A mid-range budget feature film. I am screenwriter and producer to date.
Looking for co-producer and director.
Three problems. (1) Screen Australia declared, two years before the official
ban on me, that my 40 years of producing films did not qualify me to call
myself a ‘producer’. (2) HONEY needs further development (script editing,
budgeting) but the ban on me precludes making a development application to SA.
(3) Screen Australia believes that reading any screenplay of mine would place
staff at risk!
1 INT. CHURCH. DAY`
A match
is lit in a dimly lit church vestibule.
A girl's
hand, holding the burning match, lights a votive candle, illuminating 9 year
old JASPER.
In a
high wide shot JASPER carries the candle across the vestibule, places it
alongside other burning candles.
A small
congregation watches a PRIEST swinging a smoking incense-filled silver thurible
on either side of a coffin at the other end of the church.
JASPER,
her blonde hair short-cropped, moves her hand back and forth through the candle
flames - caressing them, being caressed by them.
JASPER
looks in the direction of the coffin.
JASPER (VOICE OVER)
'I just
want to be normal', Honey used to say...
DISSOLVE THROUGH TO:
2 INT. CAR. OUTSIDE PUB. LATE
AFTERNOON
HONEY,
late teens, seen through a dirty windscreen. Her face, bathed in late afternoon
sun, glistens with a sheen of sweat.
JASPER
(voice over)
'Just
normal'.
HONEY’S
attention is focused on:
A family
in an outdoors beer garden. The MOTHER sits alongside the FATHER as their
DAUGHTER, 16, tells them an animated story, her words barely audible above pub
chatter.
CLOSE ON
HONEY, watching.
The
MOTHER and FATHER laugh at their DAUGHTER'S story. The MOTHER laughs, looks at
the FATHER lovingly. He smiles, wraps his arm around her shoulder, pulls her
close, kisses her cheek. The DAUGHTER glows with happiness as she registers her
parents’ love of each other; of her. A happy family.
HONEY
watches intently.
The
DAUGHTER finishes her story, takes a theatrical bow. Her MOTHER and FATHER
laugh. THE DAUGHTER walks up. The FATHER
holds out his free arm, embraces his DAUGHTER, pulls her close, kisses her
cheek.
HONEY
lifts her smart phone into frame, takes a photo. The wrist of her hand is bound
with a dirty bandage.
3 EXT. PUB. DAY
HONEY
sits in a battered old blue Holden sedan, outside a pub in a small arid outback
Australian town.
4 INT. CAR. DAY
HONEY,
wearing jeans and an open neck shirt, bundles her hair and ties it in a knot,
her eyes on the family. One arm is bandaged from wrist to elbow.
On the
seat beside her is a tattered blue teddy bear with one eye and one arm missing.
Her journal rests in her lap, the open double page filled with:
Colourful
drawings, inspirational hand-written quotes, snippets of poems, a photo of an
octopus cut from a magazine, an artist's impression of Joan of Arc burning at
the stake, a photo of herself with short blonde hair, a leaf etc.
HONEY
turns to two blank pages. She writes:
How much blood…
She
continues writing for a moment, then looks up to see:
The
MOTHER, FATHER and DAUGHTER, walk out of the beer garden, laughing, past a
table at which THREE MEN sit drinking beer.
HONEY'S
face darkens as focuses on one of the three men:
JOHN,
late 40's, his hair thinning, missing a few front teeth, his flushed red face
sporting a three day beard. He is very drunk as he regales his companions with
a tall story they clearly take with a grain of salt.
HONEY
watches JOHN for a long moment before flicking back through a few pages of her
journal (each one filled to the brim with words, images, photos, press
clippings) to a slightly fire damaged photo of:
Honey, aged seven,
sitting alongside Carol (her mother, we will learn) - her face broken with an
exhilarated happy smile as she looks up at her smiling mother.
HONEY
looks at the photo for a long moment; remembering.
5 INT. YOUNG HONEY'S BEDROOM.
NIGHT
YOUNG
HONEY, aged 7, lies awake in her bed; fear in her eyes. She clings to her blue
teddy bear - both arms and eyes intact. She hears footsteps outside, turns to
face away from the door to her room, closes her eyes.
Honey’s
mother, CAROL (recognizable from the photo seen earlier), wearing a white night
dress, opens the door, walks in, makes her way to Honey’s bed; kneels.
HONEY
facing away from CAROL, opens her eyes; scared.
JOHN (voice off)
Fucken
bullshit!
6 INT. CAR OUTSIDE PUB. LATE
AFTERNOON
HONEY,
asleep in the passenger seat, wakens in shock. JOHN, sitting in the driver's
seat, drunk, reads her journal.
JOHN
Fucken
bitch cunt...
HONEY
reaches out to grab her journal. JOHN throws it out the window, starts the car.
HONEY (screams)
No!
7 EXT. CAR OUTSIDE PUB. LATE
AFTERNOON
HONEY
leaps out of the car in a panic as JOHN starts to drive off. As she starts to
pick up her broken journal - photos, newspaper clippings, pressed flowers etc,
- JOHN stops a little down the road.
HONEY
inspects her damaged journal. JOHN backs up, pulls alongside HONEY crouched at
the side of the road.
JOHN
Get in.
HONEY
shakes her head. JOHN staggers out of the car, grabs HONEY, pushes her into the
passenger's seat.
8 INT. CAR OUTSIDE PUB. LATE
AFTERNOON
HONEY
flips through her journal as JOHN staggers around the back of the car and falls
into the driver's seat. HONEY looks for something in her journal but can't find
it. She panics as JOHN starts the car,
pulls out onto the road.
HONEY (screams)
Stop.
9 EXT. CAR OUTSIDE PUB. LATE
AFTERNOON
HONEY
leaps from the moving car, runs back, looks for something in a panic but can't
find it. And then she sees it, picks it up. It is:
The photo of
herself and her mother.
10 INT. MOTEL ROOM. NIGHT
JOHN, in
underpants only, sits on a single bed watching TV as he drinks from a longneck
bottle of beer. He is very drunk.
HONEY,
in jeans and shirt, sits on another bed, repairing her journal with sticky
tape. She prepares to secures the photo of herself and her mother on the roller
coaster alongside:
A photo of an
octopus clinging to a rock underwater.
HONEY
becomes aware that JOHN is standing beside her. She closes her journal,
clutches it to her protectively.
JOHN (drunk)
Bedtime.
HONEY
looks at him, scared. She shakes her head.
JOHN
Get into
the fucken bed.
HONEY
shakes her head. JOHN reaches out to grab her journal. HONEY clutches it to her
chest. JOHN grabs her. HONEY breaks away from him, runs into the adjacent
bathroom, stands under the shower recess, clutching her journal to her,
terrified.
JOHN
staggers to the door, a large hunting knife in his hand.
JOHN
Get into
the fucken bed.
HONEY
shakes her head.
HONEY
I don't
care if you kill me.
JOHN
holds the knife to his own throat.
JOHN
It's me
I'll fucken kill!
HONEY
watches, transfixed, as JOHN runs the knife across his scrawny chest, draws
blood. He reaches past HONEY, turns the shower tap on. Water showers down on
HONEY. HONEY clutches her journal close to protect it from the water for a
moment, then walks from the shower, past JOHN, into the bedroom, calmly wiping
water from her journal.
She
places it on the table, moves to JOHN'S bed, lies on her back, stares at the
ceiling.
JOHN,
knife at his side, watches her, drops the knife, staggers to the bed, flops
alongside HONEY.
JOHN
You’re a
fucken mad bitch, Katie!
HONEY
turns to him, grabs him, wraps her arms around him, holds him tight.
HONEY
I'm
sorry.
JOHN
pats her reassuringly: “It's OK”.
11 INT. YOUNG HONEY'S BEDROOM.
NIGHT
YOUNG
HONEY, eyes open, listens. She can hear CAROL’ breathing as she stands staring
at the back of her head.
There is
madness CAROL’S tear-filled eyes as she reaches out, as if to touch HONEY.
HONEY
can see the shadow of CAROL’S out-stretched arm. Her eyes open wide in terror.
CAROLD
turns, walks to the door, closes it quietly behind her.
YOUNG
HONEY turns quickly, stares at the door, puzzled. She sits up; thinking.
12 EXT. YOUNG HONEY'S BEDROOM.
NIGHT
From
outside, framed by a window, YOUNG HONEY, clutching her blue teddy bear is seen
walking from her bed to the window. She looks out of it, puzzled.
When the
significance of what she is looking at dawns on her, YOUNG HONEY'S
puzzlement
turns into fear.
13 INT. MOTEL ROOM. NIGHT
HONEY
wakes in a panic, her face wet with
sweat. She stares at the ceiling for a
long
moment, a 'mad' look in her eyes. JOHN is asleep beside her, snoring.
HONEY
swings her legs off the bed, stands, sees the hunting knife lying on the floor.
She stares at it.
HONEY
walks up to the bed, stares at JOHN. Her breathing is heavy and fast.
HONEY
raises the knife slowly to shoulder level with her right bandaged arm, her
whole body shaking.
14 INT. CHURCH. DAY
CLOSE ON
JASPER as she walks down the aisle of the church, a bunch of flowers in her
hands. The congregation is small.
JASPER (voice over)
When
Honey asked me what I wanted most in my life I said, 'Well, I know one thing
for sure. The last thing I want is to be normal.'
Loud
heavy metal rock and roll.
15 INT. JASPER’S BEDROOM. DAY
Loud
heavy metal rock and roll continues over JASPER, earphones in her ears, hair
tied in a tight pony tail, pencil moustache glued to her upper lip, bopping
along to the music.
JASPER
is skinny, flat-chested and has a silver crucifix hanging from her neck. She
stands in front of a mirror playing air-guitar, imagining herself an
androgynous rock star. She tries out different stock rock-star facial
expressions. When she has found the one she likes most (macho ‘don’t fuck with
me’) she takes a photo of her reflected image with her smart phone.
16 INT. DINING ROOM. DAY
Mendelssohn's
Violin Concerto in E minor, Opus 64 is heard over: HELEN, mid 30's, pretty, her
blonde streaked hair stylishly groomed, holding a framed photo. She looks at it
for a long moment, sadness in her eyes as she remembers.
A white
leather lounge suite and large aquarium filled with exotic tropical fish
dominate and neat, tidy and spotlessly clean room. The walls are adorned with
framed black and white professionally shot photos.
HELEN
looks at the photo of:
A 9 year old girl
who looks more than a little like Jasper, a violin and bow in one hand, looking
with a happy smile up at the woman by her side. The woman, in her mid 30s,
bears a striking resemblance to Helen.
17 INT. JASPER'S BEDROOM. DAY
JASPER,
wearing a dress, her lips bright red, stuffs socks into her training bra,
appraises her reflected image, reaches behind her neck, unties her pony tail
and lets her long blonde hair fall around her shoulders. She shakes her head,
flicks her hair with her fingers until she has achieved the desired ‘ruffled’
look, takes a photo with her smart phone.
18 INT. DINING ROOM. DAY
HELEN
finishes hammering a stud into the wall, pauses for a moment to pay full
attention to a much-loved part of the Mendelssohn's violin concerto in E minor.
She
moves across the room, past the dining table set for three, turns up the volume
on state-of-the art music deck; lingers for a moment, eyes closed, savouring
the music.
19 INT. JASPER'S BEDROOM. DAY
JASPER
stares at her smart phone; at a photo of herself:
A
beautiful young woman with breasts, her face framed by a mane of golden blonde
hair.
20 INT. DINING ROOM. DAY
HELEN
lifts the photo of the girl with the violin and her mother and hangs it from
the stud in the wall. The stud gives way, the photo falls, disappears from
frame. The sound of shattering glass.
21 INT. JASPER'S BEDROOM. DAY
JASPER
stares at herself in the mirror for a long moment, looks down at:
A pair
of scissors on the dressing table.
22 INT. BATHROOM. DAY
HELEN
stands in front of a three mirrored bathroom cabinet looking at the small cut
on her finger.
As she
lifts her bloody finger to put it in her mouth she looks back at her reflection
in the mirror. Dissatisfied with what she sees, HELEN opens one of the mirror
doors so that she can see a reflection of her profile. She then reaches out to
move the third mirror so that she can see her other profile and catches, in
reflection:
JASPER,
her hair cut crudely short. HELEN reacts with shock.
23 EXT. DESERT LANDSCAPE. DAY
John’s
Blue Holden drives on a deserted highway through a vast desert landscape.
NEWS READER (radio)
…Another
scorcher predicted for today…
24 INT. CAR. DAY
CLOSE ON
Honey’s journal:
A collage - a
pressed flower, a caricature of a smiling octopus, a post card of a green fern
seedling curling up from barren bushfire-burnt soil, a photo of Honey with red
hair.
HONEY,
in the passenger seat, positions the photo of herself and her mother but seems
to be in two minds about sticking it back into her journal.
Her left
arm is bandaged from wrist to elbow with a fresh white bandage. The bandage on
her right arm is dirty and tattered. Her battered blue teddy bear, one arm
missing, sits on the dash.
NEWS READER (radio)
…with no
relief in sight for the heat that…
HONEY
reaches out to change the station. JOHN, driving, sips beer from a bottle,
reaches out to stop her.
NEWS READER (radio)
…saw
temperatures in the high 30s yesterday…
HONEY
withdraws her hand for a moment. When JOHN withdraws his, she reaches out
quickly and changes to a music channel:
RADIO
“One day
a near Selina Lord, I let him slip away…”
JOHN
smiles, hands the bottle of beer to HONEY.
RADIO
“He's
lookin' for that home, and I hope he finds it…”
As HONEY
takes a swig of beer, JOHN turns the music down.
RADIO
“But I'd
trade all of my tomorrows for one single yesterday to be…”
HONEY
reaches out, turns the music up again. JOHN holds his hands up: “OK, you
win.”
HONEY smiles, returns to her journal.
RADIO
“…holdin'
Bobby's body next to mine…”
25 EXT. OUTBACK ROAD. DAY
John's
beat up old blue Holden passes a sign: THANK YOU FOR VISITING SOUTH AUSTRALIA.
Singing over from the radio.
RADIO
“Freedom's
just another word for nothing left to loose…”
26 EXT. ROADSIDE CAFÉ. DAY
HONEY
stands by the driver’s door, rolling the sleeves of her shirt over her bandaged
arms. She is not happy.
JOHN, in
the drivers seat, hands her a cheque book through the window. She glares at
him, turns petulantly and walks towards the café. JOHN watches her, takes out a
cigarette.
27 INT. ROADSIDE CAFE. DAY
HONEY
carries meat pies, a loaf of sliced white bread and assorted junk food to the
counter.
HONEY
places a cheque on the counter. The PROPRIETRESS behind the counter notices the
bandages protruding from her sleeves, points to a sign: SORRY NO CHEQUES
PROPRIETRESS
Sorry
dear!
HONEY
Dad's
wallet got stolen.
The
PROPRIETRESS glances to where JOHN, in the background, fills the car with
petrol. She raises her eyebrows questioningly. HONEY flashes an innocent young
girl's smile.
HONEY
Cross my
heart and hope to die.
PROPRIETRESS (smiles)
Well I
hope you don't die, dear. Not for a long time yet.
A LITTLE
LATER
HONEY
standing in the doorway of the café, clutching her arm full of food. The
PROPRIETRESS looks at bandages protruding from HONEY'S short sleeves.
PROPRIETRESS
Does
your mother know where you are?
In the
background JOHN can be seen leaning against the car, smoking a cigarette,
watching HONEY like a hawk.
HONEY
My
mother's dead.
PROPRIETRESS
Oh, I'm
sorry dear. So it's just you and your dad?
HONEY
looks back towards JOHN, nods.
28 INT. CAR. OUTBACK ROAD. DAY
JOHN
drives on a deserted outback road. HONEY sweats profusely, her face pale,
looking fearfully at her shoulder, as if there was something frightening
resting there.
JOHN
looks at HONEY with concern.
JOHN
Katie!
HONEY
covers her ears, closes her eyes, opens them, tries to flick away whatever it
is she
sees on her shoulder.
JOHN
takes a vial of pills from his pocket, hands them to HONEY. With shaking hands,
her eyes on her shoulder, HONEY tips out 10 or so pills. JOHN knocks them from
her hand.
JOHN
Three!
HONEY
nods, picks up three tablets, throws them in her mouth. JOHN hands her his can
of beer. HONEY washes the pills down with a swig, looks at her shoulder again -
terrified.
LATER
HONEY,
calm now (the pills have worked) is flicking through photos stored on her smart
phone:
‘Selfies’
of Honey taken over the past couple of years, with a variety of different hair
styles and colours, and eccentric modes of dress.
HONEY
looks at JOHN, at her bandaged arms, at the road ahead; thinking. She looks
back at JOHN again. He turns and smiles at her. HONEY ignores him. HONEY looks
back down at her smart phone, finds the photo she is looking for:
A wide
shot of the beer garden that includes John and his two companions and the happy
family. Using her thumb and fore-finger, Honey zooms in on the family: mum, dad
and daughter laughing together.
