FOE
Screenplay by
Iain Reid & Garth Davis
Based on FOE, by Iain Reid
Draft: 13th April, 2022
BLACK.
The sound of a floor creaking as someone walks.
FADE UP QUOTE:
"One has to be very careful what one takes
when one goes away forever."
- Leonora Carrington
The creaks stop. The sound of a running shower.
CUT TO:
2
1 1
INT. FARMHOUSE/BATHROOM - DUSK
The motionless figure of a woman stands in the shower,
waiting for the water to cool down. We reveal HEN, late
twenties and earthy, as she steps under, allowing the water
to rush over her hair and face.
The plug is in the bath, so the water builds up around her
ankles. She turns away from the shower head. She closes her
eyes, brings her hands up to her face.
She starts to cry. Her crying intensifies until she's
silently weeping.
She's inconsolable. She spits saliva, then covers her mouth
as if she might vomit, making sure NOT to make any noise. We
only hear the water running.
Later, the shower is off; we see Hen on her knees, scooping
out the captured water from the bath to a few larger plastic
buckets stacked along the hob.
2 2
INT. FARMHOUSE/BEDROOM - DUSK
From the bedroom door, we see Hen, sitting alone on the bed,
hair wet, draped in her towel, only the sounds of an empty
dry wind brushing the house.
She's facing the mirror on her wall, displeased with
something, deep in thought, a strained expression on her face
as if talking to herself with her eyes.
DISSOLVE TO:
3 3
EXT. RURAL PLAINS - NIGHT
A distant, piercing speck of pale green light appears on the
dark horizon. It grows, moving towards us hypnotically,
becoming headlights.
The tiny lights stretch, snaking through what we see is an
endlessly vast, isolated, rural landscape.
4 4
INT. RURAL PLAINS - CAR/POV - NIGHT CONT.
In the fully reclined driver's seat, we see the torso of a
suited man staring up through the open sunroof. The self-
driving steering wheel guides him over the rushing road. Dead
and orphaned trees sweep past like ghosts.
5 5
EXT. THE FARM/CAR POV - NIGHT
The lone car turns into a long, winding gravel drive off the
main road.
3
Far ahead, the pale green light softly illuminates a
desolate, white timber farmhouse. A decrepit barn and shed
sink into the night beside it.
The car slows, then creeps to a stop.
A soft car alert repeats, triggering the man to move, but we
are still yet to see his face. His seat automatically
inclines.
6 6
INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
The green headlights from outside fall on a motionless hand,
in an otherwise dark living room. The calloused fingers begin
to uncurl.
We pull back to reveal JUNIOR, a twenty-something farmer,
asleep on his couch in the fetal position.
The light washes softly over his sweaty face. He adjusts his
position, coming to, his weary eyes open to the light. The
sound of insect murmurations rise.
He stands and stretches. His shirt is unbuttoned. He
scratches his torso, picks up an open bottle of beer sitting
beside him, and walks toward the window into the light.
He looks out and notices the car stopped at the very far end
of the drive. He waits to see if the car will turn around, or
come up to the house. It just sits there, waiting.
JUNIOR
Hen?
A beat.
JUNIOR (CONT'D)
(Louder)
HEN?
The creak of floorboards above him.
JUNIOR (CONT'D)
You expecting anyone?
A beat.
HEN (O.S.)
No.
Junior stares suspiciously at the car, takes a swig of his
beer. Finally, the car starts moving...toward the house.
JUNIOR
You better get down here.
4
Junior, hearing her steps on the stairs, turns. Hen appears,
wearing cut-off shorts and a black tank top. For a moment
neither speak, Hen just stares.
JUNIOR (CONT'D)
What? What is it?
HEN
I didn't hear you come in.
The light through the window strengthens over Junior, then
dips him into darkness.
JUNIOR
Someone's here.
Hen walks into the room, turns on the nearby lamp, and stands
by it. Hen watches Junior move back to the window.
JUNIOR (CONT'D)
(Looking out)
Looks official, doesn't it?
Hen walks over and joins him by the window. The car gets
closer to the house.
HEN
(Looking out)
Could be.
(Curious)
When was the last time we had a
visitor?
Junior notices Hen's finger curling a strand of hair, her
toes reaching her up to see. Hen catches his stare.
HEN (CONT'D)
They must be lost.
The car pulls up, just out of view.
JUNIOR
(Looking out)
Don't think so.
Junior starts buttoning his shirt, straining to get a view of
the visitor through the window. The sound of a car door
opening and closing.
HEN
He must want something.
Hen moves toward the front door. Behind her, Junior removes
an old rifle from the cabinet in the neighboring study. He
clicks it open to check if it's loaded but finds it empty.
5
Junior, confused, moves towards Hen, rifle in hand, awkwardly
finishing the final button on his shirt. Hen notices the
rifle.
JUNIOR
Have you been messing with this?
HEN
What are you talking about?
JUNIOR
It's empty.
Hen motions for Junior to put it down.
HEN
We never leave it loaded.
JUNIOR
What?
We hear the sound of footsteps on the porch.
HEN
Put it down for Christ sakes!
Hen's bullish nature births an unexpected smile from Junior.
A knock on the door.
JUNIOR
(To Hen)
Go on then.
Hen takes a breath, then moves closer to the door. Junior
lowers the rifle, places it against the wall.
HEN
(Through the closed door)
Hello.
TERRANCE (O.S.)
I'm sorry. I know it's late.
A beat.
TERRANCE (O.S.) (CONT'D)
Is that Henrietta?
Junior steps closer to Hen, standing right behind her.
He puts a hand around her waist. She stiffens slightly.
HEN
Who's that?
TERRANCE (O.S.)
Terrance.
Junior looks at Hen, then back to the door.
6
JUNIOR
We don't know any Terrance.
TERRANCE (O.S.)
Junior?
Junior is taken-aback that he knows his name, but before he
can respond, Terrance continues.
TERRANCE (O.S.) (CONT'D)
I think you'll want to hear what I
have to say...both of you.
Hen reaches for the handle, but Junior cuts her off and
cautiously opens the door, just enough to reveal the
stranger.
TERRANCE, taller, leaner, more sophisticated than Junior, is
clearly not a local, wearing a linen suit and white shirt.
He's articulate, urban, charming. He smiles at Junior with a
curious warmth.
JUNIOR
What's this about?
TERRANCE
I'm here on behalf of OuterMore.
JUNIOR
OuterMore?
TERRANCE
The company.
(beat)
We do electronics, data mining.
But our current focus is off-earth
habitation.
JUNIOR
What?
HEN
I think he means living in space.
Junior looks at Hen with a bemused smile.
TERRANCE
Would it be okay if I came in?
Junior considers his request before opening the door wider,
giving Terrance just enough room to step in.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
Thank you.
He smiles at Hen as he enters, then holds his hand out to
Junior who ignores it.
7
JUNIOR
Is there anybody else in the car?
TERRANCE
No, making these visits is my job.
Terrance smiles.
HEN
Would you like to sit down?
Junior nods, reluctantly, and leads them into the living
room. Terrance takes in the room, Hen watching him closely.
TERRANCE
Great place. Charming. Rustic.
How old is it?
JUNIOR
Old. Couple hundred years.
TERRANCE
Wow...I'm guessing it's always been
in the family?
JUNIOR
I'm fifth generation.
TERRANCE
I love that.
(touches the wallpaper)
You just don't see this anymore.
JUNIOR
Still a few of us left.
TERRANCE
But you don't farm it, do you?
Junior is taken aback.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
How do you guys survive? Make a
living, I mean.
JUNIOR
We have jobs.
Junior sits in a recliner. Hen sits in a rocking chair.
Terrance sits on the couch in front of them.
Junior looks at Hen. She is staring vacantly at Terrance.
TERRANCE
This is exciting, but before I say
anything, I'm supposed to show you
this.
8
Terrance removes a screen-like device from his case and holds
it in front of him. It plays a video that is typical of
government-style propaganda, moving quickly through images of
rocket launches and the inside of a space station, with
narration touching on the challenges we face with climate,
overpopulation. Junior stares at the screen curiously.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
(Speaking over the video)
We've been working on the next
phase of transition for a long
time. There's always been several
possibilities for human existence
in space.
As Terrance speaks, he stares across at Hen, studying her.
She looks up, their eyes meet.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
The moon. Mars. But with our lands
and seas transforming, as they are,
we decided to build our own space
station, our own planet. Somewhere
new, somewhere less fickle.
JUNIOR
What's this got to do with us?
TERRANCE
I'm here because of The
Installation, the first wave of
temporary resettlement.
The video ends, Terrance puts the screen away in his case.
Junior looks at Hen. She seems distant.
JUNIOR
I think I heard about this shit
once.
HEN
It's ridiculous. Why are we
spending money up there when we
should be fixing things here.
TERRANCE
Our motivation is proactive, to
help our children's children.
A beat. Terrance looks around and back at Junior.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
You got kids?
Junior looks at Terrance momentarily, then over to Hen.
Before Junior can answer, Hen cuts in.
9
HEN
(to Terrance)
Do you?
Terrance stands, removing his jacket. He's sweating visibly
through his shirt.
TERRANCE
I'm used to air-conditioning. Could
I trouble you for a glass of water?
Hen remains seated momentarily, then stands, grabbing
Junior's empty beer bottle and walks out to the kitchen.
Terrance sits back down and looks around the room. Junior is
growing more suspicious.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
Do you remember a time when there
were farms around here, with
livestock and crops. Real
farms...no offense.
JUNIOR
As a kid. But most have been bought
up or burned.
TERRANCE
Burned?
JUNIOR
By the corporations. They need the
land for their hybrid stuff.
TERRANCE
I noticed all the canola on the
drive. I didn't realize it grew
this time of year.
JUNIOR
All year round. Barely needs water.
TERRANCE
Doesn't seem natural.
JUNIOR
It's not.
A long silent beat turns awkward.
Hen secretly spies on them both from the kitchen door,
completely motionless, holding a glass of water and a beer.
Terrance leans in close to Junior, relaxed, intimate. The
silence is deafening, Terrance takes it in.
10
TERRANCE
(softly)
You could do whatever you want out
here.
Junior is taken aback at first but then smiles, growing ever
more curious by this stranger.
Hen walks in. She hands the water to Terrance, the beer to
Junior.
JUNIOR
You won't get water like that in
the city.
TERRANCE
I do love it.
Terrance brings the glass up to his mouth and drinks. Junior
notices him watching Hen as she sits back down. Terrance sets
the empty glass down on the coffee table.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
So, I've been assigned to your
file.
HEN
We have a file?
TERRANCE
You didn't until...well...recently.
Junior looks to Hen.
JUNIOR
You didn't sign us up for anything
did you?
HEN
(Defensive)
No.
Terrance smiles.
TERRANCE
No, you didn't. That's true. But
we've had our first lottery.
HEN
A lottery...for what?
TERRANCE
For The Installation. And I am
excited to say that you have made
the short list.
Terrance looks to Hen.
11
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
You're one step closer to living up
there. This is significant.
Terrance wipes sweat from his forehead. Junior takes a swig
from his beer, doesn't buy any of it, laughs it off.
JUNIOR
Well, you're wasting your time
here.
(To Hen)
We've never even been on an
airplane.
(To Terrance)
She'd hate it.
This comment, his playfulness, provokes Hen.
HEN
(To Junior)
And you wouldn't?
JUNIOR
I'm just saying. You wouldn't like
flying.
TERRANCE
Oh, I should clarify. I'm talking
about you here, Junior. Only you.
HEN
We're not both on the list?
TERRANCE
OuterMore decided Junior was the
more-
HEN
Desirable candidate?
Terrance notices a resentment in Hen.
TERRANCE
These tests require real physical
strength, specific skills, that for
better or worse, exist more in your
husband.
His patronizing comments make Hen fume. Junior sits up,
starts to realize this is serious.
JUNIOR
You're not fucking around.
Terrance stares directly at Junior.
TERRANCE
Look, this is only a warning.
12
Terrance stops himself.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
Sorry, warning's the wrong word.
This is good news.
HEN
Good news?
TERRANCE
The first phase of the Installation
will be a test period...before the
next phase...which will be
permanent.
JUNIOR
And the Government knows about
this?
TERRANCE
We are the Government. Our station
is orbiting Earth as we speak.
HEN
What if we refuse. What if we just
say no.
Terrance's mood sharpens.
TERRANCE
You do know about conscription,
don't you. Like during the old
wars? If you got picked, you had to
go. To war. If you didn't, well...
JUNIOR
Are you threatening us?
TERRANCE
Let's not focus on the rule of law.
(a breath)
This operation could end up being
the most important public
initiative ever. You'd be a hero.
Terrance's intensity softens a little.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
Do you want to live mundane lives,
like everyone else? Or do you want
to be part of something special and
unique?
(Addressing Hen)
Because that's what this is really
about. A chance to be a better
version of yourself.
13
HEN
You make it sound pretty good.
TERRANCE
It's time to move on. Our planet
was marvelous, IS marvelous, but
it's given us all it can.
HEN
It didn't give us anything. It was
stolen.
A beat.
TERRANCE
Human beings are designed to
progress, to expand, to evolve.
(to Hen)
Change is one of the only
certainties in life...
HEN
So is death.
Junior takes a swig of his beer, eyeing Terrance.
JUNIOR
How'd you find us?
TERRANCE
We collect data on everyone...
HEN
Even when we live out here?
TERRANCE
Even when you live out here.
Junior notices Hen stiffen and stare down Terrance.
HEN
You watch us?
TERRANCE
Choosing to live as you do, out
here, away from the city, creates
interest.
Junior smiles, finishes his beer, puts it on the table.
JUNIOR
How long is this `short' list?
TERRANCE
I can't reveal that. What I can
tell you is that nothing will be
decided for a couple years.
14
JUNIOR
A couple YEARS?
TERRANCE
Sadly, these tests will run in two
year cycles.
HEN
And you expect us to just go on
living, like everything is normal?
TERRANCE
Yes. It is. Nothing has been
decided yet.
Hen leans back on the chair, reflecting. Terrance stands.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
Would it be okay if I used your
bathroom?
HEN
Fine.
Terrance walks out of the room, pauses, looks back at them,
then up the stairs, leaving Junior and Hen alone for the
first time since he arrived.
JUNIOR
(whispers to himself)
`a better version of
yourself'...christ.
Incredulous, Junior looks over to Hen, who surfaces a fragile
smile, but, surprisingly, they don't speak.
They sit in an awkward, bewildered silence, only the eerie
creaks of Terrance upstairs.
7 7
EXT. DRIVEWAY - NIGHT
The silence carries as Junior walks with Terrance out to the
car. Terrance puts his briefcase in the back before casually
turning back to Junior.
TERRANCE
Do you ever get a little...antsy?
All alone out here, just the two of
you? It's so...quiet.
JUNIOR
We like the quiet.
TERRANCE
There's nothing wrong with quiet.
But this kind of isolation is
fascinating.
15
Terrance steps around the car, opens his door.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
I hope we meet again.
(a beat)
Look after that wee Henrietta.
Junior watches him get in. The car turns around and drives
back down the driveway, out to the road.
He takes a moment to stand in the dark silence. He looks
around his property and then up toward the cloudless sky,
spotted with stars and tiny flying satellites.
8 8
INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Junior enters the living room, expecting Hen to be waiting.
She's not. The lamp has been turned off, the empty glass and
bottle sit on the table. He peers into the neighboring rooms;
nothing.
He grabs the rifle, still leaning against the wall. As he
takes it back to the study, he glances at the empty chamber.
9 9
INT. STUDY (OFF LIVING ROOM) - NIGHT
He places it back in the rack. Then slides open the drawer
beside it. Inside there are boxes of bullets. He shuts it
slowly, confused, then looks up into the glass cabinet above.
On the shelves is a collection of framed photos, vintage B/W
images of Junior's family staring out, from an era when the
farm was operational, abundant. They mostly show the women of
his family over the generations, proudly positioned, shrine
like.
