1 EXT. WESTERN AUSTRALIAN COUNTRYSIDE - DAWN
The sun rises over green hills. Kangaroos bask in the
patches of light, lazily soaking it up.
2 EXT. COUNTRY COTTAGE - DAWN
On one of these hillsides rests a small COTTAGE, a dark
blue, dusty BMW parked beside it.
3 INT. COUNTRY COTTAGE BEDROOM - DAWN
ELLSWORTH VALENTINE--early twenties, soft-spoken, with a
six day growth--wakes in a double bed.
He throws his feet over the side, easing them into
slippers.
Ellsworth shuffles to the bathroom, swaying on the spot
half-asleep as he pees.
In no hurry, he moves to the kitchen, flicking on the
kettle.
Ellsworth yawns, fixing coffee.
4 EXT. COUNTRY COTTAGE - DAWN
Ellsworth exits the cottage with two steaming coffee mugs
in the one hand.
He walks around back, grabbing a thick CHAIN where it's
firmly bolted to the wall, running his hand along until it
disappears under the house.
He tugs on it twice.
Nothing.
ELLSWORTH
Why don't you come out here? I
have coffee.
A girl appears there, her clothes torn, face and hair
dirty. Meet EMPATHY LEE--similar age, attractive, but of
course she knows it. Right now, she doesn't seem to be
feeling so great. The chain's other end is padlocked tight
around her neck.
ELLSWORTH
Well, hot water at least. There
was only enough coffee for me.
He gives her one of the mugs and she sips it fast, burning
her lips.
ELLSWORTH
I said it's hot.
She glares at him.
Ellsworth sits on the rear stairs, sipping from his own
mug. He stares out across the sloped paddock.
ELLSWORTH
Eighteen months, Em.
5 INT. OCEANSIDE HOUSE - NIGHT
Delicate piano plays through the scene... sombre, haunting.
Ellsworth, a little younger here, enters his home in
something of a daze.
He drops his keys on the floor.
ELLSWORTH
Empathy?
A massive MUTED TELEVISION in the living room, the phone
out of its cradle, swinging in the breeze.
ELLSWORTH
(shouts)
Empathy?
6 EXT. MALIK'S HOUSE - DAY
Ellsworth, younger again, leans on the hood of his new BMW
smoking a joint, parked in front of a massive ultramodern
house in the wealthier part of town.
The large gate begins to roll open before MALIK NOBLE
appears at the front door, lighting a cigarette, closing it
behind him.
He takes the joint from Ellsworth before they get into the
Beamer.
It pulls away from the curb.
7 INT. ROYAL CASINO - EVENING
Malik and Ellsworth, dressed somewhere between smart and
casual, stride through the crowded casino lobby with an
obvious agenda.
They weave their way between rows of poker machines, toward
the casino's HIGH ROLLER ROOM.
They sit at opposite ends of a BLACKJACK TABLE, with a
drunk HIGH ROLLER between them and the DEALER opposite.
They play a few hands.
A nearby SECURITY MAN watches them play.
8 INT. MALIK'S HOUSE - NIGHT
When Malik and Ellsworth return, Empathy and LACEY LEE-
Empathy's younger, more successful sister, as well as
Malik's girlfriend--wait for them on the couch, watching a
DVD on Malik's big plasma screen while chatting over
drinks. Both are in their early twenties.
Hearing the guys enter, Lacey turns off the TV, both girls
standing, already dressed to go out.
LACEY
Got your coat?
Malik and Ellsworth enter the living room.
MALIK
Ready?
EMPATHY
(to Ellsworth)
How did you go?
ELLSWORTH
Pretty good.
She wraps her arms around him, smiling, nose brushing his
chin.
EMPATHY
How good?
He kisses her briefly.
9 INT. GAIJIN NIGHTCLUB - NIGHT
Coming through the front door, Malik breaks away from the
group to shake a BOUNCER's hand. He goes to the bar next,
leaning over it to kiss one of the BAR GIRLS on the cheek.
As Malik returns, they weave their way through other
CLUBBERS to take a reserved booth, all squeezing in tight
as Ellsworth carefully tears strips off a sheet of ACID
under the table.
The four each eat a strip, ignorant of whoever may be
watching.
10 EXT. COUNTRY COTTAGE - DAY
The dusty BMW traces tyre tracks in the landscape, away
from the house.
11 EXT. ROAD HOUSE - DAY
Ellsworth, three years older, dirtier, punches numbers into
a PUBLIC PHONE.
He listens for a minute, then hangs up.
12 INT. MALIK'S HOUSE - CEILING - MORNING
Malik and Ellsworth, back in the day, crouched in the
ceiling crawl space, handling BUNDLES OF CASH, stacking
them in piles under a blanket.
ELLSWORTH
How temporary?
MALIK
Like two weeks, tops.
ELLSWORTH
Dude you've been saying two weeks
for about three months now.
MALIK
If you can think of a better
place--
ELLSWORTH
The bank.
MALIK
F**k the bank. Banks ask
questions.
ELLSWORTH
This has got to be the first
place a burglar would look.
MALIK
What are you kidding? This is a
stroke of genius on my part. Who
in their right mind stores
hundreds of thousands of dollars
in a f*****g ceiling of all
places?
ELLSWORTH
We do.
MALIK
(points at him)
Exactly!
ELLSWORTH
It's not secure.
MALIK
We'll get a storage locker.
ELLSWORTH
When?
MALIK
When I have enough cash.
Ellsworth sighs.
MALIK
Man, I'm just kidding! You've got
to relax a bit. Here, do some
coke.
Malik offers him a satchel.
ELLSWORTH
I'm good.
Malik stares him down.
MALIK
Ellsworth. Dude. Dude?
Ellsworth sighs again, taking it from him.
ELLSWORTH
(annoyed)
For f**k sake. It's not good to
start doing this stuff before
lunch time.
MALIK
We're in a ceiling. No windows?
ELLSWORTH
Yeah that's... great.
Ellsworth taps some of the powder out, between his thumb
and index finger, then snorts it, his face instantly
contorting with pain.
ELLSWORTH
F**k me! It burns!
MALIK
Wait the coke's in my pocket.
ELLSWORTH
(palm pressed to eye)
What did you give me?
MALIK
Probably the heroin.
ELLSWORTH
(panicked)
What f*****g heroin?
Ellsworth's eye begins turning red, bloodshot.
MALIK
Don't worry. It's awesome. Here
I'll have some too.
13 INT. OCEANSIDE HOUSE - NIGHT
The piano resumes, as Ellsworth's scene in the oceanside
house continues, the chronological midway point between his
casino antics and the country cottage scenes.
Ellsworth reacts to a noise from upstairs. Men in coats
appear at the top--plain-clothes POLICE OFFICERS.
ELLSWORTH
Who are you guys?
OFFICER #1
Ellsworth Valentine?
ELLSWORTH
(hesitant)
Um. Yeah?
Another officer steps forward, holding a HEROIN PARCEL
wrapped in clear plastic.
OFFICER #2
Is this yours?
ELLSWORTH
I... honestly don't know.
14 INT. ROYAL CASINO - NIGHT
Malik and Ellsworth on another night in the high rollers
room.
This time the casino is crowded, the room full of tipsy
SUITS and SKANKS.
A different SECURITY GUY approaches the table, wrapping a
big, meaty hand around Malik's elbow.
SECURITY GUY
What are you doing?
Ellsworth freezes, watching it unfold as everyone else in
the room begins paying attention.
MALIK
Huh?
SECURITY GUY
What are you doing?
MALIK
Make sense, man. You've got the
casino madness!
He yanks Malik off his seat as a second SECURITY GUY
quickly approaches Ellsworth, dragging him away too.
15 INT. ROYAL CASINO BACK ROOM - NIGHT
They toss the pair into a small, nondescript room and lock
the door.
ELLSWORTH
What the f**k man?
MALIK
Shut up. The room's probably
mic'd.
ELLSWORTH
What the f**k?
16 INT. OCEANSIDE HOUSE - NIGHT
The piano continues.
Ellsworth sits at his big dining table with three of the
officers.
Resting on the table between them is a small pile of heroin
parcels.
OFFICER #2
See here's where I'm having
trouble. Let's say we believe all
this heroin isn't yours. You say
they were planted here by a...
Malik Noble? The same man who
tipped us off to their being
here.
ELLSWORTH
That's correct.
OFFICER #2
Sorry sport. No such person.
OFFICER #3
There never has been a Malik
Noble. Anywhere. Ever. Not as far
as we can tell. And believe me,
we can tell stuff.
OFFICER #2
So basically, you're saying this
guy lied to you from the moment
he met you, split town with your
girlfriend, and planted heroin
all over your house for us to
find?
ELLSWORTH
(distracted)
My money, too. He took my money.
OFFICER #1
How much money?
ELLSWORTH
All of it.
A long silence.
OFFICER #2
Do you mind if I ask how all of
this started?
Ellsworth thinks for a long time, staring at the muted TV.
17 INT. ROYAL CASINO BACK ROOM - NIGHT
Malik shuffles a pack of PLAYING CARDS while he and
Ellsworth wait for their captors to return.
Malik removes both jokers, tossing them across the room.
The door opens to reveal an aging CASINO COP, locking it
behind him before sitting at the room's plain oak
interrogation table.
Malik and Ellsworth take seats opposite the man as he opens
a paper folder, taking the time to skim over several pages
of records and surveillance screenshots.
CASINO COP
You'll get the contents of your
pockets back when we release you.
In case it wasn't explained
clearly before, you're being held
on suspicion of manipulating the
odds in a game of high-stakes
Blackjack. Under new state
legislation any loss over nine
thousand dollars as a result of
such manipulation can be pursued
by the casino for a maximum
sentence of twelve years.
Congratulations, gents. In the
space of twenty-five minutes you
well and truly surpassed this
amount.
Ellsworth's shoulders slump.
ELLSWORTH
(under breath)
Shiiit.
CASINO COP
You've obviously mistaken us for
morons. You seem to think that
we're oblivious to the kind of
s**t you've been pulling under
our noses these last nine months,
but rest assured... we do know
you. We know your strategy. We
know your dumbshit faces. We've
been watching you two f*****g
idiots for a long while now. And
now? We're going after that
twelve years boys, and we mean to
back it up with some mighty
convincing video evidence.
(long pause)
What? You thought they only did
that stuff in Vegas or--huh--hgh-
sssshhhhhhhrrrk.
Ellsworth watches in stunned silence as the casino cop
contorts, then flops forward on the table, face-down.
He slowly looks over at Malik, who slumps in his chair.
Under the table, the toe of Malik's shoe, buried in the
casino cop's solar plexus. A dark crimson stain spreads on
the shirt around it.
Malik gets up, wiping the small matt black BLADE and his
shoe with a napkin. He pats the security guy down for a set
of keys.
Ellsworth still sits at the table, staring in disbelief as
blood pools at the casino cop's feet.
MALIK
We've got to go.
ELLSWORTH
What... what...?
Malik pulls Ellsworth to his feet, looking him hard in the
eye.
MALIK
Ellsworth. We've got to go now.
18 INT. OCEANSIDE HOUSE - NIGHT
Piano continues.
Ellsworth exits through big double doors at the back of his
home, looking out over the dark sea, joint and whiskey
bottle in hand.
He walks, a little shaky, to where the view is best.
A wine glass lays broken on the lawn there. Beside it,
something like a whiteout pen. He picks it up, blinking
through the liquor haze, examining it.
A POSITIVE PREGNANCY TEST.
The piano trails off as Ellsworth sits on the grass.
