1 EXT. PHNOM PENH
AIRPORT. DAY
Nick,
hair longer, younger that we have seen him to date, emerges from the crowded
‘Arrivals’ exit wearing a backpack; a laptop computer bag slung around his
neck.
He is
accosted by a horde of taxi and tuk tuk drivers offering their services.
His
attention shifts to a 40 year old tuk tuk driver standing closeby. This is KIM
CHAKRA.
KIM CHAKRA
You need hotel cheap?
NICK
Do I
look like someone who wants a cheap hotel.
Kim Chakra
looks him up and down, smiles.
2 INT/EXT. TUK TUK.
PHNOM PENH STREET. DAY
As Kim
Chakra drives, Nick, his laptop resting in his lap, backpack between his legs,
takes in the sights, smells and sounds of the crowded and chaotic streets of
Phnom Penh.
KIM CHAKRA
I am Kim
Chakra. You call me Kim. More easy than Chakra.
NICK
I am
Nicholas Morecombe. You call me Nick. More easy than Morecombe.
KIM CHAKRA (laughs)
You
first time visit Cambodia.
NICK
First
time.
KIM CHAKRA
How long you stay?
NICK
Maybe
two weeks, maybe two years...
As Kim
Chakra drives, Nick’s attention is caught by motor bikes with 3, 4, 5 and 6
people on them, the bustling sidewalks crowded with people, shops and stalls.
Kim
Chakra pulls up at a traffic light. TWO BEGGAR BOYS walk up - hands
outstretched.
Nick
opens his wallet, takes out 2 $1 bills - hands one each to the Beggar Boys.
Their eyes light up. More BEGGAR
CHILDREN arrive - hands outstretched.
Nick
looks in his wallet. No more small bills. Only $20s.
NICK
How do
you say “I have no money.”
KIM CHAKRA
Ach mien
loy.
Nick
smiles at the Beggar Children, shrugs his shoulders.
NICK
Ach Mien
loy.
A BEGGAR
GIRL points to his wallet.
BEGGAR GIRL
You have twenty dollar!
NICK
Yes,
but...
BEGGAR GIRL
We
share...
She
indicates the group of 7 or 8 Beggar Children closeby. He takes $20 out of his
wallet.
NICK
OK...
He hands
$20 to the Beggar Girl.
NICK
You share, OK?
The
Beggar Girl nods, beams a big white smile, turns to the other kids, speaks in
Khmer.
BEGGAR GIRL (subtitled)
We share
this, OK?
The
Beggar Children nod, holds their hands up in a prayer gesture of thanks to
Nick.
The
lights change. The tuk tuk begins to move off. Nick takes another $20 note from
his pocket, holds it out. The Beggar Children, laughing, run to catch up with
the tuk tuk as it picks up speed. A Beggar Boy, aged about 11, heads the pack,
grabs the $20 note, holds it aloft victoriously.
Nick
turns to watch the Beggar Children making their way back to the pavement with
their newfound fortune. He smiles.
NICK (voice over)
Love at
first sight.
3 EXT. CONCOURSE.
NIGHT
Nick and
Angela stand to the side of the crowded concourse; drinks in hand. Gerard can
be seen closeby; schmoozing.
NICK
I don’t
believe in fate but...
ANGELA
Thought you were going to tell me how you met Gerard?
Terry
Swinton, sipping champagne, glares at Nick.
NICK
Patience.
Do you want the twitter version or...
ANGELA
The
whole story.
4 INT/EXT. TUK TUK.
PHNOM PENH STREET. DAY
Kim
Chakra drives in heavy traffic.
KIM CHAKRA
What you job, Mr Nick?
NICK
I’m a
novelist, Kim. (A BEAT) You know what a novel is? (A BEAT) A story.
KIM CHAKRA
Right, right. What the name your book? Last one?
NICK
I
haven’t written it yet. My job is
journalist but...
5 EXT. BAR AREA.
BACKPACKING HOSTEL. DAY
Nick
sits at a table in a funky bar in a backpacking hostel, laptop in front of him;
drinking beer and talking with blonde 19 year old German backpacker,
INGRID.
NICK
...when
I grow up I want to be a novelist.
INGRID
When I
grow up I want to be in your novel.
NICK
What character do you want to play?
INGRID
You
choose. You’re the writer.
NICK
You
could be the backpacker our hero meets in a hostel in...
INGRID
Describe this girl?
NICK
She is
beautiful...blonde, bold and brassy...German...
INGRID (laughs)
Does he fall for her immediately or does he play hard to
get?
6 INT. NICK’S ROOM.
BACKPACKING HOSTEL. DAY
Ingrid,
naked, is sprawled on the double bed in Nick’s small room. Nick’s head is
buried in her crotch, giving her head. Judging by Ingrid’s response he is
proficient at the task.
ANGELA (voice over)
Too much detail!
7 EXT. CONCOURSE.
NIGHT
NICK
You said you wanted the whole story!
ANGELA
Yes, but there are some details...!
Nick
leans kisses her on the cheek. She pulls away; her eyes darting to Gerard,
entertaining a group of women closely.
8 EXT. BOULEVARDE
BY RIVER. DAY
Nick and
Ingrid walk along the boulevard that runs alongside the Bassac River in
downtown Phnom Penh.
INGRID
You
should call him Daniel. (A BEAT) The hero of your novel.
NICK
Daniel?
INGRID
In the
lion’s den.
Ingrid
growls like a lion.
NICK
And the
German lass? (A BEAT) I think, Freya.
INGRID
Freya?
NICK
After the goddess?
INGRID
There’s goddess
called Freya?
NICK
Goddess
of love and beauty. Like Aphrodite...Venus. Wears a fire-jewel necklace...made
by four dwarves after she spent one night with each and...drives a chariot,
drawn by cats and she cries tears of red gold.
INGRID
How do you know these things?
NICK
Stumbled
on her somewhere a few years back.
INGRID
You have a photographic memory?
NICK
Not
photographic but…it's OK...
INGRID
I can’t remember what I had for breakfast!
NICK
Me.
INGRID (laughs)
No, you had me, remember. Was the taste good?
You have
a clever tongue.
NICK (laughs)
A clever tongue!
INGRID (laughs)
I am feeling hungry for some Yankee sausage?
Ingrid
slides a finger into her mouth suggestively; sees something ahead that shocks
her.
INGRID
Scheisse!
Walking
towards Nick and Ingrid is a tall young man wearing a backpack; his
dread-locked hair hanging below his shoulders: A younger Gerard. He beams a
smile at Ingrid.
GERARD
Mon
amour.
Gerard
hugs Ingrid; kisses her. They speak in French.
INGRID (subtitled)
I thought you were arriving tomorrow?
GERARD (subtitled)
I wanted
to surprise you.
INGRID (subtitled)
Well, I
am surprised.
(Ingrid
speaks English)
I was
just telling...
(She
turns to Nick.)
Sorry, I
don’t know your name.
(To
Gerard)
We just
met a few minutes ago.
NICK
Daniel.
INGRID
Daniel,
this is my friend, Gerard.
GERARD (French accent)
Boyfriend
Gerard!
Gerard
smiles, holds out his hand.
GERARD
Gerard
Laurent.
9 EXT. CONCOURSE.
NIGHT
As
Gerard regales his audience he sees, trough the crowd:
Angela
and Nick talking animatedly.
ANGELA (voice off)
You stole Gerard’s girlfriend!
Close on
Nick and Angela; Gerard in the background:
NICK (grins)
Borrowed.
ANGELA
A clever tongue!?
NICK
Anyhow,
Gerard and I became... friends...and…
ANGELA
And...?
NICK
Long
story. And now is not...(the right time). Your turn.
ANGELA
The whole story?
(Nick nods)
Clever
tongue and everything?
NICK
What’s
good for the goose...
ANGELA
I wanted
to see if I could find out what happened to my mother, but I wanted a
job...needed a job...
10 INT. CONFERENCE
CENTRE. HOTEL. PHNOM PENH. DAY
Angela
walks into the foyer; mobile phone to her ear.
ANGELA (voice off)
...and
was applying for every job I could...
Angela
nods as she listens on her phone; camera slung around her neck; name tag pinned
to her shirt. She notices:
Gerard,
short hair, in a suit, pacing by a table covered with cups and saucers, urns of
coffee, trays of sandwiches and cakes; talking quietly to himself as he
memorizes the written document in his
hands; glancing occasionally at her.
Angela
is not happy with the news she is receiving.
ANGELA
Thank
you. (A BEAT) I understand... no, that’s OK. Bye.
Angela
hangs up; grimaces; frowns; frustrated.
GERARD
It will
pass.
ANGELA
It?
GERARD
Whatever
disaster has befallen you.
ANGELA
Oh, it
was nothing.
GERARD
What
kind of nothing? If you don’t mind my asking? That furrows your brow?
He
indicates Angela’s furrowed brow.
ANGELA
Just a
job. I applied for it and...
GERARD
You win
some, you lose some...
ANGELA
Yes, its
just when you lose a few in a row...
GERARD
...you
are probably just about to start a winning streak.
Angela
smiles; holds up crossed fingers.
GERARD
I’m
Gerard.
(He
reads her name tag)
Angela.
ANGELA
Gerard. (A BEAT) And you? On a winning streak?
