127 Hours Page #8

C/U:
DIGITAL NUMERALS. NIGHT.

The watch, now luminous, changes to 00.00.

CUT TO:

INT. ARON IN CANYON. NIGHT.

Midnight is celebrated with a tiny, careful, sip of the

water. He holds it in his mouth. Puffing his cheeks,

circulating the precious fluid around.

CUT TO:

EXT. EXTRAORDINARY LANDSCAPE. DAZZLING DAYLIGHT. DAY.

Daylight, a lunar landscape almost, though with patches of

green and giant boulders, Aron whom we sense only by being

around his shoulder is out walking with his friend, Mark Von

Eeckhout through this field of boulders. They come upon one

the size of a house buried nose deep in the field.

MARK:

Wow, look at the size of this one.

There's no cliffs or mountains anywhere near. We look at

Mark's pleasant, unremarkable face for far too long as he

looks around -

MARK (CONT'D)

How the f*** did this get there?

It's like we're on the moon looking over Buzz Aldrin's

shoulder at Neil Armstrong; it certainly sounds like that...

HARD CUT TO:

26.

INT. CANYON FLOOR. NIGHT.

Chip,chip,chip; stretches his arm, flexes his legs,

tick,tick,tick. He changes the blade, prising suddenly at a

section of the rock with his file. It bites and a dime size

shred chip of rock arcs through the night light. He catches

it perfectly on his right elbow.

ARON:

Cool.

He picks it off his arm and places it on top of the rock next

to where he's working. It's a grain of sand on the seashore

but it's something.

Boy, his arm and his legs are aching now.

CUT TO:

INT. ABOVE ARON, LOOKING DOWN INTO CANYON. NIGHT.

He's stepped into his harness and is throwing 30ft of rope up

towards us. There's a tangle of knots and carabiners looking

for purchase close to camera. Each time it falls back all

the way. He persists, each time, varying his line of attack

fractionally.

Finally it catches.

He pulls gently at first, then fiercely, it holds and we

slide softly and slowly down the rope and as we reach him he

gently takes the weight off his feet finally.

ARON:

Aahhhhh.

Lovely relief for him, light off, his eyes close.

CUT TO:

INT/EXT VARIOUS. DAY.

A re-run of the accident. He can now witness it in detail as

though it were planned and his role is to point us where to

look. 3 seconds become 30... We fall with his face in high

definition slow motion watching his future. We fall with the

rock pitilessly chasing him down to the floor of the canyon.

As he lands...

CUT TO:

27.

INT. CANYON. PRE DAWN.

... His eyes open and he stands unsteadily rubbing at his

legs, the lack of circulation has forced him up. Doesn't

think about the dream, starts chipping again.

CUT TO:

INT. CANYON. TIME-LAPSE. DAWN.

Lit only by his lamp, the black shifts to grey and then

there's light. He watches it arrive. A rush of wind.

Something flaps and he looks up sharply -

RAVEN:

Caw-caw.

CUT TO:

EXT. SKY. DAY.

A black raven flies symmetrically the length of the canyon

slit above him. Blue, blue sky.

CUT TO:

INT. CANYON. DAY.

ARON:

Caw-caw.

As he stretches his neck to follow the path of the only other

living thing, he freezes stock still. The bird has gone.

Nothing moves. Not him.... nothing. Time passes.

He switches his light off.

CUT TO:

EXT. NEVADA DESERT. BLACK ROCK CITY. PRE DAWN.

On top of some 4 x 4 vehicles are 8-10 ft huge Easter Island-

like masks, multi-coloured. Multiple bikes are strapped to

the backs of the vehicles too. More of Aron's friends,

including Mark V.E. mill around their 4 x 4s. There are

multiple lights in the distance but it's unclear what it

might be. The vehicles' own headlights illuminate Rana, a

stunningly beautiful red-haired woman in her mid-20s,

effortlessly organising the 15 or so group. As before, we

remain behind Aron. By the camera's virtually complete

concentration on Rana it's clear he's a fan.

28.

RANA:

OK - lights off and line up

alongside me.

They turn off their vehicles' headlights as she draws a long

line in the sand and they join her standing on one side of

it.

RANA (CONT'D)

On the other side of this line,

everything will be different.

As they all hold hands and together step cross the line

(Aron's keen and ever so slightly ahead of everyone across

the line) the sparkling lights of the crescent-shaped `town'

of vehicles and camps that is Burning Man are replaced by an

astonishing sunrise in the Nevada desert. They hoot and

holler as Rana smiles beautifully at Aron.

RANA (CONT'D)

And remember, stick together, the

desert wants to kill you.

CUT TO:

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