Screen Australia’s ban on me, my consequent
lack of access to the Producer Offset, has left me with no choice but to
abandon “Nest of Vipers” as an Australian production. It is now being
re-written for the US market. Here is Episode # 1 of what could have been an
Australian production, starring Australian actors in the leads, with Australian
co-producer, co-directors and Australian crew:
1 EXT. TROPICAL RAINFOREST CAMBODIA. DAY
Opening credit sequence
The screen is black.
Angela’s voice (British) is heard amidst the rustling of papers, footsteps on a
wooden floor.
ANGELA’S VOICE
$3,000! The going price to
get someone killed in Cambodia. Just a few days ago Nick was telling me...
KATIE’S VOICE (American accent)
Hold on, Angela. Todd, you
close?
The sound of Angela’s
clip-on microphone being touched.
TODD’S VOICE (American accent)
Yes. If you could try not
to touch the microphone, Angela.
ANGELA’S VOICE
OK.
FADE UP FROM BLACK
A travelling aerial shot,
moving close to the tops of trees over dense tropical rainforest.
TODD’S VOICE
If you could you just say
something.
ANGELA’S VOICE
Something.
TODD’S VOICE
More...
ANGELA’S VOICE
Something more...more of
something...
2 EXT. RICE PADDIES. DAY
Gliding downhill at the
forest’s edge towards a vast quilt of green rice paddies stretching to the
horizon.
ANGELA’S VOICE
Too much of something...
TODD’S VOICE
OK, thanks....Rolling.
KATIE’S VOICE
You ready?
3 EXT. VILLAGE & RICE PADDIES. DAY
Moving lower now over palm
tree-lined rice paddies; gliding over a thatched roofed village.
ANGELA’S VOICE
As I ever will be.
4 EXT. RURAL CAMBODIAN ROAD. DAY
A white pick-up truck with
H A C written in large letters on
the side makes its way along a dusty red road that intersects green rice
paddies lined with palm trees.
ANGELA’S VOICE
Do I look at you? Todd?
The camera?
THREE KHMER WOMEN sit on
the truck tray amidst a chaotic array of vegetable and fruit -filled boxes,
bags of rice and bulging plastic bags.
5 INT. FLATBED TRUCK.
RURAL CAMBODIAN ROAD. DAY
Title Card: Angela
ANGELA, Eurasian, late
20s, drives. Perspiration glistens on her face. She wears Khaki shorts and a
long-sleeved shirt; has a laminated H A C
name tag around her neck.
KATIE’S VOICE
Whatever you feel
comfortable with.
A KHMER MAN, his WIFE, TWO
CHILDREN and a Rooster in a wire cage, are crammed into the passenger seat.
Angela turns to them; speaks in faltering Khmer.
ANGELA (subtitled)
Does the red kitchen of my
aunt have blue snakes in the roof?
They laugh. She turns to
the two children; playful.
ANGELA
No!?
The children laugh.
6 EXT. VILLAGE. DAY
Angela’s truck drives into
a rural Cambodian village; pulls up in front of a building with H A C painted on it; gets out.
Underneath H A C: Humanitarian Aid Cambodia
ANGELA’S VOICE
So, how does this work? You
want me to...
The passengers, front and
back, disembark.
KATIE’S VOICE
Maybe you could just...
start at the beginning?
A THIN MAN wearing an
‘HAC’ t-shirt appears; organizes VILLAGERS to carry the bags and boxes inside.
ANGELA’S VOICE
The beginning! Which
one?
One cardboard box is
labelled: “Celebrity Slim Fat Burner”
7 INT. H A C OFFICE. DAY
Angela drinks water from a
plastic bottle as the Thin Man lifts colourful hand-knitted blankets from a
bag.
ANGELA’S VOICE
There are so many
beginnings to this story.
The Thin Man looks at the
blankets; smiles politely as Angela splashes water on her perspiring face.
KATIE’S VOICE
For you.
The Thin Man holds up a
box of “Celebrity Slim Fat Burner Shake Packs”. A photo of colourful chocolate,
strawberry and vanilla ‘shakes’ adorn the box.
ANGELA’S VOICE
For me?
The Thin Man shakes his
head, looks at Angela. She shrugs; makes a “Don’t ask me!” gesture; smiles
sheepishly.
8 INT. FLATBED TRUCK. RURAL CAMBODIAN ROAD. DAY
Close on Angela driving;
alone now. A song plays low in the background: “If You Leave Me” by “Mental as
Anything”.
MENTAL AS ANYTHING
“If you leave me, can I
come too?”
ANGELA’S VOICE
With my conception in a
Cambodian refugee camp...
MENTAL AS ANYTHING
“We can always stay”
KATIE’S VOICE
We don’t need to go back
that far.
MENTAL AS ANYTHING
“Words were exchanged last
night”
ANGELA’S VOICE
Oh yes we do!
MENTAL AS ANYTHING
“You could call it a
fight”
KATIE’S VOICE
How about when you first
met Nick?
Angela’s laughter is
heard; mixed with “If You Leave Me”.
MENTAL AS ANYTHING
“It's such a shame I never
thought we would...”
Up ahead a figure looms;
standing by a yellow vehicle.
MENTAL AS ANYTHING
“Wouldn't be so bad, if it
weren't so good...”
As the song continues, the
figure grows larger in the frame.
MENTAL AS ANYTHING
“It's such a shame I never
thought we would...”
NICK, late 30s, stands by
a mud be-spattered yellow 4WD holding a large dirty plastic petrol container.
MENTAL AS ANYTHING
“I've had enough of
that...”
Nick has a two day growth
of beard, longish tousled hair, no dress sense; sweats profusely.
MENTAL AS ANYTHING
“Other loves in days gone
by.”
Angela pulls up alongside
him.
MENTAL AS ANYTHING
“It wasn't much I know..”
Angela turns the engine
off. Nick, empty petrol container held aloft; smiles sheepishly. His accent is
Californian.
NICK
I’m a fucking moron.
ANGELA
Hello ‘fucking moron’.
NICK
The gauge on the ‘Yellow
Peril’ is broken...
(He gestures to his 4WD )
...so I can never be 100%
sure how much petrol’s in the tank so I...
He raps his fingers on the
plastic container.
NICK
...anyhow, I forgot to
fill it and...
ANGELA
Because you’re a fucking
moron...
NICK
Or an imbecile. Whichever
is worse.
ANGELA
Cretin is worse than both
moron and imbecile.
NICK
OK, cretin. I’m Nick, by
the way.
ANGELA
Nick the cretin.
NICK
Nick the cretin. And
you’re...?
ANGELA
Angela. And you need to be
rescued.
NICK
Yes...not sure what the
word is for a guy in distress.
ANGELA
Damoiseau.
NICK
(laughs)
Damoiseau in distress! (A
BEAT) There’s a village just a few kilometers back...
He points to the road
behind Angela’s flatbed.
NICK
Do you mind?
Angela shakes her head;
smiles; gestures for him to get in.
NICK
Thanks.
As Nick gets in Angela
switches on the engine.
MENTAL AS ANYTHING
“Just enough, enough to
make me cry...”
Nick’s eyes light up.
NICK
Do you mind?
He reaches forward, turns
up the volume; sings along as Angela drives off:
MENTAL AS ANYTHING
“But if you leave me, can
I come too? And if you go, can I come too?”
He stops singing, looks at
Angela.
NICK
I love this song.
ANGELA
I don’t mind at all if you
want to turn up the volume and sing along!
Nick laughs, turns the
music down; looks at her name tag.
NICK
You work for HAC?
Angela nods. Nick nods.
ANGELA
You know it?
(Nick nods)
And? A good NGO?
NICK
I’m sure HAC does some
good work.
ANGELA
Very diplomatic of you!
NICK
And what do you do
with....(HAC)?
ANGELA
Still trying to figure
that out. I’ve only been there...here...a few weeks. And you? In Cambodia?
NICK
A few years. Five,
six...yes, six.
ANGELA
Doing?
NICK
A big question.
ANGELA
And the big answer?
NICK
Mmmm...The twitter
version...I came here to write a novel.
ANGELA
And?
NICK
I needed to pay rent so I
got into journalism. Stringer.
He pats the journalist’s
note-pad protruding from his pocket.
ANGELA
Who do you write for?
NICK
Newspapers,
magazines...whoever will throw a few crumbs my way. And I teach English to
support my journalism.
ANGELA
Jack of all trades?
NICK
Yes. And you? Back home?
ANGELA
Home! Master of none. At a
loose end.
NICK
So you thought: “Think
I’ll go and save the world?
(Angela smiles)
Rescue the poor and
powerless?”
ANGELA
(laughs)
Not exactly.
NICK
Close?
ANGELA
No comment.
NICK
On the grounds that it
might incriminate you?
Angela laughs, flips Nick
a bird.
NICK
Escaping bad English
weather?
ANGELA
There is that.
NICK
A bad relationship?
ANGELA
Shouldn’t you be taking
notes?
Angela gestures to Nick’s
note pad. He laughs; taps his head.
NICK
All stored up here. (A
BEAT) An early mid-life crisis?
ANGELA
Do I have the right to
remain silent?
NICK
Too late.
ANGELA
You make a habit of
interrogating people you’ve just met?
NICK
No, but with you I’m
making an exception.
Angela laughs. They drive
in silence for a long moment.
NICK
Can I ask you a question?
ANGELA
Uh oh! Research?
NICK
I’s a hot day, right?
(She nods)
And you’re wearing a
long-sleeved shirt!
ANGELA
And?
They approach a busy
roadside rural market. Nick points.
NICK
Up there, on the right.
Angela approaches a stand
at the side of the road selling petrol in used soft drink bottles; pulls up.
ANGELA
Your question?