19 EXT. CITY ALLEY - NIGHT
Malik and Ellsworth stop running where the light barely
penetrates a dirty inner-city alley. They lean on their
knees, struggling to catch their breath.
ELLSWORTH
What did you do?
MALIK
Ellsworth...
Ellsworth shoves him against a dumpster, pinning him there
by the throat.
ELLSWORTH
(holding back tears)
What did you do to that f*****g
casino guy?
MALIK
Only what one of us needed to.
Ellsworth walks away, pacing in little circles, still
catching his breath.
ELLSWORTH
You f*****g a*****e, Malik! You
crazy f*****g f**k. They know
what we look like. They're
probably already waiting at our
houses, man. We're going to jail
because of you.
MALIK
You really think that guy was
telling the truth about all that?
ELLSWORTH
You don't?
MALIK
I figure he was trying to scare
us. Why go through the whole
spiel if he had enough evidence
to put us away?
ELLSWORTH
(manic)
Then why f*****g kill him??
MALIK
Because he might have been
telling the truth. Twelve years
is a long time. Haven't I always
looked out for us?
ELLSWORTH
You're hardly--
MALIK
We can't let people like, like
him, some casino f**k who doesn't
even know s**t about who we are
or what we're about... we can't
let that guy end our lives
because of something we didn't
even know was illegal.
Ellsworth is silent for a long time, staring at the ground,
breath slowing.
ELLSWORTH
I just... don't know where we go
from here.
MALIK
The truth is... it's done. It's
not something I ever wanted to
do, but the need arose and I
acted. It's over now...
there's no going back, no matter
how much either of us might want
to. All you can ever do is relive
it.
Ellsworth glares at Malik, emotion rising and falling
within him as the right words come and go.
Malik pats him on the shoulder, then keeps running.
Ellsworth stares after him a long moment before following
at a jog.
20 INT. MALIK'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Empathy turns the plasma screen off as Malik and Ellsworth
return from the botched casino visit.
EMPATHY
What the f**k happened to you
guys? We're freaking out!
MALIK
We went bust.
LACEY
Are you okay?
EMPATHY
Bust?? How?
She crosses the room, trying to look Ellsworth in the eye.
EMPATHY
What happened baby?
MALIK
He'll tell you later.
Ellsworth meets her gaze briefly.
ELLSWORTH
I'm gonna push off.
EMPATHY
I thought we were going out?
MALIK
Can't go out without money.
Ellsworth sits on the couch, taking off his belt to tie it
around one leg below the knee, while Malik runs upstairs,
unbuttoning his shirt.
21 INT. OCEANSIDE HOUSE - DAWN
Piano continues.
Ellsworth sleeps on the kitchen floor, flat on his back,
spilled bottle of Bombay Sapphire by his side.
A set of heeled boots click like horse hooves across the
tiles, stopping by Ellsworth's head.
He wakes to see Lacey, standing over him.
She too has been crying.
22 INT. OCEANSIDE HOUSE - MORNING
Lacey sits at the dining table with Ellsworth, both
drinking scotch, passing a joint back and forth.
The piano still lingers, background noise now.
LACEY
I can't help thinking he's been
keeping me docile with smack, so
I wouldn't notice what was going
on.
Ellsworth says nothing, taking long drags of smoke.
LACEY
Do you think they're together
now?
ELLSWORTH
I'm certain of it.
LACEY
(pause)
How can you be so sure?
ELLSWORTH
Because it's too perfect. Too
well-executed. She's not ruthless
enough to pull something like
this off on her own. She's not
bitter enough.
LACEY
But Malik? Of all people. My
sister and my boyfriend... how
Springer.
ELLSWORTH
Empathy followed the junk.
LACEY
She's not in that deep.
ELLSWORTH
Deeper than she let on, to you or
anyone. She was struggling, these
last few months. She knew I was
trying to stop. Didn't want to be
the last rat left on that
particular ship. Malik's a pretty
safe bet there. Probably the only
person on Earth whose consumption
dwarfs her own.
Lacey sighs into her drink.
LACEY
So are we just the world's
biggest suckers?
ELLSWORTH
No. Malik Noble is just the
world's biggest a*****e.
LACEY
I'll drink to that.
23 EXT. MALIK'S HOUSE - EVENING
Ellsworth stands at Malik's front door, rubbing his hands,
shielding himself in the doorway from a cold sea breeze.
The door opens, revealing Lacey, clad in dressing gown.
More piano, rising and falling.
ELLSWORTH
Everyone he's ever known. Every
place he's ever been. Make a
list, be thorough as you can.
Lacey says nothing for a long time, searching his eyes.
LACEY
What's it going to take for you
to let this go?
ELLSWORTH
Closure? (pause) Whatever's
closest.
24 EXT. COUNTRY COTTAGE - NIGHT
Ellsworth sits on the back steps of the cottage, eating a
frozen dinner with plastic knife and fork, making a chewing
with real effort.
ELLSWORTH
(mouth full)
Ugh. This is f*****g awful.
He stands, tossing the plastic plate at the dirt, its
contents scattering.
Empathy's chain is still fastened to the building, but
disappears beneath the porch.
EMPATHY (O.C.)
Well that's just rude.
Ellsworth stifles a dry chuckle.
ELLSWORTH
Yeah.
The distant rhythm of cicadas grows closer with the
silence.
After a moment, he looks at the chain, as if about to
speak, but stopping himself.
EMPATHY (O.C.)
Do you ever think about those
first few weeks? Was it ever good
after that?
He looks back out to the moonlit field.
EMPATHY (O.C.)
Did too much other stuff get in
the way?
Ellsworth picks stringy beef from his teeth.
EMPATHY (O.C.)
Ellsworth?
ELLSWORTH
Ellsworth had to go away. He
couldn't deal with the s**t you
brought to his door.
The cicadas slowly fade, leaving a cold silence.
25 EXT. ABANDONED SHOPFRONT - DAY
Piano continues.
Ellsworth leans against the dirty glass of a long-abandoned
store just inside city limits, peering in.
26 EXT. GHETTO APARTMENT BLOCK - NIGHT
Ellsworth buzzes apartment #51, over and over, with no
response.
He walks back out to the street, looking up at rows of
balconies.
27 EXT. WAREHOUSE - DAY
Ellsworth uses a service lane to reach the rear of one in a
series of old warehouses.
He checks padlocks on the big roller door, noting that
they're brand new.
28 INT. WAREHOUSE - NIGHT
Inky black darkness.
A scratching sound outside, then two loud metallic cracks.
Light streams in as the roller door lifts, the BMW idling
with its high beams on behind Ellsworth, who wields a
crowbar and flashlight. A light rain falls, loud inside the
empty steel building.
He enters the warehouse, shining light around its edges to
reveal empty packing crates, but not much else.
Ellsworth investigates the front office, a single chair and
desk inside.
When he pulls out the chair there are two PLAYING CARDS on
its cushion. Both jokers.
29 EXT. WAREHOUSE - NIGHT
Piano.
Ellsworth sits in the BMW, parked in that rear service
lane, watching TWO MEN back a small truck up to the roller
door.
30 INT. ELLSWORTH'S BMW - NIGHT
He watches them inspect the broken locks, having a brief
conversation before going inside.
31 EXT. GHETTO APARTMENT BLOCK - NIGHT
The piano continues as Ellsworth buzzes #51 again.
When he goes to leave, the speaker crackles to life.
JOANNE (V.O.)
(distorted by speaker)
Hello?
Ellsworth jogs back to it.
ELLSWORTH
Joanne?
JOANNE (V.O.)
Who's that?
ELLSWORTH
My name's Ellsworth. I need to
ask you some questions.
JOANNE (V.O.)
I don't understand... are you
with the police?
ELLSWORTH
I'm not, no.
JOANNE (V.O.)
Then what do you need?
ELLSWORTH
Information, about a man.
JOANNE (V.O.)
What man?
ELLSWORTH
(beat)
Malik. Noble.
He looks at the door, expectant.
JOANNE (V.O.)
And?
ELLSWORTH
Uh... I was kind of counting on
you buzzing me in after I said
Malik Noble. That's all I had.
JOANNE (V.O.)
What is that, a name? It sounds
made-up.
ELLSWORTH
Okay, how about this... did you
by chance ever have a boyfriend
who got you hooked on heroin then
disappeared with all your money?
He looks at the door again. This time it buzzes, clicking
open.
ELLSWORTH
Brilliant.
32 INT. JOANNE'S GHETTO APARTMENT - NIGHT
JOANNE--a strung-out ex-junkie--sits on her couch sipping
herbal tea, facing Ellsworth, who sits on the lone leather
bound chair, a glass of water on the coffee table in front
of him.
Her small television is muted.
JOANNE
I didn't see him again. They
kicked me out of my flat... I
lived on my brother's couch for a
year.
ELLSWORTH
It took you a year to kick the
habit?
JOANNE
Six. Still struggling.
ELLSWORTH
I'm sorry.
JOANNE
So... you're trying to find him?
ELLSWORTH
Yeah.
JOANNE
Why?
Ellsworth frowns.
ELLSWORTH
You're not the first to ask me
that.
JOANNE
Listen, you should stop. Yeah?
ELLSWORTH
Stop what? Looking?
She nods.
JOANNE
It won't do you any good. Even if
you find him... he can only hurt
you more. If your plan is to let
him know how much pain he's
caused, and hope that he somehow
feels guilt... you're barking up
the wrong tree.
ELLSWORTH
I don't know what I'll do when we
meet again.
JOANNE
Kill him?
ELLSWORTH
Is that what you'd do? Given the
chance?
She thinks about this for a long time.
JOANNE
No. Probably not. Hubert Blatt
may be deeply unconscious of the
person he's become, but he has as
much right to life as any other
living thing.
ELLSWORTH
Did you just say... Hubert...
Blatt?
JOANNE
That's his name. His real name.
When we went out he was calling
himself Victor Maximo, but he had
to use his legal name on the
marriage license.
ELLSWORTH
You were married?
JOANNE
Did I not mention that?
ELLSWORTH
No... so you would have met some
of his family?
Joanne grows uncomfortable.
JOANNE
Once. His mother, before she
died.
ELLSWORTH
Do you remember where she lived?
All I need is a starting point.
She shifts, uncomfortable.
JOANNE
That kind of depends.
ELLSWORTH
I don't follow.
Joanne looks him in the eye.
ELLSWORTH
Oh. Right. Yeah, of course.
Ellsworth takes out his wallet, throwing cash on the table.
JOANNE
Thanks.
She leans across, taking it, then stands.
JOANNE
They buried Mrs. Blatt on his
parents' property in Esperance.
Let me grab a pen.
ELLSWORTH
Blatt... jeez. That's got to
explain some of it at least.
33 EXT. TRAIN STATION - NIGHT
Back in the day, Malik and Ellsworth--both fucked up on a
cocktail of LSD and Peyote--step off a train at Edgewater
Station.
It takes them a while to work their way through the simple
exit and over the open skywalk, stopping to run their
fingertips across every physical item between the stairs
and car park.
MALIK
Dude what station is this?
Ellsworth tries to read the sign.
ELLSWORTH
I think it says... Purple...
Town.
MALIK
Purpletown? Did we go too far?
ELLSWORTH
Wait... there's no Purpletown.
MALIK
Where are we?
Ellsworth struggles to read the sign.
ELLSWORTH
I think it says... Purple...
Town.
MALIK
Hey. This is my car.
Reveal Malik and Ellsworth standing beside the only car--a
gunmetal grey Jaguar--in the car park.
ELLSWORTH
Holy s**t, you're right.
