SHADOW CUT

Written by

Lucy Suess

© Lucy Suess, WunderHouse Ltd. 2017

1 INT. SCHOOL BUS - AFTERNOON 1

The banter, shouts and giggles of school children create a

din over the bus’ roar. BOY (15) is slumped in his seat,
hands fall from his worn pockets, head rests on the back of
the bench. School yard bullying is pointed in his direction.
He watches the window. Northland farmland rushes past.

GIRL (15) take notice. She rises from her seat and slowly
glides down the aisle, using the seats on either side to
balance. She is calm amidst the swirl of movement, noise and
clutter. Boy rolls his head across the back of the bench, a
strained but lazy movement. He sees Girl. She stops exactly
at his seat and sits without hesitation, body turned in his
direction. She smiles, he shyly returns it.

OLDER BOY
Oi! Girl! Oi! That your boyfriend?
Looks like he’s got too many
feelings. Come back here for a real
poke.
(laughs)
I mean smoke.
(laughs)
Ehhh.

Girl refuses to turn and acknowledge the older boy. She rolls
her eyes and shakes his words off, and then presses her head
against Boy’s shoulder. Boy exhales, as if for the first time
that day.

Boy and Girl’s gaze retreats to the window. Golden light

flickers upon their face, creating patterns and shadows.

OLDER BOY (CONT’D)

Stuff you then! Stuff you. I could
do better. I could do way better.

The whoosh of passing countryside takes over. School boy

banter continues but becomes an unintelligible muffled
blanket of sound.

2 EXT. FOOTPATH OF RESIDENTIAL ROAD, MOEREWA - AFTERNOON 2

Boy and Girl travel along their worn monopoly board town - a
rural road lined with the peeling paint of pastel houses. Boy
scuffs his feet. Girl skips backwards to face him.

GIRL
What are you doing now? Going home?

Boy bites into his bottom lip.

BOY
Nah.
 2.

GIRL
Where are you going then?

BOY
Nowhere.

Girl laughs.

GIRL
Wanna do something then?

There is a long pause. Boy keeps his head down, avoiding eye
contact with Girl.

GIRL (CONT’D)
(slightly silly)
Wanna do something?

Boy continues walking straight ahead.

GIRL (CONT’D)
(sillier)
Wanna do something?

She’s done it - she has made Boy laugh.

3 EXT. PAINTED CORRUGATED FENCE, MOEREWA - AFTERNOON 3

Boy faces a painted corrugated fence - a patchwork of

colours and textures. Girl stands poised against it,
motionless except for her rhythmic chewing of gum. She
watches Boy. With the last stroke of Boy’s chalk pen he steps
backwards to survey his work. Girl throws him a cheeky look
and blows a large bubble to steal his attention. He pops her
purple masterpiece. They burst into laughter and tumble out
of sight. Boy’s drawing on the fence is revealed - a winged
outline of her silhouette.

4 EXT. MAIN STREET, MOEREWA - AFTERNOON 4

Boy leans against a shop column. He is lost in thought. Girl

sneaks up behind him and grabs the small journal sticking out
of his pant’s pocket. It starts off as a playful game of cat
and mouse - until Girl begins to read from one of the
journal’s pages. Boy roughly snatches it out of her hands.
This is not like him and Girl takes notice.

5 EXT. KINGI’S HOUSE, MOEREWA - LATE AFTERNOON 5

KINGI (35), a large man with a sweet moon face, relaxes on

his picnic table atop his deck. He smacks his lips on an
oversized sausage roll and a cream filled lamington. He spots
Girl and Boy running past and throws them a whistle. Girl
halts and makes a direct line for him.
 3.

As Girl approaches Kingi’s house they acknowledge each other

with a smile and a head nod. Boy fidgets across the street.

GIRL
Hey uncle!

KINGI
Hello niecey.

Girl hops on top of Kingi’s table.

KINGI (CONT’D)
Ehh. Get your ass off my table aye.
That’s tapu.

Girl hops off and on to the bench. She leans forward and
swipes the cream from his lamington

KINGI (CONT’D)
Who’s this? Who’s your friend?

Boy slowly starts to make his way to Kingi’s porch.

KINGI (CONT’D)
What’s her name aye? Is she shy?

Girl shoots Kingi an unimpressed look. She looks back to Boy,

widens her eyes and motions for him to hurry up.

KINGI (CONT’D)
Nah is that ya boyfriend?
(beat )
Bit too young for boyfriends there
my niecey -

GIRL
No.

KINGI
Yes. Yes, you are.

Girl shrugs his words off and swipes more cream from his
lamington.

KINGI (CONT’D)
Ehh. Get your bloody fingers outta
there.

Boy arrives. He shakes King’s hand.

BOY
Kia ora.

KINGI
Kia ora.
(beat)
So, what are your intentions with
my niece there boy?
 4.

Boy looks taken-a-back. All he can manage is an airy stutter.

KINGI (CONT’D)
And why are you fullas not at
school?

GIRL
Its five o’clock.

KINGI
Oh. Well, five o’clock, when I was
your fullas age I was -

Girl pays not attention to Kingi’s story and swipes more

cream from his lamington.

KINGI (CONT’D)
Eh bloody hell. Get your fingers
out of there.

KINGI (CONT’D)
I was working at the meat works by
now when I was your fullas age.

King shift focuses and turns to address Boy.

KINGI (CONT’D)
You wanna work at the meat works?
University of Moetown?

BOY
(under his breath)
Nah.

KINGI
Nah? Well, you probably wouldn’t
last bloody 10 seconds in there
with those bloody chicken legs.
Jeez boy.

GIRL
Oh whatever. Leave it alone. You
don’t even come round any more.

Girl stares Kingi down, poised for his excuse.

KINGI
Yeah, well, your dad never picks up
my calls. I text him. I brought him
snapper. Nothing. What’s up with
that fulla?

For the first time Girl fades. Boy leans closer to her.

GIRL
Umm. He’s been sick.
 5.

Kingi stays still and quiet.

GIRL (CONT’D)
Sick of your face.

KINGI
All right. That’s it. How about you
fullas go and play at the jungle
gyms? I’ve had a long shift. I just
want to eat what left of my
lamington, go have a moe and wake
up for my next shift tomorrow. So,
you fullas run off, aye?

Kingi sits tall and crosses his arms. Girl rolls her eyes and
before leaving swipes the rest of his lamington’s cream.

KINGI (CONT’D)
(calling after them)
Hey hey hey! You don’t need that
niece! You’ll get a puku like me.
Stick to them veggie juices.

6 EXT. HOUSE, MOEREWA - LATE AFTERNOON 6

Boy is revealed leaning over the fence of a small house,

quickly picking oranges. A dog barks and the fence rattles.

7 EXT. NETBALL COURTS, MOEREWA - LATE AFTERNOON 7

Leftover citrus peels are scattered along the court. Boy and
Girl recline on their schoolbags. She holds Boy’s hand above
her face and traps the sunlight between his fingers. A grid
of shadows are cast upon her brow. She runs her thumbs along
his palm and scans it.

BOY
What are you doing?

GIRL
Reading your palm.
(beat)
It says, you’re going to make
beautiful things.

Boy smiles and shakes his head.

GIRL (CONT’D)
We’re not gunna be here forever you
know. We’re going someplace else.
(beat)
Come on, I’ll race you there!

Girl jumps to her feet and pushes over Boy. Boy scrambles to
his feet and chases after Girl. They leave their school bags
and food scraps behind.
 6.

8 EXT. MEAT WORKS FIELD - LATE AFTERNOON 8

Girl cuts through an overgrown field. Boy gains on her. Boy

tackles Girl, a pile of intertwined limbs. They giggle in the
tall grass, then fall silent and still. Girl looks up and
back towards the meat works and then to Boy. She shoots him a
knowing grin and a cheeky nod. Boy shakes his head no. Girl
leaves.

9 EXT. ROAD TO MEAT WORKS - DUSK 9

Boy catches up to Girl. She turns to face him. She walks

backwards, slowly but confidently, careful long strides. She
stares him down.

BOY
What?

GIRL
(slight mocking)
What?

BOY
What?

GIRL
(more mocking)
What?

They cough giggles.

BOY
No, what?

GIRL
Nothing. Just...
(beat)
Tell me something.

