Babel (film)
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| Babel | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
| |
| Directed by | Alejandro González Iñárritu |
| Produced by | Steve Golin Jon Kilik Alejandro González Iñárritu |
| Screenplay by | Guillermo Arriaga |
| Story by | Guillermo Arriaga Alejandro González Iñárritu |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Gustavo Santaolalla |
| Cinematography | Rodrigo Prieto |
| Edited by | Douglas Crise Stephen Mirrione |
| Production company | |
| Distributed by | Paramount Vantage Paramount Pictures |
| Release dates |
|
| Running time | 143 minutes |
| Country | United States Mexico France |
| Language |
|
| Budget | $25 million |
| Box office | $135,330,182 |
Babel is a 2006 drama film directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and written by Guillermo Arriaga, starring an ensemble cast. The multi-narrative drama completes González Iñárritu's Death Trilogy, following Amores perros and 21 Grams.[1]
The film portrays multiple stories taking place in Morocco, Japan, and Mexico/U.S.A. It was an international co-production among companies based in France, Mexico, and the U.S. The film was first screened at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, and was later shown at the Toronto International Film Festival.[2] It opened in selected cities in the United States on 27 October 2006, and went into wide release on 10 November 2006. On 15 January 2007, it won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture — Drama. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and two nominations for Best Supporting Actress and won for Best Original Score.
Contents
[hide]Plot[edit]
Babel focuses on four interrelated sets of situations and characters, and many events are revealed out of sequence. The following plot summary has been simplified and thus does not reflect the exact sequence of the events on screen.
Interestingly, the three settings for the plot are located on approximately the same latitude with each approximately 120° apart in longitude.
Morocco[edit]
In a remote desert location in Morocco, Abdullah, a goatherder, buys a high-powered .270 Winchester M70 rifle and a box of ammunition from his neighbor Hassan Ibrahim to shoot the jackals that have been preying on his goats. Abdullah gives the rifle to his two young sons, Yussef and Ahmed (played by local amateur actors Boubker Ait El Caid and Said Tarchini), and sends them out to tend the herd. The film has already established that there is a degree of competitiveness between the two brothers. The older is critical of the younger for spying on his sister while she changes her clothes (the film shows that she is aware of his peeping). Competing between themselves and doubtful of the rifle's purported three-kilometer range, they decide to test it out, aiming first at rocks, a moving car on a highway below, and then at a bus carrying Western tourists on the same highway traveling in the opposite direction to the car. Yussef's bullet hits the bus, critically wounding Susan Jones (Cate Blanchett), an American woman from San Diego [3][4] who is traveling with her husband Richard Jones (Brad Pitt) on vacation. The two boys realize what has happened and flee the scene, hiding the rifle in the hills that night.
Glimpses of television news programs reveal that the US government holds the shooting to be a terrorist act and is pressuring the Moroccan government to apprehend the culprits. Having traced the rifle back to Hassan, the Moroccan police descend quickly on his house and roughly question him and his wife until they reveal that the rifle was given to him by a Japanese man, and then sold to Abdullah. The two boys see the police on the road and confess to their father what they have done. (They believe at the time that the American woman has died of her wounds.) The three flee from their house, retrieving the rifle as they go. The police corner them on the rocky slope of a hill and open fire. After his brother is hit in the leg, Yussef returns fire, striking one police officer in the shoulder. The police continue shooting, eventually hitting Ahmed in the back, possibly fatally injuring him. As his father rages with grief, Yussef eventually surrenders and confesses to all the crimes, begging clemency for his family and medical assistance for his brother. The police take him into custody. The family's fate is unresolved.
The movie's first plot is interspersed with scenes of Richard and Susan. They came on vacation in Morocco to get away from things and mend their own marital woes. The death of Sam, their infant third child, to SIDS has strained their marriage significantly as they struggle to communicate their frustration, guilt, and blame. When Susan is shot on the tour bus, Richard orders the bus driver to the nearest village with a doctor (the village is named Tazarine in the film). There a localveterinarian sews up the wound to stem the loss of blood. The other tourists wait for some time, but they eventually demand to leave, fearing the heat and worried that they may be the target of further attacks. Since Susan cannot travel by bus in her condition, Richard threatens the tour group to wait for the ambulance, which never arrives, and eventually the bus leaves without them while Richard is on the phone. The couple remains behind with the bus's tour guide, Anwar, still waiting for transport to a hospital (having contacted the US embassy using the village's only phone). Political issues between the US and Morocco prevent quick help, but a helicopter comes at last. After five days in the hospital, Susan recovers and is sent home.
Japan[edit]
Simultaneously, the movie tells the story of Chieko Wataya (綿谷 千恵子 Wataya Chieko, Rinko Kikuchi), a rebellious, deaf Japanese teenage girl, traumatized by the recent suicide of her mother. She is bitter towards her father, Yasujiro Wataya (綿谷 ヤスジロウ Wataya Yasujirō, Kōji Yakusho) and boys her age, and is sexually frustrated. She starts exhibiting sexually provocative behavior, partly in response to dismissive comments from a member of her volleyball team. While out with friends, Chieko finds a teenage boy attractive, and following an unsuccessful attempt at socialising, takes off her panties and exposes herself in an act combining flirtation and contempt. Chieko eventually encounters two police detectives who question her about her father. She finds one of the detectives, Kenji Mamiya (真宮 賢治 Mamiya Kenji, Satoshi Nikaido), attractive. She invites Mamiya back to the high-rise apartment she shares with her father. Wrongly supposing that the detectives are investigating her father's involvement in her mother's suicide, she explains to Mamiya that her father was asleep when her mother jumped off the balcony and that she witnessed this herself. It turns out the detectives are, in fact, investigating a hunting trip Yasujiro took in Morocco. Yasujiro is an avid hunter and during a trip in Morocco he gave his rifle, as a gift, to his very skilled hunting guide, Hassan, who at the beginning of the film sold the rifle to Abdullah.
Soon after learning this, Chieko reveals her real motive in inviting Mamiya to her home. She approaches him nude and attempts to seduce him. He resists her approaches but comforts her as she bursts into tears. Before he leaves, Chieko writes him a note, indicating that she does not want him to read it until he is gone. Leaving, the detective crosses paths with Yasujiro and explains the situation with the rifle. Yasujiro replies that he did indeed give it as a gift; there was no black market involvement. About to depart, Mamiya offers condolences for the wife's suicide. Yasujiro, though, is confused by the mention of a balcony and angrily replies that "My wife shot herself in the head. Chieko was the first to find the body. I've explained this to the police many times." Chieko is leaning on the balcony (still nude) when her father enters the apartment, and the two embrace. After leaving, the detective stops at a bar to read Chieko's note. The note's contents are not revealed.
United States/Mexico[edit]
A third subplot takes place in the United States and Mexico where Richard and Susan's Mexican nanny, Amelia (Adriana Barraza), tends to Debbie (Elle Fanning) and Mike (Nathan Gamble), their twin children, in their San Diego, California home while they are in Morocco. When Richard and Susan are detained because of Susan's injury, Amelia is forced to take care of the children longer than planned and becomes worried that she will miss her son's wedding. Unable to secure any other help to care for them, she calls Richard for advice, who impatiently tells her to cancel the wedding. Without his permission Amelia decides to take the children with her to the wedding in a rural community near Tijuana, Mexico, rather than miss it. Her nephew Santiago (Gael García Bernal) offers to take her and the twins to the wedding. They cross the border uneventfully and the children are soon confronted by the Mexican culture and street scene. The revelry of the wedding extends well into the evening, but rather than staying the night in Mexico with the children, Amelia decides to drive back to the States with Santiago. He has been drinking heavily and the border guards become suspicious of his behavior and the American children in the car. Amelia has passports for all four travelers, but no letter of consent from the children's parents allowing her to take them out of the United States. Intoxicated, Santiago trespasses the border. He soon abandons Amelia and the children in the desert, attempting to lead off the police (his final fate is not revealed). Stranded without food and water, Amelia and the children are forced to spend the night in the desert. Realizing that they will all die if she cannot get help, Amelia leaves the children behind to find someone, ordering them not to move. She eventually finds a U.S. Border Patrol officer. After he places Amelia under arrest, she and the officer travel back to where she had left the children, but they are not there. Amelia is taken back to a Border Patrol station, where she is eventually informed that the children have been found and that Richard, while very furious and outraged, has agreed not to press charges. However, she will be deported from the US where she has been working illegally. Her protests that she had been in the US for 16 years and has looked after the children (whom she refers to as "her children") for the duration of their lives do not secure lenient treatment. Near the end of the movie, the audience sees her meeting her son on the Mexican side of theTijuana crossing, still in the red dress she wore for the wedding, now torn and dirty from her night in the desert.
At the end of the movie, a phone conversation between Amelia and Richard is repeated from Richard's end of the phone. This is the original phone call at the beginning of Amelia's story. In this conversation it can be heard that he is allowing Amelia to go to her son's wedding because Susan's sister will be able to watch the twins. It is not until the next morning on another phone call they learn that Susan's sister cannot take care of them and thus Amelia is forced to take the children with her.
Cast[edit]
- Morocco
- Brad Pitt as Richard Jones
- Cate Blanchett as Susan Jones
- Mohamed Akhzam as Anwar
- Peter Wight as Tom
- Harriet Walter as Lilly
- Michael Maloney as James
- Driss Roukhe as Alarid
- Boubker Ait El Caid as Yussef
- Said Tarchani as Ahmed
- Mustapha Rachidi as Abdullah
- Abdelkader Bara as Hassan
- Wahiba Sahmi as Zohra
- Robert Fyfe as Tourist Number 14
- United States/Mexico
- Adriana Barraza as Amelia
- Gael García Bernal as Santiago
- Elle Fanning as Debbie Jones
- Nathan Gamble as Mike Jones
- Clifton Collins, Jr. as Police Officer at Mexican border.
- Michael Peña as Officer John
- Japan
- Rinko Kikuchi as Chieko Wataya
- Kōji Yakusho as Yasujiro Wataya
- Satoshi Nikaido as Detective Kenji Mamiya
- Yuko Murata as Mitsu
- Shigemitsu Ogi as Dentist Chieko attempts to seduce.
Production[edit]
Babel's ultimate $25 million budget came from an array of different sources and investors anchored with Paramount Vantage, which changed its name from Paramount Classics, withBabel as its premiere production and inaugural motion picture.
Actress Adriana Barraza, who plays the role of Amelia, is a two-time survivor of minor heart attacks. She nonetheless carried co-actress Elle Fanning around in the hot desert of Southern California during the summer for two days during filming of those particular desert scenes. The whole of the desert scenes were said to have taken five days to shoot.[5]
- Filming locations
- Ibaraki, Japan
- Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
- Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
- Chuo, Tokyo, Japan
- El Carrizo, Mexico[6]
- Sonora, Mexico
- Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
- Ouarzazate, Morocco
- Taguenzalt, Morocco – a Berber village in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains, built into the rocky gorges of the Draa Valley.[6]
- San Diego, California, USA
- San Ysidro, California, USA
- Drumheller, Alberta, Canada
Authorship controversy[edit]
Following completion of principal photography on Babel, director Alejandro González Iñárritu and screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga had a falling out. The dispute centered on the authorship of their previous film, 21 Grams. Arriaga argued that cinema is a collaborative medium, and that both he and González Iñárritu are thus the authors of the films they have worked on together. González Iñárritu claimed sole credit as the auteur of those same films, minimizing Arriaga's contribution to the pictures. As a result of this controversy, González Iñárritu banned Arriaga from attending the 2006 Cannes Film Festival screening of Babel, an act for which the director was very severely criticized.[7]
Music[edit]
Main article: Babel (soundtrack)
The film's original score and songs were composed and produced by Gustavo Santaolalla.
The soundtrack album won the Academy Award for Best Original Score and the BAFTA Award for Best Film Music. It was also nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score (lost to the score of The Painted Veil).
The closing scene of the film features "Bibo no Aozora" by award-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto.
Release[edit]
Box office performance[edit]
Released in seven theaters on 27 October 2006, and then released nationwide in 1,251 theaters on 10 November 2006, Babel has earned as of 6 March 2007, $34,302,937 in North America, and $101,027,166 in the rest of the world as of 4 March 2007, for a worldwide box office total of $135,330,003.[8]
Compared to his other films, Babel has surpassed González Iñárritu's 21 Grams for North American box office, as well as that film's $60 million worldwide box office gross .[9]
Box Office Mojo commented on America's initially poor reception for Babel, when the film first expanded beyond targeted communities ("wide release"). "Babel didn't translate in wide release, grabbing $5.6 million at 1,251 locations." Box Office Mojo observed that America's interest in political morality plays like Babel, Syriana, and Crash has declined, despite the biggest box office stars.
As of 6 March 2007, with nearly $114 million box office gross worldwide, Babel[9] had already outgrossed Crash,[10] Syriana,[11] The Constant Gardener[12] and Magnolia.[13] It has already earned more than four and a half times its estimated production budget of $25 million. But, according to Variety, the film did not make money for Paramount Vantage.[14]
Critical response[edit]
Babel has received positive reviews. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 69% based on 195 reviews, with an average score of 6.7/10, making the film a "Certified Fresh" on the website's rating system. The critical consensus states that "In Babel, there are no villains, only victims of fate and circumstance. Director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu weaves four of their woeful stories into this mature and multidimensional film." [15] At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating, the film received an averagescore of 69/100, based on 38 reviews, which indicates "Generally favorable reviews".[16]
Despite initial mixed reviews, Babel was considered as one of the best films of 2006, being nominated for numerous awards including seven Academy Award nominations and several Golden Globe nominations for which it won the Best Picture Motion-Drama. The cast was praised for their performances, particularly Pitt, Barraza and Kikuchi.[citation needed]
![[icon]](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section requires expansion.(August 2013) |
Home media[edit]
On 20 February and 21 May 2007, Babel was released on DVD by Paramount Home Entertainment in the United States and the United Kingdom. The only special feature was thetheatrical trailer and various other movie previews. In July 2007, Paramount announced they were releasing the film as a two-disc special edition DVD in September 2007. The second disc contains a 90 minute 'making of'. Babel has also been released on the high-definition formats, HD DVD, and Blu-ray Disc.
On its first week of release on DVD in North America (19–25 February 2007), Babel debuted #1 in DVD/Home Video Rentals.[17] Total gross rentals for the week, were estimated at $8.73 million.[18] In the first week of DVD sales, Babel sold 721,000 units, gathering revenue of $12,253,000. As of the latest figures, 1,795,000 units have been sold, translating to $28,642,774 in revenue.[19]
BABEL
Written by
Guillermo Arriaga
(April 9, 2005)
1 EXT. YUSSEF AND AHMED'S HOUSE -- MORNING
Day breaks. Hassan (50) arrives at a solitary house made of
adobe, in the southern deserts of Morocco, carrying a satchel
and a large bundle wrapped in cloth.
He walks past a corral made out of branches, where several
goats bleat, and knocks on the front door.
2 EXT. YUSSEF AND AHMED'S HOUSE -- CONTINUOUS
Abdullah (40), opens.
HASSAN
(In Arabic)
Good morning Abdullah... I brought
you this...
He holds up the bundle.
3 INT. YUSSEF AND AHMED'S HOUSE -- MOMENTS LATER
Abdullah's family is inside the house. There is a room, a
small table and a simple kitchen. Yasira (38) is roasting
some goat meat assisted by Yamil (16) and Zora (17), her
daughters.
Abdullah and his sons, Yussef (13) and Ahmed (14), are sitting
on the floor around the small table, looking at a well-
conserved .270 caliber Winchester 60 rifle.
HASSAN
(To Abdullah)
It's almost new.
He takes out several boxes of cartridges from his satchel.
HASSAN (CONT'D)
Three hundred cartridges...
He opens a box and shows them one of the golden bullets.
HASSAN (CONT'D)
The hunter who gave it to me said
you can hit up to three kilometers
away.
ABDULLAH
How much do you want for everything?
HASSAN
One thousand dirhams.
2.
ABDULLAH
One thousand dirhams? I'll give you
one thousand and a goat.
Abdullah and Hassan exchange a look and Hassan smiles.
4 EXT. YUSSEF AND AHMED'S HOUSE -- DAY
Hassan and Abdullah's family are behind the house. Hassan
stands with the rifle in front of a rock some twenty yards
away and he turns toward Abdullah.
HASSAN
With this rifle, your sons will be
able to kill plenty of jackals.
He aims at the rock and pulls the trigger without holding
the rifle properly. It is clear that he doesn't know how to
fire a weapon, and the shot cracks loudly. The rifle kicks
and hits him roughly in the shoulder. The bullet flies far
wide of the rock. The women laugh nervously.
Rubbing his shoulder, Hassan turns to Abdullah.
HASSAN (CONT'D)
Let one of your sons shoot.
Abdullah looks at his boys and points at the younger one.
ABDULLAH
Let Yussef shoot.
When Hassan is about to hand Yussef the rifle, Ahmed cuts
him off, upset.
AHMED
I want to shoot first.
Father and son exchange an angry glance. Hassan, without
realizing it, turns and gives the rifle to Ahmed. The boy
grabs the gun: it is heavier than he thought.
HASSAN
Look, load it like this.
Hassan opens the chamber, inserts the bullet and then closes
it. Once it is loaded, he points at the safety.
HASSAN (CONT'D)
This is the safety. Push it in when
you're ready.
Ahmed nods. Unsure of himself, he raises the rifle and,
almost without aiming, fires. The shot kicks up dust far
from the rock. His sisters laugh.
3.
HASSAN (CONT'D)
If he doesn't hit the jackals, at
least he'll scare the shit out of
them.
Ahmed lowers the rifle. His father grabs it and gives it to
Yussef enthusiastically.
ABDULLAH
Your turn.
Yussef grabs the rifle and loads it confidently. He lifts
the rifle with ease and takes his time aiming. He seems
innately skilled at the maneuver. He shoots and the bullet
hits just below the rock.
Abdullah celebrates the shot and mockingly turns to Hassan.
ABDULLAH (CONT'D)
Now this kid shoots a hell of a lot
better than you.
5 EXT. GOAT CORRAL -- LATER
Yussef takes one of the goats out, ties and ropes it and
gives it to Hassan. Abdullah supervises. Yasira approaches
and gives Abdullah a bag.
YASIRA
Your lunch.
Abdullah takes it and turns to his sons.
ABDULLAH
You better kill at least three
jackals.
HASSAN
And make sure no one sees you with
the rifle, hide it if you see someone
approach you.
Ahmed nods. Abdullah and Hassan go on their way.
6 EXT. YUSSEF AND AHMED'S HOUSE -- LATER
Yasira and Yamil are far from the house, cleaning some
goatskins stretched out on some branches.
Ahmed, with the rifle in his hands, opens the corral gate
and enters to herd them out. He calls his brother.
AHMED
Yussef, Yussef...
4.
7 EXT. SIDE WALL, YUSSEF AND AHMED'S HOUSE -- CONTINUOUS
Yussef is squatting on the other side of the house, spying
through a crack, breathing excitedly.
8 INT. YUSSEF AND AHMED'S HOUSE -- CONTINUOUS
Zora is inside, undressing. She has a long body and her
cinnamon skin is soft and clean. Every now and then she
aims a complicit glance at the crack through which Yussef is
spying.
AHMED (O.S.)
Yussef...
Zora turns around toward where the voice is coming from.
9 EXT. YUSSEF AND AHMED'S HOUSE -- DAY
Yussef is still spying. Ahmed approaches.
AHMED
What are you doing?
Yussef turns around and signals for him to lower his voice.
AHMED (CONT'D)
I told you not to spy on her again.
Yussef pays no attention and keeps spying. Ahmed pulls him
by the shoulder and makes him lose his balance. Yussef falls
on his ass.
AHMED (CONT'D)
I said don't spy on her.
Yussef gets up and dusts himself off.
YUSSEF
What the hell do you care?
AHMED
Come on, let's go.
He turns around and leaves.
10 EXT. DESERT -- DAY
The goats graze. Yussef and Ahmed watch them sitting on the
side of a hill. They look hot and bored. They both throw
stones at a small rusty can. Yussef throws one and misses.
Ahmed throws his and does. He draws a line in the ground.
AHMED
Five to two.
A jackal is stalking the goats. Yussef spots it.
5.
YUSSEF
There's a jackal over there.
Ahmed raises his head but cannot see it. Yussef points at
it, but Ahmed still cannot locate it. Yussef despairs.
YUSSEF (CONT'D)
Over there.
Ahmed finally spots it. He loads the rifle, but when he is
about to aim, the rifle fires. The shot hits amidst the
goats, lifting up a small cloud of dust.
YUSSEF (CONT'D)
What are you doing, you idiot?
The jackal flees, terrified, while the goats scamper in
different directions.
11 EXT. DESERT -- LATER
Both brothers are sitting under a tree, eating bread and
drinking water from a goatskin canteen.
YUSSEF
Zora doesn't mind.
Ahmed keeps eating without turning to look at his brother.
