Monday, April 4, 2016

NEST OF VIPERS Ep # 4 (A)

1 EXT. HOTEL/SWIMMING POOL. NIGHT
A montage of still photographs taken by Angela during Wing Chou’s launch of his island casino/condominium project.

Amongst the photos are shots of:

Terry Swinton reaching for a flute of champagne from a silver tray held by a a uniformed waiter.

Wing Chou microphone in hand alongside the scale architect’s model of his tropical island casino/condominium complex.

Terry Swinton with two drinking companions glaring at Nick, closeby, talking with Balin Meas.

Nick and Campbell talking.

Wing Chou smiling talking with two Chinese men as four security guards hover nearby.
Nick talking with Brad.

Gerard charming a small group of women.

Terry Swinton holding up his flute of champagne - index finger extended in an unambiguous ‘fuck you’ gesture – to Nick, who is smiling.

Gerard and Wing Chou, their arms around each others shoulders, smiling for the camera in the foyer of the hotel – crowded with departing guests.

2 EXT. HOTEL. NIGHT

Wing Chou’s launch is over. GUESTS leave the hotel, get into their shiny upmarket cars and drive off.

At the top of the steps to the hotel entrance GERARD, all charm and smiles, talks animatedly with WING CHOU and TWO CHINESE BUSINESSMEN. His eyes are on:

ANGELA standing at the bottom of the steps, talking with a DIPLOMAT, smiling politely; her attention focused on:

NICK, talking with CAMPBELL closeby.

NICK
I am not a party animal.

CAMPBELL
But you are an animal, Nicholas, and I know how to party...I will teach you.

ANGELA farewells the DIPLOMAT in the background as NICK shakes his head, holds up his hands (”No”).

CAMPBELL
Party pooper.
(To Angela as she walks up)
You’ll come and dance with me, won’t you darling? Mr Morecombe here is...

ANGELA
All work and no play...

CAMPBELL
That’s not what the ladies tell me.

ANGELA
Oh what have the ladies told you?

CAMPBELL
Not for your delicate ears my darling.

He leans forward, kisses ANGELA on the cheek.

CAMPBELL
Chou.

CAMPBELL, playacting, moves as if to kiss NICK on the cheek, but stops at the last moment; laughs.

CAMPBELL
Don’t worry, darling, I’m not going to kiss you in public.

NICK leans forward, kisses CAMPBELL on the cheek. CAMPBELL flutters his eyelashes playfully at NICK.

CAMPBELL
Oooo! I need a cold shower now.

CAMPBELL saunters off; turns:

CAMPBELL
Tease!

ANGELA (laughs)
What was that all about.

NICK
Campbell’s been trying to get into my knickers for years.

ANGELA
With any success?

NICK
Not as yet.

ANGELA
But its on the cards?

NICK
I would have to be very very drunk. (A BEAT) As for your knickers...

ANGELA
Don’t...Is Gerard looking at us?

NICK glances at GERARD; who quickly looks away.

NICK
Yes.

ANGELA
Shake my hand and walk off.

NICK nods, shakes ANGELA’S hand, walks to his yellow 4WD in the hotel parking lot; turns back to see:

WING CHOU and GERARD walking down the stairs to join ANGELA.

WING CHOU
My dear, you must be careful of Mr Morecombe. He is not what he seems.

ANGELA
I’m beginning to think no one here in Cambodia is who they seem to be.

WING CHOU
Wise, my dear. Even I may not be who you think I am.

ANGELA
I don’t think you are anybody.

WING CHOU (laughs)
Should I take that is an insult or as a compliment?

ANGELA (laughs)
When I know more about you I will let you know.

WING CHOU laughs, turns to GERARD.

WING CHOU
A feisty young woman, Gerard. Be Careful.

GERARD puts his arm around ANGELA’S shoulder.

GERARD
I like my women feisty.

WING CHOU
And I...soft...gentle...

ANGELA
Compliant?

ANGELA extricates herself from GERARD’S embrace.

WING CHOU
Yes, a woman’s yin to my yang. It is much...smoother this way.

ANGELA (laughs)
Smoother!

WING CHOU
Too much yang, and...chaos reigns...it is not the right way.
(He gestures to Gerard.)
Gerard has more than enough yang for any one...partnership...

GERARD
Lover.

WING CHOU
Lover...you are a lucky man, Gerard.
(To Angela)
But you, my dear, must be the yin to his yang.

ANGELA smiles politely.

WING CHOU
Now, if you will excuse me.

He reaches out, takes ANGELA’S hand, lifts it to his lips; kisses the back of it; shakes GERARD’S hand; walks off.