He passes over one of an adolescent Hen on horseback.
He focuses on another more intently. It's a selfie of Junior
and Hen. Not framed, loosely stacked. Junior has his arm
around her. They're younger, both smiling; a beautiful sunset
displayed behind them.
9B 9B
INT. STAIRCASE/TOP FLOOR LANDING - NIGHT
Junior corners up the top of the stairs and moves down the
landing to their bedroom.
10 10
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
Junior slowly pushes the door to their bedroom open. Hen is
already in bed, lying on her side, her back to the door.
16
JUNIOR
Really? You're just gonna go to
sleep? After that.
Hen doesn't answer. Junior takes a step into the room.
HEN
I'm sorry. Can we talk tomorrow?
I'm not feeling well.
Junior moves closer to the bed and notices Hen is still in
her clothes. He sits down beside her, starts to take his
socks off. Hen raises her head and looks back toward Junior.
HEN (CONT'D)
Do you think you could sleep in the
guest room tonight?
JUNIOR
What?
HEN
I don't want you to catch anything.
Junior figures she is joking, leans across, and starts
playfully kissing her shoulder.
JUNIOR
Since when has that mattered?
Hen pushes him back firmly.
HEN
I'd rather be alone.
JUNIOR
You're serious. You want me to
sleep in the guest room?
HEN
Please.
Junior sits back, but he is not buying any of it. He stares
at Hen, contemplates.
JUNIOR
How did you know?
HEN
What?
JUNIOR
Before he got out, you said, `He
must want something'. How did you
know it was a man?
HEN
Is that what I said?
17
JUNIOR
You said it when the car pulled up.
A beat.
HEN
I don't know.
Hen can see Junior is far from convinced.
HEN (CONT'D)
It wasn't intentional. If I said
it, it was without thinking. I'm
exhausted, and if it's okay, I want
to sleep.
JUNIOR
When you said it, you were so
certain-
HEN
(Sharply, cutting him off)
Name one woman that would drive up
here at night alone. Go on.
JUNIOR
The way he was looking at you-
HEN
(direct)
Why are you pushing me?
Junior stands, throws his shirt onto the floor.
Hen doesn't respond, then pulls the covers up.
HEN (CONT'D)
Could you shut the door?
A beat.
He can tell Hen is anxious.
JUNIOR
(calmer)
Sure.
11 11
INT. UPSTAIRS HALLWAY - NIGHT CONT.
Junior closes the door behind him and pauses. He stands there
in the dark on the other side.
Then, he turns to walk away, and before he reaches the guest
room, he hears the alien sound of Hen locking their door.
18
12 12
INT. GUEST ROOM - NIGHT CONT.
Junior stands, surrounded by the clutter of their lives, but
is suddenly struck by the perfectly made single bed. He
stares, incredulous.
He lies down on his back, hardly able to fit, eyes open, time
and heat pressing in.
JUNIOR
(Under his breath)
Fuck.
13 13
INT. BEDROOM/HOUSE - EARLY MORNING
Like a surreal dream, the camera moves through the open door
of the bedroom, then floats down the stairs. It slows as it
sweeps into the open living room, catching HEN poised from
behind. She hears the sound of Junior's truck door opening,
then moves quickly over to the window.
Through the slither in the curtain, she watches Junior get in
and start the truck. Then, slowly, she creeps back to watch
him drive the truck down the road.
CUT TO:
With a playful curiosity, Hen moves into the kitchen. Buddy
Holly `Ain't Got No Home' plays softly on the speakers.
Surprisingly, she finds a fresh pot of coffee Junior has
prepared and an empty cup at the ready. She brushes the cup
with her hand, then looks around the room, imagining.
Hen softly and haphazardly sings along to the lyrics.
HEN
(softly singing)
I ain't got a sister not even a
brother
I'm a lonely frog I ain't got a
home
Hen surfaces the tiniest smile.
HEN (CONT'D)
(now in `Frog' voice)
What you say to me please say to me
(loudly to the ceiling)
What you say to me please say to me
She stops suddenly, feeling the echo of her words, the
emptiness of the house.
19
HEN (CONT'D)
(shouts)
I'm a lonely frog I ain't got a
home!
CUT TO:
From the kitchen, the camera floats once again, seeking the
basement door. It's open. As we move down, we find HEN
descending the bottom of the stairs. We follow her,
tentatively, into the basement itself, into the dark.
She stops by a piano, covered by an old, dusty tarp. It's
clearly been neglected for a while. She lifts off a section
of the tarp and looks at the keys, touches them tentatively.
It takes a moment, but she plays a single note. In the
sustained, fading note, Hen senses something...
Pre-lap: the screams of a thousand chickens.
14 14
INT. CORPORATE CHICKEN TOWERS - MORNING
...we move up the inside of an immense, cylindrical chicken
tower. Hundreds of levels, an endless waterfall of beaks peck
at the internal feed trays, the light at the top strangely
haunting, monolithic.
Another piano note...
We reveal Junior, on a small elevator, in full PPE, spraying
the cages as he moves up. He pauses as if sensing Hen's note.
A strange stillness falls over him, making him standout
against the mass of moving chickens, like a pebble in a fast
moving stream.
...then a cluster of notes.
15 15
EXT. ROADSIDE RESTAURANT/MOTEL - MORNING
A featureless landscape with a never-ending road is awoken by
HEN. She rides in on her electric bicycle. She turns toward a
remote roadside restaurant.
The beginning of an unexplored melody...
16 16
INT. ROADSIDE RESTAURANT/MOTEL - MORNING
The open plan restaurant serves mainly the corporate
industries and their transient high-flyers. It's stark,
tasteless, and the upmarket feel is at odds with its desolate
surroundings. Hen stands motionless by a window staring out,
waiting for a customer to order. A sense of possibility in
her eyes.
20
The melody quickly subsides. Silence hangs.
The customer begins to order.
17 17
EXT. FARM SURROUNDS - AFTERNOON
Both Hen and Junior are tiny figures stretched apart in the
rural landscape. The farmhouse sits humbly in between.
Hen, having just showered in her underwear and boots, carries
a bucket of water in each hand over to the only tree that
seems to still have life. As she tips the water, Hen
momentarily looks across the field to Junior, who is now busy
building a bonfire out of the household rubbish. He catches
her stare.
18 18
EXT. BONFIRE - SUNSET/DUSK
Junior and Hen sit on opposite sides of the burn pit. They
both hold an open beer. His shirt is undone. His stare fixed
at Hen, she is wearing a cut-off white shirt. Only the fire
lights their faces. Neither is speaking. Hen periodically
glances at him, the heat swallowing them both.
JUNIOR
You know we won't see him again.
They're not actually interested in
someone like me.
Junior swigs the remainder of his beer.
HEN
You might be surprised.
Junior looks Hen over.
JUNIOR
Do me a favor?
HEN
What?
JUNIOR
Stop wearing that shirt.
HEN
Why? I like this shirt.
A beat.
JUNIOR
You were wearing it the day we met.
HEN
God, that was so long ago. I can't
believe you can remember that.
21
JUNIOR
I really don't want you to wear it.
The comment makes Hen look up at Junior.
HEN
You're being serious?
JUNIOR
The more you wear it, the more worn
out it'll get.
Junior keeps staring at her. Hen can tell he's serious and is
curious.
HEN
What else do you remember about
that day?
JUNIOR
Only that I could have taken any
road, but I didn't. And there you
were...little Hen, looking lost.
(Grinning)
I thought I could help you.
Hen looks into the fire.
HEN
I was surprised to see someone.
(remembering)
I remember noticing your hands.
They looked strong.
JUNIOR
So you figured you'd be safe with
me? That I'd protect you.
Hen looks up to meet Junior's eyes with a slight tremor of
hesitation.
HEN
I had the feeling that you needed
me.
Hen leans forward, throwing something in the fire.
HEN (CONT'D)
Do you think some things are meant
to be?
JUNIOR
You mean like fate?
(a beat)
Maybe.
Junior stares back through the flames, their eyes meet.
There's a palpable chemistry, but strangely at arms reach.
22
19 19
INT. GUEST ROOM - LATER THAT NIGHT
It's oppressively hot. The ever familiar pulsing buzz of
insects, strangely mesmeric, primal. Junior lies on the guest
bed, in the dark, yearning for Hen.
Hen is there in the dark, leaning by the door like a ghost.
She's like this for several moments, then tentatively
approaches the edge of the bed.
She pauses, then sits beside him. She observes his sweating
body. Then looks to his hand. She seems unsure, but then
gently touches it. Junior just watches her. She then takes
his hand and feels its weight fully in hers. Hen's breath
deepens, and she weaves them. Her hands then move up his arm,
feeling its curve.
She removes her underwear, then she crawls on top of him.
She moves slowly at first. Her movements get faster,
completely her own. It happens fast. They don't even kiss.
20 20
INT. GUEST ROOM - EARLY MORNING
Hen and Junior are squeezed tightly on the single bed. Junior
wakes up to see Hen on her side, already awake, gazing at
him.
HEN
It's supposed to be even hotter
today.
Junior brushes the hair from her face, wipes the sweat from
her temple.
JUNIOR
The more you focus on it, the worse
it is.
Hen smiles, picks gently at a tiny scar on his forearm.
HEN
Do you still like it here?
JUNIOR
What?
HEN
Do you feel happy here?
JUNIOR
(taken aback)
Of course I'm happy here.
A beat.
23
JUNIOR (CONT'D)
Aren't you?
She seems surprised he asks this.
HEN
What am I to you?
JUNIOR
I don't understand.
Hen doesn't elaborate. Junior senses something deeper.
JUNIOR (CONT'D)
Is this about me leaving? If you're-
HEN
No, it's not. It's about us.
JUNIOR
Us?
HEN
Did you have any questions when we
got married?
Junior grows more concerned.
JUNIOR
There shouldn't be questions.
HEN
We all have questions.
JUNIOR
Not when you take your vows.
HEN
In seven years you've never felt
any doubt?
JUNIOR
Never.
HEN
Getting married straight out of
school doesn't worry you? Devoting
the rest of your life to someone
when you're still a teenager.
JUNIOR
We weren't school friends. We're
different.
HEN
I know.
24
JUNIOR
We met at the right time.
Junior stares back. Hen can see his vulnerability.
HEN
(Tenderly)
I'm sorry. This is just a weird
time for me. I know I've been
distant-
JUNIOR
-It's ok.
HEN
I had no idea what to expect. Who
knows when Terrance'll show up
again. But when he does, just...
JUNIOR
Just what?
HEN
Nothing. It's nothing. Terrance is
harmless, that's all.
JUNIOR
How do you know?
HEN
It's obvious to me.
Junior is perplexed, lost at sea.
HEN (CONT'D)
What do you think about more: the
past or the future?
JUNIOR
Jesus...what is this?
HEN
Sorry, I don't mean to pepper you
with questions like this first
thing in the morning.
Junior relaxes a little.
JUNIOR
It's ok. I don't mind.
Hen smiles. Junior brushes her with his forehead.
JUNIOR (CONT'D)
I think about the present.
HEN
Really? Tell me more.
25
JUNIOR
Well...I think we need a bigger
bed.
Hen laughs softly, realizing she's taking up most of the bed,
moves a little, the two now resting in each other's arms,
almost comfortably.
JUNIOR (CONT'D)
(as they laugh)
Hog.
Their laughter soon gives way to a kiss, but this time more
tender, mutual, growing...
21 21
Omitted
21B 21B
INT. BATHROOM/SHOWER
Hen stands motionless in the water. Her mind troubled,
elsewhere; she breathes through it.
22 22
INT. BASEMENT - NIGHT
Hen sits at the piano. The tarp is now completely off.
She's content, focused, her hands dancing over the keys,
playing the melody we have been hearing. It's beautiful but
imperfect, bluesy, and freewheeling.
Her gaze widens ever slightly, sensing Junior's physical
presence. A glorious smile surfaces knowing he's there.
We discover Junior, sitting near the bottom of the basement
stairs just out of sight, listening to her play with deep
adoration.
Time disappears...
FADE TO:
23 23
OMITTED
23B 23B
INT/EXT. GUEST ROOM - DAY
From the guest room window, we look out across the dead trees
to the great expanse of the farm. We don't notice it at
first, but a HUGE wind and dust storm on the horizon is
moving toward us like a tsunami. It gains, faster.
26
The camera moves back into the room, revealing the complete
picture window and then the guest room bed, now stripped of
sheets. The light dims and pulses wildly... the camera keeps
pulling back, into the landing, until there is no more light.
The storm hits. Black.
TITLE: ONE YEAR LATER.
24 24
INT/EXT. LIVING ROOM/DUST STORM. - DAY CONT
The wind howls violently, shaking the house. From the dark,
we move to reveal Junior, deep asleep on the couch. Hen leans
on the living room window sill, where she has been for some
time.
From outside, we see glimpses of Hen in the window...the
ochre dust and light, ebbs and flows, like she is underwater.
Her stare piercing, unwavering.
Hen's POV: A gust thins the dust. We just make out Terrance's
car. It is marooned half-way along the drive; the storm too
heavy for him to get out.
25 25
EXT. DRIVEWAY - AFTERNOON
The storm has subsided, not a sound, not a breath of wind.
Hen approaches the car. Her hand reaches out and wipes away a
layer of dust. Her reflection washes over Terrance; serene,
asleep. She stares down at him for a while, then gently taps
the glass. Terrance slowly comes to, surprised to see Hen. A
warm smile surfaces. The window comes down.
HEN
I didn't know you were coming.
TERRANCE
Sorry. I know this time between my
visits must have felt a
little...tense.
HEN
No. It's been good. Different.
TERRANCE
You look well. How's it been?
HEN
Just wish I wasn't so hard on
myself.
27
26 26
INT. LIVING ROOM - AFTERNOON CONT.
Junior is still lying on the couch, but now awake, eyes open,
alert. He overhears Hen and Terrance as they wander back from
the car. We never leave Junior's face.
TERRANCE(O.S.)
Where is he?
HEN (O.S.)
Inside.
Junior sits up slowly. His breaths quickens.
CUT TO:
Hen, Junior, and Terrance are sitting in the living room, in
the same seats they were sitting in during his first visit,
one year earlier.
TERRANCE
To get the best understanding of
life up there, the selected group
needs to be random. All walks of
life.
Junior raises his head, reticent, heated.
JUNIOR
So pick someone else. People like
us don't belong in space.
TERRANCE
That's the whole point. At some
stage, all of us may need to go.
Permanently.
Terrance can see Junior isn't convinced.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
There'll be handsome compensation
for you: a thank-you from the
Government.
Junior remains silent. Terrance stares at Hen momentarily.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
Imagine what this could do for the
two of you.
(To Junior)
Look, you've been gifted a rare
opportunity that, for now, seems
daunting. But, why does the unknown
have to be a burden? Most people
don't ever consider the full range
of achievable existence.
28
HEN
Existence is achievable?
TERRANCE
Yes. Living out of habit is the
worst kind of prison because the
bars are concealed.
HEN
Is that what they tell you to say?
TERRANCE
Junior, this is incredibly rare.
You've been selected. You're going
to the Installation.
JUNIOR
I don't like how you just show up
here, say all this shit, and act
like we should be thanking you, and
why is it only you who keeps coming
here? Where's everyone else?
TERRANCE
Would having more people scurrying
around your house and property
really be better?
Hen looks at the duffle bag by Terrance's feet.
JUNIOR
What's with the bag?
TERRANCE
Thought I would drop a few things
off. I'll have to stay, now that
it's official.
HEN
(Surprised)
Here? You're staying here?
TERRANCE
If you recall from my first visit-
HEN
I thought we still had longer
together.
TERRANCE
-It was all explained in the
paperwork. I would stay temporarily
if Junior was selected.
HEN
I don't remember that.
29
TERRANCE
I assume there's a guest room?
HEN
This is bullshit.
Hen gets up and walks over to the window.
JUNIOR
Why?
