127 Hours Page #22

CUT TO:

EXT. HORSESHOE CANYON. DAY.

Finally, he comes to the great gallery that we saw in the

opening titles. A 300ft huge wall with dozens of broad

shouldered figures painted to enormous scale in all shades of

tan and maroon. They seem to stare back at him. He salutes

them in his own way and continues.

He banks left beneath a colossal alcove high up in the cliff

face and makes to the flattest ground - there's no shade to

hide in here.

CUT TO:

EXT. HORSESHOE CANYON. DAY.

70 yards ahead, 3 aliens are walking away from him. 2 tall,

one shorter. All with elongated bodies and tiny heads,

shimmering in the heat.

He goes to shout but his voice catches. Then a feeble effort

is lost in the vast scale of the canyon. The figures walk on

bending and disappearing in the light. He digs deep.

ARON:

HELP!

And the figures turn.

There's a terrible pause of uncertainty on both sides and

then he pushes out another heartbreaking -

ARON (CONT'D)

HELP ME! I NEED HELP!

The figures begin to run towards him. We watch his face in

close up as they come. If tears come, then now they come at

the sight of humans. He mutters to himself.

72.

ARON (CONT'D)

Hang in there Aron.

At they get closer he summons a surge of energy from

somewhere.

ARON (CONT'D)

My name is Aron Ralston. I was

trapped by a boulder on Saturday

and I've been without food and

water for 5 days. I cut my arm off

this morning to get free and I've

lost a lot of blood. I need medical

attention.

There's a pause as they look at this refugee from a low

budget horror movie. He hungrily eyes the water bottles

attached to their waist bands. This gives them a way in to

his world. The moment is broken by their offering him their

water. It pours down his throat bypassing the swallow

mechanism.

CUT TO:

INT. TV STUDIO. DAY. ERIK MEJER TESTIMONY

(Erik's English is almost

perfect, although

accented and without

humour. His family sit

beside him on comfortable

chairs in a TV studio.

They are very pleased to

BE THERE)

ERIK:

We are the Mejers from Holland. At

the start of the trailhead we

talked to a ranger who told us

about a car that was parked in the

area already for several days and

that the owner might be missing in

the canyon. We joked that we would

keep our eyes open and that we

would try to find him.

After a hike of 5.3 kilometres to

the Great Gallery (Indian rock art)

where we took some pictures, we

returned and suddenly heard a noise

behind us, and after that a voice

that cried "Help, I need help".

Monique and I immediately realized

that this had to be the missing

person.

(MORE)

73.

ERIK (CONT'D)

We didn't find him, he found us!

We gave him our water and Oreos.

CUT TO:

EXT. HORSESHOE CANYON. DAY.

Back now live as Aron wolfs down the cookies and organises

the Mejers in a series of jump cuts pushing us through the

final stages-he's brutally practical.

ERIK:

We are the Mejers from Holland.

You should stop and rest.

ARON:

No, we need to keep hiking.

We need a helicopter - who can run

fastest?- You, go now fast. Take

him.

Monique runs ahead with Andy, her son.

ERIK:

They told us you were here.

ARON:

Who? Who told you?

ERIK:

The police at the parking lot

ARON:

Do you have a phone?

ERIK:

There's no signal for miles.

Nobody for 6 days and then like London buses another couple

appears. They too are confronted by:

ARON:

Do you have a cell phone?

WAYNE:

No. I'm Wayne. I have some medical

training.

ARON:

Is it ok for me to drink so much

water?

74.

WAYNE:

Sure so long as it doesn't make you

vomit.

Aron drinks more and more, he overhears...

WAYNE (CONT'D)

(TO ERIK)

Make sure he doesn't pass out.

ARON:

I gotta stop and empty my shoes.

You'll have to tie my shoe lace.

As he sits his head slumps forward. He's absolutely

motionless. Wayne and Erik try to talk to him but he can

barely hear them. A pop song spins round and round distantly.

He strains to pull his head up, and, staring, drops forward

to his knees. There it is. Filling his vision like a god.

Whirling screaming in front of him, dust blasting him as he

kneels. A HELICOPTER.

CUT TO:

EXT. HELICOPTER. DAY.

A strange slightly formal man pops out of the helicopter. He

almost looks like he's part of the Matrix.

PILOT:

Are you Aron?

ARON:

Yes I am. Can I get a lift?

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes