nune written by ji strangeway gyatri media final draft production@gyatri.com
nune fade in: camera pov - galaxies in outer space f/x we float in deep space, meandering through celestial galaxies surrounded by serenity of stars and marbleized planets. nune (v.o.) i wanna go some place where nobody knows me. i wanna be free. my name is nune. and i never axed to be born. planets zoom by. suddenly, we spiral down to the nitty- gritty of life and hit the concrete world of highways, majestic metal cities and polluted suburbs on earth. close - nune's eyes a dollish pair of eyes with dark lashes jolt open. nune (v.o.) each time i open my eyes, i wish the galaxy in my head stayed. but they always go away. ext. high school - bench - day nune lusparian (pronounced noon-nay), 15, pale and scrawny, admires her solar system science project. she labels the balls, "satern, "neptoons," and "yer anus," and writes "sun," then crosses it out. she scribbles "nune" on a new label and pastes it on the big yellow ball, then holds it to the sky. nune (v.o.) in science, i gotta prove how people come from monkeys or how a big explosion made us all from blackness. we come from stars and not no monkeys cuz all the planets look like eggs. and inside the egg is life. when i put the world inside my hands, they feel so small and it makes me feel like god. and everything is like... perfect. 1 1 2 2 3 3 11 22 33
2. high school - parking lot nune mopes with stooped posture across the lot with her science project. her baggy secondhand clothes and hefty parka fail to hide her mission to be invisible. she's caught off guard by rap music blasting from a bmw. christian “vaunt,” 17, an abercrombie poster boy and his wannabe gangster friends, mark nutt and dino barbano badly rap. vaunt's in the driver's seat, taking selfies. nune (v.o.) this is vaunt. he loves himself. he air-kiss his beautiful face. motion blurs to: fantasy - int. high school hallway - day omitted int. vaunt's car mark lowers the stereo volume and turns to dino. mark hey dino, look it’s your girlfriend. dino huh? mark over there... you know you wanna tap that. dino turns to see nune. vaunt follows his gaze and laughs. dino hell no. shit, that bitch is rachet! (he does a double take) what the fuck?! get a load of them balls. vaunt that’s what she said. vaunt starts up the car and rolls toward her. vaunt hey skank-ho, what's up with the balls? (continued) 4 4 5 5 6 6 44 55 66
3. continued: nune (v.o.) school ain't nuttin but a walk down death row. i just wanna die. mark do you like fondling balls? vaunt cuz if you do -- (glances at dino) we got a couple for you right here... snickers. nune throws him a dirty glare and walks on. vaunt pulls up beside her and swipes the mobile from her hands. nune you're a dick. vaunt yeah, what do you know about dick? you want some? nune no, but you do. vaunt has a grip on a blue ball. nune shit, i ain't the one holding yer anus. mark she's gotcha man! vaunt huh? vaunt opens his hands. the boys laugh. insert - blue ball labeled "yer anus". back to scene dino your anus! laughter. vaunt crushes the planet with his fist and smacks the mobile to the ground. (continued) 6 6 66
4. continued: (2) nune's pov - vision an egg explode in vaunt's hand. the yellow innards gush between his fingers. back to scene nune picks up the mangled planets. shaken, she holds back tears. nune everything gone dark, just like the big bang... maybe some people ain't human. maybe they come from monkeys. ext. cheerleader field - day the cheer squad are partnered up, doing drills. briana enright, 17, paces alongside, barking counts. she turns to see a despondent castaway lost in civilization pass by holding crushed planets. briana's eyes softens as she sees nune quietly sobbing. kimberly duran, 17, laces her arm around briana's shoulder and breaks her gaze. she notices briana hypnotized by nune. kimberly o.m.g. she is so ghetto. nune notices them gawking at her and averts her eyes. she's not ready for more abuse. once is enough. briana actually, i'm gonna go talk to her. kimberly (drops jaw) what?! are you crazy? briana she looks sad, like she needs someone to cheer her up. kimberly what if she knifes you or goes psycho? maybe she's that way 'cos god made her that way. briana kimberly, god doesn't make anyone sad on purpose. (continued) 6 6 7 7 66 77