TERRANCE
There's a series of steps to
complete, observations, data to
collect, all in preparation. Think
of it as a series of casual
interviews.
HEN
When does he leave?
Junior stares over to Hen, their eyes lock. Terrance notices
their distress.
TERRANCE
Couple of weeks, and there's lots
to do. This part is going to start
going fast.
A beat.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
Look. I'll stay nearby, give you
guys a little more alone time.
Let's keep it to day visits for
now.
Terrance stands, then turns from Junior to lock eyes with
Hen, a smile blooms.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
Relax. Celebrate! It's
official...it's happening.
Despite the call for celebration, the three of them remain
spread across the room, each in a statuesque solitude, with
only the oppressive heat uniting them.
Terrance removes a camera from his bag and starts taking some
photos of the room.
27 27
OMITTED
30
28 28
EXT. HEN'S TREE - SUNSET/DUSK
Junior is far out in the field, picking up plastic and
rubbish left over from the storm, all the time watching Hen.
She sits alone under her tree, unaware of Junior.
She stares out across the distant forgotten paddock. Then she
notices something on her leg. It's a piece of her own hair.
She drags it along her leg, then pushes her finger nails
through it, into her skin. She starts smiling to herself. The
indents scar her leg.
She brings a hand up and pinches her cheek. She does it
again. And again until her eyes start to water. She clenches
both fists tightly, shutting her eyes. Then she abruptly
slaps the ground beside her with both hands. She does it
again and again and again and again, eyes still closed. She
then opens her eyes and looks up, then spits into the sky.
She then gets up and walks towards the house on a mission.
Junior wants to call out, go to her, but decides to fall
back.
29 29
INT. GUEST ROOM - DUSK/EVENING
Junior enters the house, cautiously. There's a lot of abrupt
movement upstairs. Hen is in a state. He discovers a pile of
their belongings at the bottom of the stairs. He spots Hen at
the above landing as she throws more stuff down. Junior
notices a pair of work gloves, the palms are worn through.
JUNIOR
Hey, these are mine.
HEN (O.S.)
You never wear them, and they
stink.
JUNIOR
I hate breaking in new gloves.
Hen appears back over the rail.
HEN
This is why we have so much stuff.
You can't let go. Of anything.
JUNIOR
What do you mean by that?
Junior moves up the stairs after her, and corners onto the
landing. Hen is dragging a box from the Guest room to the
hallway cupboard.
31
HEN
It's not like we've been living
here for twenty years. All this
stuff is from your past. Not ours.
JUNIOR
(Sharply)
So? And if you start throwing it
out randomly I won't know what...
(He pauses in thought)
I need this stuff, okay?
Hen seems a bit taken back by his tone.
HEN
Your face is flushed.
A beat.
JUNIOR
I just wish you wouldn't get like
this. Especially tonight.
HEN
What's so special about tonight?
JUNIOR
We get to be alone.
Junior moves closer to Hen, but she goes back to sorting. She
discovers an old VHS cassette, holds it in her hand.
HEN
(Sarcastically)
I guess you wanted a quiet night
in, just like the old days.
JUNIOR
You're acting like this is no big
deal? Like it's not happening. When
do you suppose we talk about this?
HEN
This is happening faster than I was
expecting, and now he's coming to
stay.
JUNIOR
I don't want you stressing over
him.
Junior moves over to her, tries to calm her. She moves away
and starts laying new sheets.
HEN
I'm not stressing over him.
32
JUNIOR
Then what is it? I hate it when you
get like this.
Hen keeps making the bed. She looks into Junior's tender
eyes, fleetingly, and moves out into the hallway.
JUNIOR (CONT'D)
I'm really worried about you. I
don't feel good about any of this.
HEN
Really?
She drags another box to the storage cupboard in the hallway.
JUNIOR
I'm worried about leaving you here
alone.
HEN
(laughs softly)
You don't have to worry about that.
Junior then watches her as she moves down on her knees, her
back to him, to sort stuff in the closet.
HEN (CONT'D)
Ahhhhhhhhh
Hen shuffles out of the closet, startled.
HEN (CONT'D)
Did you see that? That! In there.
Junior leans into the closet. Behind a box at the back, is a
large, horned beetle in the dark. Junior slides the box
enough, so the light falls on it.
The beetle is black and shiny. It has three horns, two on
either side of its head, and one in the middle protruding
upward. Junior is staring at it. He's transfixed.
JUNIOR
I've never seen one like it.
HEN
They're getting bigger and weirder.
It's that fake canola.
(to herself)
Those fucking fields.
Junior continues to stare at the beetle. It's not moving.
HEN (CONT'D)
I hope it's not an infestation.
They'll get into the walls. Christ.
That's all I need.
33
JUNIOR
(Still totally mesmerized)
It's only one.
HEN
One is too many.
Hen gives Junior a little tap with her foot.
HEN (CONT'D)
Junior? What is it? You're staring.
JUNIOR
Don't worry. I'll take care of it.
HEN
I'm checking our room for more.
Hen's steps creak as she walks down the hall.
Junior is hypnotized - it doesn't appear scared or nervous,
rather more knowing, poised and ready.
JUNIOR
(whispering)
Why aren't you moving?
30 30
INT. BEDROOM - EARLY MORNING
It's dark. Junior and Hen are asleep in bed. A loud knocking
breaks the silence.
Hen wakes up first, sitting up. Junior, still on his stomach,
opens his eyes.
JUNIOR
(Mumbling)
Fucksake.
Hen, irritated, slowly gets out of bed. She starts getting
dressed.
HEN
Did he say he was coming back
today? This early?
Junior, rolls onto his side, too tired to answer. Hen heads
for the door.
31 31
INT. STAIRCASE - MORNING - MOMENTS LATER
Junior is descending the stairs, putting on his shirt. Half
way down, he realizes how oddly quiet it is. He slows, and as
he moves gingerly into the living room, he sees Hen and
Terrance in the kitchen.
34
Hen is leaning against the counter as the coffee brews.
Terrance is beside her. Waiting. Saying nothing, unnervingly
casual, intimate.
Junior stands there for a while, then enters.
32 32
INT. KITCHEN - MORNING
TERRANCE
Good morning.
Junior doesn't reply but looks to Hen, who suddenly busies
herself with coffee.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
Actually, Junior, would it be okay
if Hen and I kept going on our own?
JUNIOR
You want to talk to Hen alone?
TERRANCE
Just for now. Since we've started.
Junior pours himself a coffee from the pot, then looks at
Hen.
JUNIOR
(Softly to Hen)
I'll be in the barn.
Hen nods, they briefly kiss as he heads out.
33 33
INT. BARN - MORNING
Junior fills up the grain bin, sips the last of his coffee.
He leans against the wall and in an unsettled trance, watches
the chickens start to peck at the grain.
He focuses on the one brown chicken. It triggers a memory, a
moment from the past that happened right here. A warm smile
begins to surface as he relives it:
We see HEN pick up the same brown chicken. She brings it
close to her face lovingly.
HEN
(Whispers to the chicken)
Hello there...
Hen notices Junior staring at her, she smiles back
innocently.
HEN (CONT'D)
What?
35
Junior nods `nothing', he is just bathing in her beautiful
quirks, her `light'.
HEN (CONT'D)
They say the privilege of being
human is that we get to decide the
fate of other creatures. That we
know better. It's crazy. We have no
clue.
Junior decides to pick up a chicken...but just as he gets to
the chicken, it runs away. He almost falls over.
HEN (CONT'D)
Gentle!
JUNIOR
Yeah, yeah, I know
Hen moves over to him with the brown chicken.
HEN
You have to go slow. Put a hand
over each wing. Be gentle, like
this.
She carefully transfers the chicken to Junior, their hands
brush together.
We cut out of the memory, almost seamlessly at the same
point, just as Junior gently wraps his hands around the same
brown chicken.
He breathes, smiles, pats it intimately. But soon, its stare
becomes penetrating, growing more unsettled, warning him?
34 34
INT. HOUSE/DINING ROOM - MORNING
Hen and Terrance are in the midst of a heated discussion.
TERRANCE
One could almost see it as immoral.
HEN
I chose not to. It's a choice. It's
not immoral.
TERRANCE
It plays on him. People around here
must wonder.
HEN
I don't give a fuck about what
people around here think. It's my
body.
36
Through the widow we see Junior outside, heading back from
the barn toward the house urgently. Hen leaves the room,
Terrance follows.
TERRANCE (O.S.)
So you understand why it hurts him.
(a beat)
A child seems like the next natural
step for both of you.
HEN (O.S.)
...I chose not to. It is a choice.
It's not immoral... What? ...it's
my body!...
35 35
INT. KITCHEN - MORNING
Junior enters the kitchen, just as Terrance walks back in
from the hallway.
TERRANCE
We just finished. Have a seat.
Junior stays standing.
JUNIOR
What's going on? Where is she?
TERRANCE
She's fine. Here
(Pulling out a chair for
Junior)
Have you ever had a custom suit
made?
JUNIOR
What?
TERRANCE
Well, this is the same sort of
thing.
Terrance motions to the chair, Junior reluctantly sits.
Terrance holds a camera-like device near the back of Junior's
neck.
JUNIOR
What are you doing?
TERRANCE
Actually, if you could hold your
legs out straight. It gets a better
measurement. Here, rest them on
this.
37
Terrance puts a stool under his feet, moves the device
closer.
JUNIOR
This is ridiculous.
Terrance takes a seat. Junior slowly looks around the room.
TERRANCE
Junior, have you given much thought
to traveling? Before I showed up.
(a beat)
I know Henrietta has.
JUNIOR
We have responsibilities here at
the farm.
TERRANCE
That seems sort of fake, doesn't
it, calling it a farm.
JUNIOR
We have some chickens. The house.
Land to take care of. It's been a
farm for-
TERRANCE
(Cutting him off)
Generations, yeah, yeah, you've
said that already. But isn't that
hypocritical?
JUNIOR
No. Why?
Terrance leans in, Junior is taken aback.
TERRANCE
On the one hand, you try to keep
your family traditions alive, the
old ways of living, but then you
work for the very corporations that
are taking all this away.
JUNIOR
What's this got to with anything?
TERRANCE
Nothing is trivial.
Junior gets defensive.
JUNIOR
How many others have there been?
TERRANCE
Sorry?
38
JUNIOR
How many have you met with like
this? Gone into their homes,
without warning, asking them
personal questions...
TERRANCE
You know I can't tell you that.
JUNIOR
So what can you tell me?
Terrance stands up, moves directly behind him.
TERRANCE
Sorry, I forgot something.
JUNIOR
What do you want me to do up there?
TERRANCE
You'll be part of a very special
community.
Terrance is holding a small patch.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
Stay still for a second. I just
need to put something on you. A
tiny sensor. You won't feel it.
Terrance pushes the hair on the back of Junior's head up and
presses the sensor into the back of his neck.
Junior flinches and immediately starts touching it with his
fingers.
JUNIOR
I don't want to wear that.
TERRANCE
It's important. Keeps track of your
blood pressure, heart rate, boring
stuff like that.
JUNIOR
How long am I supposed to wear it?
TERRANCE
You'll forget it's even there in
thirty seconds.
A beat.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
Now, close your eyes.
Junior is still rattled by the sensor.
39
JUNIOR
Close my eyes?
TERRANCE
Just for a minute.
Junior delays then closes his eyes.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
Now, what do you see?
JUNIOR
Nothing. My eyes are closed.
TERRANCE
I know that, but you know what I
mean. What are you seeing?
JUNIOR
Right now? In my mind?
TERRANCE
Yes.
Junior keeps his eyes closed. Sweat is starting to bead on
his forehead. He smiles.
JUNIOR
Hen.
We reveal Hen. She is leaning against the kitchen door, for
how long we don't know. Terrance sees her and smiles, but
keeps questioning Junior.
TERRANCE
Tell me what you see when you think
about the time you and Hen took
over the house.
Something immediately unnerving about that question. Junior
takes a nervous breath, wrestling upsetting images in his
mind we can't see. Junior struggles to answer.
JUNIOR
Ummm. She couldn't manage it.
TERRANCE
She?
HEN
Junior's Mother. She was alone when
we moved in.
Junior opens his eyes, sees Hen, and smiles.
JUNIOR
Hey. You ok?
40
Hen nods gently.
TERRANCE
What else do you remember from
those days together?
HEN
(Glancing at Junior)
I remember we were happy.
Junior smiles back at Hen.
TERRANCE
Anything specific, like any
details, or is it more a feeling?
HEN
Anybody can remember details.
But that doesn't mean it actually
happened that way.
Hen's eyes dart up to Terrance. Through tears, she smiles.
36 36
EXT. FARM - LATE AFTERNOON THROUGH DUSK
Terrance is following Junior like a long silent shadow. He's
observing him, taking photos and notes of his routine around
the farm; shoveling out ash from the bonfire, turning the
compost. Junior occasionally stops due to the absurdity of it
all and stares at Terrance, but Terrance, undeterred, only
encourages him to continue.
Against a distant fence, Hen picks tiny red currants from a
forgotten shrub. She places them in the fold of her dress.
She pauses. Her fingers are stained red, her wedding ring
too. On her dress a circle of red bleeds across her abdomen.
She looks up in the dying light.
She looks back to the house.
Hen sees Junior a tiny, inert spec on the porch of their
withering house, beer in hand, staring back at her.
JUNIOR
(Shouts)
COOOO-EEEEE!
Hen smiles, then laughs; Junior is waiting for her return
call.
HEN
(Shouts back)
COOOO-EEEEE!
Their warmth and levity slowly subsides, with the
undercurrent of time, and their lack of it left together.
41
37 37
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
Junior and Hen are lying in bed. Junior is awake and watching
Hen in a deep sleep.
A memory weaves...
38 38
FLASHBACK: WEDDING - DAY
Hen standing in a soft cotton dress - its green stripes make
her look like a spearmint candy. Junior is in a plain suit.
Hen is holding Junior's hands, immensely happy, despite the
fact it's raining. There are barely a handful of people in
attendance, a few co-workers, holding umbrellas over
themselves.
CELEBRANT (O.S.)
You may now seal your union with a
kiss.
Hen and Junior kiss passionately. The small group applauds.
They share a first dance, allowing the rain to fall over
them. They move closer, turning slowly. There's no music, so
Hen HUMS a quiet melody that only they can hear.
We stay extremely close, Hen pulls away ever slightly, stares
at Junior, rain and tears in her eyes.
HEN
To new beginnings.
39 39
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
We cut back to Junior, his face barely an inch away from
Hen's lips as she sleeps.
JUNIOR
(Whispering)
New beginnings.
40 40
OMITTED
41 41
INT. CORPORATE CHICKEN TOWERS/HANGING ROOM - MORNING
Junior routinely walks in a procession with other workers,
down a long narrow corridor. They are overwhelmingly
surrounded by thousands of suspended chicken carcasses, that
move and spin along elaborate rail lines.
42
42 42
INT. CORPORATE CHICKEN TOWERS/PROCESSING FLOOR - MORNING
A kaleidoscope of chicken meat moves hypnotically along the
production line. Junior is mindlessly packing chicken
breasts, pre-sorted by fast moving robotic arms. The pace is
relentless, the repetition mind-numbing.
Junior seems distant, agitated, losing focus.
He looks around the room. An urgency rises in him.
43 43
EXT. ROAD - MORNING
Junior's truck pulls out onto the highway at high speed,
leaving the looming silhouettes of the chicken towers behind.
44 44
INT. TRUCK/ROADSIDE RESTAURANT - MID MORNING
Junior is filled with a sense of freedom, accelerates in his
truck. He looks out the window; the moon in the deep blue sky
is following him, reminding him of his fate. He swivels the
sun visor above his head, blocking it from view. He then
pulls off the road into the dusty roadside restaurant
carpark.
45 45
INT. ROADSIDE RESTAURANT - MID MORNING CONT.
Junior walks inside, and clearly looks out of place. He
wanders around until he spots Hen, who has just seated a
table of three. He walks up to her as she turns to come back.
