Stephen Metcalfe - Writer and Director

ABUELO
EXT. RANCHO SANTE FE, CAL. - DAY
Establishing. And now an upscale car passes.
INT./EXT. CAR - MOVING - DAY
A father, Greg Chase, and his son, Nick, 8, drive in not unpleasant silence. Nick stares quietly out the window. There is something oddly reserved about him.
TO:
The car, moving.
TO:
Looking through the passenger window at Nick, the reflection of the passing landscape in front of him.
TO:
The car disappears down the road.
EXT. LOMAS SANTE FE DRIVE - DAY
West of Interstate 5, heading down to Pacific Coast Highway.
AT AN INTERSECTION -
The car pulls to a stop at a red light. There is an adjacent gas station on the corner.
TO:
Nick, staring.
TO:
Nick's POV - There is a large group of shabbily dressed Mexican laborers in front of the gas station. They are there, hoping for work. Odd jobs. Construction. Anything.
TO:
Nick stares. Turns his head to look at -
TO:
In the middle of the intersection, an older Mexican man is selling bags of oranges and bunches of flowers. He sees Nick looking at him. He smiles and holds out his wares to see if Nick or his father is interested in buying.
TO:
Nick just stares, expressionless. But now, as his father pulls away, he turns to look back. He watches as -
TO
The old man recedes in the distance.
EXT. OFFICES BUILDING - SOLANA BEACH - DAY
Establishing. The car is parked in front.
INT. OUTER OFFICE - DAY
Nick sits in a waiting room. The door to the inner office is ajar. Nick can hear his father and a doctor talking.
GREG (O.S.)
He's not stupid.
THE DOCTOR (O.S.)
No, he's very bright.
GREG (O.S.)
So why isn't he talking?
THE DOCTOR (O.S.)
To communicate effectively, there has to be the desire to communicate and something to communicate about.
GREG (O.S.)
Meaning...
THE DOCTOR (O.S.)
He doesn't have anything he wants to say.
INT./EXT. THE CAR - DAY
Turning off Pacific coast highway - moving east on Lomas Sante Fe.
GREG
That wasn't so bad, was it.
Nick just stares out the window.
TO:
Approaching the intersection.
GREG
Gotta stop for some gas, kiddo, okay?
Silence.
TO:
The car turns into the gas station.
EXT. THE GAS STATION - DAY
Greg puts the nozzle into the gas tank.
GREG
Nick, something to drink?
(Then:)
I'll get you a Gatorade.
He walks towards the station.
TO:
Nick stares out the window; attentive again. The Mexican laborers are still by the roadside, waiting for work. And now Nick opens the car door, slips past the pumps and walks down to join them.
TO:
He approaches. He stops to stare. One of the laborers seem him and nudges a friend. Then, to Nick:
LABORER 1 (FERNANDO)
Que pasa, amigo? You got work for us?
Nick is silent.
LABORER 2 (DIEGO)
(In Spanish; w/sub-titles.)
Maybe he don't speak English.
Nick just stares at them.
DIEGO
He's making me nervous.
Suddenly:
GREG
Hey! Hey - get away from him!
Greg hurries up. Realizes that it is Nick who has approached the men:
GREG
Nick, what are you doing, you shouldn't be bothering these men.
(Then:)
I'm worry, I didn't mean to -- my son is autistic.
(To Nick)
Let's go, Nick.
Greg leads Nick back to the car. Nick looks back.
DIEGO
Que es "autistic"?
FERNANDO
Loco.
EXT. ROAD - DAY
Adjacent to a canyon. A pick-up stops and several Mexican laborers jump out.
TO:
And now Greg and Nick's car approaches -
TO:
- and passes them.
IN THE CAR -
Nick turns to look back.
TO:
Nick's POV - The pick-up driving away in the opposite direction. The men now turning towards the canyon.
TO:
Nick looks thoughtful.
EXT. NICK'S HOUSE - DAY
Establishing. An upscale house.
INT. KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS
Nick sits at the counter. Greg and his mother, SARA, are making lunch.
GREG
Nick made some new friends today.
(Glancing at Nick; hoping for a reaction)
Some migrant workers. You know how they gather at the gas station looking for jobs. Nick said hi. So to speak.
SARA
I'm not sure I like that.
Nick looking at them as:
GREG
They're harmless. Let's face it, they can't afford to get into trouble.
SARA
Where do they live?
GREG
Around here?
(Gesturing; it's not far away)
Some in Clark Canyon. They build these sqatter camps.
SARA
I'm surprised it's allowed.