They get in, Malik driving.
34 INT. MALIK'S JAGUAR - NIGHT
Malik squints, trying to see through the windshield but
having a hard time of it. Ellsworth tries to navigate, but
doesn't fare much better. They move at about 60km/h.
ELLSWORTH
Okay go straight... keep going...
keep going... okay that's a tree.
Malik SLAMS ON THE BRAKES.
35 EXT. MAIN ROAD - NIGHT
Wide shot reveals the Jaguar stopped across lanes on wide
open road, not a tree in sight. Tyre smoke wafts from the
wheel wells.
36 INT. MALIK'S JAGUAR - NIGHT
Back in the car, Malik stares at Ellsworth.
MALIK
Dude, do you really think I
should be driving on acid and
Peyote?
Ellsworth considers this.
ELLSWORTH
No, you're probably right...
37 EXT. MAIN ROAD - NIGHT
They both get out, switching seats.
The Jag pulls away, speeding up a few seconds before
braking hard again.
38 INT. MALIK'S JAGUAR - NIGHT
Ellsworth stares at Malik.
ELLSWORTH
I think I hit something.
Malik opens his door, looking around.
MALIK
What did it look like?
ELLSWORTH
A camel made of fireworks.
MALIK
Nope. We're good.
They speed up once more, Malik yanking his door closed.
ELLSWORTH
Now where are we going?
MALIK
(blank stare)
Going??
39 EXT. MAIN ROAD - NIGHT
Establishing shot. A long bend.
A high-pitched roar out of the darkness, then Malik's
Jaguar comes screaming around the corner, its headlights
off.
40 INT. MALIK'S JAGUAR - NIGHT
Ellsworth leans forward over the steering wheel, still
trying to see.
He glances at Malik, who lights a joint and cigarette at
the same time with a miniature butane torch.
ELLSWORTH
Wait... why are we going so fast?
MALIK
Gotta get to work.
ELLSWORTH
We don't have jobs, dude.
MALIK
F**k it, let's just go to the
beach then.
ELLSWORTH
That could work.
They keep driving in silence.
ELLSWORTH
Dude where's the beach?
Malik takes long drags on the joint, then passes it to
Ellsworth.
MALIK
What?
ELLSWORTH
Where is the beach?
Malik thinks about it.
MALIK
It's pretty close to the ocean.
ELLSWORTH
Right but how do we get there?
MALIK
(beat)
F**k.
ELLSWORTH
Yeah.
41 EXT. THE BEACH - NIGHT
The grey Jag pulls into the beach parking lot, stopping
near a concrete path that leads down between the dunes,
parked across three bays.
They get out, Ellsworth following Malik toward a playground
that looks out over the beach, turning back briefly to
point keys as the Jaguar's alarm chirps twice.
42 EXT. BEACH PLAYGROUND - NIGHT
Malik makes for the swings, standing on one.
MALIK
Check out Antarctica.
ELLSWORTH
I don't think Antarctica is in
that direction. Oh, there it is.
A freighter's lights blink every few seconds on the
horizon.
MALIK
Dude they're signaling to us.
ELLSWORTH
What does it say?
Malik watches the lights for a long time.
MALIK
I... don't know. Do you
understand Morse Code?
ELLSWORTH
Horse comb?
MALIK
Morse Code. Remember on
Discovery?
ELLSWORTH
S-O-S? Ah... dash dot square?
Malik stares at Ellsworth, wide-eyed.
MALIK
Dude what the f**k are you
talking about?
ELLSWORTH
Morse codes, man!
Malik looks back to the lights.
MALIK
What does it say?
Ellsworth gazes out to sea.
ELLSWORTH
I'm pretty sure it's... S-O-S. I
saw that somewhere once. It's the
only one I know.
MALIK
Sus? What do they mean?
ELLSWORTH
Ah... f**k man I dunno.
Antarctica is all over the place
tonight. They're out of their
element.
MALIK
So should we like... swim out
there and see what's up?
Ellsworth looks from Malik, to the ship, then back again.
ELLSWORTH
I don't see any reason why not.
43 EXT. THE OPEN SEA - NIGHT
Malik cuts through perfectly calm water shining pearl black
under bright moonlight. Ellsworth follows close behind.
Ellsworth slows, then Malik stops, treading water there,
seeming to choose between Ellsworth and Antarctica.
Malik goes back to Ellsworth, urging him on.
They keep swimming toward the lights.
Ellsworth stops again, overwhelmed by the alkaloids.
MALIK
What's wrong?
Ellsworth begins to cry, trying to hide it from Malik at
first.
Malik hugs Ellsworth.
44 EXT. ESPERANCE FARM - DAY
More piano.
Ellsworth's BMW pulls up five minutes walk from a small
farmhouse, at the end of its dirt driveway.
As he makes his way along the narrow drive, he notices that
all the fields are barren. There are no crops or cattle as
far as he can see.
Nearing the house, the sound of a television grows louder.
Ellsworth knocks on the front door.
A CRAZY OLD FARMER answers. More crazy-looking, than crazy
by-deed. He looks Ellsworth up and down.
CRAZY OLD FARMER
(gruff)
Yeah?
ELLSWORTH
Uh... does a Mrs. Blatt live
here?
The farmer leans forward.
CRAZY OLD FARMER
Who?
ELLSWORTH
How about Malik Noble? Ever heard
of him?
CRAZY OLD FARMER
Who the hell are you?
Ellsworth looks around, then turns to leave.
ELLSWORTH
Never mind.
45 EXT. THE OPEN SEA - DAWN
Malik and Ellsworth, wrapped in blankets, sitting toward
the bow of a small FISHING BOAT, cutting through the swell.
Both of them come down off the acid, cold and alone.
Ellsworth glances at Malik, who stares out to sea.
46 EXT. THE BEACH - MORNING
Malik and Ellsworth, still wet, walk back up the concrete
path to Malik's Jag.
At the car, Ellsworth pats himself down for keys,
unsuccessful. He looks back out to sea.
47 INT. TAXI - MORNING
Malik and Ellsworth in the back of a cab, both staring out
opposite windows.
48 INT. COUNTRY COTTAGE - DAY
Ellsworth lays on the cottage's berber carpet, staring up
at the ceiling. A pair of baby t-shirts are flattened on
the floor beside him, one light blue, one dark blue.
49 INT. MALIK'S GARAGE - NIGHT
Malik's Jaguar is parked next to Lacey's Pulsar in his four
car garage. Its trunk and both doors are wide-open.
Malik and Ellsworth enter, a few days after their acid
adventure.
MALIK
...so take five pounds of hydro
from Perth to Sydney, double our
cash and sink it in coke, which
we then drive to Melbourne,
doubling our cash again. No
trucks, no trailers, nothing that
would make a cop even blink. Just
you, me, a high-performance
vehicle, and the open road.
ELLSWORTH
(beat)
You want us to smuggle massive
amounts of Schedule A narcotics,
stuffed in the trunk of your
Jag...
MALIK
Uh huh...
ELLSWORTH
Across state lines?
MALIK
That's pretty much the gist of
it.
Ellsworth sighs.
ELLSWORTH
Malik...
MALIK
Coming home in that taxi was the
first time in a long while that
I've felt like there are no
options left for me. We've had
our fun, our time off. The
blackjack thing is on hold
indefinitely, so what else is
there?
ELLSWORTH
Maybe we could get jobs?
MALIK
Heh.
50 INT. ELLSWORTH'S BMW - EVENING
The piano continues, unimposing.
Ellsworth slumps in the driver's seat, watching the
warehouse again while speaking into a cell phone.
ELLSWORTH
The Blatt thing's a dead end.
There was nothing in Esperance
but a farmhouse, complete with
crazy old farmer. I'm back at the
warehouse now. ... Yeah well,
wait and see I guess. ... Okay,
laters.
51 EXT. SOMEWHERE WEST OF THE WA/SA BORDER - NIGHT
Establishing shot--a vast, flat desert landscape.
52 INT. MALIK'S JAGUAR - NIGHT
Malik drives while Ellsworth ties off his left arm,
plugging a syringe into it. Thumbing its plunger, he leans
back and draws in a slow gasp.
ELLSWORTH
Ohhh... jeez.
Malik takes another full syringe from the cup holder,
steering with his knee a moment to flick it and tie off.
Ellsworth stretches out in the passenger seat, eyes glazed
over with opiate lust.
Malik shoots into his forearm, just above the wrist.
He takes some time to adjust to the high, struggling to
keep his eyes open, rigid.
MALIK
Take the wheel a second.
Ellsworth takes it, not even looking at the road.
Malik's eyes roll back in his head, his jaw grinding left
and right.
MALIK
What is this s**t? F**k!
Ellsworth limply nods his agreement.
ELLSWORTH
It's got something... of a kick.
They begin to drift over lane markers, toward the middle.
MALIK
This is quite possibly the
greatest junk I've ever had.
Kalgoorlie's been holding out on
us, Ellsworth.
ELLSWORTH
Let's stop there again. On the...
way back.
MALIK
Agreed.
Malik takes the wheel once more, steering them back to the
left lane.
53 EXT. THE NULLABOR PLAIN - NIGHT
Malik's Jaguar roars across the flat, open road.
54 INT. MALIK'S JAGUAR
Ellsworth drives now, Malik sorting through his glove box.
MALIK
I'm sure I had acid in here.
ELLSWORTH
Some acid would really hit the
spot right now. The Nullarbor
Plane is so boring.
Malik comes back with a film canister.
MALIK
Ah huh!
ELLSWORTH
Found it?
He shakes it.
MALIK
Nope, not acid.
ELLSWORTH
What then?
MALIK
Pure DMT.
ELLSWORTH
DMT?
MALIK
You know, the active ingredient
in mescaline? Most powerful
hallucinogen known to man?
ELLSWORTH
Ohhhh D-M-T. Do we eat it?
MALIK
Smoke it.
ELLSWORTH
Should I... pull over first?
MALIK
Nah screw it.
ELLSWORTH
You do put forward a pretty
convincing argument.
55 EXT. MALIK'S JAGUAR - NIGHT
A hood-mounted shot looking back at Ellsworth and Malik
through the windshield. A lot of vibration seems to be
bleeding through the Jag's suspension.
56 INT. MALIK'S JAGUAR - NIGHT
Ellsworth continues to drive, a little spaced now.
ELLSWORTH
I don't even feel it yet. Are you
sure I smoked enough?
Malik looks outside.
MALIK
Uh, Ellsworth?
57 EXT. THE NULLABOR PLAIN - NIGHT
Reveal Malik's Jag, cutting through a barren, darkened
FIELD, parallel to the road but a good fifty feet from it.
58 INT. MALIK'S JAGUAR - NIGHT
Ellsworth slumps in the driver's seat, weakly pawing at the
wheel.
59 EXT. THE NULLABOR PLAIN - DAWN
Malik's Jaguar is no longer anywhere near the road, tyres
tearing up the desert sand.
It continues to cut across the dry, flat land at a good
hundred clicks per hour. The ride is a tad bumpy.
60 INT. MALIK'S JAGUAR - DAWN
Ellsworth and Malik, pupils wide as saucers, stare through
the windscreen, transfixed by the desert as it rushes by
beneath them. Ellsworth still drives.
ELLSWORTH (V.O.)
Mushrooms made me aware of it.
Acid brought me a stone's throw
away. DMT, it broke me in half,
the physical and the
metaphysical, squeezing my
consciousness through cracks in
the wall of reality. Free of the
self, I found it impossible to
recall pain as anything but an
association. Without ego, there
was no suffering, no feeling at
all, in the traditional sense.