She's both shocked and surprised to see him.
HEN
What's wrong?
Junior doesn't say anything. He reaches out and takes her
hand.
HEN (CONT'D)
What are you doing here?
JUNIOR
I started thinking more about
leaving. Things I'll miss. Things
that aren't obvious.
Hen notices her work colleagues staring at her, at him.
HEN
Maybe we should talk outside.
Junior is tunnel visioned.
43
JUNIOR
Just like, stupid, little things.
Like how by the sound of the floor
creaking, I know that it's your
steps upstairs. And that no one
else could ever recognize that, it
feels like a secret... between
us...
Junior gets more intimate, Hen's breath quickens.
JUNIOR (CONT'D)
I'll miss hearing those steps.
A table of corporate men eyeball them, as they sip their
coffee, one with a particular coldness.
HEN
Please. Can we talk about this
tonight. You know we need this job.
JUNIOR
Let's just be together. Right now.
Hen looks around the diner. She turns back to him, feeling
pulled.
JUNIOR (CONT'D)
None of this matters.
(whispers)
We're running out of time.
Hen slowly relents, allowing the room and the staring faces
to fade away.
46 46
INT. TRUCK - DAY
The windows are down, Hen's hair rushes against the passing
landscape. There is still a reticence in Hen, but as the sun
streams in, we notice her ever gently reach over, without
looking, and place her hand atop Junior's. Junior smiles, but
her grip tightens, like she is afraid. The Canola fields
stream passed the window.
47 47
EXT. RURAL CANOLA AND BARREN FIELDS - DAY
Hen and Junior move into the immense fields of yellow canola.
They seem to be taking everything in, as if both are becoming
more aware of the land that he'll be leaving, not wanting to
take it for granted. A mega industrial harvester moves beyond
them, the scale unthinkable.
44
48 48
EXT. PINK LAKES AND SURROUNDS - AFTERNOON
Hours later, we see them walk over a huge PINK LAKE, only
inches deep, caused by high-saline industrial run-off. It's
like they are on another planet. We look down and see Hen's
and Junior's bare feet submerged in the shallow pink water.
HEN
She's bleeding...
A beat.
HEN (CONT'D)
Strange how dying can still be
beautiful.
JUNIOR
Everything dies.
HEN
Not beauty. It lasts forever.
A beat.
Junior's mood shifts, a melancholy takes over.
JUNIOR
Are you afraid?
Hen looks at her feet in the pink water.
HEN
Of dying? No. Maybe of not being
ready.
They move closer to each other. Then their lips touch gently,
tender, like for the first time, savoring every present
moment.
49 49
EXT. BARREN LANDSCAPE - SUNSET
Soil dirties their naked flesh as they make slow love in a
powerfully felt desolation...
LATER:
Crickets chirp. They lie in a barren landscape. Junior pushes
his bare feet into the Earth. His feet touch Hen's bare
feet... she giggles, it tickles. Their mood lightens, and
they look up at the wondrous sky, the first stars appear.
HEN
How far does it go? What else do
you think's up there? I used to
obsess about that as a kid.
45
JUNIOR
I guess I'll find out.
HEN
Have you ever thought that we're
not even looking up at the sky?
JUNIOR
What do you mean?
HEN
What if we were looking down. The
sky below us...
Junior considers but doesn't know how to reply.
HEN (CONT'D)
Try. Think about it.
Junior smiles, perplexed. Hen smiles back, then looks to the
sky. Junior follows her lead and starts staring `down at the
sky'.
A moment of silence, as they both start to feel something.
The camera turns upside down, the two of them hanging above
the deepest blue sky, the most magnificent stars.
JUNIOR
(Sighing in wonder)
Shit...
Hen laughs, then her breath deepens, surrendering.
The two of them fall into this imaginary, weightless
reverie...then laughter, lots of it.
LATER:
More laughter. Hen and Junior, tiny naked figures, chase each
other.
Hen tries to smack Junior's bare bum, while getting dressed.
He tries to run away, but he trips on a leg of his jeans.
JUNIOR (CONT'D)
Hey!
Hen is joyously hysterical as Junior charges her. He tumbles
with her, and their playful weave gives way.
CUT TO:
Closer; they start to dress each other, slowly, full of
breath, full of life, full of adoration.
Then, like a dream, a stray horse enters the open landscape,
scared, flighty. Both of them, taken by it, in awe.
46
Hen wanders over to it, slowly.
HEN
(softly)
Hey.
The horse is wanting her touch but is afraid. A delicate
dance.
HEN (CONT'D)
I won't hurt you.
Junior is mesmerized by Hen, how she magically approaches the
horse, calms it, and makes contact. She starts stroking its
face.
HEN (CONT'D)
(whispering)
Where are you going?
Junior moves closer, careful not to break their intimacy,
their secret conversation.
Hen looks back at Junior, her face beaming with joy. She then
rests her head on the horse, in a beautiful union. Junior is
swept up in their reverie.
But then, on the horizon, more horses running. Junior becomes
alert as he sees what they are running from - a huge smoke
plume rises into the sky. Hen sees it too.
HEN (CONT'D)
Another one.
But Junior isn't listening. Rather he starts to run toward
it, scaring the horse. Hen struggles with it.
HEN (CONT'D)
Wait...
Suddenly Junior breaks into an all out run.
HEN (CONT'D)
Junior! No!
(to herself)
Oh, shit.
CUT TO:
Junior is now sprinting with vigor, towards the ever-growing
glow. A stray horse, escaping the fire, gallops fearfully in
the opposite direction. Junior howls as it passes.
Hen, far behind, is now sprinting too.
47
50 50
EXT. UNKNOWN FARM - BURNING BARN - DUSK/NIGHT
As Junior gets closer, he sees it's a raging barn fire. The
smoke is now heavy, all-consuming. A surreal universe of
small embers float past in the wind. He notices a mass of
Black Beetles scrambling over the glowing earth.
Hen arrives on foot, but can't see Junior.
HEN
Where are you?!
A surging gust of fiery wind completely dissolves her within
smoke and embers.
HEN (CONT'D)
I'm here Junior, I'm here!
Hen's voice barely audible as Junior is drawn by the fire.
Part of him wants to try and put it out, another part is in
awe. He moves closer, faster toward the inferno, but several
steps into his run, he is hit hard from behind and collapses
onto the ground, his shoulder slamming into a rock. Someone
lands on top of him. Smoke and pain envelop him.
Junior's badly injured. A dark silhouette keeps him pinned
down with their knees, but it's hard to see who. He's trying
to steady his vision, but the smoke is intense.
MAN (O.S.)
(muffled)
You have him?
Junior sees the shape of a second person, wearing a black
suit, disappearing behind him in a flurry.
Junior, disoriented and in obvious pain, closes his eyes as
he is dragged ruthlessly across the rough earth.
HEN (O.S.)
(screams)
Fuck off. No!
Black. The screams of Hen. Getting more distant.
FADE UP:
51 51
INT. LIVING ROOM - MORNING
Junior slowly wakes up, his vision adjusts; across the room,
he sees Hen helping Terrance move equipment up the staircase.
Junior listens to them walking around above him.
Junior tries to sit up, but his body feels immobilized. He
notices his arm is in a sling.
48
Hen is coming back down the stairs and spots Junior
distressed, trying to get up. She moves swiftly over to him.
HEN
Junior... wait. No, no, stay down.
He persists, but Hen calms him.
JUNIOR
Did they hurt you?
Hen smiles. There is something different about her, more make-
up?
HEN
What? No, I'm fine.
JUNIOR
Men. There were men. And
screaming... it was you.
HEN
You're confused. You hurt yourself,
but you're going to be okay. You're
lucky.
JUNIOR
(trying to get up)
We need to tell someone about
what's happening-
HEN
Tell them what? You had an
accident, that's all.
JUNIOR
No it wasn't, we're in danger.
HEN
You're the one that ran into the
fire. Why would you do that?
Junior is now genuinely confused. He can't answer that.
HEN (CONT'D)
What was in the fire?
Terrance enters the room.
TERRANCE
I hope this wasn't done
intentionally.
JUNIOR
You think I did this on purpose?
49
TERRANCE
An injury doesn't change anything.
You know that, right?
JUNIOR
I don't even know what happened.
TERRANCE
I'm glad you're okay. How are you
feeling?
JUNIOR
I can't feel this side of my body.
TERRANCE
That's the meds. They'll wear off
soon.
Hen leaves for the kitchen. Terrance steps closer.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
But you won't be able to use that
arm much for a while though. And
you'll have to get used to that
recliner of yours.
JUNIOR
Why?
Hen pauses in front of the mirror in the hallway before re-
entering the room.
TERRANCE
You can't sleep lying down, not for
now. You can recline to about forty-
five degrees, but that's it.
JUNIOR
What do you mean I can't lie down?
TERRANCE
No, the doctor did a minor
procedure and...
JUNIOR
(Shocked)
A procedure? What Doctor?
TERRANCE
She operated on your injured
shoulder, the tendon. It went very
well, and she wants to leave it
covered. You're lucky it's not
worse.
Junior is trying to remember. How long has he been out?
Hen walks into the living room with a beer.
50
HEN
(Handing him the beer)
Here.
Hen hands Junior two white pills.
HEN (CONT'D)
You need to take these.
Junior pauses, still confused, raises the beer to his mouth
and swallows the pills...
Pre-lap: Jacqueline Du Pre. Cello Concerto in E minor, Op.85
51B 51B
EXT. FARM HOUSE - NIGHT
In the echo of the music, we pan across the landscape to the
farmhouse.
52 52
INT. DINING ROOM - NIGHT
Terrance slowly enters the room with a new bottle of wine,
channeling the melancholic beauty of the music being played
on speakers.
TERRANCE
Jacqueline Du Pre...
He sits. Terrance stares at Hen.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
`A musician of nature with an
unerring instinct.' That's how her
husband described her.
Junior stares directly at Terrance.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
This hasn't been easy on either of
you. I apologize for that. But it's
worth it.
Terrance pours Hen some wine.
HEN
(to Terrance)
Can't we delay it?
He fills up Junior's glass and then his own.
TERRANCE
You've known about the possibility
of being picked for over a year.
That's plenty.
(MORE)
51
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
(drinks)
South of France. The real thing.
A beat.
JUNIOR
Why are you following me?
Hen starts to look uncomfortable.
TERRANCE
Keeping you safe, both of you, is
crucial.
HEN
Both of us?
TERRANCE
We're taking Junior away. And
you've never been alone out here
before.
HEN
(Fuck you)
So?
TERRANCE
(to Junior)
It could be a real strain on her,
on your marriage.
Hen grows impatient.
JUNIOR
You're the one forcing me to leave
her.
TERRANCE
So we have to do what's moral.
HEN
And what do you consider moral?
TERRANCE
(to Junior)
We're going to replace you.
JUNIOR
What?
TERRANCE
We're going to ensure Hen has
company while you're away.
JUNIOR
Fuck off. No fucking way.
52
TERRANCE
(to Junior)
Do you want to leave her all alone
out here? Day after Day? Night
after night?
Hen laughs softly, then downs her wine, grabs the bottle to
refill.
JUNIOR
She can handle herself.
HEN
Hellllooooo. I'm right fucking
here. Why don't you ask me how I
feel about it?
TERRANCE
(to Hen)
Calm down.
JUNIOR
You fucking calm down.
TERRANCE
Hear me out. It's not another man.
We're developing a digital
replacement.
HEN
(as she drinks)
Oh my God. Because I'm a woman that
can't be left by herself?
JUNIOR
What the fuck is he talking about?
TERRANCE
No, but it is complex...and
expensive, not everyone gets
offered this.
HEN
That's why you're staying here,
isn't it?
TERRANCE
In the old days, you would have
left Hen with a two-dimensional
photo of yourself. This is the next
step: a dynamic hologram with
living tissue, volume, and a body.
JUNIOR
I don't want a fucking robot living
with my wife.
53
TERRANCE
It's DEFINITELY not a robot. It's a
new kind of self-determining life-
form. You'll see. It's going to be
astonishing.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
They'll be a series of interviews.
No detail is inconsequential. We'll
use it all to finish the code.
HEN
That's why you're staying.
JUNIOR
(in disbelief)
This is fucking insane.
TERRANCE
(to Junior)
For example, what did you
breakfast?
Junior stares back, astonished.
JUNIOR
You know what my dad used to get us
to do when I was old enough.
TERRANCE
What's that?
JUNIOR
Test of manhood.
HEN
(to Junior)
Don't be an idiot.
JUNIOR
We'd go outside and stand apart.
Then we'd each get one punch at the
other.
TERRANCE
You'd punch each other?
A beat.
JUNIOR
You ever punch someone?
TERRANCE
I can't say I have.
Junior smiles at Terrance.
54
HEN
I guess that's what being a man is,
right?
JUNIOR
I'm just having a conversation.
Terrance is watching them intently.
HEN
Would you do your test of manhood
with me?
JUNIOR
Now you're being dumb.
HEN
You're scared of hitting me?
JUNIOR
I'm scared of hurting you.
Hen notices Terrance smirking at them. She suddenly reaches
across and slaps Terrance hard.
TERRANCE
Fuck.
She picks up her glass, sips her wine, fighting back her
emotion. Junior is stunned. A moment later, Hen starts
laughing. Then, she laughs a little harder, until Terrance
begins to laugh. Junior isn't laughing. Hen's laughter,
slowly turns dark, emotional, as she catches Junior's stare.
HEN
(directly to Junior)
Just once, I want to say `I love
you, you mean everything to me'...
like I used to.
53 53
INT. LIVING ROOM - MIDDLE OF NIGHT
The living room is deathly still. Junior is in his recliner,
a pillow propped under his arm, to support his shoulder. His
eyes gaze across the dark room.
On the far side, two identical beetles crawl up the wall.
Their dark shapes are hypnotic.
Then, he hears movement above him. Hen's voice? Junior gets
up to investigate.
54 54
INT. UPSTAIRS HALLWAY/GUEST ROOM - NIGHT
Junior rounds the top of the stairs and realizes someone is
having a shower.
55
He discovers the guest room door, directly adjacent, is
slightly ajar, with the lights on inside. He moves over to
it.
He carefully peeks through the gap. There is an array of
technological hardware. A strange black rod with a camera,
sits on a stand, and there's tape on the floor, marking out
positions? Something on the disheveled bed catches his eye.
He moves into the room. Beside a duffle bag lays a photo of
Hen, wearing the white cut-off shirt.
TERRANCE
You can't sleep either?
Junior, suddenly caught off guard, turns. Terrance sits in
the blind corner, shirtless, a bath towel around his waist. A
small fan tries to keep him cool. He's lean, more muscular
than Junior thought.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
There's always room to make us more
efficient. Eating, talking,
sleeping - what if we didn't need
to do any of it.
Junior, isn't up for conversation.
JUNIOR
What's all this stuff.
TERRANCE
I'm getting set up for our
interviews.
JUNIOR
Seems overkill.
Junior hears the shower water still running, looks at
Terrance, at the bath towel around him. This all feels wrong.
He moves to the door. Terrance stands up.
TERRANCE
(Whispering)
Can I ask you something?
JUNIOR
What?
TERRANCE
(Whispering)
If Henrietta was the same as she is
now, I mean identical, but was a
bit less physically attractive in
one significant way, do you think
you would have married her?
A beat.
56
JUNIOR
(Caught off guard)
She's my wife.
TERRANCE
(Whispering)
Are you saying her appearance
doesn't mean anything to you?
JUNIOR
I'm saying, no matter what, to me,
she would still be Hen.
TERRANCE
(Whispering)
What about this: what if she looked
exactly as you know her, just as
beautiful, but was a bit less
intelligent? Would she still be
Hen?
JUNIOR
This is stupid. Hen is Hen.
TERRANCE
(softens)
You're right. I'm sorry.
I shouldn't be keeping you up.
We have a big day ahead of us.
Junior moves away from Terrance, who gently closes his door
with a click.
