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ALL SCRIPTS



 
                                   127 HOURS



                                   Written by
                         
                          Simon Beaufoy & Danny Boyle



                         

          EXT. CROWD SCENES. VARIOUS.


          A massive crowd, it could be a sports stadium, a u2 farewell
          show or new year's eve on copacabana beach, but whatever it
          is there are thousands and thousands of us. A mexican wave
          erupts success, celebration, with so many involved it's
          impossible to pick out anyone individually. Critical mass
          cyclists, easter crowds at st. Peter's basilica, nyc
          marathon, 4,000 flash mobbers doing the silent disco at
          london's victoria station, india's kumbh mela, macy's
          thanksgiving day parade, raves, subway parties, the daytona
          500. . . . Gradually the screen splits into 2, and then 3,
          though at times there appears to be no division at all.                          

                         

          EXT. FREEWAY. NIGHT.

          An overhead shot of a crammed freeway gives way to a single
          vehicle, a 98 Toyota Tacoma, red and white with a topper.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. ARON'S TRUCK. NIGHT.


                         
          Cut inside as Aron Ralston, 27 cuts off the freeway.

                         

          TRIPTYCH.                         

                         

          OPENING TITLES ARE A SERIES OF TRIPTYCHS FEATURING ALL THE
          TITLE CARDS EXCEPT THE MAIN ONE. THEY BLEND, OVERLAP AND ARE
          INTERCUT WITH ADVERTS SOME FROM THE BILLBOARDS ARON'S VAN
          PASSES, SOME FROM TELEVISION AND SOME FROM THE RADIO. AND,
          OF COURSE, ALL THESE INTERCUT WITH ARON AND HIS TRUCK. AND
          THE LANDSCAPE.

                         

          A TITLE CARD READS:
          'Utah. The Canyonlands. The slickrock desert. The red dust
          and the burnt cliffs and the lonely sky-all that which lies
          beyond the end of the roads.'

                         
          Edward Abbey. Desert Solitaire.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          EXT. ROAD. NIGHT.


                         
          Eventually Aron's truck is now alone on an interstate road.

           2.

                         

                         

          INT. ARON'S TRUCK. NIGHT.

          At the southwest edge of Green River, Aron Ralston drives
          under the interstate into a landscape of obscurity. He looks
          to his right and left, not a single light perforates the
          absolute blackness of the San Rafael Desert.

                         

                          CUT TO:

          EXT. ARON'S TRUCK. NIGHT.

          From high above, three quarters of the screen is black and we
          see his truck's lights running parallel with the blackness.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. ARON'S TRUCK. NIGHT.

          A sign flashes by: Next Service: 110 miles
          America's challengers for the Tour de France flash by in a
          pack of 15 or so neon spirits. Night training.

          10PM.

                         
          A BLM sign indicates that Horseshoe Canyon Trailhead is 47
          miles ahead through the desert darkness.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          EXT:. ARON'S TRUCK. NIGHT.
          From even higher above again we see him turn left into this
          black void.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. ARON'S TRUCK. NIGHT.

          Bang inside the truck now on a dirt road. Music at ear bleed
          level.

                         
          A yellow triangular sign cautioning ROADS MAY BE IMPASSABLE
          DUE TO STORMS flashes past.

                          CUT TO:

          INT/EXT. ARON'S TRUCK. NIGHT.


                         
          Jackrabbits dart onto the road, racing him, darting left and
          right as he chases them down. They finish the game darting
          back into the darkness.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          EXT. DESERT. DAY.


           3.

                         

                         
          Slowly, images from the Great Gallery materialise on
          different parts of the Triptych - petroglyphs and
          pictographs; dozens of 8-10 ft high Superhumans hovering over
          groups of indistinct animals, dominating beasts and onlookers
          alike with their long, dark bodies, broad shoulders, and
          haunting eyes.

                         

                          CUT TO:

          EXT/INT. VARIOUS. COMMERCIALS FOOTAGE.

          Billboards, TV, cinema, www: commercial America sells
          everything to us through every means. As many brand names as
          we can get.

                         

                          CUT TO:

          EXT. DESERT. NIGHT.

          Rushing across the desert grooves, pulling, snatching, hard
          left and right, the rear of the truck fishtails madly.
          Curves, swoops and sandy washes kick up dust clouds as
          everything in the truck flies all over the place. Except his
          bike, locked down and braced solid.

                         
          Music blazes on.
          Another Rabbit. Another fence line. Another curve.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. ARON'S TRUCK. NIGHT.

          Suddenly a small brown sign flashes past. He kicks down on
          the brakes and reverses back. It's the sign pointing out the
          road spur to Horseshoe and Blue John Canyons.

                          ARON
           Nearly missed it!

                          CUT TO:

          EXT. HIGH ABOVE ARON'S TRUCK. NIGHT.

          The truck turns sharp left.

                          CUT TO:

          INT. ARON'S TRUCK. NIGHT.


                         
          Now a really bumpy road approaching the dirt parking area.

                          CUT TO:

           4.

                         

                         

          EXT. PARKING AREA. NIGHT.

          Ghostly, but there are three other vehicles and two
          encampments at the Trailhead, despite signs prohibiting
          camping.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. ARON'S TRUCK. NIGHT.

          He turns off the music and waits for a head to pop out or a
          light to come on but they have all turned in. Ghostly.
          He glides to a flat spot near the sign board welcoming
          visitors to the Horseshoe Canyon quadrant of Canyonlands
          National Park.
          He whips into the back of the truck and flings everything out
          of the way of his sleeping bag and pad. Black.

          END OF TRIPTYCH TITLE SEQUENCE.

                         

                          CUT TO:

          BLACK.

                         
          But no rest.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. ARON'S TRUCK. DAY.

          The doors smash open to reveal a glorious day and Aron's
          bike careers into it.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          EXT. DESERT. VARIOUS.

          It's still like a wild road movie, but now on a bicycle.
          Having parked his motorized transport he ploughs into the
          land like an ad for extreme sports. Past bikers, he vanishes
          temporarily in their dust cloud, he wears a bandana across
          his face as the bikers pass by... a final telephone box, past
          remnants of those who tried to settle or work this
          unforgiving land; Aborigines, frontier settlers, ranchers...
          all driven away from a heartland he ploughs into.......

                          CUT TO:

           5.

                         

                         
          EXT. DESERT. CU on ARON.
          Wearing a pair of beat-up running shoes and thick wool-blend
          socks, Lycra biking shorts and a Phish tee shirt he has a
          back pack with equipment but hydrates through a gallon of
          water stored in an insulated three litre CamelBak hydration
          pouch which he sucks on without stopping.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

          EXT. DESERT. DAY.

          His bike pummels the canyon landscape and you get a sense of
          the exhilaration this man gets from pitting himself alone
          against what nature can offer. He's clearly a fit and daring
          young man and these are his kicks.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          EXT. DESERT. DAY.

          Even uphill he hammers his way up the sandstone. Gasping for
          oxygen, his legs screaming for rest, he pushes and pushes
          until the crest and then down, down, instant speed and he can
          suck on his water again. Part of a massive clan who define
          themselves not by what they are, but by what they do. In a
          way, he's an action movie personified and the opening should
          be shot and cut to provide adrenaline in spadefuls.

                         
          Until...

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          EXT. DESERT. DAY.


                         
          Suddenly, he hits a sand trap and hurtles forward over the
          handle bars, face first into the sand, his toe clips and
          momentum brings the bike with him. The bike has him trapped
          on the desert floor like a takedown in wrestling. He submits,
          landing nose deep in the sand. He sits up, looks around
          quickly to see if anyone saw. Pulls out his camera from his
          bag and takes a a self-portrait snap of the mess.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          EXT. DESERT. DAY.

          At what seems like the only tree for miles he U-locks his
          bike in the shade, pockets the keys, scoffs a muffin and
          heads off into the desert.

                          CUT TO:

           6.

                         

                         

          EXT. GULLEY CREST. DAY.

          He approaches the crest of a sand gulley and sees below him,
          just 30 yards down the canyon, 2 fellow hikers. He looks
          around. All of them in the middle of nowhere it seems.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          EXT. APPROACH TO BLUE JOHN CANYON. DAY.

          He can see now it's 2 girls passing a map back and forth
          between them. He rushes towards them, initially above them as
          he walks along side. They're aware of him before he arrives:

                          ARON
           Hey. Are you doing the east pike?
           Can I come along with you for a
           while?
          The girls don't reply, just look at each other.

                         

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           I'm on my own. I'm Aron.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          EXT. APPROACH TO BLUE JOHN CANYON. DAY. A VAST ARROYO.

          He slides/surfs down so he's on the same level as them,
          arriving in a haze of dust, holding out his hand for the
          shake. Big smile.

                          KRISTI
           (looking at Megan)
           Sure, I'm Kristi.

                          MEGAN
           Megan.

                          ARON
           Nice to meet you. What a day.

                          KRISTI
           It's beautiful.

                          ARON
           Did you bike or come straight from
           the trail head?

                          KRISTI
           We left the car there. Pretty
           quiet.

                          ARON
           I left mine at the Horseshoe Canyon
           and biked here.

           7.

                         

                         

                          MEGAN
           You biked from Horseshoe? That's
           20 miles or more.

                          ARON
           17 and windy.

                         
          The girls exchange glances.

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           I do this a lot.
          They laugh. He's crazy, but harmless.

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           Wasn't expecting to see anyone in
           the canyon today.

                          MEGAN
           Yeah, you surprised us, sneaking up
           like that.

                         

                          ARON
           Sorry.

                         

                          MEGAN
           It's kind of nervy seeing a lone
           guy walking up to you in the middle
           of the desert.

                         

                          ARON
           Yeah, I know, I mean there's no one
           around for 50 miles.

                         

                          KRISTI
           ... and suddenly there's a guy
           right behind you and `wait a
           minute, why is he wearing a HOCKEY

           MASK!'
          They all laugh.

                          ARON
           Let me guess... You're here for
           the paintings or the Cathedral?

                          KRISTI
           The Cathedral? We've got a bit
           disorientated and the map isn't
           great. Where is it?

                          ARON
           The climb's a little tricky but
           it's worth it.

                          KRISTI / MEGAN
           We climb.

           8.

                         

                         
          They all laugh.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CAVE. APPARENTLY SMOOTH DOME. DAY


                         
          Towards us comes Aron, upside down, like a tiny, fast spider,
          talking all the time, his voice echoing.

                          ARON
           There's thousands of holds but you
           can't see them until you're almost
           upside down and then they just keep
           appearing... it's a bit of a act of
           faith so I'll go first... take off
           as much as you dare as there's a
           bit of a surprise at the other
           end...

           MEGAN (O.S.)
           You behave Aron Ralston or we'll
           tell your mother all about where
           you lure girls...

                         

                          ARON
           I swear I won't look but I swear
           you won't care when you get out
           here...

                         
          We've been moving towards him as he rushes towards us, spider
          style. He's stripped to his underwear. He's lithe to say
          the least. We can't see the girls or what's underneath us
          but there's a feeling of the vertiginous, as much from the
          weird echo and the sense of reflected light as from the scale
          of the dome.

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           ... and the thing is, when you get
           to the middle...
          He lets go.

                         

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           ... there aren't any more.
          We spin and watch him fall into the most exquisite emerald
          pool 60 feet below.

                          KRISTI

           OMG!

                          CUT TO:

          INT. CAVE. DAY.


                         
          They can't see him. They can only hear the explosive crack
          of man on water.

           9.

                         

                         

                          MEGAN
           Are you ok? ARON!

                          KRISTI
           Of course he's ok. Listen to him.
          Aron fills the cathedral dome with his version of a Phish
          song at the top of his voice. Kristi strips to her underwear
          and traverses away from Megan.

                          KRISTI (CONT'D)
           Got to be there, Meg.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CAVE. DAY.