29 EXT. DANIEL'S HOUSE. LATE
AFTERNOON
DANIEL,
40ish, pulls up on his Harley Davison, alongside a large white SUV in the
driveway - in front of a large timber home of modern design.
JASPER
runs through the front door and down the path.
As
DANIEL gets off his motor-bike he registers JASPER'S short hair with shock.
HELEN
appears in the front doorway.
JASPER (excited)
Tell me
you like it?
Before
DANIEL has a chance to respond HELEN indicates with a shrug and upheld hands
that she had nothing to do with this.
DANIEL
We had
an agreement.
JASPER
You and
mum had an agreement!
DANIEL
shakes his head. JASPER smiles seductively, holds out her arms. DANIEL holds up
his hands (’No’), walks past her, towards HELEN - who makes an ‘I don’t know
what to say’ gesture. JASPER pouts for a moment, runs after her father.
30 EXT. OUTBACK AUSTRALIA. CLOSE
TO SUNSET
HONEY
crouches close to the edge of a bluff overlooking a vast outback landscape, a
box of matches in her hands. In front of her is a pile of leaves and twigs.
HONEY
strikes a match, places it under the leaves and twigs, watches as the fire
bursts into life.
HONEY,
mesmerized by the flames for a long moment, extracts credit cards with a
variety of names, and throws them into the fire. She extracts a driver's
license with a photo of herself with short hair and throws it in the fire. Then
a Medicare card.
Deep in
the background JOHN paces impatiently up and down beside the blue Holden.
HONEY
takes from her pocket the photo of herself and her mother, Carol, seen earlier,
throws it into the fire. She watches as the edges turn brown and begin to burn.
In a
sudden movement she reaches down and plucks the photo from the fire.
31 INT. DINING ROOM. DUSK
JASPER,
face up close to the aquarium, purses her lips, kisses a tropical fish on the
other side of the glass as DANIEL, in the background, pours kerosene into the
burner at the base of the chafing dish on the dining room table while HELEN
moves first course dishes aside.
DANIEL
You want
to look like a boy?
JASPER
turns to face DANIEL - grins, nods.
JASPER
You and
mum always wanted a boy.
DANIEL
Not a
Tomboy.
DANIEL
lights the burner under the chafing dish.
JASPER
Well, if
you and mum make me a brother I'll grow my hair and act like a girl.
HELEN (smiles)
Will you
now?
HELEN
pours Brandy from the bottle into a measuring cup as JASPER walks up, dips her
finger in a pot of honey, puts her finger in her mouth.
HELEN
You
washed your hands?
JASPER
ignores HELEN as she pours the Brandy into the pan.
JASPER
Anyhow,
it's my hair!
DANIEL
Your
mother just asked you question!
JASPER
Yes,
I've washed my hands… millions of times.
DANIEL
Jas, you
asked if you could cut your hair. We said no. It's…
JASPER
But it's
my hair and…
DANIEL
When
you're an adult you can choose, but…
JASPER
That's
discrimination
DANIEL
Jasper!
How many times…?
JASPER
But dad…
HELEN
Hey, you
two! I really do not want an argument right now…
The
Brandy in the flambé pan is boiling now.
JASPER
When's a
good time for an argument, mum?
HELEN
smiles, takes a long match from a box.
HELEN
How
about 10.15 tomorrow? I think! Have to check
my diary.
JASPER
laughs. HELEN strikes the match alight.
HELEN
You want
honey or maple syrup?
JASPER
Both.
HELEN
smiles as she lights the Brandy fumes. Flames leap up.
JASPER
grins at DANIEL. He smiles, shakes his head playfully: ‘What are we going to do
with you?’ JASPER smiles happily.
32 INT. CAR. NIGHT
HONEY
drives. She is happy. JOHN is sound asleep in the passenger seat, unfazed by
the loud disco music.
HONEY
looks at the speedometer:
100 kms
per hour.
She
presses hard on the accelerator.
120 kms
per hour
HONEY
smiles to herself, turns the music up. Loud.
33 INT. JASPER'S BEDROOM. NIGHT
JASPER
lies in bed. DANIEL stands by the door, his hand on the light switch. JASPER
holds her arms out, beckoning.
JASPER
Kiss!
DANIEL
moves to Jasper's bed, leans in to kiss her on the cheek. JASPER smiles, wraps
her arms around DANIEL'S neck, tries to pull him close. DANIEL resists, tickles
JASPER till she releases him in a gale of laughter. DANIEL pouts his lips,
kisses JASPER on the lips.
JASPER
Not a
fish kiss.
DANIEL
pouts his lips even more - pretends to be a fish - kisses her again. JASPER
laughs.
34 INT. BATHROOM. NIGHT
DANIEL
cleans his teeth in an en suite bathroom. Through the doorway, in the bedroom,
HELEN sits immobile on the edge of the double bed.
35 INT. DANIEL AND HELEN'S
BEDROOM. NIGHT
HELEN,
lost in her memories - looking at a leaflet:
IN REQUIEM written above a photo
of her mother. Underneath, the words: “To thine own self be true, and it must
follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
DANIEL
stands in the doorway, looks at HELEN for a long moment, walks forward, puts
his hand affectionately on her shoulder. She makes it clear she does not want
to be touched. DANIEL nods, moves his hand away.
36 INT. JASPER'S ROOM. NIGHT
JASPER
holds her hands in prayer under her chin.
JASPER
Please
take good care of grandma in heaven and tell her I miss her heaps and…well, if
it's not too much to ask, a baby brother would be…awesome…
37 INT. DANIEL AND HELEN'S
BEDROOM. NIGHT
DANIEL
lie apart in the dark. HELEN stares at the ceiling. DANIEL, lying on his side,
reaches out, strokes her hair. She does not respond to his touch but, after a
long moment, turns to look at DANIEL - her eyes glistening with tears.
DANIEL
Hey…!
HELEN
brushes the tears from her eyes, gestures with her hands: “I don't want to talk
about it.” DANIEL nods, stares back up at the ceiling, caught up in some inner
turmoil.
HELEN
turns away, caught up in her own inner turmoil.
38 EXT. SIDE OF HIGHWAY. NIGHT
John’s
car is parked in a culvert at the side of the highway. HONEY finishes
unscrewing the rear number plate, places it in the open trunk, alongside boxes
of electronic equipment. She selects another number plate from a small pile.
39 EXT. GAS STATION. NIGHT
JOHN
finishes filling the tank with petrol.
HONEY
watches him from the driver’s seat, his eyes also on the INDIAN CASHIER
serving
another motorist inside.
JOHN
lingers at the bowser until HONEY nods - the cashier’s attention focused on
swiping the customer’s credit card.
JOHN
gets into the passenger seat. HONEY drives out of the gas station, fast. The
INDIAN CASHIER can be seen in the background running out towards the bowsers.
40 INT. DANIEL AND HELEN'S
BEDROOM. NIGHT
DANIEL
and HELEN lie in bed - DANIEL with his eyes on the ceiling, HELEN turned away
from him. She turns, looks at DANIEL, an intensity in her eyes; a longing that
is driving her crazy. DANIEL pretends not to notice.
HELEN (angry)
Daniel?
(A BEAT) Look at me.
DANIEL
exhales. He does not want to.
HELEN
moves close, takes his head in her hands, forces DANIEL to look at him. He
complies unwillingly. She moves her head close to his, kisses him on the lips.
A passionate kiss. DANIEL allows the kiss to happen but does not reciprocate.
HELEN
Fuck
you.
DANIEL
stares at her with a mixture of hurt and confusion.
HELEN
takes off her nightie sits astride him, reaches down, takes his cock in her
hand.
DANIEL
does nothing to either stop HELEN or encourage her.
They
stare at each other for as long as it takes for HELEN’S HAND to make his cock
erect and herself ready to accept it. HELEN then lowers herself onto it, guides
it inside her.
DANIEL
reaches up, grabs two handfuls of HELEN’S hair, pulls her head down, kisses her
passionately.
HELEN’S
eyes, wide open, are just centimeters from DANIEL’S eyes - resolutely closed.
As they
have wild animal sex DANIEL closes his eyes. HELEN keeps her eyes open.
41 INT. JASPER'S BEDROOM. NIGHT
JASPER
reads an illustrated bible book - the double page spread in front of her:
Above an
illustration of scantily clad women and lecherous men looking up at the yellow
liquid descending upon them from on high, “THEN THE LORD RAINED DOWN BURNING
SULPHUR ON SODOM AND GOMORRAGH.”
42 EXT. SYDNEY HARBOUR BRIDGE.
NIGHT
The blue
Holden drives across the Harbour Bridge, the Sydney Opera House in the
background.
43 INT. CAR. NIGHT
HONEY
looks excitedly through the windscreen as she drives over the Harbour Bridge.
JOHN is asleep in the passenger seat, snoring. HONEY nudges him.
HONEY
Wake up
y'old codger!
JOHN
wakes, looks out the window.
JOHN (smiles)
Well
here we be! Good on ya, Katie. You're a good girl.
HONEY
And
you're a bad man.
JOHN
smiles.
HONEY
You
hungry?
JOHN
Could
eat the crotch out of a low flying crow.
HONEY
laughs.
JOHN
Only
problem is...
HONEY
looks at him.
JOHN
We’re
skint. Not a brass razoo...
HONEY
But you
said...
JOHN (angry)
I know
what I fucken said.
HONEY
But...
JOHN
(apoplectic)
Shut the
fuck up...
HONEY
withdraws into herself.
44 INT. DANIEL AND HELEN'S
BEDROOM. NIGHT
DANIEL
looks up at the ceiling. HELEN, asleep, is snuggled up to him, her left hand on
his chest. DANIEL takes her hand and moves if gently from his chest. He then
slips out of bed, careful not to wake her.
DANIEL
finishes dressing, turns and sees HELEN looking at him. She shakes her head,
smiles, holds her arms out to him beckoning him to come back to bed.
DANIEL
I won't
be long.
HELEN
nods, withdraws her arms.
45 INT. JASPER'S BEDROOM. NIGHT
JASPER,
asleep, wakes as she hears a door close. She gets out of bed, walks to the
window, stands in the dark, watching:
DANIEL
push his Harley down the street, kick-start it.
She
returns to her bed, climbs into it, lies in the dark; thinking. With one hand
she reaches up, takes hold of the silver crucifix around her neck, shuts her
eyes and prays silently. She hears a door close, opens her eyes, looks to the
door to her room.
The
crack at the bottom of the door lights up. She hears her mother’s footsteps in
the hallway.
46 EXT. CITY STREET. NIGHT
DANIEL,
on his Harley, drives along a suburban road - a camera hanging around his neck.
He leans into a sharp curve. The footrest grazes the bitumen, sends up red
sparks.
47 INT. HELEN AND DANIEL’S ROOM.
NIGHT
JASPER walks into her parents’ empty bedroom, walks to a window overlooking the
back yard, through which she sees:
HELEN
making her way from the back door, past the swimming pool, to the ‘Granny Flat’
at the rear of the property.
48 EXT. CAR. HARRY’S CAFE DE
WHEELS. WOOLOOMOOLOO. NIGHT
The blue
Holden is parked opposite HARRY’S CAFE DE WHEELS. Inside the car
HONEY
and JOHN pool their small change.
HONEY
Enough
for one pie! One fucking pie!
JOHN
OK, OK,
don’t fucken rub it in. I’ll think of something...
49 INT. 'GRANNY FLAT'. DANIEL AND
HELEN'S HOUSE. NIGHT
HELEN,
her cheeks streaked with tears, sits on the bed.
There
are several vases filled with dead and wilting flowers. HELEN stands, takes a
bunch of dead flowers from a vase, holds them for a moment as tears well. She
wills herself not to cry, puts the dead flowers back in the vase.
JASPER (voice off)
Mum.
HELEN
turns. JASPER, in her nightdress, is standing in the doorway. HELEN wipes the
tears from her eyes.
HELEN
Can't
sleep?
JASPER
shakes her head, walks up wraps her arms around HELEN.
50 EXT. KING'S CROSS. NIGHT
DANIEL
drives past night clubs, strip joints and hookers in Sydney's 'red light'
district.
51 INT. ‘GRANNY FLAT’. NIGHT
HELEN
lying in the bed, covers thrown back, opens her arms, beckons JASPER with a
smile. JASPER climbs in beside her mother, places her head on HELEN’S breast.
JASPER
I can
hear your heart going boom boom, boom…really fast.
HELEN
smiles, strokes JASPER'S hair affectionately.
52 EXT. KING'S CROSS BACK STREET.
NIGHT
DANIEL
drives past a mobile 'soup kitchen' from which food is being dispensed to
HOMELESS PEOPLE. He waves. Some wave back.
53 EXT. HARRY’S CAFE DE WHEELS.
WOOLOOMOOLOO. NIGHT
DANIEL
drives past the blue Holden, inside which HONEY and JOHN argue, turns left,
drives into darkened back streets.
54 INT. CAR. NIGHT
HONEY,
subdued, her anger held in, sits alongside JOHN.
HONEY
You
promised.
JOHN
You
wanna fucken eat or what?
HONEY
stares at JOHN, open-mouthed in shock.
JOHN
avoids eye-contact, opens a bottle of pills, indicates to HONEY to hold out her
hand. She shakes her head.
JOHN
Hold out
ya fucken hand.
HONEY
winces, holds out her hand. JOHN tips three into HONEY’s outstretched palm. She
throws them into her mouth, swallows them with a grimace. HONEY grabs the pill
bottle out of JOHN’S hands. He doesn’t try to stop her.
JOHN
Just be
careful...
HONEY
glares at him.
55 INT. ‘GRANNY FLAT’. NIGHT
JASPER
lies with her head on HELEN’S breast.
JASPER
Mum?
HELEN
Mmmm?
JASPER
Did I do
something to hurt dad's feelings?
HELEN
What
makes you think that?
JASPER
shrugs, hugs HELEN tight. HELEN strokes JASPER'S hair.
JASPER
He
doesn't dad want to cuddle me anymore.
HELEN
Because
you're a young woman now.
JASPER
But I
haven't even got any boobs yet.
HELEN (laughs)
You
don't need boobs to be a woman.
JASPER
Why's it
OK to cuddle you but not dad?
HELEN
When
you're older you'll understand.
JASPER
When I'm
a woman?
HELEN
laughs, holds JASPER tight.
56 EXT. BACK STREET.
WOOLLOOMOOLOO. NIGHT
DANIEL
drives slowly, looking for someone. Up ahead he sees GRANT, late 60s, shuffling along the footpath
pushing a supermarket trolley filled with his worldly possessions.
DANIEL
stops, gets off his motor bike, grabs the camera slung around his neck, slinks
across the road - stalking GRANT, camera at the ready, looking for a good
angle.
As he
prepares to take a photo a police car drives by, siren blaring. GRANT turns to
look at the police car. Click.
DANIEL
has captured the moment. GRANT sees DANIEL, recognizes him, waves.
DANIEL
smiles, raises his hand in greeting.
57 EXT. KINGS CROSS. NIGHT
HONEY, a
small backpack slung over her shoulder, stands at the side of the road in Kings
Cross, keeping her distance from THREE PROSTITUTES who do not appreciate the
youthful competition. HONEY looks miserable.
JOHN
watches her the other side of the road.
A car
pulls up. HONEY walks up to the passenger window, leans in, talks for a moment
to the (unseen) driver. HONEY makes eye contact with JOHN, gets into the car.
It drives off.
58 EXT. GRANT'S 'HOME'. NIGHT
DANIEL
hands GRANT a supermarket grocery bag, sits with him on a section of pavement
that is Grant's 'home'. GRANT’S hair is matted, unwashed; his clothes dirty.
DANIEL
Tomorrow
night.
GRANT (chuckles)
Have to
check my diary.
DANIEL
smiles, hands GRANT a post card photo of:
Grant,
eyes blazing in his ragged face, staring into the camera in a moment of intense
intimacy. Across the photo are the words GRACE OF GOD.
GRANT
looks at the photo, turns it over, reads what is written there, hands it back
to
DANIEL.
GRANT
I prefer
my memories.
DANIEL
nods.
59 INT. BACK STREET. NIGHT
HONEY
sits in the passenger seat, looking nervously at a YOUNG MAN in the driver's
seat. He is as nervous as she is.
YOUNG MAN
You'll
think I'm totally weird.
HONEY
I don't
do…weird stuff…
YOUNG MAN
It's not
that…
Tears
well in his eyes.
YOUNG MAN
I'm
just…so lonely.
HONEY
reaches out, takes his hand.
The
YOUNG MAN starts to cry. So does HONEY. They look at each other crying and
can't help but laugh.
YOUNG MAN
Told you
I was weird.
HONEY
Hey,
join the club.
YOUNG
MAN
You
wanna drink?
HONEY
nods. The YOUNG MAN reaches into the back seat and produces a cask of wine.
60 EXT. GRANT'S 'HOME'. NIGHT
Seen
through the lens of Daniel's camera:
GRANT
holds a freshly opened packed of cigarettes out to DANIEL - who takes a photo.
Click. DANIEL refuses a cigarette with a shake of his head, lowers the camera.
DANIEL
Trying
to resist temptation.
GRANT
reaches for Daniel's camera.
DANIEL
What?
GRANT
Want to
get a photo of you trying to resist temptation.