5. continued: kimberly ditto. that's why people who are winners aren't losers. int. high school - girl's bathroom - day muffled cries. beneath the stall, we see a pair of ratty no- named sneakers. nune's face is buried in her hands, sobbing. nune (v.o.) i dunno what's wrong. i ain't got no money for them drugs that make people happy. the bathroom door bursts open. nune freezes. mirror briana snaps open a pill bottle. it's empty. in the mirror: nune sheepishly emerges. briana hey, you got any ibuprofen? nune huh? what’s iboo-propane? briana pain killer. nune how do you like, kill pain? briana say what? nune but pain don’t die. briana (smirks) you're cute. int. hallway - briana's locker briana yanks a blue team jacket from her locker. (continued) 7 7 8 8 9 9 77 88 99
6. continued: kimberly that's not cute. that's stupid. she's dumb. she's so dumb, her middle name is probably "huh?" briana kimberly, sometimes people who appear stupid are actually geniuses. what if she's autistic? kimberly who cares? autism is just a moniker to make losers feel special. briana, you have a life. vaunt appears and scoops briana up in his arms. vaunt (bad spanish) kay pasa. ko-mo ay-stah? he smooches her on the neck while kimberly watches on enviously. he smirks flirtatiously at kimberly and hooks his arms around briana neck like he owns her. they walk off. kimberly (like the odd man out) bye, guys. period bell clangs. stairwell on her way upstairs, nune looks up to see briana coming down the stairs. she gazes upward at her like a beautiful statue come to life. they lock eyes. nune's locker nune pops open her locker door. a plethora of mummy images and egyptian pyramids are plastered inside. she turns and gawks at briana and vaunt strolling by. vaunt (to nune) what the fuck are you lookin' at? briana steals a flirtatious parting glance at nune. 9 9 10 10 11 11 99 1010 1111
7. ext. tennis court - 20 yards away nune takes a drag like she's making long slow love to her only friend, a cigarette. from behind the chain-link fence, she watches briana play tennis. she turns to see briana's groupie: wayne woodcock, 16, goofy nerd, and darryl cliff, 16, wannabe baller, cheer from the sidelines. nune (v.o.) she's cute and all. but she ain't nuttin but a tease. sidelines wayne elbows darryl. wayne man, look at that overhead! darryl she’s got form. i’d love to play doubles with her. wayne back off, jerk off, she’s mine. darryl looks at him ridiculously. darryl yeah? in what dimension? wayne heaven. darryl good luck with that. i dare you to ask her out. wayne what do you mean? you don’t think i can? darryl i know you’re shitting over what christian vaunt would do to you. wayne well, some things are worth dying for. darryl watches wayne enter his death march toward the court. (continued) 12 12 13 13 1212 1313
8. continued: darryl (shaking head) epic fail. tennis court briana and coach marceau (pronounced mar-sew) play a hard match. she slams a beautiful wide angle with a crosscut shot impossible for her opponent to reach. coach marceau approaches briana, who’s sponging sweat off her face. coach marceau briana, i’ve never coached a student with such a powerful serve. briana shrugs off her comment. coach marceau and you’re not the tallest student either, you’re amazing. briana no, you’re amazing. she gazes at the ground, then back at coach marceau. briana coach marceau, i’m actually really struggling with my return. coach marceau you’re kidding. briana yeah, looks can be deceiving... i’m so far from perfect. coach marceau raises a brow. she turns to see wayne making a beeline for briana while vaunt merges behind. coach marceau smiles knowingly and makes a gracious exit. wayne hi briana, you were tight! briana thanks, wayne, that’s so sweet of you. wayne so, what are you doing after cheer practice -- (continued) 13 13 14 14 1313 1414
9. continued: vaunt hey is this douche bugging you? briana vaunt, this is wayne. wayne extends his hand for a shake. wayne hi, wayne woodcock. vaunt almost busts a guffaw. vaunt you serious? wayne yeah. vaunt with a name like that, you want me to shake your hand. wayne it's old english, it means "bird." vaunt well, wood cock, why don’t you make like a piece of wood and shove it? wayne huh? vaunt looks around. vaunt i don’t see no waiting list. fuck off asshole, she’s above your pay grade. wayne glares at him and walks off, dejected. briana vaunt, he was just being nice. vaunt yeah, well this ain't my first rodeo. briana turns to see nune gawking behind the fence. 14 14 1414