          From the pool below with Aron we see Kristi in her underwear
          heading out arachnid-style to the centre. Before she gets
          there Megan appears too. She's left everything on except her
          shoes.

                         
          They crash into the pool one after the other. They bob
          together in the centre, the light seems to come from beneath
          them and ripple over the heavenly ceiling.

                         

                          MEGAN
           We've got to go again. And film
           it!

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

          EXT. OUTSIDE THE CAVE. DAY (LATER).


                         
          Eating and drying in the powerful afternoon sun. A little
          self consciousness has returned but it's sweet-natured and
          fun still.....

                          MEGAN
           I really can't eat all this
           chocolate by myself... Never mind,
           yes I can!

                          KRISTI
           So have you got a girlfriend, Aron?

                          ARON
           Well, there's not really anyone
           special.

                          MEGAN
           Ah, so there's lots of girlfriends.

                          KRISTI
           There's always a girl, you just
           don't know it yet.

           10.

                         

                         

                          MEGAN
           Yeah, we meet lots of guys and
           there's always a girl.

                          ARON
           Long story.

                         

                          KRISTI
           With lots of characters in it.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          EXT. SNOWY MOUNTAINTOP. DAY. VIDEO FOOTAGE.


                         
          Aron on top of a snowy peak. Self shot. Classic pose.
          Breathtaking backdrop.

           ARON (V.O.)
           I've done 46 of the 59 winter solo
           ascents.

                         

                          MEGAN
           Wow, highest person in Colorado.

                         

                          ARON
           Well I figure no one else is mad
           enough to climb in the winter.

                          KRISTI
           ... you can be the highest person
           on the continent!

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          EXT. STILL CAMERA. IMAGE OF `MOTEL 6'


                         
          Megan shows the image to Aron.

                          MEGAN
           Didn't you see it?

                         

                          ARON
           What? No.

                          MEGAN
           Yeah, it's an old cattle guardian's
           house - the roof's caved in and
           someone spray-painted MOTEL 6 on
           the side. Smelled weird though.

                          ARON
           Just like a MOTEL 6 then?

                          CUT TO:

           11.

                         

                         

          EXT. OUTSIDE THE CAVE.


                          KRISTI
           Why are you on your own?

                          ARON
           Solitude. Great tunes. Empty
           mind.
          He indicates the wilderness.

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           And I can sing Phish songs as loud
           as I like.

                         

                          MEGAN
           Phish?

                          KRISTI
           Not those guys from...

                         

                          ARON
           Yeah, I know, I know.

                          (LAUGHS)
           See, that's why I'm on my own.
           Nobody likes me or my band.
          They laugh as he goofs for them. He gathers all their
          packaging and stuffs it in his backpack.

                         

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           I'll get this. Leave no trace.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          EXT. BLUE JOHN CANYON. DAY.

          They're walking again.

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           Hey, but I like a beer like the
           next man. You know, end of the day.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

          EXT. CANYON. GULLEY.

          They're negotiating a steep gulley. Aron is 1/2 way down,
          Megan at the top, Kristi on her way down to him.

                          ARON
           I'm not certified yet but that's
           what I want to do.

                          MEGAN
           An illegal instructor.

           12.

                         

                         

                          ARON
           It's hard to get the hours to
           qualify. Catch 22.

                          KRISTI
           Well, we'll sign your time-card
           today.

                         

                          ARON
           Great. Now put your ass on my head.

                          KRISTI
           Okay but don't look and no grabbing
           now, if I do...

                         

                          MEGAN
           Oh whatever, you love it.

                          KRISTI
           Shhh!

                         
          Aron then quickly slips to the bottom. Megan is way high,
          Kristi half way.

                          ARON
           (at his most instructor-
           ish, talking all the time
           as he makes his way down)
           You'll have to chimney down a
           little ways - like here, watch -
           one foot on each wall then squat
           onto your right heel, now your
           butt's on the wall, so you can move
           your right foot across, now put
           your left foot under your butt
           lower down and scootch your butt
           down - watch that black part, it's
           slick, slime, try not to get it on
           your shoes - if you can get to
           these bomber handholds here it's
           like an elevator shaft and just
           think friction to control the
           slide. This is a keeper so always
           have someone at the bottom to boost
           you out.
          He looks up to them.

                          MEGAN
           I didn't understand any of that.

                         

          EXT. CONJUNCTION OF BLUE JOHN CANYON, WEST FORK, EAST FORK.


          LATER IN THE DAY. 2PM-ISH
          They come to a clear fork in the paths. He watches them turn
          their map round and round.

           13.

                         

                         

                          MEGAN (CONT'D)
           Kristi, I think this is our way
           back.

                          ARON
           Why don't you come with me to the
           Big Drop Rappel? I can give you a
           lift back to your car.

                          KRISTI
           How far is it?
          He shows them on the map.

                          ARON
           About another 8 miles or so, I
           think.

                          MEGAN
           You'll never get out before dark.

                         

                          ARON
           No, I really got to do this. Anyway
           I've my miner's lamp.

                         

                          MEGAN
           You don't climb at night, do you?

                          ARON
           No, it's great for seeing snakes in
           hand holds. Can I get a picture
           then?
          They pose with raven feathers in their hair.

                         

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           Listen, my friends are having a
           party tomorrow night. You should
           come.

                          KRISTI
           Yeah, we'd like that. What time?

                         

                          MEGAN
           Where?

                          ARON
           Drive on the east road and about 40
           miles out there's a huge inflatable
           Scooby Doo. You can't miss it.
           Turn off and it's about 2 miles
           down that track. Starts late and
           it'll go right thru.
          Lots of cheek kissing and his last picture of them...

           14.

                         

                         

                          KRISTI
           Come on Aron, hike out with us -
           we'll go get your truck, hang out
           and have a beer.

                          ARON
           No, I really got to do this.

                         

                          KRISTI
           Okay. Scooby Doo, yeah?

                          ARON
           That's the one. I'll have 3 cold
           beers waiting for us.

                         

                          MEGAN
           12 cold beers!

                          CUT TO:

          EXT. CANYON FORK. DAY. POV VARIOUS.


                         
          And they separate down 2 different canyons shouting to each
          other...'hot dogs!...'vegetarian hot dogs!'.... 'so that's 12
          cold beers and 9 vegetarian hotdogs!'...'.. I really can't
          eat all these vegetarian hotdogs by myself... never mind, yes
          I can!'... the last of the dialogue fading away as they lose
          earshot of each other and we pull up out high over the
          meandering slits of sandstone...

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

          EXT. MAIN BLUE JOHN CANYON. DAY.


                         
          Aron alone ... they are gone ... he picks up the pace as he
          checks his watch... he loved them but now he's behind
          schedule and he's ruthless about his schedule...

                          CUT TO:

          EXT. HIGH ABOVE ARON. BLUE JOHN CANYON. DAY.


                         
          His sense of momentum is established again and it's clear
          he's moving downhill, into the fissure of the rock.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          EXT. BLUE JOHN CANYON. DAY.

          Without warning his feet suddenly slide forward from under
          him and he skates/snap-kicks trying to keep his balance on a
          floor of scattering pebbles left there by a flood. There's a
          flash of the sky and dazzling sunlight.

           15.

                         

                         
          Only his arms and the proximity now of the walls prevent him
          landing hard on his ass.

                          CUT TO:

          EXT. C/U. DAY.


                         
          A small snake slithers away from his giant feet.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          EXT. BLUE JOHN CANYON. DAY.


                          ARON
           Easy Aron, easy now.
          He keeps moving, descending still, but a little more
          circumspect. He lets the change of pace allow him to whip
          round his pack and with the practice of thousands of times
          selects and plays a CD without stopping, slipping the
          headphones over his head.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. RUCKSACK. PORTABLE CD PLAYER.

          We see the CD begin to spin: the display tells us there's
          38:47 to play before 0:01 appears.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

          EXT. C/U ARON'S EARS. DAY.


                         
          Suddenly, louder than loud, the sound of fanatical 5,000
          strong applause at the Phish live concert in Las Vegas, fills
          his head and ours.
          He's heard it many times as he alternatively
          anticipates/answers all the dialogue preamble mixed over the
          applause...

                         

                          CD RECORDING
           Good evening Las Vegas... are you
           having a good time? Are you ready
           for PHISH!
          Whether we are or not, the first song begins on a wave of
          adoration from his fellow Phish fans. He sings along.

                          CUT TO:

           16.

                         

                         

          EXT. BLUE JOHN CANYON. SHORT SLOT ENTRY. DAY.

          Aron keeps descending, the canyon walls growing taller and
          closer, into the narrowing slot canyon.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          EXT. BLUE JOHN CANYON. S-SHAPED LOG. DAY.

          A dry waterfall, many months since it's seen rain. A drop of
          maybe 12/15 ft with no obvious climb down. Way beyond his
          reach and jammed into the walls of the canyon is an enormous
          S-shaped log, sand bleached and wind dried it looks like a
          massive reptile making its way down the canyon. Beyond it,
          Aron can see his route down disappearing into narrowing
          darkness.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          EXT. CANYON WALL. DAY.

          To reduce the drop he scrambles down clinging to the edge,
          pushes away and drops the final 6 feet or so landing in a
          fine cloud of sand. Nothing to it, second nature.

                          CUT TO:

          EXT. S-SHAPED LOG. DAY.


                         

                         PHOTOTIME
          He snaps the log now arching above him well out of reach.

                         

          TITLE.
          " 2:41pm. Sat April 26th. 2003 "

                          ARON
           Won't be coming back this way.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. SLOT CANYON. DAY (NOTE: FROM HERE ON CANYON SHOTS INT.)


                         
          He spins and continues, seeing the first huge chockstones,
          the size of vans, their noses buried in the floor of the
          canyon like unexploded bombs. He easily scrambles over one
          and around another-tight fit but he's skinny.

                          CUT TO:

           17.

                         

                         

          INT. DEEPER INTO THE CANYON. DAY.

          The slot is now just 4ft wide and as he stops to look at
          massive tree logs jammed at strange angles high above him and
          silhouetted against the blue cloudless sky, he drinks deeply
          from his water bottle.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CANYON RIM. LOOKING DOWN. DAY.

          On we go and so does the concert. He pumps the air unaware
          as we track above him - it's like the canyon in Star Wars and
          he's Anakin feeling the force. One set of chockstones leads
          to another and he rapidly negotiates them like an obstacle
          race - until there's one the size of a big refrigerator which
          has been stopped by the walls 18 inches from the floor.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. CHOCKSTONES. DAY.

          Over or under? He drops to his belly and squeezes
          underneath, rucking the sandy floor in front of him. He's
          halfway, his chest rising out the far side when suddenly he
          can't move. The music jams and loops on 2 notes like bad
          techno. He pushes but nothing.

                         
          He reaches back with his hand and releases a part of his
          rucksack strap that's snagged. And the music releases too.
          He squat-jumps out and brushes off the sand.

                         
          No panic -a nothing moment.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. SLOT CANYON. DAY.

          Now it's steeper. We're already 60ft below ground level and
          it's falling away further in front of us. Another drink and
          the map is out.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT/EXT. SILHOUETTE PROFILE. CROSS SECTION OF CANYON. DAY.


                         
          We see a section of the canyon and the tiny figure of Aron
          moving within it. We track in and elide into a graphic view
          of him chimneying his way along the canyon now only 3 ft wide
          at most. It's a chance to see his skill and thirst for
          climbing. And to see how deep he's going.

           18.

                         

                         
          He uses his legs, back and natural body weight to body walk
          along and down the towering walls.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. SLOT CANYON. DAY.


                         
          He's moving towards a final chockstone below him jammed in
          the gap. You can see the way he's thinking: it's about the
          size of a bus wheel and used as a platform will help him
          reduce the 10 foot drop and get quickly down into the next
          section.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. SLOT CANYON. DAY.