ELLSWORTH (CONT'D)
(speaking now)
There was only blissful
reflection... a glimpse of the
place I had come from, and would
no doubt soon return to.
Malik turns to Ellsworth, brow creased.
MALIK
What?
Ellsworth turns to Malik.
ELLSWORTH
(long pause)
What?
61 EXT. THE NULLABOR PLAIN - DAWN
Malik's Jag drives toward the sunrise, still cutting
through desert.
62 INT. MALIK'S JAGUAR - DAWN
Malik drives now while Ellsworth sleeps beside him. They're
back on a road, but not the road.
He pulls into a petrol station that's just opening up, a
single ATTENDANT turning keys in one of the two pumps.
The window slides down as Malik pulls up beside him.
MALIK
Hi there... I'm wondering, where
are we exactly?
The attendant spits on the ground.
ATTENDANT
Earth.
MALIK
See, that joke's been going
around the city for years
already.
ATTENDANT
I like your car.
MALIK
Thanks.
ATTENDANT
I was thinking about buying one
of these myself.
MALIK
But then you remembered that they
cost a lot of money, right?
63 INT. SYDNEY WEED DEALER'S HOUSE - EVENING
A pair of STONERS, sunk deep in leather beanbags, a bong
between them, watching cartoons. Smoke hangs thick on the
ceiling.
They react to a knock at the door.
Urban stoner #1 leans back to part the vertical blinds.
STONER #1
Dude it's Malik. And some other
guy.
STONER #2
With the weed?
The knock again.
STONER #1
You ordered more weed?
STONER #2
What are you, high? We ordered
five f*****g pounds of hydro from
Perth you dolt.
STONER #1
That's tonight?
Another knock, impatient now.
STONER #2
Dude just get the door.
64 EXT. SYDNEY WEED DEALER'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Malik and Ellsworth exit the home with an empty sports bag,
both high as s**t.
ELLSWORTH
Well that was a lot less intense
than I expected.
Malik disarms the Jag's alarm.
MALIK
Just wait til you meet the coke
dealers.
Ellsworth stops walking.
ELLSWORTH
Please don't f**k with me when
I'm paranoid.
Malik shrugs, getting in.
65 EXT. SYDNEY COKE DEALER'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Malik's Jag pulls up outside of a Villawood home.
66 INT. MALIK'S JAGUAR - NIGHT
Malik stuffs bundles of cash into his coat pockets.
67 EXT. SYDNEY COKE DEALER'S HOUSE - NIGHT
As they get out of the car he locks it, then lights a
cigarette, the empty sports bag over one shoulder.
68 INT. SYDNEY COKE DEALER'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Two COKEHEADS, Derek and Omar, sit at opposite ends of a
big leather couch, watching a wildlife documentary on their
widescreen TV.
The doorbell rings. They look at each other.
69 EXT. SYDNEY COKE DEALER'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Malik and Ellsworth wait on the front stoop, the door
eventually sliding open just a crack.
Derek opens it wide when he recognizes Malik, shaking his
hand.
DEREK
Mate!
70 INT. SYDNEY COKE DEALER'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Derek leads Malik and Ellsworth into the living room, where
they sit down on a second leather sofa.
DEREK
(thick NZ accent)
Omar, this is Malik and...
ELLSWORTH
Ellsworth.
DEREK
(shaking his hand)
Ellsworth, Derek mate.
OMAR
Are these the guys from Perth?
Derek returns to his seat, chopping a small pile of coke on
the glass coffee table into four lines with a credit card.
MALIK
Yeah, that's us.
OMAR
I suppose you'll be wanting that
fucktonne of cocaine we purchased
on your behalf then.
MALIK
If you don't mind.
71 EXT. WAREHOUSE - NIGHT
Piano continues, lighter than before.
Back at the warehouse, the same two truckers back their mid
sized truck up to the roller door, then jump out. They find
both locks broken yet again.
TRUCKER #1
Well this is just getting
ridiculous. What's that, four
times?
TRUCKER #2
Four or five.
TRUCKER #1
What a s****y world we live in.
TRUCKER #2
It's just a couple of padlocks.
TRUCKER #1
No, it's the principle.
TRUCKER #2
That's what you say about
everything.
They open it up and go inside.
72 INT. WAREHOUSE - NIGHT
Lights begin to blink on in the darkness, illuminating the
massive empty space.
Trucker #2 sniffs the air.
TRUCKER #2
What is that?
Ellsworth steps out of the office, crowbar in one hand,
Zippo lighter in the other.
ELLSWORTH
A whole lot of petrol.
TRUCKER #1
(surprised)
Whoa!
ELLSWORTH
Don't move, okay?
TRUCKER #2
Why not?
Ellsworth seems perplexed by the question.
ELLSWORTH
Because I'll torch the place if
you do, retard.
TRUCKER #1
Hey there's no need for any of
that.
ELLSWORTH
How exactly are you two clowns
affiliated with Malik Noble?
The truckers look at each other.
ELLSWORTH
Talk quick, I'm a busy guy.
He flicks the Zippo lid open.
TRUCKER #1
Look I don't know who Alec Moby
is, but if it's the same guy who
contracted us to run packages
between here and Esperance then
you can tell him he owes us four
months of payments.
Ellsworth watches his eyes.
ELLSWORTH
Esperance?
TRUCKER #2
Yeah.
ELLSWORTH
Then what's the deal with this
warehouse?
TRUCKER #1
We're trying to start a freight
business.
Ellsworth scratches the back of his head, hesitant.
ELLSWORTH
Oh. Okay. Wow. I guess I... I'm
sorry about the whole... oh man,
now I feel really bad about
pouring fuel all over the place.
He closes the Zippo lid.
TRUCKER #1
So... you're not going to torch
the warehouse?
ELLSWORTH
No. Again, sorry.
A KNOCK at the roller door.
The piano halts, abrupt.
Everyone looks at the door.
Trucker #1 suddenly makes a dash for Ellsworth while #2
runs to the door, screaming.
TRUCKER #2
The guy's here! He's in here with
us now!
Trucker #1 tackles Ellsworth, smacking his lighter across
the room before bringing him down.
They grapple on the floor, Ellsworth fighting back with the
crowbar, landing a few good blows before #1 manages to
knock that out of reach also.
The first trucker begins to strangle Ellsworth as his buddy
lifts the roller door for MALIK NOBLE.
Malik steps in through the doorway, watching Ellsworth
struggle.
As his eyes begin to turn bloodshot and the colour drains
from his face, Ellsworth catches a glimpse of Malik,
standing there watching him lose.
MALIK
Ellsworth? Hey buddy, how you
been?
TRUCKER #2
Kill that f****r Andy!
MALIK
You can't.
TRUCKER #2
What?
MALIK
I'm the only one who can kill
him.
TRUCKER #2
Are... are you f*****g high?
MALIK
Look, it's a long story. I'll
tell you about it in the car.
The trucker stares at Malik with utter confusion.
MALIK
Unless you want to stay here and
take your chances?
Malik and the trucker exit, the latter taking a reluctant
look back before Malik slams the roller door shut.
Still watching the place where Malik stood, Ellsworth
slowly stops fighting trucker #1, letting leathery hands
cut deeper into his throat.
Ellsworth stares into one of the huge fluorescent lights,
something like a choir feint in his ears, as if bleeding
through the cold concrete beneath.
The trucker relaxes his grip as Ellsworth's eyes stop
twitching.
ELLSWORTH (V.O.)
On the precipice. Everything that
time will ever touch, laid bare.
The trucker stares, watching Ellsworth's lifeless eyes for
a long time.
ELLSWORTH (V.O.)
For just this instant, not long
enough to grasp even a fraction,
all the keyholes line up.
As the trucker shakily stands, Ellsworth inhales,
convulsing to life, kicking the guy's feet out from under
him, bringing him down face-first on the concrete.
Ellsworth lays there on the warehouse floor, gasping.
ELLSWORTH (V.O.)
Pain is the precursor to change,
without fail. Because even dying
passes, eventually.
That one fluorescent light above him blinks out.
The trucker groans, punch-drunk.
Ellsworth looks over at the trucker. He crawls to the
unconscious man, patting down his various pockets. From
one, he produces a mobile phone.
73 INT. SYDNEY COKE DEALER'S HOUSE - NIGHT
A pile of COCAINE PARCELS are now stacked on the coffee
table, Malik counting out the bundles of money from his
pockets.
He pauses, looking at Ellsworth.
ELLSWORTH
What's wrong?
Malik stares for just a little longer than is comfortable.
Cold and distant. He snaps out of it, throwing down the
cash.
MALIK
Oh jeez.
OMAR
Hm?
MALIK
Well this is just a little
embarrassing.
DEREK
What's wrong?
MALIK
We're five hundred short.
ELLSWORTH
What?
OMAR
You're joking.
MALIK
'fraid not. Must have been the
stoners. They shorted us and I
just didn't count right.
OMAR
I don't see how it's our problem.
Malik begins stuffing the cash back in his pockets.
MALIK
It's not, no. Look why don't we
run to the ATM and fix it up?
There's got to be a Seven-Eleven
near here, right?
Malik goes to stand up but Omar stands first, putting a
hand up to halt him.
OMAR
Just a second.
Ellsworth seems to freeze up.
DEREK
Hey it's all good--
OMAR
I said just a second.
A tension filled moment for everyone in the room.
OMAR
How do we know you're coming
back?
Malik's eyes dart to Ellsworth.
MALIK
Ellsworth will stay.
Everyone looks at Ellsworth.
ELLSWORTH
Wait--
DEREK
Okay, no worries. See? We're
cool.
Omar slowly nods.
OMAR
Yeah. Okay.
Malik stands, moving toward the door. As he opens it, he
takes one last look back at Ellsworth.
MALIK
I'll be back.
74 EXT. WESTERN AUSTRALIAN COUNTRYSIDE - AFTERNOON
More recently, Ellsworth drives the dirt-encrusted BMW
along a small country road, reading directions from the
trucker's mobile phone.
He moves the phone aside to reveal the small cottage from
our first scenes.
That soft piano starts up again, flooding audio.
He drives uphill, over grazing grass, cutting the engine
halfway there to walk the rest. Getting out of the Beamer,
he takes a baseball bat from the back seat.
As he nears the cottage he begins to tread carefully.
Going around back, Ellsworth tries the screen door to find
it open. The cheap plywood door is locked, but three hard
shoves with his shoulder make it give, caved in at the
middle, cracked around its handle.
Storming inside, he heads for the master bedroom, finding
it empty.
Proceeding quickly to the ensuite, he stops halfway through
the door, finding Empathy there--curled up on the floor,
shaking violently.
He drops the bat.
ELLSWORTH
Empathy Lee. Well I'll be damned.
She looks up at him, her face stained by smeared mascara.
EMPATHY
(shocked)
Ellsworth?
Empathy tries to get up but he punches her in the throat,
sending her back to the cold floor, coughing and wheezing.
EMPATHY
I'm... (sob)... I'm so sorry,
Ellsworth.
He crouches by her face, uncomfortably close.
ELLSWORTH
You've got it all wrong, baby.
I'm not here for you.
EMPATHY
(hesitant)
Malik?
ELLSWORTH
Eventually. But first, there's
something I'm sure you've been
just dying to tell me.
EMPATHY
I don't... (sob) ...do you know,
then? Someone told you? Oh God...
oh no... I'm so sorry. I'm so...
sorry...
ELLSWORTH
You poor, dumb, piece of s**t
junky. I've known since that
night. I've known since I found
your pregnancy test on the lawn,
fucktard. It's the only reason I
would come this far.