AHMED
She doesn't, but I do.
YUSSEF
This is between her and me.
AHMED
You're both pigs. Next time I'm
going to tell my dad.
YUSSEF
Stay out of this.
AHMED
If you want me to stay out of it,
don't do it.
Yussef gets annoyed, stand up and leaves.
12 EXT. DESERT -- DAY
The brothers are sitting apart from each other. Ahmed guards
the goats with the rifle on his lap.
After a while, Yussef goes to sit behind a large rock. He
makes sure his brother isn't watching and he pulls his pants
down to start masturbating.
6.
When he is at his most concentrated, a shot rings out and
startles him. He quickly pulls his pants up and another
shot rings out. Yussef gets up to see what his brother is
doing.
Ahmed is aiming the rifle at a rock some two hundred yards
away. He fires a third time.
Yussef runs up to him.
YUSSEF
What are you doing?
Ahmed doesn't pay attention, and focuses on the rock in the
distance.
AHMED
Hassan said that it could hit things
three kilometers away, but it can't
even reach that rock over there.
YUSSEF
That's because you don't know how to
shoot. Give me the rifle.
Ahmed looks at his brother defiantly, then hands the rifle
over. Yussef aims and fires. The shot echoes through the
vast desert; the frightened goats scamper a few yards away.
AHMED
See, it can't reach it.
YUSSEF
Give me another bullet.
Yussef aims and fires. The bullet hits the rock and kicks
up a lot of whitish dust.
YUSSEF (CONT'D)
See.
AHMED
Yeah, but that's not three kilometers.
Ahmed remains pensive and suddenly starts climbing to the
top of the hill. Once at the top, he looks around for a
moment and then calls his brother.
AHMED (CONT'D)
Yussef, come here.
Yussef climbs the slope. Ahmed signals a road that in the
distance cuts across the great desert plain, and points out
a traffic sign that indicates a curve ahead.
7.
AHMED (CONT'D)
I bet you the bullet can't hit that
far away.
Ahmed loads the rifle and aims at the sign. He fires and
nothing.
AHMED (CONT'D)
These fucking bullets aren't any
good.
YUSSEF
You're not aiming right.
Yussef points at a yellow car driving along the road.
YUSSEF (CONT'D)
What'll you give me if I hit that
car?
AHMED
I'll shoot.
Ahmed reloads. The empty cartridge falls to the ground. He
fires again - the car keeps going. Yussef asks for the rifle.
AHMED (CONT'D)
You see? Nothing happens.
YUSSEF
Let me shoot.
He also drops the used cartridge on the ground, reloads and
shoots the traffic sign. He fires and nothing.
AHMED
I told you. Hassan's a liar.
A bus approaches. Ahmed points at it.
AHMED (CONT'D)
Shoot at that one...
Yussef loads the rifle parsimoniously, shuts the chamber,
raises the weapon, aims and fires.
The bus drives on. Ahmed turns to his brother.
AHMED (CONT'D)
See: nothing.
The bus drives on another three hundred yards and suddenly
stops in the middle of the road.
8.
13 INT. T.V. ROOM, L.A. HOUSE -- NIGHT
Amelia (54), a maternal, Mexican woman with a pleasant face,
is playing Monopoly with Debbie (4) and Mike (5). They are
both typically American kids.
AMELIA
(In Spanish)
I won...
MIKE
No, I won.
The phone rings and Amelia goes to answer it.
AMELIA
(In English)
Yes... yes sir... yes sir, Mrs. Rachel
told me...I'm very sorry. How is
Mrs. Susan?... No sir, don't worry...
Amelia turns to Mike.
AMELIA (CONT'D)
Your dad is calling.
Mike runs to the phone and grabs it.
MIKE
Hi dad... dad, guess what? Today, at
school, they brought some baby
chickens...I held one in my hand. He
was really little and he was all
warm...
(A beat)
Dad, are you ok?...And Mariana wanted
to take one home, but the teacher
didn't let her...
14 INT. CHILDREN'S ROOM, L.A. HOUSE -- NIGHT
Amelia is putting Debbie and Mike to sleep. They are both
lying in bed. Amelia sits next to them.
AMELIA
(In Spanish)
Did you brush your teeth?
Mike shows her his teeth so she can see he did.
MIKE
Will you tell us a story?
AMELIA
One and then you're going to sleep.
Both children nod.
9.
AMELIA (CONT'D)
(Her entire story in
Spanish)
Once there was a hawk who wanted to
fly higher than everyone else. He
trained every day and hunted little
birds so he could eat them and be
strong.
MIKE
Pajaritos? Little birds?
AMELIA
Of course, that's what hawks eat.
So, one day the hawk flew so, so
high that it crashed into an airplane.
It fainted and started to fall. And
when it was about to hit the ground,
all the birds flew toward him and
saved him.
DEBBIE
They saved him?
AMELIA
Yes, and when the hawk was healthy
again he went to talk to the birds
and said: I want to thank you for
saving me, but I can't change and
I'm going to keep hunting you. The
little birds answered: we don't care
that you hunt us, because that's who
you are. But we will always save
you, because that's who we are.
The children are silent.
AMELIA (CONT'D)
(In English)
Did you like it?
DEBBIE
No.
Amelia moves to turn out the light.
DEBBIE (CONT'D)
Leave it on.
Amelia stands still beside the switch.
AMELIA
Quedamos en que se iban a dormir con
la luz apagada.
DEBBIE
But I'm scared.
10.
AMELIA
No pasa nada.
DEBBIE
I'm scared that what happened to Pat
is gonna happen to me.
Amelia sits down next to her and caresses her.
AMELIA
A ti no te va a pasar eso...
DEBBIE
Pat died while she was sleeping.
AMELIA
That only happens to some babies
when they're really little.
MIKE
Then why did daddy get so angry at
mommy?
AMELIA
He wasn't angry, he was just very
sad.
DEBBIE
He left.
Amelia doesn't know what else to say. She pats Debbie's head.
AMELIA
Go to sleep. I'll sit here with you,
but you can't talk anymore.
They both nod and snuggle under their blankets. Amelia watches
them silently.
15 INT. AMELIA'S ROOM, L.A. HOUSE -- DAY
Amelia (54) sleeps. The sun is just starting to rise. A
phone rings distantly. Amelia awakes. She sits up, listens
intently and hears the ringing.
She grabs a robe from a chair beside her, puts it on and
gets up to answer the phone.
16 INT. KITCHEN, L.A. HOUSE -- CONTINUOUS
Amelia enters the kitchen and answers a wall phone.
AMELIA
Yes...
11.
RICHARD (O.S.)
Amelia, it's Richard. We're going to
have to be here a few more days here
in Morocco than we expected and Rachel
wasn't able to find anyone to take
care of the kids.
AMELIA
Your sister-in-law promised me to
find someone.
RICHARD (O.S.)
Amelia, this is very serious.
Amelia looks worried.
AMELIA
It's because... I told Mrs. Jones
three months ago that today is my
son's wedding.
RICHARD (O.S.)
Amelia, this is an emergency. Cancel
your son's wedding. I'll pay for
another one.
AMELIA
Sir, everything is ready. Can't anyone
come take care of the kids? It's
just one day.
RICHARD (O.S.)
We need you, Amelia... hold on.
Richard stops talking. We hear voices in the background.
RICHARD (O.S.) (CONT'D)
Amelia, we're really counting on
you. I have to go. Goodbye.
He hangs up. Amelia stares into empty space.
17 INT. KITCHEN, L.A. HOUSE -- DAY
Debbie (4) and Mike (5) are having breakfast while Amelia
leans on the sink and looks at them, overwhelmed.
AMELIA
(To Debbie, in Spanish)
Do you want another quesadilla?
DEBBIE
Mhh.
Amelia turns around to warm up a tortilla. Mike stops eating
his cereal and looks at her.
12.
MIKE
How many little birds did the hawk
eat?
Amelia turns around and sees Mike, who is truly worried.
AMELIA
(In English)
None, because he started to like
quesadillas.
Amelia strokes his hair. A car horn honks. Amelia looks
out and sees a school bus parked outside the house.
DEBBIE
Is the bus here?
AMELIA
(In Spanish)
Yes, but today you're not going to
school.
DEBBIE
Why?
AMELIA
We have things to do.
Amelia turns around and walks out to the street. Through
the door we can see her saying something to the bus driver.
The school bus leaves and Amelia walks back into the house.
18 INT. T.V. ROOM, L.A. HOUSE -- DAY
Debbie and Mike are watching cartoons while Amelia talks on
the phone.
AMELIA
(Both in Spanish)
I just want you to take of them for
today.
WOMAN (O.S.)
I can't, Mrs. Black is home.
AMELIA
And she won't go out?
WOMAN (O.S.)
No, I don't think so.
AMELIA
Ok, thanks. I'll call you tomorrow.
She hangs up and remains pensive.
13.
19 EXT. STREET, LOS ANGELES -- DAY
Amelia and the kids walk down a street in Santa Monica.
20 EXT. LUCIA'S HOUSE, LOS ANGELES -- DAY
Amelia and the kids are standing in front of a house, talking
with Lucia (22), who is dressed in a black and white uniform.
LUCIA
(Both in Spanish)
I can't Amelia.
AMELIA
Please, it's my son's wedding. I
helped you out with that thing with
your boyfriend.
LUCIA
I really can't.
AMELIA
Just for the day, Lucia. I'll be
back for them tonight.
LUCIA
And what do I tell Mrs. Black?
AMELIA
Tell her they're your nephews.
Lucia looks down at the blonde-haired, blue-eyed children.
LUCIA
Yeah right, they look just like
me...with this gringa look I have.
21 INT. CHILDREN'S ROOM, L.A. HOUSE -- DAY
Amelia is packing the children's clothes in a small suitcase.
Debbie and Mike, curious, watch her.
MIKE
Are we going to see your house?
AMELIA
Yes, you're going to see my house.
MIKE
Is it far?
AMELIA
(In Spanish)
Not very.
14.
22 EXT. LOS ANGELES HOUSE -- DAY
A run-down '88 Ford Pinto parks in front of the house and
honks its horn. The front door opens and Amelia walks out,
carrying the small suitcase, with the two kids.
Santiago (24), a young Mexican with light eyes.
SANTIAGO
(Both in Spanish)
Good morning Aunt Amelia.
AMELIA
Good morning.
Santiago, surprised, looks at the children.
SANTIAGO
Are they coming?
AMELIA
I couldn't find anyone to leave them
with. Their parents aren't coming
back today.
SANTIAGO
Why bring them, they're just going
to make trouble.
AMELIA
They're good kids.
SANTIAGO
I know a woman who can take care of
them.
AMELIA
Santiago, I have to take them. I
can't leave them with just anybody.
SANTIAGO
What if you lose your job?
AMELIA
Come on, don't tempt the fates.
Amelia opens the door for the children to get in.
23 EXT. CASBAH TAMNOUGALT, MOROCCO-- DAY
Richard (45), tall, thin, weathered, and Susan (38), good-
looking, with an athletic body, visit the impressive Casbah
with a group of American, French and English tourists. Most
of them are old, with a few couples in their forties or
fifties.
15.
Anwar (30), a man with a kind face, is the tour guide showing
them around.
ANWAR
(In English, with an
Arabic accent)
The Berbers built these kasbahs.
They made them like forts and here
they would reside after finishing
their caravans.
Richard listens attentively. Susan looks hot.
RICHARD
This place is beautiful, don't you
think?
SUSAN
(not very
enthusiastically)
Yeah, yeah it's very pretty...
Anwar walks toward one end of the aisles and calls the group.
ANWAR
Now, I'd like to show you the
materials that were used to build
the walls...
The herd moves docile toward Anwar's voice.
24 EXT. SMALL EATERY, MOROCCAN DESERT -- LATER
The group of tourists spread about a small eatery with open
air tables on a dusty terrace. A bus is parked behind them.
At a table, on one end of the terrace with views to a cluster
of mountains, Richard and Susan look through some menus.
Richard seems at ease in this place. Susan appears to be
bothered by the dust and otherness.
A waiter brings a plate and some cutlery.
WAITER
(in broken English)
You want to order?
RICHARD
I'll have a chicken cous-cous and a
Coke, please.
SUSAN
What do you have that doesn't have
fat in it?
WAITER
Everything is delicious.
16.
Susan reads the menu again.
SUSAN
I'll have the fried eggplant and a
diet Coke.
WAITER
We don't have diet Coke.
SUSAN
Then a regular Coke.
The waiter smiles and goes to place the order. Susan takes
out a small bottle with antibacterial gel, cleans her hands
and then starts wiping the plate and the cutlery thoroughly.
Richard looks at the mountain range through a pair of
binoculars. He spots a hawk flying over the plains.
RICHARD
Look, look: a hawk.
Richard follows the hawk with his binoculars for a few seconds
and then puts them down.
RICHARD (CONT'D)
This country is incredible.
Susan remains silent and then turns to look at him.
SUSAN
Richard, why did we come here?
RICHARD
What d'you mean why? I thought you
would like it.
SUSAN
Really: why are we here?
Richard knows that Susan's answer implies something else.
RICHARD
To forget everything, to be alone.
Susan, sardonically gestures toward the other tourists with
her chin.
SUSAN
Alone?
Richard sighs in disappointment. The waiter arrives with
the Cokes and the food, which does not look particularly
appetizing. He leaves everything on the table and goes.
Richard is about to pour his drink when Susan stops him.
17.
SUSAN (CONT'D)
Throw out the ice.
RICHARD
The Coke is warm.
SUSAN
Yeah, but you don't know what kind
of water is in there.
She grabs Richard's glass and tosses out the ice. Then she
does the same thing with hers. They are quiet for a moment.
RICHARD
Why can't you ever relax. You're
always stressed.
SUSAN
You're the one stressing me out.
You're why I can't relax.
RICHARD
You could if you tried.
SUSAN
Tried? Don't you think I tried?
RICHARD
You're never going to forgive me,
are you?
SUSAN
Do you even know what I'm talking
about?
RICHARD
Susan, please; we didn't come all
this way just to argue.
Susan gets angry and faces him.
SUSAN
Oh, we didn't? Then when are we
supposed to "argue"? Or are you
planning on running away again?
Richard sighs, defeated. They stop speaking and sit looking
at the mountains.
25 EXT. BUS -- MOMENTS LATER
The tourists crowd around to board the bus. Some boys in
rags approach to sell them trinkets.
BOYS
Stilo...stilo...
18.
Some of the tourists buy them. They come to Susan, who
becomes instantly uncomfortable. She gestures with her hand
to say they have no money, but the kids insist.
BOYS (CONT'D)
Stilo...stilo...
SUSAN
I don't have any money... I don't
have any...
Richard takes off his binoculars and gives them to the
youngest of the boys (7), who receives them with wide eyes.
RICHARD
Here.
SUSAN
What are you doing?
Richard just gets in the bus. Susan stares at the boy with
the binoculars for a moment and then gets in.
26 INT. BUS -- LATER
Susan sits next to the window, in the middle of the bus.
She looks hurt and sad. Richard walks over and sits next to
her.
The bus starts. Through the window, Richard can still see
the boy with the binoculars. He smiles until he sees an older
boy snatch the binoculars away and push the little boy.
The bus drives away, but Richard can't take his eyes off the
scene. The older boy walks away with the binoculars.
27 EXT. DESERT -- DAY
The bus drives down a straight road that divides the desert.
28 INT. BUS -- MOMENTS LATER
The bus drives on. Some of the old men sleep. Susan leans
her head against the window and watches the landscape scroll
past. Richard sits beside her silently.
Susan holds out her hand and takes Richard's, as a sign of
reconciliation. He holds hers and caresses it.
Susan gets comfortable to try to sleep. She closes her eyes
when suddenly something smashes the window and Susan collapses
forward.
Richard turns to look at the punctured glass and then Susan.
RICHARD
Susan, what's wrong?
19.
Susan doesn't answer, limp on her seat.
RICHARD (CONT'D)
What happened?
Richard lifts her up and when he does he sees a thread of
blood run down her neck. Richard yells at the driver.
RICHARD (CONT'D)
Stop the bus, stop, my wife's been
hurt.
29 INT. VOLLEYBALL COURT -- DAY
In an indoor volleyball court with bleachers, several Japanese
girls play volleyball. They all compete intensely for the
point. There is excitement, but everything occurs quietly.
A player jumps and spikes the ball. Chieko (16), tall,
beautiful, with strands of hair painted purple, volleys the
ball back up. It reaches one of her teammates who sets up
another to spike it.
Chieko's team wins the point. The referee, instead of
whistling, lifts up a red flag.
The players congratulate each other silently, in sign
language. The only sound we can here is the parents' clapping
as they watch the game from the stands.
Chieko's team serves. Again, the game is heated. A rival
player spikes the ball, and it is barely out of bounds.
However, the referee, with his red flag, calls the point.
Chieko is upset and goes to argue with him.
CHIEKO
(In sign language)
The ball was out.
REFEREE
(In sign language)
No, it was good.
Chieko gestures violently. One of her teammates goes to
calm her down.
TEAMMATE
Let it go.
Chieko breaks loose and approaches the referee.
CHIEKO
That was out.
REFEREE
It was on the line.
20.
CHIEKO
You're not just deaf, you're blind.
REFEREE
You're out.
Chieko is furious. She starts to make obscene gestures.
CHIEKO
You're an asshole.
The coach walks onto the court. He holds her to calm her
down and then takes her away. Despite Chieko's violent
reaction, everything is still silent. From the bleachers,
Yasujiro (47), Chieko's father, dressed in a nice suit with
the tie undone, with a sad pride about him, disapproves of
his daughter's actions.
30 INT. LOCKER ROOM, VOLLEYBALL COURT -- DAY
Chieko sits on a bench in her underwear. She looks aggravated
and absorbed in her own thoughts. Her other teammates get
dressed. Two of them walk past wrapped in towels, freshly
showered, and stand in front of her. They talk to each other
in sign language.
TEAMMATE 1
You shouldn't have lost your temper.
We lost the game.
CHIEKO
It wasn't my fault, it was the ref.
TEAMMATE 2
If you hadn't been thrown out, we
would've won the game.
Chieko, angry, gets up and starts to rummage through her
locker. Her teammate walks over and gets her attention.
TEAMMATE 1
Why are you in a bad mood?
Chieko doesn't answer. Teammate 2 approaches.
TEAMMATE 2
She's always in a bad mood because
nobody's fucked her yet.
She caps this with an obscene gesture that bothers Chieko.
CHIEKO
I'm gonna fuck your dad to get rid
of my mood.
Teammate 1 laughs, amused. Teammate 2 gives Chieko a scornful
look. Chieko smiles sardonically.
21.
31 INT. YASUJIRO'S CAR -- DAY
Yasujiro drives while Chieko looks at the swarming Tokyo
streets. She is wearing a skirt revealing of her long
volleyball legs.
Her fathers speaks to her in sign language.
YASUJIRO
What do you want to eat?
CHIEKO
I said I'd meet my friends from the
team at Eve's.
YASUJIRO
Weren't we going to have lunch
together?
CHIEKO
Dad, I told you I was going to eat
with them, but you never pay attention
to me.
Yasujiro shakes his head in disapproval.
CHIEKO (CONT'D)
My mother always paid attention to
me.
YASUJIRO
Why do you want to fight?
They don't say anything else. The traffic is chaotic.
YASUJIRO (CONT'D)
I miss your mother too.
Chieko just looks at him.
YASUJIRO (CONT'D)
I'm doing what I can, sweetie.
They don't say anything else. The traffic is chaos.
32 EXT. STREET, TOKYO -- DAY
Yasujiro parks his car and Chieko gets out.
YASUJIRO
(in sign language)
Don't forget you have the dentist at
four.
Chieko looks annoyed, and blows her father a kiss goodbye.
As she is about to get out of the car, Yasujiro grabs her
arm. She turns to look at him.
22.
YASUJIRO (CONT'D)
(In sign language)
I love you very much.
They exchange a glance. She nods, closes the door and leaves.
33 INT. EVE'S -- DAY
Eve's is a restaurant full of t.v.'s, noise, video games.
There is smoke, and people talking everywhere. Chieko moves
through the crowd. A hostess intercepts her.
HOSTESS
Do you have a table?
Chieko doesn't manage to read her lips. The hostess, smiling,
awaits an answer. Chieko waits, expectant, for the hostess
to repeat herself.
HOSTESS (CONT'D)
Do you have a table?
Chieko nods and points at her group of girlfriends, who are
sitting on the barstools next to the bar.
The hostess smiles another stupid smile and lets Chieko by.
Further off, her friends spot her and make silly faces.
Chieko laughs, walks over to them. They are all dressed the
same: short skirts, tight t-shirts. Some of them have
piercings in their nose, lips and ears. They all exude
hormones in their silence.
Chieko goes to talk to them in sign language.
CHIEKO
Why all the way in the corner?
Mitsu, with a good body, not very tall and with violet
highlights in her hair, points at a pair of tables where a
group of young men are drinking beer.
MITSU
Because of the view.