DANIEL
laughs hands GRANT his camera.
GRANT
I've
just got to press this button, right?
DANIEL
nods, looks into the lens. He waits and waits.
DANIEL
What are
you waiting for?
GRANT
For you
to look like you're resisting temptation.
DANIEL
laughs. Click. A happy snap!
GRANT
You a
happy man, Daniel?
DANIEL
smiles, looks at GRANT - whose eyes are focused on his. DANIEL is unnerved by
the intensity of his stare.
GRANT
Maybe
that’s not the right question?
61 INT. GRANNY FLAT. NIGHT
JASPER
is asleep on HELEN'S breast. The fingers of one of JASPER'S hands are
intertwined with HELEN'S.
HELEN’S
face is a battle-field of emotions.
62 INT. CAR. KINGS CROSS. NIGHT
HONEY,
quite drunk, the cask of wine resting in her lap, indicates to the YOUNG MAN,
driving, to drop her close to JOHN, standing on the pavement ahead. The YOUNG
MAN slows.
HONEY
No, keep
driving…
HONEY,
plastic cup in hand, slinks low in the seat as they drive past JOHN, a look of
panic in her eyes.
63 EXT. GRANT'S 'HOME'. NIGHT
DANIEL
and GRANT sit in companionable silence.
GRANT
Question
is, is the ‘pursuit of happiness’ the most important goal to aspire to in life?
DANIEL
laughs, shakes his head.
DANIEL
If not
happiness, what?
GRANT
smiles, shakes his head.
GRANT
Fucked
if I know, Danny Boy, fucked if I know...Hope I can figure it out before I die.
64 INT. YOUNG MAN’S CAR. BACK
STREET. NIGHT
The
YOUNG MAN looks at HONEY with tenderness and concern.
YOUNG MAN
You
gunna be OK?
HONEY (nods)
You?
The
YOUNG MAN nods.
HONEY gets out of the car, walks down the street
towards a building construction site; cask of wine in her hand.
The
YOUNG MAN watches her with concern, reaches for his mobile phone.
65 EXT. BUILDING SITE. BACK
STREET. NIGHT
HONEY
sits in the gutter drinking wine from a plastic cup, the wine cask on the
pavement beside her. She wipes tears dismissively from her eyes, opens her
backpack, extracts John's knife, stares at it, takes another big slug of wine.
HONEY
carrying the wine cask, scales a wire mesh fence, walks to stairs of the
building under construction.
66 EXT. BUILDING SITE. 10TH
FLOOR. NIGHT
HONEY
arrives at the 10th floor, walks to within a few feet of the edge. There is no
wall. She moves closer to the edge. Police sirens are heard.
67 EXT. GRANT'S 'HOME'. NIGHT
GRANT
puffs on a cigarette. He holds it out to DANIEL, who shakes his head. The
police sirens grow louder.
GRANT
You’ve
got to die of something.
DANIEL
smiles, shakes his head, his attention focused on the loud sound of an
approaching Fire Engine.
68 EXT. BUILDING SITE. 10TH
FLOOR. NIGHT
HONEY
stands at the edge of the building, looking down. A police car pulls up. She
upends the cask of wine, opens the spigot, drinks from it, picks up the knife,
runs the tip of its blade across her heavily scarred arm.
Close to
the edge, knife in hand, HONEY looks down to where two police cars are parked,
lights flashing.
69 EXT. GRANT'S 'HOME'. NIGHT
DANIEL
listens to the Fire Engine siren. It stops. It has pulled up out of sight
closeby but it's flashing lights reflect in the windows of a building at the
end of the street.
DANIEL
grabs his camera from GRANT, stands.
70 EXT. 10TH FLOOR/STREET. NIGHT
Standing
dangerously close to the edge, more than a little drunk, HONEY'S attention is
focused on the flashing red light of the fire engine. DANIEL runs into the
frame.
The rest
of this sequence is split between what takes place on 10th floor and what
DANIEL sees through his lens and records in a succession of photos.
HONEY
looks from the fire engine lights to the unseen but terrifying tormentor
resting on her shoulder. She tries to flick it away. There is a 'mad' look in
her eyes.
She does
not notice young CONSTABLE DAVID (early 20s) who has joined her on the 10th
floor.
CONSTABLE DAVID (voice off)
Hey…
HONEY
swings around, stares at the POLICEMAN. Her balance at the edge is precarious.
CONSTABLE DAVID (kindly)
I'm
David. And you?
HONEY
ignores the question.
DANIEL,
in the street, looks up, takes photos as CONSTABLE DAVID moves closer to HONEY.
He speaks gently but we do not hear what he says.
CONSTABLE
DAVID takes a step forwards. HONEY edges back, perilously close to the edge,
moving the tip of the knife to a point midway between her breasts.
CONSTABLE
DAVID stops, holds his arms up to indicate that he will move no closer.
HONEY
looks down, sees:
Crowd in
the street, including DANIEL, looking up.
CONSTABLE DAVID
You know
if you stab yourself right there you'll hit your sternum and it'll hurt like
hell but you won't get your heart.
HONEY
shifts the tip of the knife.
CONSTABLE DAVID
A bit
more to the left and make sure you find a gap between the ribs…
HONEY
stares at him. This is not the script she had in mind.
HONEY
Aren't
you…like…supposed to…talk me out of killing myself.
CONSTABLE DAVID
Nah, I
just want to make sure you do it properly and don't make too much of a mess.
Coz you know who has to clean it up!?
HONEY
drops the hand with the knife in it to her side.
HONEY
But…
CONSTABLE DAVID
Life
sucks and then you die, ay?
HONEY
I want
more than that.
CONSTABLE DAVID
Join the
club.
HONEY
Is there
a joining fee?
DAVID
smiles, steps forward, reaches out and takes the knife from her hand.
HONEY
falls into his arms, holds him tight.
71 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE BUILDING
SITE. NIGHT
As
CONSTABLE DAVID leads HONEY out into the street a SECOND POLICEMAN joins him -
a pair of handcuffs in his hands. HONEY sees the handcuffs.
HONEY (screams)
No
CONSTABLE
DAVID gestures to the SECOND POLICEMAN to back off, put the hand-cuffs away,
but it is too late - HONEY bolts down the street, straight towards where DANIEL
stands taking photos. The SECOND POLICEMAN catches HONEY quickly and roughly.
HONEY puts up a fight, screams like a banchee.
HONEY
Let me
go…fucking arsehole…
HONEY
screams as she kicks and scratches the SECOND POLICEMAN.
CONSTABLE
DAVID steps between them, pushing the SECOND POLICEMAN away. DANIEL keeps
taking photos.
HONEY
holds her arms out towards DANIEL: a plea for help. DANIEL takes a photo.
Click.
A LITTLE
LATER
CONSTABLE
DAVID opens the back door to the paddy wagon for HONEY as the Fire Engine
drives off.
HONEY
I want
to sit up the front with you?
CONSTABLE DAVID
You
can't.
HONEY (grins)
That's
not a nice thing to call a lady!
72 INT. PADDY WAGON. NIGHT
HONEY,
backpack in her lap, sits between CONSTABLE DAVID and the SECOND POLICEMAN who
is driving. CONSTABLE DAVID has emptied
the contents of Honey's wallet in his lap.
CONSTABLE DAVID
No ID?
HONEY (grins)
Just
arrived from outer space. I’m an alien.
CONSTABLE DAVID
Got a
name, I hope!
HONEY
No-one
in particular.
CONSTABLE DAVID
Gotta be
someone.
HONEY
Okay,
you can call me 'someone'.
CONSTABLE DAVID
How old
are you, 'someone'?
HONEY
Sixteen.
What about you guys? (A BEAT) Your names, I mean.
CONSTABLE DAVID
Constable
Timmins.
HONEY
Your
first name's 'constable'!?
CONSTABLE DAVID
David.
HONEY
Davo.
And you?
SECOND POLICEMAN
Trevor.
HONEY
Trev and
Davo. You both got girlfriends? Boyfriends?
73 INT. DARKROOM
DANIEL,
bathed in red dark room light, immerses a white sheet of photographic paper in
a tray of developing solution. A ghost image appears. It is Honey, struggling
with the police.
74 INT. POLICE STATION. NIGHT
HONEY
draws a caricature of the DUTY SERGEANT in her journal. TREVOR and DAVID and
OTHER POLICE are in the room.
HONEY
I'm
hungry, I need a meat pie or something, and a can of coke and…
The
POLICE are not sure how to deal with HONEY.
HONEY
…and
I've got my period so I need some tampons and…
DUTY SERGEANT
Now hang
on a second, missy 'someone'. You can't just…order us around like you own the
place.
HONEY
Police
are public servants, right?
The DUTY
SERGEANT nods warily.
HONEY
And I'm
a member of the public, right?
The DUTY
SERGEANT smiles. The OTHER POLICEMEN laugh.
HONEY
Don't
suppose any of you guys have a durri do you?
The DUTY
SERGEANT holds a packet of cigarettes out to HONEY.
75 INT. DANIEL'S STUDIO. NIGHT
DANIEL
stands in front of a rack with a dozen or so 10 x 8 photos hanging from it. We
see them from behind, their white backs only. As DANIEL looks at them it
becomes clear that there is one, in particular, that excites him.
76 EXT. POLICE STATION. DAY
HELEN
walks from a police station towards her car.
HELEN (voice off)
Officially,
cops couldn't tell me anything… protocols, procedures, bla bla…
77 EXT. ART GALLERY. NIGHT
DANIEL,
HELEN and JASPER (all dressed up in their best) make their way towards the
Gallery entrance.
HELEN
…unofficially…she's
sixteen but won't tell them her name, where she's from…calls herself
'Someone'…I'll follow it up tomorrow…
DANIEL
Thanks.
HELEN
Nervous?
DANIEL
nods. HELEN takes his hand.
DANIEL
kisses her on the cheek. JASPER takes DANIEL'S other hand as they walk past the
DOORMAN.
78 INT. ART GALLERY. NIGHT
JASPER'S point of view as they walk into the gallery:
Well
dressed PATRONS drink champagne, eat canapés, look at black and white photos of
street people on the walls.
As they
move into the crowded gallery, DANIEL is greeted by FRIENDS and PATRONS.
We
follow JASPER at the level of her eyes as she moves through the crowd - eyes
open, observing, glancing at photos, looking up at PATRONS, stopping in front
of:
Jasmin,
early 30s, dressed in a micro-mini skirt, tight tank-top, argues with a
policeman - hands on his hips, exasperated, at the end of his tether. Jasmin
challenges him - finger pointed just an inch from the policeman's nose.
JASPER stares
at the photo, points her finger at it in imitation of Jasmin's gesture. She
turns to see, through the crowd, DANIEL and HELEN walking up to the actual
JASMIN - wearing high heels, short skirt, breasts barely contained by an uplift
bra.
JASPER’S
eyes open wide in wonder.
On the
other side of the gallery, introductions:
DANIEL
My wife,
Helen.
JASMIN
smiles warmly.
JASMIN
Hi
Helen.
HELEN
smiles nervously.
HELEN
Hi
Jasmin.
JASMIN
You're
even more beautiful than Danny said.
HELEN
looks at DANIEL, smiles, links her arm through his.
JASMIN
You do
know your husband is mad as a cut snake, don't you?
HELEN
nods, laughs, relaxes.
On the
other side of the gallery JASPER watches with interest as HELEN and JASMIN talk
with increasing animation.
Elsewhere
in the gallery DANIEL stands in front of a photo that is clearly an exhibition
favourite. A slim YOUNG WOMAN, early 20s, flirts with DANIEL.
YOUNG WOMAN
She's awesome…her
eyes…wow! All the photos…I mean…
HELEN,
talking with JASMIN, observes:
The
YOUNG WOMAN laughing with DANIEL. She touches him on the chest, throws her head
back; laughs. MIRIAM, middle aged, note pad in hand, taps DANIEL on the
shoulder. He turns.
MIRIAM
Daniel,
I'm Miriam Coulter. From 'Art Today'.
DANIEL
is pleasantly surprised.
MIRIAM
Have you
got a moment?
Elsewhere,
HELEN and JASMIN continue their talk. DANIEL and MIRIAM can be seen talking in
the background.
HELEN
…from
your photo…I thought you were pretty scary.
JASMIN (laughs)
It's all
an act. I'm a closet wimp…
HELEN
smiles, sips her champagne.
HELEN
Jasmin,
I hope you don't mind… what… I mean…if you don't mind my asking…
JASMIN
'What's
a nice girl like you doing working in a place like this?'
HELEN
laughs.
MIRIAM
writes in her note book. HELEN and JASMIN can be seen talking in the
background. JASMIN is doing most of the talking. HELEN nods, listens -
intrigued; fascinated.
MIRIAM
So, your
first exhibition?
DANIEL
nods. MIRIAM raises her eyebrows; surprised.
MIRIAM
This is
good work, Daniel. Very good. You should be proud. The photo of the
girl…marvelous. Dynamic…
MIRIAM
gestures to the photo with the crowd in front of it.
Back
with HELEN and JASMIN. HELEN'S glass is being re-filled with champagne by a
WAITER.
HELEN (laughs)
My
fantasies!? Don't get me started…
JASMIN
Nothing
shocks me anymore… French, Golden showers, B & D. I actually quite like B
& D. Whipping men! Yeah! Not too keen on Greek, though…
HELEN,
fascinated, does not notice JASPER'S approach.
HELEN
Greek?
JASMIN
Anal.
And I won't kiss 'em. Not for any money. That's where I draw my line.
JASPER (voice off)
Who
won't you kiss for money?
JASMIN
Hello
sweetheart.
HELEN is
shocked to discover JASPER standing beside her.
JASMIN
What's
your name? I'm Jasmin.
JASPER
I'm
Jasper. This is my mother, Helen.
JASMIN
Let me
guess, Jasper. Nine? Ten?
JASPER
Nine and
a half.
JASMIN
My son
is…nine and three quarters. Donald.
JASPER
You have
a son!?
JASMIN (nods)
And a
daughter, Abigail. Abbie's three.
JASPER
Jasmin,
what do prostitutes actually do to men?
JASMIN
laughs. HELEN tenses up.
JASMIN (laughs)
You
should talk with your mum about that.
JASPER
looks up at HELEN but she is blushing and speechless.
JASPER
Mum?
HELEN,
lost for words, laughs a little nervously.
GALLERY OWNER (voice off)
Everyone!
The
GALLERY OWNER, microphone in hand, stands in front of a large black and white
photo of a bearded hobo (Grant) pushing a shopping trolley filled with his
worldly possessions.
GALLERY OWNER
Well,
Daniel, here we are. How many years has it taken? Eight?
DANIEL
Nine.
GALLERY OWNER
For nine
years Daniel, has been stalking the streets of Sydney late at night terrorizing
his subjects with his camera…No, seriously…
79 EXT. ENTRANCE. ART GALLERY.
NIGHT
GRANT
approaches the front entrance to the art gallery with his shopping trolley.
GALLERY OWNER (voice off)
It is
through Daniel's photos that we come to know those in our community that are
all too often out of sight out of mind; hidden from view. It is through …
80 INT. ART GALLERY. NIGHT
HELEN
looks proudly at DANIEL; JASPER swells with pride.
GALLERY OWNER
…
Daniel's ability to get to know these men and women as individuals and not
merely as subjects…
81 EXT. ENTRANCE. ART GALLERY.
NIGHT
The
GALLERY OWNER continues with his speech as GRANT stands smiling at the confused
and embarrassed DOORMAN.
GALLERY OWNER (voice off)
…his
ability to breach the gap between 'us' and 'them'…
DOORMAN
I'm
sorry sir but the gallery's not open to the public this evening.
GALLERY OWNER (voice off)
It is
through Daniel's ability to get to know his subjects as friends…
82 INT. ART GALLERY. NIGHT
Through
the crowd DANIEL can see the DOORMAN trying to block GRANT'S entrance into the
gallery.
GALLERY OWNER (voice off)
…and
through his skill with a lens that we may meet these unfortunate men and women
who have fallen through society's many cracks…
PATRONS
look towards the entrance.
DOORMAN
I'm
sorry sir.
83 EXT. ENTRANCE. ART GALLERY.
NIGHT
The
DOORMAN blocks GRANT'S entrance.
GALLERY OWNER (voice off)
…but who
demand our understanding, our compassion.
GRANT
Nonsense!
GRANT
pushes past the DOORMAN with his shopping trolley.
GALLERY OWNER (voice off)
Each of
these men and women has a name, a history. They are someone's son, someone's
daughter, someone's mother, father…
84 INT. ART GALLERY. NIGHT
All eyes
turn to GRANT, smiling, pushing his shopping trolley towards DANIEL - delighted
to see him.
DANIEL
Everyone,
this is my friend, Grant.
GRANT
holds his hand aloft to greet the PATRONS.
GRANT
I
changed my mind. So where is it?
DANIEL
points to the photo of Grant. GRANT walks up, looks at it for a moment, leans close
to DANIEL.
GRANT (sotto voce)
Still
prefer m'memories.
The
gallery PATRONS wait patiently and silently as DANIEL and GRANT have their
sotto voce conversation.
