First They Killed My Father Page #7

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EXT. RO LEAP MEETING AREA - DAY

The cart stops.

28.

The driver orders the new arrivals to get out and wait for

instructions from the village chief. Loung’s family quickly

jumps off the cart, leaving her behind. Standing at the edge,

she fights the impulse to run and hide in the far corner.

All around the ox carts, villagers have gathered to take

their first look at the new people. These villagers are all

dressed in the familiar loose-fitting black pajama pants and

shirts with a red-and-white checkered scarf wrapped across

their shoulders or around their head. They look like an older

version of the Khmer Rouge soldiers that stormed into their

city, except they do not carry guns.

SOMEONE IN THE CROWD

Capitalists should be shot and

killed.

A BASE WOMAN:

Parasites!

The Base Woman walks over and spits at Pa's feet. Pa's

shoulders droop low as he holds his palms together in a

gesture of greeting. Loung cowers at the edge of the Ox Cart,

afraid to get off. To her, the villagers look very mean, like

hungry tigers ready to pounce. Their black eyes stare at her,

full of contempt.

PA:

(gently to Loung)

Come, you have to get off the cart.

She drags her body cautiously toward him. She takes hold of

Chou’s hand and together they follow Ma. (While he speaks,

Loung focuses on other things.)

EXT. RO LEAP MEETING AREA - CONTINUOUS

Loung looks around.

There were no soldiers in the villages, but there were

chlops, it means militiamen who spy, who are security guards,

who arrest...

29.

RO LEAP KHMER ROUGE

(with a heavy accent of

people from the jungle

area)

Angkar never uses any object from

imperialist and feudal society.

All of these things create a deep

divide between rich and poor.

You must absolutely give up all

personal property. Destroy

individualism; build the collective

spirit! Absolutely everything

belongs to the Angkar!

Loung nestles closer to Chou and leans her head on her

shoulder. The RO LEAP VILLAGE CHIEF makes his appearance to

the crowd of new people.

OMITTED:

EXT. RO LEAP MEETING AREA - DAY

RO LEAP KHMER ROUGE

By wearing the same thing we rid

ourselves of the corrupt Western

creation of vanity. We are all

equal. You will take these stain

(he holds up a bowl of berries -

makhleur in Khmer) and then mix in

mud to dye your remaining clothes,

removing all color.

Renounce family ties, and adopt the

immense family; have a

revolutionary consciousness!

ALL:

Yes, comrade.

30.

RO LEAP KHMER ROUGE

Father is now “Pok”. Not Daddy or

Pa…Mother is “Meh”. The Angkar

tenderly looks after you all, The

Angkar is your family now.

Loung grabs her Pa’s fingers even tighter.

EXT. RO LEAP HUT - DAY

Establish the Ro Leap Village.

The family is shown to their assigned plot.

Ma sorts through the clothes. Ma and the girls work to stain

them black. First they smash the berries and stain them.

Loung watches as the clothes lose their color.

During this process the Men are coming back with planks of

wood for the house and working on the structure.

Later - the clothes in black mud are hung out to dry. Ma

sees other mothers cutting their children’s hair to match the

KR. She begins with Geak. Loung watches.

OMITTED - CONTENT MERGED INTO SCENE 115

EXT. RO LEAP - LATE DAY

The bell rings, signaling mealtime. Gripping her wooden bowl

and spoon, Loung, Chou (with new haircuts) and Kim walk to

the communal kitchen while the others wait their turn. They

are separated into groups. (This is how they will now work

and eat. Girls 6-12 then older girls and women. Boys 6-12

then older boys and men.)

EXT. RO LEAP DINING AREA - BEFORE DARK

The kitchen is nothing but a long table, with no chairs or

benches, and under a thatched roof with no walls, and a few

brick ovens. On the long table sit two pots, one full of rice

and one full of soup with bits of fish inside.

There are six or seven base women stirring and scooping food

from the pots. A long line of new people has already formed

around the table. Like Loung’s family, they have all changed

from their city clothing into their black pajama pants and

shirts, the only clothes they will wear from now on.

31.

Loung looks at the long line in front of her. She stares at

the many black pots filled with steamy food on the ground.

The line moves quickly and silently. Under her breath she

counts the heads before her, eliminating them one by one,

anxiously waiting for her turn.

Loung raises her bowl to her eye level to make it easier for

the comrade to serve her. She does not dare look up at the

woman. Eyes focused on her bowl, Loung sees the hand dump

some rice in her bowl and drop a whole small fish on top of

it.

LOUNG:

Thank you.

EXT. DINING AREA - EARLY EVENING

Loung and her sister eat their food together. They lick the

bowls clean. She looks at Davi’s sister and the other new

girls.

She hears an announcement and sees the next groups line up.

She watches her older brothers and sisters with Ma and Pa

stand in line.

Their time is up. Loung and Chou walk back towards their hut.

OMITTED:

EXT. RO LEAP HUT -MORNING

Ma Keav and Loung trade items with the Base women. Loung and

her sisters help sew palm tree walls for the hut. They have

never done this before and are watching a family to learn.

The men continue to work on the hut.

32.

EXT. RO LEAP - EARLY MORNING

The guards patrol. Pa and the boys are working on the house.

Davi’s Father and brothers are working next door to build

theirs.

OMITTED:

EXT. RO LEAP - MORNING

Over the megaphone we hear the mornings announcements and

call to work. We see the rice fields begin to fill with rows

of workers.

EXT. RO LEAP - MORNING

Loung and Chou are in line with the other girls marching to

work. They pass Ma and Keav in the fields.

EXT. RO LEAP GARDEN - MORNING

Loung and Chou’s first day at work. They tend to the soil to

prepare a garden. Loung looks out and sees Ma and Keav in the

rice field. Kim is in a nearby garden with the other boys.

Chlop patrol.

(Rectangle comment ccaruso

10/18/2017 12:
53:56 AM

blank)

Later - Loung’s back is hurting. She is not used to this kind 119D

of labour. The Base Woman who spit at Pa upon arrival, walks

over. She looks at the girls and tells them they are lazy

and need to work harder.

The young girls try to hold back tears.

INT. RO LEAP HUT -DUSK

Pa finishing the roof. Loung’s eyes grow heavy. She falls

asleep.

EXT. RO LEAP GARDEN - MORNING - PLANTING

We pan across a large area where we see hundreds working the

fields.

33.

Loung and Chou work in the garden. They sweat under the hot

sun.

OMITTED:

EXT. RO LEAP - DAY

Loung walks back to her hut and passes her parents and older

siblings working in the rice fields.

EXT. RO LEAP HUT - NIGHT

That night, Loung sneaks out of the hut past the KR on patrol

and follows Pa into a meeting at the town square.

EXT. TOWN SQUARE - NIGHT

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