          He reaches it at the same time we do and kicks fiercely,
          automatically, to make sure it's solid.

                         

                          ARON
           Yep.

                         
          And across he steps onto it. It holds.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON FROM UNDERNEATH SILHOUETTED AGAINST SKY. DAY.

          As before he squats and clambers down the back side of the
          stone to reduce his drop down.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY. C/U TIGHT ON ARON.

          Just as he dangles there's a scraping sound, small but close,
          too close and the stone judders towards him, pulled by the
          torque of his weight on his side, rotating.
          Instantly and instinctively he lets go and drops. Like he's
          trying to detach a mine dragging him to the sea floor.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CANYON. ON CHOCKSTONE. DAY.

          But it follows him down, somehow he's released its latent
          energy.

                          CUT TO:

           19.

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. TIGHTER ON ARON. DAY.

          He watches the chockstone follow him - not looking where he's
          going.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. ARON'S POV. DAY.

          The backlit chockstone falling towards him consuming the sky.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. SLOT CANYON. DAY.

          His arms rise to protect his head but his eyes remain open
          and through his fingers we see the next 3 seconds. The rock's
          face and his.

                         
          It grabs his left hand and flings it against the left wall.
          He pulls it away as the rock ricochets against the canyon and
          careers towards his right arm which he raises, to compensate
          for withdrawing the left, and to protect his head.

                         
          The rock smashes the right hand and wrist against the wall
          and drags it down the remaining distance. Like a cheese
          grater it tears the skin from the back of the hand and the
          forearm, decorating the wall. Aron is powerless to stop its
          force and he lands on his feet allowing the rock to jam in
          front of him with his hand held against the canyon wall by
          the stone.

                         
          All this happens too quickly. We can hardly register what's
          happened as everything stops.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON FLOOR. DAY.

          Silence. He's standing behind the rock. Like he's in a line
          for a bus. Like he's shaking someone's hand. A hand shake
          with the canyon. Silence.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

                         TITLE:

                         

                          127HOURS

                          CUT TO:

           20.

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON FLOOR. DAY.

          Adrenaline, searing, roaring pain and panic.

                          ARON
           FUCK, get your hand out of there!

                         
          Pulls and pulls, yanks until his shoulder will dislocate, but
          nothing moves. Sweat, anxiety flaring, hot pain.

                          ARON (CONT'D)

           SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT...
          Pushing with his left hand desperate to reverse the action;
          so simple to undo the moment, to reverse gravity for a split
          second and pull his hand out... nothing. Again and again
          thrusting up with knees, thighs, pelvis, left arm, head,
          neck... nothing.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON FLOOR. DAY.

          Then slam upwards, harder than ever as though he's run at it
          from a hundred yards and it's a door that will surely burst
          open.

                          ARON

           YEEARKGG... UNNNHHH

                         
          Air exploding out of his lungs. And then a quiet hollow
          sound of the boulder shifting fractionally. A howl of
          phenomenal pain -

                         

                          ARON (CONT'D)

           NO, NO, NO, NO, FUCK.

                         
          He reverses the fraction and collapses in sweat and blood,
          knees bleeding, good fingers lacerated. But he remains
          upright, attached. Unable to physically collapse.
          Grabs his shirt and wipes sweat away and goes to drink. He
          hula-hoops out of his backpack to get access to the water,
          gulps down 3 full throatfulls - stops mid 4th and backwashes
          as much as he can into the bottle -

                         

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           No, no... more water.

                         
          He caps the lid tightly and drops it into his pack.

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           Relax. Stop. Come on.
          He breathes and breathes, taking stock for the 1st time.

                         

                          CUT TO:

           21.

                         

                         

          C/U: WRISTWATCH
          Time Check. 3.14pm. Stares at it until it changes to 3.15pm
          - the watch is working.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON FLOOR. DAY.

          He examines the boulder at each point he can reach,
          stretching and contorting to see into his crushed and
          wretched hand where his thumb is visible above and his little
          finger below. No matter how much he touches them, there is
          no feeling. He prods up and down to see what feeling is left
          and where it stops. Comparing left hand to where the right
          hand is trapped to measure the width of his right wrist - now
          smaller than the width of his little finger on his right
          hand. He can barely get the little finger of his left hand in
          the gap. We reverse back on him at each contortion. He

                         REALIZES -

                         

                          ARON
           FUCK! What the fuck? How the fuck
           did you get your hand trapped by a
           fucking boulder? Its crushed, it's
           fucking dying man!
          He reaches up and touches the trail of blood, hair and skin
          left on the canyon wall as the rock pushed him to where he
          is. Looks under boulder, no blood - check.
          [He hears the crowd cheering on his headphones. It's been
          playing throughout. He switches it off]

                         
          He looks above for the first time.

                          ARON (CONT'D)

           HELP! HELLO!

                          CUT TO:

          INT/EXT. PULL OUT OF CANYON. DAY.

          ... to see the slot canyon, back and back and back, nothing
          more than a dry crack in the surface of this massive land.
          Gradually his cries for help become inaudible.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON FLOOR. DAY.

          He unpacks everything with great energy, like a stocktake,
          and lays it all out on the surface of the rock;

           22.

                         

                         
          chocolate bar wrappers and bakery bag with crumbs of
          chocolate muffin inside that he volunteered to take away on
          behalf of the girls, 2 small bean burritos, cd player, cds ,
          extra AA batteries, mini digital video camcorder, small multi-
          use tool and 3 LED headlamp.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          BIG C/U: VARIOUS.
          ... of all these elements - these are now his only companions
          and their POV of him reflects that as he tests each one for
          its potential, opening all the blades and laying them out to
          look at them; sunglasses - scratched, bike Ulok key, rock
          climbing harness, cloth goggles bag, rapelling equipment,
          water bottle, car keys, plastic grocery bag, empty de-
          hydration pack, money, credit cards, green and yellow
          climbing rope in black zippers bag, a stick, stones and sand.
          Everything.

                         

                         

                         
          Pause. He stares at it all and it all stares back at him.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

          C/U: DIGITAL NUMERALS.

                         
          3.28, changes to 3.29

           HARD ENERGY CUT

                          TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON FLOOR. DAY.


                         
          Inside the tiny gap we see... his headlamp flick on to let
          him assess the rock and the wall and his hand in between it.
          He picks a point and begins to chip away with the knife.
          He's back - energy, movement, purpose, action makes him
          happy. He occasionally stops to look at his left hand,
          swollen and puffy and constantly in need of flexing. He gets
          into a rhythm of 'tick,tick,tick', flex and back again,
          `tick,tick,tick'

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

          TIGHTER C/U: DIGITAL NUMERALS.
          4.19pm, changes to 4.20

                          CUT TO:

           23.

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON FLOOR. DAY.

          In a huge close up of this eye he can see in the foreground
          that there's a pile of steel filings from the knife itself,
          almost as big as the dust from the ground -

                          ARON
           Not good.
          He blows the whole lot into our face with a mighty gust.

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           When in a hole....
          Alternative; he starts digging away at the wall instead, same
          result.

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           Fuck. It's hard as iron.
          Pause.

                         
           You're gonna have to cut your arm
           off.

                         
          As if to answer that idea we...

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON FLOOR. DAY.

          Tapping a rock in his hand onto the top of the knife as he
          balances it against the wall or with his mouth. Weird close
          angles as he almost taps the side of his eye socket.
          Suddenly, he hammers down with ten times more force onto the
          handle of the knife, the rock explodes in his hand, showering
          pick dust over everything, and bouncing the knife off the
          rock. Once again, gravity takes over. The knife hits his
          shorts and as he moves to grab it, he misses it and knocks it
          further round the back of his leg. He pivots and turns to try
          and catch it but gravity is quicker than his restricted twist
          and it falls into a hole between the rounded rocks near his
          left foot -

                          ARON

           NO, NO!

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CANYON FLOOR. DAY.

          The knife is visible in the crack below and behind his right
          leg but he can't twist to get anywhere near it. He tries to
          pull the canyon wall off balance to get closer. No chance.

           24.

                         

                         

                          ARON
           Shit!

                         

                         
          He pulls off his right sock and shoe and tries to squeeze his
          foot into the hole. Too big. Size 10. He looks upward. He
          can't believe he's done it.

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           Shit!!!

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. BENEATH CANYON FLOOR.

          We're on a level with the knife in the little hole beneath
          his feet. An enormous overhead light switches on (Aron's
          headlamp placed above to let him see). The stick enters from
          top of screen and nudges the knife in a semi circle. It's a
          bit Punch and Judy if it wasn't so fucking serious. Huge
          shadows. No success. The knife remains where it is. Maybe an
          ant races across it.

                         
          Pause.
          The stick withdraws.

                         

                         

                         

                         PAUSE:

                         

                         

                         
          The stick re-enters with the top of it almost broken off,
          acting like a hook, we push in on the knife as the stick
          hooks through the little ring at the end of the knife. It
          lifts.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. ARON IN CANYON. DAY.

          Looking down onto the ground, around his leg, his toes
          holding the stick like a chopstick lift the knife out and up
          tremulously, breathlessly, towards his good arm. He picks it
          off the stick gently. Big smile. First one.

                         

                          ARON
           Sweet.

                          CUT TO:

           25.

                         

                         

          TITLE OVER WIDE INT CANYON. NIGHT:

                         " SATURDAY NIGHT ":
          We pass through the transparent title on our way along the
          canyon. Half dark. We're on a wind blowing dust through the
          canyon walls, to find a miner in the distance digging into
          the rock. It's Aron of course, and his head-lamp is filled
          with the dust swirling through. He's using the shorter file
          from the multi tool and has tied a shoe lace to his wrist and
          looped through the ring at the end of the tool. He pulls his
          cap down, to keep most of the dust out of his eyes. His lips
          are caked but he keeps blowing on his arm, to keep it clear.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          C/U: DIGITAL NUMERALS. NIGHT.
          The watch, now luminous, changes to 00.00.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. ARON IN CANYON. NIGHT.


                         
          Midnight is celebrated with a tiny, careful, sip of the
          water. He holds it in his mouth. Puffing his cheeks,
          circulating the precious fluid around.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

          EXT. EXTRAORDINARY LANDSCAPE. DAZZLING DAYLIGHT. DAY.


                         
          Daylight, a lunar landscape almost, though with patches of
          green and giant boulders, Aron whom we sense only by being
          around his shoulder is out walking with his friend, Mark Von
          Eeckhout through this field of boulders. They come upon one
          the size of a house buried nose deep in the field.

                         

                         

                         

                          MARK
           Wow, look at the size of this one.
          There's no cliffs or mountains anywhere near. We look at
          Mark's pleasant, unremarkable face for far too long as he
          looks around -

                         

                          MARK (CONT'D)
           How the fuck did this get there?
          It's like we're on the moon looking over Buzz Aldrin's
          shoulder at Neil Armstrong; it certainly sounds like that...

                         

           HARD CUT TO:

           26.

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON FLOOR. NIGHT.

          Chip,chip,chip; stretches his arm, flexes his legs,
          tick,tick,tick. He changes the blade, prising suddenly at a
          section of the rock with his file. It bites and a dime size
          shred chip of rock arcs through the night light. He catches
          it perfectly on his right elbow.

                         

                          ARON
           Cool.
          He picks it off his arm and places it on top of the rock next
          to where he's working. It's a grain of sand on the seashore
          but it's something.

                         
          Boy, his arm and his legs are aching now.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. ABOVE ARON, LOOKING DOWN INTO CANYON. NIGHT.


                         
          He's stepped into his harness and is throwing 30ft of rope up
          towards us. There's a tangle of knots and carabiners looking
          for purchase close to camera. Each time it falls back all
          the way. He persists, each time, varying his line of attack
          fractionally.
          Finally it catches.