Junior walks up to the bathroom and rests his ear against the
door. He slowly tries to open it. It's locked. He
contemplates knocking, but instead decides to leave it.
55 55
INT. LIVING ROOM - MORNING
Junior is in his reclined chair. He opens his eyes, in the
reflected hot light.
He notices Hen in utter stillness, wearing her work outfit,
draped in the arm chair opposite. She takes a long drag of a
cigarette.
Junior watches her for some time, until Hen notices. They
hold each others stare. Then she sits up, dropping her
cigarette in an empty beer bottle. Beside the bottle, he
notices a glass of water and two white pills. She brings them
over to him.
He takes the pills, and as she removes the empty glass and
places it back down on the table, he holds her arm, pulls her
close. He starts to kiss her neck.
57
HEN
(softly)
I've got to go.
He is hungry for her. He feels her body. She slowly
surrenders and it instantly becomes heated.
HEN (CONT'D)
(softly)
He's here.
But it's hopeless, they descend into each other. It's
thrilling, passionate, but especially quiet.
56 56
INT. JUNIOR'S TRUCK - DAY
Junior and Terrance are in Junior's truck. They've left the
farm and are driving along the highway fast. Junior's truck
is old, so he still has to drive it, but with his injury, is
only using one arm.
TERRANCE
So, you can do this right? Drive
with one arm. It's safe?
Junior looks at him and smiles. For the first time, he
notices a slight vulnerability in Terrance. Junior
accelerates for fun.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
It seems so stupid to us now, that
a human would be controlling a
massive hunk of metal moving at
sixty miles an hour.
Terrance looks out at the passing fields, filming
momentarily.
JUNIOR
Nothing stays the same for long
anymore.
A strange silence falls over them. Terrance starts to sing to
himself.
TERRANCE
I have dreamed a dream - of every
common man - hoping to rise to the
top - I have sworn by my blood as
your man, my love - That one day-
JUNIOR
-I don't care what you're planning,
but whatever you bring here, won't
be me. I can't be replaced.
Terrance smiles.
58
TERRANCE
There's nothing wrong with a
growing self-confidence.
JUNIOR
Just make sure, for your own sake,
it never hurts Hen.
Terrance looks at Junior.
TERRANCE
Have you ever hurt her?
Junior looks at him with a resolute stare.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
Could you?
Junior contemplates, then suddenly steers the truck onto the
rough road. The truck shudders and shakes. He accelerates
faster.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
Fuck!
Junior looks across at him with a disturbing seriousness.
Terrance grips the door in fear. Junior bursts into laughter.
CUT TO:
We see the truck, tiny, shooting haphazardly across the rough
wasteland.
Pre-lap: Short, punchy, sonorous sounds - someone blowing
into a bottle, repeats.
57 57
OMITTED
57A 57A
INT. CHICKEN FACTORY/VARIOUS- DAY
Junior walks the long corridor, occasionally turning over his
shoulder, amused by something. Terrance follows him with his
camera, dressed just like him; hair net and blue overalls.
CUT TO:
Junior works fast on the production line, shoving chicken
carcasses onto the fast moving line. He motions to Terrance;
his turn. Terrance gives it a go, but is unable to keep up.
Junior revels in it, a fish out of water.
The bottle sounds get faster and faster.
59
58 58
INT. BATHROOM - AFTERNOON (LATER)
Junior naked, sweating profusely, at the peak of a set of
squats. It's intense, hypnotic.
CUT:
Junior in the shower, every drop blissful. He blows into his
empty beer bottle, making the sounds we have been hearing. He
does it over and over until the staccato rhythm gets so fast,
it becomes one long sustained note. He holds that note until
there is no air left in his lungs.
TERRANCE (V.O.)
I'm glad the pills are working on
your shoulder...you do seem lively.
59 59
INT. GUEST ROOM - DUSK
Junior sits on a small chair facing the wall. Terrance is
sitting behind him, looking at the back of Junior. A camera
on a tripod is also pointed at Junior. It's oppressively hot.
JUNIOR
I do feel energized, like I've had
too much coffee.
TERRANCE
Interesting.
Terrance is struck by his openness and moves over to Junior.
Terrance holds something, and it flashes in Junior's eye.
Junior blinks.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
That's good. Corneal reflex test.
Junior rubs his eye.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
I'm afraid you'll have to get used
to these tests. There'll be more
when you arrive. Some less pleasant
than others.
Terrance takes hold of Junior's hand, which shows a slight
tremor, and delicately spreads his fingers. We reveal he is
holding a syringe with a very long, thin needle.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
Deep tendon carpal tunnel reflex
test.
A close-up of the needle.
60
Before Junior can protest, Terrance inserts the needle point
between the webbing of Junior's fingers.
JUNIOR
Fuck!
TERRANCE
Sorry, it's done.
Terrance puts the needle away and walks around behind Junior.
Junior is sweating noticeably.
They both hear creaks on the staircase. Hen appears at the
door. Terrance and Junior both turn to look at her.
JUNIOR
(To Hen)
You're done at work already?
Hen is struck by the oddness of the interview set-up.
HEN
I left early.
(to Terrance)
Why is he facing the wall?
TERRANCE
(Sharply)
Hen, you can't be here.
Hen starts to walk over to Junior, but Terrance intervenes.
HEN
I think he's had enough.
TERRANCE
Hen, we agreed.
Hen stares at Terrance, slowly submits.
HEN
(to Junior)
I'll be downstairs.
She leaves.
JUNIOR
(to Terrance)
What the fuck was that?
TERRANCE
We really have to make sure she's
okay. If you notice anything
unusual, or she is acting odd, it's
best you tell me-
JUNIOR
Tell you what?
61
TERRANCE
(direct)
Face the wall, please.
Terrance walks over just behind Junior, he's rattled.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
I'm helping you and your wife,
in a profound way that you'll
appreciate when you're back. I need
to know everything, and everything
you tell me up here is
confidential. Between us.
Terrance pauses, realizing Junior isn't listening. He is
staring at the floor with concern, drawn by the sound of
Hen's piano below. There is anger in it.
Terrance watches him for a moment.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
Have you ever cheated on her?
Junior looks up.
JUNIOR
What?
TERRANCE
On Hen?
JUNIOR
No, definitely not.
TERRANCE
You've never fantasized about
another woman?
JUNIOR
I don't know. No, I...
TERRANCE
C'mon.
Hen's music now has pain in it. Junior wants to go to her,
but Terrance persists.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
Has she ever cheated on you?
JUNIOR
Fuck you!
TERRANCE
Has she?
JUNIOR
NO.
62
TERRANCE
You're not basing that on trust,
are you?
JUNIOR
I'm basing it on what I know.
TERRANCE
Do you feel that you know how she
would react in every situation?
Have you ever asked her the
question yourself?
JUNIOR
Hen's not like that.
TERRANCE
You don't actually believe you know
Hen better than she knows herself?
Junior starts to rock, and rub his forehead.
JUNIOR
I'm not saying that.
TERRANCE
There are things about her you
don't know, will never know,
thoughts, feelings. All her years
before you.
Junior stands. Terrance gently touches Junior's hand, seeking
his eyes. Junior pulls his hand away.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
She has desires that existed before
you, and exist beyond you. You can
accept that, right?
Junior walks out, leaving Terrance alone. Terrance stares at
his hand, then to the floor.
60 60
INT. BASEMENT - EVENING CONT.
Hen's music vents discontent. Junior feeling unsure, sits
gently beside her. His head slowly deflates into the curve of
her neck.
HEN
I suppose you want me to stop?
JUNIOR
No?
HEN
You usually don't like it. You used
to tell me not to play.
63
JUNIOR
Sorry?
HEN
Are you?
Junior thinks about it. Hen plays harder.
HEN (CONT'D)
As long as we moved from day to
day, living the routine that was
established, that you established,
you're convinced I'm happy.
Junior sits up.
HEN (CONT'D)
Walking the same path as all of
them before me.
Hen plays the keys repeatably to make her point.
HEN (CONT'D)
Your mom, my mom, their moms and
their moms and their moms...
She notices Junior's confusion, then smiles. With one hand
she gently pulls his head back into her neck. The music
slows, softens.
HEN (CONT'D)
I'm starting to worry. What if the
rain never comes?
JUNIOR
I don't want you to worry.
HEN
I know.
A small melody flourishes.
JUNIOR
It's beautiful....
Nothing more is said. They both float off with the melody,
with the many questions that murmur in the depths.
Music continues...
61 61
INT. LIVING ROOM / NIGHT
A black beetle scurries from the corner, up the wall onto the
ceiling. Here it joins even more beetles, all moving
hypnotically, in random formation.
Junior lies in the recliner staring up at them, sweating in
64
the oppressive heat. Hen's music still carries him deep.
The music echoes, expands, a dream comes over him...
HEN (O.S.)
Hurry. Over there. Can you see?
The sound of wind.
61A 61A
OMITTED
61B 61B
EXT. ISLAND IN NOTHINGNESS - CONT.
We float high over a truly magical landscape. Pink and white
water never-ends, a small island, sits in the centre,
miraculous.
HEN (O.S.)
It was here.
CUT TO:
Junior on the island, wanders across it, like he is on
another planet. He is clearly unsure, timid. Hen is standing
by a tree, near the waters edge. Hen is thrilled to see him,
smiles at his awkward pause.
HEN (CONT'D)
There you are. Look. It's so
exciting.
Junior closes in, swept up in her animated joy. She pulls him
closer to the tree, and picks something off the ground at her
feet.
HEN (CONT'D)
We missed it. It's gone. That's
okay. That's good.
She holds up a single feather. Soft, delicate, colorful.
JUNIOR
What's it from? What sort of bird?
HEN
I don't know.
She points to the horizon.
HEN (CONT'D)
It went that way. It's green there.
Junior can't see any green.
JUNIOR
Green?
65
HEN
All the shades. Absinthe.
Aquamarine. Asparagus. Bamboo.
Lime. There's moss, and algae, and
green frogs...
Then, from the corner of his eye, he sees another Hen(2),
identical, only a short distance away. He moves over to her.
HEN(2) (CONT'D)
There's no green.
Closer, he notices this Hen is in distress. This Hen is not
holding any feather.
JUNIOR
Little Hen?
HEN(2)
My mom used to tell me what it felt
like to get stung by a bee, when
there were flowers and bees still
around.
Hen smiles at him, love in it, but a scary resignation.
HEN(2) (CONT'D)
I always wished I could feel that
for myself.
Hen moves over and reaches up to touch him, but her hand hits
glass. Fear fills her.
JUNIOR
Hen. Hen. I...
Then, the sound of birds. We hear the other Hen, the first
one we met.
HEN (O.S.)
Olive. Cucumber. Dill. Teal. Frozen
mint. Green Apple. Pea. Leek.
Peppermint...
CUT TO:
This Hen has been watching them; a tear of rejection falls
from her eyes. She looks back up to the sound of birds,
thousands, building in numbers...
HEN (CONT'D)
There's rain there, it's breaking
down the forest floor - and you can
smell everything!
62 62
OMITTED
66
63 63
INT. LIVING ROOM / ENTRANCE HALLWAY - LATE MORNING
An empty hallway, only the echoes of Hen's voice from the
dream. Junior enters, having just woken. He listens for any
sign of someone home.
JUNIOR
Hen?
Nothing.
But then the faint, haunting sound of voices upstairs.
TERRANCE (V.O.)
...it is illegal... so why all the
chickens?
64 64
OMITTED
65 65
INT. GUEST ROOM - DAY
Junior curiously enters, noticing Terrance's bed is made
meticulously. He then hears HEN's voice again, coming from
under the bed.
HEN (V.O.)
Having other living things around
does something. Keeps you hopeful,
I think.
He looks under and finds the bag he saw the other night, on
top a small RECORDING DEVICE is playing.
HEN (V.O.)
(A beat)
I really miss the trees.
He picks it up. On a very basic analogue screen sees; `Hen 1
/ -2 / -3*' etc. His breath deepens.
TERRANCE (V.O.)
The trees?
HEN(V.O.)
More of them were alive when I was
growing up.
He presses stop. He opens the bag quickly. Inside he finds a
large number of photos of Hen. Some he recognizes, others he
can't.
Some are close-ups of her hair, her hands, her feet, her
ears. He sits there holding the photos, disturbed, unsure
what to make of it.
He presses play, joggles back.
67
HEN(V.O.)
More of them were alive when I was
growing up.
Junior imagines Hen. We cut to see HEN being interviewed, in
the same room he sits - at night, candlelit. Hen's eyes light
up with a child-like warmth.
HEN
Some were shy, some bold, others
ancient, wise...you only have to
spend time with them...I loved
their personalities.
Terrance smiles, amused.
TERRANCE
Personalities?
HEN
People do. Dogs do. Cats do. Why
draw a line with trees.
We cut back to Junior listening, he smiles as he hears these
words. Hearing Hen so free, so herself.
TERRANCE (V.O.)
That's a bit of a stretch.
HEN (V.O.)
It's sad you need proof before
something is real.
He leans against the bed, taking in the room, imagining. Then
something grabs his eye. Under the built-in desk, in a blind
spot, he sees a small patterned cloth shoved in what looks
like a small hole in the wall.
TERRANCE (V.O.)
Belief is deceptive.
He curiously pulls it out revealing a hole... He puts his
finger into the hole, it goes deep.
Cut back to HEN and TERRANCE from the interview.
HEN
No. It's a feeling. To have it is
exhilarating.
Terrance smiles, momentarily intrigued.
66 66
INT. BATHROOM - DAY
Junior is in the bathroom. He crouches down near the shared
wall to the guest room. There are three drill holes, where a
toilet roll holder must have been in the past.
68
He picks at ONE of the holes, and it clears. He blows into
the hole and looks through. To both his alarm and surprise,
he can see into the guest room perfectly.
66A 66A
EXT. PORCH - EARLY AFTERNOON - IMAGINING INTERVIEW
Hen sits on the porch in the apricot light, a forest of dead
trees stretch behind her. Terrance takes in her every nuance.
HEN
Does knowing someone take something
away?
(a beat)
Part of me says, `yes'. To be like
primal, animal, to not question
anything...that's exciting,
impulsive. But then comes a
knowing, which is also beautiful
and we need it, but it makes
everything safe and
understood...and over time...
TERRANCE
Have you become more self-
conscious? When you're with him
now.
67 67
INT. BEDROOM - EARLY AFTERNOON
Bathed in the same Apricot light, he looks into the mirror.
He peels off his bandage, and to his surprise, there is no
scar. Not even a tiny mark.
HEN (O.S.)
No.
(shy irony)
Maybe it was better when I was...
(tape ends - a beep)
He looks down to Hen's side of the bed, tired and confused.
He notices the indent of where she had laid on the pillow and
then gently falls into it. He lies there on his side, the
audio player beside him. He breaths in her scent and falls
asleep.
We move in close on his face.
The pre-lap of piano notes.
A gentle hand touches Junior's cheek; the touch is soft and
affectionate.
It's Terrance's hand.
69
Junior starts to wake up. His eyes barely opening. The hand
starts to hold his face firmer, waking Junior more
aggressively.
The piano louder, fuller.
Then, Terrance's fingers start to squeeze harder...and
harder. Pushing Junior's cheeks together, until Junior is
fully awake, in pain, eyes wide open, terrified, trying to
scream. The flurried shadows of SUITED MEN move in his
periphery.
68 68
INT. BASEMENT - LATE DUSK
Hen, sweats profusely, and surges into the keys, playing a
deep, raw melody, surrendering to its movement. Her arms,
skin, and shoulders glisten. She then stops, allowing another
haunted, silent lull to fill the house. She takes a mouthful
of her wine, then starts to tease the keys again.
69 69
INT. BEDROOM - LATE DUSK
We cut back to Junior, but he is surprisingly asleep. There
is no sign of Terrance, no hand squeezing his face.
Junior awakens to the music, confused and disorientated. He
sits up on the side of the bed, composing himself, running a
hand through his hair.