10. nune nune sucks on the roach of her cigarette and turns away. she removes a half-eaten power bar from her coat pocket. nune (v.o.) i ain't eaten nuttin all day and my stomach hurts. all my cash is fer cigarettes. int. nurse's office - day nune is hunched over a desk eyeing a sick girl indulge in her migraine. she throws nune a nonchalant glance, downs pills without water and drops a bottle into her purse. insert - ibuprofen bottle bottle labeled "ibuprofen" in purse. back to scene briana appears at the door. nurse highland glimpses and turns to her assistant, lizzette perez. nurse highland (mutters) lizzette, can you take care of this? i haven’t got the patience. lizzette what do you want me to tell her? nurse highland i dunno. tell her, just ‘cause her mom sits on the board, doesn’t mean she can get whatever she wants and that maybe she should check in with a sobriety clinic? lizzette snickers and places a comforting hand on her shoulder. lizzette got it. nurse highland thank you. (continued) 15 15 16 16 1515 1616
11. continued: she heads toward the door. lizzette (to sick girl) come on, let's get you rested -- (to briana) hi briana, mrs. highland is busy right now. i’ll be with you in a minute. briana (looks pass lizzette) mrs. highland, i’m sorry to bother you but can i have some meds? lizzette guides sick girl into another room. nurse highland shakes her head “unbelievable” and grits her teeth. she attends to sick girl. briana oh c'mon, please? nune glares at briana and hints at sick girl's purse on the chair. briana is this yours? nune heck no, i ain't about that life. (eyeing briana) don’t trip, i ain’t gunna snitch. briana lifts the purse. the bottle falls into the abyss. nune here she comes. briana jams the purse behind her and spins around innocently. lizzette i'm sorry briana, i just spoke to mrs. highland and she says you maxed out. have you thought about seeing a specialist? briana no... why? lizzette well, why not? briana turns to see nune staring back at her. (continued) 16 16 1616
12. continued: (2) lizzette briana, if you weren't on honor roll or valedictorian, wouldn't you say something is wrong with this picture, hmm? she turns and leaves. nune staggers to meet briana. nune hey, briana right? briana yeah... nune um, what color are yer eyes? briana blue. why? nune they're real purdy. where’d you get them tight shoes? briana (look down) these? nune (pickpockets the purse) yeah... briana they’re just rag & bone. (continued) 16 16 1616
13. continued: (3) nune well you better use'em to run outta here. briana really, why? nune don't ax, let's bounce. they ditch the purse and scamper out. int. hallway - drinking fountain nune and briana bolt down the empty hallway in giggles. nune pauses at the fountain. slurps long and sloppy. nune girl, you suck at shoplifting. briana is that something to be proud of? nune uh, yeah -- she slips the pill bottle from her sleeve and advertises it. briana omigod, how'd you do that? nune offers her the pill bottle. briana smiles. briana you're an angel. nune (spanish) de nada, mi amor. briana are you mexican? nune yeah. i mean, no. i'm half armenian. briana rubs her arm. briana well, i owe you one. 16 16 17 17 1616 1717
14. int/ext. ford suv - lookout hill - dusk heavy breathing and female moaning. a car overlooks the cityscape from the hill. vaunt and briana make out. he runs his hand between her legs. she stops his hand and searches for her purse. briana pulls out a joint and lights. vaunt inhales her second-hand' and engulfs her lips. her eyes wander as they kiss. she closes them and goes inward... fantasy - int. stairwell - day briana turns the corner and sees nune walk up towards her. they turn heads in passing. briana discreetly hooks her fingers onto nune's and guides her to the wall. they kiss. back to present vaunt runs his hand down briana's neck and gropes her. vaunt ughhhh, you're making me hard. briana um, we should go -- vaunt c'mon, let's fuck -- briana (peeling him off) i don't think so. it's going to hurt. vaunt oh c'mon. i love you. briana vaunt, will you go down on me? disgusted, he mouths, "eiew!" int. hallway - nune's locker briana and kimberly pass nune's locker. briana pauses and turns to pass nune a tennis ball. kimberly walks on. briana hey pain killer. nune examines the ball. (continued) 18 18 19 19 20 20 21 21 1818 1919 2020 2121
15. continued: insert - tennis ball the letter "b" and a phone number written in blue ballpoint. back to scene kimberly glances back to see briana racing up to her -- kimberly what are you lookin' for, a charity case? briana what do you mean? kimberly why don't you start an organization called foundation for freaks? if you wanna be nice, be enterprising. benefit the world. make lotsa' money. save the earth for chrissakes. briana what are you talking about? kimberly briana, that girl is whack. everyone serves a purpose in life. it's all masterfully designed. and god put her on earth to make people like us look good. don't you get it? you can't even donate her to science. int. diner - day briana watches nune eat ice cream, then uses her sleeve as a napkin. briana slips on her blue team jacket. nune you look good in blue. briana thanks. it's my favorite color. (smiles) what's yours? nune's glares intensely, then rolls up her coat sleeve. (continued) 21 21 22 22 2121 2222
