Carnival

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FADE IN:

A CIRCUS FLIER:

Floating in the night air like a falling Autumn leaf.

“Shiv” is the name of the KNIFE THROWER, written in sharp,

gleaming font. A stylish illustration depicts a hooded man

hurling knives at us, blades reflecting a cheering crowd.

A sharp WHISTLE - the poster TEARS as:

A REAL KNIFE:

Cuts right THROUGH it...

Time slowing down as we follow it FLY...

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! - twisting and turning...

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! - the blade reflecting fleeting GLIMPSES of

its surroundings:

Circus tents BURNING in the night...

SHIV (V.O.)

I hear them talk. They all talk so

much. About the war.

Shadows outlined against crackling flames... GANGBANGERS

firing semiautomatics...

SHIV (V.O.)

I hear them say it was about

revenge.

Carnival PERFORMERS defending their territory... a LION TAMER

cracks her WHIP at a chain-wielding THUG arching in pain...

SHIV (V.O.)

That it was about betrayal.

A FIRE BREATHER blows a plume of FIRE... torching two THUGS

alive...

SHIV (V.O.)

About money.

The KNIFE keeps flying... STABS into a THUG’s neck...

SHIV (V.O.)

But that’s just part of it.

2.

Blood SPURTS against the side of a trailer, and the CIRCUS

FLIER glued to it: “Zodiac” is the name of the FORTUNE

TELLER, written in sensual red font.

SHIV (V.O.)

It was also about fate...

The poster depicts a gypsy beauty holding a fan of tarot

cards. Wild eyes reflect flickering flames. A jewel-encrusted

circlet adorns her head.

SHIV (V.O.)

And about love.

CUT TO:

EXT. THE CARNIVAL - NIGHT

CIRCUS TENTS clustered together like a mountain range,

surrounded by trailers and rides. An oasis of color nested in

a high DESERT AREA.

MIDWAY:

Bright. Loud. Sword swallowers and beds of nails. Music and

laughter. Rigged game stands with stuffed animal prizes.

Carnies conning money out of townies.

CLACK!

A knife THRUSTS between two fingers spread on a table. We’re

now at...

INT. BACKSTAGE TENT - NIGHT

A hooded man sits in darkness playing five-finger fillet.

CLACK! CLACK! CLACK! - he stabs back and forth - faster and

faster while muttering something to himself.

It’s the knife thrower from the flier. SHIV (20). One of the

carnival’s star performers. We will never see him smile.

The knife CHANGES hands - now he stabs with his left - his

blade a BLUR of speed as he effortlessly repeats tongue

twisters:

3.

SHIV:

I thought a thought. But the

thought I thought wasn't the

thought I thought I thought. If the

thought I thought I thought had

been the thought I thought -

AYLEEN (O.S.)

-- then I wouldn't have thought so

much.

AYLEEN (22), his ever-cheerful sister and assistant, walks in

and places her hand by his -

The knife now flies over TEN FINGERS as:

AYLEEN:

We’re up, bro. Crowd is huge. Crowd

is hungry. How about we give them

something special tonight?

SHIV:

We do that every night.

AYLEEN:

Not talking about your knives. I’m

talking about...

She pushes the corners of his mouth up with her fingers,

forcing a smile.

AYLEEN:

There we go.

But the smile doesn’t last long.

She pulls his hood back.

AYLEEN:

And stop hiding that pretty face of

yours.

INT. BIG TOP - PERFORMANCE RING - LATER

A spotlight slices the darkened ring with white light. It

follows Ayleen as she enters alone, speaking through a

wireless MIC.

AYLEEN:

Howdy!

CHEERS from the public, an eclectic mix of scum:

4.

Gangsta types too young to afford the gold they wear. Chronic

drunks holding hipflasks. Rich a**holes with silicone trophy

wives seated on their laps.

Ayleen’s mood suddenly darkens as...

AYLEEN:

I’m afraid I got some bad news for

you. My bro isn’t feeling too well.

Cheers dwindle into silence.

AYLEEN:

So he ain’t doing any throwing

tonight.

Silence turns into antsy murmurs.

AYLEEN:

Instead you’ll see a dancing number

or some sh*t.

Antsy murmurs build to angry BOOS.

AYLEEN:

Yeah I know, it sucks donkey balls.

But look at the bright side... I’m

just f***ing with ya!!!

Enter Shiv as he pulls his hood back up - all SPOTLIGHTS on

him - CHEERS! - the public gives him a rockstar welcome.

AYLEEN:

Damn right he’s throwing!

(dramatic voice)

And heee’s... in a baaaad...

moooood...

A light DAZZLES Shiv - he whips out a KNIFE and HURLS it

towards the SPOTLIGHT bothering him -

CRASH! - problem solved.

AYLEEN:

See?! That’s what I’m talking

about!

The crowd ROARS in celebration.

LATER:

Ayleen SPINS, strapped to a spinning wheel. Holds an ORCHID

between her teeth.

5.

Twenty meters away from her, Shiv readies a knife, its sharp

edge GLINTING like a deadly weapon, not a circus prop.

ACROBATS enter the stage, combining dance techniques with

cartwheels, flip-flops, handwalking, and other moves -

Doing their performance right between Shiv and his target.

He zeroes in on the flower stem, takes aim... despite the

dancing sea of flesh that now stands in his way...

Crowd goes SILENT. Is he nuts?

He is. He THROWS -His

KNIFE flies with a razored whistle...

Whizzing OVER an acrobat’s head...

Flying right BETWEEN a handwalker’s legs...

Jockeying through a web of limbs and flesh until...

CLACK! - the knife CHOPS OFF the tip of Ayleen’s orchid!

CROWD GOES NUTS.

LATER:

Ayleen now stands before a 20-foot tall pile of WOODEN

CRATES.

She JUMPS - hand reaching up - like a climber trying to find

a crevice to hold on to -

CLACK! - a knife comes flying and STICKS into the wood -Her

hand grasps the handle.

CLACK! - another blade STABS right under her shoe as she

STEPS on the butt -She

HOISTS herself up - her other hand reaching --

CLACK! - another knife STICKS into a crate - she grabs the

butt -Shiv

keeps throwing knives as she CLIMBS up the pile.

It’s seamless. Fluid. Precise. Knives stab into crates

milliseconds before she reaches for them. Each throw

celebrated with ROARING cheers.

6.

But something seems to be bothering Shiv. As he keeps

throwing, he shoots fleeting glances at the crowd.

Discomfort quickly builds into anger until:

He TURNS and HURLS a knife right at the public!

WE follow it FLY...

The dazzling glint of spotlights on its blade...

It sails towards a blurry crowd of cheering faces...

Towards a smoking OLD WOMAN...

We notice a PICKPOCKET seated behind her... his hand reaching

over towards her purse...

CLACK! - the blade PINS the pickpocket’s sleeve to the back

of her chair -She

whips her head - notices the thief.

PSSS! - burns his face with her cigarette -INSTANT

BRAWL.

INT. BIG TOP’S ENTRANCE TENT - LATER

Number over, Shiv and Ayleen exit the ring.

AYLEEN:

Is it me, or did you do something

nice back in there?

SHIV:

He was distracting me.

AYLEEN:

Oh shut up “Mr. I Hate The World”.

You did do something nice.

(then)

Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.

CUT TO:

EXT. THE CARNIVAL - NIGHT

CARS leave the parking lot. The fair’s lights start to die.

7.

EXT. TRAILER AREA - LATER

A beacon of fiery light GLOWS in the surrounding blackness.

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