A Most Violent Year Page #11

He looks at her dumbfounded... where did she get this gun?

She gives him a look. Then turns and walks back to the car.

He stays and struggles to get the deer out of the road.

INT. ABEL’S DAMAGED CAR - NIGHT

ANNA is sitting in the car waiting. We hear ABEL’S footsteps

as he approaches the open driver’s side door. He gets in

without saying a word. We stay with them as they drive on in

silence.

INT. MORALES HOUSE, FRONT HALLWAY - NIGHT

The door opens and ABEL walks in. ANNA is already in the

house talking with NANNY MARIA who’s been baby-sitting.

ANNA:

Hello Maria, sorry we are a bit

late. They were fine?

NANNY MARIA:

Oh yes. All is good.

ANNA:

Great, thank you. We’ll see you in

the morning then.

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NANNY MARIA:

Okay.

NANNY MARIA comes around the corner and passes ABEL who is

just standing in the living room. He only gives her a nod.

ANNA is standing on the other side of the room just waiting

in silence as well. NANNY MARIA goes over to the closet and

gets her coat out and puts it on. The tension is building

like a kettle. Finally NANNY MARIA gets herself together and

walks out and as the door shuts they come immediately at each

other.

ANNA:

What?

ABEL:

What?

ANNA:

Yes... what?

ABEL:

Are you kidding?

ANNA:

No.

ABEL:

Okay then... what is this gun?

ANNA:

I told you I wasn’t going to just

continue to stand around and let

these people come and get me and my

children. So unlike you who seems

to be totally comfortable just

standing around like some...

f***ing p*ssy... I did something

about it.

ABEL is slightly stammering at this point, not quite sure

what to do. They are still standing on opposite sides of the

room from each other. He just waits... finally.

ABEL:

Where did you get it?

ANNA:

You know where I got it.

ABEL:

Do you have a permit?

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ANNA:

Not yet.

This sets him off. He comes walking across the room at her as

if he might hit her. He gets closer and closer.

ABEL:

You must be a bigger f***ing idiot

than I even thought. You are trying

to protect your children? Protect

them? Do you have any idea what

happens if you get caught using

that thing?

He is now standing right over her.

ABEL (CONT’D)

You dress yourself up in these

fancy clothes, and look at you here

in your mansion. I’ve given you

everything you could possibly want

but you still can’t stop thinking

like the Brooklyn corner-store

gangster’s daughter that you are.

ANNA:

You’ve given me? You? Are you

delusional? Do you even understand

how ridiculous that makes you

sound?

They are really going at it now. He tries to grab her purse,

which she still has over her shoulder. They struggle for it.

ABEL:

Where is this thing? Let me see it.

ANNA:

Abel.

ABEL:

Let me see it. Is this going to

make you safe?

With that he uses brute force, probably hurting her arm, but

she doesn’t let on. He takes the purse from her. He opens it

and takes out the small gun.

ABEL (CONT’D)

You know who uses guns like this?

(he screams)

Whores!

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With that, she SLAPS him across the face. They just stare at

each other for a very long time.

ABEL (CONT’D)

It’s a trap... and you are walking

right into it... You need to get

that thing out of our house.

ANNA:

You need to protect us.

ABEL:

That is what I’m doing.

He walks out the front door.

INT. MAIN LIVING/DINING ROOM OF MORALES HOUSE - NEXT DAY

There are twelve SEVEN-YEAR-OLDS sitting around the dining

room table yelling “Happy Birthday” to one of the Morales

daughters as she blows out the candles. A large GROUP of the

PARENTS surround the table.

GROUP:

Happy Birthday!

Just as ELIZABETH blows out the candles the doorbell rings.

NANNY MARIA heads to the front door. The camera stays with

the party. NANNY MARIA comes back into the room and standing

behind her, we see a POLICE OFFICER holding some kind of

clipboard.

ABEL walks over quickly trying not to create a scene. He

leads the POLICE OFFICER back over to the front door. The

PARENTS certainly notice and start stirring.

EXT. FRONT STEPS - DAY

ABEL leads the OFFICER outside, and as he looks up he sees

that his driveway is packed with four police cars, some

unmarked and there are about five OFFICERS waiting to come

into the house.

ABEL:

I understand. But as you can see

this is a terrible time for us. I

am having my daughter’s birthday

party.

ABEL is trying to remain calm and not lose his temper.

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POLICE OFFICER:

I understand and I apologize, I do.

But this is a warrant and we need

to gain complete access to the

property.

They stare at each other just as ANNA comes to the door. She

sees the scene in her driveway.

ANNA:

What is this?

POLICE OFFICER:

Let me go check something.

ANNA:

Are they serious?

ABEL is seething and can only manage a slight nod.

As they look across the driveway they see the OFFICER talking

to someone. The officer shifts out of the way and they see he

is talking to ASSISTANT D.A. LAWRENCE.

ABEL:

I’m going to kill this guy.

ANNA:

Abel.

ANNA is trying to get his attention quietly.

ABEL:

Abel.

He turns and they look at each other. She signals towards the

library and they share a knowing, concerned glance.

ABEL (CONT’D)

Give me five minutes.

She nods and heads down the path towards the police and

LAWRENCE. Abel heads back in the doorway.

ABEL (CONT’D)

Maria. Keep the kids playing for a

few minutes.

ANNA walks up to the LAWRENCE.

ANNA:

Mr. Lawrence is it?

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A.D.A. LAWRENCE

Yes.

ANNA:

Anna Morales.

She reaches out her hand to shake his with a smile.

ANNA (CONT’D)

May I speak with you for a minute.

A.D.A. LAWRENCE

(thinks, then)

Yeah.

They walk away from the others down the driveway a stretch.

ANNA:

I understand you and your men have

a job to do here. But we are in the

middle of a seven-year-old’s

birthday party.

A.D.A. LAWRENCE

I understand, and I’m sorry. But we

are coming in.

She turns a little on him.

ANNA:

That’s not a problem, as we have

nothing to hide from you. It’s just

that, we recently moved to this

area, and there are twenty guests

in our house... please... can you

give me five minutes so we can ask

everyone to leave calmly before you

come into my home?

He thinks this through.

A.D.A. LAWRENCE

You can get them out of the house.

ANNA:

Thank you.

INT./EXT. HALLWAY OUTSIDE STUDY/DECK

ABEL comes down the hall carrying file boxes and brings them

out onto the deck. ANNA comes out onto the deck as he is

looking over the edge.

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ANNA:

Where are you going?

ABEL:

Bring the last few out.

ANNA:

You’ve got three minutes.

ABEL:

What’s going on out there.

ANNA:

Our guests are leaving.

ABEL tries to speak but can only shake his head. Finally he

jumps over the edge and she starts handing boxes down to him.

He then stops again.

ABEL:

Do we even need to be doing this?

What exactly are we hiding here?

She thinks this through.

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