, actually, I had a question
about the thing you called the planner
about.
Laura raises an eyebrow.
LAURA
"The thing I called the planner
about?"
DAN (O.S.)
The wedding planner.
Laura becomes a touch annoyed.
LAURA
I figured. But I didn't call her.
DAN (O.S.)
What? You didn't?
LAURA
No, honey. Bendleman's been getting
me to work all these crazy hours, so
I haven't the time to talk on the
phone.
DAN (O.S.)
Oh. Well, I was concerned when she
said you wanted to change the location
of the wedding back to the pier.
Laura frowns in displeasure.
LAURA
And I told you both "no" the first
time.
DAN (O.S.)
I know, you wanted Majesty Hall.
LAURA
Was it your sister who called them?
DAN (O.S.)
Sophie?

6. 5.
LAURA
People can sound like other people
on the phone.
DAN (O.S.)
Laura, I don't think she'd do
something like this...
LAURA
Oh no? She complained about how we
weren't following your family's
tradition.
DAN (O.S.)
But I don't think she'd be so
vindictive...
Laura scoffs. Dan sighs.
DAN (O.S.) (CONT'D)
Listen Laura, I'll call the planner
and tell her we're going back to the
Majesty Hall.
LAURA
Please do. Bendleman's already asked
me to work more hours.
INT. LAURA'S CUBICLE - DAY
Laura's work area. Furnishings include some fashion
magazines, a few pictures of her and Dan, and (of course) a
mirror.
Laura is looking at her phone. Roger still hasn't texted
her back. She calls him. The phone rings, eventually going
to voice mail (which frustrates Laura). As Laura is calling,
she looks her appearance over in her cubicle's mirror; she
adjusts her hair a bit, checks for any imperfections, and
loves what she sees.
ROGER (O.S.)
Hey, this is Roger. I'm not here
right now. You know what to do.
There's a beep. Laura tries out the most pleasant, loving
voice she can muster.
LAURA
Hey, it's me. I was just thinking
about you. Give me a call as soon
as you can, okay?
Laura hangs up and sighs a frustrated sigh. Her desk phone
chirps. She picks it up.

7. 6.
LAURA (CONT'D)
Yes?
A FRONT DESK SECURITY PERSON is heard.
DESK SECURITY (O.S.)
Miss Jenkins? This is the front
desk. Apparently your sister-in-law
is here to see you.
Laura raises an eyebrow.
LAURA
Sophie? What's she doing here?
DESK SECURITY (O.S.)
She says you're having lunch with
her.
LAURA
Me?
DESK SECURITY (O.S.)
Yeah.
LAURA
Have lunch with Sophie?
DESK SECURITY (O.S.)
I know. It's why I called to make
sure.
LAURA
Could you put her on the phone?
DESK SECURITY (O.S.)
Uh, sure.
After a few seconds, SOPHIE (28, down-to-earth girl who's a
stickler on family traditions and her brother dating bad
women) is heard.
SOPHIE (O.S.)
Laura?
LAURA
Sophie. Hey.
SOPHIE (O.S.)
Hey. You ready?
LAURA
Oh, well, see Sophie. I think there's
been a mistake. You said I was going
to have lunch with you?

8. 7.
SOPHIE (O.S.)
At the Napoli Lounge. We made these
plans yesterday. Don't you remember?
LAURA
Uh, no. I've been busy.
SOPHIE (O.S.)
But you called me yesterday. You
said you wanted to spend more time
together.
Laura starts thinking this over and slowly concocts a game
plan.
LAURA
Maybe I just forgot. I'm sorry,
Sophie. I'll be right down, okay?
SOPHIE (O.S.)
Oh, okay!
Laura hangs up. She laughs wryly to herself a bit as she
gets ready to leave.
LAURA
Okay, you little bitch. I don't
know what game you've got going on,
but I'll play.
INT. NAPOLI LOUNGE, MAIN AREA - DAY
The main eating area. It's a nice, contemporary artsy place.
Glass light/furniture fixtures. Warm color scheme. The kind
of place where a sandwich costs three dollars.
Laura and Sophie are sitting at a table, working on drinks;
Laura has a juice drink, Sophie has tea. The two try their
hardest to keep a friendly facade, but both suspect each
other of treachery.
SOPHIE
I've been meaning to try this place.
LAURA
Looks lovely.
The two share an uneasy silence for a few seconds, favoring
drinking their drinks over speech. After a few wordless
attempts to speak, Sophie does so.
SOPHIE
I was actually pretty surprised that
you wanted to see me.