EMPATHY
Oh Jesus...
ELLSWORTH
Where's my baby, Empathy? Does he
have it?
Empathy cries so hard that she roars, her whole body
shuddering with the raw emotion washing over her.
ELLSWORTH
Tell me where to find Malik. Tell
me where my baby is. I promise...
it will save your life.
She takes control of herself, calming down, still laying
face down on the bathroom floor.
EMPATHY
I'll show you.
Ellsworth stands, unsure.
ELLSWORTH
Or you could tell me.
EMPATHY
(vacant)
I'll show you.
75 INT. SYDNEY COKE DEALER'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Ellsworth looks about the room uncomfortably as Derek and
Omar return with another small baggie of coke.
They sit down again, Derek chopping up while Omar leans
over toward Ellsworth.
OMAR
So your friend, he knows his way
around here?
Ellsworth shrugs, beyond nervous.
ELLSWORTH
I... would have thought so. But I
mean, forty-five minutes...
what's up with that?
DEREK
Have another line.
ELLSWORTH
Nah, I'm still flying.
DEREK
Have another line, man.
Ellsworth looks at Omar, then stands, kneeling beside the
coffee table to snort one of the monster lines of cocaine.
Their pile of coke parcels still occupies half the table
space, intrusive--a constant reminder.
Ellsworth sits down again.
DEREK
Your friend doesn't owe you money
or anything?
OMAR
Yeah. Or maybe you've got some
dirt on the guy?
ELLSWORTH
Well he... he has several hundred
thousand dollars of my money, for
like, safekeeping.
DEREK & OMAR
Oh.
ELLSWORTH
What? That doesn't mean anything.
Let me try calling again.
Derek tosses him the cordless phone.
ELLSWORTH
(dialling)
I'm sure he just ran out of fuel.
76 EXT. COUNTRY COTTAGE - DUSK
Ellsworth follows Empathy uphill, the sun setting to their
right.
77 EXT. HUME HIGHWAY - NIGHT
Malik speeds along the Hume Highway, leaving Sydney.
78 INT. MALIK'S JAGUAR - NIGHT
His cell phone begins to ring.
Malik picks the phone up, looking at it a second before
answering.
MALIK
This is Malik. ... Yeah, I got
it. ... Not any time soon I'm
afraid. ... No, I can't do that
Ellsworth. ... I'm sorry. I hope
that maybe, in time, you can
forgive me for all of this.
A burst of static audible through the phone.
MALIK
This isn't payback, Ellsworth.
It's not about anything you did
or didn't do. It's just the way I
am. It's what happens when you
become involved with a man like
me. Good luck, and I sincerely
hope you make it out of there
alive.
He hangs up, switching it off.
79 EXT. WESTERN AUSTRALIAN COUNTRYSIDE - EVENING
Empathy vacantly counts out her steps then looks around,
pointing at a fresh MOUND OF DIRT without actually looking
at it. Ellsworth catches up, blinking at the place where
she points.
ELLSWORTH
I don't...
He trails off, turning suddenly ashen. Slowly, he begins to
weep, dropping to his knees beside it.
Clawing at the small pile of dirt, he blinks through tears,
digging faster with his hands.
Empathy turns away, also crying. She sits with her back to
him, huddled against the cold wind.
80 EXT. COUNTRY COTTAGE - EVENING
A wide shot of the small cottage as the sun sets behind it.
The landscape is eerily still. The piano rises and falls.
81 EXT. WESTERN AUSTRALIAN COUNTRYSIDE - EVENING
In the dying half-light Ellsworth continues to dig, about
two feet down now.
It's here that his fingernails scratch against a dirty
cardboard lid--the oversized box that used to contain a
Versace leather trench coat.
Ellsworth pauses, staring for a long moment, before digging
the box out.
Laying it down beside the shallow grave, he hesitates
again.
Close on Ellsworth as he removes the lid. Tears stream down
his face.
ELLSWORTH
What?
Understanding seems to creep across his strained features.
Reveal the open cardboard box, a pair of tiny human
skeletons, facing each other, their foreheads touching.
For the longest time he just looks, unable to stop crying.
82 INT. COUNTRY COTTAGE - EVENING
Ellsworth, caked in dirt, sits at the dining room table,
staring at the open window.
After a long while he blinks, slowly becoming aware of his
surroundings again.
ELLSWORTH
Empathy?
Nothing.
He walks to the bathroom, finding her collapsed against the
shower screen, a tourniquet cutting into her bicep, needle
hanging out of the arm.
Ellsworth pulls it out, slapping her softly, then harder.
He takes hold of her by the wrists and drags her, groggy
but protesting, through the house and down the back steps,
across gravel and mud, around the side, where his car is
parked.
He opens the boot and reaches in, throwing a rolled-up
chain over one shoulder with effort before taking out a
cordless drill and toolbox.
He acts without thought, as if on autopilot.
83 INT. SYDNEY COKE DEALER'S HOUSE - NIGHT
The doorbell rings.
Ellsworth, soaked with sweat, seems to perk up.
ELLSWORTH
I told you guys he was f*****g
with me.
Derek opens it, four more SYDNEY COKEHEADS streaming in.
They all eye Ellsworth suspiciously.
ELLSWORTH
Oh s**t.
Omar stands over Ellsworth, intimidating.
DEREK
Oh s**t is right bro.
ELLSWORTH
Are you guys gonna f**k me up?
OMAR
You can't even imagine... the
things we're gonna do to you.
Ellsworth freezes, staring at Omar.
Omar suddenly starts laughing, then everyone besides
Ellsworth joins in.
Omar gets the other cokeheads an eight-ball, exchanging it
for cash.
Ellsworth breathes a huge sigh of relief as Derek walks
them to the door.
OMAR
But seriously, Ellsworth... what
are we gonna do about all this
coke?
ELLSWORTH
Have you ever heard the phrase,
Playing Cards as a Deadly Yet
Inexpensive Means of Self
Defense?
OMAR
No? Is that from the Bible or
something?
ELLSWORTH
What if I said we can make twice
what that coke's worth in under
ninety minutes at a blackjack
table? You guys do like money,
right?
84 EXT. COUNTRY COTTAGE - NIGHT
Ellsworth sits on the back steps smoking a joint, a few
feet from where Empathy eats cat food out of the can with
her hands.
ELLSWORTH
I'm only going to ask you this
once a day.
EMPATHY
(mouth full)
Go f**k yourself.
ELLSWORTH
Where is Malik Noble?
She tosses the can at him, Ellsworth unflinching as it
ricochets off the wall behind him.
He brushes flakes of tuna from one shoulder.
Empathy makes a leap for him, jerked back off her feet by
the chain.
She rolls about in the dirt, gagging.
ELLSWORTH
This can only get worse for you.
He stands and goes inside, locking the brand new door.
She gets to her feet, shouting after him.
EMPATHY
He left me too, you f*****g
a*****e!
85 EXT. WESTERN AUSTRALIAN COUNTRYSIDE - DAY
An old orange Nissan Pulsar ambles up the hill toward the
cottage, pulling up next to Ellsworth's BMW.
86 INT. COUNTRY COTTAGE - DAY
Ellsworth washes a plate and cup in the kitchen, finishing
up to answer a knock at the front door.
He greets Lacey, letting her in.
LACEY
Hey. It's in the boot of my car.
ELLSWORTH
Okay.
LACEY
Where is she?
Ellsworth leads Lacey to the back door.
87 EXT. COUNTRY COTTAGE - DAY
Empathy sits with her back to the steps, head down as if
deep in thought.
LACEY
I can't believe you really found
her.
Empathy reacts to the voice, turning to look at Ellsworth
and Lacey.
LACEY
Oh Empathy... look at you.
EMPATHY
What's she doing here?
ELLSWORTH
She wants to help.
EMPATHY
I don't need help like hers.
ELLSWORTH
I didn't say she's helping you.
Empathy fights back tears.
EMPATHY
I couldn't stop him, Ellsworth. I
didn't even know. I would have
died for them. He dosed me with
the uncut s**t and when I woke up
they were dead... he had already
buried them. They just wouldn't
stop crying.
LACEY
What's she talking about?
Empathy begins to cry again.
EMPATHY
They were probably already
addicted. They couldn't even help
it... they were just born that
way. He said if I didn't make
them stop... I didn't think he
had it in him.
LACEY
Ellsworth?
EMPATHY
I stayed here with him, instead
of bolting... and he killed them.
Ellsworth walks away, toward the front of the cottage,
Lacey kneeling in front of her sister.
LACEY
Oh no...
She touches Empathy's cheek.
LACEY
He killed your baby?
Empathy looks up at her.
EMPATHY
(soft)
He hated them so much...
A tear runs down Lacey's cheek.
LACEY
I promised myself I'd never feel
pity for you again.
Empathy turns cold.
EMPATHY
That's your biggest problem. All
you ever could feel for me was
pity.
LACEY
That's just not true.
Empathy abruptly snaps out of her malaise to throw a
concealed loop of chain over Lacey's head, pulling it tight
around her throat, using her as a shield.
EMPATHY
(shouting)
Ellsworth!
Nothing.
EMPATHY
(shouting)
Ellsworth come back here!
(to Lacey, hissing)
You have no idea, the delight I
would take in crushing your
f*****g windpipe. I hate you in a
way that even I don't understand.
Every time I see you Lacey, from
the moment I knew how to hate,
every time I see you I just want
to cut your beautiful head right
off. You probably think I'm
jealous, but that would be too
easy. It's because of the way you
look down your nose at everything
I am without ever knowing that
you're doing it.
Lacey tries to gasp, unable.
EMPATHY
(whispering)
I love you, Lacey. But I can't
live in a world that has you in
it.
Ellsworth comes back around the house with a long, Russian
WWII-era rifle levelled at Empathy. He squints through the
attached modern scope.
ELLSWORTH
Empathy. I'd hate to have to kill
you now, after we've come so far.
Empathy loosens her grip just slightly, seriously
considering her options.
Lacey swings her head back hard into Empathy's face,
BREAKING HER NOSE with a loud crack.
EMPATHY
(shouts, nasal)
F*****g doucheturd!
Lacey slides out of the chain, spinning around to clock
Empathy, again in the nose.
EMPATHY
(shouts, more nasal)
GOD WHY!
Lacey stumbles back to rest on the stairs, bruises already
appearing around her throat, sucking in air.
Empathy rolls around in the dirt, holding her face.
Ellsworth lowers the rifle.
ELLSWORTH
That hurt.
88 INT. SOL CITY CASINO - NIGHT
Ellsworth strolls up to the cashier at Sydney's Sol City
Casino, slapping down a single pile of hundreds.
Omar and Derek, dressed in slick suits now, stand in the
background trying to look nondescript.
89 INT. SOL CITY CASINO - NIGHT
Ellsworth and Omar sit at opposite ends of a '$500 minimum
bet' blackjack table, two other GAMBLERS between them.
Derek sits at the closest poker machine, absently pressing
buttons while he watches the game.
Omar takes his chips and gets up, walking toward the
bathrooms.
Ellsworth continues to bet the minimum amount, playing it
safe.
Omar stands across the room, where he can see Derek but not
Ellsworth.
Ellsworth makes eye contact with Derek, pinching the bridge
of his nose, rubbing his eyes.
Derek nods to Omar, who begins walking back to the table.
Omar takes his seat again at the table, setting three piles
of $500 chips down before sliding them across to bet.
Ellsworth stays at the minimum.
The DEALER's one showing card is a Queen.