ANGELA turns to GERARD.

ANGELA
Too much yang!

GERARD (laughs)
Just the right amount, my darling. Come.

He takes her hand, walks towards a limousine that has pulled up closeby; alongside the rear open door of which stands a uniformed CHAUFFEUR.

3 INT. LIMOUSINE. PHNOM PENH STREETS. NIGHT

The CHAUFFEUR pays close attention to ANGELA and GERARD in the back seat as he drives.

GERARD
Wing is right. Nicholas is not what he seems to be.

ANGELA
In what way?

GERARD
Take my word for it.

ANGELA
Why? Because you are Mr Yang?

GERARD (laughs)
Because you are my lover and you should trust me.

ANGELA
Your lover!?

GERARD
And I am yours.

ANGELA
Do you love me?

GERARD
Yes. Very much.

ANGELA looks at him; realizes that he means it.

GERARD
And you?

ANGELA
You are a great lover.

GERARD
That was not my question.

ANGELA
I don’t know what love is, Gerard.

GERARD
I will teach you.

He reaches out, takes ANGELA’S hand. She allows him to do so, places her other hand on his, but does not look at him. After a long moment GERARD withdraws his hand.

GERARD
And Nicholas!? You like him, no?

ANGELA
I don’t know him well enough to know.

GERARD
Not your type!

ANGELA
I really don’t know.

GERARD
You are a bad liar, my darling. (A BEAT) If I were a woman I would find him very attractive.

ANGELA (smiles)
If you were a woman you would be much too hairy for my liking.

GERARD
Would you love me more if I waxed?

ANGELA bursts out laughing.

ANGELA
A Brazillian!?

GERARD
If it would make you happy.

ANGELA shakes her head.

ANGELA
You are crazy.
(Gerard acts ‘crazy’)
How do you two know each other? You and Nick.

GERARD
We lived together once. We were close friends. We shared...many things.

ANGELA
Like...?

GERARD waves his hand dismissively; gestures to her with his most charming of smiles: “Come here.”

ANGELA smiles, shakes her head; looks out the window.

GERARD looks at the rear-vision mirror; sees the CHAUFFEUR’S eyes glancing at him; clenches his jaw tight.

4 INT. BATHROOM.

ANGELA stands naked under a shower in a large white marble-tiled bathroom; tilts her head upwards to allow the water to splash onto her face. She is in a state of inner turmoil.
She steps out of the shower; wraps a towel around her body; looks at her reflection in the mirror; is not all that happy with what she sees. The door behind her opens.

GERARD, wearing underpants only, walks in - a bottle of Glenfiddich whisky in one hand and two shot glasses in the other. He places the shot glasses on the sink in front of ANGELA, fills both with whisky; hands one to ANGELA. She hesitates for a moment; lifts it to her mouth.

GERARD
Skoll.

He drinks the shot glass of whisky.

ANGELA
Skoll.

She drinks her whisky.

GERARD fills their glasses again. GERARD drinks his; looks at ANGELA: a challenge. ANGELA drinks her shot.

A LITTLE LATER

GERARD and ANGELA, a little drunk, now, their arms intertwined, throw back their shots in unison. GERARD moves to pour two more. ANGELA laughs, shakes her head: “Enough.”

GERARD throws his shot glass at the wall. It shatters. ANGELA does likewise. Her glass shatters.

GERARD grabs two handfuls of ANGELA’S hair; kisses her hard. She pulls away, slaps him hard across the face. He smiles; slaps her back. ANGELA moves her mouth close to his, as if to kiss him; bites his lip. Hard. Draws blood. GERARD laughs, tears her towel off. ANGELA, naked now, slaps him again.

GERARD
Harder.

ANGELA slaps him harder. He smiles; removes his underpants.

5 EXT. OUTDOOR BAR. NIGHT

ANGELA and KATIE sit in an outdoor bar on a busy Phnom Penh street. ‘Girlie’ bars abound.

ANGELA
And we fucked. Like animals.
(She gestures her confusion.)
Don’t ask me why...It made no sense, but, hey, that’s the story of my life. (A BEAT) It is very seductive...being loved. (A BEAT) I love to be loved. That’s the problem. Even if I can’t love back. Does that make sense? 

KATIE
Being loved scares the shit out of me.

ANGELA (laughs)
Not being loved scares the shit out of me.

KATIE
Would you say...all this for....the camera?

ANGELA
No, this is just between you and me. Girl stuff. I wouldn’t even say it in front of Todd.

KATIE (nods)
OK. And then...?

ANGELA
We didn’t fuck for long. Whisky and erections don’t go well together. But, luckily, whisky and sleep do.