GRANT
Remember
when old Charlie put his shoes on the wrong feet…
GRANT
chuckles. DANIEL feels a little awkward.
HELEN
Perhaps
Grant would like to say a few words on behalf of the…men and women on the other
side of the lens.
GRANT
shakes his head. HELEN takes the microphone from the GALLERY OWNER, hands it to
GRANT. He looks at the PATRONS, in no hurry, sees JASPER, smiles. JASPER smiles
back.
GRANT
I'm
proud to have Daniel as a friend. He's a good bloke. There's been lots of
nights…
GRANT
sees the photo that drew so much attention earlier. He walks towards it, stands
in front of it, looks at it closely:
HONEY,
held firmly by two angry-looking policemen, stares with blazing eyes directly,
questioningly, into the eyes of the viewer. Her partially unbuttoned shirt is
open and part of one of her breasts can be seen.
GRANT
What's
her name, Daniel?
All eyes
turn to DANIEL.
DANIEL
I don't
know.
A
deathly silence envelops the gallery.
DANIEL
I took
it last night. (A BEAT) I don't know who she is.
MIRIAM
I don't
understand…you mean you don't have her consent?
DANIEL
shakes his head.
LATER
The
PATRONS are gone now. DANIEL stands in
front of the photo of Honey, dejected. The GALLERY OWNER is switching off
lights. DANIEL lifts the photo of Honey from the wall.
HELEN
and JASPER stand in the doorway watching him. DANIEL looks over to HELEN - a
desperate look in his eyes. His hands shake. HELEN starts to walk towards him.
JASPER follows.
HELEN
Jasper,
I want to speak with your father. Alone.
JASPER
nods, stops reluctantly. HELEN walks up to DANIEL.
HELEN
No need
to be a drama queen. It's a hiccup, not a death sentence.
HELEN
indicates the photo in DANIEL’S hands.
HELEN
We’ll
track her down, get her consent...
DANIEL
stares at HELEN - a haunted look in his eyes.
HELEN
I don't
want Jas to see you like this. (A BEAT) I mean...
From the
other side of the gallery, JASPER watches as HELEN talks with DANIEL.
HELEN’S
attempts to cajole him do not work. She gives up, walks back towards JASPER.
DANIEL, his head lowered, stares at the floor.
JASPER
walks towards DANIEL, passing HELEN half way across the gallery.
HELEN
gestures to her to leave her father alone. JASPER ignores her, walks up to
DANIEL, wraps her arms around his waist, hugs him tightly. DANIEL tries to
smile for her.
DANIEL’S
and HELEN’S eyes meet.
85 INT. CAR. NIGHT
HELEN
drives, JASPER in the passenger seat.
JASPER
If you
had just one wish, one wish in the whole wide world, what would it be?
HELEN
Your
father’s going to be OK.
JASPER
You’re
just saying that to shut me up.
HELEN
No,
that’s not true. (A BEAT) OK, I wish that you'd stop asking me so many
questions....so many difficult questions...so late at night.
JASPER
What’s
difficult about saying what you want?
HELEN
thinks about this for a long moment.
HELEN
What’s
difficult is...not being sure what you want.
JASPER
Thank
you.
HELEN
For
what?
JASPER
Telling
the truth.
HELEN
But...you
think I don’t tell you the truth?
JASPER
does not answer.
HELEN
Jasper!?
JASPER
looks out the window. HELEN is annoyed.
86 EXT. HIGHWAY. NIGHT
The
wheels of a motor bike spinning on an asphalt road.
DANIEL,
wind in his hair, drives his Harley Davison fast - crash helmet and a blue
duffle bag strapped to the back.
DANIEL
opens the throttle, roars down the deserted highway.
87 YOUNG HONEY'S BEDROOM. NIGHT
YOUNG
HONEY looks out the window of her bedroom at:
CAROL,
in a white night dress, moving around in a storage shed in the back yard -
filled with old furniture, boxes etc. Her movements are purposeful but it is
difficult, from YOUNG HONEY'S POV to make out just what she is doing.
CAROL
picks something up that is out of view.
YOUNG
HONEY watches.
CAROL
picks up a can of petrol, unscrews the cap.
As the
significance of what she is looking at dawns on her, YOUNG HONEY'S fear turns
into terror. She opens her mouth to scream.
88 INT. JUVENILE DETENTION CENTRE
CELL. NIGHT
HONEY
jolts awake in her bed - her face pale, wet with sweat. She sits for a long
moment, reaches for her journal, flips through to a page with a photo of a
giant squid. She gently removes the sticky tape holding the photo in place.
Hidden behind it is a razor blade.
89 EXT. DIRT ROAD. BLUE
MOUNTAINS. DAWN
DANIEL
is off the beaten track now, on a dirt road. As he leans into a sharp curve in
the road the bike slides out from under him, skids sideways along the road,
disappearing in a cloud of dust.
The dust
clears. DANIEL lies beside his motor bike in the bush, opens his eyes, looks at
the gash on his arm for a moment, feels his body for other wounds, stands,
grimaces a little, rights his Harley, kick starts it, drives off.
90 EXT. CLIFF FACE. SUNRISE
DANIEL
reaches into the blue duffle bag tied to the back of his Harley, takes out his
climbing shoes and a leather pouch of chalk, which he attaches to his waist.
A LITTLE
LATER
A foot,
in a rock-climbing shoe, seeking out a cleft in the rock 20 feet from the
ground.
DANIEL,
'solo climbing' (no ropes), clings to the face of a cliff - his concentration
intense. He releases one hand, dips it into a leather chalk pouch at his waist,
reaches up, his chalk-white fingers searching out something he can grip. He
finds a small rock extrusion, explores it with his fingers, grips onto it. He
releases one of his feet - moving it to a small cleft on the rock face.
91 CLIFF TOP. DAY
DANIEL,
sweating, sits on top of the cliff looking out over a mountains and valleys,
oblivious to his bleeding arm. The only sounds: the wind and occasional bird
cries.
He takes
a cigarette packet from his pocket, extracts a cigarette, holds it between his
fingers, looks at it closely for a moment, puts it in his mouth, draws on it,
unlit.
He takes
out a box of matches, lights a match, watches the flame, lets the match burn
right up to his fingers. He does not flinch as the flames burn him. The match
burns itself out. DANIEL looks at his white burned fingers.
92 INT. KITCHEN. DAY
JASPER,
dressed for school, eats her breakfast cereal.
JASPER (chirpy)
You know
how in fairy tales, the Prince and Princess always get to live happily ever
after!
HELEN
laughs, nods.
JASPER
But even
if they do live happily ever after, they still die like grandma and…
HELEN,
smiles, holds a finger to her lips.
HELEN
Shhhh!
Eat you cereal. That’s an order!
JASPER
opens her mouth to respond. HELEN runs a finger across her lips - zip.
JASPER
smiles, runs her finger across her lips - zipping them shut. A game they play.
93 INT. CAR. DAY
HELEN
drives. JASPER beside her, school backpack on her lap, is deep in thought. Out
of a long moment of silence.
JASPER
I’ve
decided don't want to ever die.
HELEN
No one
wants to ever die.
JASPER
That's
not true.
HELEN
What do
you mean?
JASPER
looks directly at HELEN, does not answer. HELEN breaks eye contact with JASPER.
94 INT. FOYER. OLD FACTORY. DAY
DANIEL,
mobile to his ear, walks into an upmarket complex of studios for photographers
and others involved in the advertising
and fashion industries.
TRACY,
early 30s, appears in a doorway, frowning, tapping her watch, shaking her head:
“You naughty boy!”
95 INT. PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO. DAY
From a
high perspective, framed by colourful Indian cloth, DANIEL can be seen walking
through the door with TRACY into a large studio space - the furniture and
interior design of which bespeaks his success as a commercial photographer.
TRACY
You forgot,
didn't you?
DANIEL
looks across the studio to a glass-enclosed conference room in which 3
ADVERTIZING EXECUTIVES sit at a table. He grimaces, starts to walk towards
them. TRACY stops him.
TRACY
Wait.
She
takes his hands, looks at them.
DANIEL’S
fingers are stained with white chalk dust.
TRACY
shakes her head, wets her fingers with her tongue, wipes the chalk stains from
his fingers. DANIEL submits to this sheepishly. TRACY notices the wound on
DANIEL'S arm, shakes her head.
96 INT. DANIEL'S STUDIO.
CONFERENCE ROOM. DAY
DANIEL,
all smiles and good cheer, a band aid on his wounded arm, walks into the room.
DANIEL
Sorry,
sorry, sorry…traffic!
The 3 AD
EXECUTIVES smile effusively: “Not a problem.”
A LITTLE
LATER
CLOSE
ON:
A mock
up for an ad that features a family - mum, dad, son and daughter (Anglo-Saxon)
smiling as they eat in a fast food restaurant.
AD
EXECUTIVE (voice off)
We love
this 100%…OK, 95%...
The
text:
“FAST?
Yes. NUTRITIOUS? Yes? CHEAP Yes? Let your taste buds be the judge.”
DANIEL
sits at the table with the 3 AD EXECUTIVES. Referring to the mock-up ad in
front of him:
AD EXECUTIVE
…it's
just…the daughter…her smile…
DANIEL'S attention is on his mobile phone on the
table, vibrating. A message.
AD EXECUTIVE
…perhaps
there's something you could do in photoshop to make her look…happier…
DANIEL
Not a
problem. How much happier? 10%? 20%? 50%?
The AD
EXECUTIVES look at DANIEL, exchange glances.
DANIEL
Just
joking. I’ll fix it, don’t worry. Now....(if you’ll excuse me)
DANIEL
reaches for his phone, reads the message, walks out, leaving the AD EXECUTIVES
looking confused.
97 INT. JUVENILE DETENTION
CENTRE. DAY
DANIEL
and REBECCA (Welfare Officer, early 30's) walk down a corridor. DANIEL carries
a large leather portfolio, crash helmet and his camera case slung around his
shoulder.
REBECCA
She
won't tell us her name. Has no ID so we don't...There's nothing we can do if we
don't know who she is, where she's come from…
HONEY (voice off)
Give it
to me! Fuck you, Melissa.
As
DANIEL and REBECCA turn the corner they see:
HONEY,
kicking and screaming, held by TWO YOUTH WORKERS to prevent her attacking a
YOUTH WORKER (MELISSA) who holds her journal. DANIEL and
REBECCA
stop a little distance away.
MELISSA
You
going to behave yourself?
HONEY
turns to REBECCA.
HONEY
Tell her
to give it to me.
MELISSA
addresses REBECCA.
MELISSA
She
won't do what she's told.
HONEY
I don't
have to obey your fucking rules. I shouldn't even be here.
REBECCA
nods to MELISSA: “Give her journal back to her.” MELISSA thrusts the journal
into HONEY'S hands aggressively.
MELISSA (sotto voce)
Slut…
HONEY
drops her journal, picks up a chair, throws it through a large window. Glass
flies everywhere. The YOUTH WORKERS jump on HONEY. REBECCA joins them.
HONEY
puts up quite a fight but is quickly subdued.
Held
fast, HONEY registers DANIEL - staring at her. The beginnings of a smile appear
on her face.
HONEY
The
photographer.
98 EXT. JUVENILE DETENTION CENTRE
RECREATION AREA. DAY
HONEY,
clutches her journal, sitting alongside REBECCA. DANIEL sits next to REBECCA.
In the background boys and girls (aged 12 - 16) are engaged in various leisure
activities.
HONEY
I don't
want that slut to know my secrets.
HONEY
looks past REBECCA at DANIEL.
HONEY
Or
anyone else…
DANIEL
Well,
you can relax, 'someone' because I definitely don't want to know your secrets.
HONEY
No-one
can hurt you if they don't know who you are.
REBECCA
pats HONEY affectionately on the knee.
REBECCA
Yes, but
no-one can love you either if they don't know who you are.
HONEY
You love
me, Bec, and you don't know who I am.
REBECCA (smiles)
They
should name a hurricane after you. 'Hurricane…'someone''…
HONEY
smiles, puts her arm around REBECCA, rests her head on her shoulder, but keeps
her eyes on DANIEL.
HONEY
Love is
what hurts the most, eh?
REBECCA
But you
can't live without love.
HONEY
I'm not
going to live without it.
HONEY
looks at the crash helmet in DANIEL'S lap - against which he raps his fingers.
HONEY
Bit old
to be riding a motor bike, aren't you?
REBECCA
I'm
going to leave you two to it.
REBECCA
tries to stand. HONEY holds onto her.
HONEY
Like men
with comb-overs driving sports cars…
REBECCA
disentangles herself from HONEY, stands.
REBECCA
No more
chairs through windows, OK? Staff'll go on strike.
HONEY
Good.
HONEY
holds her hand out to DANIEL.
HONEY
Show me.
DANIEL
opens his portfolio, takes out the photo, hands it to HONEY. She looks at it
for a long moment. REBECCA walks off.
HONEY
Who is
this girl?
DANIEL
watches HONEY, fascinated, as she looks at the photo.
HONEY
It's not
me.
HONEY
looks at DANIEL. He raises his eyebrows questioningly.
HONEY
I guess
it's a little bit of me.
DANIEL
Which
bit?
HONEY
You got
a cigarette?
DANIEL
Don't
smoke.
HONEY
looks at DANIEL'S nicotine-stained fingers.
HONEY
Liar.
HONEY
takes DANIEL'S right hand, looks at it.
DANIEL
I quit.
HONEY
How many
times?
DANIEL (smiles)
A few.
HONEY
touches DANIEL'S white blistered fingers.
HONEY
How'd
you burn your fingers?
DANIEL
Accident.
HONEY
points to the sticking plaster on DANIEL'S arm.
HONEY
And
this?
DANIEL
Accident.
Motor bike.
HONEY
Show me
your arms.
DANIEL
holds his arms out, palms upwards - more scars.
DANIEL
Rock
climbing, motor bike…
HONEY
We've
got something in common, eh?
HONEY
holds out her arms, palms held upwards. Her arms, from wrist to elbow, are
covered in hundreds of scars.
HONEY
Both
accident prone.
DANIEL
Except
mine aren't self-inflicted.
HONEY
Whatever
you say Mr Photographer. (A BEAT) So, you're gunna pay me to use this!
DANIEL
nods, hands HONEY an envelope. She opens it, looks at the $100 bills, closes
the envelope quickly, looks around to make sure that no-one has noticed, stuffs
it in her pocket.
DANIEL
I’m
going to need a name, though...
DANIEL
takes a folded contract out of his pocket.
DANIEL
'Someone'
won't be enough.
HONEY
I can be
whoever you want me to be.
DANIEL
But can
you be whoever you want to be?
HONEY (laughs)
I try,
but fuck it's hard. First figuring out who you want to be and then figuring out
what you have to do to be that person. (A BEAT) Or are you just born how you
are and you just have to live with that?
DANIEL
Ah, big
question…
HONEY
And the
big answer?
DANIEL
smiles, shakes his head.
HONEY
You're
the grown up here, you're supposed to have the answers.
DANIEL
laughs. HONEY looks directly into his eyes, making him feel a little
uncomfortable.
HONEY
And how
about you, Mr. Photographer? Are you who you really want to be?
DANIEL (grins)
'I try
but fuck it's hard.'
HONEY
Two
things in common, eh?
HONEY
nods, smiles shyly as she looks at DANIEL. He is confronted by this sudden
intimacy. Referring to the photo:
DANIEL
Which
bit is you?
HONEY
I don't
know, Daniel. She's a mystery to me this girl.
HONEY
looks at DANIEL, head tilted to one side. There is a moment of intense intimacy
here that DANIEL shies away from.
HONEY
And the
man who took the photo?
HONEY
looks directly at DANIEL. He laughs, shakes his head, looks at his watch.
DANIEL
He's
running very late and…
DANIEL
waves the contract in the air. HONEY takes it, looks at it, positions her pen
as if to sign it.
HONEY
If he
comes to visit me tomorrow she'll tell him her name and sign his contract.
DANIEL (laughs)
He's
busy tomorrow.
HONEY
The next
time he's not busy. And she'll make him a little list of things for him to
bring.
DANIEL
smiles, shakes his head.
HONEY
Deal?
DANIEL
Deal.
DANIEL
holds out his hand. HONEY shakes it. Laughs happily.
99 INT. REBECCA'S OFFICE. DAY
REBECCA
stands at the window of her office, looking out to:
DANIEL
and HONEY on the other side of the Recreation yard.
JOHN (voice off)
But I'm
her father!
REBECCA
turns, faces JOHN, seated closeby.
REBECCA
I don't
set the bail conditions Mr.Williams.
JOHN,
indignant, looks through the window at:
HONEY
writing in her journal; DANIEL standing beside her.
100 EXT. JUVENILE DETENTION
CENTRE RECREATION AREA. DAY
HONEY
finishes compiling a list, tears the page from her journal and hands it to
DANIEL. He looks at it, laughs.
DANIEL
OK.
I’ve...(got to go)
HONEY
nods, smiles. DANIEL is unsure how to take his leave. HONEY walks up, stands
close; very close.
HONEY
My
name's Honey. Short for Honesysuckle. Honeysuckele Williams. I'm not really bad
and I'm not really mad, ‘but I am, it is true, a little bit sad’. That’s from
one of my poems.