Nick opens the door,
prepares to get out with his plastic petrol container.
NICK
Just an observation.
ANGELA
Liar. (A BEAT) You’ve
guessed, haven’t you?
NICK
Maybe.
Angela looks at him for a
long moment; torn. She holds out her arms.
Nick reaches out, rolls
the shirt sleeve of one arm back; turns her arm over; revealing several thin
parallel scars.
Nick looks from the scars
into her eyes. And she into his. As he rolls her shirt sleeve back down to the
wrist:
ANGELA
Do you have any scars?
Nick hesitates for a
moment, his eyes locked on Angela’s. He takes her hand; places it on his heart.
ANGELA
Broken?
NICK
In need of repair.
ANGELA
I’m not sure mine can be
repaired.
NICK
Of course it can be.
9 EXT. TRAT. THAILAND. FISHING PORT. DAY
A busy fish market on the
coast of Thailand.
Title Card: Trat, Thailand
Lean fishermen, darkly
tanned, sweat profusely in the hot sun; carry baskets of fish from boats lining
a jetty that juts out into the sea.
Nick, dressed in floral
shirt and shorts, looking very much like a tourist, stands with other TOURISTS
alongside a tour bus; small digital movie camera in hand.
Title Card: Nick
Nick and the other
TOURISTS cluster around their TOUR GUIDE; take photos and film with smart
phones and digital cameras.
TOUR GUIDE
Trat is one of Thailand’s
biggest and busiest fishing ports, bringing in King mackerel, barracuda,
trevallies...
Nick, wanders a short
distance away from the tour group, filming, tourist style, with his small digital
camera, in the direction of GUNTHER - a bald, saffron-robed, Caucasian
monk.
TOUR GUIDE
...snappers, gropers. And
fishmeal, made from dried fish, ground into a brown powder to feed to farm
animals...
(He calls out.)
Mr Nick, Mr Nick...
(Nick turns.)
Do not walk too far. And
be very careful with your camera. Here there are many thieves.
Nick nods, waves
acknowledgment with one hand; holds his camera tightly as he films.
TOUR GUIDE
Using fish byproducts to
feed animals was observed...
Nick makes eye contact
with Gunther; moves towards him.
TOUR GUIDE
...by Marco Polo around
600 years ago and today is a huge industry...
The Tour Guide pauses;
looks with concern as Nick moves further away, into the throng of fishermen at
work. He sees:
Nick walk up to Gunther,
hands him his digital camera; positions himself in front of it – Gunther
filming him.
NICK (to
camera)
Slavery is not an inhumane
practice of the past.
Behind Nick, a LARGE THAI
MAN has noticed Nick and Gunther and is not happy.
Through the lens of the
camera being held by Gunther we see:
NICK
It is alive and well and a
thriving industry in Cambodian and Thailand.
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
Behind you!
Nick turns; sees the Large
Thai Man coming for him.
NICK
Fuck!
He turns and runs,
following Gunther – also hightailing it. His voice over is heard.
NICK
(voice over)
One of the biggest Thai
men I have ever seen.
10 INT. LIVING ROOM. NICK’S APARTMENT. DAY
Nick, hair unkempt,
unshaven, talks to a small hand held digital video camera in his run down low
rent apartment.
Books, newspapers,
magazines and folders cover every available surface - along with the
polystyrene remnants of late-night take away meals.
NICK
Huge!
He talks as he walks
towards his cluttered work desk. On the wall in front of it is a collage of
photos, newspaper articles, notes connected by different coloured threads.
NICK
And the knife! Fuck!...
He points the camera at a
printer, out of which emerges a photo of Nick with the knife-wielding Thai man
behind him.
NICK
Now here’s the interesting
thing.
The camera tilts up to the
cluttered collage; to a photo of Knife Man talking with two men - one with
red-hair; fishing boats in the background.
NICK
(voice off)
Here is Mr Knife Man
talking to the Captain of the boat and....
(closer on red-haired man)
...our old friend Terry
Swinton, who is married to Srey Mal who...
The shot pans to a Khmer
woman, late 30s, standing in front of Girlie Bar “Pussy Galore”
NICK
(VOICE OFF)
...runs Pussy Galore,
where girls from the provinces like Srey Pec...
Close on a photo of teen
Khmer girl in short skirt, tight tank-top and high heels standing in “Pussy
Galore” entrance.
The sound of a mobile
phone ringing.
Nick stops filming, takes
his yellow mobile phone from his shirt pocket, looks at the screen: Meas
NICK
Meas.
Nick listens for a moment.
NICK
I’m on my way.
11 EXT. PHNOM PENH STREET. DAY
Nick drives his 90 cc
motor bike fast through chaotic traffic; turns onto an unpaved side street.
12 EXT. PHNOM PENH SLUM DISTRICT. DAY
Nick makes his way down a
pot-holed dirt road past make-shift homes; weaving his way through people,
stalls, dogs, chickens and pigs - towards a large crowd.
He approaches a Police
Vehicle, pulling up close to the crowd; parks his motor bike as BALIN MEAS, a
uniformed policeman, steps from the Police Vehicle onto the dirt road.
Balin Meas shakes his head,
grimaces as Nick walks up to him. Nick pats Balin Meas on the shoulder: old
friends.
Together they walk towards
the crowd. People turn; watching their approach.
The crowd parts; allowing Balin
Meas and Nick through.
On the ground there is
what looks to be a body covered with a sheet of dirty blue plastic.
Balin Meas lifts back the
sheet of plastic. A 12 year old girl, wearing a white dress, stares at the sky
with dead eyes.
Balin Meas shakes his
head; upset.
BALIN MEAS
Who found the body?
A KHMER MAN steps forward.
Nick takes out his note-book, talks with by-standers.
TWO KHMER JOURNALISTS make
their way through the crowd; note-books in hand; plastic ID PRESS cards around
their necks.
NICK’S VOICE
This is the third young
girl to die at the hands of a rapist who dresses his victims in white...
13 INT. NICK’S APARTMENT. DAY
Close on a newspaper
clipping; the headline of which reads:
KUNTHEA’S FINAL FAREWELL
A pretty, smiling, 12 year
old girl- Kunthea. A smaller photo shows the body of Kunthea, in a white dress,
lying in tall grass by a river.
To the side of the article
there is a small photo of Nick, with the words: Nicholas Morecombe.
The clipping is nestled
amidst other photos and newspaper clippings relating to the rape-murders of
pre-pubescent girls. One headline reads: “White Dress of Death”.
Nick unpins the clipping,
places it on the desk beside his computer; a desk covered with note-books,
notes on scraps of paper, magazines, newspapers with sections highlighted,
pizza boxes and the remnants of late night take-aways.
Nick rummages amongst the
desk detritus; locates a manila folder on which is hand-written:
VIRGINS
He opens the folder to
reveal a photo with the name Sok Lin attached to it:
Sok Lin, around 12 years old, dressed in a white
dress, stares ahead of her with dead eyes.
Nick thinks for a long
moment before starting to type; fast.
14 EXT. RICE PADDY. DAY
11 year old girl, Monkey,
stands at the base of a coconut palm at the edge of a muddy fallow water-filled
rice paddy.
Title Card: Monkey
Her baggy tattered
trousers held up with a length of frayed rope, Monkey secures a machete between
the rope and her body; climbs the tree with remarkable (Monkey-like) agility.
Monkey’s 7 year old
brother, DARYA, and 5 year old sister, SREY NIAN, covered in mud, watch her
climb; eyes open in awe.
At the top of the palm
Monkey removes the machete from her waist; chops 3 coconuts free; calls to her
siblings in Khmer.
MONKEY
(subtitled)
Bombs away.
The coconuts fall to the
ground.
A LITTLE LATER
At the base of the palm,
Monkey uses the machete to slice the top off a coconut and pierce a hole in it.
Monkey, Darya and Srey
Nian drink from the coconuts.
A LITTLE LATER
Monkey chases a frog in
the muddy rice-paddy; catches it. The frog slides from between her hands.
Darya and SREY NIAN join
in the chase. Darya slips, falls into the paddy.
Monkey laughs, continues
with the chase, catches the frog, places it in a sack filled with live frogs.
15 INT. RAMSHACKLE HUT. DAY
A skinny dog, on a dirt
floor, suckles 3 new born puppies. A pair of dark slender hands, holding a six
month old BABY, appear in frame, placing the baby alongside the puppies.
A wide shot. The most basic
of thatch-roofed 3rd world dwellings. MI, an emaciated Khmer woman in her late
20s, sweating profusely, positions the BABY to suckle.
In the background, outside
the ramshackle dwelling a pig, a chicken and a dog fight over a scrap of found
food.
Close on BABY suckling on
the dog's teat. (CGI)
Close on MI - tired, ill,
sweat glistening on her face.
16 EXT. RURAL CAMBODIAN VILLAGE. DAY
Monkey, Darya and Srey
Nian walk into an impoverished village; Monkey carrying a bag of squirming
frogs.
They make their way
between ramshackle houses with thatched roofs, past a small shop that sells
rice, cooking oil, bottled water, washing powder and other basic necessities.
Signs of extreme poverty
abound - skinny malnourished children with red-tinted hair.
Monkey, Darya and Srey
Nian stop at the village water pump.
17 INT. RAMSHACKLE 3RD WORLD HUT. DAY
Mi squats close to where
her baby suckles with the puppies - her face wet with sweat. She is clearly
very sick. She leans against a wooden post, closes her eyes.
18 EXT. VILLAGE. DAY
Monkey pumps muddy water
into Darya’s and Srey Nian’s cupped hands. They drink.
19 INT. RAMSHACKLE 3RD WORLD HUT. DAY
The dog stands, walks off.
The puppies follow. The baby lies alone on the dirt floor kicking its legs,
flailing its arms.