                         
          He pulls gently at first, then fiercely, it holds and we
          slide softly and slowly down the rope and as we reach him he
          gently takes the weight off his feet finally.

                         

                          ARON
           Aahhhhh.

                         

                         
          Lovely relief for him, light off, his eyes close.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT/EXT VARIOUS. DAY.
          A re-run of the accident. He can now witness it in detail as
          though it were planned and his role is to point us where to
          look. 3 seconds become 30... We fall with his face in high
          definition slow motion watching his future. We fall with the
          rock pitilessly chasing him down to the floor of the canyon.
          As he lands...

                          CUT TO:

           27.

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. PRE DAWN.

          ... His eyes open and he stands unsteadily rubbing at his
          legs, the lack of circulation has forced him up. Doesn't
          think about the dream, starts chipping again.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. TIME-LAPSE. DAWN.

          Lit only by his lamp, the black shifts to grey and then
          there's light. He watches it arrive. A rush of wind.
          Something flaps and he looks up sharply -

                         

                          RAVEN
           Caw-caw.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          EXT. SKY. DAY.

          A black raven flies symmetrically the length of the canyon
          slit above him. Blue, blue sky.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY.


                         

                          ARON
           Caw-caw.

                         
          As he stretches his neck to follow the path of the only other
          living thing, he freezes stock still. The bird has gone.
          Nothing moves. Not him.... nothing. Time passes.

                         
          He switches his light off.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          EXT. NEVADA DESERT. BLACK ROCK CITY. PRE DAWN.

          On top of some 4 x 4 vehicles are 8-10 ft huge Easter Island-
          like masks, multi-coloured. Multiple bikes are strapped to
          the backs of the vehicles too. More of Aron's friends,
          including Mark V.E. mill around their 4 x 4s. There are
          multiple lights in the distance but it's unclear what it
          might be. The vehicles' own headlights illuminate Rana, a
          stunningly beautiful red-haired woman in her mid-20s,
          effortlessly organising the 15 or so group. As before, we
          remain behind Aron. By the camera's virtually complete
          concentration on Rana it's clear he's a fan.

           28.

                         

                         

                          RANA
           OK - lights off and line up
           alongside me.
          They turn off their vehicles' headlights as she draws a long
          line in the sand and they join her standing on one side of
          it.

                         

                          RANA (CONT'D)
           On the other side of this line,
           everything will be different.
          As they all hold hands and together step cross the line
          (Aron's keen and ever so slightly ahead of everyone across
          the line) the sparkling lights of the crescent-shaped `town'
          of vehicles and camps that is Burning Man are replaced by an
          astonishing sunrise in the Nevada desert. They hoot and
          holler as Rana smiles beautifully at Aron.

                          RANA (CONT'D)
           And remember, stick together, the
           desert wants to kill you.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAWN.

          Aron is very still, looking at the rock and the open blade
          lying on top of it. Suddenly he looks over his shoulder to
          see...

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. MORNING.

          A dagger of sunlight appear behind him. His won sunrise.

                         

                         

          C.U. WATCH.
          9.30am

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAWN.

          He looks at ithe sunbeam as though it's his prey and it might
          run away. It makes it's way along the canyon walls towards
          him. He's very still. But it shifts across the floor and
          it's going to miss him. He whips off his left shoe and sock
          and pushes it towards the coming light. Slowly it climbs and
          caresses his ankle and lower calf. He pulls the other sock
          off and alternates the feet. He looks like he's doing yoga.
          As it leaves him passing overhead it suddenly bursts into the
          opening in front of him.

           29.

                         

                         
          It's a beautiful sight as the colors of the canyon reawaken
          but we can see from above that he appears to be behind a door
          with a room of life beyond him.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

                         TITLE:

                         " SUNDAY ":

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY. VIDEO MESSAGE ONE.


                         

                          ARON
           It's three-oh-five on Sunday. This
           marks my twenty-four-hour mark of
           being stuck in Blue John Canyon
           above the Big Drop. My name is
           Aron Ralston. My parents are Donna
           and Larry Ralston of Englewood,
           Colorado. Whoever finds this,
           please make an attempt to get this
           to them. Be sure of it. I would
           appreciate it.
          He takes long blinks and seems to avoid looking at himself
          though the screen is facing him. He looks alarmed and wide
          eyed, startled, in contrast to his slow slurred delivery.

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           So... I was hiking Blue John Canyon
           yesterday... and this happened.
          He pulls the camera round to show where his forearm and wrist
          disappear into the horrifyingly skinny gap between the
          chockstone and the wall. As he does that we

                          INTERCUT WITH:

          INT/EXT. VARIOUS. CANYON. DAY.

          Flashes of the accident-almost in silhouette - like an
          animatic side view. It freezes just before the moment of
          entombment.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY. VIDEO FOOTAGE.


                          ARON
           What you're looking at there is my
           arm, going into the rock... and
           there it is, stuck. It's been
           without circulation for 24 hours.

                          (MORE)

           30.

                         

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           It's pretty well gone. If the
           colour doesn't come across on the
           video, it's grey and blue.

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           Unnhhhhh.......I'm in deep stuff.

                         

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           So I have very little water.
          He can't help look in the camera towards those who know what
          that means in this place.

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           Yeah, I have about a third of a
           litre left.
          He picks up the water bottle and shakes it for the camera.

                          INTERCUT WITH:

                         

                         

          INT/EXT. VARIOUS. CANYON. DAY.

          Different angle on the freeze-frame.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CANYON. VIDEO FOOTAGE.


                         

                          ARON
           So the way I see it... there's kind
           of four things happening here... I
           tried to move it with some
           rigging... useless... and I tried
           chipping away at the rock... I
           think part of the problem is, is
           that my hand is actually supporting
           the rock. Which means every time I
           chip away the rock moves a bit and
           settles onto my hand again. I
           can't feel it happening but
           microscopically, it seems to be,
           because the little gap over there
           between the rock and the wall seems
           to be getting smaller. And this
           chockstone is the hardest thing
           here.

                         

                          CUT TO:

           31.

                         

                         

          INT. WIDE. MOVING THROUGH CANYON. REALTIME.


                         
          A breeze slides through the canyon and he shudders
          involuntarily for five seconds.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY. VIDEO FOOTAGE.


                          ARON
           So the third thing left was to cut
           my arm off.

                         

                         PAUSE

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           I don't know whether I could do
           that but it's pretty much suicide.
           It's four hours to my vehicle that
           way and with very difficult
           climbing with one hand and the bike
           is like two, two and a half hours,
           that way but the climbing... fourth
           class climbing... which I think
           will be probably impossible with
           one hand... between the blood loss
           and the dehydration I think I would
           die if I cut off my arm.

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           Which means I'm waiting for someone
           to come along.
          He summons up the guts to let the evidence out.

                         

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           I didn't tell anyone where I was
           going and I didn't leave a note on
           the truck.

                         

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           Dumb.
          The video whirrs on until he suddenly looks straight into the
          lens.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY. REALTIME.

          He hears voices.

           32.

                         

                         

                         

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY. VIDEO FOOTAGE.


                         
          We see his reaction to this sound through the video message.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY. REALTIME.

          He puts the camera down and listens. People descending at
          the S log! He can hear them. He screams and screams and
          screams and then he stops. He listens again.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY. ARON'S POV BACK UP THE CANYON.

          The noise is there still. Again he screams and screams.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY.


                         
          Breathing hard, heart racing he listens again. The noise is
          still there unchanged. He knows now it's not people. They
          would have heard him.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY. ARON'S POV.

          He looks above and behind and sees a kangaroo rat
          disappearing, scuffling, behind a chockstone.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY.


                         
          He stops, staring at the camera still recording. He picks it
          up, rewinds and ...

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY. VIDEO FOOTAGE.

          ... re-runs the sound of him screaming for help.

           33.

                         

                         

                          ARON

                          (SCREAMING)

           HELP!!! HELP!!!! OVER HERE!!!

           HEEELLLPP!!!
          Freaky. We just see an arbitrary view of the rock and sky on
          the video camera, maybe with a bit of elbow, but we hear his
          desperation, screaming at no one, distorting on the tiny
          speaker.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY. REALTIME.


                         
          He stops it. The sound of his absolute helplessness and need
          freaks him out and threatens absolute despair. Snorts.

                          ARON
           No one's coming Aron.

                         
          He rewinds to the end of the message and erases his futile
          calls for help.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          EXT. ARON'S TRUCK. DAY.

          Aron's Truck. We sense him in the cab but we're not inside
          with him yet. Music loud and pulsing as we travel towards
          the inflatable Scooby Doo. It's 12ft tall, powered by a mini-
          generator.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. ARON'S TRUCK. DAY.

          Aron swerves to affect the figure which buckles and flaps in
          his after-draft.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          EXT. ROAD. DAY.


                         
          We stay with the dancing figure as his truck drives away into
          the landscape. The generator fan rattles on as the booming
          bass of the truck fades.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY.


                         
          You can see him thinking. Will the girls go to the party?

           34.

                         

                         

          EXT. GOOGLE-EARTH SATELLITE SHOT OF WILDERNESS. DUSK.

          We're now high above the desert, and in the time-lapse we see
          the soft, grey, endless line of darkness cross right to left

                         BRINGING -

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

                         TITLE:

                         " NIGHT TWO ":

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. NIGHT.

          A flashing, strobe-ing light - Aron's head-lamp bouncing back
          and forth off the canyon walls - but also, as he continues to
          chip away...

                         

                          INTERCUT WITH:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. NIGHT.

          ...jump-cutting, strobe-lit as though by flash, of Aron madly
          dressing for the night.

                         

                          INTERCUT WITH:

                         

          C/U: WATCH

                         
          We see the thermometer on his watch falling down and down
          from 70 => below 50.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CANYON. NIGHT.


                         
          The whole thing is almost like stop-frame animation. He
          cannibalizes everything he can, using his knife, his teeth,
          he tears holes in a cloth camera bag, he's frantically paced
          to occupy himself, to pass time, to create heat from energy,
          but he has to be careful not to stab himself in the eye. He
          thrusts his left arm into the newly fashioned sleeve, pulling
          it up with his teeth.
          Purple webbing around his right arm, the insulated Camelbak
          protects his upper arm from the chilling canyon wall. Yellow
          webbing wraps a grocery bag (that held the burritos) round
          his upper right bicep.

           35.

                         

                         
          The dirty green and yellow ropes are curled round his legs
          like pythons. Finally he puts his head inside the rope bag.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. ROPE BAG. BLACK.


                         
          It's plastic inside and although it's black the light from
          his head-lamp suddenly lights him up alarmingly as we go
          inside with him.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          EXT. ROPE BAG. NIGHT.

          He looks like a multi-coloured version of the Michelin Man,
          only much thinner.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. ROPE BAG. NIGHT.


                         
          He laughs, as though he can see how ludicrous he looks.
          We return to normal speed as he turns the light off.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. ROPE BAG. NIGHT.


                         
          BLACK - but we can hear his breathing close as in a space
          suit. LONG PAUSE.

                          ARON
           God, I am praying to you for
           guidance. I'm trapped in Blue John
           Canyon - you probably know that -
           and I don't know what I am supposed
           to do. I've tried everything I can
           think of. I need some new ideas.
           Please show me a sign.
          PAUSE - Just his breath.
          He switches on the head lamp and the inside of the bag
          explodes with light. There's enough light for any kind of
          heaven but it's just Aron in Blue John Canyon. He looks
          around his bag. He stops. Silence. Only his breathing to
          listen to. Heart rate... fast... too fast.
          Light off.

                         

          PAUSE.

           36.

                         

                         

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           OK, then, God, since you're
           apparently busy: Devil, if you're
           listening, I need some help here.
           I'll trade you my arm, my soul,
           whatever you want. Just get me out
           of here. You want me never to
           climb again, I can give that up.
           Just show me the dotted line.