DANIEL (smiles)
No more
chairs through windows, Honeysuckle Williams, okay? (HONEY nods) Promise?
HONEY
smiles, nods, turns and runs off to join her friends, not looking back.
DANIEL
watches HONEY, in something of a state of shock.
101 INT. REBECCA'S OFFICE. DAY
JOHN,
his face set hard, looks out through the window into the yard, his attention
focused on DANIEL, looking at HONEY and her friends for a moment before turning
to walk off.
102 EXT ROCKS. OCEAN BEACH. LATE
AFTERNOON
DANIEL,
carrying a fishing rod and a basket with bread, cheeses, bottle of wine towards:
HELEN
and JASPER, fishing from the rocks. JASPER smiles as she sees her father
approach. HELEN'S smile is more forced.
HELEN
I've
already organized dinner! At home!
JASPER
Mum!
DANIEL
kisses HELEN on the cheek, blows a kiss to JASPER.
DANIEL
Any
bites?
JASPER (laughs)
Just a
few mosquitos.
A LITTLE
LATER
DANIEL
baits a hook. HELEN pours wine into two plastic cups.
HELEN
Did she
sign?
DANIEL
shakes his head.
HELEN
But…
DANIEL
holds his hand up: 'Not now'. HELEN is annoyed.
A LITTLE
LATER
HELEN
finishes her wine, her eyes on:
DANIEL
and JASPER fishing nearby - chatting and laughing together. HELEN pours herself
another cup, watches them.
103 INT. BEDROOM/EN SUITE
BATHROOM. NIGHT
DANIEL
cleans his teeth, his eyes on HELEN undressing in the adjacent bedroom. She is in a bad mood.
DANIEL
…step-dad's
been pimping her but…
HELEN
I don't
understand why she didn't just sign today!
DANIEL
…but she
won't make a statement against him…
HELEN
And you
let her keep the money! Sorry, but…!
DANIEL
Okay,
what is it?
HELEN
What is
what?
DANIEL
You’re
pissed of about something else, obviously!
HELEN
And you
can’t figure out what?
DANIEL
No, I’m
not psychic.
HELEN
That’s
for sure!
DANIEL
shakes his head. He does not want this argument!
HELEN
That
girl at the opening? The one who looked about 14 and couldn't keep her hands
off you.
DANIEL
holds his hand up: 'stop'.
HELEN
Do you
think she's attractive?
DANIEL
(angry)
I'm not
going to do this.
HELEN
If I was
a man I'd want to fuck her.
DANIEL
Stop.
Helen. Please.
HELEN
The
thought didn’t occurred to you?
HELEN
glares at DANIEL for a moment, crumbles, starts to cry, wipes tears from her
eyes. DANIEL puts his arms around her.
HELEN
Mum was
the only one who understood me.
DANIEL
nods, strokes HELEN'S hair. She looks up at him, her eyes brim full of pain and
confusion. DANIEL kisses her lightly, affectionately, on the lips.
HELEN
Why do
you close your eyes when we kiss? When we fuck? Make love?
DANIEL
has no answer.
104 EXT. RECREATION YARD. DAY
DANIEL,
paper bag in hand, walks with REBECCA. They approach SIMMO, aged 15, looking
through the window of the Gymnasium.
REBECCA
Simmo,
you got nothing better to do?
SIMMO
She's
fucking weird, Bec!
REBECCA
indicates with a gesture that SIMMO should leave. He does. DANIEL and REBECCA
look through the window at:
HONEY
dancing alone in the gymnasium. No music can be heard.
105 INT. GYMNASIUM. DAY
HONEY
dances gracefully, eyes closed. DANIEL steps into the silent gym. HONEY opens
her eyes, smiles, holds her hand up in greeting as she dances in time to music
only she can hear.
REBECCA
smiles, indicates to DANIEL that she’ll leave him to it. HONEY dances on until
REBECCA is gone.
HONEY
You
think I'm crazy?
DANIEL (smiles)
Depends
what you're dancing to! (A BEAT) My guess is…not heavy metal?
HONEY
laughs, closes her eyes. DANIEL watches her; notices Honey's journal lying on
the floor closeby.
HONEY
stops dancing, walks to DANIEL, drops to the floor alongside her journal, legs
crossed, pats the floor beside her: “Sit!” DANIEL sits, hands the paper bag to
HONEY.
HONEY
claps her hands excitedly, like a little girl, looks inside the paper bag -
extracts a packet of cigarettes.
DANIEL
You
shouldn't be smoking at all, you know.
HONEY
Thanks
for worrying about my lungs.
HONEY
pulls out a bar of chocolate.
HONEY
You're
not worried about my teeth?
DANIEL
smiles.
HONEY
Thought
you were busy today.
DANIEL
So, if
not heavy metal…?
HONEY
laughs, shakes her head. DANIEL gestures: 'What?'
HONEY
You have
to guess.
DANIEL
Is there
a prize for guessing right?
HONEY
Me. (A
BEAT) Angel music.
DANIEL
Harps?
HONEY
No. No
harps. Just voices.
DANIEL
They
talk to you? The angels?
HONEY
No, they
just sing.
DANIEL
Can you
see them?
HONEY
You mean
are they real? (A BEAT) Or just in my imagination? (A BEAT) If they weren't
real I wouldn't be able to hear them, would I? Unless I was mad, of course. (A
BEAT) But I'm not mad. And I'm not bad…
DANIEL
'But I
am, it is true, a little bit sad.'
HONEY
beams a happy smile.
HONEY
And you?
(A BEAT) When you're half way up one of your cliffs, do you ever think “I'll
just step into space, leave my body, leave my aching heart with its scars…live
with the angels forever?”
DANIEL
and HONEY look at each other for a long moment.
DANIEL
What if
there are no angels?
HONEY
thinks for a moment, her eyes on DANIEL'S.
HONEY
Life
wouldn't be worth living if there weren't any angels.
HONEY
pauses, suddenly vulnerable. DANIEL holds eye contact with her for a long
moment before she shrugs, looks away for a moment, as if to break some spell
and then back at DANIEL.
HONEY
Have you
got an angel watching over you?
DANIEL
Two.
HONEY
Two!
DANIEL
opens his wallet, takes out a photo of himself, Helen and Jasper: a happy
family.
DANIEL
Helen
and Jasper.
HONEY
Jasper…born
in March, right? Birthstone...
DANIEL
smiles, nods. HONEY takes the photo, looks at it.
HONEY
Was it
love at first sight?
DANIEL
The
moment she was born, yes.
HONEY
I mean,
when you met Helen?
DANIEL
nods.
HONEY
Tell me.
DANIEL
What?
HONEY
About
how you and Helen fell in love.
DANIEL
You
really want to know?
A
Saint-Saens Violin Concerto is heard low at first.
HONEY
“Once
upon a time...”
DANIEL (laughs)
Once
upon a time...
106 INT. DINING ROOM. DAY
HELEN
fixes photos into a large white faux-leather covered album. A Saint-Saens
Violin Concerto plays in the background.
A black
and white photo of herself and Jasper asleep in bed, cuddling. It is a
beautiful photo. Too beautiful, perhaps, as a result of the photoshop work that
has been done on it.
HELEN'S
many photo albums are spread out on the table in front of her and on the white
leather couch she sits on.
107 EXT. GYMNASIUM. DAY
The
Saint-Saens Violin Concerto continues over SIMMO looking in through the window
at HONEY and DANIEL talking.
DANIEL
(voice off)
…and I
said yes she should and she said no she shouldn’t and I said yes and…
108 INT. GYMNASIUM. DAY
DANIEL
and HONEY sit together on the floor.
DANIEL
…eventually
she got tired of saying 'no'.
HONEY
claps her hands excitedly.
HONEY
Yes,
yes, yes, yes, yes…my favorite word in the whole universe: 'Yes'!
DANIEL
…and
nine months later Jasper was born.
HONEY
No way!
DANIEL (nods)
Angel
number two.
HONEY
You want
a third angel?
DANIEL
Jasper
keeps hassling us...
DANIEL
realizes that HONEY is referring to herself.
He laughs self-consciously.
HONEY
My
mother never says yes. It's always no. No, no, no…
DANIEL
But your
mother's dead. (A BEAT) Isn't she?
HONEY
Yes,
but…
DANIEL
But?
HONEY
looks away; evasive.
HONEY
Life is
full of 'buts', ay? What ifs. In onlys...
DANIEL
Usually
they’re just an excuse not to do something you want to do.
HONEY
Or
something you're scared to do.
DANIEL
What are
you scared to do?
HONEY
(laughs)
Too
scared to tell you.
DANIEL
nods.
HONEY
If you’d
walked in my shoes... (you’d understand). What size are you? (A BEAT) Is there
anything you're too scared to tell anyone? Even someone you love? (A BEAT)
Especially someone you love?
DANIEL
You’re
full of difficult questions aren’t you?
HONEY
I’ll
take that as a ‘yes’. What?
DANIEL
laughs.
HONEY
You
don’t have to tell me, if you don’t want to.
DANIEL
Very
kind of you, ‘someone’. (A BEAT) You want to tell me what you’re too scared to
tell anyone.
HONEY (shrugs)
You
wouldn’t understand.
DANIEL
Maybe,
maybe not, but you’ll only find out if you...
HONEY
Take a
leap?
DANIEL nods.
HONEY
Taking a
leap without a safety net is pretty scary...for me.
DANIEL
For
everyone.
HONEY
You
could be my safety net?
DANIEL
stares at HONEY, at a loss for words.
HONEY
Sorry,
sorry, sorry. I’m....just a selfish bitch...always thinking about myself...
DANIEL
No...
He
reaches out to her. HONEY pulls back, a slightly crazed look in her eyes.
HONEY is
silent for along moment, picking at a scab on one of the cut wounds on her arm.
She
looks at her shoulder, panic in her eyes. She flicks at her shoulder.
HONEY
stares at DANIEL, stares through him; in a zone.
DANIEL (panicking)
Honey,
what is it? What's wrong?
HONEY
looks at her shoulder, panic in her eyes. She flicks at her shoulder, tries to
brush her invisible tormentor away. She turns pale, sweats profusely; looks at
DANIEL
as if she does not know who he is.
She
looks at her hands as if she does know what they are. DANIEL takes her hand,
holds it.
DANIEL
Honey!
HONEY
holds his hand tight - her whole body shaking now. DANIEL'S mobile rings. He
ignores it; looks around, sees SIMMO, in shock, looking in through the window.
He signals to SIMMO to get help.
DANIEL
What is
it, Honey?
HONEY
stares at him blankly, her eyes darting then to one shoulder and then the
other.
109 INT. SHED. NIGHT
As seen
from YOUNG HONEY’S bedroom:
CAROL
pours the contents of the can of petrol over her head.
YOUNG
HONEY runs into frame as CAROL takes out a box of matches, takes out a match
and lifts her hand to light it.
YOUNG
HONEY opens her mouth to scream.
From a
perspective closeby:
The
storage shed bursts into flames.
110 INT. GYMNASIUM. DAY
HONEY,
her mouth open, panic and terror in her eyes - her face white and glistening
with sweat. She mumbles to herself:
HONEY
Selfish
bitch, fuck you, leave me alone...
She
stares at DANIEL, as if he was a stranger.
DANIEL
It’s me,
Honey. Daniel.
He
reaches out, takes her hand. HONEY looks at her hand in his, confused, then
back up at DANIEL, trying to figure out who he is.
When she
figures it out, she snuggles close to him, clinging to him as if her life
depended on it.
A LITTLE
LATER
Seen
from behind, DANIEL sits on the floor with HONEY leaning up against him, her
journal open in front of them.
HONEY (voice off)
...the
Angel Gabriel on my right shoulder and...you’ve got to promise not to laugh.
DANIEL (voice off)
Promise.
REBECCA
stands in the doorway, a bottle of pills and a glass of water in her hands -
watching, listening. On HONEY:
HONEY
The
Green Goblin on my left.
HONEY
turns the page.
CLOSE on
a full page drawing of The Green Goblin tied to a stake, being burnt to death
by bright yellow and orange flames, his face contorted in pain.
DANIEL
smiles, shakes his head.
HONEY
You
promised.
DANIEL
Not to
laugh, not not to smile!
111 INT. DINING ROOM. DAY
HELEN,
lost in her memories as she looks through her photo albums, savours the violin
concerto playing on the CD deck. The fingers on her left hand move deftly, as
if playing an imaginary violin. The music reaches a crescendo. The beginning of
a smile appears on her face.
112 INT. GYMNASIUM. DAY
DANIEL
and HONEY sit facing each other now, neither of them aware of REBECCA standing
in the doorway. Referring to the Green Goblin drawing:
HONEY
He tells
me to do...things.
DANIEL
What
kind of things?
HONEY (shrugs)
You
wouldn’t understand.
DANIEL
Do you
want someone to understand?
HONEY
thinks for a moment, bites her lip; nods tentatively.
DANIEL
You
could help me...understand.
HONEY
I’m
scared. (A BEAT)...that if you understand...
DANIEL
nods.
HONEY
You
understand?
DANIEL
nods.
HONEY
I want
there to be at least one person who understands but...?
DANIEL
...what
if they understand and don’t like...the person they’ve come to understand?
HONEY (nods)
Better
to stay hidden.
DANIEL
smiles, raises his eyebrows questioningly. HONEY smiles shyly, is just about to
say something when REBECCA appears in frame, pills and glass of water in hand.
REBECCA
Well, I
can see I’m not needed.
HONEY
Yes, you
are Bec. I need you. To...to...
HONEY
reaches out to REBECCA.
REBECCA
Fetch
your cigarettes?
HONEY
laughs, nods. REBECCA takes her hand.
HONEY (laughs)
It’s a
pity Daniel’s already taken, Bec, coz he’s just the kind of boyfriend you need.
REBECCA
laughs shyly, glances at DANIEL, whose mobile phone rings. He ignores it.
REBECCA
What...
(happened)? are you...(OK)?
HONEY
Nothing.
(A BEAT) Just a panic attack.
REBECCA
does not believe her. HONEY can see this.
HONEY
God’s
truth.
REBECCA
still does not believe her, but nods. DANIEL’S phone rings again. He ignores
it.
HONEY
You
should to get back to your angels?
DANIEL
Soon…
HONEY
I'd
better sign your contract, ay?
DANIEL
holds up his hands: ‘No hurry’
HONEY
holds out her hand. DANIEL looks at her for a moment.
HONEY
Give it
to me.
DANIEL
takes the contract from his pocket, reluctantly. HONEY takes it from him.
HONEY
Pen!
DANIEL
takes a pen from his pocket. HONEY takes it, unfolds the contract, signs it,
hands it to REBECCA.
HONEY
Now you
know who I am. Honeysuckle Williams, but you can call me Honey.
REBECCA (laughs)
Hurricane
Honey!
HONEY
hits REBECCA playfully, stands. She is awkward now - reserved; withdrawn.
REBECCA hands the contract to DANIEL.
HONEY
Take
good care of your angels.
DANIEL
nods, stands. HONEY wraps her arms around him, hugs DANIEL tight. DANIEL is
unsure what to do with his own arms. By the time he tentatively places his arms
around HONEY she breaks free, smiles, turns and runs out of the gymnasium.
DANIEL
smiles, shakes his head, looks at REBECCA.
REBECCA
Welcome
to the lion’s den, Daniel.
113 INT. ‘BACHELOR PAD’ DANIEL’S
STUDIO. DAY
JASPER,
in her school uniform, sleeps on a futon - her school backpack and book of
illustrated bible stories at her side.
She
wakes to the sound of music, turns towards colourful Indian cloth curtains,
parts them and looks down into:
Daniel’s
studio. DANIEL sits in front of his computer. TRACY is pottering around,
tidying up after a photo shoot.
JASPER
sits up, rubs the sleep from her eyes. This untidy ‘bachelor pad’, on an
upraised platform in the corner of the studio, is clearly where Daniel sleeps
when he works late into the night. It is sparsely furnished but photos,
artefacts and a variety of cloth drapes from all around the world are suggestive
of youthful world adventuring.
JASPER
takes out her smart phone, positions herself to take a photo of the studio.
TRACY
walks up to DANIEL.
114 INT. STUDIO. DAY
TRACY
walks up to DANIEL, looks over his shoulder at the computer screen at the
‘happy family, whose daughter’s smile he is enhancing with Photoshop.
TRACY
As happy
as a pig in shit!
DANIEL
smiles. JASPER, in the background, looks through the Indian cloth curtains;
takes a photo with her iPhone.
TRACY
You
should go home.
DANIEL
Gotta
get her looking...mmm, I think another 10% happier first.
DANIEL
laughs. TRACY kisses him on the cheek; turns and walks off. Over her shoulder,
a little flirtatiously:
TRACY
All work
and no play...
A LITTLE
LATER
JASPER
walks up behind DANIEL, puts her arms around him.
DANIEL
You
right to go?
JASPER
nods. DANIEL closes files.
JASPER
Dad, can
I ask you a question?
DANIEL
Do I
have a choice?
JASPER
No. When
you were 20 did you think you were young or old?