MI leans against the post,
asleep.
The dog snarls at the
large pig standing at the entrance, as it walks past. The pig’s eyes are
focused on the baby. (CGI)
20 EXT. VILLAGE. DAY
Darya tries to operate the
pump but he is too small. Monkey laughs, pumps muddy water into one cupped
hand, drinks.
21 INT. HUT. DAY
The baby, lying on the
ground, makes happy gurgling sounds as the pig walks slowly towards it. (CGI)
The pig sniffs the baby
lying on the dirt floor. (CGI)
MI, rivulets of sweat running
down her face, sleeps up against the post.
22 EXT. VILLAGE. DAY
A minor dispute takes
place between Darya and Srey Nian as to who is going to carry the bag of frogs.
Srey Nian wins.
Monkey takes Darya’s and Srey
Nian’s hands as they walk towards their ramshackle home - four posts, a
thatched roof, walls made of tin, cardboard, hessian and frayed plastic.
As they get close to the
hut a baby’s cry is heard, closely followed by a loud scream from MI.
Monkey runs fast to the
hut.
23 INT. RAMSHACKLE 3RD WORLD HUT. DAY
Monkey runs into the hut
to see MI struggling to her feet, screaming, as the pig licks the baby’s face.
(CGI)
Monkey rushes at the pig;
kicks it hard. The pig retreats.
Monkey picks up the baby.
MI’S face, a mask of
panic, glistens with sweat.
LATER
MI lies on a bamboo mat,
sick, as Monkey ladles thin rice soup from a pot over an open fire into four
bowls.
Monkey hands one bowl to Darya
and Srey Nian, sitting on the dirt floor, and takes another to spoon feed Mi,
her mother.
Monkey wipes Mi’s wet face
with a cloth. Her attention is caught by a car arriving. She looks out to see:
A shiny white sedan pull
up outside.
Monkey looks to her
mother, with a puzzled expression on her face. Mi turns her head away.
Anurak, mid 30s, gets out
of the car and walks towards the hut. Monkey walks out to greet him.
MI half sits, looks out to
where:
Anurak talks animatedly to
Monkey; who claps her hands excitedly, turns, beams a smile to her mother.
Mi waves to Monkey but
cannot manage a smile.
Anurak takes out his
mobile phone; gestures to Monkey to hold still whilst he takes a photo.
Monkey beams a huge happy
white smile at Anurak. Click. He glances at the photo; presses ‘send’.
Mi looks on as Monkey, Darya,
Srey Nian and OTHER KIDS look in wonder at the white sedan. Tears well in her
eyes.
A ping announces the arrival
of a message on Anurak’s phone.
Yes
Anurak nods to Monkey. She
smiles, claps her hands excitedly.
Close on MI’s sweating
face, tears rolling down her cheeks.
24 EXT. NICK’S 4 WD. RURAL CAMBODIA. DAY
Nick’s 4 WD rolls to a
standstill at the side of a road in the middle of nowhere.
EDITOR’S VOICE
I read it.
Nick gets out of the 4 WD,
yellow mobile held to his ear.
NICK
And?
EDITOR’S VOICE
Liked it, but...
NICK
“It’s not for us”?
EDITOR’S VOICE
Three dead girls in white
dresses is not a story, Nicko! Sorry. Not for our readers. Local interest.
NICK
(deflated)
OK, and...
EDITOR’S VOICE
The land dispute idea?
Again...
NICK
It’s not just a ‘land
dispute’, Al! The wife of the minister for indigenous affairs is stealing...
Nick opens the back door
of the 4 WD.
EDITOR’S VOICE
I get that. I do. Maybe if
someone gets killed...
Nick lifts the dirty
plastic petrol container from the floor.
NICK
See what I can organize.
He realizes the petrol
container is empty. Mouths: “Fuck”
EDITOR’S VOICE
The more bodies the
merrier.
Nick nods, mouths “fuck,
fuck, fuck”
25 INT. NICK’S 4 WD. DAY
Nick, sweating profusely,
sits in the front seat reading Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness”; sees a
vehicle approach.
26 EXT. NICK’S 4 WD. DAY
Nick gets out; watches as
Angela’s white flatbed gets closer; pulls up alongside him. She looks at him
over the top of her sunglasses; shakes her head.
NICK
I’m a fucking moron.
Angela beams him a
beautiful smile.
ANGELA
Hello ‘fucking moron’.
27 INT. TROPICAL GARDEN. NICK’S APARTMENT. NIGHT
Nick, wearing a sarong,
bare-chested, sits in the small tropical garden adjacent to his Living Room - seen
in the background through a sliding glass door. He has a beer in one hand;
small video camera in the other. He talks to it.
NICK
Love at first sight? Or
just lust at first sight?
Seen through the lens of
the video camera:
NICK
Damoiseau in distress!
He holds up his beer: a toast; laughs.
28 INT. ANGELA’S FLATBED TRUCK. DAY
Angela watches Nick walk
back from the petrol stand lugging the now full plastic container. He gets into
the front passenger seat; places the container between his legs.
ANGELA
The cap on that’s tight,
right?
NICK
Yes, but probably best not
to light a cigarette...
ANGELA
Don’t smoke.
Nick glances at HER
nicotine stained fingers.
ANGELA
I’ve given up.
Nick nods; smiles. Angela
turns on the ignition.
NICK
Got any plans for the next
few hours?
ANGELA
Not spec...
NICK
No plans? Good. Turn
around. We heading in the wrong direction.
Angela points ahead.
ANGELA
Phnom Penh is that way!
NICK
Yes, the wrong direction.
Angela laughs; commences a
U-turn.
29 EXT. RURAL CAMBODIA. DAY
Angela’s flatbed truck
drives on a dirt road bisecting rice paddies towards mountains.
ANGELA VOICE
Where are you taking me?
NICK’S VOICE
For a ride.
Angela’s laughter is
heard.
30 INT. ANGELA’S FLATBED TRUCK. DAY
As they drive through
rainforest:
NICK
Now, you’d think that the
Minister for Indigenous Affairs’ job is to protect indigenous people, right!
(Angela nods)
From loggers etc.
(Angela nods)
So, the Minister’s
wife...Srey Mean is her name...wants to enlarge her rubber plantation, right?
One side of the road has
been cleared and replaced with a rubber plantation: trees in neat rows.
ANGELA
Right.
NICK
But she has a problem. The
land she wants...needs...has indigenous people living on it.
ANGELA
So she asks her husband...
NICK
Tells her husband!
31 INT. ANGELA’S FLATBED. DAY
Through the window, as
they approach, Nick and Angela see:
A bulldozer parked in
front of a segment of rainforest it has recently destroyed. Mutilated trees lie
in piles at the edge of a large red-brown patch of exposed earth.
In front of the bulldozer,
surrounding it, are make-shift huts; around which a few dozen indigenous men,
women and children process forest products, cook food, play etc.
A Khmer BULLDOZER DRIVER
stands by the bulldozer talking on his mobile phone. In front of him, waving
her finger aggressively at him is an old woman named BUN.
32 EXT. RAINFOREST CLEARING. DAY
BUN - strong-willed,
feisty - gives the Bulldozer Driver a piece of her mind. In Khmer:
BUN (subtitled)
This is our land. You
cannot steal.
The Bulldozer Driver,
intimidated by Bun, nods his assent to instructions he is receiving over the
phone.
Bun sees Nick and Angela
walking from the flatbed towards her. She smiles; walks to greet them. Nick
speaks in Khmer.
NICK (subtitled)
Causing trouble again old
woman?
BUN
(subtitled)
Over my dead body they
take this land, young man.
NICK (subtitled)
This is my friend, Angela.
(to Angela, in English)
This is Bun.
Bun brings her hands
together in a gesture of greeting. Angela reciprocates. Two INDIGENOUS GIRLS
(12’ish) approach.
NICK
Bun is one of the
traditional owners of the forest.
Nick looks at the
bulldozer; shakes his head.
NICK (subtitled)
No good.
BUN (subtitled)
No good.
The Indigenous Girls,
closeby, arms around each other’s shoulders, look at Angela shyly; in awe.
Angela makes a face. The
girls giggle; hold their hands to their mouths. Angela addresses Nick:
ANGELA
Is it OK if I take some
photos?
Angela takes a small
digital camera from her pocket.
NICK (subtitled)
Can my friend take some
photos.
Bun nods. Angela takes a
photo of Nick and Bun without looking through the viewfinder; spins around,
points it in the direction of the Indigenous Girls, takes a photo.
The girls run off
laughing; stopping a few meters away; looking back at Angela. One whispers to
the other, who nods.
Angela walks towards them,
holds the camera screen up so they can see the photo.
The girls look at each
other, decide to take the risk; walk up to Angela tentatively; look at the
photo; giggle.
Angela flips the camera
around, takes a photo. It happens so fast the Girls’ expressions of surprise
are captured.
The Girls look at the new
photo:
Surprised expressions on the Indigenous Girls’
faces.
The Girls laugh. Angela
practices her rudimentary Khmer.
ANGELA
(subtitled)
My name is Angela. What
are your names?
CHANDA
My name Chanda.
SOKHA
My name Sokha.
Nick and Bun are engaged
in a spirited conversation. Nick talks fast. He is trying to convince Bun of
something. Angela can be seen in the background handing her camera to Chanda.
Chanda takes a photo of
Angela and Sokha. Angela looks back to where Nick and Bun talk.
Bun shakes her head;
speaks to Nick forcefully.
Angela retrieves her
camera from Chanda; takes a photo of Nick and Bun.
Nick hangs his head,
exhales; bothered by what Bun says. He looks up to see:
Angela walking towards the
Bulldozer Driver, camera in hand taking photos.
NICK (shouts)
Careful.