(Gerard
shrugs; makes a “Who knows!” gesture.)
And why
are you pacing up and down talking to yourself? ( BEAT) If you don’t mind my
asking.
GERARD
I am a
mad person. They let me out for the afternoon.
(Angela
smiles)
I am one
of the speakers for....
He
indicates the conference room.
ANGELA
On the subject of?
GERARD
Inspiring
women in the developing world to become agents for change.
Angela
nods, gestures to a sign that reads:
HAC
“Empowering women to become
agents for change”
ANGELA
Your conference?
GERARD
No, I
organized it but...
He hands
Angela his card. The bold initials HAC can be read.
ANGELA
That’s your job!? Empowering women?
GERARD
Do you need empowering?
(Angela
smiles)
The job
of my organization. One of them. And
you? (A BEAT) Do you mind if I ask what kind of job you didn’t get?
ANGELA
Human
resources manager.
GERARD
You are a resourceful human?
ANGELA
I manage
as best I can.
Gerard
laughs. His and Angela’s eyes lock for a moment.
ANGELA
I should
let you...(get back to it)
She
gestures to the papers in his hands. Gerard tosses the papers in the air.
Angela
laughs.
11 INT. CONFERENCE
HALL. HOTEL. DAY
Gerard
stands in front of a power point presentation; speaks off the cuff with no
reference to his notes.
GERARD
We all
know that the surest pathway for families to cast off the shackles of poverty
is to educate women...
Angela,
in the audience, listens with interest:
GERARD
...to
give girls and young women the educational opportunities denied to them in
wealthy countries most of us here come from. How can women in the developing world
get an education if they are expected to look after children look, cook, fetch
water and breed.
12 INT. BAR. HOTEL.
NIGHT
Angela
and Gerard sit in a crowded bar.
Angela’s camera rests on the bar in front of them alongside their
drinks.
GERARD
And
because educated women have less children and less children translates into
less poverty and more opportunities and...but you know all this.
ANGELA
Yes, but
it is good to be reminded.
GERARD
And it s
a pleasure to be reminding you. (A BEAT) And you? Other than being a
resourceful human.
ANGELA
An empowered resourceful human!
(Gerard
laughs)
Escaping
English weather, escaping a job I did not like...(A BEAT) a relationship
that...did not work out...
GERARD
An escape artist?
ANGELA
Yes, a
master of the art of denial.
GERARD
As we
all are.
ANGELA
And what are you denying, Gerard?
Gerard
thinks for a long moment before answering.
GERARD
When my
grandfather was in his 80s and had lost quite a few of his marbles…most of his
marbles… I took a beautiful photo of his smiling face. An old man whose
face...lined, wrinkled...was the map of a life well-lived. I showed it to him.
He was confused. “Why are you showing me this?” I told him that I thought it
was a good photo of him. He shook his head and said something like, “No, that
is not me. That is an old man.” I realized my mistake. He did not see himself
as an old man. I felt stupid because on the table beside his bed...he was in an
old people’s home...there was a photo of Gram Pops…that’s what we kids called him
and his wife...Gram Ma…on the day they married, in their early 20s. Radiantly
happy.
Gerard’s
eyes glisten as he tells his story.
GERARD
My
grandmother had been dead for many years, but...After I had said goodbye, and
as I was walking down the corridor, I realized that I’d left my keys on the
dresser and as I walked into the room there Gram Pops was...lying in bed
looking at the photo of himself and his beautiful wife on their wedding day - a
happy smile on his face.
Angela
is moved by the story; reaches out and touches him. Gerard becomes
self-conscious.
GERARD
Enough. We
need another drink.
Angela
pushes her empty glass aside.
ANGELA
I do not
need another drink.
GERARD
But do you want one?
Angela
laughs. Gerard signals to the barman: “Two more”.
ANGELA
Shouldn’t
we get back...
GERARD
I don’t mind missing the entrees, do you?
Angela
shakes her head.
GERARD
Give me
your hand.
Angela
smiles, holds out her hand. Gerard takes it; hams it up as he strokes her palm.
GERARD
You are
on a quest. Human resources is not your passion.
(Angela
nods; smiles)
But you
are about to find it? Your passion.
ANGELA
Am I
going to meet a charming Frenchman who pretends he can read palms?
Gerard
smiles, moves his head close to Angela’s; looks into her eyes.
GERARD (playful)
A
Frenchman who is also expert in the art of iridology.
ANGELA
And what do you see?
He moves
his head closer; his lips close to hers - his performance is hammy, charming
and highy sexually charged.
GERARD
A woman
of exquisite beauty, a pure soul and a heart that beats with the passion of 100
butterflies.
ANGELA
One hundred!?
GERARD
One
thousand. One million. And with lips...
(He
kisses her lightly)
”The
soul smiles through the lips of a happy face.” (A BEAT) And your passion is?
Angela
glances at her camera momentarily.
GERARD
Photography?
ANGELA (laughs)
You’re psychic too!
Gerard
stands, takes her hand.
GERARD
Come.
13 INT. GERARD’S
APARTMENT. NIGHT
Angela
follows Gerard into an upmarket apartment overlooking Phnom Penh and the Bassac
river. As she walks to the verandah to look at the view Gerard takes off his
jacket; moves towards his wood- paneled bar.
GERARD
Whisky? Vodka? Gin? Brandy? Tequila...?
Angela
laughs; turns.
ANGELA
Whatever
you’re having.
Gerard
smiles, reaches for a bottle of Glenfiddich Whisky. Angela turns back to look
at the view.
ANGELA
Wow!
Gerard
walks onto the verandah with the Glenfiddich and two shot glasses. He hands
them to Angela; fills them.
ANGELA
And
this...
(the
apartment)
...is
yours?
GERARD
All
mine.
He takes
one of the shot glasses; holds it up.
GERARD
To human
resources.
Angela
holds up her glass; clinks his.
ANGELA
To
resourceful humans.
GERARD (laughs)
Skoll.
ANGELA
Skoll.
They
both throw their shots of whisky back; look at each other and smile. As Gerard
refills them:
NICK (voice over)
Uh, oh!
14 EXT. CONCOURSE.
NIGHT
Terry
Swinton, more than a little drunk, makes his way towards Nick and Angela. Nick
touches the pen protruding from his shirt pocket.
NICK
You are
about to meet one of my favourite vipers.
Terry
walks up; jabs Nick in the chest aggressively.
TERRY
You’re a
cunt, Morecombe. You know that, don’t you.
NICK
As you
keep reminding me, Terry.
Terry
turns to Angela.
TERRY
‘Scuse
my language, mam, but you need to know this man here is a cunt.
ANGELA
Is that meant to be an insult, Mr...?
TERRY
Swinton.
Of course its a fucking insult.
ANGELA
I love
my cunt Mr Swinton. It’s a source of great pleasure to me.
Terry is
thrown by this.
TERRY
Well,
I...um...
NICK
This
‘cunt’ here…
(Nick
pats Terry’s shoulder)
…used to
work for the FBI…before they found out he was setting up drug stings, stealing
the money and drugs with buddy Lindsay Henderson...
(Terry
turns red with rage)
And did
time in jail. How long was it, Terry?
Terry
jabs Nick in the chest aggressively.
TERRY
You
watch yourself buddy.
NICK
While
good old Lindsay too care of business and ripped him off...
Terry
throws the remainder of his champagne in Nick’s face.
TERRY
Fuck you, Morecombe!
Nick
acts as though he doesn’t have champagne dripping from his face.
NICK
...who
ripped Terry here off for...how much was it, Terry?
Terry’s
jaw is clenched tight.
NICK
Did you kill Lindsay Henderson, Mr Swinton?
Terry
points a shaking finger at Nick. Balin Meas, in amongst the crowd, observes
this interaction with interest.
NICK
Do you own ‘Khmer Plus’ Mr Swinton?
Terry is
seething with anger but not sure what to do with it.
NICK
Does
your wife own ‘Khmer Plus’? (A BEAT) And ‘Pussy Galore’? And...
TERRY
Get
fucked. None of your fucking business. Ask her, cunt.
NICK
She wont
talk to me.
TERRY
Tough shit!
NICK
Are you
aware that ‘Khmer Plus’, your company, is engaged in providing Cambodian slaves
to the Thai fishing...’
TERRY
Willing
workers. Workers who sign contracts...
NICK (voice off)
Workers
who can’t read, can’t write, who will place their thumb print on any
document...
TERRY
Not my
problem, Morecombe...
Terry
raises his hand, index finger extended (a ‘gun’).
NICK
...any
document they think will get them work so they can feed their family...
Terry
points his finger at Nick; pulls the ‘trigger’.
TERRY
Fuck
off, cunt.
Nick
lifts his note-book, starts to write ‘Fuck off’; nods.
TERRY
That’s
all off the record, Morecombe.
NICK
Should
have mentioned that earlier, Terry.
Nick
takes the pen from his shirt pocket, holds it up. Terry, apoplectic, reaches
out to grab the pen.
NICK
Have a
nice evening, Terence.
TERRY
You’ll
get yours mate, no worries.
He
points his finger at Nick again: his hand a ‘gun’; staggers off.
ANGELA
Is there
anyone here who is not a viper?
NICK
Apart
from you?
ANGELA
What
makes you think I’m not?
NICK
Continue.
I want to hear the ‘wicked tongue’ bit!
15 INT. GERARD’S
APARTMENT. NIGHT
Angela
and Gerard sit together on a couch looking at the LCD screen of Angela’s camera
as she scrolls through photos.
Gerard
is impressed (or goes through the motions of being so!) but pays more attention
to Angela’s face than he does to the photos.
ANGELA
And this
one, I took at...
GERARD
Beautiful.
Angela
turns to him.
ANGELA
You
didn’t look at it.
Gerard
smiles; reaches out; runs his index finger lightly across her lips. Angela is
both excited and nervous.
Gerard
kisses her lips. The kiss deepens. Angela reciprocates. As the music plays, in
a montage:
- Gerard
unpins Angela’s name tag; pins it to his shirt.
- Gerard
undoes Angela’s shirt buttons one by one.
- Angela
smiles, upends her glass of wine; drains it. She looks for a surface to place
her empty glass on. There is none. Gerard takes the glass from her hand, throws
it over his shoulder. The sound of breaking glass.
- Angela
undoes the top button of Gerard’s shirt, hesitates a moment; a wicked smile
appearing on her face. Impulsively she tears the two sides of Gerard’s shirt
apart; pulls the sleeves from his arms; leaving him bare-chested.
- Gerard
takes off Angela’s bra’ kisses her breasts.
ANGELA (laughs)
Who are you, Mr Laurent?
Gerard
smiles, picks up his shirt, removes Angela’s name tag, pinches a fold of skin
on his chest, pieces the fold with the pin; pins it to his chest. Two small
droplets of blood appear where the pin has pierced his skin.
Angela
touches the name tag, runs her hand across his chest.
ANGELA
Hello Angela. (A BEAT)
Does it hurt?
Gerard
nods; smiles. Angela leans forward, kisses Gerard passionately.
ANGELA (voice over)
And then
we...
16 EXT. HOTEL CONCOURSE.
NIGHT
Angela,
self-conscious, takes a sip of her wine.
NICK
Fucked? Made love? Had sex?
ANGELA
One of
those.
NICK
So, you’re fucking your boss?
Angela
looks at Nick for a moment, then away; confused.
NICK
Sorry,
that was below the belt…but you do have
very bad taste in men, Angela.
(He
smiles)
Myself
excluded.
ANGELA
Right
now I wish I could kiss you.
NICK
I’m not
going to stop you.
Angela
smiles. Nick smiles.
NICK
But I suspect that Gerard would not be thrilled!
With his
eyes, Nick directs Angela’s attention to Gerard; making his way towards them.
He wraps his arms around Angela’s shoulders; pulls her close.
GERARD
Angie,
there is someone I want you to meet. Come.
He takes
Angela’s hand to pull her away.
NICK
You do
not return my calls, Gerard.
Angela
frees her hand; to Gerard’s annoyance.
GERARD
I have
no comment to make.
NICK
But you
make such a song and dance about being ‘transparent’, Gerard! ‘Accountable’!
GERARD
Publish
what you like, Nicholas. But be careful.
NICK
Should I take that as a threat, Gerry?
GERARD
I do not
give a fuck how you take it. I have come here to celebrate, not answer your
stupid questions.
Angela
is shocked by this outburst. Gerard smiles at her.
GERARD
Sometimes
a spade must be called a spade.
ANGELA
It sounded like a threat to me!
GERARD (laughs)
Not at all. Nicholas and I are old friends, aren’t we?
Nick looks
at Gerard, his face giving nothing away.
GERARD
We are
like brothers, aren’t we, Nicky?
Nick and
Gerard stare at each other for a long moment: macho standoff!
It is Gerard
who looks away first.
GERARD
If you
will excuse me, I must return to my...(guests)
Gerard
glances at Angela: “Are you coming with me?”
ANGELA
I’ll
join you soon. I want to finish my...
She
indicates Nick.
Gerard
glances at Nick. His eyes flare for a moment before his face lights up with a
huge smile as he waves to someone in the crowd he knows.
With a
quick glance at Angela, Gerard plunges back into the crowd - all smiles and
charm.
NICK
The elephant in the room?
17 INT. NICK’S
APARTMENT. NIGHT
Moving
across the darkened room; the shot hand-held; the POV of someone who has broken
into the apartment.
A
flashlight is turned on; its beam exploring the room; finding Nick’s desk.
The
INTRUDER moves closer to the desk, pans up and down it with the beam of light:
looking for something.
The
Intruder’s gloved hand reaches out, lifts some papers gently; looks amongst the
accumulated books, magazines, newspapers but cannot find what is being sought.
The
flashlight beam moves up to Nick’s Nest of Vipers collage, explores it slowly:
A photo of Terry Swinton with
different coloured threads connecting him with other ‘vipers’.
A photo of Wing Chou - many
coloured threads connecting him with other ‘vipers’ in the collage.
18 EXT.
CONCOURSE/SWIMMING POOL. NIGHT
As the
lights on the concourse around the swimming pool dim the opening bars of “Thus
Spake Zarathustra” are heard and a synchronized laser lightshow begins.
In
amongst the assembled guests Nick raises his eyebrows, rolls his eyes, shakes
his head in disbelief; makes a vomit gesture. Angela smiles, elbows him in the
side: “Don’t!”
The
sides of the ‘tent’ slowly rise to reveal, spotlit in the centre of the table,
a detailed replica of a tropical island - replete with palm trees,
golden-sanded beaches and in the centre, a large and magnificently designed
white building.
The
lightshow ends; the music fades. Nick runs his hand over Angela’s body;
stroking her gently in the dark. In the background Wing Chou points to the
building with a white cane.
WING CHOU
The
centrepiece of our latest development project is this state of the art eco
casino offering high rollers everything that can be found in the best casinos
in the world.
Angela
brushes Nick’s hand aside, glances at him, frowns; shakes her head.
WING CHOU
And
More. (A BEAT) Our target clientele? Chinese billionaires.
Nick
looks in the direction of:
TWO
CHINESE MEN and their BODYGUARDS looking on impassively.
Nick’s
hand explores Angela’s body again; meets with less resistance this time. Angela
tries to suppress a smile.
In the
background, Wing Chou points his white cane at:
Five
beautifully designed and modestly sized hotels, radiating out from the casino,
in the shape of a star - separated from each other by swimming pools, gardens
and pockets of tropical rain forest.
Angela
tries to removes Nick’s hand; meets with resistance!
WING CHOU
To
accommodate our guests we will be providing them with every comfort
imaginable...and some ‘unimaginable’ to cushion the blow when they have lost
millions of dollars in the casino...
The
assembled guests laugh appreciatively. Nick continues to ‘molest’ Angela with
his wandering hand; more boldly now.
Radiating
out from the five hotels, separated from them by gardens and man-made lakes
surrounded by palm trees, are clusters of condominiums - designed in such a way
that each condo has both privacy and a view of the ocean.
Angela
is enjoying Nick’s hand work but worried about it being seen by the people
surrounding them. She pulls away.
WING CHOU
And here we have 200 of the most luxurious
condominiums you will find anywhere in the world - each one with a magnificent
view of the ocean and totally private. These we will be selling to privileged
buyers so if any of you have your credit cards with you...
There is
a good deal of laughter. Nick takes his hand off Angela, steps back a little;
calls out.
NICK
Mr Wing
Chou, what compensation will you be paying to the community of fisherman and
their families who were evicted at gunpoint?
WING CHOU
If you’d
kindly wait, Mr Morecombe, until I finish this presentation before asking your
questions.
Close on
Gerard, looking through the crowd:
WING CHOU (voice off)
There
may be some here who, like Mr Morecombe perhaps, may be thinking, “Yes, this is
all very well for those who can afford to lose money in a casino and who can
afford a luxury condominium…
Angela,
standing beside Nick, looks back at Gerard – looking at her.
WING CHOU (voice off)
…but
what about Cambodians who live in abject poverty?”
Nick
registers this brief exchange between Angela and Gerard.
WING CHOU
This is
a valid question and we at Wing Chou Industries have an answer. Or, should I
say, that Gerard Moreau has an answer. And a very clever one it is. I will get
Gerard to explain.
Mr Wing
Chou signals to Gerard to come up onstage. As Gerard makes his way through the
crowd:
WING CHOU
As I am
sure you are all aware, Gerard has recently been awarded... rewarded...for the
enormous contribution his “Humanitarian Aid Cambodia” has made to feeding,
clothing, accommodating and educating children...
Gerard
arrives on stage, all smiles; holding aloft his gold medallion. The assembled
guests applaud enthusiastically. Nick’s eyes are on Angela but her face gives
nothing away.
GERARD
Working
alongside Wing Chou Industries we at “Humanitarian Aid Cambodia” are also
building a village. The accommodation will not be quite as...salubrious...as on
the island, but for the impoverished poor families who will move into the
village...they will feel like millionaires. And who will be paying for this
village? Not me! I could not afford it. Humanitarian Solutions? No, we could
not afford it, either. We work to a very
tight budget. You are going to pay for it. At least those of you who buy a
condominium.
Gerard
looks at Wing Chou
WING CHOU
For each
condominium we sell, Wing Chou Industries will buy one new home to be given to
a poor family.