DANIEL
When I
was your age I thought 20 was old...ancient. Now 20 seems...very young.
JASPER
If you
could choose to stay at any one age forever, what would it be?
DANIEL
Nine.
JASPER
Why?
DANIEL
Mmmm...
JASPER
Don’t
think just because I’m nine I wouldn’t understand.
DANIEL
You
wouldn’t. And I would not want you to.
JASPER
Now you
have to tell me.
DANIEL
swings his chair around, wraps his arms around JASPER’S waist. She wraps her
arms around his neck.
DANIEL
When
you’re nine you have no reason to believe that your dreams can’t come true.
JASPER
And when
you are an old fart like you?
DANIEL
When you
are an old fart like me!? (A BEAT) Don’t be in too much of a rush to find out,
sweetheart.
JASPER
Typical
adult answer.
DANIEL
laughs. JASPER tilts her head to one side, raises her eyebrows questioningly.
DANIEL
What?
JASPER
Nothing.
JASPER
smiles, kisses DANIEL, wraps her arms around his neck, hugs him tight.
115 INT. KITCHEN. NIGHT
HELEN
smiles as she looks at the signed contract.
HELEN
Great!
DANIEL
looks far from happy. JASPER stands in the doorway.
DANIEL
She’s
still stuck with John...
HELEN
Yeah,
and that’s sad but...
DANIEL
But?
HELEN
She’s
not your problem?
JASPER
Whose
problem is she?
HELEN
You keep
out of this, Jas. You don't need to know about…
JASPER
I know
what John makes Honey do, mum.
HELEN
looks at DANIEL, angry.
JASPER
I'm not
a baby!
HELEN
Jesus,
you’ve told....(Jasper)
JASPER
I asked.
And dad...what was he supposed to do? Lie? John’s like her step-dad and he
makes her fuck men for money...
HELEN
holds up her hands angrily.
HELEN
That’s
enough, Jasper...You will not use that language in my house.
JASPER
Your
house! (A BEAT) You say ‘fuck’ all the time.
HELEN
I do
not! (A BEAT) You’re 9 years old you don’t need to know... everything!
JASPER
Like you,
you mean!
HELEN
looks to DANIEL for support. He gestures to JASPER to back off. JASPER nods,
infuriates HELEN more.
HELEN
Fuck,
why are you two ganging up on me?
DANIEL
smiles.
HELEN
Sorry.
JASPER
laughs.
DANIEL
She just
needs someone to bail her out and...well, we could...
HELEN
‘We'!
DANIEL
Okay, I
could bail her out.
HELEN
And do
what with her, Daniel?
DANIEL
Get her
away from John, until...
HELEN
Until?
JASPER
She
could stay in the granny flat…?
HELEN
puts her hand up to exclude JASPER from the argument, turns on DANIEL -
realizing that this is his idea.
HELEN
Are you
out of your fucking mind? In mum's flat!
DANIEL
Your
mother's dead.
HELEN
Don't
say that!
DANIEL
It's
true.
HELEN
covers her ears.
DANIEL
If she
goes with John…
HELEN
She's
not my problem, Daniel. And she's not your problem. Stick to taking photos of
them. 'The poor, the lonely, the dispossessed, the mad'.
JASPER'S
eyes flit between HELEN, mad as hell, and DANIEL, frustratingly passive.
HELEN
Stop
trying to pretend that you actually give a shit. Honey's just a photo
opportunity. That's it. There's lots of Honey's out there! Who are you trying
to kid? Me? Yourself? Jasper? Hello!
DANIEL
stares at HELEN for a long moment, turns and walks out the door.
HELEN
regrets what she's just said. She looks at JASPER - who glares back at her
angrily.
116 EXT. NIGHT. CITY STREET
DANIEL
drives dangerously fast. He approaches an orange traffic light. It turns red.
He drives straight through it. A motorist has to brake to avoid a collision.
117 EXT. PARKING LOT. STUDIO.
NIGHT
DANIEL
pulls up close to the front door of his studio, pulls his bike back onto its
stand, lets himself in the front door.
118 INT. STUDIO. NIGHT
DANIEL
sits at a large work desk, splashes straight Bourbon into a glass, gulps it
down, looks at the mock-up of the happy family in the ad.
A LITTLE
LATER
DANIEL,
an unlit cigarette in his mouth, stands and walks towards the stairs at the
rear of the studio that lead to:
119 INT. ‘BACHELOR PAD’ DANIEL’S
STUDIO. DAY
DANIEL
sits on the futon, the unlit cigarette jiggling up and down in his mouth. He
looks at:
A framed
photo of himself as a young man, smiling for the camera as he and his
companions (and some similarly smiling Sherpas) ready themselves to climb Mt
Everest - seen in the background.
120 EXT. DAWN. CLIFF FACE. DAWN
In the
first light of dawn DANIEL pulls up, on his Harley, at the base of a sheer
cliff face.
He
unstraps the blue duffle bag on the back of the Harley, reaches inside, feels
around for his climbing shoes, chalk. They are not there.
DANIEL
Fuck!
DANIEL
moves to get back on his motor bike, stops, thinks for a moment, starts to take
off his riding boots.
121 INT. JUVENILE DETENTION
CENTRE ROOM. DAWN
HONEY
sits up in bed, drawing in her journal. Three other girls are still asleep in
their bunks.
HONEY
concentrates on her drawing. It is hard to make out at this point but one of
the figures clearly has angle’s wings.
122 EXT. CLIFF FACE. SUNRISE
DANIEL, his
face up against the cliff face releases one hand from a small edge of jutting
rock, reaches up, his hand searching for something to grab hold of.
DANIEL
is climbing solo in bare feet. His Harley can be seen at the base of the cliff
- 30 feet below.
123 INT. DANIEL AND HELEN'S
BEDROOM. DAY
HELEN
hums Vivaldi's “Four Seasons” to herself as she finishes making the bed, walks
to a storage closet, opens the door, takes out the photo that fell to the
floor, the glass shattered. She carries it to the bed, rests it there, sits
beside it, looks at it:
Nine
year old Helen, a violin and bow in one hand, looking with a happy smile up at
her mother.
HELEN
basks in her memories for a moment, walks back to the wardrobe. As she lifts a
battered old red suitcase from a shelf, her attention is caught by a plastic
bag hidden behind the red suitcase.
She
places the suitcase on the ground, takes the plastic bag from the shelf, opens
it, reacts with anger.
124 EXT. CLIFF FACE. DAY
DANIEL’S
bare toes search for a cleft in the rock face. They search in vain.
His
sweating face up against the rock face, DANIEL’S concentration is intense as he
struggles to find a foothold.
HONEY (voice off, reading)
“Saint
Gabriel, Archangel, I venerate you because God specially appointed you to bear
messages concerning the God-Man, Jesus, to Daniel, Zechariah, and the Blessed
Virgin Mary...”
125 EXT. TOP OF CLIFF. DAY
DANIEL
struggles over the edge at the top of the cliff, sits with his legs dangling
over them.
HONEY (voice off, reading)
“I
venerate you, Saint Gabriel, as the giver of God's strength...
DANIEL
looks out over the vast landscape spread before him.
HONEY (voice off, reading)
“...consoler
and comforter chosen to strengthen God's faithful and teach them important
truths.”
At
peace, DANIEL looks up at the bird circling above on an updraft, then down at
his scarred arms.
126 INT. DETENTION CENTRE
RECREATION YARD. DAY
CLOSE ON
HONEY, reading from her journal:
HONEY
“Steady
my resolutions; renew my courage; comfort and console me...”
DANIEL
sits closeby, listening; his eyes on HONEY.
HONEY
“...in
the problems, trials and sufferings of daily living, as you consoled our Savior
in his agony and Mary in her sorrows.”
She
finishes, turns her journal around to show DANIEL the drawing she has done to
accompany the text:
The
Archangel Gabriel, replete with wings, leaning close to a man whose face looks
remarkably like Daniel’s.
DANIEL
smiles.
HONEY
You
chatting with Gabriel, my favourite angel.
DANIEL (laughs)
And what
is Gabriel saying to Daniel?
HONEY
He’s
telling you that you absolutely must come and visit me again. And here you are!
DANIEL
smiles, looks down at Honey’s journal - the Archangel and Daniel drawing
surrounded by drawings and photos.
He asks
HONEY with his eyes if he can flick through the pages. She nods.
As he
flicks back through the diary, three themes dominate - fire, angels and
octpuses. He looks at HONEY quizzically. HONEY smiles, says nothing.
DANIEL
turns another page to reveal:
Honey’s
drawing of the comic book Green Goblin, a knife in the heart, with blood
dripping down his chest.
DANIEL
looks at the drawing, then at HONEY. Distracted, ill at ease, she turns to
another page:
A
drawing of a smiling octopus.
HONEY
Do you
think I’m mad?
DANIEL
shakes his head, smiles.
DANIEL
A little
unusual, perhaps.
HONEY
laughs for a moment, then becomes serious; reflective.
HONEY
I just
want to be normal. (A BEAT) but I don’t know how.
DANIEL
smiles, shakes his head.
127 EXT. JUVENILE DETENTION CENTRE.
DAY
DANIEL
stands at the front entrance with REBECCA.
REBECCA
This is
not a good place for her to be.
DANIEL
Where is
a good place?
REBECCA
For a
girl with her problems? There is no place. (A BEAT) I know you gave her that
money for bail, but...where is she going to go? (A BEAT) With John?
DANIEL
Shit! (A
BEAT) If there is anything I can do, please...
REBECCA
There
is...
HONEY (voice off)
Daniel!
DANIEL
and REBECCA turn to see HONEY struggling with TWO YOUTH WORKERS in the
entrance.
HONEY
I'm not
going to run off!
REBECCA
nods to the YOUTH WORKERS. They release their grip on HONEY. She walks up to
DANIEL, clutching a small parcel wrapped in newspaper.
HONEY
It's a
present. For you.
She
holds the parcel out to DANIEL. He holds his hands up, shakes his head. A blue
car pulls up in the parking lot.
DANIEL
No,
Honey.
HONEY
lowers the parcel, thinks a moment then suddenly throws it to DANIEL. He
catches it reflexively; laughs. HONEY smiles, spins on her heels, walks back
toward the entrance. DANIEL calls out to her:
DANIEL
I'll
accept it on one condition.
From
JOHN'S POV sitting in the blue Holden:
HONEY
spins around.
HONEY
What's
your condition, Mr Photographer?
DANIEL
No more
chairs through windows. OK?
HONEY
smiles, nods.
DANIEL
Promise?
HONEY
Promise.
The
smile disappears from HONEY'S face as she sees JOHN get out of the blue car.
DANIEL
follows her stare, sees JOHN.
DANIEL
Tell the
police what he's been doing to you? They can charge him.
HONEY
He's all
I've got.
128 INT. KITCHEN. DAY
DANIEL
sits with JASPER at the kitchen table, Honey's parcel in front of them.
HELEN
prepares dinner. DANIEL tears off the newspaper to reveal Honey's journal,
smiles, shakes his head.
JASPER (excited)
What is
it?
DANIEL
Honey's
journal.
HELEN
Why
would she… (give you her journal)?
DANIEL
shrugs (“God knows!”), opens the parcel. CLOSE ON:
A double
page filled with a collage: three photos of Honey, in each of which she has
different coloured and styled hair, a photo of a giant squid, a caricature of a
smiling octopus, poems enclosed in hand drawn multi-coloured boxes.
JASPER
looks on entranced. HELEN places her hands on JASPER'S shoulders, looks on.
DANIEL turns the page. Another collage:
A panel
cut from a comic: Spiderman doing battle with the 'Green Goblin' dominates.
There is also a photo of a raging bush fire, a trio of hand drawn angels, a
pressed flower, the photo with the burnt edges - which we recognize as young
Honey (aged 9) and her mother, the post card photo of a green fern seedling
curling up from barren bushfire-burnt soil.
JASPER
Wow!
HELEN is
not pleased with JASPER'S excitement as they flip through more pages. Fire,
octopuses and photos of Honey (in each which she looks very different) are
recurring themes.
JASPER
stops the turning of pages to look at:
A strip
of three photo-booth photos of a happy mother, father and young daughter. It is
stuck into the journal at one edge only. JASPER points to the young girl in the
photo.
JASPER
Is that
Honey?
DANIEL
I don’t
think so.
HELEN
flips it over. There is writing on the other side of it. HELEN pays little
attention to it.
JASPER
She's
awesome…
HELEN
She's
not 'awesome', Jas, she's (A BEAT) a fruitloop!
JASPER
Mum!
DANIEL
Helen,
don't…
HELEN
Don't
tell me 'don't', Daniel…Hello! She hears angels singing! She's…
JASPER
Mum!
HELEN
(exasperated)
I do
feel sorry for her, Jas, but…(to Daniel) she’s got a thing about octopuses,
death, knives…and its obvious she's trying to manipulate…
DANIEL
holds his hand up. He does not want to have this conversation.
JASPER
turns another page, sees an envelope alongside a drawing of Joan of Arc. JASPER
reads what is written on it.
JASPER
'I don't
want to be a charity case.'
As
JASPER holds the envelope out to DANIEL, HELEN picks up Honey's journal. DANIEL
opens the envelope, looks inside, shakes his head; sighs. HELEN looks at the
journal. CLOSE ON:
Joan of
Arc burning at the stake - the page filled with red, yellow and orange texta flames.
The
phone rings. JASPER picks up the hands-free receiver.
JASPER
Hello,
this is Jasper speaking.
HONEY (telephone)
Hi
Jasper, this is Honey speaking.
JASPER'S
eyes light up. HELEN reaches for the phone.
HONEY (telephone)
Do you
know who I am?
JASPER
holds her hand up, does not give HELEN the phone.
129 INT. JUVENILE DETENTION
CENTRE. NIGHT
HONEY,
smiling radiantly, stands in a phone booth close to an office where YOUTH
WORKERS sit watching TV.
JASPER (telephone)
Yes,
We're looking at your journal - me, mum'n dad. It is awesome!
130 JUVENILE DETENTION CENTRE /
INT. KITCHEN NIGHT
DANIEL
gestures to JASPER to give him the phone. As she does so she presses a button
to put it in speaker mode - ignoring HELEN'S 'no' gesture. Intercut between two locations.
DANIEL
Honey, I
don't know what to say. (A BEAT) Your journal!
HONEY
You
don't have to say anything.
HELEN
takes $100 bills out of the envelope, looks at DANIEL
DANIEL
I'll
bring it back…but the money was for you to bail yourself out?
HONEY
I’m
going to stay here.
DANIEL
But...!
HONEY
Hey,
three meals a day...
HELEN
Hi,
Honey. I'm Helen. Daniel might have told you…
HONEY
Hi,
Helen. Angel number one.
HELEN
Angel
number one!?
HONEY
Daniel
told me he had two angels.
HELEN
smiles, looks to DANIEL (covering his face in mock embarrassment) and then to
JASPER - who is beaming.
HELEN
He did!
JASPER
Two
angels!
HONEY
One he
fell in love with on the phone from her voice…
JASPER (excited)
No way!
JASPER
looks at her parents with a mixture of surprise and delight. HELEN frowns at
DANIEL playfully.
DANIEL
I didn't
really intend that to be broadcast to the world, Honey.
HONEY
So I
can't put it on the internet?
JASPER
is loving this, her eyes flicking between her mother and father as she learns
some family secrets.
JASPER
And what
about the second angel?
HONEY
He met
her nine months later.
JASPER
Nine
months! (A BEAT) I was an accident!
DANIEL/HELEN
No…
HELEN
Is there
anything you and Daniel didn't talk about, Honey?
(A BEAT)
JASPER'S eyes flit between her mother and father.
HONEY
You do
have a beautiful voice, Helen.
HELEN
Thank
you, Honey.
HONEY
You can
tell so much from someone's voice.
JASPER
What can
you tell? From mum's voice?
HELEN
frowns at JASPER, shakes her head. HONEY bites her lip.
HELEN
Honey?
HONEY
I can't
tell you on the telephone.(A BEAT) But if you and Jasper come and visit me?
JASPER (excited)
Yeah!
HELEN
shakes her head, makes a 'no' gesture. DANIEL holds his hands out: “Why?” HELEN
holds her hands up: “I don't want to talk about it!” This all happens in a
second or two. HONEY 'reads' the silence correctly, comes to their rescue.
HONEY
Hey
angel number two, if olive oil is made from olives what is baby oil made from?
JASPER (laughs)
And how
come boxing rings are square?
HONEY
plays nervously with the telephone cord. JASPER looks at a photo of an octopus
in Honey's journal.
JASPER
I
figured out the octopus, Honey.
HONEY
Easy,
eh!
JASPER
smiles, nods. DANIEL and HELEN exchange bemused looks.
131 INT. JASPER’S BEDROOM. NIGHT
JASPER
lies in her bed in the dark listening to the muffled argument between her mum
and dad - the words barely audible.
HELEN
It’s not
that I don’t care...it’s just...it’s everything...we have our own...I’ve had
enough...
132 INT. DANIEL AND HELEN’S
BEDROOM. NIGHT
HELEN
stands, hands on hips, in the middle of the room.
DANIEL
Of what?