GREG
What are you going to do. They have to live somewhere.
Nick looks thoughtful.
INT. NICK'S BEDROOM - DAY
A hand sketches a line of artist charcoal onto paper.
TO:
Nick is drawing. It's a portrait of the old man; surprisingly good. Nick looks up as the Mexican house keeper, ELVA, enters with the vacuum.
ELVA
(kindly; in Spanish)
Hola, Nicolás.
She glances at the drawing. She nods her approval.
ELVA
Do you mind if I vacuum now?
Nick rises. He understands Spanish.
EXT. THE HOUSE - AFTERNOON
ENTERING FRAME - Nick, on his bicycle, pedals down the driveway, heading towards the road.
TO:
He comes out of the driveway and pedals away.
EXT. ROAD - LATER
Nick on his bike. Oblivious. Riding down the middle of the road. A car honks as it veers.
EXT. ROAD - LATER
Nick on his bike. He stops, wipes his brow, looks around.
INT. 7-11 - DAY
Nick puts a bottled water onto the counter. Puts down two dollars. The clerk takes the money, gives change. Nick takes the water, and puts the change in the "help" jar (for charity). The clerk looks puzzled.
EXT. ROAD - LATE AFTERNOON
Nick rides up and stops at the shoulder of the road. He's in front of the canyon where he saw the laborers disappear. The canyon is steep on both sides, is all rocks and dry brush. In the distance, on the surrounding hills, Nick can see the beginnings of large housing development. Nick gets off his bike, pushes it off to the side and starts in.
EXT. THE CANYON - DAY
Nick is walking. He stops, looks on:
TO:
The canyon narrows - the path looks treacherous.
TO:
Nick continues on.
FURTHER ON -
Nick is unsteady on the rock strewn path. And then it happens -
TO:
- a rock gives way beneath his foot, the foot twists and -
TO:
Nick falls.
(Note: Some autism kids don't react to pain the way other children do. This has to do with sensory integration. They seem more surprised and confused by the pain than anything else.)
Nick tries to rise - and can't. He sits, staring at the twisted ankle, the way one would a flat tire.
LATER -
The sun is going down behind the hills.
TO:
Nick sits. He's stimming - lightly flapping his hand in front of his face - a sign that he's nervous. The sound of voices. Nick looks up. Two men are approaching. They stop in surprise. It's the two men from the gas station - Fernando and Diego.
FERNANDO
(what the fuck?)
Saludo?
EXT. IMMIGRANT CAMP - EVENING
Nick is carried into camp, piggy-back on Fernando's back. Men stare. The camp is a small, sad enclave of tiny shacks and sheds made from scraps of wood; in some cases, plastic sheeting propped up by trees. There is litter on the ground.
DIEGO
(the old one)
Donde esta' el viejo?
(Muttering:)
Tal vez él sabrá qué hacer.
Maybe he'll know what to do.
EXT. A SHED - DAY
The old man - the flower seller - is in a shed, standing at a tiny camp stove. He turns as Diego and Fernando approach with Nick. Wiping his hands, he comes out -
DIEGO
(we found him on the hill)
Lo encontramos en el cerro.
They put Nick down so he's sitting on a wooden crate.
FERNANDO
(gesture at the ankle)
He's hurt. They might blame us.
The old man kneels and touches Nick's ankle. He looks up.
ABUELO
Cuál es tu nombre?
(in accented English)
What's your name?
DIEGO
He doesn't talk.
FERNANDO
Autista.
The old man rises.
ABUELO
He looks hungry.
LATER -
Nick hasn't moved. He watches intently as the old man cooks on a small camping grill.
ABUELO
We have beans... beans.. and more beans. Frijoles.
Nick is silent. He looks around. The old man notices.
ABUELO
Not what you're used to, eh? Hacemos nuestro mejor esfuerzo. We do our best. We build with what we find, they come, they tear it down, nos movemos, we move, we build again.
(Then:)
Por qué vivir así? Why? We send money home to our families. The less we spend the more we send.
He brings Nick a chipped plate of beans with tortillas. Nick hesitates; eats. The old man smiles. He turns away back to his makeshift stove to make his own meal.
ABUELO
Do you go to a special school?
A beat. Nick nods.
ABUELO
What do you like? Literatura? Ciencia? Arte?
Nick nods.
ABUELO
Que bueno. I would have liked to have learned things. Astronomía. The sky. Geología. The earth. Aprendizaje que nos hace hombres. Learning makes us men.
He sees that Nick is staring at him. He smiles.