16. continued: insert - nune's inner arm riddled with red marks and raised scars. back to scene briana's eyes dart around the room. she searches for words. briana i don't get it. nune you like blue. i like red. briana catches herself wearily shaking her head. briana did your parents like, beat you or something? nune (leans back in defiance) no. but my moms are bitches. briana did you say moms? nune yeah. briana mom is singular. nune well, i got two. briana looks confused. nune i got no dad... i shoulda' been aborted. briana o.m.g., don't say that. nune why not? it's true. i don't belong cuz i ain't no american and i ain't no armo either. (continued) 22 22 2222
17. continued: (2) nune (contd) my mom you know, got boston-spliced with a crack whore. all they do is tell me i ain't good for nuttin,' but... nune pushes her dish away and folds her arms. nune whatever. i don't care. briana watches her sulk. briana you know, people who say “i don’t care,” care a lot. i’m sure you’re good at something! you should pick up tennis. wanna learn? nune hell no, that’s for rich kids. briana what?! tennis is fun. what's fun gotta do with being rich? nune well, i ain't got no fun. and i ain't got no future neither. nune bends her plastic spoon. briana sure you do. what do you wanna be when you grow up? the spoon snaps. nune dead. briana okay, what makes you happy? nune shrugs. nune i hate happy people. briana places her hand over nune's, who withdraws. briana (playfully) oh, so you must really hate me huh? (continued) 22 22 2222
18. continued: (3) nune cocks her head in reply. briana c'mon. life is a gift and you're just a present no one's open yet. nune averts her eyes. briana one day, someone's gonna open you up and be really happy. she stares with mirth, clipped by a "whatever" roll of the eyes. her veneer cracks with a smile. int. parking lot - kimberly's parked convertible kimberly and briana groove to edm music in the front seat and munch on junk food. briana she’s armenian. kimberly armenian? what’s that -- a comedian in the army? briana lowers the volume. briana her last name's lusparian. kimberly what-ev! are you sure it's not like, luciferian? briana (dreamy) it means "from the light." isn't that pretty? kimberly throws her a crazy look. kimberly uh yeahhhh! if you're a satan worshipper! what is up with you? vaunt is slouched in the backseat, taking selfies. he reaches between them and shuts off the car stereo. (continued) 22 22 23 23 2222 2323
19. continued: vaunt (sighs) this is killin' my vibe. kimberly vaunt! i like that song! vaunt (to briana) who the fuck are you talking about? int. high school - nune's locker - day nune opens her locker. an origami note drops to her feet. she reads. briana (v.o.) i’m a big fan of goethe. his name is pronounced “gurta.” have you heard of him? he said that if you treat people how they are, it makes them worse. but if we treat them how they out to be treated, they become all they can be. and my favorite is this, “in boldness is genius.” isn’t that fresh? i believe in that. i believe in you. don’t you? tears of joy brim in nune's eyes. she turns to see vaunt peering like nicholson in the movie,"the shining," opposite her locker. she gasps. he throws her against the wall. vaunt are your trying to mess with me? nune no. vaunt coz if you are, i'm gonna beat the shit outta you until you're paralyzed from the head down. you got me? nune let go of me. he spits in her face and stalks off. 23 23 24 24 2323 2424
20. int. kimberly's locker - day vaunt leans closely to kimberly as she sorts through books. vaunt i'm gonna ask briana to be exclusive... you think she'll be down with it? kimberly of course, why wouldn't she? vaunt i dunno. is she gay? kimberly laughs. kimberly what's the matter, don't you like to share? vaunt no seriously, can you ask her? kimberly uh, briana's definitely not gay. vaunt i mean, she'll tell you right? coz you're b.f.f.? kimberly okay, vaunt, if for some weird reason she is, what's your contingency? vaunt a-wuh? kimberly your backup plan? i mean, are you gonna like break up with her? vaunt uh, i wasn't thinkin' of it. kimberly well, if you do... (shuts locker door) i'm always around. she eyes him flirtatiously and walks off. 25 25 2525