Chieko turns around and stares at one of them wearing a Milan
jersey. Their eyes meet. Chieko keeps her eyes on him, and
the boy finally turns away.
MITSU (CONT'D)
Do you like him?
Chieko nods without taking her eyes off him.
23.
34 INT. EVE'S -- DAY
Chieko, Mitsu and another of their friends are playing a
pinball game that makes noises whenever the ball hits a wall.
The young man in the Milan jersey approaches Chieko.
YOUNG MAN
Hello.
Neither Chieko, nor her friends answer. The guy turns to
look at one of his friends, who signals for him to insist.
YOUNG MAN (CONT'D)
Can I play with you?
Chieko, obviously, cannot hear him. She keeps playing.
Suddenly, Mitsu notices the young man's presence and taps
Chieko on the shoulder. Chieko turns around and is surprised.
The young man turns to look toward his friends as he speaks.
YOUNG MAN (CONT'D)
Do you want to come have a drink?
Chieko gets frustrated; she cannot read his lips. He stops
looking at his friends and awaits an answer, but all he sees
is three silent girls staring at him stupefied.
Chieko talks to Mitsu in sign language.
CHIEKO
Tell him I couldn't read his lips.
The young man, upon seeing them communicate, is caught off
guard. He turns around and walks toward his friends without
saying a word.
35 INT. BATHROOM, EVE'S -- DAY
Chieko leans on the sink while Mitsu pees in one of the
stalls. Chieko is noticeably upset.
Mitsu walks out of the stall, fixing her skirt. She sees
Chieko is distressed.
MITSU
(In sign language)
What's the matter?
CHIEKO
(In sign language)
They look at us like we're monsters.
MITSU
Oh, come off it.
24.
Chieko is at a loss for words. Mitsu stares at her: it looks
like another one of many tantrums.
Chieko hikes up her skirt and starts to pull down her panties.
MITSU (CONT'D)
What are you doing?
CHIEKO
Now they're going to meet the real
hairy monster.
She makes the gesture of sticking her finger up a hole, then
goes to the toilet, throws her panties in and flushes. She
turns to look at Mitsu defiantly, who cannot help but laugh.
36 INT. EVE'S -- DAY
Chieko sits on one of the restaurant's benches. Before her
is a new group of young men. Mitsu and Chieko exchange a
look. Provocatively, Chieko crosses her legs slowly revealing
her pussy.
One of the young men seems to notice, and is stunned. Chieko
smiles and does it again. He watches Chieko again and
discretely turns to one of his friends to tell him.
Chieko turns her back to him and faces the bar. She looks
over at Mitsu, who shakes her head, amused.
A beeper rings on Chieko's skirt. She picks it up and reads:
"Don't forget your appointment with the dentist. Papa."
She puts the beeper away and turns toward Mitsu.
CHIEKO
I'll see you later at my place.
She mischievously turns toward the table where the young man
was, and as she gets off the bench she spreads her legs wide
open, flashing him shamelessly.
She struts out.
37 EXT. DESERT -- DAY
Ahmed and Yussef run full speed, herding their goats as they
go. Some of them get left behind and Yussef hurries back to
them. As they climb a hill, he slips and falls, rolls
downhill and drops the rifle, which slides a few meters away.
Ahmed runs to help him. Yussef gets up, covered in dust and
with a scratch on his forehead. Ahmed picks up the rifle.
AHMED
Hurry up, man, hurry...
25.
Ahmed runs off, hands flailing, to herd the straggling sheep.
Yussef follows him, limping.
38 EXT. YUSSEF AND AHMED'S HOUSE -- LATER
The brothers make it back home. Agitated, they put the goats
back into their corral. Zora walks out and approaches them.
ZORA
What's wrong?
Yussef, busy closing the corral gate, pays no attention.
Ahmed, breathing agitatedly, doesn't answer.
ZORA (CONT'D)
I asked you what's wrong.
Ahmed, full of adrenaline, glances angrily at her.
AHMED
What do you care, whore?
Yussef gets in the way.
YUSSEF
Don't talk to her like that.
Yussef steps up to defend her, but Ahmed spins around and
goes into the house. Yussef turns to Zora.
YUSSEF (CONT'D)
Something we ate make us sick so we
came back.
Without another word, Yussef also goes into the house.
39 INT. YUSSEF AND AHMED'S HOUSE -- LATER
Yussef and Ahmed are sitting on their mats, looking at each
other, pale, scared and quiet. Yasira walks in to see them,
followed by her daughters. She turns to Ahmed.
YASIRA
What are you doing here?
Ahmed, livid, cannot answer.
YUSSEF
Something we ate gave us a stomach
ache.
Yasira stares harshly at Ahmed.
YASIRA
And is that why you're insulting
your sister?
26.
Ahmed looks at Zora, then Yussef, and then is silent.
YUSSEF
We were feeling really ill.
Yasira points toward the corral.
YASIRA
The goats are going to feel even
worse if they don't eat. Take them
out again.
AHMED
Our stomach really hurts.
YASIRA
Then start jerking the meat.
Yasira walks out. Yussef and Zora exchange a look.
40 INT. YUSSEF AND AHMED'S HOUSE -- DAY
Yussef and Ahmed are jerking a couple of young goats with
very sharp knives. They set the thin strips on newspaper.
They look nervous. They talk in whispers.
AHMED
D'you think something happened?
YUSSEF
I don't know.
AHMED
People were screaming.
They are silent for a long while.
AHMED (CONT'D)
It was your fault.
Yussef stares at him in disbelief.
YUSSEF
It was both our faults. We both
shot.
(A beat)
Swear to me you'll never say anything.
Ahmed won't answer. Yussef looks around the room to make
sure nobody is listening to them.
YUSSEF (CONT'D)
Swear. Nobody, never.
Ahmed remains pensive. He sighs and answers.
27.
AHMED
I swear. Nobody.
41 EXT. YUSSEF AND AHMED'S HOUSE -- EVENING
The brothers are hanging the strips of meat on ropes to dry
them in the sun.
An old Valiant packed with seven men parks in front of the
house and Abdullah gets out. He raises his hand to say
goodbye.
ABDULLAH
Thank you, I'll see you tomorrow.
The driver also raises his hand and then drives off. Abdullah
turns to Yussef.
ABDULLAH (CONT'D)
Tell your mother to prepare dinner.
Abdullah turns towards the house. Yussef comes out running
towards a little field below the house. Yasira is plowing
with a manual plow.
YUSSEF
Mother, mother, father says he wants
to have dinner now.
42 INT. YUSSEF AND AHMED'S HOUSE -- EVENING
Abdullah and his children sit at the small table while the
women prepare the food. A column of smoke rises from the
fire where they are roasting goat meat and toasting bread.
Yamil, the youngest of the daughters, sets some bread on the
table. Abdullah takes it, tears some off and starts to eat.
He turns to Yussef.
ABDULLAH
Did you kill any jackals?
YUSSEF
We shot at them, but didn't hit them.
ABDULLAH
You have to kill them. If not they're
going to eat all the goats.
Yasira sets the strips of goat meat on the table. Abdullah
serves himself some. His children wait until he's done to
serve themselves.
YASIRA
Why are you home so late?
Abdullah starts talking with his mouth full.
28.
ABDULLAH
They closed the road, and we had to
take the long way around.
(He swallows)
Apparently some terrorists killed an
American tourist.
Ahmed and Yussef shoot each other a nervous glance.
YASIRA
An American?
ABDULLAH
Yes, the terrorists attacked a tour
bus on the road.
YASIRA
But there aren't any terrorists here.
Abdullah finishes his mouthful. He wipes himself with his
sleeve. Ahmed doesn't even dare raise his eyes.
ABDULLAH
You never know.
Yussef, nervous, looks up.
YUSSEF
And how do you know the American
died?
ABDULLAH
That's what they were saying. The
police are looking for the culprits.
Yussef and Ahmed again exchange a furtive glance.
43 INT. YUSSEF AND AHMED'S HOUSE -- NIGHT
Night. An oil lamp in a Nescafe jar lights the house. The
family sleeps in the only two rooms in the house. One of
them is the parents room, the other the children's.
We hear a goat bleating in the darkness. Abdullah's snoring.
Yasira's breathing. The crunching of wood in the night cold.
Neither Yussef, nor Ahmed can sleep. They both look at each
other, anxious.
44 EXT. BORDER CROSSING -- DAY
Santiago's car crosses the border between San Diego and
Tijuana. They drive through a green light at the crossing,
easily entering Mexico without being stopped by three Mexican
customs officials.
29.
45 INT. SANTIAGO'S CAR -- DAY
Debbie and Mike stare through the windows, amazed at the new
world they are entering: other people, other architecture,
other colors, other noises.
Santiago turns towards them while he's driving.
SANTIAGO
See how easy it is to get into
paradise?
DEBBIE
Is this Mexico?
AMELIA
(In Spanish)
Yes, this is Mexico.
MIKE
My mom told us Mexico is really
dangerous.
Santiago turns toward the kids.
SANTIAGO
(In Spanish)
Yes, it's full of Mexicans.
Amelia and Santiago look at each other and smile.
46 EXT. TIJUANA -- DAY
They drive through Tijuana.
47 INT. SANTIAGO'S CAR -- DAY
Mike and Debbie continue to gaze awestruck through the
windows. Santiago turns to them.
SANTIAGO
(In Spanish)
Are you hungry?
They both nod.
SANTIAGO (CONT'D)
Do you like popsicles?
Santiago pulls over next to some stalls, and the street
vendors run out to offer them their products.
48 EXT. PARK, TIJUANA -- DAY
The children eat their popsicles as they walk through the
endless aisles of stalls, past the vendors and their incessant
banter.
30.
MIKE
What's this flavor called?
Santiago answers before Amelia.
SANTIAGO
(In Spanish)
Cajeta... it's called cajeta.
MIKE
(Mispronouncing)
Cayeto...
Santiago laughs.
SANTIAGO
No, cajeta... cajeta...
MIKE
Cajeto, cajeta... It's the best thing
I've ever tasted in my life.
(A beat)
Can I buy some for my mom? She's
gonna love them.
Amelia smiles and nods.
49 EXT. TIJUANA -- DAY
The car drives out of the city and gets on a highway. The
desert rises in all its magnitude and severity.
50 EXT. DESERT HIGHWAY -- DAY
Santiago parks the car next to a junkyard. Amelia and Debbie
run out and hide behind a fence.
Debbie pulls her underpants down to pee. Troubled, she looks
at the mound of destroyed cars.
DEBBIE
Are they crashed cars?
AMELIA
Yes...
DEBBIE
Did lots of people die?
AMELIA
I guess so...
DEBBIE
I don't like Mexico.
31.
51 EXT. DESERT HIGHWAY -- DAY
They drive down the highway and then turn onto a path. They
drive down the path at high speed, lifting up clouds of dust.
52 EXT. HAMLET "LOS LOBOS" -- DAY
They arrive at a dusty hamlet in the middle of the desert; a
few houses, no more than twenty, some adorned with
multicolored paper.
Several crates of soda are stacked up against a makeshift
shed built out of yucca fronds. A group of musicians who
play Norteña music are setting up their instruments.
There are various pickup trucks and smuggled cars parked
around the hamlet. The guests are wearing their best: fresh
shirts, big buckles, almost new boots.
Santiago parks. Amelia gets out first. A group of people
sees her and comes over to greet her.
COMADRE 1
(All in Spanish)
Hey, so you finally made it.
Amelia smiles. Her friends notices Mike and Debbie.
COMADRE 1 (CONT'D)
You brought them?
Amelia nods. Luis (24), Amelia's son, a typical Norteño
cowboy with long sideburns and moustache, his face tanned
from days under the sun, wearing a pistachio-colored tuxedo
with a cloth flower in the lapel, greets Amelia with a kiss.
LUIS
Hi mom, how're you doing?
She looks him up and down.
AMELIA
Son, you look like Pedro Infante.
COMADRE 1
More like Luis Miguel.
AMELIA
Where's the bride?
LUIS
She's not here yet.
AMELIA
What d'you mean she's not here yet?
32.
LUIS
Well, she ain't here.
Mike and Debbie, struck dumb by the language and the
strangers, hide behind Amelia, who introduces them to Luis.
AMELIA
Look son, these are Mike and Debbie,
the kids I take care of.
Luis holds his hand out ceremoniously.
LUIS
Pleased to meet you Mike.
Santiago calls out to some kids who are running around.
SANTIAGO
Psst. Lucio, come here.
Lucio (10), the oldest of the gang, approaches. Santiago
gestures toward the two American kids.
SANTIAGO (CONT'D)
These are Mike and Debbie. Keep an
eye on them for me.
Lucio gives them a scornful glance and calls them over half-
heartedly.
LUCIO
Come with me.
With her hand, Amelia signals to the kids that it's ok to go
with him. Shyly, Debbie and Mike follow.
53 INT. ROOM, HAMLET "LOS LOBOS" -- DAY
Amelia is in a room with her two daughters standing in front
of a peeling and broken mirror putting on her violet gown.
One of her daughters helps her and pulls the zipper all the
way up.
DAUGHTER 1
(All in Spanish)
Oh ma, I don't know how you did it
but it zipped up perfectly.
AMELIA
And it's been 15 years since I last
wore this dress.
DAUGHTER 1
You haven't changed a bit, ma.
33.
AMELIA
Working, dear, working, that's what
keeps one young.
The two sisters realize that the dress has a hole just below
the seat, exchange looks and smile, which doesn't please
Amelia.
AMELIA (CONT'D)
What are you guys laughing about?
DAUGHTER 2
Nothing ma, nothing.
Amelia looks at them suspiciously, turns around and leaves
the room with her dress elegantly torn.
54 EXT. DESERT ROAD, MOROCCO -- DAY
The bus is in the middle of the road.
Several of the tourists are hiding under their seats,
frightened. The driver, still ducking, looks toward the
mountains to try to piece together what happened.
Richard holds Susan against his shoulder, blood gushing from
her neck. Her eyes are open and staring at a fading world.
Richard takes Susan from under her armpits and carefully
lays her down on the aisle. Anwar runs over to help.
RICHARD
Take it easy honey, take it easy.
Anwar takes his shirt off - left only in his undershirt -
and puts it under Susan's neck.
SUSAN
(mumbling senselessly)
I'm ok... I'm ok...
Susan breathes in, and every time she does, blood flows from
her wound. Richard turns toward the other passengers.
RICHARD
Is anybody a doctor?
Nobody answers. Richard starts to lose his cool.
RICHARD (CONT'D)
Please: a doctor.
The pensioners don't answer; they are too scared. Richard
opens Susan's purse and sees a cell phone. He turns it on
and tries to call, but there is no signal. He turns to Anwar.
34.
RICHARD (CONT'D)
Where's the nearest hospital?
ANWAR
It's far away, about four hours.
(a beat)
There's a clinic that's a little
closer, about an hour and a half to
the south. By bus it'll take us about
two hours and a half though.
RICHARD
Does that takes away from Marrakesh?
ANWAR
Yes, but it's the closest thing we've
got.
Richard runs down the aisle and gets out of the bus.
55 EXT. DESERT HIGHWAY -- DAY
No cars drive by. The road is almost deserted. In the
distance, a run-down Renault approaches. Richard stands in
the road to stop it.
The car brakes and Richard runs toward the driver: an old
peasant traveling with his eight year-old grandson.
RICHARD
I need your help. We were attacked.
OLD MAN
(In Arabic)
I don't understand...
Richard grows desperate.
RICHARD
Help... hospital...
OLD MAN
(In Arabic)
I don't understand you sir.
Richard sees that Anwar and the bus driver have gotten out
of the bus and he starts shouting at them for help.
RICHARD
Tell him we need his help.
With the distraction, the old man drives off. Richard watches
helplessly as they drive away and he grabs Anwar by the arm.
RICHARD (CONT'D)
Let's take her to the clinic.
35.
56 EXT. DESERT HIGHWAY -- DAY
The bus makes a U-turn and drives away at full speed.
57 INT. BUS -- DAY
The bus rattles along. Richard huddles over Susan, trying to
stop the blood flowing from her neck. Barth, an old man starts
shouting.
BARTH
Marrakech isn't this way. They're
going to shoot at us again.
RICHARD
We've got to get her to a hospital.
BARTH
They're going to kill us all. Turn
back... turn the bus around...
Richard gets exasperated at the old man's screaming.
RICHARD
Shut up, god damn it!
Barth shuts up and the bus drives on.
58 EXT. DESERT HIGHWAY -- DAY
The bus bounces its way down the straight highway.
59 INT. BUS -- DAY
The passengers sit quietly. As the ride gets bumpier, Susan
starts to cry out in pain.
SUSAN
It hurts, it hurts...
Richard tries to calm her down.
RICHARD
Easy, sweetie, easy...
SUSAN
It hurts... it hurts so much...
Richard turns her around and sees her shoulder has been
shattered. She won't stop shouting. A pool of blood starts
trickling down the aisle.
RICHARD
(A Anwar)
Isn't there anywhere else we can
take her?
36.
ANWAR
We can take her to my town. It's
near here and there's a doctor. In
the meantime we can call Erfourd for
an ambulance.
Richard turns to look at Susan, who is writhing in pain.
RICHARD
Ok.
ANWAR
(To the driver, in
Arabic)
Make a right onto the next road.
Richard and Anwar exchange a glance.
60 EXT. DESERT HIGHWAY -- DAY
The bus leaves the main road and turns into a dirt road.
61 INT. BUS -- DAY
The bus' poor suspension gives the passengers a jolt. Richard
tries to protect Susan's head.
62 EXT. HAMLET -- DAY
The bus pulls into a small group of houses. Several children
run beside the bus, chasing it. Some gaunt dogs get out of
the way to let the bus by.
63 EXT. ANWAR'S HOUSE -- DAY
The bus pulls up in front of a modest house.
64 INT. BUS -- DAY
Richard raises his head and sees the desolate environs.
RICHARD
Are we here?
ANWAR
Yes sir, this is my house.
Richard tries to carry Susan, but she screams in pain.
RICHARD
Easy, darling, easy...
He slips his hands under her and lifts her up.
SUSAN
Don't touch me there.
37.
Richard moves his hand, which is covered in blood. As he
carries her, he turns into the aisle while Anwar and one of
the passengers try to help him.
65 EXT. HAMLET -- DAY
Richard carries her into the house through a crowd of curious
children.
66 INT. ANWAR'S HOUSE -- DAY
Anwar leads Richard down the hallways amidst Susan's screams.
67 EXT. PATIO, ANWAR'S HOUSE -- DAY
They walk through a dusty patio and Anwar points at some
stairs. Richard climbs them with difficulty and Anwar opens
the door to a room.
ANWAR
Here... here...
68 INT. ROOM, ANWAR'S HOUSE -- DAY
An old woman (87), Anwar's grandmother, who has centuries of
desert in her expression, lets them in and points at a rug
on the floor.
ANWAR'S GRANDMOTHER
(In Arabic)
Put her there...
Richard understands and softly lays Susan on the rug. Susan
looks around horrified: adobe walls, dirt floor: the epitome
of the third world.
RICHARD
I need to call an ambulance and
contact my embassy.
ANWAR
If you have the number of the embassy,
I can go call.
Obviously, Richard does not have it.
RICHARD
I need to make a phone call.
ANWAR
Of course, come with me.
They get ready to leave and Susan starts imploring.
SUSAN
Don't leave me here alone...
38.
RICHARD
Don't worry, I'll be right back.
Susan looks desperate. To set Richard somewhat at ease,
Anwar points at his Grandmother.
ANWAR
She can take care of her.
Richard leans over Susan.
RICHARD
You're going to be ok.
Anwar kneels down next to her, takes a cloth and improvises
a tourniquet that he adjusts near her shoulder. He turns
towards the grandmother.
ANWAR
(In Arabic)
Hold and release the tourniquet every
once in a while.
The grandmother nods. She sees the swarm of kids looking
into the place and she shoos them away.
ANWAR'S GRANDMOTHER
(In Arabic)
Get out of here... out...
The kids obey, except for one or two who take one last look
before they go. Susan's terrified eyes watch Anwar and Richard
leave the room.
69 EXT. ANWAR'S HOUSE -- DAY
The bus is still parked in front of the house. As soon as
Richard walks out, the pensioners approach him.
DOUGLAS
How is your wife?
RICHARD
Bad. Very bad.
Tom (51), a fat English passenger, faces him.
TOM
Get her outta there and let's go.
RICHARD
And where should I take her?
TOM
In Egypt, in a town like this, they
slit thirty German tourists' throats.
They might do the same to us.
39.
Anwar listens and intervenes.
ANWAR
No, not here.
TOM
(Aggressively)
What do you know? We have to get
out of here as soon as possible.
Lilly (79), an old woman, approaches.
LILLY
It's very hot, sir, and the driver
turned off the air conditioning.
I'm feeling sick.
RICHARD
You can't leave us here.
James (82), Lilly's husband, steps forward.
JAMES
What's the use in staying?
RICHARD
In case I need the bus.
JAMES
They can go drop us off and then
come back for you.