Angela turns; holds up her
thumb: “OK”.
Angela walks towards the
Bulldozer Driver; smiling at him as she takes photos - not looking through the
viewfinder or at the LCD screen. He holds up a hand to cover his face.
Angela, the Bulldozer
Driver, Nick and Bun’s attention are caught by the sound of police sirens.
Two police cars approach;
red lights flashing. Behind them comes a shiny white 4WD vehicle.
Angela lifts her camera;
takes photos as FOUR POLICEMAN and VICHET get out of the police cars and walks
towards them.
NICK
I wouldn’t do that,
Angela!
She ignores Nick’s warning;
keeps taking photos.
Vichet, a senior
bureaucrat in a grey safari suite, his angry face red and sweaty, marches up to
the Bulldozer Driver; shouts at him in Khmer.
VICHET
(subtitled)
Do your job. Now.
He becomes aware that
Angela is taking photos; strides up to her hand outstretched.
VICHET
You! Get out of here the
fuck!
Angela pulls the camera
out of his reach, turns away, walks back towards Nick; passing Bun as she
strides towards Vichet.
NICK
Be careful with that.
(He indicates her camera)
He is a dangerous man.
Angela nods, turns to see:
Bun in front of Vichet
prodding his chest with her finger.
Angela spins around, walks
back towards Bun and Vichet; ignoring Nick’s gesture to stop.
NICK
No! Angela!
33 INT. 4WD. DAY
SREY MEAN, a Khmer woman
in her 50s, looks out through the dark tinted windscreen; sees:
Bun prodding Vichet’s
chest with a finger; Angela taking photos; Nick walking up; notebook in hand.
In a rage Srey Mean gets
out of the 4 WD.
34 EXT. RAINFOREST CLEARING. DAY
A crowd has gathered
around Bun, Vichet and the Bulldozer driver; all voicing their opinions loudly.
Nick writes notes.
Srey Mean pushes through
the crowd; screams at the Bulldozer Driver in Khmer.
SREY MEAN
(subtitled)
What are you doing? Why
are you not working?
The Bulldozer Driver,
intimidated by Srey Mean, gestures to the people and makeshift huts in front of
the bulldozer.
SREY MEAN
(subtitled)
Fuck them.
She pushes her way through
the crowd, past the bulldozer, and starts to tear down a a hut in front of it.
A scuffle breaks out between Srey Mean and INDIGENOUS WOMEN. The police move to
break it up. Srey Mean turns to the Bulldozer Driver.
SREY MEAN
(subtitled)
Drive, you idiot.
The Bulldozer Driver walks
tentatively to his vehicle; is intercepted by Bun: standing between him and his
bulldozer.
Angela takes photos. Nick
films with his mobile phone.
Srey Mean rushes Angela,
trying to stop her taking photos.
Vichet walks up to Nick,
places his hand over the mobile.
VICHET
(angry)
No photos.
Nick slips the mobile into
his shirt pocket. In Khmer:
NICK (subtitled)
Do you have any comment to
make about the Minister’s wife stealing these people’s land.
VICHET
Fuck you, Morecombe! Fuck
off!
NICK (subtitled)
That is your only comment?
Vichet points a finger at
Nick’s head (a ‘gun’) and pulls the trigger. Angela, closeby, takes a photo.
Vichet rushes her, tries
to grab her camera. She walks backwards, fast, taking photos.
Two Policemen walk towards
them. Nick turns to Angela.
NICK
Time to go.
Angela spins around, takes
photos of the approaching police.
NICK
(forceful)
Now!
He grabs Angela’s arm,
pulls her away. She breaks free, turns to confront Vichet. Nick grabs her
again, pushes her towards the flatbed truck.
NICK
Angela! For fuck’s sake.
Angela gives up resisting
and allows Nick to hustle her back to the 4WD. Vichet pursues them for a few
steps only; signals to the approaching Policemen to return to the bulldozer.
Nick opens the passenger
door and indicates to Angela to get in. She shakes her head, pulls away, walks
around to the driver’s door; gets in. Nick gets in the passenger door.
35 INT. FLATBED TRUCK. DAY
Angela, fists clenched,
sits in the driver’s seat; exhales. She looks at Nick; eyes ablaze. He shakes
his head.
NICK
You are crazy!
ANGELA
That was fun.
Nick raises his eyebrows.
Their attention is caught
by Srey Mean’s shouting. They see, through the windscreen:
The Bulldozer Driver,
hands in the air, shaking his head. Srey
Mean screams at him but the driver shakes his head. Srey Mean turns; makes her
way back to her white 4 WD.
The Police follow her. The
crowd of Indigenous People cheer.
Angela punches the air
with her fist; turns to Nick.
ANGELA
Yes!
Nick smiles; looks at
Angela as turns on the ignition, commences a three-point turn.
NICK
(voice over)
Balls of steel?
Close on Angela; from
Nick’s POV:
NICK
(voice over)
Or just plain reckless?
Not sure which!
Angela looks at Nick;
smiles.
NICK
Welcome to Scambodia.
36 EXT. TROPICAL GARDEN. NICK’S APARTMENT. NIGHT
Nick talks to his small
video camera.
NICK
We shall see! Bun was
happy but she knows that’s not the end of it. Srey Mean and her thugs will be
back.
Nick takes a sip of his
beer.
37 INT. ANGELA’S FLATBED TRUCK. DAY
As Angela drives Nick
scrolls through photos on her camera.
-
Nick and Bun engaged in intense conversation
-
The bulldozer driver with his hand held up
-
Sokha and Chanda laughing
-
Vichet, his finger pointed at Nick’s head like a
gun
NICK
You’ve got a good eye.
ANGELA
You think?
NICK
Two good eyes, actually.
Beautiful eyes. But you need a decent camera.
ANGELA
I had one but...stolen!
NICK
Not a problem.
38 EXT. NICK’S 4 WD. DAY
Angela watches from the
passenger seat of her flatbed as Nick, bottom in the air, rummages around in
the back seat of his 4 WD; finds what he is looking for; turns to her smiling;
holding aloft a dusty leather stills camera case:
NICK
Eureka!
He walks up to Angela;
camera in hand.
ANGELA
But…!
NICK
It’s just gathering
dust...
He blows dust from the
leather camera case; hands it to her.
Angela opens the case,
takes out a professional stills camera.
ANGELA
THANKS YOU. (A BEAT) If
you want to use one of my photos...?
NICK
Thank you.
ANGELA
You send me an email
and...
She hands Nick her H A C business
card.
NICK
I don’t have a business...(card
on me.) But I do have a pen, because I’m a journalist and...
(He can’t find his pen)
Shit, have you got...?
Angela laughs, takes out a
biro, hands it to him. Nick takes her hand, writes his phone number on the back
of it; holds onto her hand. Their eyes lock for a long moment. They smile in
unison; then laugh in unison.
39 INT. BACKPACKING HOSTEL. NIGHT
Close on the home page a
computer screen as it boots up:
An old photo of a young Asian woman (late teens)
holding a baby. It is frayed at the edges, stained and lined where it has been
folded.
Angela sits at a table in
the crowded dining area of a backpacking hostel; a meal at her side. She types
‘Nicholas Morecombe’ into Google. Several entries pop up. She clicks on “Despatches
from the East”:
The Home Page of his blog.
A photo of Nick in front of Angkor Wat. There are several icon/stories. Angela
opens one at random; takes a bite of her meal as the clip loads; glances at
Nick’s phone number on the back of her hand.
On a computer screen can
be seen:
A deeply tanned, thin, Khmer man in his 30s,
looking directly into the camera with frightened eyes.
NICK (voice
over)
Kimsong Seng, from Prey Veng Province in Cambodia,
had been a fishing slave...
Nick speaks to camera. In the background, outside a
Thai police station, Kimsong Seng can be seen sitting on the ground alongside a
dozen or so other men and boys.
NICK
...for the past five years before he was rescued
this week by Thai police, along with...
40 EXT. TROPICAL GARDEN. NIGHT
From the POV of Nick’s
‘diary’ camera:
Nick sits for along moment
with a big smile on his face; looks directly down the lens.
NICK
What can I say! A great day.
(He sips on his beer)
I hope if you’re looking at this that I am alive
and well...hey, maybe we will be watching it together... and we can laugh about
all...you know... all that shit...
Signing off. Love you.
41 INT. BACKPACKING HOSTEL. NIGHT
Angela eats as she watches
another of Nick’s blog stories:
A Cambodian fishing village. White beach fronting
onto an aquamarine sea. Children play on the beach as fishermen mend their nets
alongside boats whose design and function has not changed in 100 years.
Nick speaks to camera:
NICK
The community of villagers lived on this island for
generations before Wing Chou Industries...
A photo of Wing Chou, Chinese, impeccably dressed
in a white suit, standing in front of a helicopter with WCI printed on it.
NICK (voice
over)
...entered into an ‘arrangement’ with authorities
to build Cambodia’s first ‘Eco Casino’.
Angela’s mobile phone
rings. She glances at the screen.
Shaky hand-held
smart-phone footage of a stand off between angry villagers and police.
She answers her phone; a
little tentatively. A man’s voice; French-accented.
MALE VOICE
Angie, its me.
Angela hesitates a moment
before replying.
ANGELA
Hi me.
42 INT. LIVING ROOM. NICK’S APARTMENT. NIGHT
With background music
playing the camera drifts over the collage in front of Nick’s desk, down past a
framed photo (the glass cracked) of two smiling teenage boys, each with an arm
around the other’s shoulder and each carrying a tennis racket, across to where
Nick’s fingers fly fast across the keyboard.