9. 8.
LAURA
Well, the wedding's only a month
away. We're going to see plenty of
each other anyway.
SOPHIE
I guess. I just felt like you never
wanted to connect with me and your
family-in-law.
Laura signs.
LAURA
Well, I think it's just work stressing
me out or something. It's really
hard trying to keep afloat in business
like I do.
Sophie feels a touch of guilt for thinking what she did.
SOPHIE
Yeah, according to my brother, you've
been pulling a lot of extra shifts...
LAURA
Yeah, I don't even remember calling
you.
SOPHIE
You said you wanted to get to know
me better. It's why you're going to
have brunch with my parents this
weekend, right?
Laura's surprised by this, but tries to hide it.
LAURA
I don't remember making that call
either...
SOPHIE
But can you still come?
Though suspicious, Laura tries to seem calm.
LAURA
I'll have to check...
As Sophie speaks, someone in the background catches Laura's
eye; Roger is making a pastry delivery to the kitchen.
SOPHIE
I guess they wouldn't mind if you
reschedule, though. Mom and dad are
pretty flexible when it comes to-

10. 9.
Laura gets up.
LAURA
Really sorry, Sophie. Nature calls.
Sophie's a little annoyed as Laura rushes away.
INT. NAPOLI LOUNGE, HALLWAY - DAY
Hallway connecting the kitchen and bathrooms to the main
area.
Roger walks out of the kitchen when Laura rushes up to him,
half-pissed.
LAURA
We need to talk.
INT. NAPOLI LOUNGE, BROOM CLOSET - DAY
Standard broom closet.
Laura pulls Roger in, Roger not being too happy with this.
ROGER
Geez, easy Laura! I've got other
deliveries today!
Laura shuts the door.
LAURA
Please be quieter, okay? Sophie's
out there.
ROGER
Your sister-in-law?
LAURA
Yes.
ROGER
You're eating with her?
Laura becomes sarcastic.
LAURA
Well it's not like I had a reliable
source of pastries anymore.
Roger's puzzled by that statement.
ROGER
What?
Laura goes back to being pissed.

11. 10.
LAURA
I'm talking about how you've been
snubbing me!
Roger sighs and shakes his head slowly.
LAURA (CONT'D)
You don't call me, you don't text
me, you don't even talk to me!
Roger goes for the defensive.
ROGER
Why would I? You're the one who
told me we couldn't see each other
anymore!
Laura's surprised by this.
LAURA
What? When did I say that?!
ROGER
Around noon a few days ago. We were
here, actually.
Laura adds some confusion to her disbelief.
ROGER (CONT'D)
You said you felt bad about cheating
on Dan. And to be honest, I was
feeling bad about that, too.
LAURA
But I've never been here before,
Roger! I don't know what's going on
here!
Roger takes Laura's hands, his eyes sincere.
ROGER
Laura, calm down. You were right,
it's for the best.
Laura's confusion is upsetting her a bit.
LAURA
I didn't break up with you, Roger.
This is some mistake. I would never
leave you.
ROGER
Well, you did. I don't know what
got into you, but you did. And like
you said, it's for the best.

12. 11.
Laura tries to speak, but words die in her throat. Roger
sighs, feeling bad for his former lover.
ROGER (CONT'D)
Listen, I have more deliveries to
make. We can talk again as friends
from now on, but I think we need to
cut off contact completely for now.
Roger kisses her on her forehead and begins walking out. He
smiles a coy smile.
ROGER (CONT'D)
But if things with Dan don't work
out, look me up.
Roger leaves, closing the door behind him. Laura is still
stunned by this.
INT. NAPOLI LOUNGE, MAIN AREA - DAY
Sophie is working on her panini (Laura's soup's waiting)
when she sees Roger walking out the hallway. Laura walks
down the hallway after a few moments, trying to seem like
everything okay with the world. This piques Sophie's
suspicion.
Laura sits down and begins working on her soup.
SOPHIE
Who was that?
LAURA
Who?
SOPHIE
The guy who walked out before you?
Laura shrugs.
LAURA
Just some delivery guy, I guess.
They eat in silence. Laura slowly detects that Sophie has
something on her mind and calls her out on it.
LAURA (CONT'D)
What's wrong, Sophie?
Sophie sighs.
SOPHIE
Are you doing it again?