Douglas (75), a tall old man with good posture, interjects.
DOUGLAS
I'll stay with you if you need me.
Elyse (73), his wife, scolds him.
ELYSE
And why would you stay?
RICHARD
Please wait. Let me try to deal
with this.
TOM
We're not going to risk our lives,
so hurry.
Douglas looks defiantly at Tom.
DOUGLAS
You do what you have to do, we'll
wait.
40.
70 EXT. HAMLET -- DAY
Richard and Anwar walk down the streets of the small hamlet
before the people's inquisitive gaze. They arrive at a
general store with all sorts of roots and grains displayed
outside. Anwar walks over to the owner.
ANWAR
(in Arabic)
We need your phone. I'll pay for
the call.
71 INT. ROOM, ANWAR'S HOUSE -- DAY
Susan is lying on the floor, desolate. It seems as if the
pain is diminishing. The grandmother leans over her and softly
caresses her with her dirty, wrinkled hands. This startles
Susan.
ANWAR'S GRANDMOTHER
(In Arabic)
How do you feel?
Susan is a little bit uncomfortable with her this close.
SUSAN
Can I have some water?
The old woman doesn't seem to understand. She grabs a basket
of dates and offers them to her. Susan shakes her head.
SUSAN (CONT'D)
No, water...
With her hand, Susan mimes drinking a glass of water. The
old woman seems to understand. She pours some water from a
jar, leans over her and helps her drink in small sips.
SUSAN (CONT'D)
Thanks.
The grandmother bows her head as if to say "your welcome."
SUSAN (CONT'D)
Where's my husband?
The old woman just smiles. Susan makes a gesture of
desperation. The grandmother leans over her, unfurls her
index finger and points at her heart.
ANWAR'S GRANDMOTHER
(In Arabic)
Trust in god.
Susan keeps looking at her as she slowly gets up and goes to
sit in a chair.
41.
72 INT. GENERAL STORE -- DAY
Richard is in a small cubicle dialing on an old cream-colored
rotary phone while Anwar waits discretely in a corner. Dozens
of people watch from outside. Richard turns to look at them
while the call connects.
RICHARD
Yes... Rachel? It's Richard...
RACHEL (O.S.)
¿Are you still in Moroccco?
RICHARD
Yes, we're still in Morocco...Rachel,
there was an accident, your sister
was shot...
RACHEL (O.S.)
(Surprised)
What? Who shot her?
RICHARD
I don't know... We were shot at from
some hills.
RACHEL
Is she ok?
RICHARD
She was hit in her neck and shoulder.
Rachel, she's not doing well... I
need you to tell the embassy as soon
as possible... wait... and call
Mark...
RACHEL (O.S.)
Where are you?
He turns to Anwar.
RICHARD
Anwar, where are we?
ANWAR
In Tazarine, three hours southwest
of Erfoud.
RICHARD
Were in Tazarine, T-a-z-a-r-I-n-e
Three hours southwest of Erfoud...
in the desert... it's a town...
there's no hospital... There's nothing
here at all...
RACHEL (O.S.)
Where are you calling me from?
42.
RICHARD
From a shop. Rachel, this is urgent...
urgent... call the embassy... They
have to help us... call James too...
RACHEL (O.S.)
Why did they shoot her?
RICHARD
I don't know... Rachel, you're
sister's badly hurt... do you
understand? Call for help... now...
He hangs up. As soon as he does, he turns to Anwar.
RICHARD (CONT'D)
Call an ambulance...
ANWAR
I'll call Erfoud so they send one
over.
Anwar, clumsy and stressed at Richard's desperation, takes
the phone and starts dialing.
RICHARD
And find a doctor...
As he finishes dialing, Anwar turns to Richard.
ANWAR
They've already gone to look for
him.
73 INT. ROOM, ANWAR'S HOUSE -- DAY
Richard returns to the room. Susan, weak, lies with her
eyes open. The grandmother is tending to the wound, which
won't stop bleeding. She gets up and goes to Anwar.
ANWAR'S GRANDMOTHER
(in Arabic)
Anwar, bring me some water.
74 EXT. PATIO, ANWAR'S HOUSE -- DAY
Anwar goes out to the patio and fetches a metal basin full
of soil. He goes to a well, scoops out some water with a
gourd and washes out the basin.
Anwar is walking back when he is stopped by Mohammed, his
brother, a fat man (32) with curly hair and a tanned face.
MOHAMMED
(the entire dialogue
in Arabic)
Why did you bring them here?
43.
Anwar doesn't pay attention to him and keeps walking toward
the room. His brother catches up to him.
MOHAMMED (CONT'D)
You should have consulted with us.
Anwar stops and looks at him fixedly.
ANWAR
She's hurt, we had to take care of
her.
MOHAMMED
In town they're saying she was shot
by terrorists. Do you know what
they're going to do to us when they
find out she's here?
ANWAR
Don't be paranoid and go help find
the doctor.
Anwar pays no more attention to him and carries the basin
into the room.
75 INT. ROOM, ANWAR'S HOUSE -- DAY
Susan is lying down. A small pool of blood has collected
under her neck. She looks restless. She whispers weakly.
SUSAN
Get me out of here... please...
RICHARD
I'm going to as soon as I can. I've
already called Rachel; she's going
to tell the embassy.
SUSAN
I told you we shouldn't have come.
Just then Anwar enters. The grandmother takes the basin and
sets it in a corner. She gets some pieces of cloth and starts
to soak them.
RICHARD
How long until the ambulance gets
here?
ANWAR
About an hour and a half. It's coming
from Alnif.
RICHARD
That much? Isn't there anyone here
who could take her?
44.
Anwar shakes his head.
RICHARD (CONT'D)
We've got to get her out of here.
There's no one to tend to her.
ANWAR
My brother already called a doctor,
he's coming.
Richard is going to say something, but holds back. His
despair and confusion are evident.
ANWAR (CONT'D)
Trust my grandmother; she knows a
lot about remedies.
The grandmother wrings out the rags and puts them on a table.
She takes some herbs, a fistful of earth from the floor and
she tosses them into the basin. She stirs it and pulls out
a clump of mud which she lays out on one of the pieces of
cloth.
Susan looks horrified at the dirt. The grandmother leans
over her and tries to clean the wound with the other moistened
rags. Susan resists.
ANWAR'S GRANDMOTHER
(In Arabic)
I have to clean you.
ANWAR
(To Susan)
Miss, my grandmother is going to
help you.
The grandmother finishes cleaning her with the damp cloths
and grabs the clump of mud. She tries to put it on the wound,
but Susan flinches.
SUSAN
No, not that.
ANWAR'S GRANDMOTHER
(In Arabic)
It will stop the bleeding.
SUSAN
No, no... not that...
Richard intervenes.
RICHARD
(To Anwar)
Let's wait for the doctor.
45.
76 EXT. HAMLET -- DAY
Two old men walk through the streets.
77 INT. ROOM, ANWAR'S HOUSE -- DAY
Mohammed walks into the room and calls him.
MOHAMMED
(In Arabic)
The sheik and the moukadem are here.
78 EXT. ANWAR'S HOUSE -- DAY
The two men walk past the tourists and head inside without
knocking or asking for permission.
79 EXT. PATIO, ANWAR'S HOUSE -- DAY
Richard and Anwar have walked out into the patio to wait for
them. The sheik approaches.
SHEIK
(In Arabic)
Allah be with you.
ANWAR
(In Arabic)
Allah be with you.
He turns to Richard and speaks to him in very bad French.
SHEIK
(In bad French)
I am Atallah the sheik and this is
Walid, the moukadem. I'm very sorry
about your wife.
RICHARD
I don't understand French.
ANWAR
He says he is very sorry about your
wife.
Richard thanks him with a nod.
SHEIK
(To Anwar, in Arabic)
Tell him that I want to ask him some
questions.
ANWAR
(To Richard)
Can he ask you some questions?
Richard nods. The sheik continues in Arabic.
46.
SHEIK
(In Arabic)
Do you have any enemies in this
country?
ANWAR
He asks if you have any enemies in
this country.
Richard shakes his head.
RICHARD
Of course not.
SHEIK
(In Arabic)
Then why were you shot at?
ANWAR
Why did you come to Morocco?
RICHARD
Vacation.
ANWAR
(In Arabic)
He has no idea.
SHEIK
(In Arabic)
What does he do for a living?
ANWAR
What do you do for a living?
RICHARD
I'm a magazine editor.
ANWAR
(In Arabic)
He edits magazines.
SHEIK
(In Arabic)
Anti-muslim magazines?
ANWAR
Anti-muslim magazines?
RICHARD
No, magazine magazines.
ANWAR
(In Arabic)
No, normal magazines.
47.
RICHARD
Tell him we need to get my wife out
of here. Ask him if the ambulance is
on its way.
ANWAR
(In Arabic)
He wants to get his wife out of here.
He wants to know if the ambulance is
on its way.
SHEIK
(In Arabic)
Tell him the federal police are in
charge of this, that they are going
to send the ambulance.
ANWAR
He says the federal police are already
in charge, that they are going to
send the ambulance.
The sheik looks at the house.
SHEIK
(In Arabic)
Hey, did your cousin finally end up
getting married?
ANWAR
(In Arabic)
Yep, she's married, she doesn't live
here anymore.
Richard, anxious, questions Anwar.
RICHARD
What did he say?
ANWAR
He gives you his blessing.
RICHARD
Thank you.
The sheik and the moukadem turn and exit the house.
80 INT. DENTIST'S OFFICE -- DAY
Chieko is sitting in the reception area, waiting her turn.
There is a woman with a twelve year-old son listening to a
walkman and an old couple.
The receptionist (50) will not stop talking to the old lady.
48.
RECEPTIONIST
My niece sells these creams. And
just look at my skin now. I'm going
to turn fifty-two and look, almost
no wrinkles...
The woman continues her banal chatter. Chieko observes her
grotesque mouth. She then looks at the old man's bored face,
the old woman's feigned interest, the mother's annoyed
expression, and the boy, who rocks his head to the music.
A man walks out and the receptionist gestures at Chieko and
points toward the door.
81 INT. DENTIST'S OFFICE -- DAY
The dentist (47) - tall and, unlike the receptionist, with
impeccable skin covering his hardened, attractive face -
examines Chieko's mouth. His face comes very close to hers
as he looks at her, making her nervous. The fat receptionist
walks in without knocking.
RECEPTIONIST
Here are the sterilized drill bits.
The dentist looks up at her. She leaves the drill bits on a
table and leaves. The dentist turns back to Chieko and speaks
face to face with her so she can read his lips.
DENTIST
I-think-you-have-two-cavities-in-
your-molars.
She smiles. The dentist moves closer to Chieko's mouth again;
she cannot stop looking at him.
Suddenly, Chieko licks his cheek. He is surprised, but
continues his checkup. She licks him again, this time on the
lips. He pulls away, flustered.
DENTIST (CONT'D)
What are you doing?
She grabs his hand, puts it on her inner thigh and rubs it
against her pubis.
He, confused, tries to pull his hand away, but she prevents
him from doing so. The scene starts to turn slightly
grotesque. After a slight struggle, he pulls his hand back.
DENTIST (CONT'D)
What's the matter with you?
She grabs his hand again and, again, pulls it toward her
pubis. He gets angry and moves back. The fat woman enters
again without knocking, sees they are agitated and, without
a word, walks out and closes the door.
49.
The dentist turns toward Chieko.
DENTIST (CONT'D)
Get out.
She shakes her head. She is excited, anxious, scared,
fragile. He pulls her by her wrist out of the chair.
DENTIST (CONT'D)
Get out right now.
He walks to the door and opens it. Just before she walks
out, Chieko draws out a slight smile, which is almost a grin.
82 EXT. TOKYO STREETS -- DAY
Chieko walks down crowded Tokyo streets. She walks with a
lost gaze, unsettled.
83 EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING, TOKYO -- DAY
Chieko arrives at an upper class apartment complex. The
architecture is cutting edge, but impersonal and cold.
84 INT. LOBBY, TOKYO APARTMENT BUILDING -- DAY
Chieko enters the lobby. Beside the doorman are two men
dressed in suits: Kenji (31) and Hamano (50). The janitor
gestures at Chieko with his chin. The men walk over toward
her and cut her off.
HAMANO
Are you Yasujiro Wataya's daughter?
Chieko doesn't manage to read his lips. She is silent. The
doorman notices the situation, walks out from behind his
small desk and shouts at the men.
DOORMAN
She's deaf mute. Face her when you
speak so she can read your lips.
Kenji and Hamano are disconcerted. Hamano stands squarely
in front of her and speaks slowly, emphasizing every word.
HAMANO
Are-you-Yasujiro-Wataya's-daughter?
She nods.
HAMANO (CONT'D)
We-are-sargeants-Kenji-Mamiya-and-
Hamano-Kanoo-of-the-Tokyo-police.
We-need-to-find-your-father.
She pulls out a pen and a piece of paper from her bag. She
scrawls a few lines and hands them over.
50.
Hamano reads it and turns his face toward hers.
HAMANO (CONT'D)
No, he didn't do anything wrong. We
just want to talk to him. Do you
know where he is?
She shrugs her shoulders. Kenji gives her his card. Upon
receiving it, Chieko turns to look at him. Their eyes meet
and she looks down. She then looks up again, blushing.
KENJI
Tell him to call us. And don't be
scared, we're not going to do anything
bad to him.
HAMANO
Thank you.
Chieko can't stop staring at Kenji. The two cops leave. As
soon as they do, Chieko heads toward the elevator.
85 INT. CHIEKO'S APARTMENT -- DAY
Chieko walks into the apartment. It is a large apartment,
elegantly furnished. Although decoration is scant, some
hunting trophies stand out: a scimitar-horned Oryx, sheep,
and others. There are also photographs of Yasujiro hunting.
A wall is dedicated to family photos. Among them is a picture
of Chieko as a little girl with her father and her mother.
Chieko sees a note on the table at the entrance. She puts
the policeman's card down and picks up a note from her father
that says: "I waited until five and you didn't make it.
I've got a meeting and I'll be back late. I left you some
soup and some chicken for dinner. Kisses. Papa."
86 INT. CHIEKO'S ROOM -- DAY
Chieko sits in front of a mute T.V., channel surfing. She
stops at a fashion show, then some cartoons.
Suddenly, on a news program, we see the photographs of Ahmed
and Yussef. Chieko looks at them for a moment and then
changes the channel. She is watching T.V. when a red bulb,
set between a yellow bulb and a blue one, starts to light up
insistently as the doorbell rings.
Chieko notices and shuts off the T.V.
87 INT. LIVING ROOM, CHIEKO'S APARTMENT -- DAY
Chieko opens the door and Mitsu walks in. They greet each
other with a handshake where they end up touching their index
fingers to each other's hearts.
51.
MITSU
Are you ready?
CHIEKO
Yeah, I'm just going to get my bag.
Chieko goes to get her bag. Mitsu sees the policeman's card
on the entrance table and looks at it. Chieko comes back
and Mitsu asks her about it in sign language.
MITSU
The cops came again?
CHIEKO
Yeah. They hadn't come in nine
months. But these were different
cops.
MITSU
Did they come to ask about your
mothers' death?
CHIEKO
No, but they're probably going to
ask my dad about the same things.
MITSU
They're just not convinced, are they?
Chieko shakes her head, remains pensive and then smiles.
CHIEKO
Believe it or not, I liked one of
the cops.
Chieko puts Kenji's card in her purse.
MITSU
Did you put on some panties?
Chieko smiles, lifts up her skirt and exposes her naked pubis.
Mitsu lifts hers up as well and is also without panties.
They laugh and leave the apartment.
88 EXT. YUSSEF AND AHMED'S HOUSE -- MOMENTS LATER
Dawn. The desert is a rose plain softly lit by the sun's
first rays. Yussef and Ahmed are digging a hole with their
bare hands. Once they're finished, they clean up around the
hole and mark it with three stones.
89 EXT. HIGHWAY, DESERT -- MORNING
Alarid (40), a federal cop, tall, in an impeccable uniform
with numerous rank badges, stands on the highway examining
the site of the shot with the old man who was driving.
52.
In the distance we can see a police checkpoint stopping some
cars and, after checking them, letting them go.
ALARID
(To the old man, the
entire dialogue in
Arabic)
Are you sure it was here?
OLD MAN
Sure. I drive down this road every
day. The American tried to stop me
right here.
He stands more or less where Richard tried to stop him.
OLD MAN (CONT'D)
I was scared. He was covered in
blood and I was coming from picking
up my grandson from his work.
ALARID
Where was the bus?
The old man points some twenty yards behind him.
OLD MAN
Over there.
Alarid walks toward where the old man said and looks out at
the mountains. Some of his men are visible at the tops.
Alarid talks to them by radio.
ALARID
Look further to the right.
We can see some men exploring the terrain.
ALARID (CONT'D)
(To the old man)
Why did you wait so long to contact
the police?
OLD MAN
I had to drive my grandson home.
The radio crackles.
POLICEMAN VOICE
Captain Alarid, Captain Alarid... We
found the cartridges.
90 EXT. MOUNTAIN RANGE -- MORNING
Alarid squats, scrutinizing the four empty cartridges lying
on the earth. One of his men approaches and Alarid signals
with his hand for him to stop immediately.
53.
ALARID
Stop right there...
The man remains motionless. Alarid follows the prints that
lead away from the cartridges. He reaches the mess of goat
hoof-prints. He picks up a ball of shit and feels it.
ALARID (CONT'D)
They're from around here. Find out
who has a .270 caliber rifle.
91 EXT. DESERT -- MORNING
Yussef and Ahmed walk back home, lost in their own thoughts.
Suddenly a jackal trots out and stares at them. Yussef picks
up a rock and throws it. The jackal runs off.
92 EXT. HASSAN'S HOUSE -- MORNING
Hassan and his wife are listening to the radio and playing
cards at a table placed outside the house. As they play,
Hassan whittles a stake with a small knife.
Hassan's wife lowers her hand and Hassan follows.
HASSAN
I won...
His wife pushes two chips from her pile toward him. In the
distance, several trucks approach, kicking up a dust cloud.
Hassan's wife gets up to better see them.
WIFE
Are you expecting anyone?
Hassan stands up and watches the vehicles come closer.
HASSAN
No.
Five trucks pull up in a semicircle around the house. A
dozen police officers get out armed and aim at Hassan and
his wife.
Alarid gets out and stands next to his car door.
ALARID
Hassan Ibrahim?
Hassan paralyzed by fear, answers in a broken voice.
HASSAN
Yes.
One of the police officers approaches him aiming directly at
his head, while another one aims at his wife.
54.
POLICE OFFICER
Drop your weapon.
Hassan lifts up his knife and shows it to them.
HASSAN
It's not a weapon, it's my knife.
POLICE OFFICER
Drop it, now...
Hassan drops the knife in the dust.
POLICE OFFICER (CONT'D)
Get down on the floor... face down...
Hassan and his wife look at each other before they obey.
HASSAN
What did we do?
The cop readies himself to fire, and Hassan drops to the
ground. His wife follows and also lies on her stomach.
93 EXT. YUSSEF AND AHMED'S HOUSE -- DAY
Abdullah takes two goats out of the corral, ties a rope to
their neck and drags them over to a rock. The goats bleat
desperately trying to break free.
Abdullah turns to look at his children.
ABDULLAH
Hold them.
Yussef and Ahmed hold their legs. Abdullah pulls out a knife
and slits the goat's throat.
94 EXT. HASSAN'S HOUSE -- DAY
Hassan lies on the floor, cuffed, with a broken mouth,
surrounded by cops. Alarid is carrying out the interrogation,
squatting next to Hassan's face.
ALARID
Why did you shoot at the bus?
HASSAN
I didn't shoot at anyone.
ALARID
Then who, you idiot?
Hassan remains silent and turns to look at his wife who is
sitting on a chair, cuffed, a few yards away.
55.
HASSAN
It wasn't me.
Alarid punches him in the face.
ALARID
That was your rifle.
HASSAN
No, not anymore, I sold it today.
ALARID
Oh yeah? To who?
95 EXT. YUSSEF AND AHMED'S HOUSE -- LATER
Abdullah gives Yussef and Ahmed some goat skins.
ABDULLAH
Take these goat skins to Naguib and
see if he wants to buy them.
The two brothers bundle up the skins, tie them up with some
cord and they leave down the path away from the house.
96 EXT. DESERT -- DAY
As they climb a hill, they encounter a convoy of Moroccan
police trucks. They are terrified. The vehicles screech to
a dramatic halt before them, lifting up much dust.
Alarid opens the passenger window.
ALARID
Hey, do you know where Abdullah Adboum
lives?
Ahmed and Yussef exchange a glance. Yussef nods.
YUSSEF
Yes.
Ahmed gets very nervous. Yussef points the wrong way with
an air of certainty.
YUSSEF (CONT'D)
Over there, you have to cross those
mountains.
ALARID
They told us he lived around here.
YUSSEF
No, we just live here with our mother.
Abdullah lives over there.
