Snowtown Page #6

time after Christmas.

JOHN:

Bye.

FRED:

Bye.

DOCTOR:

How are you, alright?

Mm-hmm.

So Fred, tell me, how long

have you been schizophrenic?

- Um, a couple of years now.

- Have you seen a psychiatrist?

Yeah, I have.

The psychiatrist diagnosed

you with schizophrenia?

- Yeah.

- Okay.

What's the symptoms of what you

usually have with the schizophrenia?

Um, a lot of stuff.

A lot of stuff. Like headaches?

- Yeah.

- Do you have negative thoughts?

Yeah.

So since you are on the medicine,

do you feel different?

- Do you feel better?

- Nuh.

You're supposed to sleep

with such medication.

What about your mind?

Do you think it's not working

properly sometimes?

- No.

- Not at all.

Here you are, Fred.

There's your certificate.

Just lodge them at a Centrelink.

I'll see you later.

Have you got your

Medicare card?

OK. Just sign next to the cross.

SOCIAL WORKER:

Okay, that all looks fine.

We'll reactivate your payments

at the end of the day.

You'll receive your first

payment a week from today.

So what I need you to do now

Fred is sign here for me.

It's the 23rd.

'98.

Okay.

Okay, that's it, Fred.

Any other questions?

JOHN:
So who is he?

He's Gary.

He's just a spastic.

So you know him?

Yeah, sort of.

Would anyone miss him?

I don't know.

This is my pet python snake.

It's a ju-jungle python snake.

It comes from the ah,

top of Queensland.

It's a bit nasty, and um,

it's about two years old...

and you can buy these um,

rats from a pet store.

It's about five dollars a-a box.

Yeah, anyway...

Would you like to s-see me um,

feeding the snake, Jamie?

JAMIE:
Yeah, sure.

GARY:
See how he's eating?

Yeah, he's beautiful,

isn't he Jamie?

Um, this one's a um,

jungle python.

- JOHN:
Is it?

- Yes.

Um, he gets about eight

feet long and um,

he comes from Queensland,

north of Queensland.

- JOHN:
Yeah.

- Yeah.

GARY:
And his name's Bill Murray.

- JOHN:
Bill Murray?

- GARY:
Yeah, and um--

[DISTURBING MUSIC PLAYS]

[THUNDER]

For f*** sake, Verna,

can you get 'em out of here?

What do you want me to do?

Clean the house,

look after the kids.

Just take the kids away, will ya?

If you manned up once in a

while I wouldn't have to.

Oh for f***'s sake, just do

it, will ya?

Alright kids, out!

Out.

Out back.

We'll leave the boys alone to talk

about their private girly business.

- Thanks.

- VERNA:
P*ssy.

- MARK:
Moll.

- Out back!

Come on, all of you!

Jesus, mate, you're going to

have to put a leash on that.

MARK:
You got one big enough?

JOHN:
I could make one.

Might take a while, but.

MARK:
I've been meaning to

talk to you about that, John.

JOHN:
Why is that?

Me and Verna got into a bit

of a blue the other night.

Drunk, carrying on.

She ended up starting

to call me names.

You know, saying I was a p*ssy

and I don't f*** her properly.

Do you, mate?

Well, how do you, really?

You tell me.

Roll her around first in flour

to find the wet spot.

- You alright, mate?

- Yeah.

We got bluing and...

when she called me a p*ssy,

it just sort of come out.

I said, 'if I'm a p*ssy, why is it

that I can bury blokes?'

So she sort of knows

what's going on, John.

And I told her, mate.

I said, look, if you say

anything to anyone...

I'll put you and the kids

out in the streets.

She won't say nothing, mate.

So I feel really sh*t.

Just really sorry, John.

She won't say anything, mate.

- Promise ya.

- It's alright, mate.

- Sorry, John. I feel awful.

- Don't worry about it.

It happens.

You look like a f***ing

ghost hit ya.

Yeah.

Oi.

It's alright to smile.

[MARK LAUGHS AWKWARDLY]

I dare you to.

So how do ya f*** her, mate?

Step ladder.

Bucket.

Pull the bucket over her head

and hang on to the handle.

[LAUGHS LOUDLY]

It's strange, but Australia Post want

to give her her own postcode.

[JOHN & ROBERT LAUGH]

- There ya go, mate.

- Want me to stop by tonight?

No, you spend some time

with your family, mate.

- Alright.

- I'll call you tomorrow.

- No worries. Take it easy.

- Yeah, you too.

[DOOR CLOSES]

You gotta stop f***ing

around with that sh*t, Jamie.

You f***ing get off that sh*t.

Alright?

You f***in' get off that sh*t.

Okay?

Yeah.

Look at me.

You don't need to worry, alright?

They're nobody, mate.

No one gives a sh*t.

They're nothing.

The neighbours barely f***ing

notice when they go missing.

You did though, didn't you?

And your brothers.

You're lucky.

Aren't ya?

Good.

It's alright, mate.

Good boy.

It's alright.

I need you.

Better blow your f***ing nose.

Go on.

I need you to take Alex away.

You right, mate?

[CAR DOOR CLOSES]

Come here.

VERNA ON RECORDING:

Mum, it's Verna.

I need to get away for a while.

Mark and I keep fighting.

I f***ing hate his guts.

[SNIFFLES]

Can you watch the kids for me,

please?

Don't try and call me, Mum.

I'm sorry.

Bye.

DAVID:
So where's this computer at?

JAMIE:
Just north of Clare.

And he only wants two

hundred for it?

Yeah.

Is it any good?

I don't know.

Oh well, for 200

it's probably worth a look.

You coming in?

No, I'm happy here.

JOHN:
What about you?

Did you call him yet?

Yeah, he doesn't want it.

[BUTTONS CLICKING]

Hi-ya!

Ya-way-ya-ya!

Ya!

I just killed ya. Ha, ha.

That was fun.

Flipping killed ya.

Have a go.

[DIAL TONE]

OPERATOR:
Do you require

police, fire or ambulance?

What service do you require,

police, fire or ambulance?

Do you require police,

fire or ambulance?

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC FADES IN]

Where're we going?

Get in.

[MUSIC INTENSIFIES]

[METALLIC CLANK]

JOHN:
Grab those bags.

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CONTINUES]

[SHOES SQUEAK]

[METALLIC CLANK]

[METALLIC BANGING]

JOHN:
You coming, mate?

[SHOES SHUFFLE,

PLASTIC SHEET RUSTLING]

[CLOCK TICKING]

[JAMIE SNIFFS]

[BIRDS CHIRPING]

- Everything alright?

- Yeah, it's fine.

Got time for a beer?

Yeah, sure.

[PUB HUBBUB]

- MAN:
How's your Dad been?

- Yeah, he's been alright.

- Still fishing?

- Yeah, doing a little bit.

Caught a fair bit of

whiting the other day.

Beautiful. Still goes to that same

patch he used to always go to?

DAVID:
Yeah, yeah.

[METALLIC BANGING]

JAMIE:
So is that

your girlfriend?

DAVID:
Yeah.

JAMIE:
How long have

you been with her?

DAVID:
A couple of months.

JAMIE:
She's pretty nice.

Yeah, she's great.

So does she go to school

or anything?

She's going to university next year.

Doing psychology.

Why are you asking?

Do you like her?

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC INTENSIFIES]

[DOOR CLOSES]

[SHOES SQUEAK]

Hey, John.

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC

INTENSITY LOWERS]

[MUSIC STOPS]

[METALLIC BANGING]

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]

[SUBTITLES BY DVDTECH]

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