Brazil Page #10

CUT to SAM peering at sign.

CUT to Messerschmidt taking the exit just as a huge lorry

roars by.

37 EXT. BUTTLE FLATS DAY 37

Beautiful utopian block of high-rise flats gleam in the

sunlight. Pulling back we reveal it to be an architect's

model in a protective perspex case standing in the centre

of a decorative fountain that has long ceased to work -

graffiti and junk are now the only decorations. In the

background is the grim reality of the massive housing

tower. SAM's Messerschmidt is just puling up in the shadow

of the building which is grey, decrepid, vandalised. Huge

conduits, pipes, and tubing frame the scene. SAM gets out

of the car under the cool and none-too-friendly gaze of a

few LOCALS. Self-consciously, SAM looks around him, then

at the paper in his hand. A little group of KIDS sit

pitching pennies against a wall. SAM goes over to them.

SAM:

(super polite)

Excuse me. Can you tell me ...

But before he can finish, the smallest, tiny KID looks up.

KID:

Eff off.

SAM, uncomfortably, effs off.

He is watched, at some distance, imapassively by the

little GIRL BUTTTLE. As SAM enters the buildings one of

the kids gets out a can of something and approaches the

car. Another is fiddling, with a box of matches.

38 INT. BUTTLE FLATS DAY 38

CUT to SAM hesitantly walking into the semi-derelict lobby

of the big block of flats. Graffiti, vandalism are in

evidence everywhere. He walks up to the lift. Pushes the

button. Nothing happens. He pushes again. This time the

lift door shudders and sparks. SAM tries to pull the doors

apart. They jam open with a three-inch gap between them -

still shuddering and grinding. In the sparking light, SAM

can make out an interior crammed with garbage, junk, old

furniture, dead cats. Yechhhh. Resignedly, he turns

towards the stairs.

39 INT. CORRIDOR DAY 39

CUT to SAM coming breathlessly out of the stairwell. On

the wall next to it is the number 37. Walking down the

corridor he looks at the number and starts to knock, but

then notices that the door is cracked open. SAM tries to

knock on the door, but it keeps edging open and he settles

for knocking on the door frame a bit feebly.

SAM:

Mrs Buttle

(silence)

Uh, Mrs Buttle?

(silence)

SAM stands not knowing what to do.

SAM pushes the door a bit more open gingerly and puts

about 65 per cent of his body into the hall of the flat.

CUT to SAM's POV of darkish hall.

SAM:

Mrs Buttle ...

40 INT. BUTTLE SITTING ROOMDAY 40

CUT to SAM entering extremely tacky sitting-room shrouded

in half-darkness. This is the same flat from which the

FATHER was taken at the beginning of the film: the hole is

still in the ceiling. SAM becomes aware of a woman sitting

absolutely still at a small table by the only (still

broken) window in the room.

SAM:

Are you Mrs Buttle?

The WOMAN nods very slightly without looking at him.

SAM:

My name is Lowry - Sam Lowry. I'm

from the Ministry of Information.

(no response)

I've come to give you a cheque.

SAM takes the cheque out of his pocket and puts it on the

table to tempt MRS BUTTLE into a flicker of interest but

she fails to notice it - or him for that matter. SAM

pushes the cheque a little way towards MRS BUTTLE but she

does not respond.

SAM:

(indicting cheque)

It's a refund ... I'm afraid there

was a mistake.

MRS BUTTLE:

Mistake?

SAM:

(encouraged)

Yes. Not my department ... I'm only

records. It seems that Mr Buttle was

overcharged by Information Retrieval.

I don't think they usually make

mistakes ... but, er ... I suppose

we're all human.

SAM looks around and sees the hole in the ceiling.

Oh ... what happened to the ...?

He gets nothing back.

Actually, my bringing this here is

rather unorthodox ... Usually any

payments are made through the central

computer ... but, er ... there were

certain difficulties, and rather than

cause delay, we thought you might

appreciate this now ... it being

Christmas.

MRS BUTTLE:

My husband's dead, isn't he?

SAM:

Er ... I assure you Mrs Buttle, the

Ministry is always very scrupulous

about following up and eradicating

error. If you have any complaints

which you'd like to make, I'd be more

than happy to send you the

appropriate forms.

MRS BUTTLE:

What have you done with his body?

SAM:

Um ...

MRS BUTTLE starts to cry.

SAM:

Look, I'm very sorry, but I'm afraid

I don't know anything about it ...

I'm really just delivering the

cheque. Er ... If you wouldn't mind

signing these receipts

(producing blue and pink

receipts)

I'll go and leave you in peace.

SAM picks up the cheque and gives it to MRS BUTTLE

together with the receipts. MRS BUTTLE tears them up and

throws them in his face.

SAM:

Uh ...

MRS BUTTLE:

He hadn't done anything ... He was

good ... What have you done with his

body?

SAM looks around for an escape and sees a YOUNG BUTTLE

standing in the doorway. The BOY is looking at him with a

blank tearful face. Suddenly the BOY launches himself at

SAM with terrible ferocity. SAM is knocked against the

wall. A mirror falls off the wall and smashes on the

floor. The BOY is all over SAM kicking and pulling his

hair. MRS BUTTLE's reaction, however, is to try and pull

the BOY away from SAM. By the time she succeeds, SAM is on

his hands and knees, in pain. The BOY is crying and

shouting, and MRS BUTTLE is loudly trying to quieten the

BOY.

From SAM'S POV, a piece of broken mirror lying on the

floor reflects the hole in the ceiling ... with JILL's

head and shoulders framed in the hole. The moment is

unreal for SAM in his dazed condition. The vision seems

unreal too. JILL is staring at SAM out of the piece of

mirror and. she's very much the GIRL from his dream now.

JILL:

Are you alright?

SAM:

(mumbles)

It's you ... it's you ...

JILL:

Mrs Buttle, are you alright?

SAM grabs at the image, i.e. at the mirror, shifting the

angle so that the vision disappears. He looks for the

vision on the floor but can't find it. Then he begins to

realise the reality of what he has seen. He stands up,

dazed and battered. MRS BUTTLE has been looking up at the

ceiling. SAM looks up at the ceiling but there is now only

the empty space of the hole.

SAM:

Wait! Stop! Come back!!

MRS BUTTLE is shouting. SAM rushes out of the flat.

41 INT. BUTTLE'S CORRIDOR DAY 41

SAM looks both ways and heads for the stairs.

42 INT. BUTTLE'S STAIRCASE DAY 42

SAM runs up the stairs to the floor above and finds

himself in -

43 EXT. SIMILAR CORRIDOR DAY 43

He runs along the corridor but has omitted to count the

doors downstairs and now doesn't know which door to knock

at. He hesitates. He rings the bell on what he hopes is

the right door. The bell doesn't work. He bangs on the

door. The door opens a crack. A malevolent eye looks at

him.

SAM:

Girl ... fair hair ...

The door shuts firmly. SAM rushes to the next door.

44 INT. JILL'S FLAT DAY 44

SAM bursts into JILL's flat. He sees the hole in the

floor. The place looks derelict. He hears an explosion and

looks out of a window to see his car in flames. JILL is

apparently retreating from it across the forecourt. She is

carrying a suitcase and bundles.

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