Animal Kingdom Page #2

Smurf turns. J smiles, shy and hesitant.

SMURF:

Morning, baby.

J:

Hi. Hi, Uncle Darren.

DARREN:

Seriously. Stop calling me uncle. It'sgiving me the creeps.

Baz sticks his hand out. J shakes it.

BAZ:

You want juice? Smurf's juicing.

SMURF:

Apple and pear, hon. It's good.

Baz pushes a chair out for J. J sits.

BAZ:

How old are you now? I'm gonna guess.

Show us your muscles. Do like this.

(CONTINUED)

Animal Kingdom - GREEN REVISIONS 7.

CONTINUED:
(2)

Baz flexes his biceps. J does likewise, unsure of himself. Jlooks to Darren who sits impassive.

BAZ:

OK, now sing the alphabet.

J:

I'm seventeen.

Smurf starts up the JUICER. It's LOUD. The boys wait for it tostop. Noise stops. Smurf pours the juice into a glass.

She looks close at it as she puts the glass before J.

SMURF:

Look at that. It looks like an applemilkshake.

CRAIG CODY (27) enters, agitated, shirtless, tattooed. Hecarries a small chainsaw and drags a Doberman by its collar.

SMURF:

What are you doing, love?

CRAIG:

What's it look like?

Craig exits. Smurf starts the BLENDER. Baz laughs. J smiles.

DARREN:

What the f***, mum?

Craig bursts back into the room.

CRAIG:

What the f***'s going on!?

Smurf switches off the juicer and pours juice into a glass.

CRAIG:

Who said you could bring that noisething in my house?

SMURF:

It's yours, love. It lives under yoursink. You want a juice?

CRAIG:

Bullshit it's mine.

SMURF:

It is. I found it under there.

(CONTINUED)

Animal Kingdom - GREEN REVISIONS 8.

CONTINUED:
(3)

CRAIG:

Who said you could use it? Look at the

f***in mess your making.

Craig unplugs the juicer, stuffs it under his arm and stormsout. Smurf puts juice in front of Darren. The sound of thejuicer SMASHING on cement outside can be heard. J flinches.

Darren smiles. Craig bursts back through the kitchen.

SMURF:

Craig.

CRAIG:

What?

SMURF:

Come here.

CRAIG:

I'm busy.

SMURF:

Doing what? Come here and give me a

kiss.

Craig steps back to his mum like a scolded kid. Smurf takes hischin in her hand. He goes meek. She looks at him warmly, thenkisses him on the lips gentle and slow, his eyes closed. Jwatches.

14 EXT. BROWN-SAYLES HOUSE - DAY 14

Inside Baz's new model Commodore as it drives a suburban street.

As he approaches his driveway, he spots a car parked down theroad. Two men sit behind the wheel.

Baz pulls into the drive of his neat, suburban house. He getsout of the car, carrying a sports bag, and heads for the door,

glancing back across the street at the parked car.

15 INT. KITCHEN / BROWN-SAYLES HOUSE - DAY 15

Baz enters. His de facto wife CATHERINE SAYLES and their baby

daughter Evie are at the kitchen bench. Cath is on the phone.

Baz kisses her on the cheek and stacks the sports bag under thesink. He heads back to the front door.

16 EXT. BROWN-SAYLES HOUSE - DAY 16

Baz strides across the front lawn. The mystery car is stillparked across the street. He goes to the letter box and stuffsletters in his back pocket.

(CONTINUED)

Animal Kingdom - GREEN REVISIONS 9.

CONTINUED:

He moves to the fence for a better look at the car. Standing bya flower bush, he picks up garden shears and does a littlepruning, glancing up at the man behind the wheel.

Baz strides out across the street towards the car, clutching hisflowers. Two detectives sit inside the car, windows up. Baz tapson the driver's window. The driver winds it down. Baz hands him

the flowers.

BAZ:

These are for you.

AR DETECTIVE:

Thanks, mate. You keep them. I don'thave a vase.

BAZ:

What do you want?

AR DETECTIVE:

We're just sitting here having a

think.

BAZ:

You wanna go think somewhere else?

AR DETECTIVE:

Yeah, maybe in a bit.

BAZ:

He's not here, mate. You're wastingyour time.

AR DETECTIVE:

Who's not here.

BAZ:

You know who.

AR DETECTIVE:

I don't know what you're talking

about.

They stare at each other a moment.

AR DETECTIVE:

You better get those flowers in water,

mate. They won't last in this heat.

Beat, then Baz turns and heads back to the house.

Animal Kingdom - GREEN REVISIONS 10.

17 INT. BROWN-SAYLES HOUSE - DAY 17

Catherine meets Baz as he shuts the front door. She is holdingEvie.

CATHERINE:

What are you doing to my roses?

Baz smiles. He hands Cath the flowers and kisses her warmly. Hetakes Evie from her, bobbing her up and down on his hip.

CATHERINE:

You’ve chopped my bush half to sh*t.

BAZ:

It’s a plant, honey. They grow betterif you chop them half to sh*t. Theylike it.

CATHERINE:

How’d you go this morning?

Baz holds up nine fingers and shrugs his disappointment.

CATHERINE:

Nine!?

Baz motions to Cath to keep quiet.

CATHERINE:

What?

BAZ:

Nothing. I want a drink.

(to Evie)

You wanna fix daddy a drink?

Baz heads for the kitchen.

18 INT. CRAIG’S STATION WAGON - DAY 18

Craig drives, J beside him. Craig's wired. J's apprehensive.

CRAIG:

Hey, what's your form like? You beenin trouble with the police?

Craig pulls up at a red-light.

J:

Once.

(CONTINUED)

Animal Kingdom - GREEN REVISIONS 11.

CONTINUED:

CRAIG:

What for?

J:

Stealing cars.

A CAR HORN. Craig glances in the rearview.

CRAIG:

Yeah? What happened?

J:

I squirmed out of it. No conviction.

Craig stares in the rearview.

A car pulls up beside Craig, two hoods inside. The hood closestyells abuse. Craig just stares blankly at him.

HOOD:

The light's green, idiot!

The hood car moves off. Craig moves with it, holding his stare.

They yell more abuse and up the speed. Craig stays with them,

side by side, his eyes dangerously off the road.

The hoods are enraged. They take off. Craig follows steadily.

He reaches under his seat and pulls out a gun. He puts it inJ's lap. J stares at it.

They wind down side streets. After two corners, the hood carhits its brakes. They've had enough. Craig slows to a stop fivecar lengths behind. He looks to J, who is staring at the gun inhis hands - he's never held one before in his life.

The men get out of the car. The driver hood approaches angry.

CRAIG:

Go get him.

J:

And do what?

CRAIG:

Let him know who's king.

19 EXT. STREET - DAY 19

J climbs out of the car. One hood is almost on them. J raises

the gun tentatively, trying to maintain composure. The driverimmediately backs down, apologising, backing away. J saysnothing, watches him retreat, feels the power.

(CONTINUED)

Animal Kingdom - GREEN REVISIONS 12.

CONTINUED:

The men get back in their car and drive away hastily. J standswatching them leave.

20 INT. CRAIG'S STATION WAGON - DAY 20

J gets back in, numb, buzzing. Craig smiles.

CRAIG:

How'd that feel? You get a stiffy?

J stares at the gun in his lap, then hands it back to Craig.

CRAIG:

Butt first, mate.

Craig slides the gun under the seat. J is dazed. Craig laughsinto a coughing fit as he backs the car away.

Craig stops and realises he's gotten himself half lost in the

chase. He hits the brakes and finishes coughing.

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