                         PAUSE:

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           Ungg-gggu-ggga-gggngh!

                         
          His throat uncontrollably shudders and splutters as his teeth
          rattle with cold suddenly. It does sound like a demonic fit
          from the multi-coloured headless man.

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           Yeah. Not very funny.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. ASPEN STORE. DAY.

          Aron leaves work: at no point do we see Aron. He's there,
          you sense him in reflective surfaces, his arms, particularly
          his right one and his feet occasionally come into shot. It's
          not a strict P.O.V, more like 'over the shoulder' but without
          much shoulder.

                          Q
           What you doin'?

                          ARON
           Still not sure. I'll see you
           Tuesday.

                          Q
           Have a good one.

                         

                          ARON
           Always do.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          BLACK.

                          CUT TO:

           37.

                         

                         

          C/U: DIGITAL NUMERALS
          11:59 => 00.00 in huge, luminous figures.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. NIGHT.

          He pulls his bag off and pulls his water bottle out of the
          ground where he has half-buried it. It won't open. He can't
          unscrew it. He mutters, cursing himself for tightening the
          lid too much. He puts it between his teeth and levers with
          his head, but nothing. Is his strength vanishing so quickly?

                         
          He looks at his puffy left hand... there's a tremble in it.
          He shakes it to get rid of the tremble and jams the bottle
          between his legs. He uses a bit of cloth to give his hand
          better purchase on the top. We're tight on the neck of the
          bottle as it releases, finally and he lifts it, slowly,
          almost ceremonially. Controlling the tilt, a half-mouthful
          of water slides onto his tongue. He tilts the bottle back
          towards upright but not the whole way. He waits. Circulating
          the splash of water around his mouth.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CANYON. C/U: BOTTLE NECK


                         
          The bottle neck stares at Aron.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. C/U: ARON

          ... his eyes staring at the bottle neck.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. NIGHT.

          He still holds the water in his mouth as he rewinds the top
          onto the bottle and reburies it in the sand to stop any
          evaporation. He moves to pop his contact lenses into his
          mouth and wash them in the moisture. First one then the other
          as we...

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. ARON'S APARTMENT. DAY.

          The images shift with the lens change back to his apartment,
          daylight, we sense him though he's probably in the shower.
          His ansaphone clicks in.

           38.

                         

                         

                          ANSAPHONE (MOM)
           Aron, it's Mom. Hoping to catch
           you. Nothing urgent. Dad's in New
           York so it'll be a quiet weekend.
          Aron is clearly there but can't answer.

                         

           ANSAPHONE (MOM) (CONT'D)
           Call me. Lots of love.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. ARON'S APARTMENT. DAY.


                         
          In front of his bathroom mirror he's slipping his lenses in
          for the day. It looks like The Man Who Fell To Earth.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. C/U: VARIOUS. ARON & MIRROR. DAY.

          Huge close-ups that freak people out who've never worn
          lenses. Mirror shots and lots of short soft focus.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. ARON'S APARTMENT. DAY.


                         
          We hear a girl and a guy somewhere in the apartment. He
          closes the door. GIRL SHOUTS:

                         

                          GIRL
           That was your Mom! And your Dad
           called. Call him. We're going.
           See you next week. Oh, and Rana
           called.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CANYON FLOOR. PRE DAWN.

          He is absolutely still. Almost absent. Flies buzz around
          him. Indeterminate time passes.

                          CUT TO:

           39.

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON FLOOR. PRE DAWN.

          Massive C/U of an ant. Huge, high-definition image, more
          like a JCB-digger than an insect, and then more of them, and
          all moving towards the mosquitoes which hover and land near
          the real giant, Aron.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

          EXT. CANYON. PRE DAWN.

          He watches them devour him and then he clears them away from
          his hand. Suddenly breaks and he's busy now well before
          sunrise. In the grey-white, soft morning he is involved in
          recycling his overnight insulation gear into a crude lift and
          pulley.
          Obsessive, inventive, analytical, he constantly adjusts and
          adds and subtracts, and cannibalizes. Undoing and tieing
          knots with his teeth and hand. Each time nothing happens to
          the rock. But each time he doesn't stop. He tries again and
          again and again; looping and re-looping throwing and catching
          ropes; creating footholds and bouncing in them with his foot,
          his knees, his ass.

                         

                         

                         
          Finally he stops. He looks down. For a moment it's as though
          he will cry. He looks up to where he came from and

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT/EXT. VARIOUS. CANYON AND BEYOND. DAY.

          ... suddenly we're moving, retracing his journey at
          increasing and eventually staggering speed.
          Through the slot canyon, up and into the blazing light across
          the desert paths, past his chained-up bicycle and back to his
          truck waiting at the side of the road. But we don't stop...

                         

           SLAM CUT TO:

                         

          INT. ARON'S TRUCK. DAY.

          We crash into the back of the truck and there, lying on its
          side is an almost-full bottle of Gatorade, and then there's a
          grapefruit, and another one, and they've got sparkly
          condensation on them -like advertising spritzer mist - all
          over them. And a water bottle, and an orange. And high
          energy snack bars and another orange. The fruit seems to
          roll around the empty truck.

           40.

                         

                         
          The Gatorade lies on its side and the liquid slaps slowly
          backward and forward like a Lava lamp. The liquid literally
          bulges with wetness, moisture texture, and we...

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY.

          ... snap back to Aron's face.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         TITLE:

                         

                         " MONDAY ":

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          VIDEO MESSAGE TWO. INTERCUT WITH LIVE FOOTAGE.

                         
          Aron trying not to look at himself:

                         

                         

                          ARON
          It's freaking me out looking at myself so I hope you guys are
          OK with this

                         

                         PAUSE

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

                         REALTIME:

                         
          We can see 2 images of him when we go behind the balanced
          video on the rock, as he has deliberately turned the screen
          away from himself.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         VIDEO:

                         

                          ARON
           It's Monday - all day - bummer. I
           spent the morning trying to create
           a 6:1 system ration and lift the
           boulder but friction between the
           rope and carabiners is dissipating
           every bit of force I apply.

                          (MORE)

           41.

                         

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           All it's good for is sitting in...

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         REALTIME:

                         
          We see a more objective view of his morning's activities as
          he describes them. We see him below us as the raven flies
          between us and him.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

                         VIDEO:

                          ARON
           There's a raven flies overhead, I
           clocked it at 8.15. I'll bet it's
           there tomorrow too. I'll film it
           for you tomorrow

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          REALTIME: EXT. SKY. DAY.

          We see the raven and we see him check his watch. Sure
          enough, 8.14 Slides to 8.15.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

                         VIDEO:

                          ARON
           I have about one hundred and fifty
           millilitres of water left. That's
           four ounces. I can't believe it
           but I peed twice today, within a
           few minutes of each other. How is
           this possible? It's two days since
           I peed, I'm dehydrated and I had to
           go so quickly I forgot to save the
           first. I saved the second in the
           CamelBak. Will I drink it? It
           smells foul, and hot but it'll
           settle. And I can chill it in the
           sand in the night. It's like Polar
           winter here for nine hours.

                          CUT TO:

           42.

                         

                         

                         REALTIME:
          We see his precious bottle of water. It looks back at him.
          Next to it is the Camelbak of his stored urine.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

                         VIDEO:

                          ARON
           No number twos. Which will
           disappoint my insect friends.
           They're gonna have to wait. The
           sunlight appears down here for a
           few hours. I get 15 minutes of it
           at 9.35... and apart from chipping
           away uselessly at this rock that's
           pretty much my morning routine.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          REALTIME - TIME-LAPSE:

                         
          Aron is deathly still as we travel towards him with the
          dagger of light. His leg is stretched out and the only
          movement is the change of leg halfway through. He stays in
          shot throughout getting bigger and then smaller as the light
          approaches and recedes; the sliver of light leaves the
          canyon.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

                         VIDEO:

                          ARON
           I keep chipping at the rock but
           just to generate warmth and give me
           something to do. I think it's
           making it worse. I know it's
           settling more on my arm as I remove
           material from it. The area where I
           chipped flakes off yesterday has
           already rotated down onto my arm.

                         
           PAUSE. I can't feel anything.
           PAUSE. So I made a great
           tourniquet and I tried to cut it
           off.

                          CUT TO:

           43.

                         

                         

                         REALTIME:
          We see him pull the elastic neoprene tubing insulation from
          the CamelBak. It's stretchy, supple and strong and emerges
          like a thin snake. It's perfect. He wraps the black
          neoprene around his right forearm 2 inches below his elbow.
          Simple overhand knot tightened with his teeth. 2nd knot, 3rd
          knot, clips the neoprene with a carabiner and twists 6 times
          tight.

                         

                         

                          ARON

                          OWWWWW

                         
          Now real pain in his right arm. Weird smile at the success.
          The skin colour separates; fish belly white below the
          tourniquet and bright red bunched up crushes of flesh between
          the elbow and the tourniquet.

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           Oh yeah. That aches.
          He takes out the multi-tool and switches to the long blade.
          looks at it. Then he presses the blade and draws it quickly
          across his forearm. Nothing. Repeats it harder. Nothing.
          No cut, no blood, nothing. He switches to the short knife
          and saws viciously at the same point.

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           Shit!
          He releases the tourniquet and as the blood flow returns a
          series of angry red lines establish themselves where he was
          sawing. He looks at them.

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           Pathetic, Aron, pathetic.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

                         VIDEO:

                          ARON
           The blades are too blunt even to
           break the skin. I guess that's the
           chipping. It's not even a proper
           Leatherman. It's a knock-off one
           we got free in a gift pack with a
           torch... Mom gave it to me.

           LONG PAUSE.
           Sis. Sonja, I'm very proud of you.

                          (MORE)

           44.

                         

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           I didn't get to hear firsthand how
           your championships went, but I
           heard from Mom that you placed very
           well at the national competitions,
           that you were tenth overall in
           speech and debate in the nation.
           Hot damn, girl. I'm very proud of
           you. Not just for that but for who
           you are.
          He looks directly in the lens for the first time.

                         

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           I can imagine you in your living
           room looking back at me.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY.


                         
          We see his sister on her living room sofa. The sofa sits in
          the open section of the canyon.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY. VIDEO FOOTAGE.


                         

                          ARON
           I've been thinking about what my
           friend Rob in Aspen says to me
           several... frequently.. Several times
           that, confusingly,
           'It's not what you do but who you
           are'.
           I kind of got hung up on that a
           lot, because I always thought who I
           was, was very much wrapped up with
           what I did. That I was happy
           because of the things that I did
           that made me happy. If things you
           do make you happy, then they can
           also make you unhappy. I think
           that's why I found myself being as
           ambitious and energetic -
          The wind interrupts him and he shivers.

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           (mutters, bitterly)
           It's cold... this place is an ice-
           box at night... And killing winds.

           45.

                         

                         

                         PAUSE

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           (he struggles to complete
           the sense of the

                          SENTENCE)

                         
           " - to do all the outings that I
           did". PAUSE.
          As he loses track of what he's saying and then catches up,
          the canyon has become noticeably darker. He's oblivious.

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           I did want to say, on the
           logistical side of things, I have
           some American Express insurance
           that should cover costs of the
           recovery operation when that does
           happen. Bank account balances
           should take care of my credit-card
           debts. You'll have to sell my
           house, Mom and Dad. Possession-
           wise, I don't know if Sonja can use
           my computer and video camera...

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY.


                         
          He's interrupted by a sudden realization as he looks first
          one way up the canyon and then the other. He looks up at the
          sky above.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          EXT. SLOT CANYON. DAY. ARON'S POV.

          There's an angry looking black motherfucker of a cloud.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

                         

                         

          HUGE C/U OF:
          A massive crack of noise like the land has split. His eyes
          staring up, unblinking, the corridor of light above him
          reflected in is contact lenses like mirrors. Suddenly a drop
          of water hits his eye like an invisible bomb dropping from
          the sky.