Alarid scrutinizes the brothers' faces.
56.
ALARID
If you're lying to me I'm going to
come back and cut your balls off.
Ahmed breathes nervously. Yussef continues in cold blood.
YUSSEF
You can come back whenever you like.
Alarid smiles and gestures at the driver with his head that
they should go on. The police vehicles drive off in the
direction Yussef pointed them in.
97 EXT. YUSSEF AND AHMED'S HOUSE -- DAY
Ahmed and Yussef run home. Their mother and sisters are
milking some goats into a tin bucket. When they fill, Abdullah
empties the milk out into a barrel.
AHMED
Papa... papa...
Abdullah puts the bucket down on the floor and turns to look
at his kids, who stop before him, panting, exhilarated.
ABDULLAH
What happened?
Ahmed can barely control his gasping.
AHMED
The police... they're looking for
you...
ABDULLAH
Me? Why?
YUSSEF
No, they're not looking for you...
they're looking for us...
ABDULLAH
You? Why?
YUSSEF
Because of what happened to the
tourist...
Yasira and her two daughters stop milking and approach.
Abdullah can't seem to understand what their talking about.
ABDULLAH
What tourist?
AHMED
The American... Yussef killed her...
57.
YUSSEF
That's not true, we both did.
YASIRA
What are you saying?
Ahmed fires his words out.
AHMED
Yussef started shooting at the cars
because Hassan said that the bullet
could go really far...
YUSSEF
That's a lie, you started shooting
at the cars.
AHMED
Yes, but you killed her.
Abdullah loses his patience and grabs Ahmed by the shoulders.
ABDULLAH
What the hell are you talking about?
Ahmed looks at his father straight in the eyes.
AHMED
Yussef killed the American and he
spies on Zora naked and Zora lets
him watch her...
Abdullah turns toward Zora. In his mind, everything is
confusion.
ABDULLAH
What is your brother talking about?
ZORA
That's bullshit.
AHMED
It's not bullshit; she's a whore and
my brother spies on her...
As soon as the words leave Ahmed's mouth, Yussef decks him
and leaves him sprawled on the dust.
Ahmed shoots right back up and runs at Yussef kicking, until
they're both entangled in the fight and end up rolling on
the ground. Abdullah tries to get between them.
98 EXT. HAMLET "LOS LOBOS" -- DAY
Debbie and Mike are almost like spectators at a soccer match
between the other kids, as they play in the dirt with an
orange plastic ball.
58.
Nobody passes to them. Mike just runs from side to side
without saying a word. Frustrated, Debbie just watches.
99 INT. HOUSE, HAMLET "LOS LOBOS" -- DAY
nside the house, Amelia is checking on the food.
AMELIA
(All in Spanish)
How many pots of rice did you make?
DAUGHTER 1
I made two.
Amelia looks out the window and sees the vast amount of guests
that have arrived and which have transformed the hamlet into
a large parking lot of trucks, horses, carts, etc.
AMELIA
Too many people have come, that's
not going to be enough. Make two
more pots.
She turns to another of her daughters.
AMELIA (CONT'D)
And you Maria Eugenia, warm up more
tortillas.
She sees Santiago walk past the window.
AMELIA (CONT'D)
Santiago... please go kill another
six chickens, or there won't be enough
food.
Santiago stops and looks through the window.
SANTIAGO
Sure thing.
Out back, Santiago sees a car arrive. A priest steps out.
100 EXT. HAMLET "LOS LOBOS" -- DAY
Luis is standing under a shack drinking beer with some
friends. Amelia, worried, approaches him.
AMELIA
(Both in Spanish)
Luis, the priest is here and Patricia
hasn't arrived. Where is she?
LUIS
No idea.
59.
AMELIA
Fifteen minutes left before the
wedding and you have no idea?
LUIS
What if she doesn't want to get
married? Shut up and come help me
look for her.
101 EXT. HAMLET "LOS LOBOS" -- DAY
Santiago arrives at where the children are playing. He calls
out to them.
SANTIAGO
(In Spanish)
Who wants to help me with the
chickens?
Everyone raises their hand and go toward him. Mike and Debbie
stand still without knowing what to do. Santiago calls them.
SANTIAGO (CONT'D)
Mike and Debbie. Come with me.
102 EXT. CHICKEN COOP -- DAY
The chickens walk around a rustic chicken coop made with
wire mesh and mesquite posts. Santiago opens the door to
the coop and lets the kids in, Mike and Debbie among them.
Once inside, Santiago tells them to catch the chickens.
SANTIAGO
(In Spanish)
I'll give ten pesos to the first one
of you who catches a chicken.
The kids start chasing the chickens, which scamper as soon
as they feel hands trying to grab them.
At first, Mike and Debbie don't know what to do, but they
are soon amused and run to catch them. After a while, Debbie
catches one and holds it up.
Santiago applauds her.
SANTIAGO (CONT'D)
Debbie is the winner. Now we need
another five.
The kids get back to their game of catching chickens.
103 EXT. DESERT ROAD -- DAY
Santiago's car drives down the road, with a terrible sun
beating down on it.
60.
104 INT. SANTIAGO'S CAR -- DAY
Luis drives while Amelia looks out the window.
AMELIA
(Both in Spanish)
Did you get into a fight with
Patricia?
LUIS
No, not at all.
AMELIA
I didn't bust my hump to pay for
this wedding for Patricia not to
show. So she's either coming or
she's coming.
105 EXT. CHICKEN COOP -- DAY
Santiago has several chickens tied up. One of the kids
catches the last one and hands it to Santiago.
SANTIAGO
(In Spanish)
Ready. Now who's going to help me?
Several children raise their hands. Mike and Debbie raise
theirs as well, excited. Santiago picks Mike.
SANTIAGO (CONT'D)
Let's see, Mike, you can help me.
Proud, Mike walks toward Santiago and stands next to him.
Santiago unties a chicken and gives it to Mike.
SANTIAGO (CONT'D)
Hold it tight, like this.
He shows him how to hold it. Mike grabs it and holds it
between his arms, smiling, oblivious to what will happen.
Santiago grabs the chicken by the head and pulls it off.
The chicken starts to shake, spurting blood everywhere.
Mike, stunned, lets the animal fall to the ground and the
chicken starts its mad race.
The Mexican kids start screaming excitedly, chasing the
headless chicken. Nobody notices that Debbie and Mike,
completely shocked, are about to cry.
106 EXT. PATRICIA'S HOUSE -- DAY
They arrive at the bride's house. A car adorned with ribbons
is parked outside. There is no one to be seen.
61.
107 INT. SANTIAGO'S CAR -- DAY
Luis honks the horn. Nobody shows.
AMELIA
I'm going to see if they're inside.
108 EXT. PATRICIA'S HOUSE -- DAY
As Amelia gets out, Patricia's mother appears, upset.
AMELIA
What's the matter?
MOTHER
Patricia's not feeling well.
109 EXT. CHICKEN COOP -- DAY
Santiago and the other kids are plucking the chicken's
feathers. Mike and Debbie stare, horrified.
SANTIAGO
(In Spanish)
Aren't you going to help?
Mike and Debbie shake their heads.
SANTIAGO (CONT'D)
Why?
MIKE
It's not good to kill animals.
Santiago smiles to himself.
SANTIAGO
(In English)
Have you ever been to Kentucky Fried
Chicken?
They both nod.
SANTIAGO (CONT'D)
What? Did you think that Colonel
Sanders kept them as pets?
He hands Mike a headless chicken, and he slowly starts to
pluck it.
110 INT. PATRICIA'S ROOM -- DAY
Patricia, in her bridal dress and clearly six months pregnant,
is sitting on her bed with her hands around her belly, with
her mother, father and entire family around her.
62.
PATRICIA
(Both in Spanish)
My belly's been hard since the
morning.
AMELIA
That happens when you're nervous.
MADRE
D'you think the baby's coming?
AMELIA
There's no way the baby's coming;
she's only six months pregnant.
PATRICIA
But my belly feels hard, really hard.
AMELIA
D'you want to get married?
PATRICIA
Yes.
AMELIA
Well, let's go then.
MADRE
And what if the baby comes out?
AMELIA
Well, we'll have the wedding and
baptize the kid while we're at it.
111 EXT. HAMLET -- DAY
A bearded man (50) on an old bicycle rides down the hamlet's
narrow streets. He is carrying a briefcase on the bike.
He is escorted by dozens of children.
112 INT. ROOM, ANWAR'S HOUSE -- DAY
Susan is lying on the floor, moaning softly. Flies hover
around the pool of blood under her neck. Richard, worried,
strokes her hair.
The grandmother brings them a pot of tea with two cups and
sets them on the floor beside them.
RICHARD
Thank you.
The grandmother goes to sit in a chair. Mohammed walks in
and whispers something to him. Anwar turns to Richard.
63.
ANWAR
The doctor's here.
113 EXT. PATIO, ANWAR'S HOUSE -- DAY
The doctor walks across the patio, through the tumult of
children and before the scrutiny of two police officers.
114 INT. ROOM, ANWAR'S HOUSE -- DAY
The doctor enters the room.
DOCTOR
(In Arabic)
Allah be with you.
ANWAR'S GRANDMOTHER
(In Arabic)
Allah be with you.
Richard just bows his head slightly. The doctor walks over
to Susan, shoos the flies away and examines the wound. She
looks at him, anxious.
DOCTOR
(In Arabic)
The bullet didn't hit her spine or
split her jugular. But it did shatter
her clavicle and she could bleed to
death.
Anwar looks worried.
RICHARD
What did he say?
ANWAR
He says she will be fine.
RICHARD
Stop lying to me god damn it, and
tell me what the fuck he said!
The doctor addresses Richard in terrible English.
DOCTOR
Hospital... need hospital...
RICHARD
Yes, we know that. What can you do
in the meantime?
DOCTOR
(In Arabic, to Anwar)
Tell him I have to stitch up the
wound to stop the bleeding.
64.
Anwar draws close to Richard and whispers.
ANWAR
He has to sew up her wounds.
Susan turns to look at them, suspicious.
SUSAN
What did he say?
Richard gets nervous.
RICHARD
You need some stitches.
SUSAN
What do you mean stitches?
The doctor opens his kit and takes out a rudimentary needle
and thread. He gets ready to sew. Richard questions him,
also in whispers.
RICHARD
You're not going to give her any
anesthetic?
The doctor and Anwar exchange a look.
ANWAR
(To Richard)
No, he doesn't use anesthetic.
RICHARD
What kind of doctor is he?
Anwar answers naively, in a low voice.
ANWAR
He's a veterinarian, but he is good.
Richard looks at him, surprised and angry.
RICHARD
He can't take care of her.
SUSAN
Richard, he might infect the wound...
Richard can't answer as he focuses on what the doctor says.
DOCTOR
(In Arabic)
Tell him that if I don't stitch up
her wound she may bleed to death.
65.
ANWAR
If he doesn't sew up the wound, she
may bleed to death.
DOCTOR
(In Arabic, to Anwar)
And tell him her clavicle is broken.
We have to fasten a splint to it.
ANWAR
He says she has a broken bone and he
has to put a splint on it.
Richard remains pensive for a moment. He looks at Susan,
then at the doctor and assents tentatively.
DOCTOR
(In Arabic)
We're going to have to hold her down.
He mimes holding her down with his hands. Richard leans over
Susan, who weakly languishes on the rug.
RICHARD
Honey, this is going to hurt a little.
She stares at him. Richard turns to Anwar and signals that
he can begin. Anwar holds her hands. Susan, stupefied, to
Richard.
SUSAN
Richard, don't let him...
The doctor lifts Susan's neck and starts to stitch. She
howls in pain and tries to move away.
Anwar and Richard hold Susan down. The doctor sticks the
needle in again.
Susan shakes her head from side to side trying to pull away.
SUSAN (CONT'D)
Don't let him, don't let him.
RICHARD
Calm down... calm down... Susan,
they have to sew you up... relax...
Richard holds her head to keep her still. She resists.
SUSAN
No, no...no..
RICHARD
Honey, please try to relax...
66.
The doctor rubs alcohol on the wound and starts to stitch.
She moans in pain. Richard puts a rag in her mouth, on which
she bites down.
115 EXT. TINY SHOP -- DAY
Mohammed sits outside with three friends drinking coffee.
From where they are we see the bus and the American tourists.
A battery powered radio plays Moroccan music and commercials
in the background.
MOHAMMED
I don't understand why Anwar brought
them here.
FRIEND 1
Well he spends all his time with
them, what do you expect.
FRIEND 2
The woman is hurt, he had to help
her.
MOHAMMED
Yeah? And when have they helped us?
FRIEND 1
I liked one of those tourists.
FRIEND 2
Really? They're all skin and bones.
Suddenly Mohammed focuses on the radio.
MOHAMMED
Shh... sh... listen.
The friends are quiet.
NEWSCASTER (V.O.)
Today, near Tazarine, there was an
incident where an American was shot...
One of the friends interrupts.
FRIEND 3
Hey look, it's the story.
FRIEND 2
They said Tazarine, did you hear?
We were on the radio...
MOHAMMED
Shh, shut up.
67.
NEWSCASTER (V.O.)
Although authorities say it could
have been a foiled robbery, the
American government claims they are
certain it was a terrorist attack.
Minister Hassef Hazal has said that
in our country, terrorist cells have
been eradicated, that Morocco is a
peaceful country and that one act of
vulgar banditry followed by
superficial evaluations such as the
U.S. intends to place upon it cannot
ruin the image, the economy and the
pacifist reputation of our country.
American Ambassador Ken Jones,
however, insists that it was a
terrorist attack on American citizens,
that it merits a full investigation,
and that the guilty should be
punished. So far, the attack has not
been attributed to any known terrorist
organizations...
Mohammed shouts.
MOHAMMED
I fucking told Anwar, I told him he
was only going to get us in trouble...
he never comes and when he does he
always brings trouble...god damn
it...
FRIEND 1
Are the Americans going to invade
our country?
MOHAMMED
I don't know.
116 INT. ANWAR'S HOUSE -- DAY
Susan lies on the floor with her neck shoddily stitched and
a splint on her shoulder made out of a few sticks and some
dirty bandages. She moans in pain and mumbles curses.
SUSAN
I hate you... I hate you...
She tries to stand, but the doctor impedes it.
DOCTOR
(To Anwar in Arabic)
Tell her not to move; the bullet's
still inside.
68.
ANWAR
(To Susan)
Don't move, miss. The bullet is still
inside you.
SUSAN
I don't give a shit...
RICHARD
My love, don't move.
SUSAN
I want to call the kids.
RICHARD
You can't move, calm down.
SUSAN
I want to talk to them.
RICHARD
You can't; there's only one phone in
town. I'll call them later.
She seems obsessed by the idea.
SUSAN
I want to talk to them...
She tries to stand again. As they struggle, the grandmother
takes out a hash pipe form a drawer and lights it. She gives
it two drags and squats next to Susan.
She shows her how to smoke it and hands it over. The old
woman's serenity is such that Susan acquiesces. She takes
four drags and slowly starts to relax.
Susan smokes another three times, relaxes and closes her
eyes. The old woman goes to get the clump of mud and starts
to spread it on Susan's neck. Susan does not protest.
Richard watches the scene in awe.
117 EXT. ANWAR'S HOUSE -- DAY
The bus is still parked outside Anwar's house. Some of the
passengers sit leaning against the wall, scrutinized by some
of the town's children and women who have offered them tea
and dates.
118 INT. BUS -- DAY
The driver sits in the driver's seat and stares out at the
desolate landscape through the windshield.
Several of the tourists nap in their seats. One of them, a
French tourist, Robert (70), starts to breathe with
difficulty. Jane (65), his wife, is alarmed.
69.
JANE
(In French)
Are you ok?
Robert nods, but it is clear that he is not. Jane shouts at
the driver.
JANE (CONT'D)
(In French)
Could you please turn on the air
conditioning?
The driver shakes his head regretfully.
DRIVER
(In broken French)
No air condition, no gasoline near.
I'm sorry.
Robert inhales, he can barely breathe.
JANE
(In French)
My husband is feeling ill. You have
to turn it on.
DRIVER
(In French)
No possible. No gasoline near. I'm
sorry.
LILLY
(In French)
Please, it's too hot. We can get
dehydrated.
DRIVER
(In French)
I'm really sorry, forgive me, but
gasoline finish with air conditioner.
Tom turns to Jane.
TOM
What is he saying?
JANE
That he can't turn on the air
conditioning, that it's not possible.
Tom stands up and goes to yell at the driver.
TOM
Fuck you. We're gettin' out of here.
70.
119 EXT. PATIO, ANWAR'S HOUSE -- DAY
Tom resolutely walks up the stairs followed by James.
120 INT. ROOM, ANWAR'S HOUSE -- DAY
Richard is looking out the window while Susan, relaxed,
sleeps. Tom and James walk in making noise.
TOM
We've gotta talk to you.
Richard, with his index finger, signals for him to shut up
and points at Susan. He gestures for them to leave the room.
121 EXT. ANWAR'S HOUSE -- DAY
Tom, James and others are gathered by the door.
TOM
We're leaving.
RICHARD
You can't leave us like this.
TOM
There are old people here and the
heat is getting to them.
RICHARD
At least wait until an ambulance
comes.
TOM
One man almost fainted in the bus
and there's a woman who needs to get
back in time to take her medication.
Richard turns to Anwar.
RICHARD
Is there anyone around here who can
take them in?
TOM
It's not about that.
LILLY
Sir, we can't wait anymore.
Walter an English man, one of the older men, defends him.
WALTER
We can't leave him here alone.
TOM
Well let him come, then.
71.
DOUGLAS
His wife is in no condition to ride
a bus.
TOM
And lots of other people aren't in
any condition to keep waiting, can't
you see?
RICHARD
Just wait, the ambulance should be
here any minute now.
TOM
We're giving you an hour... one
hour...
Richard breathes, relieved.
122 EXT. STREET, TOKYO -- DAY
Chieko walks down the street with Mitsu. They are good-
looking and attract attention. They know this and look back
out of the corners of their eyes.
123 EXT. PARK, TOKYO -- DAY
They arrive at a park with a playground: swings, see-saws,
slides. Several of their deaf-mute volleyball friends are
there.
With them are two young men with hair dyed blond. One of
them, Takeshi (18), has an earring, and the other, Haruki
(19), has several tattoos.
Mitsu and Chieko greet them in sign language. Chieko asks
the slightly chubby Kumiko who they are.
KUMIKO
They're my cousins.
Chieko turns to look at them, curious. Haruki, the guy with
tattoos, exchanges a look with her. Chieko suddenly feels
intimidated and looks down.
CHIEKO
Is he deaf-mute like us?
KUMIKO
No, but he understands some.
Haruki seems to understand what they're saying and leans in
to whisper something to Takeshi, his brother. They both
laugh.
Haruki approaches Chieko and talks to her face to face so
she can read his lips.
72.
HARUKI
What's your name?
Chieko and her friend smile. Chieko takes out her notebook
and pen and writes her name. Haruki reads it out loud.
HARUKI (CONT'D)
Chieko?
Chieko nods.
HARUKI (CONT'D)
My name's Haruki.
Chieko nods, trying to show she's understood. Haruki takes
out a flask and holds it out to her. Chieko opens it and
smells it. Haruki stands in front of her.
HARUKI (CONT'D)
It's whisky.
Chieko smiles and gives a long swig. Mitsu asks for some
and also gives it a long drink.
HARUKI (CONT'D)
Do the cops come around here?
MITSU
(Gutturally)
Sometimes.
Haruki takes out some ecstasy and gives it to them. Mitsu
and Chieko look at each other and down the pills with a gulp
of whisky.
124 EXT. PARK, TOKYO -- LATER
Half-drunk and rushing from the pills, Chieko, her friends,
and Haruki and Takeshi, play on the swings and see-saw.
They laugh at almost anything. Haruki and Chieko are on the
see-saw and every time Chieko rises, Haruki looks at her
bush. Chieko knows this sometimes opens her legs even more
so he can look to his heart's content. Hormones float in
the air.
Mitsu also takes advantage of the occasion. She flirts with
Haruki whenever she can. Haruki looks happy to be the object
of their attention.
Takeshi, who has started to make out with one of Chieko's
friends, turns to the group and speaks slowly.
TAKESHI
Why- don't- we- go- to- Montana?
73.
125 INT. TAXI, TOKYO -- EVENING
Night begins to fall. Haruki sits between Mitsu and Chieko.
He strokes Chieko's knee with his hand; she seems turned on.
126 EXT. NIGHTCLUB STRIP, TOKYO -- NIGHT
The taxi parks outside the Montana. Chieko, Mitsu and Haruki
get out of the car and meet with the others at the door.
127 INT. HALLWAY, NIGHTCLUB -- NIGHT
They enter. The music, the light, the crowd, it is almost
hallucinatory. For Chieko, it is a silent concert of movement
and chaos.
She and her friends push their way through the place. Haruki
grabs Chieko by the hand, pulls her toward the floor and
starts dancing. Chieko looks at the other dancers' rhythm
and follows. She slowly manages to follow.