(A BEAT) OK, what is it?
HELEN
strides to the storage closet takes the plastic bag from behind the red
suitcase, dumps its contents on the bed: Daniel's climbing shoes and bag of
climbing chalk.
HELEN
You told
us you'd stopped.
DANIEL
I don't
want you to worry. Or Jas.
HELEN
You
lied.
DANIEL
I was
not totally forthcoming with the truth!
HELEN
How can
you joke about this?
DANIEL
How can
you take it so seriously?
HELEN
Have you
seen what Jasper’s been reading? The bible!
DANIEL
God
forbid!
HELEN
About
death and...hell..and...she’s become obsessed with death…
DANIEL
Interested.
It is an interesting topic...
HELEN
Not the
way she is...
DANIEL
That's
why I...
HELEN
Lied. (A
BEAT) You want to kill yourself and break her heart?
133 INT. ACTIVITIES ROOM. NIGHT
HONEY is
playing pool with SIMMO. As she lines up a shot.
HONEY
Simmo,
make me a durri.
SIMMO
nods, takes out his roll-your-own, starts to make a cigarette as a YOUTH WORKER
enters and calls out to HONEY.
YOUTH WORKER
Phone.
134 INT. JUVENILE DETENTION
CENTRE. NIGHT
HONEY
rushes into the booth, picks up the phone excitedly.
HONEY
Daniel?
JOHN (phone)
It's
dad.
135 INT. CHEAP BOARDING HOUSE
ROOM. NIGHT
JOHN
sits on the edge of the bed, long neck beer in one hand, mobile phone in the
other.
JOHN
Don't
hang up. Your mother's dead.
136 INT. JUVENILE DETENTION
CENTRE. NIGHT
HONEY is
in shock, her face white.
137 INT. SHED. NIGHT
HONEY’S
MOTHER, her hair and upper body wet with petrol, lights a match.
138 INT. JUVENILE DETENTION
CENTRE. NIGHT
HONEY
opens her mouth but no words come.
JOHN'S VOICE
I'm the
only one loves you. Remember that. You tell 'em anything and I'll fucken kill
ya. (A BEAT) You hear what I just said Catherine? You've only got me now to
take care of you…
HONEY
drops the phone, stares with unseeing eyes at the YOUTH WORKERS in the adjacent
room. They are watching TV and paying no attention to HONEY. She looks at the
telephone on the ground for a long moment, as if trying to figure out what it
is. She remembers, leans down, picks it up.
HONEY
John?
The
phone is dead. HONEY dials a number, gets a long monotonous tone, hangs up,
tries again, gets the tone, flings open the door, shouts at the YOUTH
WORKERS.
HONEY
The
fucking phone's not working!
YOUTH WORKER
It's for
incoming calls only, Honey.
HONEY
I have
to make a call.
YOUTH WORKER
Not at
this hour, sweetheart.
The
YOUTH WORKER doesn't take her eyes from the television.
HONEY
I have
to make a call now.
YOUTH WORKER
In the
morning.
HONEY
picks up a chair and throws it through the window.
HONEY (screams)
Now!
139 EXT. JUVENILE DETENTION
CENTRE. NIGHT
TWO
POLICEMEN and YOUTH WORKERS wrestle with HONEY as they force her into the back
of a Paddy Wagon.
HONEY (crying)
I want
to call my mother.
140 INT. PADDY WAGON. NIGHT
HONEY,
sitting in the back of the paddy wagon, reaches into her pocket, takes out a
sliver of glass.
141 EXT. WOMEN'S PRISON. NIGHT
The
Paddy Wagon stops outside Reception.
The TWO
POLICEMEN open the back of the Paddy Wagon, see:
HONEY,
staring at them, her arms hanging limply beside her, both dripping blood.
142 DANIEL'S STUDIO. NIGHT
Music
over DANIEL, an unlit cigarette in his mouth, a bottle of Bourbon and a near
empty glass at his side, looking at:
A 10 x 8
photo of Honey, in the clutches of the police, her arms held out towards him: a
plea for help.
He
refills his glass, uses the ‘remote’ to turn up the music.
143 INT. PRISON INFIRMARY. NIGHT
HONEY,
arms bandaged, telephone receiver in her hands, face wet with tears, waits as
the phone rings. And rings. The phone is
answered. Honey's mother’s grumpy voice is heard.
CAROL (phone)
Who’s
that?
HONEY
Mum? (A
BEAT) Is that you?
CAROL (phone)
What do
you want?
HONEY
You’re
alive.
CAROL (phone)
Why are
you doing calling me!? I can’t speak to the devil.
HONEY
John said…
Mum…I love you…I want…
CAROL (phone)
I don't
love you. You are a wicked bitch…The Wicked Bitch from the West.
HONEY
I'm
sorry…
CAROL (phone)
Don’t
tell me. Tell Jesus. Tell him everything. He'll listen. Or you can tell the
Pope too but its better if you tell Jesus. I've got to go now. I'm very busy.
HONEY
I love
you.
Honey's
mother hangs up. HONEY is relieved that her mother is alive. She dials another
number.
144 INT. DANIEL AND HELEN'S
BEDROOM. NIGHT
HELEN is
asleep in her bed. The phone rings. HELEN wakes, answers it, sits bolt upright.
HELEN
Hello.
145 INT. PRISON INFIRMARY. NIGHT
A NURSE
walks in carrying a glass of water and a small plastic container of pills.
HONEY
Helen,
please help me…
The
NURSE wags her finger ('Naughty girl'), reaches out to take the receiver from
HONEY'S hand.
146 INT. DANIEL AND HELEN'S
BEDROOM. NIGHT
HELEN
swings her legs out of the bed.
HELEN
Honey,
where are you?
The
phone goes dead.
147 INT. PRISON RECEPTION AREA.
NIGHT
HONEY
stands in front of TWO FEMALE PRISON GUARDS.
PRISON GUARD
Strip.
As she
starts to undress, HONEY turns her back on the TWO PRISON GUARDS, slips
something into her mouth.
HONEY
stands in front of the guards in her bra and knickers.
PRISON GUARD
Take
them off.
HONEY
panics, shakes her head.
PRISON GUARD
Regulations…
HONEY
removes her bra and knickers.
PRISON GUARD
Squat.
HONEY
squats.
PRISON GUARD
Cough.
HONEY
coughs.
148 INT. DANIEL'S STUDIO. NIGHT
DANIEL
sits in the dark, sipping on his bourbon - the photos of Honey spread out in
front of him. The music is loud. A door opens. HELEN and JASPER (in her
pajamas) walk in.
149 INT. PRISON CELL. NIGHT
HONEY,
in a white prison uniform, clutching a packet of roll-your-own tobacco and a
booklet of matches, stands at the door leading into her sparse prison cell. The
door clangs shut. HONEY takes the sliver of glass from under her tongue,
slashes at the cotton cover of the foam rubber mattress.
LATER
Honey
has built a small pyramid of cotton and rubber on the floor. She strikes a
match, sets it alight. Within seconds the small fire begins to emit clouds of
dark noxious smoke. HONEY stares at the fire, mesmerized.
150 INT. SHED. NIGHT
YOUNG
HONEY’S POV: Her MOTHER, hair and upper body wet with petrol, a lit match in
her hand, turns to look at YOUNG HONEY - madness in her eyes.
151 INT. PRISON CELL. NIGHT
Two
PRISON GUARDS with fire extinguishers open the cell door and see, through the
clouds of smoke:
HONEY,
in bra and knickers, sitting on the edge of her trashed bed - legs and chest
bleeding, coughing and as the fire smolders in front of her. The Guards turn
their fire extinguishers on both the fire and on HONEY and her bed.
LATER
HONEY,
in her wet bra and knickers, her hair wet, sits on the floor, her back up
against the wall, her knees tucked up to her chest. She is crying.
HONEY
Mummy...
HONEY
brushes the tears from her eyes dismissively.
152 EXT. ROCKS. LATE AFTERNOON
HELEN, a
nervous wreck, sits on a rock by the ocean, trying to control her breathing.
She has a paper bag in her hand.
153 INT. DINING ROOM. NIGHT
DANIEL,
HONEY, HELEN and JASPER have finished their main course. A bowl of crepe mix
sits by the chafing dish - along with a bottle of Brandy and several bottles of
liqueurs.
HONEY
holds up her mobile phone, takes ‘selfies’ of herself and JASPER pulling funny
faces.
DANIEL
is happy to see HONEY and JASPER together. HELEN, in good spirits, unscrews the
cap of a bottle of Brandy.
HELEN
Either
of you clowns want a crepe?
JASPER
turns to HONEY, excited
JASPER
Mum is
famous for her crepes.
HELEN (laughs)
And
Jasper is famous for exaggerating!
HONEY (happy)
Yes
please.
HELEN
gestures to the array of liqueurs.
HELEN
Cooked
in...?
JASPER
reads the labels of the bottles.
JASPER
Brandy,
Curacao, Cointreau, Grand Marnier...?
HONEY
You
choose.
JASPER
picks up the bottle of Grand Marnier, grins.
JASPER
Mmmmm....I
think Grand Marnier would be grand.
HONEY
lifts her iPhone to take a photo. JASPER hams it up, pretending to be a drunk,
drinking from the bottle.
HELEN
takes the bottle from JASPER, unscrews the cap, pours Grand Marnier into a
jug. HONEY points her iPhone at HELEN.
HONEY
Helen?
HELEN
looks at HONEY. She takes a photo.
HONEY
And one
of you and Jasper.
JASPER
links her arm in HELEN’S, leans up against her, makes a V sign and a funny
face. HELEN smiles. HONEY takes a photo.
HONEY
And one
of me and Helen.
HONEY
hands the iPhone to JASPER, stands alongside HELEN, leans up against her, makes
a V sign, smiles.
LATER
CLOSE ON
THE flambé pan - in which a close-to-perfectly round crepe, with a small cleft
in it, is enveloped in blue flames.
HELEN
flips the crepe onto a plate, hands it to DANIEL.
DANIEL
Perfect
HELEN
No its
not!
HONEY
What's
wrong with it?
DANIEL
and JASPER exchange smiles.
HELEN
Ideally,
the perfect crepe...
DANIEL
cuts a piece of crepe, skewers it with a fork.
HELEN
...should
be...perfectly symmetrical.
HONEY
grabs the fork from DANIEL, puts it in her mouth.
HONEY
Mmmm! Tastes
symmetrical to me. Very symmetrical. In fact it's the most perfectly
symmetrical crepe I've ever tasted.
HELEN
laughs.
A LITTLE
LATER
HONEY
sits on a white leather couch, a plate with crepe on it resting in her lap.
JASPER
sits beside her, an empty plate on her lap. A violin concerto playing on the
sound system plays as HONEY runs one hand over the soft white upholstery.
HONEY
How do
they get leather so soft?
JASPER
By
making it out of plastic.
HONEY
No way!
JASPER
Way…
HONEY
It feels
like...real!
HONEY’s
mood undergoes a sudden change. She glances at her shoulder, plays nervously
with the crepe on her plate.
HONEY
If
something feels real does that make it real?
There is
a long moment of silence as DANIEL, HELEN and JASPER try to ‘read’ HONEY’S
sudden mood swing.
HONEY
I guess
you know I’m kind of crazy.
JASPER
What
kind of crazy?
HELEN
Jasper!
HELEN
gestures 'no' to JASPER. DANIEL gestures 'It's OK.' HONEY, unsure, takes her
cue from DANIEL.
HONEY
Bi-polar,
schizo, personality disorder, disassociative disorder… you name it, I've got it
- depending on which shrink you talk to.
HONEY
registers HELEN'S unease.
HONEY
But I'm
not dangerous, Helen. Except to myself.
HONEY
indicates her bandaged arms.
JASPER
How are
you dangerous...(to yourself?)
HELEN
Jasper!
HONEY
You know
when you are on a roller coaster and scared...
JASPER
Shitless...
HELEN
Jasper!
HONEY
...but
you don’t die and when the roller coaster stops you feel...so alive. So, so
alive you just want to sing?
HONEY
turns to DANIEL.
HONEY
Like you
and climbing cliffs. You could die like that...
HONEY,
animated, on a roll, clicks her fingers.
HONEY
But then
you get to the top and you’re more alive than...
HONEY
registers the look of horror on HELEN’S face, the panic in DANIEL’S and
JASPER’S eyes flitting back and forth between her parents, intrigued by their
reactions.
HONEY
My life
is a roller-coaster.
HONEY
‘reads’ HELEN accurately, leaps to her feet, scans the photos on the wall. Most
of them include Helen - as a young woman in her late teens and as a young
mother.
HONEY
You were
so beautiful when you were young, Helen. (A BEAT) But even more beautiful now.
Now that you're…
HELEN
What am
I now?
HONEY
Beautiful
inside too.
HELEN
I wish…
HONEY
Granted!
You have two more wishes!
HELEN
laughs. JASPER, excitedly to HONEY:
JASPER
If you
had just one wish, one wish in the whole wide world, what would it be?
HONEY
To have
a sister just like you.
JASPER
Yes,
yes, yes…
JASPER'S
glee at the prospect is cut short when she sees the frozen smile on HELEN'S
face.
HELEN
So tell
us about the octopus?
JASPER
and HONEY exchange glances, laugh; shake their heads.
JASPER
Our
secret.
DANIEL
Come on!
JASPER
You have
your secrets, we have ours.
DANIEL
and HELEN exchange glances.
HELEN
Anyone
for another crepe?
HONEY
Can I
make one?
A LITTLE
LATER
HELEN
picks up a box of long-stemmed matches, takes out a match, looks at it.
CLOSE
ON: The red head of the match bursting into flame.
CLOSE ON
HONEY, staring at the match. All natural sounds drain away.
CLOSE ON
the alcohol in the flambe dish, being lit with the long-stemmed match. A light
blue flame appears.
HONEY
stares at the flame, picks up the brandy bottle and splashes a large slug of it
into the flambe dish as HELEN returns from the kitchen.
An
explosion of flame leaps into the air. Brandy on the table cloth catches fire.
HELEN
Honey,
no!
DANIEL
covers the burning table cloth with a napkin, puts the small fire out easily.
HONEY (in shock)
I’m
sorry.
DANIEL
It’s
nothing.
HONEY
looks to HELEN. She hides her panic, her distress.
HELEN
Nothing,
Honey...Don’t worry about it. (A BEAT) Brandy in jug first, OK? Then pour
carefully into pan.
HONEY
nods.
JASPER looks
at HONEY'S scarred arms, opens her mouth as if to ask a question; stops as she
sees HELEN shake her head.
DANIEL
notices this interchange. His eyes meet HELEN'S for a moment: “Relax, it's OK.”
154 INT/EXT. GRANNY FLAT. NIGHT
HONEY
sits on the bed, happy, as HELEN takes a clean neatly folded towel from a
cupboard and hands it to HONEY. Evidence of Helen's mother's residency have
mostly been removed.
HONEY
Thanks
Helen.
HELEN
smiles, holds up her hands: “It's nothing.”
DANIEL
and JASPER, both smiling, stand in the doorway.
HELEN'S
attention is drawn to something that has fallen to the floor beside the bed.
She picks it up, looks at it: a GET WELL SOON card.
HELEN'S
face darkens with sadness.
HONEY
Don't be
too sad, Helen, your mother is in heaven.(A BEAT) Singing with the angels.
HELEN
bites her lip, wipes the moisture from her eyes.
HELEN
You lost
your mum, too, didn’t you?
HONEY
When I
was seven.
HELEN
Oh,
Honey, I am so sorry.
HELEN
hugs HONEY.
LATER
HONEY is
sprawled on the bed, writing a poem in her journal. Light flashes in her eyes.
She looks up:
JASPER,
leans out of the window of her upstairs bedroom, flashlight in hand - its beam
hitting HONEY in the face. She beckons HONEY with her hand: “Come”.
HONEY
shakes her head.
JASPER
nods her head.
HONEY
laughs, shakes her head. JASPER nods in a very exaggerated manner, points her
finger: “This is an order, not a request.”
155 INT JASPER'S BEDROOM. NIGHT
HONEY
walks into the room. JASPER sits in bed reading a book. She raises a finger to
her lips: “Shhhh…”. HONEY smiles, tiptoes melodramatically over to JASPER'S bed. JASPER tries not to
laugh out loud, which causes HONEY to laugh also.
156 INT. DANIEL AND HELEN'S
BEDROOM. NIGHT
HELEN
and DANIEL lie alongside each other in bed.
HELEN
It’s not
nothing. Mum gave me that table cloth...
DANIEL
It’s a
piece of linen, Helen...
HELEN
To you,
maybe...I’m worried that Jasper...I mean, look at Honey’s arms!
DANIEL
Is
worrying going to help.
HELEN
Is
burying your head in the sand?
DANIEL
She has
to find out about the real world sooner or later.
HELEN
Honey is
not the real world.
DANIEL
gestures 'all this' with his free arm.
DANIEL
Is this?
HELEN
Yes.
Yes. Yes. I love all 'this' (A BEAT) Don't you?
DANIEL
I don't
know. I really don't. I wish I did but…!
DANIEL
and HELEN stare at each other.