ABUELO
Comer. Eat.
LATER -
Nick has finished his food. His plate is clean. He looks up. The old man is looking at him. Nick holds out the empty plate. Instead of taking it, the old man turns, bends, looks over his shoulder.
ABUELO
Subir en. Climb on.
EXT. THE CAMP - EARLY EVENING
Nick is on the old man's back, holding the plate. The old man is walking to -
EXT. STREAM - EARLY EVENING
The old man is cleaning the plate in the tiny stream. Nick watches.
ABUELO
Our dishwasher. And laundromat.
He tosses water into his face.
ABUELO
(smiling)
And shower.
EXT. CAMP - EVENING
The old man approaches with Nick on his back. He stops and puts Nick down.
REVERSE ON -
They are in front of a make-shift chapel. A bench. A cross. A small statue of the Virgin Mary.
ABUELO
Qué es una comunidad sin una iglesia? Church.
The old man moves forward, kneels, closes his and clasps his hands and murmurs his prayers. Nick watches.
EXT. THE CAMP - EVENING
The sun is setting on the hills.
THE CAMP - CONTINUOUS
Nick sits. Watching:
TO:
A group of men sitting on the ground and on makeshift chairs and crates. Smoking, talking quietly - one of them drinking a beer - passing it to another.
TO:
By a decrepit shack, two tired looking women in front it, sewing - repairing worn clothes
TO:
A couple, sitting. The man lost in thought, the women nursing a baby.
EXT. THE CAMP - CONTINUOUS
Outside another shack, Fernando and Diego are talking to the old man in hushed urgent voices.
FERNANDO
-- you've got to get him out here.
ABUELO
The boy is hurt.
FERNANDO
Tell that to the police when they come looking for him. I don't know about you but I can't afford to be deported.
ABUELO
Will you carry him out in the dark?
FERNANDO
...why me? You like him so much, you do it.
DIEGO
I say we keep him.
They look at him, shocked.
DIEGO
Who even knows he's here? We ask for money.
ABUELO
(kidnappers)
Now we are secuestradores?
DIEGO
No, what we are is poor.
ABUELO
I'm ashamed of you both.
The old man moves away. Fernando and Diego glance at one another.
DIEGO
All right, it was a stupid idea.
Fernando hesitates; no one wants to walk the rocky path in the dark.
EXT. THE CAMP - MOMENTS LATER
The old man approaches. Nick looks up. The old man gently smiles.
ABUELO
Tiempo para ti a la casa. Time for you to go home.
EXT. CANYON - NIGHT
The old man makes his way down the path with Nick on his back. It's a hard walk at night and the old man is quickly tiring. He stumbles. And now he stops, panting slightly.
ABUELO
Rest for a moment? Buena idea.
Nick drops off his back. The old man sits.
ABUELO
Tirar una piedra. Pull up a rock.
Nick sits down next to the old man.
ABUELO
(comfortable)
Cómodo?
Nick nods. The old man stretches his back, wincing.
ABUELO
Only yesterday I was as young as you. Now look. Un abuelo. A grandfather.
(Wincing slightly; touching his jaw)
With a toothache.
(Then:)
Sonrisa.
Nick "smiles" wide, showing the old man his teeth. The old man peers closely at them; grunts with satisfaction.
ABUELO
Perfecto. You can always tell a poor man by his teeth. He hasn't many. Such a country here. Que rico. Que pobre.
(opening his hand)
Mano abierta.
(closing it into a fist)
El puño cerrado.
With a sigh, the old man lies back, the canyon wall behind him.
ABUELO
A bit of rest, we'll move on.
TO:
Nick and the old man. The old man is talking; drifting.
ABUELO
All I've ever known in my life is work. En los campos. The fields. Construcción. I've washed cars but never owned one. I'm not complaining. This is life.
They are looking at -
TO:
- the night sky - stars overhead.
ABUELO (O.C.)
Dios bendice a los que son pobres. por el Reino de los cielos les pertenece.
TO:
The old man and Nick.
ABUELO
God blesses those who are poor, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
The old man closes his eyes and with a tired sigh, is immediately asleep. Nick cuddles up on the ground next to him and closes his eyes.
EXT. THE HILLS - EARLY MORNING
Establishing. The bulldozed hills; the housing developments in the distance.
EXT. CANYON ENTRANCE - EARLY MORNING
LONG SHOT - A police car is parked at the side of the road.
TO:
A uniformed officer lifts Nicks's bike up out of the weeds. Another is on the police car's radio.
