Sin Nombre Page #8

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EL LIL' MAGO

This is the tallest tree in the

forest. If you climbed to the top

of this one, you could almost see

China.

MARTHA MARLEN:

Why couldn’t Willy come?

EL LIL' MAGO

Willy? You mean El Casper?

MARTHA MARLEN:

(self consciously

asserting herself)

Willy.

40.

El Lil' Mago eyes her.

EL LIL' MAGO

Ah... I get it. You’re the reason

he’s been missing.

(he laughs to himself)

Sit. I want to talk to you.

She sits.

EL LIL' MAGO (CONT’D)

Closer.

He pats the tall root, beckoning her closer. She looks

around, uncomfortably.

EL LIL' MAGO (CONT’D)

Don’t worry, I won’t bite.

She moves in a couple of inches.

EL LIL' MAGO (CONT’D)

So you and El Casper aren’t just

friends. Are you?

El Lil' Mago puts his hand on Martha Marlen’s leg. She looks

as if her stomach is turning into knots.

MARTHA MARLEN:

I have to go.

El Lil' Mago rubs her leg, slowly moving higher.

EL LIL' MAGO

How much time you guys spend

together?

Martha Marlen is frozen.

EL LIL' MAGO (CONT’D)

You know what the most important

rules are in maintaining

friendships?

El Lil' Mago moves in closer, right near her face.

EL LIL' MAGO (CONT’D)

Honesty...

He grabs her breasts. A wave of fear washes over Martha

Marlen. He breathes in her smell around her neck.

41.

EL LIL' MAGO (CONT’D)

...and generosity.

She pulls away as he kisses her neck, but he holds onto her.

She tries to break free but he reaches around her and pulls

her in. She pushes him, he pushes back.

She jumps back against the tree, but El Lil' Mago grabs her

in a chokehold, ripping her NECKLACE off.

He holds her in a chokehold and brings her to the ground,

unzipping his pants.

She struggles with all her might, but El Lil' Mago overpowers

her and holds her tightly. He turns her over, pulls at her

pants, gets them down. She struggles to find a grip, his arm

wraps around her face. She bites him so hard he bleeds,

letting her go.

She tries crawling away, dazed, trying to find an escape, El

Lil' Mago kicks her from behind. Her face slams into the

ground hard, piercing her temple on a broken gravestone.

El Lil' Mago stands over her, realizing he may have gone too

far.

EL LIL' MAGO

Hey? Hey? You okay?

He rolls her over, she’s gone. He’s upset, like a dog who

knows he’s done wrong. He sits down next to her, catching

his breath, rationalizing. He notices her necklace on the

ground and picks it up.

34 EXT. CEMETERY - LATER, NIGHT 34

El Casper, holding his belly, slowly makes his way down a row

of grave stones. Lil’ Mago appears out of the darkness and

walks past him.

EL CASPER:

Where’s Martha Marlen?

Lil' Mago doesn’t answer. He sits down next to a fire. His

mood is somber, his tone cold and hard.

EL CASPER:

Where is she?

EL LIL' MAGO

She’s gone.

42.

EL CASPER:

Home?

EL LIL' MAGO

Devil took her.

These words register on El Casper’s face. His emotions

strangle his heart in a vice as he tries to contain himself.

EL LIL' MAGO (CONT’D)

You’ll find another.

El Lil' Mago stretches. El Casper can’t contain himself

anymore, his eyes squeeze tears. El Lil’ Mago notes it, but

it’s unclear if he feels remorse. El Casper starts to head

into the darkness, searching...

EL LIL’ MAGO

Wait.

Lil’ Mago motions him over to Smiley, who cries on the ground

ten feet away from him, throbbing with fresh wounds. El Lil'

Mago kneels down next to him.

EL LIL' MAGO (CONT’D)

Smiley...

El Lil' Mago hands Smiley a Chimba.

EL LIL' MAGO (CONT’D)

Here. This is yours now. Take

care of it.

Smiley grasps the chimba, confused by the gesture but excited

by the gift. El Lil' Mago pats his head. He turns and faces

Casper...

EL LIL' MAGO (CONT’D)

We’re going on a little trip to

Ton.la. You, me and Casper. A

little family vacation.

El Lil' Mago smiles at Casper genuinely, unzips his pants and

pisses on a mausoleum.

EL LIL' MAGO (CONT’D)

One more thing, carnal, lie to me

again and I will kill you.

El Casper’s eyes tear. He looks out into the darkness, where

he lost Martha Marlen.

43.

35 EXT. TAPACHULA TRAIN YARD - NIGHT 35

The train yard is filled with 300 IMMIGRANTS waiting for the

train to move again.

Sayra and Horacio eat canned refried beans and tostadas. They

look exhausted as they stuff their faces.

Horacio watches as Sayra separates the beans from the rice

from the meat, then eats one section at a time. She picks out

the seeds from a pepper and scrapes them off her plate.

HORACIO:

Your Mom didn’t like chile either.

Sayra turns her bracelet on her wrist.

HORACIO (CONT’D)

Did she give that to you?

Sayra shakes her head.

HORACIO:

She used to wear one like that.

(BEAT)

I bought it for her in the

Coahuitas market when I was

courting her.

I know.

SAYRA:

Horacio laughs to himself, seemingly lost in memories.

Suddenly movement erupts down the line. Orlando runs up to

them.

ORLANDO:

Thank be to God... the tracks have

been cleared. The train’s leaving

tonight.

36 EXT. TAPACHULA TRAIN YARD - NIGHT 36

From high above, the massive freight train is covered with

human bodies. It pulls forward slowly, each car yanking on

the next in one long clanking succession.

Sarya, Horacio, and Orlando clamor for a position on top of a

box car. The train cars hammer into each other again as the

train picks up speed.

44.

Sayra’s eyes are wide with uncertainty as she watches the

blue light from the radio tower pass over them and towards

the back of the train. Horacio pulls her and Orlando into

him, holding them like two kids.

Suddenly they are enveloped in darkness.

spine, the hair rises on her neck.

Anxiety tickles her

37 EXT. SIDE OF TRAIN - CONTINUOUS 37

El Lil' Mago, El Casper, and Smiley get ready to jump aboard.

El Casper is bent over, nauseous. He watches El Lil' Mago in

the dark, a bitter hate in his eyes.

As they jump aboard immigrants distance themselves as best

they can. They know quite well who they are and what they

can do.

Smiley looks around excited. He’s never been on a train

before. He looks at Casper, but he is locked in an

adrenaline drained trance.

38 EXT. CHIAPAS COUNTRY-SIDE - DAY 38

SUPER:
SOCONUSCO, CHIAPAS

SUPER:
U.S. BORDER, 1530 MILES NORTH

The train in full daylight is packed with people, like a

gigantic conveyor belt snaking through lush farmlands.

Sayra drinks the last few drops of water from their bottle.

Everyone on the car is hot, sweating, and exhausted.

Aguas.

ORLANDO:

They duck as the branches of a tree brush over them.

39 CHIAPAS COUNTRY-SIDE 39

The train crosses the humid landscape, passing in front of an

abandoned village and a church, half buried with dirt and

covered in a tall grass.

45.

40 BETWEEN TRAIN CARS 40

El Lil' Mago, El Casper, and Smiley refuse tortillas offered

by the immigrants next to them. Lil’ Mago pulls out their

own food and disperses it to Casper and Smiley.

El Casper holds the food, but he doesn’t eat it. In a

trance, he stares at the passing ground just underneath them.

His eyes are red.

Smiley points to Casper’s food. He hands it to him without

looking. Smiley stuffs it in his mouth.

41 NORTH CHIAPAS COUNTRY-SIDE 41

The sun begins to set as the train curves around a mountain.

Just west, a great lagoon reflects the orange light of the

sun. Above it, storm clouds brew, casting a dark shadow

across the mountain and Eastern sky.

42 TOP OF BOXCAR 42

Sayra, Horacio, and Orlando look tired, sun burned and

thirsty.

The sky opens up and pours down rain. Horacio taps Orlando.

HORACIO:

Pull out the plastic.

Sayra pulls it out of Orlando’s backpack first, while several

of the other immigrants pull out garbage bags, with holes cut

out for their heads and arms.

Horacio and Sayra spread out what looks like a plastic tarp.

It covers at least FIVE people. Others pull out similar

sheets and connect theirs with Horacio’s, using their hands

to hold the seams together.

43 UNDER THE PLASTIC 43

TEN hot and wet immigrants, including Sayra, Horacio and

Orlando huddle together with their plastic sheets covering

them.

Orlando and Sayra laugh as they try to form a water tight

seam with the two sheets.

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