                          CUT TO:

           46.

                         

                         

          EXT. DESERT. DAY.

          We're many miles away, the dust spits as though hit by silent
          bullet tracer fire. Raindrops gathering and multiplying,
          soaking and bouncing off the desert floor, they skim and slip
          into a groove and then another, the slit instantly fills and
          water drops crash on the new surface. The spillage spreads
          and fills everything near it. We tilt up, the sky is furious
          black, and murderous. Lightning arcs across hundreds of
          miles.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY.


                         
          Aron's sky darkens above him. Instantly plunging him into a
          dark, violet nether-light. He looks up the canyon as he
          pulls at his arm in panic and tries to gather his laid-out
          possessions into his backpack. Simultaneously he opens his
          mouth to gather any drops he can into his parched throat.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          EXT. DESERT. DAY.

          A channel fills now as the grooves spill and multiply. The
          water poured from above appears everywhere, visibility is
          virtually gone, whether it's through mist or darkness it's
          impossible to tell.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          EXT. DESERT. DAY.

          Another channel explodes like a volcanic surging mass in
          every direction. The camera literally slips and slides as
          the water now seems to take a direction towards deeper
          gulleys, looking for something to fill, for somewhere to
          escape to.

                         
          The floor of the desert becomes a river careering towards the
          slot canyons.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          EXT. DESERT. DAY.

          Now carrying debris with it the water cascades into the
          natural pipe-work of the desert.

                          CUT TO:

           47.

                         

                         

          EXT. BLUE JOHN CANYON S-LOG. DAY.

          We see the S log from below as someone seems to pour
          unimaginable tons of water over the lips of the canyon above
          it. The walls glisten with force as the canyon becomes a 6FT
          wall of churning mud, hurtling towards the chockstones. The
          smaller ones are picked up and tossed downstream, smashing
          and breaking on the bigger ones.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY. WIDE.

          We can see Aron in the distance pulling at his arm. Without
          time to watch it's journey towards him, it seems to skip time
          and hit him like a tsunami under-surging the initial push of
          water on the floor.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY. CLOSER.

          In an instant it smashes into his chest, scattering all of
          his possessions as he still tries to grab them.

                         

                         
          He pushes and pulls, trying to gain height but is underwater
          almost immediately. He tries to take a huge suck of air
          before he's submerged but even that is compromised by water.
          We hear him choke and he disappears into the liquid wall of
          mud.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY. UNDERWATER FOOTAGE.

          We're with him underwater. He's trying to switch his light
          on. We can see almost nothing in this washing machine of
          churning slush and debris and malevolent water. The light
          flicks on. He can see his arm and the rock. Suddenly the
          water lifts the chockstone and his arm releases. He pulls it
          towards him, luminous deathly white in the mud, and flat, and
          too big.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY. UNDERWATER FOOTAGE.

          We're close on Aron's face, at last free but now suffocating
          in darkness.

                         

                          CUT TO:

           48.

                         

                         

          INT: CANYON. NIGHT.
          Aron gasps and throws his night bag off his head and to the
          floor. He's sweating and gasping; thumped alert but...

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

                         TITLE:

                         " NIGHT THREE ":

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. NIGHT.

          ... the canyon is dry as Mars. He tries to control his
          breathing. Head down, sweat drips onto his arm - he licks it
          off and lifts his head - a sudden shiver - looks at his
          watch.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          C/U. WATCH:
          The display changes from 20.29 => 20.30

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. NIGHT.


                         
          He can't believe so little time has passed. He's only just
          closed his eyes. It's going to be a long night.
          The two bottles stand looking at him. He goes back in the
          head bag and we go with him.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. ROPE BAG. NIGHT

          He holds the video camera at waist height and switches it to
          playback. He rewinds through his messages. Stops, switches
          off playback and rewinds the blue LCD screen to save battery.
          The light is surreal, soft LCD hell.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

          HUGE C/U OF:
          Battery time. Time rewinding, hurtling backwards.

           49.

                         

                         
          Stops. Plays back.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CATHEDRAL CAVE. DAY. VIDEO FOOTAGE.


                         
          Megan and Kristi. The Cathedral. They clamber out in wet
          clothes - it's from after their first jumps. We see all
          three of them climb and fall and get out of the water and
          climb and fall, smashing into the azure water. Their faces
          are dripping wet, beaming mad, screaming and howling,
          completely natural, children really, on their first helter-
          skelter / Big Dipper.

                         
          He rewinds this time in vision. Kristi's bra and pants are
          soaking. Megan's top cascades water as she rises out of the
          water.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. ROPE BAG. NIGHT

          For Aron the volume of his and their shouting is deafening
          and the first human sounds he has heard for days. He
          watches, staring, laughing; not laughing, staring, eyes
          tearing in self-pity.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          C/U: VIDEO CAMERA

                         

          HE STOPS IT IN VISION
          There's water, joy, 2 beautiful girls, happiness, sensuality,
          company, freedom...

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. ROPE BAG. NIGHT.

          He looks at the picture and then into the bag. His breathing
          is hard, pronounced. He carefully tells himself..

                         

                          ARON
           No. No. Don't.

                         
          He sees the moisture on the inside of the bag, condensation.
          He licks it with his sticky tongue, twice, three times. He
          looks back at the LCD screen.

                          CUT TO:

           50.

                         

                         

          INT. ROPE BAG. NIGHT.

          The LCD looks back at him.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. ROPE BAG. NIGHT.

          He kills the image and snaps it shut.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CANYON. NIGHT.


                         
          He emerges from the bag.
          21.05 and looks at the bottle. He takes the Camelbak and
          saying...

                         

                          ARON
           See you later...
          ... swallows quickly 2 'spoons' of urine without disturbing
          the sediment. Tangy and bitter, the saltiness makes him
          wince.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. ARON'S TRUCK. DUSK.

          We're in his truck again but this time over his shoulder and
          we can see the Scooby Doo Figure dancing in the distance.
          It's now lit up too, as night is falling, and we're coming at
          it from the other direction. As he gets to it he swerves and
          follows its guide to the party.

           JUMP CUT TO:

                         

                         

          EXT. DRIVEWAY. NIGHT

          Jump cut, pulling up at the party.

           JUMP CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. PARTY. NIGHT.

          Jump cut, inside it's nice, full of ordinary decent people,
          though no one acknowledges Aron as we stay attached to his
          shoulder. There's a mini-Scooby Doo dancing in the main room
          and there's a light, early party atmosphere. Aron searches
          for the girls, approaching any cluster to see which girls
          they contain. Rana is there but doesn't acknowledge him.

           51.

                         

                         
          There's no Megan or Kristi anywhere and we finally settle on
          the bar / drinks table where there is an ocean of all kinds
          of drink. And melting ice in huge buckets with bottles of
          beer floating around in them. And orange juice, and
          popsicles. And melon, and lemon and lime. And grapefruit
          and oranges for Margaritas are filling frosted glasses.
          During the ritual we...

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CANYON. NIGHT

          Aron ducks out of his head-bag and shakes his water bottle.
          Something he always does - to check the sound of real water.
          To make sure he hasn't drunk it all without knowing. He
          opens, tilts and holds as always and then ritualistically
          removes his contact lenses and washes them in his mouth.
          Suddenly a shiver tears across him like an attack dog. He
          coughs a lens out and as he tries to catch it before it goes
          into the sand he tips the bottle in his lap.
          He hasn't put the top on fully. It goes horizontal on his
          shorts and a leak of the sacred fluid darkens his tan shorts.
          He whips it upright.

                          ARON
           (furious at himself)
           Fuck a nut, Aron. Pay fucking
           attention - look what you did?
          He stares at the stain - with all the dirt on his shorts it's
          already paste. He screws the lid on slowly and can barely be
          bothered to lift his lens into his mouth.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          HUGE C/U OF:
          With difficulty he puts the murky lens back in his bloody
          eye.

                          DISSOLVE TO:

                         

                         

          INT. UNKNOWN. NIGHT.

          The image shifts with the lens to night, everything short
          focus. Only one thing at a time clear, everything else
          diffuse. No idea where we are. We come over Aron's shoulder
          and he's clearly in the deep background of a vehicle. In
          front of him a half a dozen of his friends (boys and
          girls)... and Rana, excitedly chatting. Though we can hear
          nothing.

           52.

                         

                         
          Gradually it becomes clear it's night outside. They are all
          undressing in their seats until all are butt naked. The tone
          (we can't hear) is clearly more infantile than sexual. We're
          beginning to see there's a ferocious blizzard outside. And
          we appear to be badly exposed to it. Up a mountain, on the
          crest of a high road... Snow, hail, swirls savagely around
          all sides of the truck. We remain inside. It's warm, the
          heater blows.
          They prepare themselves for a mutual signal, press their
          window buttons. All the windows open and a BLIZZARD explodes
          inside the vehicle.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          EXT. MOUNTAIN. NIGHT.

          One shot outside - POVs naked arms out the windows shaking
          and saluting the storm. Their crazy, happy faces through the
          windscreen as the weather invades the vehicle.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. NIGHT.

          Aron very still, listens to their screams. He looks at his
          knife dangling from his wrist by the shoelace.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

          EXT. CANYON. SUNRISE.


                         
          Hundreds of miles of canyon - sunrise. The inner canyons
          change from dark umbers and black shadows to immense bands of
          pastel yellow, white, green and a hundred shades of red, a
          hallucinogenic movement towards light.

           V.O.
           `Good morning America!' etc.

                         
          There's a chorus of 'Good Mornings' from American TV & radio
          shows. Literally dozens of them from Texas to Oregon,
          Massachusetts to the Carolinas.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         TITLE:

                         " TUESDAY ":

                          CUT TO:

           53.

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. MORNING. VIDEO FOOTAGE.

          Aron joins the morning chorus.

                          ARON
           Good morning everyone! It's 6:45
           Tuesday morning in BJ Canyon. The
           weather is great! I figure by now
           that Leona, my housemate - Hi
           Leona! - has missed me hopefully
           since I didn't show up last night.
           Another hour and a half they'll
           miss me for not showing up for
           work. Hi Brion at work! Best case
           scenario is they notify the police
           and after a 24 hour hold they file
           a report, a missing persons report.
           Which means noon tomorrow it's
           official that I'm gone. I do still
           have the tiniest bit of water left.
           Well, actually, I've resorted...I've
           had a couple pretty good gulps of
           urine that I saved in my Camelbak.
           I sorta let it distill...it tastes
           like hell. So it's 70 hours since
           I left on my bike from Horseshoe
           Trailhead during which time I have
           consumed 3 liters of water and a
           couple mouthfuls of piss.

                         
          Pause.
           Did I say the weather is great?
           Well, it is. Though flash floods
           potential is still present. There's
           4-prong major canyons upstream from
           me that all converge in this 3 foot
           wide gap where I am. The rock I
           pulled down on top of me, it was
           put there by flood.

                          PAUSE
           Still, I'd get a drink.
          He shudders, it's ridiculous.
          Then composes himself during a long blink and looks straight
          at the camera.

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           Mom, Dad, I really love you guys.
           I wanted to take this time to say
           the times we've spent together have
           been awesome. I haven't appreciated
           you in my own heart the way I know
           I could. Mom, I love you. I wish
           I'd returned all of your calls,
           ever.

                          (MORE)

           54.

                         

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           I really have lived this last year.
           I wish I had learned some lessons
           more astutely, more rapidly, than I
           did. I love you. I'll always be
           with you.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. MORNING.

          Switches off the camera.
          He charges into setting up the 6:1 haul system again. Much
          quicker this time. He clears the rope - the rock - of his
          possessions and puts his sunglasses on.

                          ARON
           Ready for lift-off.
          He bounces his full weight in the stirrups and pulls on the
          haul line. It looks a better set up.

