| EXT. BEACH. DAY.
Richard walks along the shore and begins to follow a bloodstained
furrow in the sand.
RICHARD (V.O.)
The way I saw it, sharks live in the sea, so if you go swimming
where they live, they might eat you. That's what sharks are good
at, that's what they do. I could have explained this to Christo
but I just knew he wouldn't see it.
Richard is standing over Christo who is lying in agony on the
sand.
CHRISTO
Richard! My foot. My foot! It's so painful. My foot!
Richard looks at Christo's right leg: it has been bitten off
beneath the knee, leaving only a ragged bloody stump.
RICHARD
Yeah, your foot - it's - pretty bad.
Christo clings to him.
CHRISTO
But it will be ok? Please Richard, when I get to the hospital?
RICHARD
Hospital?
CHRISTO
Tell me - it will be ok.
RICHARD
Yeah. Sure. Christo, it'll be ok.
EXT. GRAVE STIE. DAY.
A freshly dug grave in sandy soil about 1.5 meters deep.
The corpse (Sten) in a sleeping bag is slung into the grave,
its feet protruding from the end.
Immediately, the earth starts to be filled in from either side.
KEATY (O.S.)
We are gathered here today to pay our last respects to Sten.
I couldn't claim to know the bloke all that well but what I knew,
I liked. He was a straightforward, easy to get along with, reliable
sort of guy. He worked hard for the whole community - he even lost
his life fishing for us.
Keaty is addressing the entire community beside the grave while
earth is heaped on.
KEATY
He made an effort to join in whatever was going on. For example,
he played cricket with an aptitude and enthusiasm that belied his
Nordic origins, and I think we can see that as a symbolic ofhis
place amongst us in a wider sense. Anyway, he wasn't one for long
speeches, and neither am I. May God take you soul, and you shall
rest forever in peace mate. We'll miss you.
Keaty holds back a tear as he throws a flower in the grave.
Others throw flowers in.
Bugs hammers a wooden cross into the ground behind the grave.
INT. LONGHOUSE. DAY.
Christo is being nursed by Etienne who is mopping his brow, trying
to get him to drink etc.
Several people are sitting around, inactive and silent.
Christo moans. A couple of people get up and leave.
RICHARD (V.O.)
After the funeral we all tried to get back to normal, but it
just didn't seem right. After a while it became clear that the problem
was Christo. You see, in a shark attack, or any other major tragedy
I guess, the important thing is to get eaten and die, in which case
there's a funeral and someone makes a speech and everyone cries
and says what a good guy you were, or: get better in which case
everyone can forget about it. It's the hanging around in between
that really pisses people off.
EXT. FOREST. DAY.
Etienne is backing through the forest. Outraged.
ETIENNE
This is disgusting! You cannot do this! Take him back!
A party of stretcher bearers, including Bugs, Sal, and Keaty,
carry Christo through the forest. Sal is carrying a small rolled
up tent. Richard walks behind.
SAL
Ok, that's far enough.
They lower Christo to the ground.
ETIENNE
Take him back, you fucking animals!
Sal drops the tent at Etienne's feet.
The part walks away apart from Richard
ETIENNE
(continuing)
Fucking bastards!
INT. SMALL TENT. DAY.
Christo, delirious, is being nursed by Etienne in the small tent,
now situated in the middle of the forest.
Richard is with him.
RICHARD
It's not that they don't care, Etienne, it's just that they don't
care in the same way as you do. It's a fine distinction, I know.
ETIENNE
I understand: they wish he was dead.
RICHARD
No! they've be equally happy if he recovered. They just want
an outcome.
ETIENNE
He needs a doctor.
RICHARD
You worked in a hospital.
ETIENNE
For one month, as a cleaner, a domestic.
RICHARD
Well that's one month longer than anyone else around here. Look,
you're doing your best for the guy. No one could ask for more. Everyone
apprecaites that.
ETIENNE
Look, Richard!
Etienne draws back the sheet covering Christo's discolored stump.
Richard recoils.
RICHARD
Jesus!
ETIENNE
It's gangrene. It's spreading. He needs an amputation.
Etienne produces a knife from his possessions.
RICHARD
You're going to do it here?
ETIENNE
Where else?
RICHARD
OK! I'll hold him still.
Etienne prepares to proceed, but at the last moment he cannot.
He drops the knife
Richard relaxes.
EXT. BEACH. DAY.
People are playing and relaxing on the beach and in the water,
shouting and swimming.
RICHARD (V.O.)
It would be a lot easier to condemn our behavior if it hadn't
been so effective, but out of sight really was out of mind. The
bad smell was gone - it was like we had amputated Christo from our
community and after the operation was over, we felt a whole lot
better.
UNDERWATER. DAY.
In water one meter deep, moving forward with a smooth side-to-side
action, the POV of some underwater creature.
Small fish scatter ahead of it.
Suddenly a pair of legs come into view: they are Francoise'.
Close right in on them at speed.
EXT. SEA. DAY.
Francoise screams as Richard surfaces beside her, laughing.
FRANCOISE
Richard!
RICHARD
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water.
FRANCOISE
That's not funny.