70 70
INT. LIVING ROOM - BASEMENT STAIRS - LATE DUSK
The camera floats behind Junior, drawn by the music. As he
corners to the basement stairs, he sees Terrance. He is
already sitting near the bottom step, where Junior sat
before, listening to Hen. A glass of wine sits beside him,
the smoke from his joint hangs in the air.
Terrance turns, surprised to see Junior. Junior takes a few
steps down and sits. Despite Junior's piercing stare,
Terrance smiles, careful not to make any noise.
TERRANCE
(silently mouths)
Beautiful...
Terrance offers a drag, Junior declines, with an unwavering
stare. Terrance turns back. They both sit in silence, caught
by Hen's unusually raw and powerful melody.
71 71
INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT LATER
Gil Scott Heron, `I'm New Here' plays; Terrance hits every
word in sync, to the delight of a drunken Hen.
70
TERRANCE
But I'm new here
Will you show me around
No matter how far wrong you've gone
You can always turn around
Met a woman in a bar
Told her I was hard to get to know
And near impossible to forget
She said I had an ego on me
The size of Texas
Well I'm new here and I forget
Does that mean big or small
Turnaround, turnaround, turnaround
Junior is watching them, neurotically, drinking more beer.
Terrance and Hen alive in the streets of Gil Scott Heron.
LATER:
Psychedelic, Ethiopian jazz plays. Hen is up dancing. With
Terrance. He is a good dancer, it's city-strange meets
Charleston. Hen laughs hysterically. He's not used to seeing
Hen so daring and alive. He grabs her hips and gyrates
playfully, but something deep in Hen surfaces.
She then pulls Junior up to join her. Terrance slumps on the
sofa and watches on. Junior moves in close to Hen, so
Terrance can't hear.
JUNIOR
Do you like dancing with him?
HEN
I like dancing with you.
JUNIOR
You prefer talking to him then?
HEN
He's interesting.
Junior is frustrated.
JUNIOR
Do you think he's funny?
HEN
(to Terrance)
Terrance, tell us a joke.
TERRANCE
And the Lord said unto John
`Come forth and you will receive
eternal life'. But John came fifth,
and won a toaster.
71
HEN
(laughing)
Toaster?
Junior resolute, pulls her arm tightly. Gets in close to her
ear.
JUNIOR
I don't want you two talking alone
anymore.
Hen looks up at him, confused, like he is someone else, but
she someone she recognizes. Tears of hurt brew in her eyes,
anger even.
HEN
Don't ruin it.
She rests her head on his shoulders, closes her eyes. Junior
eventually relents, holds her close, and for a moment forgets
Terrance is even there. As they both turn, Junior sees
Terrance gazing but not at him. Hen now has her eyes open,
and is gazing back at Terrance.
71A 71A
INT. LOUNGE/VARIOUS - NIGHT, LATER
Hen refills her glass, and wanders the downstairs alone. Her
favourite music track plays loud. She sings and moves
defiantly...but something deep down is pulling her.
72 72
INT. GUEST ROOM - NIGHT, LATER
Junior is sitting in the sweltering heat, sweating, his face
is looking drawn, haggard, his eyes baggy. Terrance is
standing beside him. Both are shirtless.
TERRANCE
Hold your arms up, like this.
JUNIOR
You've been drinking.
Junior reluctantly and warily lifts his arms. Junior watches
Terrance like a hawk, as he presses a sensor into Junior's
armpit.
TERRANCE
Is there something bothering you?
(a beat)
I can feel it in you.
JUNIOR
It's more like an awakening.
Junior wipes some sweat off his forehead, he looks terrible,
bags under his eyes.
72
TERRANCE
Ok. And how has this `awakening'
affected Hen? I'm sensing a bit of
strain there, perhaps?
Junior shifts in his seat, agitated.
JUNIOR
You're always wondering how things
are between us. It's sick.
TERRANCE
I don't mind being wrong about
that. Just curious.
JUNIOR
Why are you asking me this?
Terrance takes hold of his arm before Junior can protest, and
fastens a metal bracelet around Junior's wrist.
JUNIOR (CONT'D)
Stop. What's this? What are you
doing?
TERRANCE
It's to help moderate your
hydration levels.
Junior looks at it, turning his wrist around; the metal cold
and shiny. Terrance swiftly moves back to their conversation.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
Does she tell you what she likes?
JUNIOR
What's that?
TERRANCE
Your wife, Junior. Is she open and
honest with her preferences?
Junior is growing noticeably more twitchy, tense, and
irritated by the line of questioning.
JUNIOR
About what?
TERRANCE
Oh, come on. You know. Fucking. Is
she explicit with what she likes?
What she needs.
JUNIOR
(Angered)
What did you say?
73
TERRANCE
Every relationship depends on open
and honest communication.
JUNIOR
Fuck you.
Junior is about to stand up, when Terrance puts a hand on his
shoulder.
TERRANCE
Relax. It's just a conversation.
Junior lifts his chair and turns around, slips back causally
on the chair, observing Terrance with a disturbing hatred.
JUNIOR
You like playing with us, don't
you.
TERRANCE
People fascinate me. You two
fascinate me.
Terrance smiles. Junior looks back with a growing disgust.
JUNIOR
People fascinate me too.
TERRANCE
Really?
JUNIOR
I watch people sometimes. See
things.
TERRANCE
What do you see?
JUNIOR
The guys in the lunchroom bite
hunks of their sandwiches, meat and
bread, and grind it together into
some disgusting paste. Whatever
wasn't swallowed would end up stuck
between yellow teeth and infected
gums.
Junior stares at Terrance, at every detail of him; his hands,
his feet, his eyes. The room becomes a vacuum of silence.
JUNIOR (CONT'D)
It's not just eating. I've seen a
coworker fall asleep during a break
with his mouth gaping open. I felt
sick at the sight of it. Think
about earwax, and fingernails, and
pus.
(MORE)
74
JUNIOR (CONT'D)
I've seen guys spit on the ground
and walk away. And we do all this
stuff automatically, without
thinking about it. We're oblivious
to it most of the time. And one
day, I started to wonder why that
is, as I watched one of the guys
wipe his fucking mouth on his
napkin after eating and then blow
his nose into the same napkin,
which he balled up and dropped onto
his plate, full of fucking snot,
and very slowly, the napkin started
to unfold from the ball, all on its
own, as if it wanted to be seen,
and that's when I realized our
common seam, in each of us, is our
own built-in scum. Our dirt. Our
grease.
Junior worked up, wipes his own sweat off his forehead,
flinging it off his hand, and takes a breath. Despite the
extreme hatred, Terrance simply sits back and smiles.
Junior snaps up and kicks the chair, then starts furiously
punching holes in the walls. We stay on Terrance as Junior
terrorizes the room.
Terrance stands, adrenalized. He notices Hen's shadow under
the door. He leans against the door, stopping her from coming
in.
HEN
What the hell is going on?
TERRANCE
Everything is fine, Hen!
Clearly, it isn't. We see blood on the wall from Junior's
fists. Terrance tries to stay calm, but a growing sadness
takes over him.
HEN
Fucking let me in!
73 73
INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT
Junior is in the shower, the jet of water washes over his
head and face. He is unraveling and upset, trying to
understand what just happened, trying to remove the bracelet,
violently pulling at it. His knuckles are bleeding.
75
JUNIOR
(Mumbling)
Hen, Hen, Hen, what's a boat
without an anchor - what's a boat
without an anchor -
CUT TO:
Silence, an unhinged serenity. Junior, naked, staring in the
mirror; shivering.
Then, in the mirror's reflection, we see Hen, approaching
slowly, visibly shocked by the state he is in.
JUNIOR (CONT'D)
(whispers)
Little Hen.
Junior's breath deepens, he reaches out to touch her, as she
too reaches for him, but suddenly his hand hits glass.
HEN
(whispers)
Here, it's me.
Junior turns to the real Hen, barely hanging on.
JUNIOR
(Flatly)
I was taking a shower.
She strokes his face, he starts to cry uncontrollably. Hen
moves in quickly and holds his face.
Junior looks to Hen, then holds her tight. Junior's breath
quickens. She starts kissing him. It's primal, hungry.
Hen undresses.
Passionate and animalistic love.
Time disappears...
74 74
INT. BEDROOM - PRE-DAWN
They lie in bed together, cocooned in stillness.
Junior leans in and kisses her. It's tender. They part, we
stay intimate on their faces.
JUNIOR
You're everything.
Hen's breath deepens. Junior's face fills with a quiet joy
and affection.
76
JUNIOR (CONT'D)
When I get back. Let's do
something. Run off. Go somewhere.
Make a family...
Hen slowly shifts, tears build in her eyes.
She smiles through tears. Then something dark comes over her.
Junior takes pause.
JUNIOR (CONT'D)
(whispers)
Whatever we decide to do, we'll
decide together. We'll be together.
Like we used to be.
She's shocked to hear him say this. She closes her eyes.
Junior puts his arms over her, holds her tight, through
whatever this is...
75 75
EXT. FARM/FIELDS - SUNRISE
Hen, in her work uniform, looks worse for wear as she walks
towards Junior's truck and gets inside. Terrance is already
inside, casually dressed. Terrance can sense her unease, that
she's not in a mood to talk.
TERRANCE
How are you feeling about tonight?
Hen looks at Terrance and nods, then starts the truck.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
I wish there was more time to give.
For both of us.
They drive away from the house, just as the sun is starting
to come up.
76 76
INT. GUEST ROOM - LATE MORNING CONT.
Junior is staring out the window at them until they're gone.
CUT TO:
He then starts to wipe the blood from the wall with a wet
cloth. The wall is littered in holes and bloodstains. He
squeezes it out into a bucket.
77 77
EXT. HEN'S TREE - AFTERNOON
Junior buckets the bloody water around the base of the tree.
77
He then sits under it. A gentle wind moves through the
leaves. He imagines them together;
Hen is walking amongst the dead trees as Terrance follows,
carrying his camera. Terrance takes her photo. Hen looks
back, coy. Hens face gently trembles, blushes.
Junior knuckles still bruised and red raw, grip the coffee
cup. The pain slowly brings his mind back to the world around
him.
Then, in the far distance, he sees the tiniest silhouette of
a man in a BLACK suit staring at him by a dead tree. Junior
stares back curiously at first; is he imagining? Like a
dream, he keeps staring, then it dawns on him...
He moves inside, pretending all is normal.
The sound of a piano key, sparse, repeating throughout next
scenes...
78 78
INT. HOUSE - AFTERNOON CONTINUOUS
He quickly grabs the shotgun from the cabinet, then shuffles
in the drawers, finding the box of bullets. He loads it,
storms back outside.
79 79
EXT. FIELD - AFTERNOON
He marches into the fields, calm, determined to rid all this.
He aims at the silhouette and fires, hitting the tree. The
dark figure begins to run. Junior walks faster, re-aims, and
fires.
The piano melody repeats...
As he gets to the rise, he sees more distant figures,
dispersing, a BLACK passenger drone flies off. He fires the
gun over and over. Reloading, firing, reloading, firing...
until there is no more threat, no more bullets, only a
wounded pride due to his invaded privacy. Tears build in his
eyes.
JUNIOR
(Screams)
Fucking Cowards!
Suddenly Junior is ambushed, pushed to the ground by a man
whose face we don't see. The man leaps on top of him. They
struggle. Junior manages to push him off, and punch him, but
the man lands a brutal elbow to Junior's head, which drops
him.
As Junior lies on the ground, trying to recover from the
blow, we see a close-up of the man's hands hastily clipping a
few strands of hair from Junior's head.
78
It takes Junior another moment to compose himself. He spits
blood. By the time he collects the rifle and rises to one
knee, he realizes the man is gone.
80 80
OMITTED
81 81
OMITTED
82 82
EXT. FIELD NEAR HOUSE - HOURS LATER - NIGHT
Junior looks exhausted, forlorn, wild. He squats amongst the
weeds of the field, completely absorbed by the dark. A tiny
light within the sensor on the back of this neck is flashing,
slowly.
The headlights of Junior's truck slowly enter the property.
Junior watches it pull up, but his gaze shifts, keeping a
careful eye on something else...a red light flickers in the
far tree-line, as someone smokes.
Hen and Terrance walk up onto the porch. They are briefly met
by MEN IN SUITS, they converse momentarily, before stepping
inside the house.
Junior sneaks towards the house, noticeably weaker. A
passenger drone drifts in the darkened sky.
83 83
INT. STAIRCASE - NIGHT
Junior quietly makes his way upstairs, careful not to make
any noise.
HEN (O.S.)
Maybe it's what was in the music
that scared him.
TERRANCE (O.S.)
What was in it?
HEN (O.S.)
(emotional)
All that's gone.
TERRANCE (O.S.)
Gone?
84 84
INT. BATHROOM/GUEST ROOM - NIGHT
Junior brings his face silently up to the hole, and looks
through into the guest room. From here, he can just make out
Hen's face in profile, which is lit by candles on the table.
Terrance sits closely across from her. They are listening to
the RECORDING DEVICE.
79
HEN (RECORDING DEVICE)
Affection. Possibility. Curiosity.
That's the big one for me.
Curiosity.
(a beat)
Maybe I shouldn't be telling you
all this.
TERRANCE (RECORDING DEVICE)
Hen, this is your chance...to honor
all those parts in yourself...
GUEST ROOM:
Terrance clicks off the recording device, and looks up to
Hen, who is silenced by what she just heard.
She takes a breath then looks up to Terrance.
HEN
I've always held this fantasy. That
there's something else out there
for me.
BATHROOM:
Junior's breath deepens, his face twitches. The light falls
on his quivering eye.
TERRANCE (O.S.)
What do you think it would take?
HEN (O.S.)
To leave?
TERRANCE (O.S.)
Yes.
GUEST ROOM:
HEN
Courage. The courage to let
everything go. To follow what I
feel. Not being scared.
TERRANCE
Where would you go?
A beat.
HEN
There are places. Places with life.
With other people, new people. With
music...somewhere that doesn't feel
like it's dying.
BATHROOM:
80
Junior watching it all, descends into shock.
GUEST ROOM:
HEN (CONT'D)
And instead of trying to explain it
to him, or to justify it, I would
do the opposite. I would leave a
letter. But it would be blank.
TERRANCE
So nothing at all?
HEN
It would say nothing and everything
at the same time.
Terrance sits in silence. Hen takes an emotional breath.
BATHROOM:
Junior's world falls away. He leans over the toilet bowl,
silently dry retching.
85 85
INT. GUEST ROOM - MOMENTS LATER
Junior walks through the door, unsteadily, just as Terrance
is comforting Hen.
HEN
Junior?
Junior sees that there are tears in her eyes. He turns to
Terrance, hurt in his eyes, unnerving aggression.
JUNIOR
You lying piece of shit.
TERRANCE
We're going to clarify everything.
JUNIOR
It's pretty fucking obvious.
TERRANCE
So tell me.
JUNIOR
This is over. And You're leaving.
Now.
Hen moves to the corner of the room, uneasy. Junior
unsteadily walks over to Hen.
JUNIOR (CONT'D)
And you're going to talk to me.
Properly...no more bullshit.
81
TERRANCE
What do you think is going on?
JUNIOR
NO. NO MORE QUESTIONS. Hen, this
has to stop.
Junior sways slightly, eyeing them both.
JUNIOR (CONT'D)
You want my wife, don't you. Keep
her company while I'm gone. How
fucking convenient. You're sick.
SICK.
Junior takes a step forward but is too tired. He leans
against the wall. Looks at Terrance.
JUNIOR (CONT'D)
(laughs under breath)
Fucking replacement.
HEN
(Standing - quietly)
Junior...it's not what-
JUNIOR
Sssshhh...
He lunges over to Hen and embraces her. She is scared, but
holds him. They start to waltz.
HEN (O.S.)
(whispers to Terrance)
Do something.
Junior looks up into her eyes, thinking she is whispering to
him. He smiles, then starts to hum the melody from their
wedding.
He then slumps onto the floor, unconscious. Blackness.