JASPER (voice over)
Angrily,
King Nebuchadnezzar ordered that the furnace be made seven times hotter than
usual…
157 INT. JASPER'S ROOM. NIGHT
HONEY
lies alongside JASPER in bed - their two heads close. JASPER has her
illustrated bible book propped up on her chest. HONEY listens with fascination
as JASPER reads.
JASPER
…and
that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be tied up and thrown in.
CLOSE ON
a coloured illustration of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego being thrown into the
fiery furnace.
JASPER (voice over)
The
flames were so hot…
CLOSE on
HONEY - totally absorbed by the story.
158 INT. DANIEL AND HELEN'S
BEDROOM. NIGHT
DANIEL
and HELEN lie in bed looking at each other.
JASPER (voice over)
…that
the soldiers who threw them in were killed on the spot.
DANIEL
turns his head away.
JASPER (voice over)
But when
King Nebuchadnezzar looked in…
HELEN
reaches out with her hand, turns DANIEL'S face back to her, looks him in the
eye.
JASPER (voice over)
…he saw
Shadrach
DANIEL
kisses HELEN lightly on the lips.
JASPER (voice over)
…Meshach,
and Abednego…
HELEN
grabs DANIEL'S head, tries to kiss him passionately. He avoids her lips as he
holds her tight.
159 INT. JASPER'S ROOM. NIGHT
CLOSE
ON:
Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego walking around inside the fiery furnace.
JASPER (voice over)
…walking
around unbound and unharmed…
HONEY is
hypnotized by the images of flames.
160 DANIEL AND HELEN'S BEDROOM.
NIGHT
DANIEL
and HELEN make love with an intense but awkward animal passion. HELEN tries to
kiss DANIEL but he avoids her lips.
161 INT. JASPER'S ROOM. NIGHT
SLOW
ZOOM past Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to the shadowy figure in their midst.
JASPER (voice over)
…There
was a fourth man in the fiery furnace whom King Nebuchadnezzar said…
CLOSE
ON: HONEY'S face.
JASPER (voice over)
…looked
like the Son of God…
162 INT. SHED. YOUNG HONEY'S
HOME. NIGHT
CAROL,
seen through the window of backyard shed, pours liquid from the small can over
her head, picks up a pack of matches, looks at it for a moment, takes out a
match.
YOUNG
HONEY, seen through the window of her bedroom, looks on in horror.
JASPER (voice over)
Honey!
163 INT. JASPER'S ROOM. NIGHT
CLOSE ON
the shadowy figure in the midst of the flames.
JASPER (voice over)
Do you?
HONEY
pulls her attention away from the flames.
HONEY
Do I
what?
JASPER
Believe
in God.
HONEY
I don't
think he believes in me.
JASPER
I
believe in you.
HONEY
smiles, turns to look into JASPER'S eyes.
HONEY
You do?
JASPER
smiles, nods. HONEY is overjoyed.
164 INT. DANIEL AND HELEN'S
BEDROOM. NIGHT
DANIEL
and HELEN, both glistening with sweat, lie naked in each other's arms but both
stare into space - lost in their separate private reveries.
165 EXT/INT GRANNY FLAT.
NIGHT/DAY
HONEY
creeps in through the door to the granny flat, closes the door behind her.
LATER
HONEY
sits up in bed writing in her journal.
LATER
It is
morning now. HONEY is asleep, her open journal resting on the bed beside her.
JASPER,
dressed for school, stands in the open doorway looking at her.
166 INT. KITCHEN. DAY
DANIEL
pours coffee into a mug, looks out the window at: HELEN watching JASPER looking
through the doorway to the granny flat at HONEY.
167 EXT/INT GRANNY FLAT. NIGHT
HONEY
lies in bed, eyes open. The sound of a motor bike being kick started is heard.
HONEY
swings her legs out of bed, grabs her journal, picks up a vial of pills beside
the bed.
168 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE DANIEL
AND HELEN'S HOUSE. DAY
DANIEL
drives away from his home on his motor bike, overtakes Helen's car - with HELEN
and JASPER in it. He waves to JASPER as he passes. JASPER waves back.
169 INT. DINING ROOM. DAY
HONEY, a
glass of water in hand, inspects the cover of the CD resting on top of the
music system: Mendelssohn's Violin Concertos. She presses 'play'.
The
violin concerto plays as HONEY tosses two pills in her hand into her mouth,
washes them down with a sip of water, walks and stands before a wall covered
with photos - most of which include Helen at various ages. In all of them she
appears beautiful and in many, smiles enigmatically.
170 INT. CAR. DAY
The
music continues over JASPER, school backpack in her lap, determined not to
answer HELEN'S questions as she drives.
HELEN
Because
they have 8 arms?
JASPER
shakes her head.
HELEN
Because…they
don't have a skeleton?
JASPER
shakes her head.
171 INT. DINING ROOM. DAY
Mendelssohn's
Violin Concerto continues over HONEY, seen through the aquarium filled with
exotic tropical fish, moving to sit on the white leather couch. She picks up
one of Helen's photo albums, opens it, turns pages slowly.
172 INT. CAR. DAY
Music
continues over. Helen drives JASPER to school.
JASPER
It's a
secret.
HELEN
You
don't have to keep secrets from me.
JASPER
I know I
don't have to.
173 INT. CAR/EXT OLD FACTORY
PARKING LOT. DAY
Music
continues over DANIEL driving his motor bike into the parking lot adjacent to
his studio - seen from the inside of a car, over the shoulder of a woman.
174 INT. DINING ROOM. DAY
Music
continues over HONEY turning the last pages of one of Helen's photo albums,
closing it, picking up another.
175 INT. CAR OUTSIDE SCHOOL. DAY
Music
continues over. JASPER is about to get out of the car to join other students
walking into school.
HELEN
You can
be an infuriating little girl, sometimes.
JASPER
You can
be an infuriating big girl sometimes.
JASPER
kisses HELEN quickly on the cheek and is out of the car in a flash.
176 EXT. OLD FACTORY PARKING LOT.
DAY
Music
continues over. DANIEL acknowledges the woman in the car with a wave, looks
back towards the entrance of the old factory then walks up to the car to greet
its driver.
TRACY
stands behind the glass entrance door to the factory, looking out, watching the
car drive out of the parking lot.
177 INT. DINING ROOM. DAY
Mendelssohn's
Violin Concerto continues over HONEY looking closely at one particular photo in
Helen's album. We do not see it. She thinks for a moment, picks up another
photo album, flicks through it until she finds a particular photo. She looks at
it for a moment:
A girl
that looks like Jasper smiling at the camera, a violin tucked into her neck,
bow in her right hand, a small kid's orchestra behind her.
HONEY
thinks for a moment, stands and walks out of the room.
178 DANIEL AND HELEN'S BEDROOM.
DAY
Mendelssohn's
Violin Concerto continues over HONEY walking into the room, looking around.
179 INT. CAR. DAY
Music
continues over DANIEL sitting in the passenger seat alongside JASMIN, driving.
He does not look happy. JASMIN holds out her hand. DANIEL takes it, tries to
smile.
180 INT. HELEN'S CAR. DAY
Mendelssohn's
Violin Concerto continues over HELEN driving into the street where she, Daniel and
Jasper live.
181 DANIEL AND HELEN'S BEDROOM.
DAY
Mendelssohn's
Violin Concerto continues over HONEY opening and closing drawers, cupboard
doors - looking for something.
182 INT. KITCHEN. DAY
Music
continues over as HELEN walks into the kitchen. She sees Honey’s journal
resting on the table, moves towards it, as if to pick it up. She changes her
mind and walks into the adjacent dining room.
183 INT. DINING ROOM. DAY
Mendelssohn's
Violin Concerto continues over. Helen sees her open photo albums, walks to the
white leather couch, closes them, replaces them in the pile of albums, making
sure that the pile is neat, tidy. Symmetrical!
HELEN (calls out)
Honey!
184 DANIEL AND HELEN'S BEDROOM.
DAY
Mendelssohn's
Violin Concerto continues over HONEY opening the door to Helen's walk-in
closet. The battered old red suitcase is in view. Honey walks towards it.
185 INT/EXT GRANNY FLAT. DAY
Music
continues over HELEN walking towards the door to the granny flat.
HELEN (calls out)
Honey!
On
seeing no sign of Honey in the flat, HELEN takes out her mobile phone, enters a
number.
186 EXT. FLORIST. DAY
Music
continues over DANIEL carrying a large bunch of red roses. His mobile rings. He
takes it out, looks at the screen, decides not to take the call, walks up to
the passenger door of JASMIN'S car.
The
Violin Concerto finishes.
187 DANIEL AND HELEN'S BEDROOM.
DAY
HONEY
closes the red suitcase, picks up the photo of Daniel, Helen and Jasper with
the broken glass. She seems not to hear the sound of the back door opening and
closing.
188 INT. HALLWAY. DAY
HELEN
moves to walk upstairs but stops - her attention caught by Honey's journal
resting on the kitchen table. She thinks for a moment, makes decision.
189 INT. KITCHEN. DAY
HELEN
walks into the kitchen, picks up the vial of pills alongside Honey's journal,
reads the label.
190 DANIEL AND HELEN'S BEDROOM.
DAY
HONEY
looks at the photo of Daniel, Helen and Jasper. Her attention is caught by the
sound of a chair scraping on the floor downstairs.
191 INT. KITCHEN. DAY
HELEN
sits, pulls Honey's journal towards her, opens it.
192 INT. STAIRWAY/HALL. DAY
HONEY
stands at the top of the stairs, alongside an antique velvet covered arm chair.
She then creeps down the stairs slowly, quietly. At a point where she can see
into the kitchen she stops. She can see HELEN'S back as she leans over looking
at the journal.
HONEY
watches her for a long moment. HELEN turns a page. HONEY creeps to the back
door, opens it quietly, walks out, closes the door gently behind her.
193 EXT. BACK YARD. DAY
HONEY
climbs over the fence into the neighbor's back yard, drops into a flowery
garden.
194 INT. KITCHEN. DAY
HELEN
turns another page of Honey's journal. The sound of the front door bell.
HELEN
closes the journal, returns it to the position she found it in, walks out.
195 EXT/INT. FRONT DOOR. DAY
HELEN
opens the front door to find HONEY standing there, smiling, a big bunch of
flowers in her hand.
HONEY
Went for
a walk.
HONEY
hands the bunch of flowers to HELEN.
HELEN (laughs)
Thank
you Honey.
196 INT. KITCHEN. DAY
HONEY
and HELEN sit at the kitchen table drinking coffee. HELEN holds Honey's vial of
pills, looks at HONEY.
HONEY (evasive)
I get
bad headaches. (A BEAT) I was looking at your photo albums before. And…
HELEN
That's
OK. That's what they're for - to be looked at.
HONEY
You can
look at my journal if you want.
HELEN
nods, thinks for a moment.
HELEN
I was
looking at it before you arrived with…
HELEN
points at the flowers in the vase on the table.
HELEN
I hope
you don't mind!
HONEY
laughs, shakes her head.
HONEY
Find
anything interesting?
HELEN (smiles)
Yes.
HELEN
pulls the journal towards her, opens it, flicks through a few pages to the one
that has the strip of photos of the mum, dad and smiling daughter seen earlier.
HELEN
That's
not you is it?
HONEY
shakes her head.
HELEN
Who…
(are they)?
HONEY
I don't
know. I just found it, and…
HELEN
nods, flips it over. On the other side is written:
MUM AND ME AND OUR HONEY BEE
HELEN
“Mum and me and our Honey Bee?”
HELEN
looks at HONEY quizzically. HONEY looks away.
HELEN
Why have
you stuck it in your journal?
HONEY (shrugs)
No
reason.
HELEN
nods, flips the page, looks at the burnt photo of Honey and her mother.
HELEN
Is this
you and your real mum?
HONEY
nods nervously.
HELEN
Do you
mind if I ask you how your mother died?
HONEY
I don’t
want to talk about it.
HELEN
OK.
HONEY
I want
to and I don’t, know what I mean?
HELEN
You're
one big question mark aren't you?
HONEY
If you
were a shrink, your next question would be, “Why do you think that is, Honey?”
HELEN (laughs)
“Why do
you think that is, Honey?”
HONEY
You
heard the joke about insanity is hereditary?
HELEN
shakes her head.
HONEY
You get
it from your kids?
HELEN
laughs.
HONEY
Hang on!
HONEY
flicks through her journal to the photo of herself and her mother on the roller
coaster.
HELEN
You look
very happy together.
HONEY
smiles, nods, disappears inside herself. HELEN watches her intently.
HONEY
seems to have forgotten HELEN is there.
HELEN
watches her for a long moment, then waves her hand to catch HONEY’S attention.
HONEY snaps out of her reverie.
HONEY
Sorry.
HELEN
My life
is a roller coaster too, Honey. (A BEAT) Different roller coaster but same
ride.
HONEY
You ever
feel…kind of empty? As if there is something missing?
HELEN
Something?
HONEY
In here?
HONEY
puts her hand on her heart.
HONEY
Like you
want to be filled up with…!
HELEN
With
what?
HONEY
I don't
know, but…(A BEAT) I want to be filled up with it!
HELEN (nods)
What is
it? That missing 'something'?
HONEY
Was
hoping you'd be able to tell me, eh!
HELEN
laughs, shrugs, holds up her hands: “Beats me!”
HONEY
But
you've got Daniel, Jasper…
HELEN
Yes, and
I love them both to death but…
HONEY
But?
HELEN
But,
ever since I was a girl I've had this nagging feeling that…that there is…
HELEN
can't find the word.
HONEY
Something
to make your soul sing?
HELEN (laughs)
Yes.
Something to make your soul sing. Where did you hear that? It's perfect.
HONEY
It's
from one of my poems…
HELEN
No way!
HONEY
smiles, nods, flips through pages as she recites.
HONEY
“Something
to make my soul sing; With love for nearly everything; Except for roaches, ants
and flies; And biting insects in the skies.”
HONEY
arrives at the hand-written poem, surrounded by caricature drawings of roaches,
ants and flies.
HELEN (laughs)
Yes, a
world without roaches…and things that sting…
HONEY
I miss my
mum too. Heaps.
HELEN'S
eyes fill with tears. HONEY takes her hand, entwines her fingers with HELEN'S.
Tears stream down HELEN'S cheeks.
197 INT. DANIEL'S STUDIO 'LOFT'.
LATE AFTERNOON
Seen
through the 'curtains' in Daniel's loft:
JASMIN
moves to music in the studio below - Tim Buckley's 'Sweet Surrender' as DANIEL,
sits at his computer, touching up the photo of Jasmin from his exhibition with
'Photoshop'. JASMIN turns the music up louder, smiles at DANIEL.
CLOSE UP
ON JASPER, looking down, her eyes wide.
Her POV:
JASMIN
sits beside DANIEL, leans close, talks animatedly. What she says cannot be
heard above the music.
TIM BUCKLEY (sings)
“Just
too hard, just too hard to surrender to love.
JASMIN
looks into DANIEL'S eyes then kisses him on the lips.
In a
wider shot it becomes apparent that JASPER, dressed in her school uniform, has
long hair. This is a flashback.
JASPER
observes the scene unfolding below her for a moment before returning to the
futon, lying down on it and staring at the ceiling.
JASPER (voice off)
…so I
had to pretend that I wasn't there and then dad asked me why I didn't come
around after school like I said I would…
198 JASPER'S BEDROOM. NIGHT
JASPER
(short hair, the flashback has finished) and HONEY sit propped up in bed
together - Jasper's illustrated bible stories book open in front of them.
JASPER
…and I
had to tell him I was at Claire's… Claire's my best friend…was my best
friend…but mum spoke to Clair's mum and she said I hadn't been there and…oh,
lying is so difficult!
HONEY
Sometimes
its best not to tell the truth.
JASPER
But you
get into so much trouble too, lying. Life is really very complicated, isn't it?
HONEY
laughs, hugs JASPER.
JASPER
Is
kissing someone the same as having sex with them?
HONEY
shakes her head.
HONEY
I've got
a question for you.
JASPER
A trick
question?
HONEY
No,
about a photo I saw in your mum's albums.
JASPER
stares at HONEY, wide eyed; nods.
199 INT. JASPER'S BEDROOM. DAY
HELEN,
in a dressing gown, stands in the doorway looking at:
HONEY
and JASPER lying asleep together in Jasper's bed.
DANIEL,
a towel around his waist, walks up, puts his arms around HELEN'S waist, looks
at JASPER and HONEY, smiles, rests his head on her shoulder. HELEN smiles,
kisses DANIEL'S cheek.
200 INT. CAR. DAY
DANIEL
drives. JASPER, in her school uniform, sits in the passenger seat, deep in
thought.
JASPER
Dad?
DANIEL
Mmmm…
JASPER
What's
the difference between a secret and a lie?
DANIEL
looks at JASPER, shakes his head, smiles.
DANIEL
Too
complicated a question for this early in the day, Jas!
JASPER
looks at him. She wants an answer. DANIEL looks away.
DANIEL
Wanna go
fishing this arvo?
JASPER
does not answer but looks out the window, thinking.
DANIEL
Jas?
JASPER
I might
be a child but that doesn't mean I'm stupid.
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