13. 12.
LAURA
Doing what?
Sophie frowns.
SOPHIE
You know what.
Laura scoffs and works on her soup.
SOPHIE (CONT'D)
Laura, I covered for you last time
because I didn't wanna hurt Dan.
Laura frowns and becomes snippy.
LAURA
I'm not "doing it again," okay?
Like I said, I want to build some
trust with my family.
Sophie sighs, realizing that she might have jumped the gun.
SOPHIE
You're right. I'm sorry.
Laura smiles tiredly.
LAURA
It's okay. I guess my record doesn't
do much for me, either.
Sophie smiles and scoffs.
SOPHIE
I mean, you invited me to this place.
Which, according to you has the best
paninis in town.
This catches Laura's attention.
SOPHIE (CONT'D)
I might as well talk about you being
a gemini and make you more-
LAURA
What?
SOPHIE
You told me never to talk about you
being a gemini because it reminded
you of your sis-

14. 13.
LAURA
No, not that. I said this place had
good paninis?
SOPHIE
Yeah. You tried them yourself.
Laura's puzzled by this. Another person says she's been
here before, when she knows for a fact she hasn't been.
INT. REFLECTIVE WALL HALLWAY - DAY
Hallway in Laura's work building. Largely empty. Has
reflective marble walls, though Laura's reflection isn't
seen here just yet.
Laura strides down the hall, fury radiating from her as she
angrily pulls up Dan's number. She talks to herself, using
a mocking tone.
LAURA
"She's not up to anything. Nevermind
she hates your guts. There's no way
someone can be that vindictive."
Laura scoffs.
LAURA (CONT'D)
You obviously don't know women, you
stupid-
Laura rounds the corner and catches a surprising sight that
stops her dead in her tracks.
Walking ahead of her is a PERFECT DOUBLE OF LAURA; right
down the the same outfit she's wearing.
Laura hides behind the corner, looking at her double a bit
before muttering to herself.
LAURA (CONT'D)
Whatt?
Laura looks down to her phone and takes a picture of her
double. Laura looks at the picture of the double.
LAURA (CONT'D)
(To herself)
Not a hallucination.
Laura cautiously follows her double before said double stops
walking. Laura stops walking too. A silence drifts through
the air for a few seconds...

15. 14.
Laura's double looks over shoulder and at stunned Laura. A
sly smile crawls onto the double's face before she's dashes
down the hall.
LAURA (CONT'D)
Wait!
Laura takes after the double. They both round a corner...
But despite reaching a dead end, Laura's double is gone.
(Laura's reflection is now seen in the walls.) Laura looks
around in shock for a few seconds.
LAURA (O.S.) (CONT'D)
As you can see, I wasn't
hallucinating.
INT. MEDIUM'S ROOM - DAY
The room of a psychic who deals with spirits. Charts hang
on the walls. Knickknacks and books sit on shelves/in cases.
In the center is a table with two couches around it.
Laura is sitting on one the couches. Across from her is
FLORINA (45, a professional who always has one foot in the
spirit world), who is looking at her phone.
LAURA
I knew that whatever that other me
wasn't normal. I mean, she looked
exactly like me.
FLORINA
Exactly like you?
LAURA
I know my face when I see it.
Florina hands the phone back to Laura.
FLORINA
Well, I can't tell from this if it's
a ghost or not. But from what you
describe...
Laura sighs from stress and checks her reflection over in a
compact mirror.
LAURA
Oh, look at me.
Florina shrugs.
FLORINA
You look fine.