FADE TO:
86 86
INT. BEDROOM - DAY - ONE WEEK LATER
The camera floats from the landing into the bedroom, towards
Hen. Having just showered, she sits staring at the mirror.
The sun is harsh, raw. We float in closer. She takes a pair
of scissors to her hair, and starts to cut. The cut hair
falls over her bare chest and shoulders, like pine needles on
a forest floor.
DISSOLVE:
82
87 87
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT
Hen up close, her eyes closed. It's dark, surreal. The sound
of a Passenger Drone.
A moving light from the window momentarily washes through,
revealing she is seated in the kitchen, wearing a pretty
floral dress, and now a new haircut - a stylish bob.
She slowly opens her eyes, sensing, recognizing someone.
She stands, then gently moves across the room, towards them.
It's Junior(JR), fresh and cleanly shaven, but approaching
with a subtle limp, a desperation. A weary relief fills his
eyes.
JUNIOR[JR]
(through breath)
Little Hen...
They embrace. Kiss. Hen strokes his face, looks at him.
Junior's(JR) head sinks into her chest, holding her tight.
They rest against the dining table, in a silent, womblike
embrace.
Terrance, wearing a suit and tie, slowly enters the room.
Behind him, we glimpse other people in suits (FORMAL PEOPLE),
respectfully staring back, moved by the reunion.
Terrance's hand comes to rest on Junior's(JR) shoulder,
gently breaking their embrace. Junior(JR) lifts his head.
HEN
It's time...
JUNIOR[JR]
(to Terrance)
Ok.
Junior(JR) looks back to Hen.
JUNIOR[JR] (CONT'D)
(to Hen)
Come with me?
Hen shakes her head with trepidation, not ready to partake.
Terrance and Junior(JR) leave the room. As they do, we see
more of the kitchen. In the neighboring doorways, we notice
more FORMAL PEOPLE lingering. We hear the crackle of com's,
indecipherable communication.
Hen becomes increasingly nauseated, as she watches them
leave, into a strange pink light.
83
88 88
INT. KITCHEN/LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
We stay close on Junior(JR) as he enters the living room,
flanked by Terrance. Outside, there are floodlights coming in
the windows, trucks parked, silhouettes walking. We sweep
past a stack of computers, whirring.
The furniture has been removed. Several cameras on tripods
sit around the room, pointing away from Junior(JR), towards
something that suddenly stuns him.
Sitting on the floor, he sees a complete replica of himself,
identical in every way, bar the rough stubble and facial
hair. An intense, pale pink light fills his face. He blinks
several times, attempting to focus. He can only make out
abstract silhouettes. A miniature CAMERA DRONE hovers around
him, lights flashing.
JUNIOR
(On floor)
Hen?
TERRANCE
I'm sorry. I know you're confused.
The Junior(JR) beside Terrance is drawn closer.
JUNIOR[JR]
Holy shit. It's so fucking real.
The gaze, from Junior on the ground, sharpens suddenly,
trying to comprehend what he just heard. He attempts to lift
his head, but it's heavy and requires effort. He tries to
move his arm and realizes there are metal bracelets on his
wrists, with wires pulling them down. As he struggles against
them, we not only notice his damaged knuckles, but the wires
are looped from the wrists down to ankle bracelets. He can
now see, and starts to take in the room.
TERRANCE
(to Junior on floor)
I know how you must be feeling, but
I need you to stay calm.
He isn't listening to Terrance, but is now staring at his
PERFECT double, standing before him. He can't believe what
he's seeing. He's both captivated and mortified.
JUNIOR
(Junior on floor)
No... No...
TERRANCE
I'm sorry we had to deceive you,
but it was the only way to test
your full capacity and function.
(MORE)
84
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
It's critical that you were lucid
enough to experience the reversal
face to face.
The two Juniors look at each other.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
He's not the replacement, Junior.
It's you. This is Hen's real
husband.
JUNIOR
(Junior on floor)
No, no, no. That's bullshit!
(a beat)
Where is she?
(a beat)
Hen! Hen!
TERRANCE
She's safe, in the house...
JUNIOR
(Junior on floor)
Hen! Don't listen to him. Don't
worry. I'm not going to let them do
anything to you. I'm not going
anywhere.
Hen slowly paces in the kitchen. She raises her hands to her
face, sick with emotion, barely able to listen.
TERRANCE
We brought you here on my first
visit, the same day, he, Junior
(the one standing beside him), left
to live on the Installation. That
was the day your mission started.
When our headlights turned you on.
That was the beginning. We left the
rest up to you.
JUNIOR
(Junior on floor)
You're lying.
TERRANCE
We wanted your present tense to be
your focus, but we also had to
design your memories. We gave them
to you after spending many months
talking with Junior before he left.
Your memories are his.
JUNIOR
(shouts into the house)
Hen, tell him he's lying!
85
Hen looks up, exasperated, torn...
JUNIOR (O.S.) (CONT'D)
(Junior on floor)
Hen, I need to know you're Ok!
...then moves towards the doorway and stops, directly in
Junior's view, but he hasn't noticed her yet. Her face
ethereal in the soft pink light.
JUNIOR (O.S.) (CONT'D)
(getting desperate)
I need to hear your voice!
Hen is shocked to see the state of him. Tears build in her
eyes, flooded with grief.
The Junior on the floor, spots her standing at the edge of
the room, relief rushes through him; he takes some breaths, a
smile, but then uncontrollable tears.
Hen moves over to Junior, kneels on the floor. She tries to
ease the bracelets on his bleeding wrists. Junior(JR) watches
her.
HEN
(intimate)
I'm here. It's ok.
JUNIOR
(intimate)
Please. Whatever this is, whatever
you've done, it doesn't matter.
Hen pulls at the bracelets angrily.
HEN
Why!
Then his hand grips hers. She leans in, he whispers something
we can't hear. She then whispers back.
HEN (CONT'D)
(whispers)
Me too.
The moment catches her quick, she looks over to her husband
Junior(JR), who stares back numb and confused.
JUNIOR (O.S.)
(Junior on floor)
Hen. You need to get away from
here.
HEN
(whispers)
No.
86
Terrance is studying their exchange. Hen eyes Terrance, then
slowly stands, realizing she is on display.
The Junior on the floor, then stares back at Junior(JR). A
strange and beguiling intensity brews between them; hatred,
vulnerability, empathy, sadness, desperation...
JUNIOR
(on floor)
You can't leave it with her...she
doesn't want it.
Terrance whispers something to one of the other men, who then
walks over and stands closer to Junior. They start to unpack
a large case.
HEN
(watching the men)
You don't need to do this. Not
this.
TERRANCE
(to Junior on floor)
Can you tell me what you're feeling
now, Junior? Physically, I mean.
Junior exasperated by his cruelty, starts to laugh... a laugh
becoming guttural, deep, full of pain. Terrance isn't looking
at Junior anymore, rather only at Hen, at the magnitude of
her emotions and her complexity. Hen becomes aware of his
gaze, but also the gaze of the room.
HEN
(to Junior)
Don't listen to him.
TERRANCE
She's been a part of this the whole
time-
HEN
-I NEVER wanted this. Never.
JUNIOR
Hen? What's happening?
All eyes are on Hen. Words she needs to say, a truth too
devastating to tell. She stares at Terrance with an intensity
we haven't seen.
Two men walk towards Hen. They try to calmly escort her from
the room, but they are met with fierce defense. She falls
down to the ground, and anchors onto Junior.
HEN
NO!
87
They grab her arms, she pushes them away, a struggle ensues.
Junior tries to defend Hen, too, but his wrists remain
helplessly tied.
JUNIOR
Get the fuck off her!
More FORMAL PEOPLE enter and gather in the room, to watch on.
She surveys their staring faces, as she struggles violently.
HEN
Shame! Shame on all of
you.
Hen starts screaming, as the men manage to pull her away into
the hallway, then outside...
88B 88B
EXT. HOUSE/FIELD - NIGHT CONTINUOUS
Hen is feral, raging, but soon too exhausted to fight. They
gently rest her on the ground. They step back. She starts to
breakdown. She then gets up and runs, but they block her. She
falls back down to her knees.
89 89
OMITTED
90 90
INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT CONTINUOUS
Four men, wearing tight, disposable gloves, walk up to
Junior. They kneel next to Junior and start to remove his
bracelets.
Junior's head falls with exhaustion. A moment of silence; a
moment of helplessness now that Hen is not here. He stares at
his freed wrists, watching the blood move slowly down his
arm.
Junior is injected in the back of the neck with a large
needle.
The other Junior(JR) is in shock, he too stares at it, a
strange empathy floods him.
91 91
OMITTED
92 92
INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT CONTINUOUS
The men, on either side of Junior, lift him and slide a large
translucent sheet under him.
Terrance bends down to get close to Junior's face, as the men
start cutting off his clothes.
88
TERRANCE
They're going to be writing about
you for years.
JUNIOR
This is MY life. This is OUR life!
Together.
The FORMAL PEOPLE surround Junior in a quiet awe, getting a
closer look.
JUNIOR (CONT'D)
(mumbles)
Hen, we'll go somewhere else...not
everywhere is dying.
The other Junior(JR), slowly retreats and sits on a chair in
the back of the room - glimpsing the other Junior through the
slow flurry of silhouettes.
Terrance sits calmly, a voyeur, observing them both very
closely.
JUNIOR (CONT'D)
(Screams)
93 93
EXT. HOUSE/FIELD - NIGHT CONTINUOUS
Hen is now sitting on the ground. She has lost one shoe, her
bare foot pushes into the soil. Her hands scrape at the
earth.
94 94
INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT CONTINUOUS
Junior squirms and sinks flat to the floor on his side.
The men start cutting off the rest of his clothes, stripping
him down.
The men are rubbing a clear gel over him.
JUNIOR
(Undecipherable mumbling)
Junior now appears frozen. Except for his eyes which are
still alive, alert, moving around the room.
TERRANCE
There were other possibilities for
how this part would go, but we
decided it made the most sense for
you to be made aware, to see the
end for yourself.
89
The men then lift a section of plastic over Junior, who is
now naked in the fetal position. They run a small heat sealer
around its edges, effectively sealing him in.
Junior is trying to say something, but we can't hear him.
Then, a vacuum-like device instantly sucks all the air from
the bag in a violent rush. Junior is embalmed and doesn't
move. Like a womb, we see Junior faintly through the plastic.
Silence falls over everything.
Then his eyes lock onto something. We push in...
Cut to a VISION; the camera floats like an effortless spirit,
moving through the most lush, virginal forest. In amongst
those trees...the ancient, the bold, the timid.
Time disappears...
A single tear leaks from Junior's eye.
Terrance sits in complete stillness, watching him, wondering
what's in his mind. A few final breaths, a twitch of his
index finger, and he is gone.
The people in the room erupt in applause. Before Junior(JR)
can emotionally recover, he is pulled up by Terrance and
given a celebratory hug. Then Terrance turns, embraced by all
his colleagues gathering around him, tears of pride well up
in his eyes. Drinks get passed around. Terrance sips his
champagne, with the thought of Hen out there, the same
thought consuming Junior (JR).
95 95
EXT. HOUSE/FIELD - NIGHT CONTINUOUS
The sounds of celebration fall over Hen. Consumed by
unimaginable loss, consumed by the darkness of guilt. Their
house in the far background, lit up in pink.
Note: for clarity going forward, we will use JR to represent the real
Junior, BUT he is still referred to and known as Junior.
96 96
OMITTED
96A 96A
OMITTED
97 97
INT. BATH - LATER THAT MORNING
Hen tenderly aids a naked Junior into the bath. His muscles
and joints are weak from years in space.
90
JR.
(under breath)
Fuck this gravity shit.
He finally sits in the water, breathes out with relief.
Hen takes off her dress.
98 98
INT. BEDROOM - MORNING CONTINUOUS
Hen and JR sit naked on the edge of their bed...
JR reaches across, touches her back carefully, then slides
his hand to her breast. He holds it. Feels it. Needs it.
Hen looks at him, just a hollow shell. JR's hand drops away,
regret in his eyes. Then Hen starts to cry uncontrollably.
For a moment, she wants JR to be Junior. Just for a moment he
is. She embraces him, they lie down. Hen moves on top.
JR squirms, disturbed by her growing passion. He pushes her
off him firmly.
Then they just lie there. Hen groans with grief.
99 99
OMITTED
100 100
INT. GUEST ROOM - AFTERNOON
JR curiously surveys the room, with what is now haunting
patched holes across the walls. Confused, he stands and looks
around the room.
In the corner is a swept-up pile of plaster and rubble.
Something catches his eye; a picture of Hen in the white T-
Shirt from all those years ago. He picks it up and stares at
it.
Hen's smiling face engulfs him. Through the window, we see
the outside landscape begin to move, to spin. His hands
tremble, his breath deepens. He leans against the wall with
one arm. His breath gets more erratic, remembering;
Through a window of a space craft, we see EARTH rush past.
Then it rushes through again. Not unlike the chicken towers,
we look up from inside the massive cylindrical cabin, with
hundreds of people strapped in, row upon row, on the outer
walls. The top has a clear opening with light streaming in,
we see the space-station. We are on JR as the cabin spins
faster and faster to match the rotation to that of the main
space-station, docking procedure... JR sweats, unable to
cope. Claustrophobia. Vertigo. Nausea. Swirling, over and
over...
91
JR is overwhelmed. Not only riddled with the trauma of space,
but the state of his marriage. He grips the wall with deep
desperation, the outside landscape, and his life spins out of
control.
100A 100A
EXT. DEAD TREE - DUSK
Hen lays on the ground, held in a woven embrace with the
large sweeping root of a dead tree.
101 101
INT. ROADSIDE RESTAURANT - DAY
Hen exits the kitchen, two plates of deep-fried flounder on
her arms. She crosses the floor to deliver the meals, but as
she does, she notices Terrance sitting alone at a table on
the far side. She slows, shocked to see him. Terrance looks
up at her and smiles, takes a sip of his water.
She places the meals on the customer's table, and cautiously
wanders over to Terrance.
HEN
Why are you here?
TERRANCE
To see you.
Terrance gazes at Hen, long enough to expose a vulnerability
in both of them.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
I want to know how things are
going. At home. Now that Junior's
back.
HEN
Why do you care?
TERRANCE
I care because I like you, and I
consider you a colleague.
HEN
I'm not your colleague. I'm not
like you. Not in any way. And now I
feel stupid.
TERRANCE
You shouldn't feel stupid. You did
so well.
HEN
No, I do.
(a beat)
You made it sound so exciting, with
(MORE)
92
HEN (CONT'D)
all that big talk...and I told you
things. Private things. I actually
thought you cared. No. All you
needed was me, wasn't it? Just a
farmer's wife on the edge to prey
on...
TERRANCE
What YOU did...was essential. It
was historic. It was beautiful.
HEN
Beautiful?
(sotto)
What WE did can never be forgiven.
It was cruel. It was...meaningless.
This stings Terrance.
TERRANCE
Stop feeling guilty for being part
of advancement. It's our duty as
intelligent people to transcend
boundaries, not yield to them.
HEN
Our duty is to be human and to
live.
TERRANCE
Don't you have questions about how
this has changed you?
HEN
Yes, I have many questions. But
they aren't the same as yours.
TERRANCE
I'm a Creator. Creators make the
future possible. Your future
possible.
HEN
Your arrogance is disgusting.
Terrance smiles, but is hurt.
TERRANCE
It's a shame you're feeling so
much...regret.
HEN
I'm feeling a responsibility.
Terrance leans forward, more intimate, vulnerable.
93
TERRANCE
(whispers)
There's so much we could share.
Hen goes to stand up, but Terrance gently grabs her arm.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
Sit down, please, let me explain
something to you-
Hen pulls her arm free.
HEN
No. I never have to listen or talk
to you again.
Terrance breathes, stares back at her.
TERRANCE
That's fine. Just know that I spent
years with Junior before he left.
And we've talked a lot about you. I
know everything I need to know.