The other deaf-mutes also dance. Some do better than others,
lost in the sea of lights and people.
For Chieko, the dance turns into something hypnotic. She
dances with her eyes closed, concentrated on her own rhythm.
When she opens her eyes, she sees that Mitsu, a little drunk,
is grinding against Haruki, feeling him up.
Chieko seems annoyed by this and goes to defend her territory.
She starts dancing next to Haruki, but she is constantly
interrupted by the surrounding crowd.
The struggle between Chieko and Mitsu is a little bit
ridiculous. It is finally resolved when Mitsu takes Haruki
by the face and starts to kiss him. Chieko doesn't know what
to do. Mitsu and Haruki start to make out intensely.
Suddenly Chieko is left standing in the middle of the club,
motionless, while her friends dance awkwardly and Mitsu and
Haruki are having the time of their lives. Chieko, defeated
by her friend, decides to leave. Mitsu spots her out of the
corner of her eye and waves goodbye. Chieko smiles back and
walks away from her friends as they dance.
128 INT. LOBBY, TOKYO APARTMENT BUILDING -- NIGHT
Chieko enters her building and goes straight to the doorman.
DOORMAN
Good evening, how may I help you?
Chieko takes out a piece of paper and a pen from her purse
and writes a note. She gives it to the doorman together
with Kenji's card. He reads it carefully, and when he's
done he turns to her.
74.
DOORMAN (CONT'D)
Very well miss, I'll call him now.
The doorman picks up a cordless phone and dials.
DOORMAN (CONT'D)
Lieutenant Kenji Mamiya, please?
There is a pause. The doorman gestures to Chieko that the
lieutenant will answer in a moment.
DOORMAN (CONT'D)
Lieutenant? Yes, look, I'm with the
deaf-mute girl you saw in the
afternoon, and she asked me to call
you... Yes, her... She says she needs
to talk to you, alone... about her
father... If it's possible, in her
apartment, tonight.
Chieko watches attentively.
129 EXT. YUSSEF AND AHMED'S HOUSE -- DAY
Yussef and Ahmed are sitting against the wall of the house.
Yussef's lip is split. Ahmed's nose is bleeding.
Abdullah paces desperately, while his wife and daughters
watch the scene, silent. Abdullah stops to look at Yussef.
ABDULLAH
Why did you do this?
They don't answer. Abdullah leans over and slaps Ahmed.
ABDULLAH (CONT'D)
Answer me, god damn it!
Ahmed won't answer and he turns to Yussef again.
YUSSEF
We were testing the rifle.
Abdullah turns and gives Yussef a powerful slap, which he
endures with silent dignity.
ABDULLAH
Are you idiots? You killed a woman,
(He turns to Zora)
And you, you got naked so your brother
would see you?
AHMED
Yes, she got naked lots of times. I
saw how Yussef spied on her.
75.
ZORA
That's not true.
Abdullah turns to Yussef.
ABDULLAH
Is it true or not?
Yussef is silent. Abdullah walks two steps forward and slaps
Zora. He looks furious, scared, indignant.
ABDULLAH (CONT'D)
Why did you do this to us?
He can barely hold in his tears. Zora brings her hand to
her face tearily. Abdullah turns to Ahmed.
ABDULLAH (CONT'D)
Where's the rifle?
130 EXT. HASSAN'S HOUSE -- DAY
A cop interrogates Hassan. His face is badly bruised and
his hands are cuffed behind his back.
COP
What organization gave you the weapon?
HASSAN
I've told you it wasn't an
organization; I got it from a hunter.
COP
What hunter?
HASSAN
A Japanese hunter gave it to me many
years ago. I've got a picture inside.
She can get it.
He turns to look at his wife. She has also been beaten and
is guarded by two cops. The interrogating cop authorizes
her. She walks in and comes out with a photograph of Hassan
with Yasujiro, posing with the scimitar-horned oryx. He hands
it over and the cop examines it.
HASSAN (CONT'D)
He's holding the rifle he gave me.
131 EXT. DESERT -- DAY
Yussef and Ahmed dig up the rifle and the bullets in front
of their parents and sisters.
Abdullah grabs the rifle, dusts it off and puts the bullets
in his bag. He turns to Yasira.
76.
ABDULLAH
We're going to hide out at Naguib's
house. If the cops come, tell them
we went south.
With the rifle in hand, Abdullah runs off, followed by Yussef
and Ahmed. The women watch them get lost on the horizon.
132 EXT. HASSAN'S HOUSE -- DAY
Alarid's truck parks in front of Hassan's house again. Hassan
is still cuffed and being interrogated. Furious, Alarid gets
out of the truck and goes toward him.
ALARID
This Abdullah doesn't live where you
said he did.
He walks over to kick him. The wife intervenes from where
she is, some ten yards away.
WIFE
They live where he said they do.
Alarid turns to her.
ALARID
You're going to take us.
With a gesture, he orders his subordinates to put her in the
truck. She obeys, docile.
ALARID (CONT'D)
And if they're not there, I'll cut
your tongue out and I'll kill your
husband.
133 EXT. DESERT -- DAY
The Moroccan police trucks drive down the dusty roads. The
landscape is harsh and barren.
134 INT. POLICE TRUCK -- DAY
Hassan's wife gives directions.
WIFE
Make a right here.
Alarid, with his hand, signals the driver to follow her
directions.
Suddenly, in the distance, over the hills, she signals three
tiny dots running up a slope.
WIFE (CONT'D)
That's them.
77.
ALARID
(To the driver)
Stop...
The trucks stop and Alarid takes out his binoculars.
135 P.O.V. ALARID'S BINOCULARS -- CONTINUOUS
In the distance, we can still see Abdullah, Yussef and Ahmed
run across the hills. Abdullah is clearly carrying the rifle.
136 EXT. DESERT -- DAY
Alarid quickly gets out.
ALARID
There they are.
All the cops get out with their high powered rifles.
137 EXT. DESERT HILLS -- DAY
Abdullah and his sons run full speed. Yussef sees the trucks
in the distance.
YUSSEF
The police, the police...
They run up a hill to try to lose them, but shots start to
ring out.
YUSSEF (CONT'D)
They're shooting at us.
Abdullah stands before his sons and lifts up the rifle as a
sign of surrender. The shots cease for a few seconds, but
they suddenly start again.
ABDULLAH
Get down. Run.
The three shepherds run, huddling as low as they can. More
shots. They desperately climb between the rocks. Bullets
whiz past everywhere.
Abdullah makes one last attempt at surrender. He lifts up
the rifle again, sets it on the ground and backs away. But
the gesture is in vain, as the bullets still rush past.
They begin to run again when Ahmed is hit in one of his
calves. He collapses and rolls downhill. Abdullah hurries
to rescue him and drags him behind a rock.
Ahmed won't stop screaming from the pain.
AHMED
They shot me, they shot me...
78.
Yussef dives on his belly and snakes his way through the
rocks. He gets the rifle, loads it and aims at the trucks.
He shoots without hitting anything. Abdullah turns to him.
ABDULLAH
Don't shoot, don't shoot!
Yussef doesn't pay attention. He loads again and aims.
138 P.O.V. RIFLE SIGHTS -- DAY
Yussef aims carefully. He picks out one of the cops who has
been shooting barely protected by one of the trucks' fenders.
Yussef shoots and the policeman collapses.
139 EXT. HAMLET "LOS LOBOS" -- LATER
The religious ceremony has ended and everyone throws rice at
the bride and groom. Debbie and Mike enjoy doing it.
Several cowboys, among them Santiago, have gone to their
trucks and are loudly honking their horns.
Music begins to blare.
140 EXT. HAMLET "LOS LOBOS" -- DAY
The band plays various Norteño songs. Everyone waits for
the music to start. After a while a couple starts to timidly
dance. Then another, and another, until the dance floor
becomes a sway of heads moving to the same rhythm.
Amelia dances with Mike and Debbie with Santiago; both Amelia
and Santiago show them a few steps.
SANTIAGO
(To Debbie, in Spanish)
Like this, look...
He kicks his heel back, then forward. Debbie watches,
entertained. Jacinto (55), overweight and with a good-natured
face, moves closer to Amelia and watches her dance for a
while, she notices and stops, embarrassed.
JACINTO
(Both in Spanish)
Amelia, will you let me dance with
you?
Amelia remains unperturbed, without answering him.
JACINTO (CONT'D)
I've been asking you for a dance for
30 years. Does it really cost you
that much?
79.
Amelia stares at him.
AMELIA
I don't think your wife would have
liked that.
JACINTO
C'mon Amelia, she's been dead for 10
years.
Amelia looks around and then turns to him.
AMELIA
Okay, just one.
Jacinto chivalrously takes her by the waist and they begin
to dance. Santiago watches them, amused, and continues to
dance with Mike and Debbie.
Jacinto draws Amelia closer and they kiss gently.
141 EXT. HAMLET "LOS LOBOS" -- NIGHT
Beer starts to flow and some of the guests get overbearing.
There is a small scuffle at the edge of the dance floor, but
order is soon restored.
The guitarist in the band stops the music.
GUITAR PLAYER
(All in Spanish)
Now, Luis and Patricia, come forward.
Everyone makes way for the bride and groom.
GUITAR PLAYER (CONT'D)
We-want-cake, we-want-cake...
The audience and the band sing the little cake song. A giant,
tacky wedding cake, covered in cream, arrives. The bride
grabs the knife and gets ready to cut it.
GUITAR PLAYER (CONT'D)
Take- a- bite, take- a- bite...
The bride gives into the ritual. She tries to take a bite
out of the cake without using her hands and someone pushes
her face into the cream. Debbie and Mike laugh.
A cowboy pulls out a gun and, festively, fires. Debbie is
frightened and goes to hide behind Amelia.
AMELIA
Don't worry, it's ok.
The man puts the gun away and walks back onto the dance floor
as if nothing had happened.
80.
Luis asks the band to stop the music for a little bit and he
takes the microphone.
LUIS
Good evening everyone... Hey... I
want to say something. Love came
today, it came here all pretty...
(he taps his heart)
It's kind of like a little mouse is
crawling inside of me. Because that's
what love is, it's like your insides
get all twisted into knots... and
that, baby, is what you've taught
me. And because you've shown me, I
want to tell everyone that hopefully
love will get inside them
too...because it feels so good,
really...Thanks a lot and keep havin'
a good time...
Everybody applauds and Luis steps down from the dais, proud
of his speech. He goes to Amelia and gives her a very long
and loving hug.
142 EXT. HAMLET "LOS LOBOS" -- NIGHT
Night has fallen. The music plays full blast. Everyone
dances, people start to make out, the drunk collapse.
Patricia breathes regularly with her hands on her belly.
Luis drinks beer beside her while he watches the guests dance.
Debbie falls asleep on Amelia's lap while Mike watches the
party, overwhelmed.
MIKE
When are my parents getting back?
The question catches Amelia off guard.
AMELIA
Pronto...muy pronto...
MIKE
They told me they were coming back
today.
AMELIA
Se quedaron más rato.
The answer seem to makes Mike anxious.
MIKE
My dad's coming back with my mom.
AMELIA
Yes. Yes he is.
81.
MIKE
I don't want him to leave again.
AMELIA
He won't.
He starts crying.
MIKE
I miss Pat.
Amelia embraces him and kisses his head.
AMELIA
Yo también hijito, yo también.
The boy, tired and sleepy, leans his head on Amelia.
143 EXT. HAMLET "LOS LOBOS" -- NIGHT
Santiago, a little bit drunk, and Amelia, carrying Debbie
who has passed out, say goodbye to Luis and Patricia. Sleepy,
Mike leans on the hood of the car.
LUIS
(All in Spanish)
Stay the night.
AMELIA
I can't. I have to take these kids
home and it's almost dawn.
LUIS
But Santiago's pretty drunk.
SANTIAGO
Drunk my ass. I'm fine. I'll go
and come back in an hour.
PATRICIA
Stay for another while, the party's
just getting started.
AMELIA
I wish, but these kids have to go to
school.
Santiago opens the door for Amelia, who carefully sets Debbie
on the back seat. Mike gets in and as soon as he does he
nestles in to go to sleep.
AMELIA (CONT'D)
See you soon, son.
Luis and Amelia hug each other. Then Amelia hugs her daughter-
in-law.
82.
AMELIA (CONT'D)
Congratulations, dear.
(She points at her
belly)
Take care of my grandson 'cause I'm
dying to be a grandmother.
She gives her a kiss and gets in the car. Luis turns to
Santiago.
LUIS
You sure you're not too drunk?
SANTIAGO
Drunk my ass. I'm fine. I'll be
back soon.
Santiago stumbles to the driver's side and opens the door.
144 EXT. DESERT HIGHWAY -- NIGHT
The night spreads over the highway that cuts across the
desert. Santiago's car drives along, illuminating the cacti.
145 INT. SANTIAGO'S CAR -- NIGHT
Santiago drives the car, nodding off every now and then. In
the back, Debbie and Mike have surrendered to sleep. Santiago
jerks the wheel.
AMELIA
(In Spanish)
Hey... be careful...
Santiago corrects the vehicles trajectory and goes back to
his careless driving.
146 EXT. BORDER CROSSING -- NIGHT
Santiago decides to cross through Mesa de Otay. Since it's
nighttime, there are very few cars. They drive across the
bridge and stop before the immigration officer.
147 EXT. IMMIGRATION STALL, BORDER CROSSING -- CONTINUOUS
The officer walks up to the window.
OFFICER
Your papers...
Santiago and Amelia take out their passports and their Green
cards. The officer compares the documents to their faces
again and again.
OFFICER (CONT'D)
Where you comin' from?
83.
SANTIAGO
(In bad English)
From a wedding.
The officer looks through the window and sees Debbie and
Mike sleeping in the back.
OFFICER
Who are they?
Santiago rushes to answer.
SANTIAGO
They're her nephews.
Amelia freezes at Santiago's answer. The officer won't stop
looking at the children.
OFFICER
They don't look like you.
AMELIA
(bewildered)
I'm in charge of them.
OFFICER
Do you have their passports?
Amelia takes out their American passports and shows them to
the cop. He looks them over very carefully. Santiago starts
to get nervous.
SANTIAGO
Is there a problem?
The officer turns to look at them suspiciously. He obviously
smells the alcohol.
OFFICER
Should there be one?
Santiago shakes his head. Debbie wakes up and looks at the
officer sleepily.
DEBBIE
Hi.
OFFICER
Hey there, sweetie.
Debbie rubs her eyes.
OFFICER (CONT'D)
Tell me, is this lady your aunty?
Debbie innocently shakes her head.
84.
DEBBIE
No, she's not my aunty.
The officer stares at them harshly. He says something
incomprehensible over his radio and asks Santiago.
OFFICER
Are you drunk?
SANTIAGO
Me, sir? No.
OFFICER
Get out of the car.
SANTIAGO
Why, officer?
OFFICER
I'm countin' to three...
He brings his hand to his gun.
148 INT. SANTIAGO'S CAR -- NIGHT
Nervous, Santiago glances ahead and looks at the border
crossing through his rear-view mirror. He puts the car in
reverse and accelerates, trying to escape back to Mexico,
but he crashes into an arriving car.
AMELIA
(In Spanish)
What are you doing?
149 EXT. IMMIGRATION DESK, BORDER CROSSING -- NIGHT
The immigration officers take out their guns and run to stop
him. Santiago sees that the road ahead is clear and he drives
away full speed, barely swerving around some customs officers
who are searching another vehicle.
The officer shouts urgently.
OFFICER
They've kidnapped some kids...
He starts a police chase.
150 EXT. DESERT HIGHWAY -- NIGHT
Santiago's car drives full speed down the highway. He
sometimes looks as if he is going to lose control.
151 INT. SANTIAGO'S CAR -- NIGHT
Santiago drives madly. Frightened, Amelia holds onto the
dashboard. Debbie and Mike start to cry.
85.
SANTIAGO
(In Spanish)
See, I told you you shouldn't have
brought them. I told you. I told
you..
A trailer drives slowly. Santiago decides to drive around
it blindly, and almost drives off the other side of the road.
AMELIA
(In Spanish)
Santiago, stop acting crazy and stop
the car... Santiago, stop...
Santiago ignores her, concentrated on his driving. He looks
through the rear-view mirror. There is nobody behind him,
only the dark highway. Santiago steps on the gas.
Amelia tries to comfort the kids.
AMELIA (CONT'D)
(In English)
Everything's all right sweeties...
The children won't stop crying, terrified by the speed.
Through one of his mirrors, Santiago sees two patrol cars
following him with their turrets flashing.
SANTIAGO
(In Spanish)
Fucking asshole gringo mother-fuckers,
here they come...
Santiago accelerates. The car seems to be out of control.
The children scream. Amelia tries to stop Santiago.
AMELIA
(In Spanish)
Stop... Stop...
Santiago reaches a path and heads toward it.
152 EXT. DESERT PATH -- NIGHT
The car drives quickly down the path, raising up a cloud of
dust. The patrol cars are no longer visible.
The car drives on for a mile and then stops.
153 INT. SANTIAGO'S CAR -- NIGHT
Santiago turns to Amelia.
SANTIAGO
(Their entire dialogue
in Spanish)
Get out...
86.
Amelia looks at the dark desert surrounding them.
AMELIA
Are you crazy? Where?
SANTIAGO
Get out. I'll lose these bastards
and then I'll come back for you.
AMELIA
Santiago, calm down...
SANTIAGO
Aunt Amelia, they're going to get
us, get out god damn it...
154 EXT. SANTIAGO'S CAR -- NIGHT
Amelia gets out and opens the door for the kids.
AMELIA
(In English)
Come with me, dears.
The kids get out and Amelia holds their hand. Santiago closes
the doors and drives off in a cloud of dust.
They start to walk through the darkness. Amelia leads the
way, avoiding cacti and thorny branches. The go on like
this for a long stretch. The children are quiet and scared.
Amelia goes toward the highway and realizes the patrol cars
have turned into the path. She runs into the desert with
the kids. She can barely see with the light of the early
dawn. The three frequently trip on thorny plants.
DEBBIE
I want to go home now.
MIKE
Me too.
Both of them, scared, start to cry.
AMELIA
(In English)
Don't cry. We're going home now.
She looks back worried at where the patrol cars were; they
are approaching quickly. Then she turns to where Santiago
ran. The headlights are soon lost on the horizon.
Amelia holds them by the hand and pulls them as she runs.
AMELIA (CONT'D)
(In Spanish)
Let's go.
87.
She leads them further and further away from the path, snaking
through the brush. The patrol cars come even closer. Amelia
ducks and hides behind one of the bushes.
AMELIA (CONT'D)
Get down.
The children hide with her. The patrol cars tear past her,
some five hundred yards away, chasing after Santiago.
We suddenly hear sirens. Then, the sound of doors slamming
and unintelligible voices over a loudspeaker.
POLICE OFFICER (O.S.)
Do not get out of the car...don't
get out...wait...stop...stop...don't
run...
After a few seconds, we hear distant gunshots, three, four.
Amelia listens, frozen.
155 INT. ROOM, ANWAR'S HOUSE -- AFTERNOON
Dusk. Susan sleeps and Richard looks at the vast desert
through the window. Anwar, sitting on a chair, with a fan
clears away the flies hovering around Susan. We can hear the
call to prayer and Anwar prostrates himself toward Mecca.
Richard observes Anwar's prayer and then looks at Susan who
moans in her sleep.
156 INT. ANWAR'S HOUSE -- AFTERNOON
Richard and Anwar are sitting in silence while Susan lies
unconsciously on the floor.
Yamilé (9), a beautiful girl with large brown eyes, enters
carrying a tray with cookies and tea. She greets Richard
with a nod and offers him tea.
Richard takes the tea.
RICHARD
Thank you.
The girl gets up to offer tea to Anwar, who takes it.
ANWAR
(In Arabic)
Thank you, Yamilé.
Yamilé smiles and leaves the room.
RICHARD
Is that your daughter?
88.
ANWAR
The fourth of eight.
RICHARD
Eight?
Anwar affirms, smiling.
ANWAR
Do you have kids?
Richard takes out his wallet and pulls out a photo of him,
Susan, Mike and Debbie. He shows it to him.
Anwar takes it and looks at it.
ANWAR (CONT'D)
Just two?
RICHARD
Three...
(He remains pensive)
Yes, just two.
ANWAR
You should have more.
Anwar returns the photo. Richard looks at it for a moment
before putting it back into his wallet.
RICHARD
What about you? How many wives do
you have?
ANWAR
(Smiling)
I can only afford one.
RICHARD
And is this where you live?
ANWAR
No, this is where my family lives. I
live in Marrakesh. But I come whenever
I can...
They exchange a look. We hear a car engine.
157 EXT. STREET, HAMLET -- AFTERNOON
An old, run-down Peugeot driven by a policeman pulls up in
front of the house. The policeman gets out. The tourists,
leaning on the wall, get up to see what's happening.
Mohammed comes out to talk to him.
89.