16. 15.
LAURA
No, I don't. I think there's wrinkles
coming in from the stress.
Laura puts away the mirror and looks at Florina with
desperation in her eyes.
LAURA (CONT'D)
Why is this happening to me?
FLORINA
I can't say. By the sound of it, I
believe it might be a doppelgänger.
A ghost double of you.
LAURA
How is that possible?
FLORINA
Couldn't say. Either way, some say
seeing your own double is a sign of
death.
Laura's scared at this.
FLORINA (CONT'D)
What else could it be, though?
Suddenly, something on the wall catches her eye- a zodiac
chart. As the numbers add up in her head, Laura becomes a
melancholy sort of troubled.
LAURA
Well, there's something else it could
be. I don't know.
FLORINA
What is it?
Laura debates on whether or not to speak. It takes her a
few seconds to find her voice.
LAURA
I had a sister.
Laura falls silent again, guilt grabbing her tongue. Florina
gestures for Laura to continue.
FLORINA
Uh-huh.
LAURA
A twin sister.
Florina realizes where this might be going.

17. 16.
FLORINA
I see...
Laura falls silent for a few seconds. Talking about this is
a lot of things; hard, sad, shameful...
LAURA
When our mom was pregnant with us,
my umbilical cord got around her
neck. Not tight or anything, but...
Laura loses her place in her story and takes a moment to
find both it and the will to continue with the story. This
confession is a hard one...
LAURA (CONT'D)
So, anyway, mom went into labor. I
was the first one out. My cord was
still around my sister's neck...
Laura's voice dies in her throat. She takes the time to
find it again.
LAURA (CONT'D)
The doctors pull you out when you're
born. The cord got tight around my
sister...
Florina sighs, her expression grim, yet sympathetic.
FLORINA
It strangled her?
Laura slowly shakes her head.
LAURA
Broke her neck.
FLORINA
I see. So you believe that her ghost
is the one haunting you?
LAURA
Does it sound like she is?
Florina shrugs.
FLORINA
Well, this ghost looks like you. It
appeared when your wedding date was
getting so close...
Laura's eyes and voice speak hopelessness as she looks to
the ground.

18. 17.
LAURA
So it's her. She's angry that she
died because of me and now she wants
to take over my life.
Laura turns her desperate gaze to Florina.
LAURA (CONT'D)
What do I do? How can I stop her?
FLORINA
You can satisfy her spirit.
The two continue their conversation as the scene...
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. GRAVEYARD - DAY
What it says on the tin. Laura walks up to a grave and puts
some flowers by it. Laura smiles warmly at the grave for a
few seconds...
Her ringing cell phone breaks the calm. Laura answers it.
LAURA
Hello?
Sophie's on the other end.
SOPHIE (O.S.)
Laura? It's Sophie.
Laura tries to seem happy, but it's clear she still doesn't
like Sophie.
LAURA
Oh, Sophie. Hello.
SOPHIE (O.S.)
So, I got the call from the wedding
planner.
Laura's increasingly-frustrated voice is heard off screen.
LAURA (O.S.)
No.
INT. LAURA'S CUBICLE - DAY
Laura's slumped over her desk, emotionally spent.

19. 18.
SOPHIE (O.S.)
I'm glad to hear that you decided to
have the wedding location switched
to the pier.
LAURA (O.S.)
No.
SOPHIE (O.S.)
And I can't wait to see you at the
movies with my girlfriends this
weekend.
LAURA (O.S.)
No!
Laura snaps her head up with a frustrated groan.
EXT. STREET - DAY
En route to Florina's place. An angry Laura is striding
down the sidewalk, muttering to herself.
LAURA
I spend a whole damn week visiting
her grave and praying for her and
thinking about her and what does she
do?! Still try to steal my life!
Florina's home is in sight.
LAURA (CONT'D)
This Florina woman better do something
because I'm damn near close to calling
the ghostbusters or-
Florina's front door opens...
And to Laura's shock, her double comes out, Florina waving
good-bye. Laura's double walks down the street away from
Laura.
LAURA (CONT'D)
I...
Laura runs towards Florina, who is surprised to see her.
LAURA (CONT'D)
Miss Florina, who...?!
FLORINA
Miss Jenkins?
Florina looks at the double, who is still walking away.