43 EXT. UP-MARKET HOUSE. NIGHT
A Tuk Tuk pulls up. Angela
gets out, pays the TUL TUK DRIVER, walks to where a UNIFORMED GUARD, armed with
an AK 47, stands by a tall security gate. He greets Angela warmly, presses a
button and speaks briefly into an intercom. The gate begins to swing open.
Seen from behind a MAN IN
A BATHROBE, as the gate opens. Angela moves towards him; embraces him; smiles.
44 EXT. PHNOM PENH RUBBISH DUMP. DAWN
Tip-trucks unload rubbish
at a huge dump.
SCAVENGERS - men, women
and children - use lengths of wire with hooked ends to extract what can be
recycled and sold.
The air is thick with
smoke; the work conditions hellish.
A YOUNG GIRL, 8 or 9,
climbs a mound of rubbish with her hooked wire in one hand and a plastic sack
in the other - into which she places plastic bags and other plastic items she
finds. The process requires her to empty the bags first - of mouldy rice,
rotten fruit, sanitary napkins etc.
One plastic bag resists
her attempt to lift it with her hooked wire. She lifts the bag with her hands,
upends it. Out falls the severed head of a Caucasian man - his eyes open in
terror, his ears have been sliced off and his mouth taped shut with gaffer
tape.
45 INT. BEDROOM. DAWN
Angela is asleep in a
bedroom that bespeaks money. There is a man beside her - his back turned to
both her and the camera.
Angela is awoken by the sound
of her mobile phone vibrating on the table alongside the bed. She reaches for
it, listens for a moment before quickly extricating herself naked from the bed
- careful not to wake her bed mate.
46 INT. HALLWAY. DAWN
Angela closes the bedroom
door behind her softly; holds the mobile close; speaks quietly.
ANGELA
OK, OK...thanks. How will
I find you?
She listens for a moment.
47 EXT. UP-MARKET HOUSE. DAWN
Angela stands at the front
gate of the up market house, Nick’s camera slung around her neck. The Security
Guard standing there holds a red wand aloft - signalling to moto dop (motor
bike taxi) drivers parked at the corner
closeby.
48 EXT. BAR DISTRICT. EARLY MORNING
The moto dop, with Angela
on the back, drives down a street lined with bars and clubs. She has Nick’s
camera in her hand.
Flashing neon signs-
“Pussy Galore”, “69” “Dream Girls” etc - adorn most establishments. The night
is over but a few scantily clad Khmer women vie for the attention of the few
remaining drunken men staggering from the bars.
Angela’s attention is
caught by a TEENAGE GIRL, in a micro-mini skirt, standing alone outside “Pussy
Galore.” She looks very sad; lonely. Angela readies her camera to take a shot.
The Teenage Girl notices,
looks directly at Angela: Click.
Freeze frame: the Teenage
Girl looking directly at the camera.
49 EXT. RUBBISH DUMP. EARLY MORNING
Angela’s moto dop drives
past rubbish trucks heading into the tip, pulls up close to the base of a
mountain of rubbish - on top of which can be seen a small crowd of SCAVENGERS -
men, women and children.
50 EXT. RUBBISH DUMP. EARLY MORNING
Angela makes her way past
scavengers, walking up the side of the rubbish mountain - quickly coming to
realize that she is wearing the wrong shoes to be trudging through toxic
sludge.
She makes her way through
a throng of scavengers to where Nick kneels alongside Balin Meas, looking at
the severed head resting in amongst the rubbish.
Nick turns to Angela, nods
his hello as Balin Meas takes out his smart phone.
Angela sees the severed
head, grimaces.
Nick introduces Angela and
Meas.
NICK
Meas, Angela..Angela,
Meas?
Balin Meas speaks English
with a Khmer/American accent.
BALIN MEAS
Miss Angela.
Balin Meas positions his
phone to take a photo of the head.
Angela readies her camera;
takes photos.
Balin Meas puts his mobile
phone in his pocket, starts to remove the gaffer tape from the mouth of the
severed head.
Angela takes photos of the
curious onlooking Scavengers.
Balin Meas finishes peeling the tape from the lips.
There is something in the head’s mouth. He tries to prize the mouth open. It is
not easy. Rigor mortis has set in. He succeeds.
Nick and Angela react with
shock. Angela vomits.
51 INT. POLICE CAR. DAY
A plastic bag with the
severed head rests on the back seat.
Angela sits alongside the
head. Nick, in the front passenger seat, is turned towards her. Balin Meas
drives.
ANGELA
Raped?
NICK
We don’t know that yet but
my guess is...yes.
NICK
We were on our way to...
before...
(He indicates head in bag)
...we heard about this.
52 EXT. SLUM. DAY
Balin Meas’ police car
pulls up in a back street of an impoverished slum.
Nick and Angela get out of
the car and make their way, with Balin Meas, to where a small crowd of SLUM
DWELLERS has gathered around the body of a pre-pubescent girl lying in a
drainage ditch. She is wearing a dirty white frilly dress.
Curious Slum Dwellers with
mobile phones take photos of the dead girl. The POLICEMAN standing closeby
greets Balin Meas.
POLICEMAN
(subtitled)
Boss.
Angela prepares her camera
to shoot.
BALIN MEAS
(subtitled)
A sarong. A sheet.
Anything...
He gently pushes the crowd
back, gestures to those taking photos to stop. A KHMER WOMAN admonishes Balin
Meas in Khmer.
WOMAN
Our daughters are not
safe.
A KHMER JOURNALIST pushes
his way through the crowd; breathlessly questions Balin Meas in Khmer.
JOURNALIST
Do you have a suspect yet?
Balin Meas ignores the
Journalist.
Nick takes notes and
Angela photos.
The Policeman hands a
sarong to Balin Meas.
Balin Meas covers the body
of the young girl.
A LITTLE LATER
As the young girl’s body
is put into the ambulance, Balin Meas addresses a small group of journalists in
Khmer.
BALIN MEAS
Yes, all four of the girls
were wearing white dresses, but this does not...
JOURNALIST
And you have no suspects?
BALIN MEAS
I did not say that.
53 EXT. DIRT ROAD. SLUM. DAY
The ambulance drives away
from the death scene, closely followed by Balin Meas’ police car, closely
followed by Nick on his motor bike. Angela sits on the back; in shock. She
clings to Nick tightly.
54 EXT. ANOTHER ROAD. SLUM DISTRICT. DAY
Close on Angela, very
pale, on the back of Nick’s motor bike.
ANGELA
Stop.
Nick stops. Angela gets
off the back of the bike; vomits.
55 INT. MORGUE. DAY
The severed head, mouth
open, rests on a metal tray, beside a shriveled penis. In the background a
DOCTOR, (soft focus) peers between the legs of the dead girl.
Angela, camera in hand,
stalks the room in search of angles.
The Doctor covers the body
with a dirty white sheet, speaks to Balin Meas in Khmer.
DOCTOR
(subtitled)
Yes, raped.
A loud anguished scream. A
KHMER MAN attempts to force his way into the room; restrained by MORGUE STAFF.
Balin Meas indicates to
the Morgue Staff to let him in.
The Khmer Man stares at
the figure covered with the white sheet. Frozen.
Angela continues to take
photos.
The Khmer Man moves slowly
forward, stands alongside the shrouded body. He both wants and doesn't want the
Doctor to lift the sheet. The Doctor looks to Balin Meas. He indicates to the Doctor
to lift the sheet. He does.
The Khmer Man stares at
the face of his daughter - his shock giving way to profound grief. He begins to
shake, to tremble. Tears run down his cheek.
He reaches out to touch
his daughter’s face; shakes his head, refusing to believe what he can see with
his eyes.
KHMER MAN
(subtitled)
No, no, that is not my
daughter. No, no, no...
He turns, looks directly
at Angela, his face streaked with tears: Click. He looks at Nick in despair.
Nick walks up, wraps his
arms around the Khmer Man, holds him; indicates to the Doctor to cover the
girl's face.
56 EXT. SLUM DISTRICT. DAY
Balin Meas’ police car
drives along a crowded, narrow slum back street. Third world poverty abounds.
57 INT. BALIN MEAS’ POLICE CAR
Angela, distressed, looks
at the photos she has taken with her digital camera:
-
The Khmer Man
reaches out touches his daughter’s face.
-
The Khmer Man
looking directly into Angela’s camera lens.
-
The Khmer Man,
tears streaming down his face, wrapped in Nick’s arms.
She looks at Nick, sitting
beside her; his face streaked with tears. She reaches out, takes his hand;
squeezes it.
Balin Meas looks at Nick
and Angela in the rear-vision mirror.
58 EXT. NICK’S APARTMENT. DAY
Nick and Angela stand by the
driver’s window; Balin Meas in the driver’s seat.
BALIN MEAS
I will keep you posted.
Nick pats Balin Meas on
the shoulder.
NICK
Thanks.
BALIN MEAS
I am sorry to meet you
under these circumstances, Miss Angela.
ANGELA
I hope you catch the man
soon.
BALIN MEAS
I hope so also.
59 INT. LIVING ROOM. NICK’S APARTMENT. DAY
Nick holds the door open
as Angela walks into his messy Living Room.
ANGELA
You’re a bachelor, I take
it!
NICK
(smiles)
Tea, coffee, water...?
ANGELA
Water...cold…please.
Nick nods, walks to the
kitchen area. Angela steps closer to the wall in front of Nick’s cluttered
working desk - covered with photos, newspaper articles and notes connected with
each other by coloured thread.
NICK
(voice off)
Investigations in
progress.
ANGELA
And the coloured threads?
Nick walks up with two
glasses of iced water; hands one to Angela.
NICK
Connections, associations,
friends, enemies...the black threads are enemies.
She points to the photo of
red-haired Terry Swinton - from which black threads radiate; connecting with
other photos.
ANGELA
This guy has lots of
enemies.