Terrance leans in, more intimate.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
Hen, I know what he needs. And I'm
not sure you can give that to him
now.
Hen looks straight at Terrance.
HEN
No. You must never do this again.
TERRANCE
I am doing this for you.
Terrance becomes suddenly calm, reaches into Hen's eyes with
a disconcerting warmth.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
I can make it easier on him, if you
ever do make that decision-
HEN
Decision?
TERRANCE
To leave. Or is that still a
fantasy?
Hen lets that sit for a moment, angry tears brew, then she
leans forward, intimate, fearless, calm.
94
HEN
You know, the only thing I truly
believe, and it's our biggest flaw.
TERRANCE
What?
Hen stands up, looking down at Terrance.
HEN
Believing we understand things we
can't ever possibly understand.
Terrance watches Hen turn and walk off across the floor. She
passes a table and gathers empty plates, like she has a
million times before.
A101A A101A
OMITTED
101A 101A
OMITTED
102 102
INT. KITCHEN/FARMHOUSE - NIGHT
Hen opens two beers, passes one to JR sitting at the table.
Hen then moves to the counter and finishes serving up dinner
onto old porcelain plates. She places them on the table and
sits down, they start to eat.
They swig their beers, chew their food, all amidst this
awkward silence. Hen is watching JR. He rarely looks back,
but he notices her unease.
HEN
They say looking back at Earth
changes you.
(a beat)
Did it?
JR says nothing.
HEN (CONT'D)
Has anything changed for you?
JR looks up directly at her with heavy, resentful eyes.
JR.
Why?
Hen stiffens.
JR
I was hoping for loyalty. Trust.
HEN
How can you say that?
95
JR
You're my fucking wife.
HEN
It's not like that-
JR
-oh, then what was it then?
HEN
I saw you, Junior, in him. I did.
JR.
You saw me...in it?
Hen looks up again, making eye contact.
HEN
Yes. I saw who I fell in love with.
Then I saw the parts you never show
me.
JR.
You're fucking crazy.
HEN
The parts you've lost Junior. What
we've lost.
JR sits back, stung, then smiles through tears at her
bluntness.
JR.
It wasn't me, Hen. It wasn't REAL.
HEN
This IS real. What I'm feeling is
real.
JR.
I know what I am. What we need.
HEN
And what is that?
(JR doesn't answer)
To take each other for granted?
(a beat)
To stay like this? To stand still?
(a beat)
For what? Junior, there's nothing
here for us. Let's just leave, get
out of here. Do something,
together.
JR darkens, then points to the window.
96
JR.
My family is out there. Buried in
the ground. And I won't do it to
them. No. I won't throw it away, to
go off on a wander, to prove what?
This farm, this house, this life -
WE made it. It's US. We should be
proud.
(a beat)
There's nothing out there for you.
I know that now. I just need you
right here, where we are.
HEN
Right here, where I've always been.
JR just sits there, says nothing. Hen stares at him a while,
then gets up, thinking. She takes their plates to the sink.
She puts them in but just stands there, looking down at them.
She doesn't rinse them as she usually would.
HEN (CONT'D)
What does it mean if you can't risk
something with me?
Hen looks up from the plates, right at JR.
JR looks away, then down toward the floor. He can't answer
her, or doesn't want to.
Then, in the severe silence, they hear something...very
gently at first, then growing, the sound of rain drops on the
roof. It builds. It takes a moment for both of them to
actually register, believe it. Hen turns and looks at JR,
amazed.
She moves through the house. The rain now pelting down,
echoing loudly.
HEN (CONT'D)
Junior?
JR slowly trails Hen, and as he corners onto the porch, he
sees Hen run out into the rain, laughing, letting it drench
her. JR reluctantly holds back, afraid almost, the noise and
movement of the rain affecting him.
HEN (CONT'D)
It's beautiful!
Hen turns back to JR, beaming with a child-like jubilance,
then leaps up and pulls JR into the rain.
HEN (CONT'D)
C'mon.
97
103 103
EXT. FARMHOUSE - NIGHT
As she supports and aids him out, she can't help but kiss
him, and joyously embrace him. She screams into the rain. JR
suddenly slips, and they both go over. They end up in a huge
muddy puddle, Hen laughs it off.
HEN
Shit, sorry.
Hen holds his hand, leans over, and kisses him some more, but
JR starts shivering. He sits up, embarrassed, ashamed, then
attempts to stand up.
Hen places her hands under his arms to help.
JR.
I don't need your help.
She ignores him, drunk with laughter.
JR. (CONT'D)
Don't!
JR shrugs her off. Hen, shocked by his venom, just stands
there, muddy, forlorn. JR stares back with disdain.
JR. (CONT'D)
(under breath)
Look at you.
Hen is struck with a sudden, painful, clarity. JR breaks
away, back to the house, leaving Hen alone in the rain and
wind.
104 104
INT. BASEMENT - NIGHT
Hen, completely drenched and muddy, sits at the piano. We
can't tell what are tears and what is rainwater.
She doesn't hesitate, and starts playing the piano. Her wet
face shines in the dark with defiance. It quickly becomes the
most fearless, and emotionally powerful melody yet.
She suddenly stands, looks around the room, finds a shovel
leaning against the wall. She picks it up, holds it for a
moment, then swings the shovel against the piano, over and
over, smashing the old keys to pieces.
105 105
INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT
Hen, a motionless, muddy figure, moves under the shower. The
water rushes over her body. She stares at her feet.
She has removed the plug. This time the mud and water run
down the drain...
98
106 106
INT. HOUSE/KITCHEN - MORNING
We follow JR as he walks through the empty house towards the
kitchen.
He enters. Hen has made a pot of coffee.
JR.
(Calling out)
Hen?
He pours himself a cup and leans against the counter, waiting
for her to reply. She doesn't.
He takes a sip and that's when an envelope on the counter
catches his eye.
It has `Junior' written on the front. He puts his cup down
and picks up the envelope. He opens it and removes a letter.
It's a single page. He turns it around and over. He looks at
both sides. He's clearly confused.
The letter is BLANK.
107 107
EXT. CORPORATE CHICKEN TOWERS/TOWER - DAY
High above the landscape, we float toward a chicken tower. We
creep over the lip; inside, within the raking sunlight, we
see a stationary lift.
108 108
INT. CORPORATE CHICKEN TOWERS/TOWER - CONTINUOUS
In the lift stands JR. He presses a button, that releases the
lift into a gentle descent. He remains motionless, lost in
thought, as the endless layers of chickens pass by fast. The
dreamy free fall is like a moving watercolor.
109 109
INT.CORPORATE CHICKEN TOWERS/LUNCH ROOM - LUNCH
Macro shots only; mouths chewing, dirty hands against bread,
sweat, laughing yellow teeth. Some younger guys punch each-
other in the guts - `test of manhood'. It's rowdy,
boisterous. JR sits amongst it, observing, his hand grips the
blank note.
110 110
INT. ROADSIDE RESTAURANT - LATE AFTERNOON
We follow JR as he enters into the restaurant. He looks
around for Hen, without a care, without asking anyone. But
she is nowhere to be seen.
He barges into the kitchen, into the back rooms, a waiter
tails him.
99
111 111
EXT. ROADSIDE RESTAURANT - LATE AFTERNOON
He exits out the back, across the open carpark, bangs
hopelessly on a string of motel rooms. Staff begin to gather
around him, but keep their distance. Junior's a storm to be
reckoned with.
112 112
INT. FARMHOUSE - GROUND FLOOR - MORNING
Silence. The haunted emptiness of the house.
We hear the front door open, Terrance slowly enters, a bottle
of wine in hand.
TERRANCE
Hello?
He listens to see if anyone is home.
He then makes his way into the living room and sits down on
the couch. A nostalgia takes over him.
113 113
INT. BASEMENT - LATER
Terrance enters the basement. He places the wine on top of
the smashed piano. He lifts the upturned chair and sits. His
fingers slowly survey the damaged keys. He runs them along
the keys, broken notes leak out. Then, tentatively, he plays
a small toothless melody, the same one Hen played before she
smashed the piano.
Terrance turns. Junior is standing there, having just woken.
Terrance stands. He looks different somehow, less secure,
tired.
TERRANCE
I'm sorry.
(a beat)
I was just passing by. Wanted to
say goodbye. See how you were both
settling in.
JR.
We're fine.
A beat.
TERRANCE
Is Hen around?
JR.
On a shift.
100
TERRANCE
I was hoping to see her before I
left. How's she doing?
JR.
She's fine.
An awkward silence.
TERRANCE
Can I ask you something?
JR.
Sure.
TERRANCE
I know it's weird, but humor me for
a minute.
JR.
What?
TERRANCE
Could you close your eyes?
JR is losing patience.
JR.
Seriously?
TERRANCE
Please.
JR hesitates a moment, then submits, closing his eyes.
Terrance steps close and without a word, does the same,
closing his eyes.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
Ok, take a moment. Now, tell me
what you see?
It takes JR a moment to settle his mind.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
I mean, really, what do you see.
Something within JR scares him. His eyes dart open. To his
surprise, he see's Terrance with his eyes closed.
JR
I want to be alone.
Hearing JR speak, Terrance immediately opens his eyes, filled
with their own hurt.
101
TERRANCE
You have such self-assurance. You
don't have to prove anything to
anybody. I envy it.
Terrance reaches forward and rubs JR's arm. He smiles.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
Junior. You should feel proud, for
what you did.
JR doesn't respond. Terrance passes him the Chardonnay.
TERRANCE (CONT'D)
I know how much she loves it.
JR looks at the bottle, as Terrance slowly walks up the
stairs.
114 114
INT. BARN - AFTERNOON
Chickens peck the ground, as JR tosses another handful of
grain to them.
He stares, watching them. He then zeroes in on the brown
chicken, watching its every move.
115 115
EXT. FARM - LATE AFTERNOON
He picks red berries from the forgotten shrub.
Up close, we see JR rip wildflowers from the ground. Various
types and colors; pink, yellow, white, blue... one after the
other.
Then, up close, we see JR rip the feathers off the dead brown
chicken.
116 116
INT. DINING ROOM - NIGHT
Insect murmurations vibrate hypnotically. JR is sitting in
his chair, alone.
The wildflowers are on the table, a small plate with the
berries, and two places already set for dinner. It's
unsettling in its overt attempt at hospitality.
He just sits there, in a `real' silence. Alone, never
touching his food.
He pours the last of the Chardonnay, then with his fingers,
picks at the edges of the blank note Hen left him.
He looks out the window. He notices his reflection, staring
back. A disturbed smile surfaces. He turns away from it.
102
Anguish floods him.
JR.
(screams)
HEN!
He then notices the wine in his glass beginning to lean
unnaturally. Vertigo rising... The world outside starts to
move, almost imperceptibly. He grips the table, his head
falls.
He closes his eyes. His breath lunges erratically.
Then, a PALE GREEN LIGHT (the same light we saw in the
opening) washes up over the ceiling and into the room.
He opens his eyes, now filled with a raw, visceral pain. He
notices the light. It hangs there, hypnotically, and before
JR can make sense of it, a figure slowly moves into view,
bathed in light, like an ethereal apparition. It's HENRIETTA.
She is wearing the white cut-off shirt, her hair is
different, slightly longer? JR doesn't notice, blinded by her
beauty, shocked by her return.
She sits, at the other end of the table, just as the PALE
GREEN LIGHT fades away. Leaving them in the dark.
JR is numb with shock. They just stare at each-other.
Emotions run high for both, but not a word spoken. Henrietta
looks down the table, and touches the small wildflowers,
looking up at JR adoringly.
HENRIETTA
So pretty.
She takes the glass of wine and sips it, then looks down at
her dinner, surprised. JR is overcome with emotion.
HENRIETTA (CONT'D)
(noticing JR)
It's ok. I'm here.
117 117
INT. BEDROOM - DAY
Bright hot sun hits their naked bodies. Henrietta takes his
hand, and starts to kiss it. JR studies her, curious, struck
by her renewed contentedness and devotion. She starts kissing
his neck, and soon, the two of them weave freely.
118 118
EXT. FARM - SUNSET
A huge, pink, burnt orange sun, just as it dips towards the
horizon. The two of them lying out on the porch watching,
beers in hand, luminous.
103
JR.
It's funny. Having all that time
looking down on this... so much to
understand... Think about the
canola fields, all the flowers and
everything living in there. Think
about the city and all the cars and
stores and apartments. For all of
it, for almost any object you can
think of, there are too many...but
there's only one of you.
JR stares across at Henrietta, curiously.
HENRIETTA
What?
JR.
You'll always be my anchor, my
wife, my best friend, and the best
cook I know...
Henrietta turns back to the sun, soaks in its beauty. She
smiles, but it lacks the pure wonder she used to hold.
JR. (CONT'D)
Do you think you could be...happy?
Here?
Henrietta interlocks her fingers in his.
HENRIETTA
(still smiling)
Of course. This is where I'm happy.
Right here. With you.
She finishes off her beer, then leans in closer.
HENRIETTA (CONT'D)
I'm so proud of you.
She lets her head rest against his shoulder.
HENRIETTA (CONT'D)
(to JR)
Refill?
JR.
Sure.
JR slugs the rest of his beer. Henrietta takes his empty beer
and moves inside.
JR turns back to the soft glow, and surrenders, with a
newfound sense of relief, reconnecting with all around him;
the sounds, the sky, the gentle breeze in HEN's tree - a
familiar world that seems different now, but exactly as he
wants it - everything in its place.
104
As the night insects begin to scream, JR realizes Henrietta
hasn't returned.
119 119
INT. KITCHEN - DUSK
JR walks into the kitchen. He sees Henrietta standing
perfectly still, looking into the sink. For a moment, he
watches her, struck by her absolute stillness.
HENRIETTA
What are you doing here little one?
Henrietta doesn't reply. She is transfixed...
JR.
Hen?
Nothing.
Finally, Henrietta reacts. She looks over at JR.
HENRIETTA
It's not moving at all. It's
just...sitting there.
JR.
What is?
Henrietta turns back and leans closer into the sink. Beside
the drain, is a large, ever familiar, Horned Beetle.
HENRIETTA
I've never seen one before.
Henrietta walks to the fridge. She takes out a beer and hands
it to JR. Perplexed, he takes a swig, as she walks out of the
room.
JR curiously walks over to the sink. He looks in, recoils at
the sight of the Beetle.
Henrietta has put music on in the lounge and it fills the
house, it's their wedding song; ALTHOUGH THE SUN IS SHINING -
FLEETWOOD MAC.
JR pauses a moment, smiles, and takes another swig, then uses
the bottom of the beer bottle to crush the beetle.
HENRIETTA (O.S.) (CONT'D)
(singing along as she
heads to porch)
Although the sun is shining, high
above...
JR walks outside, but we stay on the beetle in macro. Its
antennae slowly losing life...with the fading sounds of JR
and Henrietta on the porch;
105
their sporadic singalong, the insects, a gentle gust of wind.
Song continues throughout next scenes...
LONG DISSOLVE:
120 120
EXT. 15,000FT - RURAL PLAINS - SUNSET/DUSK - CONTINUOUS
We fly, breathtakingly high, over the great rural expanse.
Below us, the alien, geometric patterns of mega-farms
mesmerically sweep by. The golden sun slips on the horizon.
The creep of dusk.
The tiny shape of a sleek passenger plane glides in,
reflecting the sun, a golden sparkle in a huge world.
121 121
INT. PASSENGER PLANE - SUNSET/DUSK - CONTINUOUS
We move, through the cabin, passing passengers, stories, and
lives we can only guess. Then, we corner into a row, and push
up to the only person staring out the window. We get closer.
It's unmistakable - it's Hen (the real one). Her beautiful
spirit shines, and in those magnificent eyes...
Wonder.
Nostalgia.
Fear.
...witnessing the last rays of sun - the ending of one life,
the beginning of another, into the real unknown.
She breathes.
She breathes deeper.
Pain.
Hope.
Love.
END
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