Ellsworth is dealt a ten and a nine. The gambler next to
him gets a seven and eight. The next, a ten and a jack.
Omar is dealt a KING and an ACE.
Everyone opts to stay then the dealer turns over a five.
She hits, going bust with another QUEEN.
Omar maintains his calm exterior while the chips come back
doubled.
90 EXT. WESTERN AUSTRALIAN COUNTRYSIDE - MORNING
Establishing shot, the hills cast long, deep shadows as the
sun rises over Western Australia.
91 INT. COUNTRY COTTAGE BEDROOM - MORNING
Ellsworth and Lacey lay back-to-back on the double bed.
She's under the covers, him on top.
LACEY
Awake?
ELLSWORTH
Yeah.
LACEY
Want to go to the roadhouse for
breakfast?
ELLSWORTH
'kay.
Neither of them move.
ELLSWORTH
I honestly can't be fucked.
Doing... anything. Ever again.
Lacey's eyes narrow, listening carefully, wanting to turn
but afraid it will derail his train of thought. She wants
to hear what she senses is coming next.
ELLSWORTH
I didn't even know them. You
might think I don't have any
right to miss them...
LACEY
I don't think that.
ELLSWORTH
But I grew used to the notion. Of
having a child out there, waiting
for me. To come and find it. To
rescue him. Or her. To be a hero.
And one day be able to tell my
kid the story of how close he/she
came to never growing up.
As she begins to cry, Lacey remains still, silent.
ELLSWORTH
And now look. Look what went and
happened.
Lacey rolls over now, seeing Ellsworth's far away stare.
ELLSWORTH
I don't even feel it.
LACEY
Feel what?
ELLSWORTH
Anything.
LACEY
It's too much. It's normal.
ELLSWORTH
Maybe.
He finally looks at Lacey, becoming aware of her state. He
watches her for a long time.
ELLSWORTH
There were two of them.
Lacey finally breaks, unable to keep her composure.
Ellsworth pulls her closer, a tight hug. She sobs into his
ear.
92 EXT. WESTERN AUSTRALIAN COUNTRYSIDE GRAVE - EVENING
Ellsworth sits cross-legged by the twins' grave, rebuilt
now with stones and a wooden cross.
He shuffles a pack of cards, separating the Ace and King of
Hearts.
He digs an inch-deep trench, laying the pair of cards face
up, side by side, before burying them.
From the shade of the distant house, Empathy watches
Ellsworth.
93 INT. COUNTRY COTTAGE - DAY
Lacey and Ellsworth sit facing each other at the small
jarrah dining table, a pot of coffee on it.
They both make an effort to ignore Empathy's pounding on
the outer wall.
LACEY
What will you do with her?
ELLSWORTH
She's going to help me find
Malik.
LACEY
What makes you think she even
knows where he is?
ELLSWORTH
She knows.
LACEY
If you haven't already beaten it
out of her...
ELLSWORTH
I haven't beaten her.
LACEY
She said you punched her in the
throat.
ELLSWORTH
Oh. Yeah.
LACEY
Are you going to kill my sister,
Ellsworth?
He blinks.
LACEY
I don't know if I can keep
helping you.
He looks down at the table, deep in thought.
LACEY
She's my sister. I know she's
done everything wrong... but
she's my family.
ELLSWORTH
I'm not going to kill Empathy.
She searches his eyes.
LACEY
Then what? What happens now?
Ellsworth stands, clearing the table.
94 EXT. COUNTRY COTTAGE - DAWN
Ellsworth kneels over Empathy, who sleeps curled-up in a
ball by the stairs.
He unlocks the padlock with a set of keys, waking her when
he removes the chain.
She flinches, scampering back.
Lacey watches from a safe distance.
EMPATHY
This is it, then?
Ellsworth walks away, rolling up the chain.
ELLSWORTH
Yep. You're free to go.
She follows a few feet behind him to the BMW, watching
Ellsworth return the chain to its trunk.
EMPATHY
Are you joking? You're going to
shoot me with that rifle when I
run.
He slams the trunk shut.
ELLSWORTH
No. You're free to go.
EMPATHY
Why?
Ellsworth shrugs, walking past her.
ELLSWORTH
You're clean now. You're free of
it. Free of him. If you go back
with a clear head, knowing what
you know, then it's your call.
Your own damn choice. Sink or
swim, live or die, as of today
it's all up to you.
(beat)
So bye.
Ellsworth and Lacey go back inside, locking the door.
Empathy begins to walk downhill, occasionally glancing back
at the cottage.
95 INT. SOL CITY CASINO - DAWN
Omar now has trouble seeing the cards for his chips.
A CROWD has gathered, a lot of them betting on his hands.
A CASINO SECURITY MAN pushes between them, laying a hand on
Omar's shoulder.
Omar looks at it.
Ellsworth stares, freezing up.
CASINO SECURITY MAN
Sir, we're going to have to ask
you to leave.
OMAR
Have I done something wrong?
A pair of chips rattle in Ellsworth's trembling hand.
The security man removes his hand.
CASINO SECURITY MAN
No sir, you're just too damn good
for us.
Omar slowly smiles.
OMAR
I'll tell you what. Just this
once, I'm going to let you guys
off cheap. But next time I come
here...
He stands, a CASINO FLOOR MANAGER stepping forward to stack
the chips into a rack.
OMAR
Next time, you better have enough
cash on you to cover my badass
Poker skills.
CASINO SECURITY MAN
You mean Blackjack?
OMAR
Right.
The security man nods, indicating the nearest cashier.
Ellsworth puts another chip on the table.
ELLSWORTH
(to dealer)
Okay deal me some of that guy's
cards, because I'm f*****g broke.
96 INT. ELLSWORTH'S BMW - AFTERNOON
Ellsworth and Lacey sit in his BMW, parked in a lot across
the street from a Greyhound bus terminal.
LACEY
Should one of us go in there?
ELLSWORTH
Why risk being seen? All we need
to do is watch those buses...
Lacey nods.
LACEY
This feels like that movie with
all the staking out...
ELLSWORTH
You mean Stakeout?
LACEY
No.
ELLSWORTH
Another Stakeout?
LACEY
No.
ELLSWORTH
Um... Lethal Weapon 2?
LACEY
Maybe. Was that the Lethal Weapon
where he gets dragged behind a
car?
ELLSWORTH
I think they all have him being
dragged by a car.
LACEY
Oh.
ELLSWORTH
It's the one where the bad guys
have diplomatic immunity.
LACEY
And Mel Gibson is like, all
suicidal and in-your-face crazy,
right?
ELLSWORTH
That's pretty much all of them
too.
LACEY
Oh.
97 EXT. SOUTH-WESTERN AUSTRALIAN HIGHWAY - NIGHT
Ellsworth's BMW follows one of the big Greyhound coaches, a
good distance behind.
98 INT. ELLSWORTH'S BMW - NIGHT
Lacey sleeps on Ellsworth's bundled-up jacket, pressed
against the passenger window.
Ellsworth glances over at her, blinking away sleep.
A town approaches in the distance, lighting up the empty
night.
The bus begins to slow, indicating left, pulling in at a
roadhouse.
Ellsworth drives past slowly, watching it stop near fuel
pumps.
He pulls up in a parking area on the other side, next to an
old ute.
Ellsworth adjusts the rearview to watch passengers getting
off the coach.
Lacey begins to stir, Ellsworth becoming noticeably anxious
the longer he watches the bus.
LACEY
Where are we?
ELLSWORTH
Dunno. Some roadhouse.
LACEY
What's wrong?
ELLSWORTH
She didn't get off the bus.
LACEY
Are you sure?
ELLSWORTH
I need your hat and scarf.
99 EXT. ANONYMOUS HIGHWAY ROADHOUSE - NIGHT
Ellsworth, concealing his face with black beanie and dark
red scarf, approaches the roadhouse with his head down and
hands in pockets.
He stands at the window, trying not to be too obvious about
looking inside.
Dissatisfied, he moves to the bus.
100 INT. GREYHOUND BUS - NIGHT
Ellsworth climbs the first two steps, leaning over the top
three to peer down the long aisle.
He treads stealthily between pairs of seats, looking left
then right, mostly at people's belongings on the seats, but
he also encounters the occasional SLEEPING PASSENGER.
The rear toilet flushes a second before the door opens.
Ellsworth spins around to collapse into the nearest seat,
next to a sleeping OLD LADY.
He tilts his head forward, pretending to sleep as Empathy
staggers past, fucked-up on heroin. He watches from beneath
the beanie's rim as she negotiates the bus stairs and
ambles away from the pumps to light a cigarette.
The old lady is awake now, staring at him.
OLD LADY
(scared)
Who are you?
ELLSWORTH
(beat)
Ah... this isn't my... bus. Seat.
Bus seat.
Ellsworth gets up, jogging off the bus.
101 INT. ELLSWORTH'S BMW - NIGHT
Lacey waits as Ellsworth gets back in the car.
LACEY
What happened? Was she there?
He watches the bus in a side mirror.
ELLSWORTH
Yeah, she was in the port-a-loo
pushing off.
Lacey sighs.
LACEY
Well there it is.
ELLSWORTH
Uh huh.
LACEY
You might as well say it.
ELLSWORTH
I figure why be a dick about it?
LACEY
I should feel sorry for her, but
in a way--in a very big way--I'm
just really glad her life's so
s**t-tastic. Am I a bad person
for that?
ELLSWORTH
Probably.
102 EXT. SOUTH-WESTERN AUSTRALIAN HIGHWAY - DAWN
Ellsworth's BMW continues to follow at a safe distance
behind the Greyhound as morning sun lights the sky.
103 INT. ELLSWORTH'S BMW - DAWN
Ellsworth keeps driving, while Lacey keeps sleeping.
104 EXT. SYDNEY AIRPORT - DAWN
Omar's black Ford Explorer pulls into two minute parking at
the airport.
105 INT. OMAR'S EXPLORER - DAWN
Omar drives, Derek sitting in the passenger seat. They both
turn around to Ellsworth in the back seat, Omar handing him
an envelope stuffed with cash.
OMAR
This will get you back to Perth
at least. I figure you don't need
much, just stop by a casino when
you get home.
ELLSWORTH
Only one casino in Perth, and I'm
not allowed to go there anymore.
But thanks, I appreciate it.
DEREK
So why don't you take the
blackjack thing on tour? Plenty
of places in the world to gamble.
Ellsworth nods.
ELLSWORTH
You know... maybe I'll do
something like that.
OMAR
Well good luck, Ellsworth bro.
Don't let that f****r off easy.
DEREK
Give us a call if you come back
to Sydney. We'll check out a
casino or two. And tell Malik I
said go f**k yourself.
ELLSWORTH
Will do. Thanks again for not
killing or raping me, guys.
OMAR
Hey man, thank you.
106 EXT. ESPERANCE GREYHOUND STAND - AFTERNOON
Ellsworth's BMW pulls into a used car lot opposite where
the coach lets off about half of its PASSENGERS, the DRIVER
retrieving their luggage from a side compartment.
Empathy stands apart from them, no luggage at all, trying
to hail a cab.
107 INT. ELLSWORTH'S BMW - AFTERNOON
Ellsworth cuts the engine, slumping back in his seat while
adjusting the rearview.
LACEY
Where the hell did she get money
for a bus and heroin?
Ellsworth coughs. Lacey turns to him.
LACEY
No! F**k off. She wouldn't...
ELLSWORTH
Who knows what that girl is
capable of.
Lacey looks back at the mirror, frowning.
LACEY
Do you want me to drive for a
while?