EXT. THE CANYON - EARLY MORNING
Nick is on his side, asleep on the ground. The old man's jacket is covering him. Nick opens his eyes. He quickly sits up. The old man, who is standing, staring at the sunrise, turns. He smiles.
ABUELO
Breakfast?
EXT. THE CAMP - MORNING
Diego and Fernando, drinking coffee, look up in surprise as the old man and Nick enter the camp. Nick is limping slightly. Diego quickly rises -
TO:
Diego, now followed by Fernando, approaches the old man and Nick.
DIEGO
What is he doing back here!?
ABUELO
We didn't get far. We'll eat something, we'll try again.
He leads Nick past the two men. Diego calls after them.
DIEGO
(deported)
You're going to get us all deportados!
TO:
Nick and the old man walk towards the old man's shack. They stop as a woman steps in front of them. She stares at Nick a moment. Then:
THE WOMAN
Para el nino.
She passes the old man two eggs. She turns away.
ABUELO
Gracias, senora!
The old man looks at Nick as if to say I told you so.
INT./EXT. THE OLD MAN'S SHACK - MORNING
Eggs fry in a small pan.
TO:
The old man cooks. Nick is on his crate again.
ABUELO
Fue ahorrando estos. She was saving these. She has children. Your age. They are with her sister in Mexico.
(a beat)
Compartimos. We share. Or do without.
He puts the eggs on a chipped plate and passes them to Nick. Nick stares at them.
EXT. THE CAMP - MORNING
The woman who gave Nick the eggs is sewing. She looks up. Plate in hand, Nick is staring down at her. He passes her the plate. She looks at the eggs; then at Nick, pleased.
THE WOMAN
Gracias.
Nick turns away.
TO:
Nick is starting back when:
GREG (O.C.)
Nickie!!!!
Nick turns. To see Greg rushing across the camp towards. There are police with him. The immigrants are rising in fear and alarm. The police are herding them into a group -- Por aqui!! Todos ustedes! Mover! Mover!
TO:
Greg moves to Nick, kneels and sweeps him into his arms.
GREG
Oh, God, we were so worried. It's all right now. It's all right. I'm here.
ABUELO
El niño está bien.
Greg looks up at the old man.
ABUELO
We took care of him for you.
A moment. Greg rises, turning -
GREG
I want these people arrested!
Turning back to the old man -
GREG
I want him arrested.
The police are moving forward.
GREG
Come on, Nick, we're going home.
Nick doesn't move.
GREG
Nick.
A moment.
GREG
Nick?
A moment.
NICK
...no...
Greg seems frozen to the spot. He quickly turns to the policemen.
GREG
Wait.
(Then:)
...Nickie?
Nick's voice is rough from lack of use.
NICK
...these... are my friends...
All watching, listening - Greg -- the old man -- Fernando and Diego --- the women.
NICK
They're nice. They have a church but... no houses. They send money home.
Nick moves to the old man and takes his hand. He turns back to his father.
NICK
This... is el abuelo. His tooth hurts.
Silence.
NICK
Dad? He needs help.
Greg looks at the old man, really seeing him now. He looks back to Nick. Seeing him.
GREG
(kneeling)
Come here.
Nick moves forward into his father's arms. Greg holds him - look over Nick's shoulder at the old man. The old man nods.
PULLING UP AND BACK -
To look down the crowd of people, the police and immigrants, the cluttered canyon.
CROSSFADE TO:
EXT. THE IMMIGRANT CAMP - DAY
It is empty now. The shacks and tarps and trash are gone. The vegetation has grown in.
OLDER NICK (V.O.)
It's been years now since I visited the camp.
TO:
The complete housing development overlooks the canyon.
OLDER NICK (V.O.)
There are houses now, built by people who couldn't afford houses.
TO:
The camp. A faded aluminum beer can on the ground. Wild flowers near it.
OLDER NICK (V.O.)
The old man continued to sell flowers on the street corner. And then one day he was gone.
TO:
An old piece of wood that supported some plastic sheeting where the old man's shack was.
OLDER NICK (V.O.)
I never saw him again.
TO:
The stream.
OLDER NICK (V.O.)
But I haven't stopped talking about him.
TO:
The remains of the church.
OLDER NICK (V.O.)
Aprendizaje que nos hace hombres.
EXT. THE INTERSECTION - DAY
IN SLO-MO - We are in a car, passing. The old man is selling flowers. He smiles at us -
OLDER NICK (V.O.)
Learning makes us men.
- and then he's gone.
FADE TO BLACK.