NICK
Including me. Terry
Swinton.
ANGELA
You wrote something ‘mean’
about him?
Nick nods. Angela points
to the letters N O V written in large letters above the collage.
ANGELA
N O V?
NICK
Nest of Vipers. At one
time or another all these guys...mostly guys...
There is a knock at the
door. Nick walks to it as he talks.
NICK
...has had dealings with,
been seen with, tried to kill, taken to court, the guy at the other end of the
thread.
Angela moves closer to the
wall montage, focuses her attention on a photo of:
A handsome blonde-haired man in his early 30s,
identified by name: GERARD MOREAU being awarded a gold medallion by a man in a
tuxedo, in front of a sign that reads “United Nations Humanitarian Awards.”
Nick opens the door in the
background. There is no-one there.
Angela looks closely at
the photo; interested in the coloured threads connecting Gerard with others in
the montage - one of whom is red-haired Terry Swinton.
Nick looks inside the
envelope.
NICK
Shit!
Angela turns to see Nick
placing the envelope on a table by the door, running out.
60 EXT. STREET. DAY
Nick races into the
street, sees a MAN IN A FULL FACE BLACK HELMET getting onto his motor bike.
Nick runs towards the
figure, who turns, looks at Nick for a moment before driving off at high speed.
Angela appears behind
Nick, brown manila envelope in hand. She opens the envelope, takes out 5 crisp
new US$100 notes.
Nick thinks for a long
moment, takes Angela’s hand, grabs hold of the $100 bills; walks back towards
his apartment.
ANGELA
What the fuck...!
Nick laughs, holds the
money aloft.
NICK
Welcome to Scamodia, Miss Angela.
61 EXT. MARKETS. PHNOM PENH. DAY
Nick walks from a Money
Changer in a crowded market with a fist full of $20 bills, walks up to Angela -
standing alongside his yellow 4WD. He hands her half the bills. She shakes her
head and laughs.
62 EXT. CITY STREETS. PHNOM PENH. DAY
A montage: Nick hands $20
bills to beggars - blind people, cripples,
street families, old men and women - the poor, and neglected that roam
Phnom Penh streets. Angela takes photos.
A black car with dark-tinted
windows appears a few times - making no attempt to keep their tailing of Nick
covert.
ANGELA
Is that black car
following us?
NICK
Probably.
ANGELA
But...
NICK
Just trying to intimidate
me.
Angela smiles, shakes her
head.
63 INT/EXT. PHNOM PENH MARKETS. DAY
The montage continues:
Nick and Angela buy vegetables and fruit in a local market, walk out with box
loads.
They load the boxes into
the back of Nick’s 4WD.
64 EXT. DUMP COMMUNITY. DAY
The montage, with music
over, continues. Nick’s 4WD drives into a small community adjacent to the dump. Crude shacks are made from scrap metal,
plastic, cardboard, wood.
The MEN, WOMEN and CHILDREN
know Nick well. They help him and Angela unpack boxes of fruit and vegetables.
As community members distribute
the food Angela takes photos.
Traditional Khmer music
emanates from a tape deck. An OLD WOMAN dances to it.
Nick picks up SMALL KIDS,
throws them in the air and catches them’; spins them around.
A few OTHER WOMEN join the
Old Woman in traditional dancing.
The Old Woman holds out
her hands; invites Nick to join them.
He does so. Nick is a bad dancer
but turns this to his advantage by acting the clown and making everyone laugh.
Others join in the dance -
laughing; happy.
Angela takes photos.
65 EXT. DUMP COMMUNITY. DAY
Through the long end of a
camera lens Nick can be seen picking up and dancing with a small LAUGHING CHILD
- against a backdrop of 3rd world shacks.
The shot pans to reveal
Angela taking photos, amidst a throng of men, women and children - some of the
adults dancing; the children engaged in a water fight.
66 INT. CAR. DAY
A MAN IN A BLACK T-SHIRT,
sitting in the passenger seat of a car with black-tinted windows, looks at the
viewfinder of his camera, the telephoto lens pointed in the direction of:
Nick, Angela and the group
of dancing men, women and children some 50 or so meters away – seen through the
wind screen.
A MAN IN A GREY SAFARI
SUIT, wearing wrap around sunglasses, reads a Khmer magazine - disinterested in
the task in hand.
67 EXT. DUMP COMMUNITY. DAY
Nick finishes dancing with
the Young Child and must now choose between various children who have
surrounded him, arms outstretched. He picks up a 3 YEAR OLD GIRL, places her on
his hip; beams a smile at Angela – enjoying herself as she takes photos.
TWO WOMEN, both smiling
happily, walk up to Angela, their arms outstretched. They want her to dance
with them. She laughs, shakes her head. They are insistent. She looks at:
Nick, the 3 Year Old Girl
in his arms. He makes it clear that she should join the Two Women.
Angela gestures to her
camera, as if her holding of it was a reason not to dance.
Nick walks up to her;
takes her camera from her hands.
Angela succumbs, dances
with the Two Women. She dances well.
She glances back to Nick
to see:
Nick placing the 3 Year
Old Girl on the ground, then talking with a 13 YEAR OLD GIRL - her arms
outstretched towards the camera. She wants to take some photos. Nick looks back
at:
Angela, not sure it’s a
good idea to let the girl use it.
Nick gestures to her: “It
will be OK”.
Angela shrugs her
shoulders, (”What the hell”), nods, laughs and shakes her head.
Nick leans close to the 13
Year Old Girl; shows her how to use the camera. She turns up to him and beams a
happy smile.
68 INT. NICK’S 4WD. DAY
As Nick drives Angela
looks at photos on the LCD screen of her camera. Close on:
The 13 year old girl’s
photos - tilted and oddly framed, but dynamic and speaking volumes of the
capacity of the members of this poor community to laugh and have fun. It is
clear from the photos that Angela had fun also.
Nick’s eyes shift between
Angela and the rear-vision mirror.
Angela looks at Nick
looking in the rear-vision mirror; looks back to see, over the top of a box of
fruit on the back seat:
The black car with
mirrored windows following them.
ANGELA
That doesn’t bother you!?
NICK
A little.
Nick pulls over to the
side of the road; reaches over to the back seat to grab something.
69 EXT. ROAD. DAY
Nick walks from his 4 WD,
parked at the side of the road, to the black car parked 20 feet behind.
He taps on the driver’s
black tinted window. It opens. The MAN IN A GREY SAFARI SUIT looks at him.
Nick reaches into his
belt, as if for a gun, pulls out a banana, points it at Grey Safari Suit, pulls
the ‘trigger’.
Grey Safari Suit stares at
him, stony-faced. Man in a Black t-Shirt, camera resting on his lap, smiles;
reaches out.
Nick tosses him the
banana, Nick turns and begins to walk off.
MAN IN A GREY SAFARI SUIT
Hey.
Nick turns.
Grey Safari Suit gestures
for him to come back. Nick walks back. Grey Safari Suit gestures to Man in a
Black t-Shirt, peeling the banana; makes it clear he wants one also.
Nick smiles, holds up his
finger: “One moment”.
70 INT. NICK’S 4WD. DAY
Angela laughs as Nick
grabs a hand full of fruit from the box on the back seat.
NICK
I wonder if this constitutes
bribery of a public official!?
He smiles at Angela; steps
out of the 4WD and makes his way back to the black sedan.
71 EXT. RURAL CAMBODIA. SUNSET
The shiny white car,
Monkey in the passenger seat, drives through a picture post-card beautiful Cambodian
rural landscape. The sky is lit up with a brilliant sunset.
72 INT. CAR. SUNSET
Monkey runs her hands over
the plush upholstery, fiddling with knobs; overawed by the interior of the car.
Monkey speaks in Khmer.
MONKEY
(subtitled)
What is you name?
ANURAK
Anurak.
MONKEY
(subtitled)
My name is Kek.
ANURAK
(subtitled)
I know, Kek.
MONKEY
(subtitled)
How do you know?
ANURAK
(subtitled)
That’s my job. Knowing
things.
MONKEY
(subtitled)
Do you know that everyone
calls me Monkey?
Anurak smiles, shakes his
head; turns to her:
ANURAK
(subtitled)
No, I didn’t know that.
MONKEY
(subtitled)
Then you don’t know
everything!
Anurak laughs.
ANURAK
(subtitled)
No, I don’t know
everything.
Monkey thinks about this
for a moment.
MONKEY
(subtitled)
Can I look at my photo?
Anurak nods, hands her his
mobile. Monkey looks at the photo:
Monkey smiling happily
Monkey holds the phone as
if it were a precious thing.
73 EXT. SHOP. VILLAGE. SUNSET
DARYA, Monkey’s brother,
clutching a crisp US$20 bill, points to
a tin of powdered baby formula milk in the ‘shop’ seen earlier.
74 INT. RAMSHACKLE 3RD WORLD HUT. EVENING
DARYA finishes pouring
formula milk into a baby bottle.
MI, lying sick on a mat
close by, watches as DARYA shakes the bottle, places the rubber teat in the
baby’s mouth.
Close on: MI’s wet face,
her eyes filling with tears.
75 INT. NICK’S 4 WD. PHNOM PENH STREET. EVENING
Nick and Angela drive down
a busy street lined with bars, restaurants and foods stalls. Angela has a black
number 4 in her hands.
NICK
The number 4 is bad luck.
And black is bad luck.
ANGELA
So this is...
NICK
Double bad luck! Someone
does not wish me well.
ANGELA
And it was just sitting on
the seat? Any idea who....(did it?)
NICK shakes his head;
shrugs.
NICK
(grins)
Department of Intimidation?
One of my vipers...???
ANGELA
Fuck!
NICK
It’s just a game. They
pretend to be scary and I pretend not to be scared.
ANGELA
You need to be careful.
