Animal Kingdom Page #19

Pope stares out the window.

DARREN:

We were innocent. We said that all

along. That’s what the jury's said.

REPORTER (O.C.)

Janine. You must be delighted. What doyou have to say?

SMURF:

I want to say three cheers for theboys! Hip-hip.

DARREN:

Hooray!

(CONTINUED)

Animal Kingdom - GREEN REVISIONS 110.

CONTINUED:

Smurf and Darren do three cheers. Pope looks out the window.

REPORTER (O.C.)

OK, let's get some nods before weforget.

The CAMERA swings round to be on the reporter.

REPORTER:

Tell me when you're set.

CAMERMAN (O.C.)

Set.

REPORTER:

(to rearview)

OK, guys, I just have to do what wecall nods. You don't have to sayanything. You'll see what it's aboutwhen it's all cut together.

The reporter does some 'nods'. Then -

REPORTER:

So how do you feel?

DARREN (O.C.)

Fantastic!

REPORTER:

No. You don't say anything.

174 INT. SOG VAN - DAY 174

On the move, a SOG opposite J pulls his pistol and points it atJ's face, the SOG’s eyes hidden behind sunglasses. Other SOGssit quiet. The SOG holds the gun for a long while, then pullsthe trigger. It clicks on an empty breach. J sits numb.

175 INT. HOTEL ROOM - DAY 175

Smurf in TV interview on the couch in a four-star hotel room.

SMURF:

I feel for the families of those two

young police, my heart goes out, buttwo good young boys got killed too,

Barry Brown and my son Craig.

The shot is now wide to reveal Smurf sitting between Pope andDarren on the couch. The boys hold glasses of white wine and arevisibly drunk and fidgeting.

(CONTINUED)

Animal Kingdom - GREEN REVISIONS 111.

CONTINUED:

SMURF:

They were innocent young boys. My

family's been dragged through the mud

over this. And that kind of action

plays heavy our on minds. Police start

throwing their weight around, and they

fly off the handle and a kid like J

gets the idea he can’t even trust the

law to work properly. The justice

system.

Pope lifts himself up drunkenly and leaves shot. Darren gets upand dials a phone on a side table behind the couch.

REPORTER (O.C.)

OK, maybe that's enough of that.

(to Pope)

Andrew, I was hoping to get some shots

of you and Darren reacting to the news

of your acquittal on TV.

POPE (O.C.)

Get us doing what?

REPORTER (O.C.)

As if you were watching a news report

on the TV, celebrating. Like you're

going 'yay!'

Darren drops the phone. It crashes down behind the side table.

He's very drunk.

POPE (O.C.)

I’m not a f***in monkey, mate. I’m not

doing that.

As this all takes place, Smurf remains in the middle of thecouch, watching her boys. Then she turns to camera, smiling.

176 INT. BEDROOM / SERVICED APARTMENT - NIGHT 176

J hurriedly packs his clothes into a bag. He zips it shut andturns to leave. SOGs mill in the hall ominously. J steps backinto the room.

Leckie enters and shuts the door. He sits on the bed, silent andstaring at J. The moment is long and awkward.

LECKIE:

Have you worked out where you fit?

J grabs his bag. He opens the door and closes it behind him.

Animal Kingdom - GREEN REVISIONS 112.

177 INT. HALL / SERVICED APARTMENT - NIGHT 177

SOG talk halts, all eyes on J. He winds his way to the door.

178 INT. BEDROOM / SERVICED APARTMENT - NIGHT 178

Back in the bedroom, Leckie sits like a lonely kid.

179 INT. SUPERMARKET - DAY 179

Leckie with his wife, son and trolley. They round an aisle. Andthen Leckie sees Smurf. He ignores her. They head towards eachother. Leckie pushes his trolley straight past her. He thinksshe hasn't seen him.

Then Smurf appears beside him.

SMURF:

I don't wish you any ill will, Mr

Leckie. I honestly don't.

Leckie ignores her. His wife watches her, seriously unnerved.

SMURF:

I want you to know that. You were only

doing your job. I hope you catch the

people who did that terrible thing.

LECKIE:

If you're as smart as I think you are,

you'd know to walk right on by me like

we'd never seen each other before in

our lives. And you'd know to feel

lucky. But you're gonna come unstuck.

I've got a feeling about it. I think

you do too. I think you carry that

feeling around with you every second

of the day.

Smurf looks at him, almost tenderly.

SMURF:

But I don't, Nathan.

Leckie leads his family away. Smurf is left in the aisle.

180 EXT. STREET - DAY 180

J steps out of a city cafe with a take-away coffee. He sits iton a ledge and stirs in sugar, lights himself a cigarette.

Animal Kingdom - GREEN REVISIONS 113.

181 EXT. BACK YARD / CODY HOUSE - DAY 181

J walks the side of the house, bag on his shoulder,

apprehensive. He hears MUSIC and LAUGHTER. He rounds the cornerto see Darren on a banana lounge drinking, another man alsodrinking, and Pope at the BBQ flipping sausages.

Darren stops mid-laugh, his unwitting friend carries on a littlelonger. Pope casually continues to flip sausages.

POPE:

(warmly)

G’day, mate.

J:

Hey. Hi, Daz.

The dog rushes to J. He pats it.

POPE:

You hungry?

J:

Yeah, maybe.

POPE:

Smurf’s in the kitchen. Go and say hi.

Grab yourself a beer.

182 INT. KITCHEN / CODY HOUSE - DAY 182

J enters. Smurf is at the bench, making salad. She turns andsees J. She rushes to him. She hugs and kisses him.

SMURF:

I was wondering when I’d see youagain. I've been missing you. You wantfood? You look Biafran.

J:

I’m gonna go lie down a bit.

SMURF:

You don’t wanna eat? Pope’s cooking.

J:

I wanna lie down, I think.

SMURF:

OK, love. Your room’s still there.

Smurf takes J's head in her hands and kisses his lips.

(CONTINUED)

Animal Kingdom - GREEN REVISIONS 114.

CONTINUED:

SMURF:

I missed you.

183

INT. J’S BEDROOM / CODY HOUSE - DAY 183

The room is tidy. J is on the bed, lying on his side. He hearsthe bedroom door open, but doesn’t turn to look.

Pope takes a seat at the end of the bed, holding a beer. Helooks around the room, taking it all in before speaking.

POPE:

It's a crazy f***in world.

A GUN BLAST strikes Pope in the head and his body slumps like asack of meat, instantly lifeless, to the floor.

J climbs off the bed, holding a gun. He stands back and surveys

the scene, standing over Pope's body.

He exits to the hall still with the gun. As he heads for the

lounge, Smurf walks toward him, panicked, hands to her mouth. J

stops her. He holds her. She is strangely calm, catatonic.

184

INT. LOUNGE / CODY HOUSE - DAY 184

J leads Smurf across the room to the window, his arm around her.

Darren is outside, looking back at him, disoriented.

J seems relaxed, composed. Darren is barefoot, holding a ketchup

bottle and a long sausage in a slice of bread.

J tosses the gun on the couch and kisses Smurf's head.

THE END:

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