Son of Saul Page #3

Shooting Draft April 25, 2014

11.

A tall and robust man, around 30 years old, the Jewish

Oberkapo named ELIEZER BIEDERMAN comes down from the stairs

next to the lift to inspect the ongoing operations. He keeps

on tapping a decorated tin box with a rolled cigarette. He

wears an armband adorned with a blue star of David, on which

the letters of the word OBERKAPO have been sewn in black.

He nods at Abraham, and goes toward the closed door where

other Sonderkommando PRISONERS are waiting. Abraham follows

Biederman.

Saul follows him. Abraham looks at Saul, surprised.

SAUL:

(in Hungarian, whispers)

I’ll help you.

Abraham reaches Biederman before the door. They start

whispering. On the other side of the door, hundreds of

footsteps can be heard. All the men wait at the door, staring

down.

A guard opens the door.

Abraham goes to the doorway. Saul follows suit.

ABRAHAM:

(in Hungarian, whispers)

Forget the food. The shiny only.

CUT TO:

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7 INT. KREMATORIUM - UNDRESSING ROOM / PASSAGE / EXIT AREA -

DAY:

With lowered head, Saul and Abraham enter the undressing

room. Biederman stops in the doorway and talks to the GUARD.

Some men are already busy taking the clothes from the racks.

They throw everything to the centre of the hall.

Other prisoners sort out the personal objects found in the

pile of small-size bundles stacked up on the floor.

Some of them are putting the food they find in their pockets.

Saul and Abraham take some clothes, inspect them then throw

them onto the floor.

Saul leaves Abraham and goes in a corner, where documents are

laid out on the floor.

Shooting Draft April 25, 2014

12.

He kneels down. On the floor, papers, pictures and identity

papers are gathered. Pretending to sort those out, Saul looks

through the pictures.

In the background a MAN of the Sonderkommando gets hit on the

head.

Saul quickly thumbs through all kinds of portraits, family

pictures. +

YANKL, a 19-year-old prisoner, dressed in a dark overcoat, +

stops by him.

Yankl takes the pile away from Saul and goes out of the room, +

through the door ajar, to the exit area where a stove stands. +

Saul gazes at Yankl, approaching a dark silhouette lit by the +

fire of a stove. This is FRANKEL, throwing the papers into +

the fire. +

Saul stares at Frankel, motionless. +

A KAPO, with a black armband with the word KAPO sewn in white

letters, comes to Saul. +

Saul takes a new pile of documents, stands up, and leaves the

undressing room to the exit area.

IN THE EXIT AREA +

The exit area is full of bundles of clothes. Prisoners carry +

the bundles outside. +

He crosses Yankl’s path as Yankl is going back to the

undressing room. Yankl stops him +

YANKL:

(in Hungarian)

Give me this.

Yankl takes the pile from Saul. +

Saul does not stop, and continues his way toward Frankel. +

Yankl follows him. +

YANKL (CONT’D)

(in Hungarian) +

See my pants?

Under his coat, a red pair of WWI cavalry trousers can be

seen.

YANKL (CONT’D)

(in Hungarian)

They’re older than me!

Shooting Draft April 25, 2014

13.

He laughs, showing Saul his pants. +

YANKL (CONT’D)

(in Hungarian)

Four months I’ve been here, you

listen to me!

Saul doesn’t answer.

YANKL (CONT’D)

(in Yiddish)

Forever here, you and I, as if

family. (changes tone) Go clean

yourself, you stink.

Saul goes to Frankel near the stove. +

In his early forties, Frankel holds a metal stick. He picks +

the papers on fire. Photos, diplomas, ID papers disappear in +

the flames. He murmurs something continuously. +

Yankl follows Saul. +

FRANKEL:

(in Yiddish, to Yankl, in

a gentle voice)

Calm down.

Cries of agony can be heard from the chamber.

Yankl stops talking and leaves the room. +

SAUL:

(in broken Yiddish)

Rabbi. Someone. I want... bury. +

Frankel stops, looks at him intensely. +

FRANKEL:

(in Yiddish)

Bury? Just say the prayer.

SAUL:

(in broken Yiddish,

whispering)

I have the body. Help me. +

Abraham arrives in the exit area, discreetly looking into +

bundles in the heap of clothes piling up next to the exit. +

A POLISH KAPO walks toward the stove. He wears a black +

armband with the inscription KAPO sewed in white on it. +

Shooting Draft April 25, 2014

14.

FRANKEL:

(in Yiddish)

Get rid of it. Do you know the

prayer?

Saul shakes his head.

FRANKEL (CONT’D)

(in Yiddish)

I’ll say it. What’s his name?

Saul keeps silent.

FRANKEL (CONT’D)

(in Yiddish)

There’s nothing more to do.

SAUL:

(in broken Yiddish, angry)

It’s not enough. +

The Polish kapo spots Abraham.

POLISH KAPO:

(in German)

What are you doing in my Kommando?

Saul looks at the scene. The Polish kapo turns to Saul.

POLISH KAPO (CONT’D)

(in German, to Saul)

And you?

SAUL:

(in German)

A work...

SS GUARD II. +

(in German)

A work? Don’t you speak German,

swine?

He looks at Saul, menacing.

A beat. Saul glances at Frankel. +

Biederman comes to them.

BIEDERMAN:

(in German)

What?

Shooting Draft April 25, 2014

15.

POLISH KAPO:

(in German)

They don’t belong here.

Biederman pulls away the Kapo, towards the exit. +

BIEDERMAN:

(in German)

I sent them here to help.

POLISH KAPO:

(in German)

I don’t need them. This is my

Kommando.

BIEDERMAN:

(in German)

I am the Oberkapo.

POLISH KAPO:

(in Polish)

You’re a Jewish rat.

Biederman hits the Polish kapo in the face. The Polish kapo

falls on his back.

Biederman turns away and walks toward the door, followed by

Saul and Abraham.

CUT TO:

8 INT. KREMATORIUM - TUNNEL - DAY

The three men cross the tunnel. Biederman looks tense. +

Abraham looks at Biederman, worried. +

ABRAHAM:

(in Yiddish)

He can feel it’s coming for us.

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BIEDERMAN:

(in Yiddish)

It was nothing.

+

They go to a corner next to the lift. As other men come near

some racks where gas masks are hanging, they proceed to a

darker corner.

Abraham discreetly hands a few pieces of golden objects to

Biederman.

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