20. 19.
FLORINA (CONT'D)
But you...
LAURA
That's her! That's the ghost!
Florina's confused.
FLORINA
A ghost? Her? No, she's not.
LAURA
What?
FLORINA
That was no ghost! It had a living
aura and everything. It...
Laura's double is crossing the street.
FLORINA (CONT'D)
It was you!
Laura takes after the double, frustrated and tired.
LAURA
No! It's not me! It's not!
Laura starts crossing the street.
LAURA (CONT'D)
It's my sis-
A truck horn is heard. Laura looks to the side of her in
shock.
Black, the sound of Laura being hit and an ambulance.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY
Hospital room meant for one person. Across from the bed,
which has a bruised and bandaged Laura in it, is the bathroom.
From her bed, Laura can see its mirror. Laura's asleep from
drugs. Outside, a DOCTOR talks with Dan and Sophie.
DAN
But seeing a double of herself?
DOCTOR
It might just be from stress.
SOPHIE
It's my fault. She was already
stressed with work and the wedding.
(MORE)

21. 20.
SOPHIE (CONT'D)
She didn't need me bothering her
like that. Please tell me she'll be
okay.
DOCTOR
She'll be fine. She'll need to talk
to a counselor before she leaves
though.
SOPHIE
What was she doing in that part of
town anyway?
DOCTOR
According to an eyewitness, she was
seeing a psychic who lives in the
area.
DAN
Don't tell me- Florina Gantz?
DOCTOR
She says she saw her double too.
DAN
She's also seen the inside of plenty
of mental hospitals, from what I
heard.
Dan looks into the room and at his bruised beloved. He feels
her pain.
DAN (CONT'D)
Can we go in?
DOCTOR
Maybe wait a while. The drugs are
keeping her knocked out a bit. Maybe
you can talk with the counselor before
you see her?
The trio walks away. Dead silence.
Slowly, Laura awakens. She looks at herself and her
surroundings sadly. She turns her tired eyes to the ceiling.
LAURA
Sis, why? Why won't you leave me
alone?
Another silence that's broken by Laura's voice coming from
the bathroom.

22. 21.
OTHER LAURA (O.S.)
Why won't you leave her alone?
Startled, Laura looks around the room, finding no one.
LAURA
Who's there?
OTHER LAURA (O.S.)
Over here.
Laura still looks around...
Then the bathroom mirror catches her eye. Her reflection
within it is standing by the bed in it. Laura is shocked by
this.
Laura's smiling reflection waves.
OTHER LAURA (CONT'D)
Hi.
Laura's scared beyond words. The other Laura starts walking
towards the mirror's boarder in the bathroom.
OTHER LAURA (CONT'D)
So, does it all make sense?
The scene of Alex and Laura talking in the bathroom is shown.
OTHER LAURA (CONT'D)
How people were able to mistake us
for each other?
Scenes of Laura talking with Sophie and Roger are shown.
OTHER LAURA (CONT'D)
How people have seen you in places
you've never been before?
The scene of Laura chasing her double into the reflective
hallway is shown.
OTHER LAURA (CONT'D)
How I was able to vanish into a
hallway with reflective walls?
Back to present. The other Laura climbs out of the mirror
and into the bathroom.
LAURA
H-How...?
Other Laura shrugs.

23. 22.
OTHER LAURA
How many times...
A montage of Laura checking her appearance is shown.
OTHER LAURA (CONT'D)
...Do you look at yourself in a single
day?
Back to present. Other Laura is sitting against the sink.
OTHER LAURA (CONT'D)
When you put so much effort into
something, it could take on a life
of its own.
The other Laura turns to the mirror. With no reflections
within it, the mirror seems to be a picture of an empty
hospital room. Other Laura seems hateful towards her former
prison.
OTHER LAURA (CONT'D)
The problem is, the thing brought to
life could be stuck doing nothing
more than watching someone waste
their life. To let a perfectly good
family and fiancé go to waste while
they pursue foolish indulgences.
The other Laura turns to the real Laura, a sadistic smile on
her face.
OTHER LAURA (CONT'D)
So I decided no more. I'm going to
see if I can enjoy the life you're
wasting away.
The other Laura starts approaching the real one.
OTHER LAURA (CONT'D)
And you know what? I can. A whole
lot.
The other Laura closes in on the horrified real one.
OTHER LAURA (CONT'D)
You're not much more than a pretty
face anyway.
The real Laura goes to scream, but her reflection covers her
mouth.
Black.

24. 23.
Time jump. Other Laura is sitting on the bed, smiling. Dan
hands her some crutches.
DAN
You ready?
Other Laura nods and walks out with Dan. Dan puts his arm
around her and they leave.
As they leave, the real Laura is seen within the mirror,
banging on it from the inside and screaming silent screams.
THE END