KATIE
And...?

ANGELA
Gerard passed out. For the count. I cried and cried. Self pity: “You fucking idiot, Angela”...bla bla bla...
(She pauses, sips on her wine.)
...realized that there was only one place I wanted to be...had a long shower to sober up...and...

6 INT. LIVING ROOM. NICK’S APARTMENT. NIGHT

NICK, in a sarong, hair awry (he has just woken up) opens the door. ANGELA is standing there - distressed; close to tears.

NICK steps forward, takes her in his arms; holds her tight. She cries. They stand like this for a long moment.

NICK takes her hand, leads her inside; closes the door.

ANGELA
Can I stay with you?

NICK
Of course.

He leads her by the hand towards his bedroom.

7 INT. NICK’S BEDROOM. NIGHT

ANGELA walks to the bed, climbs into it, fully clothed, lies down. NICK gets into bed beside her; lies facing her. She snuggles close; holds him tight.

NICK holds her, gently stroking her neck with his hand. After a long moment, ANGELA pulls her head away, her eyes tear-filled, looks at him; smiles sadly.

NICK brushes away the tears that roll down her cheeks. Her smile moves from ‘sad’ to ’happier’.

NICK smiles. They lie like this, looking at each other, for a long moment.

ANGELA (voice over)
We just lay there, looking at each other for...I don't know how long it was...

8 EXT. OUTDOOR BAR. NIGHT

ANGELA
...A long time. Then we fell asleep.

KATIE
You didn't make love?

ANGELA
Oh, but we did. We just didn't have sex.

9 INT. HOTEL ROOM. NIGHT

TODD and KATIE look at a computer screen, on which can be seen, through a slightly distorted wide angle lens:

ANGELA looking almost directly into Katie’s hidden camera:

ANGELA
In the morning we made love with our bodies. Beautiful love.

ANGELA smiles. It is a treasured memory.

TODD presses pause; gives KATIE a thumbs up: “Good work.” KATIE has mixed feelings about her ‘good work’.

10 EXT. OUTDOOR BAR. NIGHT

ANGELA and KATIE talk. In her shirt pocket, Katie has a pen - the source of the covert footage we have just seen.

ANGELA
In the morning we made love with our bodies. Beautiful love. From then on it became a sort of joke: “Are we having sex, fucking or making love.”...Can you make love without having sex? Nick was planning to write something about it...a light-hearted piece...the differences. He was forever making notes, sending messages to himself - on his phone, in his diary...

KATIE
His diary?

ANGELA
Video diary.

KATIE
Video diary!

11 INT. TROPICAL GARDEN. NICK’S APARTMENT. NIGHT

Seen through a glass sliding door, NICK sits alone in the tropical garden in front of a video camera on a tripod; talking animatedly to it. There is no sound.

ANGELA, standing by the open door to the apartment, laden down with camera equipment (she has just arrived home) smiles to herself as she watches:

NICK gesticulating for the camera; engaged in a passionate monologue. He does not notice her.

ANGELA puts down all but one camera, takes a photo of NICK. And then another. Her smile broadens as she moves closer and closer to the sliding door - ‘stalking’ NICK.

When he finally notices her he smiles sheepishly; turns off the camera. ANGELA bursts out laughing; slides the door open.

ANGELA
It’s what mad people do, you know! Talk to themselves.

NICK smiles, takes the memory card from the camera, slips it into a purple plastic container.

NICK
It’s a kind of...video diary.

ANGELA
Do you tell your diary things you don’t tell me?

NICK
If a girl is entitled to her secrets... what’s good for the goose...Actually, I was just keeping track of some ideas for a piece I’d like to write about the difference between having sex, fucking and making love...

ANGELA bursts out laughing. NICK  kisses her on the cheek.

NICK
And your day?

ANGELA
Very productive. Lots of good shots in the street. Topped off by stalking a mad man talking to himself...

NICK
Get fucked.

ANGELA
Or made love to.
(She wraps her arms around him.)
Or...’sexed’. Is that a word? Is the act of having sex, ‘sexing’. When we are not making love or fucking, are we ‘sexing’?

12 INT. BATHROOM. NIGHT

ANGELA steps out of the shower, wraps a sarong around her wet body, contemplates her reflected face in a mirror; sips her glass of wine, inspects her reflection; smiles at herself.

13 INT. NICK’S APARTMENT. EVENING

NICK sits at his laptop, typing fast; occasionally stopping for a moment to refer to his note-book. ANGELA walks into the room, glass of wine in hand; sarong clinging to her wet body. She walks up behind him, rests her chin on his shoulder, looks at the computer screen; reads from it.