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           Come on, move, dammit.

                         
          Nothing. He stops. And stares directly at the knife below
          him. Absolute stillness. Nothing moves. Not him. Not even
          the insects.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CANYON. MORNING.


                         
          The knife stares back.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. MORNING.

          Without warning he suddenly tourniquets his arm again . Twice
          around the fore arm, knotted twice and clipped with a
          carabiner that he twists 6 times. He secures the fix by
          attaching the purple webbing.

                         
          Looks to his watch

                          CUT TO:

                         

          C/U: DIGITAL NUMERALS

          7:58AM.

                         

                          CUT TO:

           55.

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY.

          He folds open the knife, grasps it in his fist and picking a
          spot just above the rock's grip on his right wrist, he
          hesitates and then violently plunges the blade into his arm
          up to the hilt.

                         
          He lets go leaving the knife embedded. He swoons and stares
          at it. He slowly grasps the tool more firmly and wriggles it
          slightly, the blade connects with something hard. He taps the
          knife down and feels it knocking on the radius of his upper
          forearm bone.
          He puts his ear close and we can hear the little thocking
          sound.

                         

                          ARON
           Whoa, that's the bone.
          He pulls the knife out opening the wound more. There's barely
          any blood. He pokes at the gash with the tool.

                         

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           Ouch!

                         
          He can see the epidermis, thick and leathery rough. Yellow
          fatty tissue under the skin in a membrane layer around the
          muscle. He thocks, thocks again and some blood finally seeps
          out and blocks his view. He pulls the knife out and thinks.
          He's sweating and puts the tool on top of the chockstone.

                         
          He immediately pulls up his water bottle and stares into it.
          With a little shake he opens it and drinks it all gulping
          open throated. He shakes any last drop down and runs his
          tongue up into the neck. He screws the lid back on and
          loosens the tourniquet. There's no discernible increase in
          blood loss.
          He picks up the video again.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

                         

                         VIDEO FOOTAGE

                         

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           This next part may not be for all
           viewers at home. It's a little
           after eight. At precisely eight
           o'clock I took my last sip of clean
           water... and... hide your eyes,
           Mom...
          He pans across the boulder and zooms in on the wound,
          smattered with bright red blood.

           56.

                         

                         

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           I made an attempt - a short career
           in surgery, as it turned out -
           those knives are just not anywhere
           close to the task. I've got about
           an inch-wide gash in my arm that
           goes about a half inch deep. I cut
           down through the skin and the fatty
           tissue, and through some of the
           muscle. I think I cut a tendon, but
           I'm not sure.
           I'll never saw through the bones
           with this knife. I tried, anyways.
           It really just didn't go well. The
           tourniquet is relaxed at this
           point. Which actually is a little
           bothersome, considering I'm not
           bleeding that bad, barely at all.
           It's so weird. You'd expect to
           definitely see more pulsing and
           bleeding, but oh well.

                          PAUSE

                         
           I'm really fucked now. I'm out of
           water.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY.

          Stops the video and rips a section of his t-shirt to make an
          impromptu bandage to cover the wound. As he ties it with his
          teeth there's a rush of someone else's noise: the swat of
          wings. He grabs the camera just in time to catch the very end
          of the raven's flight 70 ft above his head.

                          ARON
           Shit missed it. 8:31AM. He's late
           and I still missed it.

                         
          We can hear his heart racing. He holds his left hand to it
          hoping to calm it down.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          EXT. STADIUM. CROWDS.

          Like the beginning there are thousands of fans filling the
          screen, people everywhere, maybe holding lighters. And again
          like the beginning the screen splits into 2...

           57.

                         

                         

                         TITLE:

          " NIGHT FOUR. WEDNESDAY. NIGHT FIVE "

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT/EXT. VARIOUS.

          The rest of Tuesday and night, and Wednesday and night play
          out through the triptych. Repetition is used to create a
          trippy sense of losing coherence- sometimes there's 3 Arons
          doing the same thing. It could be consecutive days or he's
          forgotten.

                         
          At key moments it resolves to one image and then back again.
          Things seem to loop and his close-ups almost seem to watch
          the loops happening again and again. This is particularly
          true inside the head bag at night. When his light is switched
          on it's bleached and monstrously overlit, like cruel HD close-
          up - his disintegration is terrifying.

                         
          When it's off we establish a night vision, of green, of blue,
          that allows us to witness him in hiding. The images,
          sometimes of himself also, play out on the interior surface
          of the bag. The effect is like wraparound Imax, multi-screen
          Technicolor.

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY. DIPTYCH.


                         
          Aron has his headphones on EXT. STADIUM CROWD

                         

                         

                         
          Listening to the live concert
          again.

                         
          The laser in the CD The crowd smears,
          skips. dragged and distorted.
          It's been damaged by the time in The numbers skip on the
          the sand. display.

                         

                         
          As they stop...

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY.

          Aron falls into the canyon.

           58.

                         

                         

                         
          Beyond the foot 11.32 => 11.33
          in the sunlight Aron falls again into the HUGE figures.
          dagger. We don't canyon replayed in slower
          see above waist motion V.O: HERE he is
          height. Someone Aron lifts a
          carrying 2 huge huge rock onto
          office water his shoulder
          dispensers by and heaves it
          their necks walks to crash on
          into the canyon the chockstone
          He walks up to Aron It shatters
          And puts them down into dust.
          his side and leaves. It's like
          ARON: quarry mining.
          `Thanks' He finds a

                          BLACK SHOT-
           Adverts - 7UP, etc. Some putt sized
           televised, some billboard rock and
           some radio, pull tab cans begins
           split and spit, slurpees hammering with
           grapefruit juice, OJ that -
           popsicles. ARON:
           `owwww!'
           But he carries
           on.

                          SHUDDERING SO

                          VIOLENTLY WITH
          Temperature 57 - shivers, like
          56 - 55 (huge a fit teeth
          Figures) chattering,

                          RACKING HIS
           A figure starts body with a
           a small fire to furious
           comfort Aron. vengeance.
           Perfect for bacon
           and beans.
          He pisses again 02.02=>03.03=>04.04
          ARON: Huge luminous figures on There's the
          "I can't believe the inside of the black interior Scooby
          this..." bag. Doo waving at a
          decants the table in front
          sediment out of V.O: There you are of it piled to
          Camelbak. The creaking point
          stench of the with margaritas
          sediment makes the excess runs
          him retch and jerk down the table
          away. Where is all legs.
          This coming from?

                         ARON:
          `Fuck Aron 05.05 We see it reflected
          That shit stinks' on his eyeball the eyelid
           rustles back and forward.
          Finished he tucks
          back in but VIDEO FOOTAGE: During this we
          there's a small [ARON: RAMBLING ON VIDEO see pictures,

           59.

                         

                         
          bloom. ARON: ONLY SOMETIMES COHERENT] unremarkable
          `You can shake Tom, thanks for the lovely, natural
          and you can dance fire last night...
          but the last My friend Rob in Aspen ones of Erik +
          drop is in the says to me several... Jon + Kristi +
          pants'- of pee frequently... several Matt + Brent +
          on his shorts. times, confusingly, Gary + Judson +

                          BRYAN + MIKE +
           INT. ROB IN CANYON ON SOFA. Rachel + Angie
           ROB: `It's not what you do [SOME TAKE
           but who you are'. THEIR TURN ON
          + Erik + Rana + THE SOFA IN
          Sonja + Jean Marc THE CANYON]

                         + CHAD + KELLER
          + Soha + Craig + Aron falls
          Brandon + Chip + One of the things again - the
          Norm I'm learning here is that I accident
           didn't enjoy people's re-runs in
           company that I was with silhouette
           enough, or as much as I
           could have. A lot of really
           good people have spent time
           with me. Very often I tend
           to ignore or dismiss their
           presence in seeking the He eats the
           essence of their presence. last bite of

                          BURRITO WASHED
           Did that make sense? down with a
           swig of urine,
           He switches off and applies winces and
           lip balm. swallows
           somehow. ARON:
           He looks at it and bites a `That's it.
           bit off. Masticates it on I'm on the
           and on... Chewing. urine diet
           now. Well,
          The chockstone it's no
          waits and Aron's slurpee...'
          foot kicks and
          then lands and
          they fall together.

                         
          The raven flies. => The accident runs in Aron watches
           reverse the raven

           INT. STORE ROOM. DAY.


           REFLECTED ON THE INSIDE

           OF THE NIGHT HEAD BAG.

                         

                         ARON CHIPPING
          away desultory A slit of light in blackness
           reveals Jon in work clothes.
          Aron licks A light switch flicks on and
          moisture thin metal shelves full of
          condensation cleaning supplies appear He takes shots
          from inside the on 3 sides, industrial mop, of himself
          bag. His head- Aron in his canyon gear, with his still

           60.

                         

                         
          lamp blinks right arm out of focus. camera and of
          unreliably. Tries to knock on door with his hand and
           left arm. Jon stops him and of the light
           indicates it won't do any in the canyon.
          V.O: Where are good. He takes one
          You going? with the flash
           VIDEO FOOTAGE: at night in
           ARON: I'm holding on but the canyon.
           it's really slowing down, And one inside
           the time is going really the bag
           slow but my heart rate is blinding
          INT. GARAGE. DAY. going like crazy [WE HEAR himself. The
          We're in the IT POUNDING IN CONTRAST spots in his
          doorway of a TO HIS SLURRING DELIVERY] eyes bleed
          garage with I swear it's like 3 x what across into
          friends in the it should be... other shots
          background gathered and change
          around Rana who colour.
          is working on one Rewinded video -
          of the giant Megan and Kristi
          Easter Island masks and back through
          for Burning Man. his life in the
          She chats away, canyon and then
          carefree, some of him
          she's in baggy climbing in snow
          dungarees or that existed on
          overalls with her the tape - triumphant
          hair falling around pose on top of the icy
          her face out of its wonder. All ice picks
          hairband. She brushes and Gore-Tex.
          it back and flecks of
          Plaster of Paris dust
          her skin. She notices
          Aron. V.O: He's over here
          RANA: There you are.
          She shouts to someone:
          RANA: Here he is.
           Mum and Dad sitting on
           Sofa. Sofa sitting in canyon He imagines
           In front of him - flash-floods his head in
           Of light the dagger
           of sunlight.

                          HIS HEAD

                          TURNS ALWAYS
           Rana's face is remaining in
           huge on the inside the light.An
           of his head bag, smiling accelerating
           at him. Her face in huge carousel of
           scale compared to his head. yellow
           warmth.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          ALL THE SCREENS GO BLACK.

           61.

                         

                         

          INT. ROPE BAG. BLACK.

          Breathing close but shallow and rasping.

                          ARON
           God, it's Aron again. I still need
           some help. It's getting bad here.
           I'm out of water and food.
           Listen. Give me the strength not to
           do anything against myself. I want
           to see this through, whatever.
          A rumbling thunderous sound grows and the inside of the bag
          begins to bear the image of the top of the canyon at dawn but
          crumpled like paper, creased like the bag [BUT STRETCHED
          ACROSS 2 SCREENS]. The noise grows and grows...

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY. INT. CANYON. DAY.


          ARON'S UPWARD POV.
          When it can get no louder Obscuring the light on
          a horse leaps the 6 ft gap his face once they've
          at the top of the canyon. gone and only dust
          it's followed by dozens of falling lightly is
          horses stampeding across his evidence then...
          roof....

                         

                         

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          EXT. SKY. DAY.

          ...the raven beats its wings across the canyon.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY. SINGLE SCREEN.

          We tilt down the wall (still reflected on inside of bag) to
          see Aron completing his obit. Scratched on wall of canyon:
          Aron Oct 75 => APR 03 RIP.
          As we reverse back on Aron in the canyon there's a burst of
          light and color beyond him and on the sofa in the canyon a
          little boy sits. He's blond, about 3 and in a red polo shirt.
          He looks like Aron.
          Aron walks towards him, the sunlight hits his face like a
          train and Aron looks up to it but keeps moving towards the
          boy, walking downhill towards the sofa. The boy leaps off the
          sofa and comes running to Aron.