NICK
The families you evicted from the island?
WING CHOU
We did
not evict the families. The Cambodian authorities had removed them before we
acquired a lease because they had no legal right to...
NICK
Wrong.
In accordance with Cambodian land law...
TERRY
Shut the fuck up Morecombe!
NICK
Wing
Chou Industries was already negotiating with the government...
TERRY
Fucking
loser.
WING CHOU
Please,
Mr Swinton...
VLADIMIR,
a drunken Russian, waves his credit card in the air.
VLADIMIR
I vant
to buy condom.
Many of
the assembled guests laugh.
WING CHOU (smiles)
You don’t want to now the price first, Vladimir?
Vladimir
shrugs, as if the cost is not important to him.
NICK
...negotiating
with the government! Is this the same government that murdered a fisherman who
was doing nothing more than advocating his right...
TERRY
Shut the
fuck up, Nickle Arse. No-one is listening.
No-one
is paying any attention to Nick. Seemingly unfazed he writes notes in his
journalist’s note book.
19 EXT. HOTEL.
NIGHT
Wing
Chou’s launch is over. GUESTS leave the hotel, get into their shiny upmarket
cars and drive off.
At the
top of the steps to the hotel entrance Gerard, all charm and smiles, talks
animatedly with Wing Chou and Two Chinese Businessmen. His eyes are on:
Angela
standing at the bottom of the steps, talking with a DIPLOMAT, smiling politely;
her attention focused on:
Nick,
talking with Campbell closeby. A CONCIERGE in a white uniform, carrying the
white manila envelope approaches.
NICK
I am not
a party animal.
CAMPBELL
But you
are an animal, Nicholas, and I know how to party...I will teach you.
Angela
farewells the Diplomat in the background as Nick shakes his head, holds up his
hands (”No”).
CAMPBELL
Party
pooper.
CONCIERGE
Mr Morecombe?
Nick
turns to him; nods. The Concierge hands him the envelope. He looks at it,
puzzled, as Angela walks up.
CAMPBELL
You’ll
come and dance with me, won’t you darling? Mr Morecombe here is...
ANGELA
All work
and no play...
Angela
glances at Nick; the white envelope.
CAMPBELL
That’s
not what the ladies tell me.
ANGELA
Oh what have the ladies told you?
CAMPBELL
Not for
your delicate ears my darling.
He leans
forward, kisses Angela on the cheek.
CAMPBELL
Chou.
Campbell,
playacting, moves as if to kiss Nick on the cheek, but stops at the last
moment; laughs.
CAMPBELL
Don’t
worry, darling, I’m not going to kiss you in public.
Nick
leans forward, kisses Campbell on the cheek. Campbell flutters his eyelashes
playfully at Nick.
CAMPBELL
Oooo! I
need a cold shower now.
Campbell
saunters off; turns:
CAMPBELL
Tease!
ANGELA (laughs)
What was
that all about.
NICK
Campbell’s
been trying to get into my knickers for years.
ANGELA
With any success?
NICK
Not as
yet.
ANGELA
But its on the cards?
NICK
I would
have to be very very drunk. (A BEAT) As for your knickers...
ANGELA
Don’t...Is Gerard looking at us?
Nick
glances at Gerard; looking directly at them.
NICK
No. So it’s OK if I kiss you?
Angela
tries hard not to smile. She does not succeed.
Close on
Gerard, his eyes on Angela and Nick; his jaw clenched tight.
Angela
holds out her hand to Nick.
ANGELA
Shake my
hand and walk off.
Nick
nods, shakes Angela’s hand, walks to his yellow 4WD in the hotel parking lot;
turns back to see:
Wing
Chou and Gerard walking down the Stairs to join Angela.
WING CHOU
My dear,
you must be careful of Mr Morecombe. He is not what he seems.
ANGELA
I’m
beginning to think no one here in Cambodia is who they seem to be.
WING CHOU
Wise, my
dear. Even I may not be who you think I am.
ANGELA
I don’t
think you are anybody.
WING CHOU (laughs)
Should I take that is an insult or as a compliment?
ANGELA (laughs)
When I
know more about you I will let you know.
Wing
Chou laughs, turns to Gerard.
WING CHOU
A feisty
young woman, Gerard. Be Careful.
Gerard
puts his arm around Angela’s shoulder.
GERARD
I like
my women feisty.
WING CHOU
And
I...soft...gentle...
ANGELA
Compliant?
Angela
extricates herself from Gerard’s embrace.
WING CHOU
Yes, a
woman’s yin to my yang. It is much...smoother this way.
ANGELA (laughs)
Smoother!
WING CHOU
Too much
yang, and...chaos reigns...it is not the right way.
(He
gestures to Gerard.)
Gerard
has more than enough yang for any one...partnership...
GERARD
Lover.
WING CHOU
Lover...you
are a lucky man, Gerard.
(To
Angela)
But you,
my dear, must be the yin to his yang.
Angela
smiles politely.
WING CHOU
Now, if
you will excuse me.
He
reaches out, takes Angela’s hand, lifts it to his lips; kisses the back of it;
shakes Gerard’s hand; walks off.
Angela
turns to Gerard.
ANGELA
Too much yang!
GERARD (laughs)
Just the
right amount, my darling. Come.
He takes
her hand, walks towards a limousine that has pulled up closeby; alongside the
rear open door of which stands a uniformed CHAUFFEUR.
As she
gets into the limousine, Angela makes brief eye contact with Nick - standing by
the open door of his yellow 4 WD 20 feet away. Gerard notices; registers it
with his eyes.
20 INT. NICKS 4 WD.
HOTEL PARKING LOT. NIGHT
Nick
sits in the driver’s seat, opens the white manila envelope; takes out four
photos and the note included. He reads the note; looks at the photos:
Nick, standing amidst a
collection of ramshackle slum dwellings, looks in the direction of a 13 year
old girl. They are alone in the frame.
Nick
smiles, shakes his head; looks at the other photos:
Nick walks towards the girl.
Nick, close to the girl now,
holds out his hand – in which there are several US$20 bills.
Nick leans close to the girl, the
$20 bills in her hand.
GERARD (voice over)
Wing is
right. Nicholas is not what he seems to be.
21 INT. LIMOUSINE. PHNOM PENH
STREETS. NIGHT
Gerard,
sitting alongside Angela in the back seat, surveys the contents of a small
liquor cabinet.
ANGELA
In what
way?
GERARD
Take my
word for it. No Glenfiddich!
ANGELA
Why?
Because you are Mr Yang?
Gerard
takes out a small bottle of whisky; looks at the label.
GERARD (laughs)
Because
you are my lover. You should trust me.
He
unscrews to top of the bottle.
ANGELA
Your
lover!?
GERARD
And I am
yours.
In the rear-vision
mirror the Chauffeur watches Gerard sniffing the whisky.
ANGELA
Do you
love me?
GERARD
Yes.
Very much. And you?
Gerard
takes two shot glasses from the cabinet.
ANGELA
You are
a great lover.
GERARD
That was
not my question.
ANGELA
I don’t
know what love is, Gerard.
GERARD
I will
teach you.
He hands
her a shot glass.
GERARD
And
Nicholas!? You like him, no?
He fills
her glass with whisky.
ANGELA
I don’t
know him well enough to know.
Gerard
fills his own glass.
GERARD
Not your
type!?
ANGELA
I really
don’t know.
GERARD
You are
a bad liar, my darling. Skoll.
He lifts
his glass. Angela does not. She looks at Gerard.
GERARD
You need
to loosen up.
ANGELA
I need
to go home.
GERARD
To your
hovel?
ANGELA
To you,
maybe. To me...
GERARD
I’m
sorry. That was insensitive of me. I can be an oaf sometimes.
ANGELA
Sometimes!
He lifts
his glass.
GERARD
Skoll.
Angela
lifts hers.
ANGELA
Skoll.
They
throw back their shots in unison.
ANGELA
How well
do you know each other?
(She
looks directly at him)
You and
Nick?
Gerard
refills their shot glasses; takes his time to reply.
GERARD (smiles)
Too
well.
Angela
looks at Gerard; wanting him to amplify.
GERARD
We lived
together once.
Gerard
refills their shot glasses.
GERARD
We
shared...many things.
ANGELA
Like...?
Gerard
waves his hand dismissively; lifts his glass.
GERARD
Skoll.
Angela
and Gerard drink their shot glasses in unison.
GERARD
Why are
you so curious?
ANGELA
A
character flaw.
GERARD
Not a
flaw, my darling. If I were a woman I would find Nicky very attractive.
ANGELA (smiles)
If you
were a woman you would be much too hairy for my liking.
GERARD
Would
you love me more if I waxed?
ANGELA
A
Brazillian!?
GERARD
If it would
make you happy.
Angela
laughs; shakes her head. Gerard reaches out, puts his arm around Angela’s
shoulder; pulls her close. She does not resist but nor does she seem thrilled.
23 INT. BATHROOM. ANGELA’S
APARTMENT. NIGHT
Angela
stands naked under a shower in her makeshift bathroom; tilts her head upwards
to allow the water to splash onto her face. She is in a state of inner turmoil.
She
steps out of the shower; wraps a towel around her body; looks at her reflection
in the mirror; is not all that happy with what she sees. The door behind her
opens.
