127 Hours Page #14

CUT TO:

INT. CANYON. DAY.

Aron's sky darkens above him. Instantly plunging him into a

dark, violet nether-light. He looks up the canyon as he

pulls at his arm in panic and tries to gather his laid-out

possessions into his backpack. Simultaneously he opens his

mouth to gather any drops he can into his parched throat.

CUT TO:

EXT. DESERT. DAY.

A channel fills now as the grooves spill and multiply. The

water poured from above appears everywhere, visibility is

virtually gone, whether it's through mist or darkness it's

impossible to tell.

CUT TO:

EXT. DESERT. DAY.

Another channel explodes like a volcanic surging mass in

every direction. The camera literally slips and slides as

the water now seems to take a direction towards deeper

gulleys, looking for something to fill, for somewhere to

escape to.

The floor of the desert becomes a river careering towards the

slot canyons.

CUT TO:

EXT. DESERT. DAY.

Now carrying debris with it the water cascades into the

natural pipe-work of the desert.

CUT TO:

47.

EXT. BLUE JOHN CANYON S-LOG. DAY.

We see the S log from below as someone seems to pour

unimaginable tons of water over the lips of the canyon above

it. The walls glisten with force as the canyon becomes a 6FT

wall of churning mud, hurtling towards the chockstones. The

smaller ones are picked up and tossed downstream, smashing

and breaking on the bigger ones.

CUT TO:

INT. CANYON. DAY. WIDE.

We can see Aron in the distance pulling at his arm. Without

time to watch it's journey towards him, it seems to skip time

and hit him like a tsunami under-surging the initial push of

water on the floor.

CUT TO:

INT. CANYON. DAY. CLOSER.

In an instant it smashes into his chest, scattering all of

his possessions as he still tries to grab them.

He pushes and pulls, trying to gain height but is underwater

almost immediately. He tries to take a huge suck of air

before he's submerged but even that is compromised by water.

We hear him choke and he disappears into the liquid wall of

mud.

CUT TO:

INT. CANYON. DAY. UNDERWATER FOOTAGE.

We're with him underwater. He's trying to switch his light

on. We can see almost nothing in this washing machine of

churning slush and debris and malevolent water. The light

flicks on. He can see his arm and the rock. Suddenly the

water lifts the chockstone and his arm releases. He pulls it

towards him, luminous deathly white in the mud, and flat, and

too big.

CUT TO:

INT. CANYON. DAY. UNDERWATER FOOTAGE.

We're close on Aron's face, at last free but now suffocating

in darkness.

CUT TO:

48.

INT:
CANYON. NIGHT.

Aron gasps and throws his night bag off his head and to the

floor. He's sweating and gasping; thumped alert but...

CUT TO:

TITLE:

" NIGHT THREE ":

CUT TO:

INT. CANYON. NIGHT.

... the canyon is dry as Mars. He tries to control his

breathing. Head down, sweat drips onto his arm - he licks it

off and lifts his head - a sudden shiver - looks at his

watch.

CUT TO:

C/U. WATCH:

The display changes from 20.29 => 20.30

CUT TO:

INT. CANYON. NIGHT.

He can't believe so little time has passed. He's only just

closed his eyes. It's going to be a long night.

The two bottles stand looking at him. He goes back in the

head bag and we go with him.

CUT TO:

INT. ROPE BAG. NIGHT

He holds the video camera at waist height and switches it to

playback. He rewinds through his messages. Stops, switches

off playback and rewinds the blue LCD screen to save battery.

The light is surreal, soft LCD hell.

CUT TO:

HUGE C/U OF:

Battery time. Time rewinding, hurtling backwards.

49.

Stops. Plays back.

CUT TO:

INT. CATHEDRAL CAVE. DAY. VIDEO FOOTAGE.

Megan and Kristi. The Cathedral. They clamber out in wet

clothes - it's from after their first jumps. We see all

three of them climb and fall and get out of the water and

climb and fall, smashing into the azure water. Their faces

are dripping wet, beaming mad, screaming and howling,

completely natural, children really, on their first helter-

skelter / Big Dipper.

He rewinds this time in vision. Kristi's bra and pants are

soaking. Megan's top cascades water as she rises out of the

water.

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