Babel Page #16

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145 INT. SANTIAGO'S CAR -- NIGHT

Santiago drives the car, nodding off every now and then. In

the back, Debbie and Mike have surrendered to sleep. Santiago

jerks the wheel.

AMELIA:

(In Spanish)

Hey... be careful...

Santiago corrects the vehicles trajectory and goes back to

his careless driving.

146 EXT. BORDER CROSSING -- NIGHT

Santiago decides to cross through Mesa de Otay. Since it's

nighttime, there are very few cars. They drive across the

bridge and stop before the immigration officer.

147 EXT. IMMIGRATION STALL, BORDER CROSSING -- CONTINUOUS

The officer walks up to the window.

OFFICER:

Your papers...

Santiago and Amelia take out their passports and their Green

cards. The officer compares the documents to their faces

again and again.

OFFICER (CONT'D)

Where you comin' from?

83.

SANTIAGO:

(In bad English)

From a wedding.

The officer looks through the window and sees Debbie and

Mike sleeping in the back.

OFFICER:

Who are they?

Santiago rushes to answer.

SANTIAGO:

They're her nephews.

Amelia freezes at Santiago's answer. The officer won't stop

looking at the children.

OFFICER:

They don't look like you.

AMELIA:

(bewildered)

I'm in charge of them.

OFFICER:

Do you have their passports?

Amelia takes out their American passports and shows them to

the cop. He looks them over very carefully. Santiago starts

to get nervous.

SANTIAGO:

Is there a problem?

The officer turns to look at them suspiciously. He obviously

smells the alcohol.

OFFICER:

Should there be one?

Santiago shakes his head. Debbie wakes up and looks at the

officer sleepily.

DEBBIE:

Hi.

OFFICER:

Hey there, sweetie.

Debbie rubs her eyes.

OFFICER (CONT'D)

Tell me, is this lady your aunty?

Debbie innocently shakes her head.

84.

DEBBIE:

No, she's not my aunty.

The officer stares at them harshly. He says something

incomprehensible over his radio and asks Santiago.

OFFICER:

Are you drunk?

SANTIAGO:

Me, sir? No.

OFFICER:

Get out of the car.

SANTIAGO:

Why, officer?

OFFICER:

I'm countin' to three...

He brings his hand to his gun.

148

INT. SANTIAGO'S CAR -- NIGHT

Nervous, Santiago glances ahead and looks at the border

crossing through his rear-view mirror. He puts the car in

reverse and accelerates, trying to escape back to Mexico,

but he crashes into an arriving car.

AMELIA:

(In Spanish)

What are you doing?

149

EXT. IMMIGRATION DESK, BORDER CROSSING -- NIGHT

The immigration officers take out their guns and run to stop

him. Santiago sees that the road ahead is clear and he drives

away full speed, barely swerving around some customs officers

who are searching another vehicle.

The officer shouts urgently.

OFFICER:

They've kidnapped some kids...

He starts a police chase.

150 EXT. DESERT HIGHWAY -- NIGHT

Santiago's car drives full speed down the highway. He

sometimes looks as if he is going to lose control.

151 INT. SANTIAGO'S CAR -- NIGHT

Santiago drives madly. Frightened, Amelia holds onto the

dashboard. Debbie and Mike start to cry.

85.

SANTIAGO:

(In Spanish)

See, I told you you shouldn't have

brought them. I told you. I told

you..

A trailer drives slowly. Santiago decides to drive around

it blindly, and almost drives off the other side of the road.

AMELIA:

(In Spanish)

Santiago, stop acting crazy and stop

the car... Santiago, stop...

Santiago ignores her, concentrated on his driving. He looks

through the rear-view mirror. There is nobody behind him,

only the dark highway. Santiago steps on the gas.

Amelia tries to comfort the kids.

AMELIA (CONT'D)

(In English)

Everything's all right sweeties...

The children won't stop crying, terrified by the speed.

Through one of his mirrors, Santiago sees two patrol cars

following him with their turrets flashing.

SANTIAGO:

(In Spanish)

F***ing a**hole gringo mother-f***ers,

here they come...

Santiago accelerates. The car seems to be out of control.

The children scream. Amelia tries to stop Santiago.

AMELIA:

(In Spanish)

Stop... Stop...

Santiago reaches a path and heads toward it.

152 EXT. DESERT PATH -- NIGHT

The car drives quickly down the path, raising up a cloud of

dust. The patrol cars are no longer visible.

The car drives on for a mile and then stops.

153 INT. SANTIAGO'S CAR -- NIGHT

Santiago turns to Amelia.

SANTIAGO:

(Their entire dialogue

in Spanish)

Get out...

86.

Amelia looks at the dark desert surrounding them.

AMELIA:

Are you crazy? Where?

SANTIAGO:

Get out. I'll lose these bastards

and then I'll come back for you.

AMELIA:

Santiago, calm down...

SANTIAGO:

Aunt Amelia, they're going to get

us, get out god damn it...

154 EXT. SANTIAGO'S CAR -- NIGHT

Amelia gets out and opens the door for the kids.

AMELIA:

(In English)

Come with me, dears.

The kids get out and Amelia holds their hand. Santiago closes

the doors and drives off in a cloud of dust.

They start to walk through the darkness. Amelia leads the

way, avoiding cacti and thorny branches. The go on like

this for a long stretch. The children are quiet and scared.

Amelia goes toward the highway and realizes the patrol cars

have turned into the path. She runs into the desert with

the kids. She can barely see with the light of the early

dawn. The three frequently trip on thorny plants.

DEBBIE:

I want to go home now.

MIKE:

Me too.

Both of them, scared, start to cry.

AMELIA:

(In English)

Don't cry. We're going home now.

She looks back worried at where the patrol cars were; they

are approaching quickly. Then she turns to where Santiago

ran. The headlights are soon lost on the horizon.

Amelia holds them by the hand and pulls them as she runs.

AMELIA (CONT'D)

(In Spanish)

Let's go.

87.

She leads them further and further away from the path, snaking

through the brush. The patrol cars come even closer. Amelia

ducks and hides behind one of the bushes.

AMELIA (CONT'D)

Get down.

The children hide with her. The patrol cars tear past her,

some five hundred yards away, chasing after Santiago.

We suddenly hear sirens. Then, the sound of doors slamming

and unintelligible voices over a loudspeaker.

POLICE OFFICER (O.S.)

Do not get out of the car...don't

get out...wait...stop...stop...don't

run...

After a few seconds, we hear distant gunshots, three, four.

Amelia listens, frozen.

155 INT. ROOM, ANWAR'S HOUSE -- AFTERNOON

Dusk. Susan sleeps and Richard looks at the vast desert

through the window. Anwar, sitting on a chair, with a fan

clears away the flies hovering around Susan. We can hear the

call to prayer and Anwar prostrates himself toward Mecca.

Richard observes Anwar's prayer and then looks at Susan who

moans in her sleep.

156 INT. ANWAR'S HOUSE -- AFTERNOON

Richard and Anwar are sitting in silence while Susan lies

unconsciously on the floor.

Yamil. (9), a beautiful girl with large brown eyes, enters

carrying a tray with cookies and tea. She greets Richard

with a nod and offers him tea.

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