Gerard,
wearing underpants only, walks in - the bottle of whisky from the limo in one
hand and two shot glasses in the other. He places the shot glasses on the sink
in front of Angela, fills both with whisky; hands one to Angela. She hesitates
for a moment; lifts it to her mouth.
GERARD
Skoll.
He
drinks the shot glass of whisky.
ANGELA
Skoll.
She
drinks her whisky.
Gerard
fills their glasses again. Gerard drinks his; looks at Angela: a challenge. Angela
drinks her shot.
A LITTLE
LATER
Gerard
and Angela, both drunk, now, their arms intertwined, throw back their shots in
unison. Gerard moves to pour two more. Angela laughs, shakes her head:
“Enough.”
Gerard
throws his shot glass at the wall. It shatters. Angela does likewise. Her glass
shatters.
Gerard
grabs two handfuls of Angela’s hair; kisses her hard. She pulls away, slaps him
hard across the face. He smiles; slaps her back. Angela moves her mouth close
to his, as if to kiss him; bites his lip. Hard. Draws blood. Gerard laughs,
tears her towel off. Angela, naked now, slaps him again.
GERARD
Harder.
Angela
slaps him harder. He smiles; removes his underpants.
24 INT. ANGELA’S BEDROOM. NIGHT
Gerard,
naked, lies alongside Angela; also naked. They go through the motions of
passionate foreplay but it is mechanical; devoid of passion; of emotion. Gerard
attempts to kiss Angela. She turns her head away; does not want to kiss.
Gerard
moves awkwardly on top of, tries to penetrate her. He can’t. He is limp. He
starts to shake, takes his cock in his hand and tries to guide it inside her.
He fails. He rolls over on the bed, lies inert for a moment, then starts to
sob.
Angela
is shocked; at a loss what to do. She reaches out to touch him. He recoils,
rolls across the bed, leaps to his feet, picks up an empty glass on the table
by the bed; fills it with the last of the whisky; drinking it in one gulp. He
looks at the empty glass for a long moment; madness in his eyes; his hand
shaking. He then smashes it into the side of his head. Blood begins to flow.
This is
as much a shock to Gerard as it is to Angela.
Mortified,
confused, Gerard picks up his trousers and stumbles towards the door; realizes
he is naked; starts to put his trousers on.
GERARD
I’m
sorry.
ANGELA
It’s OK.
Midway
through putting his trousers on he stops; frozen:
GERARD
I’m a
monster.
He has
tears in his eyes. Angela walks up to him; puts her arms around him; holds him
tight.
His eyes
blazing (mad!?) Gerard allows himself to be held for a moment before pulling
away; walking out the door.
Angela
is left naked and in shock.
25 EXT. PHNOM PENH CLUB DISTRICT.
NIGHT
Seen
through Monkey’s hand-held camera.
A TEENAGE KHMER WOMAN in red high
heeled shoes walks by, holding the hand of a balding POT-BELLIED MAN - old
enough to be her grand-father. He is drunk. She is flirtatious; snuggling up to
him.
26 INT/EXT ANGELA’S APARTMENT.
NIGHT
From a
window, Angela looks down on:
Gerard
stumbling, half dressed, to his limousine parked in the street below.
Angela’s
face registers her distress; her emotional confusion.
27 EXT. PHNOM PENH CLUB DISTRICT.
NIGHT
Monkey’s
hand held footage:
The Teenage Khmer Woman and Pot
Bellied Man turn from the main road, down a dimly lit and rubbish filled
alley-way. In the background:
A broken neon sign flashing: ROO
S FOR RENT
The camera observes them for a
moment, then swings away from the alley-way to reveal a wider shot of the
crowded street, then back again to the alley-way.
The Teenage Khmer Woman and Pot
Bellied Man, further down the alley, walk into the back entrance of a building.
28 INT/EXT ANGELA’S APARTMENT.
NIGHT
Angela
lies on her bed in the dark, staring at the ceiling; unable to sleep.
29 EXT. PHNOM PENH CLUB DISTRICT.
NIGHT
Monkey’s
wobbly hand held camera follows:
The Teenage Khmer Woman and Pot
Bellied Man down the alley-way towards the back entrance of the building with
the ROO S FOR RENT sign above the entrance.
The sound of a woman’s scream pierces
the night; shocks Monkey. The shot wobbles. A dark figure emerges from the back
entrance, running away from the camera.
Monkey
ducks down behind a pile of rubbish. The Teenage Khmer Woman, distressed, runs
by; bare-footed. She does not notice:
Monkey,
filming from in amongst the rubbish.
The Pot
Bellied Man is close behind the Teenage Khmer Woman; moving as fast as his bulk
will allow; fear in his eyes.
30 INT/EXT ANGELA’S APARTMENT.
NIGHT
Angela
sits cross-legged on her bed, in the dark; her laptop in front of her. Into
Google search engine she writes:
Ray of Hope for Orphans
As she
scrolls through the website the camera drifts down to the note book resting on
the bed beside her - both pages of which are filled with addresses of
orphanages - most with a red line drawn through them; some with a red ?.
She
draws a red line through Ray of Hope for Orphans.
She sits
for a long moment staring into space; as a loss what to do with herself; flips
the screen of her computer shut, sits for a moment; her lower lip quivering;
tears welling in her eyes.
Angela
flips the screen of her laptop open again; picks it up; looks closely at the
Home Page screen photo of:
Her mother, Aspara, holding her
as a baby
Tears
stream down Angela’s face as she sobs uncontrollably.
31 INT. CORRIDOR. BROTHEL. NIGHT
Monkey,
camera in hand, looks at the flip-out screen as she walks along a corridor
dimly lit with red lights. The camera’s POV:
An open
door to a small room with a double bed with a full length mirror alongside it.
A little further along the corridor a pair of red high-heeled shoes lie on the
floor.
Through
a partially open door a dog can be seen lapping at a dark puddle of liquid on
the floor. The camera holds on the dog for a moment before beginning to tilt
up. The sound of Monkey’s scream is heard.
32 INT. NICK’S BEDROOM. NIGHT
Nick,
asleep, wakes with a jolt; sits up; disoriented. A moment later he hears a
knock on his front door; looks at the clock beside his bed: 2.37.
33 INT. LIVING ROOM. NICK’S
APARTMENT. NIGHT
Nick, in
a sarong, hair awry emerges from his bedroom, walks across the Living Room,
opens the door. Angela is standing there - distressed; close to tears.
He steps
forward, takes her in his arms; holds her tight. She cries. They stand like
this for a long moment.
He takes
her hand, leads her inside; closes the door. She turns, looks up at him; tears
streaming down her face. He wraps his arms around her; holds her tight as she
cries.
He leads
her by the hand towards his bedroom.
34 INT. NICK’S BEDROOM. NIGHT
Angela walks
to the bed, climbs onto it, fully clothed, lies down. Nick gets onto bed beside
her; lies facing her. She snuggles close; holds him tight.
Nick
holds her, gently stroking her neck. After a long moment, Angela pulls her head
away, her eyes tear-filled, looks at him; smiles sadly.
Nick
brushes away the tears that roll down her cheeks. Her smile moves from ‘sad’ to
’happier’. Nick smiles. They lie looking at each other for a long moment.
ANGELA
I’m
sorry, its just that I was...
Nick
places his finger gently on her lips to stop her.
She
looks at him for a moment; holds him tight. Very tight.
LATER
Nick,
wearing a sarong and Angela, fully dressed, lie asleep in each others arms.
Nick’s mobile phone is ringing. He opens his eyes, looks at the clock beside
the bed: 4:11
Beside
the clock, beside the photo, rests Nick’s mobile. To reach for it would
necessitate disentangling Angela from his embrace. He decides against it. The
ringing stops. Angela half opens her eyes.
ANGELA
Hello.
NICK
Hello.
They look
at each other for a long moment; then kiss. The kiss becomes increasingly
passionate. Nick begins to unbutton Angela’s shirt. His phone rings. He decides
to ignore it.
Serious
foreplay continues for a few moment but is soon interrupted by the phone ringing
again. Angela laughs, sits up, picks up Nick’s phone; takes the call.
ANGELA
Nicholas
Morecombe’s personal assistant!
BALIN MEAS’ VOICE
Miss
Angela, can you please out Nicholas on.
Angela
grimaces playfully (”Oops!”), hands the mobile to Nick.
35 EXT. NICK’S APARTMENT. NIGHT
Nick and
Angela, both dressed, walk fast to Nick’s 4 WD.
ANGELA
Whose
body?
NICK
Didn’t
say. Just one that he said I might be interested in.
Nick
unlocks the door.
ANGELA
More
than mine?
Nick smiles;
gets into the 4WD.
36 INT. NICK’S 4WD. NIGHT
Angela
gets in; sits in the passenger seat.
ANGELA
Next
time we don’t answer the phone, OK?
NICK
There’s
going to be a next time?
ANGELA
If
you’re lucky.
Nick
laughs, leans over, kisses her; turns on the ignition.
37 EXT. CITY STREETS. PHNOM PENH
Nick’s 4
WD moves fast down a deserted Phnom Penh street.
ANGELA (voice off)
It is
very seductive...being loved.