RICHARD
Hey, relax, just a joke. What's wrong with you?
FRANCOISE
No, what's wrong with you? Why didn't you stop them moving Christo?
RICHARD
Francoise I just thought we ought to spend some time together.
We haven't had a chance to talk, and let's face it, it's going to
be a lot easier for us to do that if Etienne isn't hanging around
the longhouse.
FRANCOISE
I don't believe it. You really think it was alright to move him.
RICHARD
He was getting everyone down.
FRANCOISE
I don't know what has happened to you, Richard.
RICHARD
I like it here! That's what happened! So what's the problem?
Francoise turns and walks away.
Richard calls after her sarcastically.
RICHARD
(continuing)
We do still have something going don't we?
She does not reply.
RICHARD (V.O.)
So, it seemed that Francoise and I were finished. Under other
circumstances I might have got depressed about a think like that,
but I had something else to occupy my mind.EXT. BEACH. DAY.
Seen through binoculars, Zeph walks along the beach on the other
island. He is carrying a large piece of driftwood.
He turns away from the water and walks up the beach towards the
line of palm trees.
There he joins Sammy and the two German girls who are constructing
something from driftwood and polystryrene floats.
EXT. CLEARING. NIGHT.
Richard is sitting with Sal.
RICHARD
They're building a raft. It's nearly finished.
SAL
When did they get there?
RICHARD
I don't know. Sometime during all that shark shit.
SAL
Well you'll have to stop them.
RICHARD
They won't get beyond the DMZ.
SAL
The what?
RICHARD
The demilitarized zone, Sal.
SAL
Right. You call it what you want, Richard, just don't let them
get this far.
RICHARD
They won't. Believe me.
SAL
This is a particularly bad time, with Christo lying in that tent,
it wouldn't look good if anyone arrived.
RICHARD
He's still alive?
EXT. FOREST. DAWN.
In the small tent, a torch glows, outlining Etienne and Francoise
over the prone form of Christo.
Francoise emerges from the tent.
Richard watches.
EXT. FOREST. DAWN
On the upper part of the island Richard ascends rapidly beside
the stream.
EXT. HILLTOP. DAWN.
Richard surveys the beach on the other island.
EXT. BEACH. DAWN.
Through binoculars.
Zeph, Sammy, and the German girls launch their raft. It floats.
They climb on and begin paddling.
EXT. FOREST NEAR DOPE FIELD. DAY.
Richard flits thorough the trees until he can see the shore.
EXT. BEACH. DAY.
The travelers on their raft come ashore.
They consult their map then move into the forest.
EXT. FOREST NEAR DOPE FIELD. DAY.
Richard watches them as they ascend the slope to the dope field.
In the other direction, hidden from the travelers perspective,
he notices the four farmers sitting at their shelter eating breakfast.
EXT. FIELD. DAY.
The travelers, watched by Richard, reach the top of the slope
and then the edge of the field.
The farmers are nearby.
RICHARD (V.O.)
If I was going to warn them, then now was the time to do it.
All I had to do was walk out and tell them not to make any noise
I could lead them to safety. I could persuade them to go. I could
threaten them. If the worst came to the worst, I could lead them
to the camp and we could kick the shit out of them, then send them
home. But I didn't want to do any of those things. I wanted to see
what would happen.
Zeph, Sammy, and the German girls are jubilant.
SAMMY
We are in dope heaven. There is no other explanation.
ZEPH
(singing)
I smoke two joints in the morning. I smoke two joints at night.
I smoke two joints in the afternoon and then I feel alright. I smoke
two joints in time of peace and two in time of war. I smoke two
joints before I smoke two joints and then -
Zeph stops singing. He has seen the farmers, armed and watching
him from a few meters away.
Sammy and the others also notice, one by one. They too stand
still, dumb and frightened.
ZEPH
Hi.
SAMMY
Shit.
ZEPH
We're Americans. Tourists. But we will leave. We made a mistake.
We go now. We take nothing.
Slowly, he begins to walk backwards, smiling reassuringly.
The farmers say nothing but advance and outflank the travelers,
herding them back into a huddle.
ZEPH
(continuing)
We go now. We leave in peace. Look we can pay. Here, American
dollars. You can have them.
The farmers line up opposite them.
All begin to plead desperately for their lives.
One of the German girls suddenly breaks away and starts running
in the direction of Richard's hiding place.
One of the guards shoots at her repeatedly, missing.
The others start shooting at the remaining three, cutting them
down in a hail of bullets.
The German girl keeps on running, zigzagging as she goes.
The farmers fire but miss.
She reaches the place where Richard is hiding, couched down in
the undergrowth.
Startled by seeing him, she stops abruptly.
Richard and the German girl stare into each other's eyes for
a moment.
Suddenly her chest explodes forwards as a single bullet rips
through from her back.
She falls to the ground.
Richard is spattered in her blood.
He sits motionless, staring at her corpse.
UNDERWATER. DAY.
In the pool at the base of the waterfall. It is empty.
Richard appears, submerging at the speed from his jump.
He sinks then floats slowly towards the surface, eyes open.
|