Girl waits for a response, but Boy keeps his eyes hidden.

GIRL (CONT’D)
What do you keep writing? What is
that?

Girl motions towards Boy’s pocket.

GIRL (CONT’D)
(taunting)
Is it your diary?

BOY
Its nothing. Just homework.

Girl looks incredulous.

 7.

BOY (CONT’D)
For drama.
(beat)
That speech thing we have to give.

GIRL
Ok. So...

She twists her feet to face the meat works and continues
walking.

GIRL (CONT’D)
What one are you doing then?

BOY
None.
(beat)
I’m not doing theirs.

GIRL
What?

10 INT. MEAT WORKS CUTTING ROOM - EVENING 10

Boy and Girl explore a stainless steel room of cutting

tables. It is barren and sterile. They are mid conversation.
Their voices echo throughout the room, making them feel even
more alone.

GIRL
Why?

BOY
Because their bullshit.
(beat)
I’m writing my own.

GIRL
What is it then?

Boy makes his way to Girl. He stops at a breaths length from

her. His voice cracks into rhythm.

BOY
It’s hard to see here. Standing
still, stuck still. They drive by
with closed eyes. I stand by,
blurred by, stuck by. Nothing.

So loud but scared to make a sound.

To be heard. To be what we were and
what we are. But fenced in, into no
one.

Everyone into everyone and

everything into everything and you
into them and me into that.
(MORE)
 8.

BOY (CONT'D)

This land is home, but what do I

have? A long closed road. A
streetlight at the end if I dare go
there, but it goes nowhere. Because
when I leave I can never come back.

So while you still see me. And

while I still am me. Hear me.

11 INT. MEAT WORKS COOL STORE - EVENING 11

All crashes. Girl has taken a wrong turn and nearly collides
into a hanging steer carcass. It is one of many strung from
the ceiling.

Girl is frozen. Boy quickly arrives. He looks to the carcass

and then to Girl. He pulls her in. Girl dips her head down.
Boy presses his forehead against hers and leads her out of
the room.

12 EXT. MAIN STREET, MOEREWA - NIGHT 12

Boy and Girl make their way down the barren main street of
town. All is quiet and still, except for the highway traffic
which passes by and illuminates their faces. Boy slowly moves
between scanning the closed shop fronts and watching Girl.
Girl faces straight ahead, avoiding all contact with Boy. She
is still, as if she is holding her breath.

They reach the edge of town. Boy stops. Girl continues.

Boy looks back to their small town and the streetlight at the
end. He turns to face Girl’s direction. She has disappeared
into the darkness. A woman riding a white horse crosses the
road. She looks to Boy. They watch each other but say
nothing.

Boy follows after Girl.

13 EXT. GIRL’S BACK YARD, MOEREWA - NIGHT 13

Boy walks across a moonlit lawn. He sees Girl sitting on her

back stoop.

BOY
Not going inside?

GIRL
Soon.

Boy sits next to Girl. The light from her house spills on to
their faces. They are utterly alone - quiet, soft and slow.
 9.

GIRL (CONT’D)
What are you doing?

Girl smiles, attempting to lighten the mood, but it quickly

fades. She knows Boy has been hiding more than his poem.

BOY
I’m -
(beat)
- telling you something.
(beat)
I’m not going home.

Girl giggles - half nervous, half sarcastic.

GIRL
You just wanna stay here again.

Boy grows in confidence and adamance.

BOY
I’m serious. I’m leaving tonight.
For real this time. You can come.
(beat)
Come with me
(beat)
I have to go.

She looks to Boy again and scans him. Boy waits in

anticipation of her next move. Girl takes a long moment and
looks around her home. She is somewhere else - distant and
inward.

GIRL
(quiet and broken)
Maybe.

Girl hesitates - she stops and starts a series of sentences

under her breath.

GIRL (CONT’D)
I can’t just leave now.

Boy drops when he hears Girl’s words.

GIRL (CONT’D)

I won’t be here forever.

BOY
Promise?

Girl shakes her head yes. She press her head against his
shoulder.

BOY (CONT’D)
(quiet and broken)
I’ll race you there.
 10.

Boy stands and disappears into the darkness. Girl is left

sitting on her stoop, alone.