38 INT. NICK’S 4WD. NIGHT
Angela’s
eyes are on Nick as he drives:
ANGELA
I love
to be loved.
(Nick
turns to look at her)
My
Achilles Heel.
NICK
Gerard
loves you?
ANGELA (nods)
Being
loved scares the shit out of me.
NICK
I’ll try
hard not to fall in love with you.
ANGELA (laughs)
Not
being loved scares the shit out of me, too. All clear to you now?
Nick
smiles.
A LITTLE
LATER
Nick and
Angela’s attention being caught by what they see 50 or so meters up the road:
A crowd
of late night BAR GIRLS and their potential customers has gathered around the
entrance to the alleyway; held back by UNIFORMED POLICE.
39 EXT. BAR DISTRICT. NIGHT
Nick and
Angela make their way towards the entrance to the alley. A throng of curious
onlookers lingers there: BAR GIRLS, STREET VENDORS, DRUNKEN CAUCASIAN MEN and
others. They are held back by Uniformed Police.
Angela
lifts her camera; takes shots of the crowd as she walks backwards; pointing and
shooting fairly randomly - without looking in the viewfinder. Guerilla
photography!
She does
not see:
Monkey,
crouched in amongst the throng of onlookers.
Balin
Meas, stands at the back entrance to the brothel, gestures to Nick and Angela
to follow him.
40 INT. CORRIDOR. BROTHEL. NIGHT
Nick,
Angela and Balin Meas make their way down a corridor dimly lit with red lights.
Through
an open door to a small room can be seen a double bed with a full length mirror
alongside it.
Angela
takes rapid-fire ‘guerilla’ photos as they walk. One of which (’click’) is of:
A pair of red high-heeled shoes
on the floor of the corridor.
Seen
through a partially open door a dog laps at a dark puddle of liquid on the
floor.
Balin
Meas kicks the dog. It yelps, skulks out of the room.
41 INT. ROOM IN BROTHEL. NIGHT
Close on
Nick and Angela as they take in the scene. Angela is in shock, fears she may
vomit; hesitates a moment before raising her camera.
Two bare
bleeding male legs appear, each one strapped to the bottom half of a wooden X;
above the dark puddle of blood.
Tilt up
to reveal the naked torso of a man. Where his genitals should be there is only
a bloody gaping red wound.
The
man’s arms, outstretched, are tied, with black leather S & M straps to the
upper half of the wooden X. Strapped across his face is a mouth gag.
The man,
his eyes bulging in terror as he registers his impending death, is recognizably
Bazza - the pot-bellied man Francoise had a run in with in the street recently.
Nick and
Angela both recognize him immediately.
ANGELA
That’s...
Nick
shakes his head: “Don’t say anything.” Balin Meas looks at her; waiting for
Angela to continue.
ANGELA
I’ve
seen him before...somewhere.
Balin
Meas nods, does not try to hide his disapproval.
BALIN MEAS
I know
who he is. Barry Fitzgerald. Not a good man. There have been complaints, but he has money.
42 EXT. PHNOM PENH CLUB DISTRICT.
NIGHT
Angela,
Nick and Balin Meas stand outside the brothel. The crowd has thinned a little.
TWO
AMBULANCE DRIVERS carry the body, covered in a sheet, of a stretcher - towards
an ambulance parked in the street. Balin Meas addresses Nick:
BALIN MEAS
Perhaps
you can help me.
NICK
Of
course.
BALIN MEAS
If you
could mention that the killer left a clue to his identity at the scene of the
crime...
NICK
He did!?
BALIN MEAS
Not as
far as I can tell. However, if he thinks he left a clue he may run. Panic.
Reveal himself in some way.
Angela
nods; clearly thinking it is a good idea. She looks at Nick. He grimaces.
NICK
I’d
rather not, Meas.
Balin
Meas smiles, holds up his hands.
BALIN MEAS
I
understand.
Angela
looks at Nick; does not understand.
A LITTLE
LATER
As Nick
and Angela walk out of the alley; away from Balin Meas, the Police and the few
remaining curious onlookers:
ANGELA
But if
it helps catch whoever is doing this!?
NICK
If I
start to make up the news...
ANGELA
But if
telling a lie helped Meas catch whoever is killing the young girls?
NICK
Do you
want to argue about this or get a drink?
ANGELA
Get a
drink and argue about it.
Angela
links her arm with Nick’s.
43 INT. BAR. NIGHT
Nick and
Angela sit in a dimly lit bar. The only other patrons: an old CAUCASIAN MAN and
a petit KHMER TEEN GIRL.
ANGELA
Why
didn’t you want Balin Meas to know about Francoise’s... ’encounter’ with
Bazza!
Angela
places her camera on the table.
NICK
Frannie
doesn’t have a work visa and...I don’t want to open a can of worms that...
ANGELA
So, it
wasn’t to protect her from being a suspect?
NICK
Of
killing Bazza!? Francoise!
ANGELA
She is a little crazy.
NICK
Yes, but
the operative word is “a little”
ANGELA
The
operative words are ‘a little’.
A
WAITRESS walks up to take their orders.
NICK (smiles)
Pedant.
He turns
to the Waitress; speaks in Khmer
NICK (subtitled)
A beer
for me and...
He turns
to Angela.
ANGELA
Um...
NICK
Glass of
wine? Red?
Angela
smiles. Nick mimics Francoise’s voice and mannerisms.
NICK
‘Good
for zee libido’.
ANGELA (laughs)
I don’t
have a problem with my libido.
NICK
Other
than mobile phones!
(Angela
laughs)
White
then?
ANGELA (smiles)
Make it
red.
Nick
turns to the waitress, speaks in Khmer:
NICK (subtitled)
A beer
and a glass of red wine.
44 EXT. PHNOM PENH STREET. BAR
DISTRICT. NIGHT
Through
the long end of a lens; a series of stills:
Nick leans close to Angela,
kisses her lightly on the lips.
Nick and Angela talk for a
moment; laugh.
Angela
picks up her camera. Together, she and Nick scroll through photos.
NICK (voice over)
If I get
a reputation for lying to help the police?
45 INT. BAR. NIGHT
Nick and
Angela, leaning close, look at photos.
ANGELA
You lied
about Frannie.
NICK
No. I
just didn’t volunteer information.
Angela
smiles; shakes her head; continues scrolling through her photos. She stops at
one; freezes in shock.
NICK
What?
Angela
holds up her hand: “Wait”.
Close on
camera LCD screen:
The crowd in the laneway.
Crouched on the ground, between sets of adults legs, is a young girl. Angela
zooms in closer. It is Monkey, clutching something in her hands.
ANGELA
Is that
Monkey?
46. INT.
NICK’S 4WD. NIGHT
Nick
drives fast. Angela zooms in so close on the photo of Monkey on her camera that
the photo breaks up.
ANGELA
It’s got
to be her.
NICK
No, it
doesn’t, but let’s hope....(it is).
Angela
holds out a hand, fingers crossed. Nick reaches out, takes her hand.
47 EXT. ANGELA’S APARTMENT. NIGHT
From
inside a vehicle, a dark figure watches Nick’s yellow 4 WD pull up outside the
entrance to Angela’s apartment; Nick and Angela get out and walk quickly
inside.
48 INT. ANGELA’S APARTMENT. NIGHT
Angela
moves fast across the room to her laptop computer; Nick close behind her.
A LITTLE
LATER
Nick and
Angela sit in front of her laptop - the screen of which has dozens of photo
icons on it. Angel’s camera is connected to the computer by a cable.
Angela
clicks on an icon. Onscreen, the photo of:
Monkey in the alleyway, crouched
in amongst adult legs. An optical zoom in so that a close grainy shot of Monkey
fills the photo frame.
Angela
looks at Nick questioningly.
NICK
I think
so.
Angela
nods, opens up another photo icon:
Monkey getting out of the white
car at the entrance to the palatial mansion.
Angela
zooms in on Monkey’s face, copies it; places it on the desk top, alongside the
photo of Monkey in amongst the legs in the alleyway.
Angela
looks at Nick, her face breaking into a radiant smile.
ANGELA
She’s
alive!
Angela
laughs happily.
49 EXT. ANGELA’S APARTMENT. NIGHT
Angela’s
laughter can be heard from the apartment block. carries over - soft but clearly
joyful – as…
The dark
figure inside the car looks up to the only apartment in the block with its
lights on.
The
figure lifts a bottle to his lips, drinks from it. A ray of light catches the
lable: Glenfiddich Whisky.
FADE TO
BLACK
50 INT. NICK’S APARTMENT. NIGHT
FADE UP
FROM BLACK
Close on
a TV screen:
The the
last moment of the opening credit sequence of a current affairs show - DATELINE
ASIA.
The
final credit, over a shot of lean, deeply tanned fishermen unloading baskets of
fish:
FISH SLAVES
Nick, in the Trat
fish market, wearing his floral tourist’s shirt, talks to the camera - held in
his own outstretched arm. Behind him the fishermen can be seen unloading
baskets.
NICK (TV)
Slavery is not an
inhumane practice of the past.
Angela
snuggles close to Nick on the couch.
Title
Card: Three weeks later
NICK (TV)
It is alive and
well and...
