Son of Saul Page #5

Shooting Draft April 25, 2014

23.

MEN from another Sonderkommando run around. +

Biederman takes out of his pocket a golden bracelet and two +

passes.

BIEDERMAN:

(in Yiddish, to Saul)

If a kapo shows up.

Saul puts the bracelet in his shoe.

SAUL:

(in broken Yiddish)

Mietek kommando?

BIEDERMAN:

(in Yiddish, tense)

What?

KATZ:

(in Yiddish)

Why do we need him?

BIEDERMAN:

(in Yiddish)

He’ll be on the lookout.

Getting closer to the door, Saul watches the scene, it seems

more and more obvious these men are burning corpses in a pit. +

An SS officer wearing dirty clothes runs up and down. +

A 20 year old fair-haired Polish Oberkapo, MIETEK, a stick in

his hand, comes toward them. He wears a black triangle on his

jacket.

BIEDERMAN (CONT’D)

(in Yiddish)

Wait here.

Biederman goes out of the building and toward Mietek. The two

men seemingly do not appreciate each other, the situation is

tense.

SAUL:

(in broken Yiddish, to

Katz)

Who is it?

KATZ:

(in Yiddish)

Shut up.

In the distance, a sweating SS GUARD roams the scene.

Shooting Draft April 25, 2014

24.

SS GUARD:

(in German, yells)

Too much smoke!

Prisoners drag corpses.

The visibility decreases. The guards on the side are

engulfed, the men around become figures.

In the smoke, the excited shouts of Mietek, the Polish kapo

can be heard. He swears in Polish.

KATZ:

(in Yiddish)

Damn Mietek. +

Katz opens the wooden case, turns to Saul and hands him a +

screwdriver. +

KATZ (CONT’D)

(in Yiddish)

Repair the door but look out. You

understand? You watch.

He shows where to use the screwdriver on the door and

disappears inside.

Saul looks around, and back at the door. He starts to undo

the large lock, but keeps looking at the field, as a

sentinel.

On the field, the smoke is lifted by a sudden breeze and

everything becomes clearer: the excited kapo, the prisoners

of the Sonderkommando burning bodies under the sun.

In the shadow, Katz is kneeling on the floor, assembling a +

device he takes from his case. It is a small homemade camera.

Saul withdraws and looks back at the field.

In the distance, Biederman looks in Saul’s direction, soon

engulfed by smoke as it spreads again.

Saul turns to the door and finishes to undo the lock.

SAUL:

(in broken Yiddish,

whispers)

You... finished?

No answer.

Saul looks back at the field.

Shooting Draft April 25, 2014

25.

Further away, the kapo Mietek stands still. He talks with a +

German officer.

On the other side of the field, an SS guard walks into the

smoke. +

Inside, Katz orients the camera toward the field. He waits +

for the smoke to clear. +

Saul looks back at the field. Biederman has disappeared. +

Only smoke can be seen.

Silence. All the voices have died out. +

He rushes inside the house.

He snatches the camera from Katz’s hands, who looks at him,

stunned.

KATZ:

(in Yiddish)

What...?

SAUL:

(in Yiddish, whispers)

You... come out.

Saul hides the camera in the gutter of the building.

Katz comes out, he grabs Saul’s shirt. +

Saul pushes away Katz from him. +

Smoke engulfs Saul.

A voice behind him.

SS OFFICER:

(in German)

Don’t move.

The man behind him puts a revolver to his neck.

Two German SS GUARDS rush inside the building. +

SAUL:

(in German)

Locksmith. Locksmith.

The smoke around starts dissipating.

Voices can be heard from inside.

Shooting Draft April 25, 2014

26.

Saul is searched by the SS officer, who also inspects his

work on the door.

Saul is pushed onto the ground. He falls and does not move.

Katz is brought out and his case reversed, all the tools

falling onto the ground. +

The first officer talks to Katz threateningly. Katz does not

answer, shakes his head. He glances at Saul.

Saul is told to get up.

The SS officer comes to him. He pushes Katz against the door.

SS OFFICER:

(in German)

You finish that! +

Saul moves to the reversed case, gathers the tools. Katz,

frightened, starts working on the lock.

SS OFFICER IN DIRTY CLOTHES +

(in German) +

Come her! +

The SS Guards and officers go to him. +

Saul can see as the members of the Sonderkommando are +

gathered near the smoking grounds. +

Saul looks at Biederman, standing next to the SS officer in +

dirty clothes. Biederman glances at him, tense.

A sudden roar of engines. Two trucks enter the scene,

followed by a whole new kommando of prisoners.

The Oberkapo Mietek starts assembling his men.

MIETEK:

(in German, shouts)

Assembly!

Saul leaves Katz behind and goes to Mietek’s group. +

He joins the recently gathered group of men. Some prisoners

wear striped clothes, others regular shirts, others jackets

marked with a large red X on the back.

Saul discreetly looks at the men’s faces around him. He talks

to a dark-faced MAN beside him.

SAUL:

(in broken Yiddish)

Greek rabbi?

Shooting Draft April 25, 2014

27.

The dark-faced man doesn’t seem to understand Saul.

Watched by an SS GUARD, the men climb onto the back of an

open truck. A heavy canvas covers the load of the truck, so

the men have to stand on the edge of the platform.

Saul mechanically turns a bit his head upon hearing the notes

of a violin in the distance. Other men do the same.

The music ceases as the engine of the truck is started.

CUT TO:

13 EXT. WOODS - TRUCK - DAY

The field is left behind as the truck enters a quiet wood in

the soft autumn light, under clear skies.

The men are standing together, against each other. Saul

closes his eyes for a brief moment.

An SS GUARD pushes his stick against Saul’s ribs. Saul looks

back at the guard. A blue-eyed young man looks back at Saul

with an innocent gaze.

+

+

+

Saul looks at the truck moving behind them, full of

prisoners. In the crowd stands a man, reddish scars below his

ears. It’s the RENEGADE.

CUT TO:

14 EXT. “ASH” RIVER AND WOODS - DAY

Saul is throwing ashes into the river.

Behind him, many prisoners are unloading enormous quantities

of ash onto trolleys that are taken to the edge of the water.

Around him, men use shovels to disperse the ashes into the

water. Underneath them, thick canvasses are being put down,

keeping the ashes from the ground.

Shovels plunge at regular pace and throw the ash into the

air, rapidly creating a thick and gray curtain of dust before

reaching the surface of the water in tiny whirlpools. The

rapid flow of water takes away the dust in seconds. A few

coughs here and there can be heard. +

Saul glances around. He sees the Renegade, working

relentlessly a little further along the river bank.

+

+

Shooting Draft April 25, 2014

28.

His feet in the water, Saul manages to swap his position with

another prisoner so he can be next to the Renegade, who keeps

a low profile. With a harsh gaze and tight lips, the Renegade

throws the ashes into the river.

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