MOHAMMED
(in Arabic)
What happened?
POLICEMAN
(In Arabic)
I need to talk to the American.
Tom interrogates Mohammed.
TOM
What did he say?
MOHAMMED
No English...
158 EXT. PATIO, ANWAR'S HOUSE -- AFTERNOON
The policeman, Anwar and Richard are chatting in the patio.
RICHARD
(To Anwar)
When did he find out?
ANWAR
(In Arabic)
When did you know?
POLICEMAN
(In Arabic)
A while ago... they said the ambulance
isn't coming anymore.
ANWAR
A while ago... he says the ambulance
broke down.
RICHARD
What? Tell him to call another one.
He has to get another one.
ANWAR
(In Arabic, to the
Policeman)
He wants you to call another
ambulance.
POLICEMAN
(In Arabic)
You know there isn't another one.
ANWAR
(To Richard)
There isn't another ambulance.
90.
RICHARD
What the hell do you mean there isn't
another ambulance? You've got to get
her out of here...
He faces the police officer.
RICHARD (CONT'D)
She can't stay here or she'll die.
Call another fucking ambulance...
The policeman cannot understand and remains expressionless.
RICHARD (CONT'D)
Come on, move... call another
ambulance...
ANWAR
(In Arabic)
He asks how we're going to get the
woman out of here.
POLICEMAN
(In Arabic)
Tell him that they told me that his
embassy is going to deal with it.
ANWAR
He says your embassy will deal with
the matter.
Richard now shouts at Anwar.
RICHARD
How the fuck are they going to deal
with it? It's your shitty fucking
country's responsibility.
POLICEMAN
(In Arabic)
The Americans want to send one of
their helicopters but I think there
are some problems.
Anwar mulls over his answer. He seems to want to lie again.
ANWAR
They're going to try to send a
helicopter.
RICHARD
(incredulous)
A helicopter?... Let's get out of
here...
He starts walking. Anwar catches up to him.
91.
ANWAR
Where?
Richard turns to him, desperate.
RICHARD
I need to make a phone call.
They turn towards the exit leaving the cop behind, who doesn't
seem to understand. Tom and James take advantage of the
situation to go talk to Richard.
TOM
We can't stay here any longer. It's
going to get dark soon. Lots of
people aren't feeling well and its
dangerous to stay here.
Richard explodes and pushes Tom.
RICHARD
Stop fucking with me.
TOM
Don't you dare push me.
RICHARD
Oh no?
He pushes him again, angrily.
TOM
What are you doing, you stupid fuck?
RICHARD
Leave asshole.
Tom shoves him.
TOM
Fuck you.
Richard becomes furious and loses it, hitting him over and
over again. Some of the tourists get involved. James manages
to grab him with Anwar.
JAMES
Hey, take it easy.
RICHARD
I'm fed up with that asshole.
James pulls him away while other tourists pull Tom away.
JAMES
Try to calm down.
92.
RICHARD
Calm down? My wife is dying up there.
JAMES
Come with us.
RICHARD
Where the fuck do you want me to
take her?
JAMES
Try to understand, many of them can't
go on. Tell me, honestly, is there
any point in us staying?
Richard threatens him.
RICHARD
You leave and I'll kill you...
James is going to say something, but Richard turns around
and walks away as he is about to say something. Anwar follows.
159 INT. GENERAL STORE -- EVENING
Richard is in the phone booth with telephone in hand. A
woman's voice answers.
RACHEL (O.S.)
Hello...
RICHARD
Rachel... What's going on? Nobody's
come... Who have you talked to... we
need help...she's dying...
RACHEL (O.S.)
What d'you mean dying?
RICHARD
She's very weak, please, you've got
to do something.
RACHEL (O.S.)
Mark, your business partner, already
called someone in the Secretary of
State, they're going to help you...
RICHARD
You can't just make these stupid
fucking calls, you've got to do
something...
RACHEL (O.S.)
Richard calm down, we're doing
everything we can.
93.
RICHARD
How the fuck do you expect me to
calm down? Susan is dying...
RACHEL (O.S.)
I'm flying over there tonight.
RICHARD
There's no time. I need to get Susan
out of here now! Put Mark on the
phone...
RACHEL (O.S.)
I don't know if I can find him.
RICHARD
God damn it, connect the fucking
call.
A few seconds go by. Desperate, Richard looks at the town as
it goes about its daily business, oblivious to his tragedy.
MARK (O.S.)
Richard, it's Mark.
RICHARD
Mark, help me... Susan is dying and
there are no ambulances, there's no
hospital, there's nothing.
MARK (O.S.)
Richard, the news is all over the
place. They're going to go help you,
soon, but there have been some
political problems that are being
resolved.
RICHARD
I don't give a shit about political
problems... Do something, now,
please...
Through the window, Richard, astonished, watches the bus
drive away, kicking up dust as it disappears in the distance.
RICHARD (CONT'D)
Son of a bitch...
He throws the phone away and runs after the bus. We hear
Mark's desperate voice over the receiver.
MARK (O.S.)
Richard... what happened? Richard,
answer me...
94.
160 EXT. HAMLET -- EVENING
Richard runs after the bus as it drives away down the side
streets.
RICHARD
Stop... Stop... Stop you mother-
fuckers stop...
The bus vanishes into the distance. Richard picks up a stone
and hurls it impotently.
161 INT. CHIEKO'S ROOM -- NIGHT
Chieko is in her room, sitting on her bed, staring into space.
The doorbell light goes on. She remains motionless for a
few moments. The light goes on again. Chieko breathes in
and goes to open the door.
162 INT. ENTRANCE TO CHIEKO'S APARTMENT -- NIGHT
Chieko opens the door and runs into Kenji, who greets her as
if she were just anybody.
KENJI
Hello.
She bows.
KENJI (CONT'D)
They told me you wanted to talk to
me.
Chieko, who has been unable to read his lips, asks him with
her hands that he speak slowly and face her. Kenji is
embarrassed by his tactlessness and tries to be more
considerate.
KENJI (CONT'D)
I'm sorry. Is there something you
wanted to tell me?
Chieko nods and asks him in with her hand. Kenji takes off
his shoes and leaves them at the door. Chieko leads him to
the living room and with a gesture asks if he wants anything
to drink.
KENJI (CONT'D)
Do you have tea?
Chieko nods and goes into the kitchen. Kenji glances over
the apartment. Chieko comes back from the kitchen holding a
strange gadget which she puts on the living room table. A
small bulb lights. Kenji just watches her.
Chieko gestures for him to sit down. Kenji and Chieko sit
across from each other.
95.
Chieko takes out her notebook and pen, writes something down
and hands it over to Kenji. Kenji reads, seems surprised
and reads again slowly.
KENJI (CONT'D)
"My father had nothing to do with my
mother's death," what's this?
Chieko is disconcerted at the question. She takes her
notebook and starts writing. Kenji reads and turns to her.
KENJI (CONT'D)
Your father was asleep when she jumped
off the balcony?
She nods. She gets up, asks Kenji to go with her and walks
toward the balcony.
163 EXT. BALCONY, CHIEKO'S APARTMENT -- NIGHT
She opens the door to the balcony and points at the void:
it's over twelve floors. Kenji looks over; the distance is
dizzying. Chieko writes in her notebook and shows him the
piece of paper.
KENJI
You saw her jump?
She nods and writes again. She looks perturbed.
KENJI (CONT'D)
You've already told the other
officers?
She nods again. Kenji holds her by her arms.
KENJI (CONT'D)
I don't know what you're talking
about.
Chieko remains motionless for a few seconds. She scrawls in
her notebook "Then why do you want to talk to my father?"
Kenji reads and then turns to her.
KENJI (CONT'D)
It's about a hunting rifle in his
name.
The red bulb on the gadget starts to blink. Chieko spots it
from the balcony and signals to Kenji that she has to go to
the kitchen. She runs off.
164 INT. LIVING ROOM, CHIEKO'S APARTMENT -- NIGHT
Kenji stands and looks at the photographs of Yasujiro hunting
all over the world: with a kudu in Africa, a black bear in
Kamchatka, Hassan and the Oryx in Morocco.
96.
Chieko comes back with a cup of steaming tea.
KENJI
Does your father still hunt?
She shakes her head. She writes something and hands it over.
KENJI (CONT'D)
There was an incident with a rifle
in your father's name. That's why
we want to talk to him.
The news weighs on Chieko; she looks away. The sounds of
Tokyo come in through the living room: its car horns, its
voices.
Suddenly a rush of wind comes in. Chieko sees the balcony
doors are open and goes to close them. She then comes back
to the living room and sits down, dejected.
Kenji sits down beside her and leaves the tea on the table.
He doesn't know what to do and looks uncomfortable.
She picks up the notebook and writes. Kenji reads.
KENJI (CONT'D)
No, your father isn't going to jail.
We just need to talk to him.
There is a long silence. Chieko seems immersed in a remote,
inaccessible world. Kenji turns his face to hers so that
she can read his lips.
KENJI (CONT'D)
I have to go now. Thank you.
Chieko grabs his arm and shakes her head, urging him to stay.
They exchange a look for an instant and Kenji insists.
KENJI (CONT'D)
I have to go.
He gets up to leave. Chieko signals for him to wait for a
moment and goes to her room.
Kenji stands in the middle of the room, waiting. Chieko
comes back completely naked. Her skin bristles.
She walks toward him, breathing through her mouth. Kenji is
disconcerted when he sees the quiet teenager approach. She
walks all the way up to Kenji and when she is about to take
another step, he holds her back with both hands.
KENJI (CONT'D)
What are you doing?
97.
She doesn't pay attention, breaks free and stands a few inches
away from him. She is almost panting. She holds out her
hand and caresses Kenji's ear. He stands there, immobile,
without taking his eyes off Chieko's.
She takes his hand and puts it on one of her breasts. Kenji
strokes her breast and then pulls his hand away. She grabs
it again and puts it back on.
KENJI (CONT'D)
No, no, no... this is wrong.
Kenji looks turned on and confused: Chieko is beautiful, but
he knows he cannot go on and takes his hand away.
KENJI (CONT'D)
No, I can't. You're just a girl.
She walks up to his face and licks it. He is confused.
KENJI (CONT'D)
Enough, please.
He grabs her by her arms and moves her away. She grabs the
sleeve of his jacket and pulls him back. She hugs him and
suddenly Chieko starts crying, disconsolate.
Kenji, bewildered, first does nothing, but upon seeing
Chieko's despair, holds her. She buries her face in his
shoulder. Her nakedness becomes increasingly fragile.
165 EXT. DESERT -- DAY
Abdullah, afraid, watches his son shoot. The police have
stopped firing and run for cover. Yussef loads the rifle
again and aims carefully. He shoots and, in the distance,
we can see one of the headlights on a police truck shatter.
Abdullah shouts at Yussef desperately.
ABDULLAH
Yussef, stop shooting!
Furious, Yussef loads the rifle again and starts shooting at
the cops. Ahmed won't stop screaming from the pain. Confused,
Abdullah doesn't know if he should console his wounded son
or stop the enraged Yussef.
In the distance, the cops reorganize. We hear the faraway
shots of Alarid giving orders.
ALARID
Move that truck... god damn it...
One of the cops gets onto a truck and uses it as a parapet.
Yussef aims again, but this time the policemen are well
covered. Abdullah drags himself all the way to Yussef.
98.
ABDULLAH
Give me that rifle...
Yussef turns to his father.
YUSSEF
They're going to kill us.
ABDULLAH
Give me that rifle.
He tries to wrest it away, but Yussef resists. The struggle
and Abdullah finally pulls it away. When Yussef tries to
snatch it back, the police fire a round of shots and the two
barely have time to hide.
The air is thick with gunshots. Yussef and Abdullah,
terrified, stick to the stones. The bullets strike very
close to them, and they can't even raise their heads.
Ahmed won't stop complaining. Abdullah shouts at him.
ABDULLAH (CONT'D)
Ahmed, don't move.
The gunshots rain down for over a minute. When they stop,
Abdullah turns to look at Ahmed, who is lying motionless on
the rocks with bullet in his back.
ABDULLAH (CONT'D)
Ahmed! Ahmed!
Oblivious of the police, he gets up and runs toward him.
Motionless, Ahmed just moans. With every breath, his shirt
grows bloodier.
ABDULLAH (CONT'D)
Ahmed! Ahmed!
He rolls Ahmed over and lays his head on his lap. Abdullah
cannot stop crying. Yussef, ducking, runs toward his brother.
Abdullah laments nervously.
ABDULLAH (CONT'D)
Don't die, don't die.
Yussef is shocked upon seeing his dead brother. He stands
up and, without caring whether anyone fires at him or not,
he raises the rifle up in the air for the police to see that
he is not aiming, and starts to break it against the rocks.
When he's finished breaking it he opens his arms and walks
toward the police. One of them policemen looks at him through
a pair of binoculars. Alarid interrogates him.
ALARID
What's happening?
99.
POLICE OFFICER
A boy is walking this way.
ALARID
Is he armed?
The officer takes a careful look.
POLICE OFFICER
It doesn't look like it.
ALARID
What are the others doing?
The officer watches Abdullah carrying his wounded son.
POLICE OFFICER
A man is holding somebody injured.
ALARID
Is the other one still walking this
way?
POLICE OFFICER
Yes.
Alarid turns to the other officers.
ALARID
Aim.
The police aim and hold Yussef in their sights. He keeps
walking resolutely toward his aggressors. He is crying
softly, keeping his arms open.
Yussef walks until his is 10 meters away from the police and
he kneels with his arms open.
YUSSEF
I killed the American, I was the
only one who shot at you...
Cautious, the police still aim at his chest. Yussef proceeds
with his confession, babbling it through his nerves, his
pain and his attempt to control his sobbing.
YUSSEF (CONT'D)
They did nothing... nothing...
He turns to his father and his brother and points at them.
YUSSEF (CONT'D)
Kill me, but save my brother, he did
nothing... nothing...
Alarid moves in, aiming at him with a rifle. Behind him are
five other cops, also ready to shoot.
100.
ALARID
On the ground...
Yussef does not obey.
YUSSEF
Save my brother...
ALARID
On the ground...
Yussef turns his face toward Alarid looks him in the eye.
YUSSEF
Save my brother... please...
He lies on the floor, crying. Alarid puts his gun down and
looks at him: his enemy is a disconsolate child. Then he
looks up at Abdullah who is screaming his lamentations. He
turns to one of his subordinates.
ALARID
Go help them.
One of the officers goes to help Abdullah and Ahmed. Yussef
lies on the floor, crying.
166 EXT. DESERT -- NIGHT
The sun rises. Amelia and the children keep walking. They
sweat.
MIKE
I can't walk anymore.
AMELIA
We have to keep walking.
MIKE
Why is the air so hot?
Amelia stops and tries to distract them.
AMELIA
(the entire dialogue
in English)
Because coyotes and snakes and quails
have already breathed that air.
Mike remains pensive.
MIKE
We're breathing the same air animals
breathe?
AMELIA
Yes.
101.
MIKE
And it doesn't rot?
AMELIA
No, it doesn't rot. We all breathe
this air.
167 EXT. DESERT -- MORNING
Dawn. The three walk through the desert. Debbie walks
mechanically, tired and exhausted.
DEBBIE
I can't anymore. I'm thirsty.
MIKE
So am I.
Amelia looks around her: no sign of civilization.
AMELIA
(In Spanish)
Just a little further and we'll go
look for water.
168 EXT. DESERT -- LATER
Amelia lumbers heavily, carrying Debbie asleep on her arm.
Mike drags his feet a few yards behind.
They walk for a long stretch through the thorny brush until
they reach a small mound where a leafy mesquite grows.
Amelia lays a limp Debbie down on the ground and sits on the
mound of earth.
AMELIA
(In Spanish)
We're going to rest here for a while.
MIKE
What if there are snakes?
AMELIA
No, there aren't any. Come, lie
down.
The boy, exhausted and docile, obeys and lies on her chest.
Amelia leans against the trunk with Debbie on her legs. The
children sleep while Amelia, nodding off, tries to keep watch.
169 EXT. DESERT -- LATER
It is well into the morning. Amelia and the children sleep
deeply. There is a noise and Amelia opens her eyes. She
sees a border patrol truck driving around near them.
102.
Looking through the branches, she spies on the truck and
watches another one join it. Mike awakes and sits up.
MIKE
What happening?
Amelia ducks and lays Mike face down. The two trucks slowly
approach.
AMELIA
(To Mike, in a low
voice, in Spanish)
Stay still.
A truck drives by about eighty yards away and then passes.
The other one cuts diagonally across its path and then gets
lost in the desert.
Amelia gets up and shakes off the dust. She looks out of
place, wearing her best clothes torn by the bramble. She
makes sure the trucks are leaving.
MIKE
Why are we hiding if we didn't do
anything wrong?
AMELIA
(In English)
Because they think we did something
wrong.
MIKE
That's not true: you're bad.
Amelia freezes upon hearing the boy's words.
AMELIA
No, sweetie, I'm not bad. I just
did something stupid.
She pulls him toward her and hugs him tenderly.
AMELIA (CONT'D)
(In Spanish)
I love you very much, sweetie.
Amelia turns and tries to wake Debbie.
AMELIA (CONT'D)
(In English)
Debbie, we've got to go.
The girl opens her eyes, but doesn't answer.
AMELIA (CONT'D)
Debbie, sweetheart, wake up.
103.
She closes her eyes again. Amelia notices her lips are dry
and her breath is irregular: she is visibly dehydrated.
Upon seeing that she doesn't react, Amelia looks for the
trucks: they're far away.
170 EXT. DESERT -- LATER
Amelia carries Debbie in her arms under the burning sun,
following a cattle trail. Mike walk behind, pale, sweaty.
Amelia looks to the horizon: there is no sign of the trucks.
171 EXT. DESERT -- DAY
They are still walking. Amelia can barely go on. She stops
to rest. She is sweating copiously. Mike also looks weak.
172 EXT. DESERT -- LATER
The heat is strong and Amelia is beaten. She looks for the
shade of a cluster of mesquites and lays Debbie down. Then
she turns to Mike.
AMELIA
Sweetie, I'm going to go look for
help. Stay here and don't move.
MIKE
I'm not staying here alone.
AMELIA
Honey, you have to take care of
Debbie.
MIKE
I'm going with you.
Mike looks at her with imploring eyes. Amelia caresses him.
AMELIA
I won't be long. I promise.
173 EXT. DESERT -- DAY
Amelia desperately looks through the desert. She also looks
dehydrated. She drifts.
174 EXT. DESERT -- DAY
Amelia drags her feet as she walks. She can go no further.
175 EXT. DESERT -- DAY
Amelia sees a small hillock and climbs it with difficulty.
She surveys the environs from the top. In the distance she
sees a Border Patrol truck driving down a path.
104.
With great effort, Amelia runs down the hill.
AMELIA
(In Spanish)
Stop, stop...
The truck doesn't stop. Amelia keeps running, flailing her
arms and screaming wildly.
AMELIA (CONT'D)
Sir... sir... stop...
The truck stops and backs up. Amelia keeps going, tripping
over stones.
John (29), a thoroughly Mexican officer, gets out and she
runs up, panting, to him.
AMELIA (CONT'D)
Please help me.
John stares at her suspiciously.
AMELIA (CONT'D)
I have to go get two kids I left
behind in the desert.
John looks at her suspiciously.
JOHN
(In Spanish, with a
terrible accent)
Are they illegal immigrants?
AMELIA
No, they're American.
JOHN
When did you cross?
AMELIA
(In English)
I didn't cross, I live here. Please,
help me find these kids.
John keeps staring at her. He points to a mesquite.
JOHN
Stand there and don't move.
Amelia obeys. John goes back to the vehicle, opens the door
and sits down and grabs the radio.
JOHN (CONT'D)
Attention base, I have a 4533...I
have the suspect.
105.
Amelia doesn't manage to hear what the radio says. She looks
attentively at what the agent is doing. John stops and runs
back to her.
JOHN (CONT'D)
You're under arrest. Turn around
and put your hands behind your head.
Amelia despairs.
AMELIA
I left those kids in the desert, I
swear.
John pushes her forcefully against the truck.
JOHN
Turn around, now.
She turns around with her hands over her head. John handcuffs
her and leads her to the vehicle.
176 INT. BORDER PATROL VEHICLE -- DAY
Amelia, cuffed, and John, drive down a path in the desert.
JOHN
Which way are they?
Amelia studies the terrain. She points at some mesquites in
the distance.
AMELIA
(In Spanish)
Over there.
177 EXT. DESERT -- DAY
The truck parks and they both get out.
JOHN
Where are they?
Amelia explores the landscape, anguished.
AMELIA
They must be around here.
Another border patrol truck arrives and pulls up next to
them. Eliseo (34), looks out the window.
ELISEO
What happened?
JOHN
This lady said they were here, but
there's nobody.
106.
ELISEO
(In Spanish)
Ma'am, you're not lying to us, are
you?
AMELIA
(In Spanish)
I swear they're around here somewhere.
She sees another cluster of mesquites and points toward them.