ANGELA
“The Senator’s son is a criminal. He should be in jail.”

NICK turns, kisses ANGELA on the cheek.

NICK
Almost done. Five minutes...

NICK returns to his writing.

ANGELA
Have you ever noticed how much...

NICK holds up his hand. He does not want to be disturbed. ANGELA laughs, puts her tongue in NICK’S ear.

ANGELA
...better you look in the mirror after a couple of glasses of wine?

NICK swings his chair around, wraps his arms around ANGELA.

NICK
You always look gorgeous to me, no matter how many glasses of wine I’ve had. Now let me finish, OK!?

ANGELA smiles. NICK turns back to his writing. ANGELA rests her chin on his shoulder; reads what he is writing.

ANGELA
You sure you want to publish this!?

NICK
It’s the truth.

ANGELA
Mmmm...Not sure Mr...how do you pronounce that...? will see it that way.

NICK
Fuck him.

ANGELA
Me first though, OK.

NICK
OK, you first.

ANGELA
Before or after dinner?

NICK
Before and after?

NICK spins around. ANGELA sits astride him. They kiss.

She stands, removes NICK’S sarong, hitches her own, stands over him, massages his cock. NICK smiles.

ANGELA
Do I get a mention? In your ‘video diary’?

NICK
You certainly do.

ANGELA
Can I see what you have to say about me?

NICK
No.

ANGELA
Why?

NICK
I said something like, “We have the best sex I have ever had, fuck like there’s no tomorrow but, best of all, is when we make love.”

ANGELA
You are pleased to see me!

NICK smiles. She guides his inside her; moves on him.

As they make love, ANGELA’S eyes are on the small purple plastic memory card holder resting on the desk.

ANGELA (laughs)
Which is this? ‘Sexing’, fucking’ or ‘making love’?

NICK
If we keep talking about it I think its ‘fucking’. But if we...

ANGELA stops his mouth with a kiss. They kiss passionately.

14 INT LIVING ROOM. NICK’S APARTMENT. DAY

STAIR, his lip bleeding a little from her bite, sits astride ANGELA, whose sarong is awry - revealing part of her naked body. FRANCOISE is sprawled on the floor amidst strewn groceries. They are in shock; their eyes on:

BALIN MEAS, in the doorway, the Glock pistol pointed at them; his eyes blazing madly. He points at each of them individually for a few seconds each.

BALIN MEAS
You are all under arrest.

STAIR, ANGELA and FRANCOISE are terrified.

BALIN MEAS smiles, lowers the Glock.

BALIN MEAS
Please excuse me for interrupting... votre conférence!
In his other hand BALIN MEAS holds a concertina manila file.

A LITTLE LATER

ANGELA, on her feet now, adjusts her sarong. STAIR rakes fingers through his disheveled hair; wipes blood from his lip; ignores FRANCOISE’S hands-on-hips hateful stare.

ANGELA’S eyes are on the Glock.

BALIN MEAS
I find it underneath the seat of the driver.

ANGELA
Nick didn’t own a gun.

STAIR
Meas didn’t say it was Nick’s gun, Angela.
(Angela glares at him)
He said he found it under the seat.

ANGELA
Don’t fucking patronize me, Alistair.

STAIR holds up his hand (”OK”), raises his eyebrows for BALIN MEAS’ benefit: (”Women!). This infuriates ANGELA further.

ANGELA
Nick didn’t own a fucking gun.

BALIN MEAS
I am sorry, Miss Angela but..

ANGELA is quite drunk.

ANGELA
At least...that’s what he told me. And if he had one, and if...or if he got one but didn’t tell me...

STAIR’S mobile announces the arrival of a text message.

ANGELA
...because... because he didn’t want me to worry about him...its because he needed some protection from... whatever it was...whoever he was scared of?

STAIR reads the message. It is not good news! 

BALIN MEAS
Of what was he scared?

ANGELA
You’re the cop, Meas. You fucking figure it out. He had more enemies than you could poke a stick at.

BALIN MEAS is confused. STAIR is more preoccupied with the ramifications of his text message than with the conversation.

ANGELA
A shitload of enemies. (A BEAT) A lot of enemies.

BALIN MEAS
Yes, I understand, Miss Angela, but he also had plastic containers full of petrol in his car and...

ANGELA
And he was a fucking moron but...

Angry, frustrated, she gestures to BALIN MEAS: “You figure it out”. She looks to FRANCOISE helplessly. FRANCOISE takes her hand; leads her out of the room.

BALIN MEAS indicates to STAIR they should go outside, to the adjacent dimly lit tropical garden. STAIR nods; follows him.


…to be continued…

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