51 EXT. BEACHSIDE HOME. HALANEI.
HAWAII. NIGHT
A
palatial home on an exclusive Hawaiian beach.
NICK (voice off)
...a
thriving industry in Cambodia and Thailand.
52 EXT. BEACHSIDE HOME. HALANEI.
HAWAII. NIGHT
STAIR
MORECOMBE, Nick’s brother, (recognizable from photos and the video interview
seen earlier) watches TV in a plush room in an upmarket house. His beautiful
wife TILDA, mid 30’s, sits alongside him.
The Large Thai Man
begins to make his way towards Nick and GUNTHER; a large fishing knife in his
hands.
GUNTHER (voice off)
Scheisse!
The shot wobbles;
points at the ground. Gunther shouts;
his accent thickly German.
GUNTHER (voice off)
Behind you!
Tilda
yelps; brings her hand to her mouth in shock. Stair shakes his head; annoyed
rather than shocked.
GRACE
(aged 8) and TINA (aged 10) peek out through a partly open door on the other
side of the room; watching the TV:
Shots of packaged
meat in a supermarket.
NICK (voice over)
Here’s how it
works. Most of us want to buy the
cheapest beef, lamb, chicken and bacon we can, right?
Grace
and Tina watch, wide-eyed. Stair and Tilda are unaware of their presence behind
them.
NICK (voice over)
So the supermarkets
compete…
53 INT. STUDY. WING CHOU’S
PALATIAL CAMBODIAN HOME. NIGHT
Wing
Chou, in a white suit, watches the TV in a study lined with hundreds of books
and filled with fine antique furniture. Terry Swinton sits alongside him. On
the TV:
NICK
...with each other
to supply us - you and me - with cheap meat.
Over shots of free
range cows, sheep, pigs and chickens.
NICK (voice over)
And this puts
pressure on the farmers who grow the cows, sheep, pigs and chickens...
54 EXT. BEACHSIDE HOME. HALANEI.
HAWAII. NIGHT
Tilda’s
attention is split between the TV and Stair - whose face betrays no emotion.
NICK (voice off)
...to
keep costs of production down. And the cheapest meat is produced through
factory farming...
Grace
and Tina can be seen in the background, peeking through the partly opened door.
Tilda
places her hand affectionately on Stair’s arm. He does not respond in any way.
Shots of 1st world
factory farming of cows, sheep, pigs and chickens.
NICK (voice over)
And this puts
pressure on the farmers who grow the cows, sheep, pigs and chickens to...
Close on
Grace and Tina, watching on with mounting horror.
NICK (voice off)
... keep
costs of production down.
55 INT. CONFERENCE ROOM. NIGHT
Srey
Mean, seen earlier at the ‘bulldozer confrontation’ and launch of Wing Chou’s
Eco Village & Casino, seated around a large chunky wooden conference table,
watch the TV with the SENATOR (her husband) and OTHER GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS:
Disturbing images
of factory farming.
NICK (to camera)
...cramming a lot
of animals into small spaces and feeding them with high protein food like
fishmeal...
A brief montage of
fish being turned into fishmeal.
The Senator
makes eye contact with Vichet (seen at Rain forest demonstration in Ep #1),
wiping his hot sweaty face with a handkerchief.
NICK (to camera)
...made from ground
up fish, dried and pulverized into a powder and fed to the animals we eat.
56 INT. LIVING ROOM. NICK’S
APARTMENT. CAMBODIA. NIGHT
Nick and
Angela, sip wine as the watch the TV; comfortable with each other; happy
together.
NICK (voice off)
Now, because
the producers of fishmeal…
The
apartment, tidy now, shows signs of Angela having moved in.
NICK (voice off)
…are
also competing with each other to produce the lowest cost animal feed.
57 EXT. BEACHSIDE HOME. HALANEI.
HAWAII. NIGHT
Stair
watches the TV, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Tilda is looking intently
at him; trying to gauge his response to what he is viewing. His face gives
nothing away.
NICK (voice off)
Just
like supermarkets, they want to pay the lowest possible amount for the fish
they buy.
Tina’s
eyes have welled with tears. She turns to Grace:
TINA
We don’t
eat animals do we?
Grace
rolls her eyes, raises a finger to her mouth: “Shhh!”
Stair
and Tilda turn to look at them.
STAIR (stern)
Bed!
GRACE & TINA
Please...
STAIR
No. I’ll
come and tuck you in in a minute. OK?
GRACE
But...
Stair
holds up his hand; “This is not open for negotiation”
STAIR (firm)
Now.
Grace
and Tina scamper off. Stair and Tilda exchange looks.
Over shots of fishing
boats in Trat port:
NICK (voice over)
And the same
applies for the owners of the fishing boats.
58 INT. STUDY. WING CHOU’S HOME.
NIGHT
Wing
Chou and Terry Swinton watch the TV:
Over more shots of
fishing boats and fishermen.
NICK (voice over)
In order to keep their
costs down, because they, and the boat captains, are also competing with each
other, they need to pay their fishermen as little as possible. Or not at all.
Terry
Swinton, glances nervously at Wing Chou.
59 INT. GRACE AND TINA’S BEDROOM.
NIGHT
Stair sits
on the edge of a bed with Grace and Tina in it.
GRACE
Why
can’t we watch uncle Nick?
STAIR
Because
he’s telling a very sad story.
GRACE
Can you
tell us a happy story?
STAIR
I can,
but do you want me to?
GRACE & TINA
We want
you to.
STAIR
Which
one?
TINA
The one
with the giraffe.
STAIR
Jerry
the giraffe?
Grace
and Tina smile, nod; snuggle close.
60 INT. CONFERENCE ROOM. NIGHT
Srey
Mean, the Senator, Vichet and others look at the TV. Nick can be seen talking
to camera in Trat fishing port.
NICK (TV)
Most of the
fishermen you can see behind me are impoverished Cambodian rice farmers...
Srey
Mean glances at her Senator/husband.
NICK (TV)
...recruited by
unscrupulous Cambodian employment agents...
Over a still photo
of Munny, his wife and his 16 year old son, Vibrol, in their village:
NICK (voice over)
...who trick men
like Munny and his son, Vibrol...
Vichet
sweats profusely as Srey Mean glares at him.
NICK (voice over)
...into believing
that there is a well-paid job for them in Thailand, picking fruit...
61 INT.
LIVING ROOM. NICK’S APARTMENT. NIGHT
Nick and
Angela watch the TV:
A FISH MERCHANT, in the Trat fish
market in Thailand, talks to camera in Thai, his voice dubbed into English.
FISH MERCHANT
If these fishermen do not get
paid for their work...it’s not my problem. You must talk with the captains of
the boats.
62 EXT. BEACHSIDE HOME. HALANEI.
HAWAII. NIGHT
Tilda
watches the TV:
A FISHING BOAT
CAPTAIN speaks in Thai, his words dubbed into English:
FISHING BOAT CAPTAIN
“If I stopped using
this labour, my fish would be more expensive ...
than his...or his.
He gestures to
other fishing boats
Tilda
turns, notices Stair standing behind her watching the TV; jiggling his car keys
impatiently in his hands.
FISHING BOAT CAPTAIN
I must
sell for the same price. Or less. This is just the way it is!
63 INT. CONFERENCE ROOM. NIGHT
Srey
Mean, the Senator, Vichet and Other Government Officials, watch the TV:
A CURRENT AFFAIRS
HOST sits in a studio talks with Nick - whose face appears on a large screen.
NICK
A large sector of
the fishing and fishmeal industry is run, and ruthlessly controlled by, amongst
others, the wife of a Cambodian Senator and a...
A photo of Srey
Mean is displayed.
Srey
Mean’s hackles rise! The Senator is apoplectic.
64 INT. LIVING ROOM. NICK’S
APARTMENT. NIGHT
Nick and
Angela watch the TV.
NICK
...former FBI agent
based in Cambodia – Terry Swinton
A photo of Terry
Swinton appears onscreen.
Angela
sits bolt upright, angry; turns to Nick. He holds up his hand.
Over a
still photo of Vibrol with his father, smiling for the camera:
NICK (TV)
Both morally and
legally responsible for the death of this young boy.
Zoom in close on
Vibrol’s face.
65 INT. STUDY. WING CHOU’S HOME.
NIGHT
Wing
Chou and Terry Swinton, red with rage, watch the TV.
Terry,
at Wing Chou’s Eco Village & Casino reception, filmed with a hidden camera,
his face distorted by the wide angle lens:
Terry’s jaw is
clenched tight.
NICK (voice off)
Are you aware that
‘Khmer Plus’, your company, is engaged in providing Cambodian slaves to the
Thai fishing...’
TERRY
Willing workers.
Workers who sign contracts...
NICK (voice off)
Workers who can’t
read, can’t write, who will place their thumb print on any document...
Terry’s
face turns even redder with rage. Wing Chou’s face gives nothing away. He holds
up a hand to calm Terry.
TERRY
Not my problem,
Morecombe...
Terry raises his
hand, index finger extended (a ‘gun’).
NICK (voice off)
...any document
they think will get them work so they can feed their family.
TERRY
Fuck off, cunt.
Terry points it at
the camera, pulls the ‘trigger’.
NICK (voice off)
...Workers who are
killed by fishing captains you have sold them to.