ELLSWORTH
I think we're nearly there. I can
hold out a little longer.
LACEY
You figured out where she's
going?
108 EXT. ESPERANCE FARM - DAY
A flashback to Ellsworth's farmhouse visit--the piano
resumes.
Ellsworth walks back toward the car, pausing a moment to
look around at those barren fields, then at the house.
109 INT. ESPERANCE FARM HOUSE - DAY
The farmer's breath echoes in the darkened claustrophobic
space, a single shaft of light falling across his eyes as
he squints through a crack in the boarded-up front window.
His POV of Ellsworth, overexposed by harsh midday sun in
the distance.
110 EXT. ESPERANCE FARM - DAY
Ellsworth continues to his car.
111 EXT. ESPERANCE HIGHWAY - AFTERNOON
The BMW follows a few vehicles back from Empathy's TAXI on
a moderately busy highway that traces the southern
coastline.
112 EXT. ESPERANCE HIGHWAY - AFTERNOON
On an open stretch of road, Ellsworth speeds up, into the
opposite lane.
He overtakes the one vehicle between them, gaining on the
taxi fast.
ELLSWORTH
Hold that map up to your window.
Lacey unfolds the big ROAD MAP, obscuring their view
through the passenger window as they roar past the cab.
LACEY
What are you doing? You'll lose
her.
ELLSWORTH
It's okay. I know where she's
going now.
113 INT. ESPERANCE FARM HOUSE - AFTERNOON
The crazy old farmer sits alone in an aging recliner, a
roaring blaze in the open fireplace.
He smokes a self-rolled cigarette.
The peace is shattered as Ellsworth kicks the front door
open, coming inside with his long rifle levelled at the old
man's head.
ELLSWORTH
(screaming)
You lied to me, dickhole! Where
is he?!
The farmer sits, still calm, entirely undisturbed. He takes
another long drag before looking up at Ellsworth.
CRAZY OLD FARMER
Help you with something?
Ellsworth presses the rifle's barrel to the farmer's cheek.
ELLSWORTH
I'm only going to ask you this
question once a day.
Crazy old farmer takes one more long drag, before flicking
the cigarette across the room.
Ellsworth c***s the hammer.
ELLSWORTH
Where is Malik Noble?
The old man suddenly slaps the barrel aside, leaping at
Ellsworth in the one impossibly fluid motion.
114 EXT. ESPERANCE FARM - AFTERNOON
Lacey leans against the BMW's hood, parked behind the farm
house out of view.
A GUNSHOT rings out from inside, startling her.
She runs around the house, pausing when she sees Empathy
stopped halfway up the long dirt driveway, staring right
back at her.
There's a long, drawn-out moment where their eyes meet...
pistols would be drawn here, were they available.
Empathy BOLTS, back the other way.
Lacey sprints after her, closing the distance between them
quickly.
At the end of the driveway Lacey catches up, taking a big
fistful of Empathy's hair, forcing her to the ground,
kneeling in the back of her knees.
EMPATHY
You f*****g b***h!
LACEY
Okay now's the time to shut the
f**k up.
EMPATHY
Is that like... the first time
you ever swore?
LACEY
(growls in her ear)
I'll put my foot through your
w***e teeth.
115 INT. ESPERANCE FARM HOUSE - AFTERNOON
Empathy enters the house slowly, followed by Lacey, who
still clutches a good fistful of her hair.
Lacey is shocked to see Ellsworth lying on his back, pinned
to the floor under his own rifle, muzzle shoved down his
throat by the farmer, who periodically hammers his fist
into the butt. Ellsworth gags on it, spitting blood,
writhing about.
LACEY
Oh s**t--take it out, you're
killing him!
The farmer glances up at Lacey, still using Empathy for a
shield.
He takes the barrel out of Ellsworth's mouth, pointing it
at Empathy's chest.
LACEY
Don't--!
He FIRES, Empathy collecting it in the breastbone, slamming
back into Lacey, collapsing on top of her in a dark corner
by the front door.
Crazy old farmer stomps over to where they fell, rolling
Empathy off Lacey with one boot, cycling the rifle's bolt
action.
Lacey throws up her hands as he points it at her face,
pulling the trigger.
CLICK. The firing pin finds nothing.
Behind the farmer, Ellsworth stands.
ELLSWORTH
Thank God that rifle is a piece
of s**t. Only takes one round,
since I bought it.
He produces a handful of bullets from his coat pocket,
lobbing them all into the open fireplace.
ELLSWORTH
It's over. Give up.
The farmer tosses Ellsworth's weapon aside, adopting a hand
to-hand fighting stance, approaching him with practised
confidence as the ammunition begins to crack and ping.
ELLSWORTH
(flinching)
Wow tossing live ammunition into
a fire? Pretty bad idea. Also,
please stop advancing on me like
that. I didn't come here for a
fight, man. I only wanted to
shove you around some.
Lacey leaps on the farmer from behind, biting his neck.
He drops to one knee, rolling her over his shoulder and
across the dirty wooden floor, where she skids hard into
the wall.
Crazy old farmer advances on Ellsworth, blood spurting from
the open wound on his neck.
ELLSWORTH
Ohhh, I'm fucked. I don't suppose
you want to call it a draw?
116 INT. AIRCRAFT CABIN - EVENING
Piano continues as Ellsworth sleeps, the seats next to him
unoccupied.
He's woken by the squeal and bump of landing gear touching
down.
117 INT. TAXI - EVENING
Ellsworth watches Perth scenery pass by from the back seat
of a cab.
118 INT. OCEANSIDE HOUSE - NIGHT
Ellsworth enters his home in something of a daze.
He drops his keys on the floor.
ELLSWORTH
Empathy?
A massive muted television in the living room, the phone
out of its cradle, swinging in the breeze.
ELLSWORTH
(shouts)
Empathy?
The piano slows, fading.
FADE OUT.
119 INT. ESPERANCE FARM HOUSE BASEMENT - NIGHT
FADE IN.
Ellsworth slowly comes to, sporting a range of fresh
injuries, from cigarette burns to cuts and bruises. His jaw
swells unnaturally beneath the skin.
He finds himself slumped in one corner of a small, damp
room with very little ambient light.
Ellsworth can hear somebody else breathing.
He squints at the darkness.
ELLSWORTH
Even in the dark... you're one
distinctive-looking m**********r.
Malik Noble steps forward, into the half-light.
Bound by pain and exhaustion, Ellsworth tries to lift his
head but can't.
MALIK
He hates women, Ellsworth. You
shouldn't have brought her here.
He killed my mother. He killed my
first girlfriend. He told Empathy
if she ever came looking for me
here again he'd kill her too...
and she didn't even listen.
Malik sits down in front of Ellsworth with his legs
crossed.
MALIK
You've been through a lot.
ELLSWORTH
Only what was needed.
MALIK
Lacey seems to think you've come
all this way because you hate me
so much.
ELLSWORTH
You doubt it?
MALIK
You wish you could hate.
ELLSWORTH
But you know me better than that.
Malik meets his gaze, both unflinching.
ELLSWORTH
You knew... on the boat. You
sensed it too.
MALIK
Boat?
ELLSWORTH
The fishing boat. When we were
swimming...
MALIK
That wasn't a boat. I remember
being rescued by the Coast Guard
helicopter.
ELLSWORTH
There's no Coast Guard in
Australia.
MALIK
I only found that out after.
ELLSWORTH
You were tripping.
Malik slowly nods.
MALIK
So how did we get back to the
beach?
ELLSWORTH
The fishing boat.
MALIK
What was it called?
ELLSWORTH
I... didn't see.
MALIK
What did they look like? The
fishermen?
Ellsworth's blank stare.
MALIK
What colour was the boat,
Ellsworth?
ELLSWORTH
I don't remember.
MALIK
What do you remember about that
night?
Ellsworth breaks his stare, avoiding Malik's eyes.
MALIK
If you think about it real
hard...
He grows more uncomfortable.
MALIK
It was the last time... right?
ELLSWORTH
What do you mean?
MALIK
Was it the last time you felt
human?
Ellsworth snorts, bemused.
ELLSWORTH
No. The last time was... (thinks)
when I found the grave.
MALIK
As it became clearer what had
happened, what was lacking, I
started to test a theory.
ELLSWORTH
Of course. So that's what was
going on in Sydney? Just testing
a theory?
MALIK
Yes.
ELLSWORTH
You left me there to die, to...
see if you could?
MALIK
I think so.
Ellsworth slowly shakes his head.
ELLSWORTH
You can't blame everything on the
sea.
MALIK
No. Not everything. But something
changed.
ELLSWORTH
(pause)
Yeah.
MALIK
Ellsworth... did we die already?
In the ocean?
Ellsworth sneers, as if about to deride the idea on face
value alone, before rethinking.
ELLSWORTH
That's... idiotic.
MALIK
I dream that we're still there...
all the time. And it f***s with
me. Truly owns me, day and night
now. Because how would we really
know? What if this is an
afterlife? Walking around
thinking that you're still alive
on Earth, interacting with what
you think are the people from
your life... what if this is
Hell?
Ellsworth sighs, rolling his head, semi-conscious.
ELLSWORTH
Welcome home.
MALIK
I tried to kill myself three
times, since that night.
ELLSWORTH
Try harder c**t.
MALIK
I didn't always have my s**t
together, Ellsworth. You've spent
eighteen hours alone with my dad.
Does it really surprise you, the
way I am?
ELLSWORTH
Too easy. You don't... eighteen-
has it been that long?
MALIK
You were out a while too.
ELLSWORTH
Where's Lacey?
MALIK
You shouldn't have brought her...
Ellsworth struggles to sit up, wincing with the pain.
ELLSWORTH
Dude. Where is she?
MALIK
He's making her dig a grave.
Tears shimmer in Ellsworth's dark eyes.
ELLSWORTH
Malik... you can't let him kill
her.
MALIK
It's not up to me now.
ELLSWORTH
You've already taken so much...
don't take her too.
Malik seems slightly taken aback. He thinks a moment,
puzzled.
MALIK
You two didn't... hook up? You're
not vengeance-f*****g my ex,
right Ellsworth?
Ellsworth closes his eyes.
MALIK
You sly dog. You're boning Lacey!
I'll be damned.
Malik stands, climbing a small set of wooden steps to a
trapdoor that he unlocks with keys.
It slams shut behind him.
Ellsworth looks around the room, still struggling to focus.
Muted by the walls and distance, he hears Lacey scream.
He pushes back against the wall, sitting up further.
The trapdoor opens again and Malik drags Lacey down the
steps by her hair.
LACEY
Stop f*****g pulling my hair you
f**k!
Malik tosses her on the floor, alongside Ellsworth.
As her eyes adjust to the light she spots Ellsworth,
overwhelmed by the severity of his injuries.
LACEY
Oh, Ellsworth... are you okay?
He laughs, then so does she, while Malik paces in the
background.
She sits up beside him, touching his face softly.
MALIK
It's true then? Yoooou f*****g
s**t.
LACEY
What?
Malik stands over them, where he sat before.
MALIK
Is that what you wanted all
along? Lacey and Ellsworth...
together at last. You f*****g--
LACEY
Are you kidding me with this
s**t? YOU LEFT ME FOR MY F*****G
SISTER!
Malik takes a deep breath, as if to retort, then leaves the
way he came, locking the trapdoor's deadbolt from the other
side.
ELLSWORTH
So how about you?
LACEY
Huh?
ELLSWORTH
Did they hurt you? Are you okay?
LACEY
Better than you.
ELLSWORTH
No doubt.
LACEY
Better than Em.