21. int. diner - night briana sits alone with two sundaes, one melted. her eyes lift each time the door opens, as if she's expecting someone. she scrolls through text messages on her phone. the house lights shut off. cashier (o.s.) sorry, we're closing in ten minutes. int. subway station - platform - night nune watches the train approaching and steps toward the edge of the platform. maybe it's better to end her life now. nune (v.o.) i checked out purr-allis-sus in the dictionary. it says, "the loss of the ability to move, and sometimes to feel anything, in part of the body." i guess that's like being dead... she steps back as the train whips past her face. int. subway - in motion nune stares at her reflection as tunnel lights whiz by. nune (v.o.) well, i'm dead anyways. even if i wanna die, it ain't gonna be cuz of some purr-allis-sus. at least, i wanna say i did somethin' bold -- like a gene-nee-us. she removes the tennis ball from her trench coat pocket and stares at briana's phone number scribbled on it. cell phone rings. int. briana's house - living room - night briana, on iphone, pacing the hardwood floor. briana he couldn't get it up. (continued) 26 26 27 27 28 28 29 29 2626 2727 2828 2929
22. continued: kimberly (v.o.) (over iphone, filtered) why? briana i dunno. maybe he's a fag. kimberly (v.o.) oh, speaking of. somebody's talking shit about you being into chicks... i love you lots and honestly, i don't care. but are you? flustered, she dodges kimberly's question -- briana what does this have to do with vaunt being gay? kimberly (v.o.) what?! vaunt's not gay. briana well, he won't go down on me. kimberly (v.o.) yeah, but... doesn't he have an amazing dick? briana shut up! briana grabs a tennis ball. insert - tennis ball briana's phone number written on it. back to scene briana apologetically glances at nune sitting opposite. briana (into phone) okay, i gotta' go. kay?... bye. she takes off her team jacket and smiles sweetly at nune. briana's exposed arm is filled with dark bruises. (continued) 29 29 2929
23. continued: (2) nune how come your arm is blue? briana what? nune you got a big thing on your arm. like someone beat you. briana plops down on her bed and hugs a throw pillow. briana i broke up with vaunt. you know, my boyfriend. but i'm not going to tell my friends. i'm just gonna keep it going. nune how come? briana 'cause everyone expects the best of me. that's part of being a cheerleader right? to keep up the cheer? (beat) vaunt beat the crap out of me. he was nice to not touch my face -- 'cause he didn't want anyone to know. briana gives nune a knowing look. briana you and i aren't that different. you're brighter than people think. you like red, and i like blue... you were right. briana puts on a cheerleader smile, as if this would stop the tears. briana i'm in so much pain like you don't know. nune sits down next to her. nune hey, it's gunna be alright. you want me to kick his ass? (continued) 29 29 2929
24. continued: (3) briana laughs. briana you're sweet. briana crosses the room to a console and picks up a pill bottle. she swallows an advil. nune how come you're always taken them iboo-propanes? briana ‘cos i hate pain. she plops down, and rubs her ankle. briana my ankle hurts like hell. it’s from all that crap i gotta do to be top dog. we just go numb you know, even the football players. you just gotta get past it. nune sometimes if you kiss it, it goes away. briana hey, if five advils don't cut it, your lips aren't gonna do the trick. nune it can't hurt. briana okay... i'm down with seeing a miracle. she offers nune her foot. nune gently kneads it and as soon her fingers circle the ankle, briana pulls back. it's too personal. briana thanks. no one knows but you -- nune huh? (continued) 29 29 2929
25. continued: (4) briana about my ankle. it’s like, i learned to kill pain before it even starts, i hate it. i’d rather die! nune you serious? briana not really. but you get it, right? nune shakes her head "no." briana huh, you're funny. let's talk about something happy. like, what do you like about me, other than my shoes? nune um, you suck at being a snob... you ain't perfect and... i kinda like that you're suicidal. briana suicidal? nune yeah, if you keep munchin' on them pills. briana hmm, you just like my dark side. nune i don't care that you got secrets. briana secrets? nune um, you know... nune touches briana's hand. briana do you wanna kiss me? nune nods. briana traces nune's scars, then her cheek. they kiss. (continued) 29 29 2929
26. continued: (5) nune (v.o.) i started seeing them galaxies again in my head. after -- nune (v.o.) and when i opened my eyes -- they were still there. briana wow, i feel dizzy... i swear, i saw stars. nune so, um, did the pain go away? briana pain? what pain? nune smirks. briana finally gets it. briana you are a pain killer. fade out. the end 29 29 2929