66 INT. LIVING ROOM. NICK’S
APARTMENT. NIGHT
Angela
leaps to her feet; her eyes flitting between the TV and Nick in angry
disbelief:
ANGELA
No, you
idiot! What The...
NICK
Terry Swinton
worked for the FBI...
NICK
It’s the
truth.
NICK
Before they found
our he was setting up drug stings...
ANGELA
Yes,
but...
NICK
...stealing the
money and drugs...
Nick
stands, reaches out to her. Angela backs away.
67 INT. CONFERENCE ROOM. NIGHT
On the
TV:
The end credits of
DATELINE ASIA roll.
Srey
Mean screams at the Senator in Khmer.
SREY MEAN (subtitled)
Get rid
of him.
The
Senator, scared of his wife, nods meekly; looks at Vichet for an answer.
VICHET (subtitled)
I will
deal with it.
68 INT. STUDY. WING CHOU’S HOME.
NIGHT
Terry Swinton
paces; agitated. Wing Chou smiles; calm.
WING CHOU
You must
take three deep breaths, Mr Swinton.
TERRY SWINTON
He’s
pushed his luck too far this time. Fuck him!
69 INT. LIVING ROOM. NICK’S
APARTMENT. NIGHT
Nick and
Angela, both standing, face each other.
ANGELA
Are you
out of your fucking mind? You poke a stick into a nest of vipers and...
Nick
laughs, leans forward, kisses her on the lips.
ANGELA
Jesus,
Nick, a little discretion wouldn't hurt!
70 EXT. BEACHSIDE HOME. HALANEI.
HAWAII. NIGHT
Tilda, standing,
hands on hips, looks daggers at Stair; jiggling the car keys in his hand.
STAIR
I won’t
be late.
Tilda
holds out her hand. Stair takes out his wallet, reluctantly, hands it to her.
TILDA
You
don’t worry about him?
She
gestures to the rolling credits on the TV.
Stair
holds up his hands: “I don’t want to talk about it”.
Tilda
opens the wallet, removes credit cards and cash.
71 INT. NICK’S BEDROOM. NIGHT
Nick and
Angela lie naked in bed; some distance between them.
ANGELA
The
truth is not going to set you free, you idiot. It’s going to get you killed.
NICK (laughs)
You are
definitely the most gorgeous angry woman I've ever known.
ANGELA
I’ve
just found you. I don’t want to lose you.
NICK
I’m not
going anywhere.
Nick
wraps his arms around her. She holds him tight; worried. He kisses her, to
reassure her. She looks into his eyes. A long moment. They kiss again;
passionately. Angela wants to make love with some urgency; with an aggressive
passion. Nick goes along with it. They build, quickly, to wild ‘animal’ sex.
LATER
Angela,
her body wet with sweat, kneels astride
Nick on the bed. They are both naked. Angela slides off his body; lies beside
Nick - her head on his chest.
ANGELA
You
remember the first time we kissed?
NICK
With an
AK 47 pointed at us?
ANGELA
No, the
first time I came here.
NICK
And you
weren’t sure whether you wanted to kiss me or not?
ANGELA
No, I
was sure. (A BEAT) I was just...
(Nick’s
mobile rings in the living room)
...don’t
you dare answer that...because...I’ve never wanted to kiss a man so much in all
my life but...
She
looks up at him; a little nervous to continue.
ANGELA
What if
I fall in love with you?
NICK
Would
that be a problem?
ANGELA
Would it
be a problem for you?
NICK
I do
love you.
ANGELA
But
you’re not ‘in love’ with me?
(Nick
hesitates.)
Sorry,
that’s an unfair question.
He
kisses her cheek; strokes her hair gently. Angela smiles; closes her eyes.
FADE TO
BLACK
Angela
lies on Nick’s bed; asleep; opens her eyes; can hear Nick’s voice in the living
room; swings her legs off the bed, wraps a sarong around her; moves to the
door; sees:
Nick
nodding his head as he listens on the phone; panic registering in his face. He
becomes aware that Angela is watching him; glances at her; indicates that he
needs to have this conversation in private.
Angela,
not happy, turns, walks back to the bed; sits. After a long moment she stands,
walks back to the doorway.
72 INT. LIVING ROOM. NICK’S
APARTMENT. NIGHT
Nick
sees Angela walking towards him, holds up his hand; frowns; mouths the word
“Please.” Angela shakes her head; annoyed. Nick walks across the room and out
through a sliding door to a small tropical garden.
Nick,
seen from behind, nods as he listens on his phone.
Angela
watches him; worried. She walks closer; hoping to overhear the conversation.
The only
words that Angela (and we, the audience) hear, softly are:
NICK
You
remember the name of our dog? The one that ran away?
73 EXT. TROPICAL GARDEN. NICK’S
APARTMENT. NIGHT
Nick
listens on the phone. Angela can be seen in the Living Room in the background;
watching him with concern; straining to hear.
NICK
OK
He hangs
up; looks at his mobile phone - caught
between wanting and not wanting to make a phone call.
74 INT. NICK’S APARTMENT. LIVING
ROOM. EVENING
Angela
looks out, through the sliding glass door, to where Nick stands in the garden, shoulders
slumped - defeated; emotionally drained. He wipes moisture from his eyes.
Angela
moves towards the glass door and is about to open it when Nick turns, registers
her intentions, shakes his head.
Angela
asks ‘why’ with her eyes. Nick stares back at her.
They
look at each other through the glass for a long moment before Nick walks back
into the Living Room.
ANGELA
What?
Nick
shakes his head.
NICK
Nothing.
ANGELA
Please
don’t lie to me.
(He
holds up his hand)
Don’t...
She
mimics his dismissive gesture.
75 EXT. NICK’S APARTMENT. NIGHT
Nick and
Angela stand alongside his yellow 4WD. Angela wraps her arms around him, holds
him tight.
ANGELA
Where?
Why?
(He
doesn’t want to answer)
Please,
at least...can you tell me if... whatever it is...is dangerous ...for you?
(Nick
shakes his head)
No?
NICK
Maybe. A
little bit.
ANGELA
A little
bit!? (A BEAT) If I asked you not to go, would you?
NICK
Would
you ask me that?
ANGELA
No, but
if I did...?
Nick
smiles as best he can.
NICK
Don’t
worry, OK? (A BEAT) OK?
ANGELA
I’m
going to worry.
76 INT. NICK’S 4WD. RICE PADDIES.
SUNRISE
Nick
drives as the sun rises over rice paddies. He has his yellow mobile phone held
to his ear. Mental as Anything’s “If you leave me, can I come to” plays on the
CD deck.
NICK
You
awake?
77 INT. NICK’S BEDROOM. SUNRISE
Angela,
lying in bed, half asleep still, smiles. Nick turns up the music volume, holds
his mobile close.
MENTAL AS ANYTHING
“If you
leave me, can I come too?”
Angela
smiles.
78 INT. NICK’S 4WD. RICE PADDIES.
SUNRISE
Nick
holds his mobile to the speaker; smiles.
MENTAL AS ANYTHING
“We can
always stay”
He turns
the volume down, lifts the mobile back to his ear.
NICK
The
answer is ‘yes’.
79 INT. NICK’S BEDROOM. SUNRISE
ANGELA (laughs)
Yes! But
to which question? (A BEAT) Hello. Nick! Hello...
80 INT. NICK’S 4WD. RICE PADDIES.
SUNRISE
NICK
I am in
love with you. Head over heels. (A BEAT) You there...hello...Fuck.
He looks
at his mobile: No Service. He slips his mobile into his shirt pocket.
81 INT. NICK’S BEDROOM. SUNRISE
Angela,
mobile phone in hand, tries to figure out what the question was. And then is
dawns on her. She smiles, bites her lip; happy tears welling in her eyes.
82 EXT. MAKESHIFT BAMBOO HOUSE.
RURAL CAMBODIA. DAY
Bun, the
old Khmer woman (seen at rain forest demonstration in Ep # 1), stands close to
a ramshackle thatched-roofed home, empties a slop bucket into a wooden trough.
As pigs
jostle with chickens and ducks for food, Bun’s attention is caught by:
A
vehicle in the distance approaching on a red dirt road, kicking up a rooster’s
tail of dust behind it. As it gets closer its colour becomes clear: yellow.
As it
gets closer, the yellow 4WD is recognizable as Nick’s.
83 INT.
MAKESHIFT BAMBOO HOUSE. RURAL CAMBODIA. DAY
Bun blows
dust from an old AK 47 she holds in her hands. As she picks up an ammunition
magazine the sound of an explosion in
the distance catches her attention.
84 EXT.
MAKESHIFT BAMBOO HOUSE. RURAL CAMBODIA. DAY
An old
man, SOK, looks across a rice paddy to:
Nick’s
yellow 4WD, 50 meters away; enveloped in flames.
Bun
appears behind him, dusty gun in one hand; ammo magazine in the other. The
sound of another explosion is heard.
The flames
leap higher into the sky. Bun and Sok watch, mesmerized.
Close on
the burning vehicle - the figure sitting in the drivers seat barely visible
amidst the flames. Follow the flames and dense black smoke leaping into the
sky.
It is
silent now. Only the sound of crickets, frogs and birdsong can be heard.
The
sound of firecrackers pierces this silence.
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