ELLSWORTH
Is she dead?
LACEY
Not yet. Bleeding out in the
living room. He's going to bury
her.
Ellsworth coughs.
LACEY
Got a big escape plan in mind?
ELLSWORTH
Oh. You wanted me to get on that?
I was just sitting around being
unconscious.
LACEY
I don't suppose you still have
that old Zippo?
120 INT. WAREHOUSE - NIGHT
Another brief flashback, the trucker leaps at Ellsworth,
smacking the lighter from his hand.
121 INT. ESPERANCE FARM HOUSE BASEMENT - NIGHT
Ellsworth looks away.
ELLSWORTH
I lost it. Somewhere.
122 INT. ESPERANCE FARM HOUSE BASEMENT - NIGHT
Lacey has taken Ellsworth's place in the corner, Ellsworth
lying flat on his back with his head on her lap.
ELLSWORTH
Because I only care about having
a cause... I don't know how to
feel bad about it. I'm nothing
but a martyr.
LACEY
Don't say that.
ELLSWORTH
Why not?
LACEY
Martyrs always die, Ellsworth.
It's all they do. It's the last
thing you ever want to be.
They both react to the sound of the deadbolt unlocking.
Lacey helps Ellsworth to his feet. His knees barely support
his weight.
A JERRY CAN, its lid undone, tumbles down the steps,
spilling its load of petrol.
LACEY
(sniffs)
Is that petrol?
ELLSWORTH
He... stole your idea.
The trapdoor locks again.
Empathy cries out in pain from upstairs.
123 INT. ESPERANCE FARM HOUSE BASEMENT - NIGHT
Thick grey smoke has begun to seep through the upstairs
floor.
Lacey and Ellsworth hear two car doors slam shut outside.
The sound of a Jaguar engine starting, then driving away.
Ellsworth climbs the stairs, careful not to tread in the
spreading pool of petrol.
He punches the trapdoor a couple of times but it doesn't
budge.
Lacey begins to kick the wall where its wooden planks are
most warped.
Ellsworth watches her a moment, then tries punching another
warped plank.
The small basement room is thick with smoke now, the roar
and crackle of fire growing louder upstairs.
When his knuckles begin to bleed Ellsworth looks at the
jerry can.
He tips the last of the fuel out, jumping back with the can
as the stairs spark up, then the gas puddle's surface, all
at once.
Ellsworth pats out a fire on his sleeve, shielding his face
from the wall of heat.
He hefts the empty can above his head before running at the
place he was punching.
It bounces off the plank with a loud clang, making a dent
there.
Black dirt begins to trickle in through the cracks.
Ellsworth lifts the can once more while the far wall goes
up in flames behind him.
He slams the jerry can home again, collapsing beside the
big hole it makes as dirt comes pouring in with small
shafts of eery orange light from above.
The flames creep around both sides, along the ceiling and
floor.
Lacey leans into the hole, frantically beginning to dig.
Ellsworth struggles back to his feet and tears away more of
the broken wood.
124 EXT. ESPERANCE FARM - NIGHT
Fire consumes most of the farm house, bathing the area
around it in a harsh firey glow.
At the back, dirt continues to sink through the hole
Ellsworth made while smoke plumes out of it.
Ellsworth's bleeding HAND claws through the dirt, followed
by the other. He squeezes between the broken planks and
caved-in dirt, hauling himself to flat ground before
turning to pull Lacey out too.
They collapse a few feet away, both coughing hard.
Empathy screams again from inside.
Ellsworth and Lacey look at each other, unable or unwilling
to move.
125 EXT. ESPERANCE FARM - DAWN
Ellsworth's BMW comes roaring back up the dirt driveway,
skidding to a stop just before it hits paved road.
The driver's side door pops open, Ellsworth jumping out to
look at the road under his low beams. Reveal dirt tracks
curving right onto the road.
He runs back to the car.
126 INT. ELLSWORTH'S BMW - DAWN
Ellsworth jumps back in, flooring it to go fishtailing
right.
She tends to a deep cut on his left shoulder while he
drives, accelerating to the BMW's upper limit.
LACEY
What's the plan then?
ELLSWORTH
Everything that's just happened
is the reason I don't make plans.
LACEY
Right, but we don't have a gun
anymore, and Malik's dad is kind
of... Robocop.
ELLSWORTH
Yeah.
LACEY
I'm just saying you should at
least have an idea of how you're
going to approach this whole
thing.
ELLSWORTH
Okay, open the glove box.
She opens it.
LACEY
What am I looking for?
He leans over her, digging around amongst the clutter.
LACEY
Ellsworth--
ELLSWORTH
Hang on, it's in here.
LACEY
No you--
ELLSWORTH
Yeah I--
LACEY
(flinching)
Ellsworth!
Something slams against the hood before being dragged
under, the whole car shuddering.
Ellsworth slams on the brakes.
Ellsworth and Lacey both watch through the passenger window
in sheer amazement as they skid right by Malik, standing at
the highway's edge with a tyre iron in one hand.
Behind him is the same Jaguar he drove in flashbacks, only
with new plates. It's jacked up with the rear right wheel
missing.
ELLSWORTH
You've gotta be--
127 EXT. ESPERANCE HIGHWAY - DAWN
Malik watches them go squealing past on a cloud of tyre
smoke, staring back with the same dumbfound look on his
face.
MALIK
--f*****g kidding me!
The BMW comes to a halt twenty feet up the road. The
reversing lights blink on then the engine whines as it
backs up at top speed.
128 INT. ELLSWORTH'S BMW - DAWN
Ellsworth brings it around to face Malik, engine straining
beneath the hood.
Malik drops the iron and throws up his hands, blinded by
the headlights.
Lacey looks out her window, at a ten metre-long crimson
smear on the road.
LACEY
Oh jeez.
Ellsworth doesn't take his eyes off Malik, while Lacey
can't seem to take her eyes off the stained road.
ELLSWORTH
We hit his dad?
LACEY
"We"?
ELLSWORTH
You see how things just work out
when you don't have a plan?
LACEY
I'm seriously gonna be sick.
Lacey claps a hand over her mouth and opens the door to
throw up.
A mangled FOOT is on the road there, jutting out from
beneath her side of the BMW.
She screams, muffled by her own hand, reeling back,
spinning around to her right to vomit in Ellsworth's lap.
He continues to stare at Malik, grimacing.
ELLSWORTH
You... just booted in my lap,
didn't you?
LACEY (O.C.)
(muffled)
I'm so sorry.
ELLSWORTH
It's okay.
He reaches into the glove box blind and comes back with a
sheathed HUNTING KNIFE.
129 EXT. ESPERANCE HIGHWAY - DAWN
Malik looks around for an escape route as Ellsworth steps
out of the car, holding the sheathed knife.
MALIK
(lowering hands)
What, no more guns? Are you high
or suicidal?
Ellsworth offers only a cold stare.
Malik turns to leap the hood of his Jag, running uphill and
over sand dunes toward the coastline.
Ellsworth takes off after him.
130 EXT. ESPERANCE COAST - DAWN
Malik makes his way down a sloped rocky outcrop, landing on
beach sand just as Ellsworth crests the hill behind him.
Malik runs for where the tide laps at wet sand, splashing
through it.
Ellsworth is halfway down the beach when Malik turns, waist
deep, holding out a hand.
MALIK
(shouts)
Stop! Hold it a moment.
Ellsworth halts, hesitant.
MALIK
(shouts)
You know I'm a better swimmer,
Ellsworth. You want to die?
Again? Halfway to...
Malik turns, looking out to sea.
MALIK
(quiet)
Antarctica?
Malik dives into the water, swimming for all he's worth out
to sea as Ellsworth keeps running, pocketing the knife.
Ellsworth splashes through the shallows, diving into the
water about ten seconds behind Malik.
131 EXT. THE OPEN SEA - DAWN
Malik and Ellsworth cut through choppy water, Ellsworth
gradually closing the distance.
Ellsworth glances back briefly to see Lacey, small on the
rocky outcrop, waving with both arms.
He keeps swimming, trying to keep Malik in sight with the
worsening conditions.
132 EXT. THE OPEN SEA - DAWN
Ellsworth reaches for Malik's foot, Malik kicking him away,
spinning around to face him while treading water.
MALIK
Okay stop! Wait a second, don't
kill me yet okay? Just let me
talk!
Ellsworth treads water a few feet away.
ELLSWORTH
You talk... and you talk... and
all I ever hear are lies.
MALIK
I just want a chance to explain!
ELLSWORTH
Do you honestly think there's an
explanation in all the world, to
justify what you've done?
Malik slowly shakes his head.
A wave hits them, Malik spluttering.
They drift closer together, almost arm's reach.
MALIK
Ellsworth...
Malik begins to cry.
MALIK
(through tears)
I don't know how to make things
right.
ELLSWORTH
Because it doesn't work like
that.
MALIK
There's so much stuff I've
done... that I can never take
back. I know that, Ellsworth. I
really do.
ELLSWORTH
Knowing it isn't enough.
MALIK
I didn't set out to intentionally
hurt you, or anyone.
ELLSWORTH
It just kind of worked out like
that.
MALIK
(sobbing)
Ellsworth... please... please
give me another chance. I'm not
ready yet... there's so much I've
still got to make up to people.
Ellsworth seems to soften, reaching out to Malik.
ELLSWORTH
It'll be okay...
Malik sobs into his shoulder as they embrace.
MALIK
(muffled)
I'm sorry, Ellsworth. I'm so
sorry for... everything. I
wish... I wish...
Ellsworth rubs his back.
ELLSWORTH
Shhh. It's okay now. It's okay.
A dark red cloud begins to spread in the water around them.
MALIK
Ellsworth?
ELLSWORTH
Yeah?
Malik's eyes wide with fear, he struggles to meet
Ellsworth's cold gaze.
MALIK
It wasn't dying that made me
empty... it was like that from
the start.
Ellsworth slowly nods.
ELLSWORTH
I know...
Wide on the pair, alone together, jostled by the swell.
ELLSWORTH (V.O.)
Malik Noble and Ellsworth
Valentine.
Malik struggles to keep afloat, taking short, wet gasps.
ELLSWORTH (V.O.)
They shared the same death. The
same fate. Every day since, they
were intertwined. The only way
two people can ever really be
joined.
Another big wave hits, separating them.
ELLSWORTH (V.O.)
Playing out a co-dependant karma.
The inky cloud continues to grow around Malik as they
slowly drift apart.
ELLSWORTH (V.O.)
Until the waves would call them
back.
After losing sight of Malik, Ellsworth leans back into the
water, staring at the morning sky while he floats, peaceful
despite the chop.
ELLSWORTH (V.O.)
To finally give themselves up. To
take an active part in the
completion of their collective
tale.
133 EXT. THE OPEN SEA - MORNING
Ellsworth floats on his back in the choppy sea, eyes
closed, no land in sight.
ELLSWORTH (V.O.)
The sea gave them time.
Muted and warped by the water in his ears, the sound of a
helicopter grows louder.
ELLSWORTH (V.O.)
Because time is all the sea has.
Ellsworth opens his eyes.
He raises one hand, slowly waving to it.
Reveal Ellsworth reaching for the chopper, COAST GUARD
stenciled down the one side.
ELLSWORTH (V.O.)
And he knows then, like he knows
now... that it all ends well, for
Malik and Ellsworth.
ROLL CREDITS.
FINI(SHED).
Please contact Rob Hackney should you wish to discuss this
spec screenplay. He has several other film and television
projects for both the Australian and US Marketplace.
[email protected] 0432 323 080
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