NICK
Bit late for that.
76 EXT. STREET. BAR DISTRICT. PHNOM PENH. EVENING
As Nick’s 4WD pulls up in
the background, a tiny pre-teen girl, VANNY, a tray of books slung around her
neck, can be seen, in the foreground, holding a book out to a TOURIST.
VANNY
Very funny. Tourists like
very much.
ANGELA
(voice off)
It doesn’t worry you that
they might...hurt you?
The Tourist shakes her
head. Nick and Angela get out of the 4 WD in the background.
NICK (voice
off)
Of course. I’m a coward at
heart.
Vanny spots Nick, bounds
up, greets him with a smile; the book in her outstretched hand.
VANNY
You buy my book, Nick?
NICK
(laughs)
I not buy your book,
Vanny.
Vanny’s smile turns into a
frown. She sizes up Angela.
VANNY
You Nick new girlfriend?
Angela laughs, shakes her
head.
ANGELA
What makes you think I’m
his girlfriend?
VANNY
I might be young but I not
stupid.
Nick, Angela, camera in
hand, and Vanny, tray of books around her neck, start to walk down a crowded
street filled with ‘Girlie Bars’, food stalls, street kids, beggars.
ANGELA
Well, I am a girl and I am
Nick’s friend so I guess that makes me his girl friend.
Vanny rolls her eyes.
VANNY
You buy my book?
ANGELA
I don’t need a book.
VANNY
You not buy my book, I
cannot eat.
A wide shot. Nick, Angela
and Vanny can be seen in the background making their way down the street as
YOUNG KHMER WOMEN in tight short skirts, high heels and too much make-up, call
out to Western men on the wrong side of 50 - on the prowl. This is the point of
view of:
QUONG TRAN, an
immaculately dressed and groomed Vietnamese man, mid-30s, standing outside
‘Girlie Bar’ “Pussy Galore”.
NICK
Don’t believe a word she
tells you. Vanny has a big shiny stretch limo parked around the corner and
lives in a big house on the river and...
VANNY
(laughs)
You one big liar, Nick.
NICK
Bigger than you? (A BEAT)
You are the Queen of liars. Queen Vanny.
VANNY
(laughs)
I too young to be a queen.
Vanny takes Angela’s hand;
holds it.
NICK
OK. Princess.
(to Angela)
Princess Vanny is putting
herself through school so...
ANGELA
Nick has a lot of girlfriends?
Vanny raises her eyebrows
theatrically, nods her head.
VANNY
Mega!
Nick smiles, shakes his
head.
VANNY
I’m Vanny.
ANGELA
I’m Angela, and happy to
meet you, Vanny.
VANNY
If you are happy to meet
me, you buy my book. If you not buy my book I cannot feed my granny. She very
old and sick. She need medicine and...
NICK
OK, I buy your book. How
much.
This is a game that Nick
and Vanny have played before.
VANNY
For you, special price.
$6.
NICK
$4
VANNY
$5. My last price.
NICK
OK. $5.
VANNY
OK, you choose book.
Nick ruffles her hair.
NICK
No, you keep the book.
She holds a book out to
Nick.
VANNY
I not beggar.
NICK
It’s a present.
VANNY
OK.
77 EXT. OUTDOOR BAR. NIGHT
Nick and Angela sit at a
table on the street across the road from a busy ‘girlie bar’: 'HOT STUFF'.
Angela is looking at photos on her camera. Vanny can be seen in the background
looking for customers.
A WAITRESS places a beer
in front of Nick; a glass of white wine in front of Angela as she holds the
camera out to Nick.
Nick looks at the photo
of:
The Khmer Man reaching out to touch his dead
daughter’s face.
NICK
(voice off)
Heart-breaking...
ANGELA
An invasion of privacy?
Exploitation of...?
NICK
Depends how you use it.
And why...
Angela grimaces, nods;
places the camera on the table.
ANGELA
Wow! What a day!
NICK
Welcome to Scambodia.
Nick holds up his glass:
cheers. Angela does likewise. As they clink their glasses, Nick’s attention is
caught by:
FRANCOISE, a Frenchwoman,
late 20s, short of stature, eccentrically dressed, flame red hair, walking
towards them.
NICK
Uh oh! Here’s trouble.
Nick stands to greet her.
FRANCOISE
Mon cherie, mon cherie.
She hugs Nick, kisses him
on each cheek. A tattoo of a large black scorpion adorns her neck. She talks
fast:
FRANCOISE
Je suis désolé d'être en
retard. My day eet ees merde...I ‘av client ‘ee is chatte. Ee talk about zee
petit girl because I aussi petit and ‘e try to toucher moi and…
Francoise notices Angela.
Her eyes light up. To Nick:
FRANCOISE
‘Oo eez votre beaux ami?
She smiles at Angela but
before Angela has a chance to respond she turns back to Nick.
FRANCOISE
I sink ‘e comme to fuck ze
petit moi...and I want to kick his testicule...but j'ai besoin de travailler!
She turns to Angela
FRANCOISE
Tu comprends?
Angela holds her thumb and
forefinger close.
ANGELA
Un petit peu. Testicule,
Testicle, oui?
FRANCOISE
Oui.
NICK
Frannie is a masseuse.
FRANCOICE
(nods)
Le premier est
complémentaire de massage.
NICK
The first massage is
free. Frannie, this is Angela.
FRANCOISE
L'ange? An angel?
Angela smiles. Before she
has a chance to respond:
FRANCOISE
Avec un petit diable en
vous je l'espère?
NICK
And a little devil in you
I hope?
ANGELA
More than a little!
Nick turns to Francoise;
translates.
NICK
Plus d'un peu!
Francoise throws her head
back; laughs.
FRANCOISE
Bonjour mon Ange.
She takes Angela’s head in
her hands kisses her on one cheek, then the other and then on her lips.
FRANCOISE
You have zee beautiful
lip.
(She turns to Nick)
Neekolas, why you not tell
me you ‘ve zee nouveau partenaire; zee ton amoureux.
(She turns back to Angela)
Pourquoi es-tu ici? ‘ere
in Cambodge? Why you with zis man? Zis Neek-ol-arse?
ANGELA
Working for an NGO, but
in...
FRANCOISE
Je suis zee trainer.
Physical. And zee masseuse. And zee physio-the rapist.
ANGELA
The rapist!
FRANCOISE
(laughs)
Parfoit. Sometimes.
She looks directly into
Angela’s eyes for a long moment.
FRANCOISE
Pour vous also le second.
Peut-être
Francoise inspects
Angela’s body from head to toe – undressing her with her eyes.
NICK
For you the second massage
will be free. Maybe!
Angela is unsure how to
deal with Francoise’s attention.
FRANCOISE
Vous êtes le nouvel amant de
Nicholas?
NICK
Are you my new lover?
ANGELA (laughs)
I am not ‘Neekolas’ lover.
FRANCOISE
So zere is ‘ope por moi?
Angela, again at a loss
for words, looks at Nick:
NICK
Hurricane Francoise!
Francoise laughs loudly,
until her attention is caught by:
Two pot-bellied men, KEN
and BAZZA, in their 50’s ogling the scantily clad YOUNG WOMEN outside 'Hot
Stuff'.
Francoise’s smile
disappears; her face darkens.
Francoise glares at the Ken
and Bazza, beer cans in hand, appraising the bodies of teen girls as Vanny
tries, without success, to sell them a book.
Francoise grabs Angela’s
camera, lifts it, shouts:
FRANCOISE
Hey, deux sympa coq!
NICK
Frannie! No!
Ken and Bazza turn as
Francoise (’click’) takes photos of their surprised faces.
FRANCOISE
You want ze blow job?”
Click! Francoise purses
her lips, blows in their direction. Ken and Bazza stare at her in shock.
Bazza makes his way
towards Francoise, his hand outstretched.
Francoise turns to Angela,
smiles innocently.
BAZZA
(Australian accent)
Hey, you!
Bazza stands in front of
Francoise; looms over her.
FRANCOISE
(insouciant)
Moi?
BAZZA
You delete those photos,
cunt.
Nick stands, holds his
hands up to Bazza in an attempt to calm him down; turns to Francoise:
NICK
Frannie! Stop! (A BEAT)
Don’t!
Francoise ignores Nick,
picks up the camera, opens one of the photos, looks at it, smiles; holds it up
for Nick to see.
Nick holds his hands up to
let both Francoise and Bazza know that he is not buying into this
confrontation!
BAZZA
Fucking give it to me,
cunt!
Francoise shakes her
finger at him; warning him. Angela gently extricates the camera from
Francoise’s hands.
FRANCOISE
Vous ne devriez pas me
appeler un cunt , porc .
Bazza doesn’t understand.
FRANCOISE
Pig. Pig Australien I
sink, no?
BAZZA
Frog Cunt?
Bazza looks at Ken, who
laughs. Francoise stands, tiny compared to Bazza.
NICK
Frannie!
A small crowd of onlookers
has gathered, including Vanny, as Francoise gestures towards YOUNG BAR GIRLS in
the crowd.
FRANCOISE
Zee petit frog cunt want
to ask zee Aussie pig a question. You want to fuck zee little girl, why not you
use your hand?
She makes a masturbation
gesture with her hand. Nick shakes his head: (“Here we go again!”)
Angela, taking photos
covertly, is not sure whether to laugh or be concerned for Francoise’s safety
as she turns her head; offers her cheek for Bazza to hit.
FRANCOISE
Come on, big pig, show zee
little girl you want to fuck how zee brave big Aussie pig man with the tiny
penis treat zee frog woman cunt.
Bazza raises his fist
threateningly. Francoise delivers a hard and fast kick-boxers kick to his
groin. ‘Click’ Angela takes a photo. Bazza collapses to the ground. ‘Click’ The Bar Girls and Vanny respond
excitedly and approvingly.