AMELIA (CONT'D)
They must be over that way.
178 EXT. CLUSTER OF MESQUITES -- DAY
They arrive at the cluster. The two trucks park and the
three get out. She is still cuffed. A helicopter hovers
above them.
They walk around: nothing.
JOHN
There's nobody here.
AMELIA
(To Eliseo, in Spanish)
I left them about a kilometer in
from the road.
ELISEO
(In Spanish)
Which road?
She doesn't know what to say. John grabs her by the arm and
drags her toward the vehicle.
JOHN
I don't believe you.
Amelia looks at him desperately.
AMELIA
(In English)
I swear they're around here.
John is not affected. He keeps pulling her.
ELISEO
(In English)
John, wait, maybe she's telling the
truth.
JOHN
Maybe she's not, let's go.
107.
AMELIA
Please sir, believe me.
John pays no attention. She turns to Eliseo.
AMELIA (CONT'D)
(In Spanish)
I swear, they're lost, they're going
to die. I have to find them.
John keeps pulling her. He puts her in the truck and closes
the door before Eliseo's passive gaze.
AMELIA (CONT'D)
(In English)
Please no... please...
179 INT. ROOM, ANWAR'S HOUSE -- AFTERNOON
Night begins to fall. From the window we can hear the noises
of the town: voices, goats bleating, camels moaning, music
from a radio.
Susan wakes from her slumber and turns to Richard, who is
leaning on a wall, tired, sweaty, with his eyes closed.
SUSAN
Richard.
RICHARD
What do you need?
SUSAN
Richard... if I die, take care of
the kids. Especially Mike, he really
needs you.
RICHARD
You're not going to die. You can't
die. You just can't.
SUSAN
Don't ever leave them again.
RICHARD
No, I'm not going to leave them and
don't you even think about leaving
me, because I'll kill you like
nobody's killed you before.
She smiles. He caresses her.
SUSAN
I peed my pants.
RICHARD
What?
108.
SUSAN
I couldn't hold it in and I peed.
Richard touches between her legs and feels the moisture.
RICHARD
I'm going to tell Mike on you, so
you never scold him again.
They both laugh. She grimaces in pain when she does.
SUSAN
I need to pee again.
RICHARD
(To Anwar)
Do you have a pot I can borrow?
Anwar looks in a corner and hands it over.
RICHARD (CONT'D)
(To Anwar)
Can you leave us alone for a moment?
The grandmother and Anwar exit.
RICHARD (CONT'D)
Come, try it like this.
He lifts up her dress, pulls down her underpants and sets
the basin under her. She puts her arm around him to pull
herself up, but can't move her right arm.
SUSAN
I can't.
They laugh. He kisses her. We start to hear the stream.
SUSAN (CONT'D)
Now I can.
While she pees, they kiss painfully. She starts to cry.
RICHARD
Forgive me my love. When Pat died I
didn't know what to do, the pain
drove me crazy... I was scared, that's
why I left... forgive me.
SUSAN
I was scared too... when I saw Pat
lying still in his crib...
Her voice breaks up and she can barely go on.
109.
SUSAN (CONT'D)
It wasn't my fault, it wasn't... I
couldn't do anything for him...
RICHARD
No, it wasn't your fault. I was
wrong...
He strokes her head.
RICHARD (CONT'D)
Shhh... it wasn't your fault my love,
it wasn't anybody's fault... Pat
just left...
(A beat)
Forgive me, please.
SUSAN
Forgive me for not forgiving you.
Richard hugs her and starts to laugh.
RICHARD
You missed; you got my leg.
They both laugh, and as they do, the blanket covering Susan's
wound slips off. Richard sees her swollen, bruised arm. He
touches it.
RICHARD (CONT'D)
Does it hurt?
SUSAN
So much... so much...
Richard looks worried and leaves the room.
180 EXT. STAIRS, ANWAR'S HOUSE -- DAY
He walks out onto the stairs and calls Anwar.
RICHARD
Anwar...Anwar...
Anwar runs into the room.
ANWAR
What happened?
RICHARD
We've got to get her out of here.
Where's the clinic?
ANWAR
In Alnif, an hour and a half away
from here.
110.
RICHARD
Can you get us a car we can take her
in?
Anwar remains pensive for a moment and then nods.
181 INT. ANWAR'S HOUSE -- DAY
Richard is squatting next to Susan.
RICHARD
My love... I'm going to get you out
of here. We're going to try to
take you to a clinic an hour and a
half away from here. Do you think
you can make it?
She thinks for a moment and then nods.
SUSAN
Yeah.
RICHARD
I need you to be strong. Really
strong.
Susan sighs: the effort required seems as if it will be too
much, but she nods again. Richard hugs and kisses her.
182 EXT. ANWAR'S HOUSE -- DAY
Richard and the vet carry Susan out on a wheelbarrow. It is
very difficult to move her. She is clearly in pain and groans
quietly.
Outside the house is the policeman with his Peugeot. Anwar
is talking to him.
Richard and the vet carry Susan all the way to the car.
Richard stands before the policeman he humiliated earlier.
RICHARD
Thank you for lending us the car.
Anwar translates.
ANWAR
(In Arabic)
He thanks you for lending us the
car.
The policeman nods kindly.
Dozens of girls and boys and a few adults stare at the scene.
Gingerly, Richard, Anwar and the vet lift her into the car
and softly lay her on the back seat.
111.
Even so, she screams in pain.
SUSAN
Ahhh... Ahhh...
Richard holds her hand and squeezes it.
RICHARD
Sweetie, you've got to hold on.
Richard gets into the car, and as they're about to drive
off, the shopkeeper runs up to them.
TENDERO
(In Arabic)
Stop... Stop...
The shopkeeper catches up to them.
TENDERO (CONT'D)
(In Arabic)
They're calling from the American
Embassy.
183 INT. GENERAL STORE -- AFTERNOON
Richard walks into the cubicle. The phone is off the hook
and Richard answers.
RICHARD
Hello...
SECRETARY (O.S.)
Just a moment, I'm going to put you
through to ambassador Ken Clifford.
Richard awaits. In the corner of the room, he sees a goat's
head covered with flies.
KEN
Hello, Richard Jones?
RICHARD
Yes, speaking.
KEN (O.S.)
I'm very sorry about what happened
to your wife, but you can be sure
that the culprits will be punished.
RICHARD
My wife is dying. She's in urgent
need of medical attention.
KEN (O.S.)
We're working on it...
112.
Richard interrupts angrily.
RICHARD
We've been here for five hours.
What the fuck are you waiting for?
KEN (O.S.)
The Moroccan government won't let us
use their airspace. They refused to
acknowledge that this was an act of
terrorism...
RICHARD
I can't wait anymore... I'm taking
my wife to a clinic in Tinerhir right
now...
KEN (O.S.)
Stay put... we've settled the matter.
A helicopter should arrive soon...
RICHARD
We can't wait any longer.
KEN (O.S.)
The helicopter is on its way. Don't
move.
RICHARD
My wife is in critical condition.
How long is the chopper going to
take?
KEN (O.S.)
Soon... it'll be there soon... Be
patient, it won't be long.
184 INT. INTERROGATION ROOM, POLICE HEADQUARTERS -- EVENING
Amelia sits in a room painted white. An American, his hair
slicked back, dressed in a shirt and tie, sits before her.
POLICE OFFICER
(In Spanish)
Is your full name Amelia Gloria Jordán
Susilla?
AMELIA
(In Spanish)
Yes sir.
POLICE OFFICER
Do you understand English?
AMELIA
(In English)
Yes sir.
113.
POLICE OFFICER
(In English)
Ma'am, it was a miracle that we found
those kids. I don't know how you
could leave them alone in the desert.
AMELIA
I had to look for help.
POLICE OFFICER
Your reckless behavior endangered
their lives.
Amelia stops arguing. She looks worried.
AMELIA
How are they?
POLICE OFFICER
That's none of your business, ma'am.
The man's words hurt Amelia, who looks away to avoid crying.
POLICE OFFICER (CONT'D)
You've committed serious crimes.
AMELIA
I just took the kids to my son's
wedding.
POLICE OFFICER
No ma'am, you did not just do that.
You took them to another country
without their parents' permission
and you put them in danger.
AMELIA
Sir, I raised these kids since they
were born. I take care of them day
and night. I feed them breakfast,
lunch and dinner. I play with them.
Mike and Debbie are like my own
children.
POLICE OFFICER
(sternly)
But they are not your kids, ma'am.
AMELIA
What about my nephew, Santiago?
POLICE OFFICER
I don't have any information on him.
Amelia looks destitute.
114.
POLICE OFFICER (CONT'D)
We located the parents in Morocco.
They're very angry, but they've
decided not to raise charges.
Amelia exhales, relieved. The policeman leans toward her.
POLICE OFFICER (CONT'D)
Nevertheless, the government of the
United States has deemed you were
seriously breaking the law and has
decided to immediately and
definitively deport you.
Amelia loses her breath.
AMELIA
I've been living here for fifteen
years. My things are here, I rent a
house, I made my life here.
POLICE OFFICER
You should've thought of that
beforehand.
AMELIA
I want to talk to a lawyer.
POLICE OFFICER
If you attempt to take this to court,
I assure you you will end up in jail.
If you want my advice, accept the
deportation and never come back.
185 EXT. BORDER CROSSING -- EVENING
A bus parks in front of the border. Several border patrol
agents have formed a wall for the illegal immigrants to pass
directly through.
The illegal immigrants get out and walk toward Mexico. As
Amelia crosses, she keeps looking back.
186 EXT. BORDER CROSSING, MEXICO -- EVENING
The illegal immigrants cross into Mexico, where they disband
into small groups. Amelia walks alone. Before she walks
away she turns to one of the other deported Mexicans.
AMELIA
(In Spanish)
Do you have a cigarette?
He acquiesces. He rummages through his pant pockets and
pulls out a pack of cigarettes. He offers one to Amelia, who
takes it. He also pulls out some matches and lights one.
115.
AMELIA (CONT'D)
Thank you.
187 EXT. STREET, TIJUANA -- EVENING
Amelia smokes, drifting. After a while she sits on a sidewalk
and leans on a post. She looks into the street at the people
passing by and starts crying softly.
A dusty and battered pick up truck arrives. Inside are her
son and her comadre. Her son steps down and hugs her in
silence as she cries. Her comadre observes them from a
distance.
188 EXT. HAMLET -- EVENING
The truck is parked in front of Anwar's house. Richard and
Susan wait in the back while the boy, Anwar and the vet lean
on the hood.
Suddenly a helicopter with American insignia flies over them
and goes to land in an empty lot.
Anwar looks up and watches the helicopter descend. The
helicopter kicks up a cloud of dust before the stunned gaze
of dozens of children. Some camels are frightened. Some
starving dogs bark at it.
189 EXT. TOWN -- EVENING
They carry Susan to the helicopter in a stretcher. They
load her in carefully. Richard follows her through the wind
generated by the helicopter. Anwar catches up to them to say
goodbye.
ANWAR
Good luck, mister...
RICHARD
Thank you for everything.
Richard gives Anwar a hug which he responds to affectionately.
Richard takes out his wallet and holds out three hundred-
dollar bills, which Anwar rejects.
ANWAR
No sir, no... Allah be with you.
They look each other in the eye and then Richard gets into
the chopper. It takes off.
190 EXT. DESERT -- EVENING
The helicopter silently flies over the Moroccan desert.
116.
191 EXT. PARKING LOT, MOROCCAN HOSPITAL -- EVENING
The hospital's perimeter is guarded by dozens of soldiers.
The security is impressive. A group of doctors and nurses
with a stretcher wait in the parking lot. Several journalists
and cameras observe.
Ken and his entourage await the helicopter's landing. The
helicopter approaches. The cameramen hurry to position
themselves for a better shot.
A reporter speaks to the camera.
REPORTER
In this helicopter is Susan Jones,
an American mother of two who was
seriously injured in a terrorist
attack. It appears fundamentalist
organizations planned the attack...
The helicopter settles softly in the parking lot. It is
immediately surrounded by several Moroccan soldiers. The
doctors on the ground prepare the stretcher.
Ken walks hurriedly toward the chopper, guarding himself
from the wind.
Susan is immediately placed on the stretcher and quickly
taken to the emergency room. Richard follows close behind
until his is intercepted by Ken.
KEN
Mr. Jones, I'm Ken Clifford,
Ambassador to the United States.
Richard keeps running behind the stretcher. Ken stops him.
KEN (CONT'D)
A first rate medical team is going
to tend to her, but if you want we
can take her to a hospital in Italy
as soon as she's stable...
RICHARD
Thank you...
KEN
There are lots of reporters waiting.
Is there anything you want to say to
the press? A statement against
terrorism?
Richard looks at him as if he doesn't know what he's talking
about.
117.
RICHARD
The last thing I'm worried about
right now is the fucking press.
He pulls away from Ken and follows Susan toward the E.R.
192 INT. HALLWAY, E.R., MOROCCAN HOSPITAL -- NIGHT
Several Moroccan doctors are examining Susan. Richard
observes worriedly from a window.
One of the doctors comes out.
MOROCCAN DOCTOR
(In good English)
We're going to have to operate
immediately.
RICHARD
Is she going to be ok?
MOROCCAN DOCTOR
It's probable. We're going to try to
save her arm. She's been bleeding
internally, and there's been some
clotting so there's a high risk of
gangrene.
RICHARD
(insistently, as if
he hadn't heard the
doctor)
But she's going to be ok?
The Moroccan doctor puts his hand on Richard's shoulder and
thinks about his answer.
MOROCCAN DOCTOR
Yes, she's going to be ok.
The doctor leaves and Richard goes back to looking at his
wife through the glass.
The doctors are still prepping her. Richard walks in.
193 INT. EMERGENCY ROOM -- NIGHT
He stands next to Susan, who is unconscious. He looks at a
doctor and she moves to one side. Richard leans over and
kisses her.
He walks away and the nurses start to wheel her to the O.R.
194 INT. HALLWAY, MOROCCAN HOSPITAL -- NIGHT
Richard is talking on the phone from an office.
118.
RICHARD
Amelia?
AMELIA (O.S.)
Yes sir.
RICHARD
How is everything?
AMELIA (O.S.)
Ok sir, Mrs. Rachel told me. I'm
very sorry. How is Mrs. Susan?
RICHARD
They're going to operate now...
Amelia... take good care of the kids,
and don't tell them anything...
AMELIA (O.S.)
No sir, don't worry.
RICHARD
Put Mike on please.
A few seconds pass and Mike answers. This is the phone call
from the beginning.
MIKE (O.S.)
Hi dad.
RICHARD
Hey sweetie, how are you?
MIKE (O.S.)
Dad, guess what? Today, at school,
they brought some baby chickens.
RICHARD
Oh really?
MIKE (O.S.)
I held one in my hand. He was really
little and he was all warm.
Richard starts to cry for the first time.
MIKE (O.S.) (CONT'D)
Dad, are you ok?
Richard tries to hold back his sobbing.
RICHARD
Yeah, I'm ok. Everything's fine.
The boy keeps talking while Richard cries.
119.
MIKE (O.S.)
And Mariana wanted to take one home,
but the teacher didn't let her...
195 INT. CHIEKO'S APARTMENT -- NIGHT
Chieko, naked, sits in an armchair, again submerged in the
remote world of her silence. Before her, Kenji observes her
nakedness, her sadness, her pained beauty.
For a while they remain motionless. She seems to return
from the long journey to herself and turns to look at him.
Their eyes meet. There are still tears in Chieko's eyes.
They hold each other's gaze until Chieko gets up, gets her
notebook, scribbles down some words and gives them to him.
Kenji reads them and looks at her.
KENJI
You don't have to apologize for
anything.
She sits down beside him. They look at each other again for
a few, long seconds. Chieko takes his hand, strokes it for a
moment, kisses it, sucks one of his fingers and then puts it
back in its place.
She grabs her notebook and starts writing a long note. It
takes her almost a minute to do so. Kenji, nervous because
of her proximity, watches her write feverishly.
Chieko finishes writing, folds the note and hands it to Kenji.
Kenji starts unfolding it, but Chieko stops him. She takes
it away from him, folds it again and puts it in his breast
pocket. She signals for him to read it later.
Kenji gets up to go. She stands next to him. Her nakedness
contrasts with Kenji's toughness. He bows his head to say
goodbye and she moves aside for him to pass. Kenji walks
past her as she watches.
Kenji reaches the door. He opens it and turns to look at
Chieko again, who has been left in the middle of the hall.
He bows his head again and leaves.
Chieko watches him leave and closes her eyes painfully.
196 INT. ELEVATOR, CHIEKO'S BUILDING -- NIGHT
Kenji rides the elevator down, touched, barely able to contain
his emotion. The elevator doors open and he walks out.
197 INT. LOBBY, TOKYO APARTMENT BUILDING -- NIGHT
Kenji walks past the doorman.
120.
KENJI
Good night.
He keeps walking. On the other end of the lobby, at the
parking lot entrance, Yasujiro walks in.
The doorman calls Kenji as he is about to leave.
DOORMAN
Officer... officer...
Kenji stops. Beside him is Yasujiro.
DOORMAN (CONT'D)
This is the man you were looking
for.
Kenji approaches him while the doorman discretely moves away
to leave them alone in the lobby.
KENJI
Good evening, I'm lieutenant Mamiya.
YASUJIRO
Good evening, how can I help you?
KENJI
Sir, there was an incident and...
Yasujiro looks at him attentively. Kenji, still moved by
Chieko, looks distracted, confused.
KENJI (CONT'D)
I don't mean to bother you, but...
(a beat)
Do you own a .270 caliber Winchester
70 rifle with the registration
number...
Kenji looks through his pockets, takes out a small notebook
and looks up the missing number.
KENJI (CONT'D)
UK-9023?
YASUJIRO
I don't remember the license, but I
did have a rifle like the one you
described.
KENJI
Is it true that you gave it to a Mr.
Hassan Ibrahim, who lives in southern
Morocco?
YASUJIRO
Hassan Ibrahim?
121.
KENJI
He says he was your guide in a hunt.
YASUJIRO
Hassan? Of course. He was a very
good guide and I gave him the rifle.
Hassan is a very kind man. Did
anything happen?
KENJI
There was an attempted murder with
that rifle, and the Moroccan police
want to confirm it's not off the
black market.
YASUJIRO
No, I gave it to him.
(a beat)
Is Hassan ok?
KENJI
I don't know.
Yasujiro remains silent for a moment.
YASUJIRO
Am I legally involved?
KENJI
Not for the moment. You may have to
go testify for your friend.
YASUJIRO
Can I leave now?
KENJI
Good night.
They both bow to say goodbye. Yasujiro walks toward the
elevator. Kenji calls out to him.
KENJI (CONT'D)
Excuse me.
Kenji approaches and Yasujiro awaits, expectant.
KENJI (CONT'D)
Your daughter told me about your
wife on the balcony. I'm very sorry.
YASUJIRO
What balcony?
KENJI
About how your wife killed herself
by jumping off the balcony.
122.
YASUJIRO
My wife never jumped off a balcony.
She shot herself in the head. My
daughter was the first to find her.
Kenji is left speechless.
YASUJIRO (CONT'D)
I've explained it to the police
several times. Don't bother us with
that anymore, please.
KENJI
I'm very sorry sir, we won't bother
you anymore. Good night.
He turns around and leaves the building.
198 EXT. TOKYO STREETS -- NIGHT
Kenji walks down the streets immersed in his thoughts.
199 INT. BAR -- NIGHT
Kenji sits in a half-empty bar. He turns to the bartender.
KENJI
Another whisky.
The T.V. has been turned on to a Japanese newscast. Kenji
takes out Chieko's note, reads it and, as soon as he is done,
closes his eyes. He looks around. Everybody seems to be
immersed in a world far from his own.
A reporter appears on T.V.
REPORTER
Susan Jones, the American woman
wounded in an attack in Morocco ten
days ago, left the hospital today,
heading to the United States...
Susan appears on screen in a wheelchair pushed by a male
nurse and followed by Richard.
The bartender leans over to Kenji.
BARTENDER
Do you want something to eat? I
could make you a sandwich.
KENJI
No thank you.
When he looks back at the news, the story has changed. Kenji
drinks his whisky parsimoniously.
123.
200 INT. ELEVATOR, CHIEKO'S BUILDING -- NIGHT
Yasujiro rides the elevator up, lost in thought.
201 EXT. BALCONY, CHIEKO'S APARTMENT -- NIGHT
From the balcony, naked, Chieko observes the city stretching
before her.
Yasujiro walks in and encounters his daughter completely
naked. There are still traces of Chieko's tears in her eyes.
Yasujiro is affected when he sees his daughter like this,
but says nothing. He slowly walks toward her. Chieko looks
hurt, but whole.
Yasujiro stands beside her. They look at each other. Chieko
holds out her hand and takes his. Chieko squeezes. She looks
at the city and then looks at her father's eyes.
He strokes her hair and they both stand on the balcony, with
the massive city sprawling under them.
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