As Francoise walks back to
the table, Bazza struggles to his feet clutching his groin.
NICK
That was fucking stupid,
Frannie!
Nick’s mobile announces
the arrival of a text message.
FRANCOISE
“Silence en face de
mal...zee evil... is evil. Not to speak ees to speak.”
NICK
You didn't speak! You
fucking kicked him in the balls.
Nick looks at the screen
of his mobile; from: rilible sauce
He turns to Angela;
indicates Francoise as he stands.
NICK
Another adrenalin junkie!
As Nick stands:
ANGELA
Another!
FRANCOISE
You ‘av de l'alcool, I ‘av
my adrenalin.
Francoise smiles at
Angela. Nick and Angela’s eyes meet briefly as he turns, walks into the street.
FRANCOISE
Et les deux sont bons pour
la libido, non? Good for zee libido.
Close on the screen of
Nick’s mobile. The message reads.
toonite sereos
Nick stands in the street,
20 feet from where Angela and Francoise are engaged in animated conversation.
As Nick writes a return
text message:
Tonight what? Can I call you?
In a wide shot Nick is
seen reading a text message; commencing to write one in return. Francoise and
Angela talk and laugh in the background.
This is the point of view
of:
Quong Tran, the Vietnamese
man seen earlier. He observes Nick’s texting a moment; lifts his mobile phone
to his ear.
Nick slips his mobile into
his shirt pocket; walks back towards Angela and Francoise; looking at the LCD
screen of the camera. Francoise looks at Angela with lustful intent.
Angela blushes; a little
overwhelmed. Francoise looks up at Nick as he returns to the table.
FRANCOISE
Neekolas, I want to eat
‘er…
(She kisses Angela on the
cheek)
...but I cannot...because
I eez vegetarian.
NICK
Next time!
(to Angela)
We’ve got to go.
ANGELA
Why?
NICK
I’ll explain en route.
Nick is clearly impatient
to be gone. Angela stands.
FRANCOISE
Neekolas, you are so
impétueux.
Francoise stands, moves up
to Angela; kisses her on the lips.
FRANCOISE
I think ‘ee afraid I steal
you from ‘im. Au revoir, mon cherie.
ANGELA
Au revoir.
Nick and Angela walk off,
fast.
ANGELA
An old girlfriend?
NICK
No, as you may have
gathered she bats for the other team. Your team.
ANGELA
She could bat for both
teams.
NICK
(laughs)
She definitely wants you
on her team.
ANGELA
(laughs)
Really! I would never have
guessed
78 INT. NICK’S 4 WD. NIGHT
As Nick drives, Angela
reads Nick’s text messaged aloud:
ANGELA
“No. I text. I give
address.” “Can you tell me more?” “You will see.” “OK, send address.” That’s
it?
NICK
That’s it.
ANGELA
Rilible sauce!? Reliable?
NICK
Mostly.
79 EXT. PALATIAL HOME. PHNOM PENH. NIGHT
The entrance to a large
palatial home. Adjacent to a metal gate TWO GUARDS stand - armed with AK 47s.
Nick’s 4 WD can be seen, 50 meters up the street, pulling up to park.
ANGELA
(voice off)
My mother. Her name
is...was...I don’t know if she is still alive...
80 INT. NICK’S 4 WD. RESIDENTIAL STREET. NIGHT
As he finishes parking,
Nick turns off the car engine.
ANGELA
Her name
is...was...Aspara. A celestial nymph in Buddhist mythology.
Angela takes a creased
photo from her wallet.
ANGELA
Always smiling and
dancing.
She unfolds it; hands it
to Nick: the same photo she uses as her computer Home Page:
A young Asian woman (late teens) holding a baby.
NICK
That’s you?
ANGELA
(nods)
But I had a Khmer name
then. Srey Lin. It’s the only photo I have of my mother.
NICK
Aspara!
ANGELA
Aspara. If she was a
dancer she sure didn’t pass on her dancing genes to me!
NICK
And your father?
Angela makes an “I don’t
know” gesture
ANGELA
I don’t even know his name.
Her eyes glisten with
emotion.
ANGELA
Did mum know his name?
Were they lovers? Did he rape her? Did she...I don’t know...Not knowing has
left a hole...a deep hole...
She places her hand on her
heart.
NICK
Do you have any memories
of her?
Angela nods, looks at him;
her eyes filling with tears.
NICK
Is that why you’ve come
back?
ANGELA
I don’t know. I really
don’t. Maybe! I guess. It must be one of the reasons, right? Even if I don’t
know it?
(She looks at him)
I don’t want to bore you
with my...baggage.
NICK
I’m not bored. And it’s
not ‘baggage’. It’s your life.
ANGELA
My messy life!
NICK
How did you get from a
refugee camp with a mum, to Birmingham without one?
ANGELA
A new mum. And a new dad.
Anthea and Edward. They adopted me when I was four. Good people. Kind people.
Christians...They loved me...love me...and I loved them...love them, but then,
when I got to be thirteen years old it all went pear-shaped...
Their heads are briefly
illuminated by car headlights.
NICK
Hang on.
They both look towards the
palatial home.
81 EXT. PALATIAL HOME. PHNOM PENH. NIGHT
A white sedan turns
towards the gate leading into the palatial home; pulls up close to a Guard’s
Box; manned by TWO UNIFORMED GUARDS armed with AK 47s.
Anurak gets out, looks
around cautiously as GUARD # 1 walks up, opens the passenger door for Monkey.
Monkey gets out; dwarfed
by the high wall and huge gate.
Guard # 1 signaling to
GUARD # 2, who then presses a button inside the Guard Box.
The gate begins to swing
open.
Monkey looks on in awe as
the gate opens to reveal a large courtyard garden in front of a palatial
mansion.
An ELEGANT KHMER WOMAN,
40’ish, and three young MAIDS IN WHITE UNIFORMS, greet Monkey with warm smiles.
The sound of multiple
photos being taken.
82 INT. CAR. NICK’S 4WD. NIGHT
Angela takes photos with
her stills camera. Nick films with a small digital camera. He sees:
Monkey disappearing
through the front gate to the palatial home as Anurak gets back into his car and
drives off.
83 INT. BALCONY. PALATIAL HOME. NIGHT
A MAN, seen from behind,
stands in the dark on a balcony overlooking the courtyard and garden below - in
which Monkey, the Elegant Khmer Woman and the Three Maids, talk for a moment
before walking towards the house.
84 INT. CAR. NICK’S 4WD. NIGHT
Nick and Angela are both
shocked by what they have seen.
ANGELA
Fuck.
Nick reaches for his
yellow mobile.
ANGELA
(agitated)
Oh my God, we have
to...that poor girl!
Nick locates the number he
is looking for - Balin Meas - presses ‘call’. Angela sees something that shocks
her.
ANGELA
Uh, oh!
Angela is looking out
through the windscreen at:
Armed Guard # 2 looking
towards Nick’s 4 WD.
Nick sees also.
NICK
Fuck.
Armed Guard # 2 says
something to GUARD #. They both look towards Nick and Angela.
NICK
Get rid of your camera.
Nick puts his small video
camera on the seat between his legs as Angela unscrews the zoom lens of her
camera.
Nick turns on the ignition
but the Armed Guards are just 20 feet away now and making a hasty exit is not
an option.
Angela puts her camera in
the glove compartment, locks it, slips the key into her shirt pocket.
85 INT. GIRL’S BEDROOM. NIGHT
Monkey is led by the
Elegant Khmer Woman into a plush bedroom. The furnishings suggest that its
regular occupant is a pampered teenage girl. The Three Maids follow. The
Elegant Khmer Woman speaks to Monkey in Khmer:
ELEGANT KHMER WOMAN (subtitled)
Wait here.
Monkey nods; smiles.
86 INT. CAR. NICK’S 4WD. NIGHT
Armed Guards # 1 & # 2
are close now. Angela is scared. Nick leans close.
NICK
It’s going to be OK. OK?
(Angela nods)
Don’t look at them.
(He kisses her on the
lips.)
Just pretend we’re lovers,
right?
Angela nods. They kiss. As
they do Angela can see:
Armed Guard # 1, standing
by the window, raising his AK 47.
ANGELA
Oh, fuck. He’s...
Nick stops her with
another kiss.
Armed Guard # 1 taps the
window with his AK 47.
Nick and Angela stop
kissing, turn and look at him - Angela trying her hardest to hide her fear;
Nick acting innocent and puzzled. He winds down the window, smiles, speaks in
Khmer.
NICK (subtitled)
Hello, how are you?
Armed Guard # 1, thrown a
little, speaks in Khmer.
ARMED GUARD # 1 (subtitled)
Get out.
NICK (subtitled)
Why?
87 INT. GIRL’S BEDROOM. NIGHT
Monkey explores the
bedroom with her eyes; smiling excitedly at the Three Maids - who seem to have
been instructed not to speak with or interact with her.
88 INT. CAR. NICK’S 4WD. NIGHT
Nick’s acting dumb act is
not working. Armed Guard # 1 raises his AK 47 angrily; points it at Nick.
ARMED GUARD # 1 (subtitled)
Get out.
As Nick opens the door and
lifts his bottom from the seat:
His small video camera is
clearly exposed, though hidden momentarily from the view of Armed Guard #
1.
NICK
(sotto voce)
Camera under seat.
Angela stares at him;
scared.
89 INT. GIRL’S BEDROOM. NIGHT
The Elegant Khmer Woman
walks back into the room carrying a white dress; smiling. She speaks to Monkey
in Khmer:
ELEGANT KHMER WOMAN (subtitled)
Take your clothes off.
Monkey looks at her;
confused.
End of Episode One