           62.

                         

                         
          He scoops the boy up with his left arm and balances him
          around his shoulders with his right handed stump. The boy
          holds Aron's arms in his little hands and they prance around
          the sofa, they giggle and shout playing bulls, giraffes,
          elephants, jousting knights, pretending to walk downhill
          behind the sofa. Like any father in any park. [A PERFECT POP
          SONG, BLONDIE MAYBE, PLAYS IN THE DISTANCE]. Like any father
          in any park.
          Aron watches the image begin to fade. He switches on the
          light but its low and feeble.
          As the images on the inside of the bag fade so too does
          Aron's lamp. He tries to warm it up but it fades to black. He
          holds his breath.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY.


                         
          It's strangely still even by the canyon's standards. He peeks
          out from his head bag; his contacts are cloudy and sore to
          blink.

                         
          You can hear him blink. Eye socket rasping against eyeball.
          The head lolls like he's lost control of the neck muscles.
          His tongue rasps as he flexes his mouth to prevent sealing.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

          TITLE.

                         
          " THURSDAY MAY 1st ".

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY.

          He looks at his obituary on the wall. ARON. OCT 75 => APR 03.

          RIP.

                          ARON
           Out of date. May Day. Not dead.
          He smirks.

                         
          8:15 Waits for the raven. No sign

                          INTERCUT WITH:

                         

          C/U. DIGITAL NUMERALS.

                         
          8:30. Nothing.

           63.

                         

                         
          8:45 No raven.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY. VIDEO FOOTAGE.


                         
          It's tough looking at him. So long without water. The
          dehydration is frightening.

                          ARON
           No raven today. Everything's
           fucked. Sonja... if you still want
           me to play at your wedding... there's
           a tape in a box in the basement of
           Mom and Dad's Lounge. It's me 1993
           or 1994.
          We hear the music. Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Chopin - he can
          hear it as he played it until...

                         

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           There was a little boy,and he
           looked like my cousin Charlie but
           he was too young. And I don't want
           to die... But I really don't know
           what to do.
          Pause.

                         
          Quietly, deadly:

                          VOICE
           I did this Aron. I created this.
           The boulder did what it was here to
           do. It was waiting for me but it
           did the only natural thing it could
           do. I chose to come here, I chose
           to do this descent by myself. I
           chose not to tell anyone where I
           was going. I chose to turn away
           from the women who were there to
           keep me from getting in this
           trouble. I wanted it to be like
           this. Look how far I came to find
           this spot.

                         
           It's not that I'm getting what I
           deserve - I'm getting what I
           wanted.
          He's empty now. He clicks the camera shut and puts it away.
          That's over.

                          CUT TO:

           64.

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY.

          He looks at his 'good' hand. It's swollen and angry red like
          an inflated prosthetic on top and around of his real hand. He
          takes off his shoe and pulls the sock over his hand to
          cushion his palm and picks up the black rounded hammer rock
          again. Ignoring the pain he starts hammering at the rock
          surface. SMASH. MAD NOW.

                          ARON
           I hate this rock.
          The rage blooms purple in his mind.

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           I hate it.
          His face swells with anger, nostrils flaring.

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           I hate this fucking canyon.

                         
          A small mushroom cloud of pulverized grit and dust erupts
          each time.

                         

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           I hate this cold slab pressing me
           against this damp fucking wall.
          Smash, Smash, Smash.

                         

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           I know there's water near coz of
           these fucking mosquitoes.

                         

                         

                         
          The sock quickly disintegrates with friction as he hammers
          and hammers.

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           I hate this fucking mess.

                         
          Finally he stops but his fingers are paralyzed, fused rigid
          around the rock. He pulls them off with his teeth and the
          stone drops to his feet.

                         
          There's a thick layer of dust across the top of the stone and
          his right arm. He tries to blow it away. He fails. Tired,
          it's too thick and he's too dehydrated. He picks up his knife
          and using this starts sweeping the grit off his thumb. As he
          cleans up he accidentally rips away a thin piece of decayed
          flesh. It peels back a long way like a skin of boiled milk.
          The insects start to gather.

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           Shit.

           65.

                         

                         
          He pokes the thumb with the stubbed point of the blade. On
          the second prod the blade punctures the epidermis like soft
          butter. There is a clear hiss as gases escape. The stench is
          death. He looks at the gangrene attached to him, poisoning
          him.

           ARON (QUIET, CLEAR) (CONT'D)
           Get rid of it Aron, it's dead, it's
           garbage.
          He drops to his haunches but the webbing stops him at his
          waist. He detaches it and drops down again, almost able to
          squat. His trapped arm is the only thing preventing that.
          His face is suddenly open.

                         
          He pushes and pushes with his left hand under the boulder to
          create maximum downward force on his right arm. Hard, harder,
          HARDER. It looks insane, unnatural and painful, but he says
          nothing.

                         

                         POW
          Like a gunshot in the canyon, the bone breaks. The sound
          ricochets. He rises and sees the bone pushing up violently
          against the skin. He feels it. It's a serrated, but clean,
          successful break.
          Still he says nothing.

                         
          Now he humps his body up and over the chockstone, smearing
          his feet, one with a shoe, one without, against the wall, he
          pushes grabbing further and further round the dark side of
          the chockstone, pulling with a silent, furious intensity.
          Hard, then harder, and HARDER.

                         

                         

                         

                         BANG
          A second gun shot smashes around the canyon. He's sweating
          heavily and yet euphoric, possessed. He checks the underneath
          of the arm. It's broken too. Around the same place.
          He can rotate his forearm like a shaft inside a housing.
          Giving himself no time to wake up he grabs the knife, looks
          at the watch-

                          CUT TO:

                         

          C/U: DIGITAL NUMERALS.

                         10:32

                         

                          CUT TO:

           66.

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY.

          He mutters...

                          ARON
           Ok Aron, here we go. You're in it
           now.

                         
          He pushes the knife hard, to the hilt, in between 2 veins on
          his wrist.
          Fuck knows where the sweat is coming from but it's pouring
          out of him.
          Sawing downwards he makes as large a hole as he can without
          tearing any of the noodle like veins. He puts the knife in
          his teeth and pokes his left forefinger and thumb inside his
          right arm.
          Like a mechanic he looks to analyse and then he works by feel
          only.

                         
          His sweat falls on his knife mixing with the blood.
          He pulls muscle nearer the surface allowing his knife to
          slice and pare away at a pinky 'finger-sized' fragment bit by
          bit. It takes a dozen actions, each time the knife goes back
          to his teeth.
          Sort. Pinch. Rotate. Slice.

                         
          There's not a lot of blood. But he keeps working and working.
          Once the blood increases he puts the knife down on top of the
          rock and swiftly ties his tourniquet.

                         
          He's silent, refusing to verbalize the pain.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          C/U: DIGITAL NUMERALS.

          10.53

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY.

          He can't cut the tendon, no matter how hard he slices. But
          nothing will stop his addiction to surgery now. He folds in
          and swaps the blade for the pliers. He uses them to bite into
          an edge of the yellowy tendon. Then squeezing and twisting he
          tears away a fragment.

                         

                         

                         
          Grip. Squeeze. Twist. Tear.

           67.

                         

                         
          Finally he finishes the tendon.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          C/U: DIGITAL NUMERALS.

                         

                         11:16

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY.

          He returns to the knife. Finally all that remains inside is a
          pale white strand. Like swollen angel hair pasta. The nerve.
          He touches it with the knife edge.

                          ARON

           AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!

                         
          He explodes internally with vocal pain, through gritted
          teeth. The first time he has made any sound during the
          surgery. But it's like he's been taser-ed, he's stunned still
          for a minute

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          C/U: DIGITAL NUMERALS.

                         11:17

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY.

          He looks at it... the nerve.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY.

          ...and the thin, swollen wire of his own nerve looks back at
          him. For the final time, he asks himself, `Can you do this?'

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY.

          He puts the knife in and pulls it toward him, an inch, two
          inches, it lengthens like pulling a guitar string.
          Unimaginable pain builds in his whole body, like he's pushing
          his arm into a cauldron of magma...

           68.

                         

                         
          (It's difficult to tell because everything is so tight and
          claustrophobic but maybe the boy is there intermittently
          riding his shoulders slipping across and around him, or
          obstructed by the boulder and stopped from getting to Aron)
          ...until it breaks. He shudders in shock and drops everything
          for minutes. His head lolls forward dripping. His mind
          swarming with trauma.
          And then he's back on the last action stretching the skin of
          his outer wrist tight and sawing the blade into the wall.
          It's a piece of gristle on a cutting board.
          Everything now is forcing us towards the boulder, cramping us
          in with him impossibly close, he's sweating and heaving, his
          vision blurring with tears, his contacts failing, his breath
          impossibly dry and rasping and then, as simply as this all
          began, his shoulders open and he's free......
          He staggers back, one, two, three steps away from his arm...

                         
          His head swarming with colours, swooning, overpowering. He
          stares at his obituary as he's born again. His feet stagger
          under him like a new foal, an involuntary dance, we see
          colours bleeding and blending in his P.O.V.s and the colours
          invade our shots of him.

                          ARON
           (spitting out this
           declaration at the rock)

           I AM NOT GOING TO DIE.... HERE.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          C/U: DIGITAL NUMERALS.

                         

                         
          11.34 am

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY.

          He's busy packaging his stump in the plastic grocery sack and
          then wrapping that with the yellow webbing he wore as a
          chocker to keep his neck warm in the night. He stuffs the
          repackaged arm into the empty Camelbak backpack and throws
          the straps over his neck to hold the arm in a makeshift
          sling.
          Packs his bag, water reservoir, full bottle of shiny urine,
          video, pocket knife. Grabs his climbing rope, messy and
          knotted from its use as insulation, and heads off down the
          canyon.

                         
          Stops almost immediately and hesitates for a beat. He returns

           69.

                         

                         
          to take 2 photos on his still camera of the rock and his
          hand.
          Goodbye.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. CANYON. DAY.

          And now the motion and energy and life force of the action
          movie returns...
          It's like Ray Liotta's final day in Goodfellas; relentless,
          frustrating, pressure of life again now he's free from his
          tomb. Deeper and deeper, down and down into the swirling
          scoops of the sandstone. Couple of difficult manoeuvres, lots
          of slipping and bumping, despite his best effort occasionally
          his right shoulder takes the brunt and he stops, winces and
          grunts thru the pain.

                         
          But on he goes, 100 ft of the rope trailing behind him. As
          we follow its progress snaking after him we see specs of
          blood on the lower walls.

                         
          The canyon becomes a chute increasingly steep in which he
          ignores the shrinking daylight above because he has another
          target; the twists and turns of the curricles of sedimented
          sandstone lead to a soft glow, red, translucent, growing and
          growing in intensity. He pushes forward, the tail of rope
          whipping faster and faster along the walls and floor.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT/EXT. ROCK SHELF. DAY.


                         
          Finally, we burst into the dazzling midday sun on a rock
          shelf halfway up a sheer walled amphitheatre, 200ft high. The
          scale of the slated cliff face opposite is breathtaking, the
          dazzling sunlight poaches the air he sucks in and burns his
          dry eyes.
          He sees, for the first time in his new life, green. The deep
          green of a healthy 50ft tree below him and to his left, and
          he knows. He looks for the bolts drilled into the rock, and
          he knows. Now he can look down. Right to the edge of
          vertiginous drop and there below is a puddle of shallow
          turgid water. Life itself. He wanted it to be there and now
          he's mesmerized by it. A pair of swifts leave the tree and
          zig zag up and around him. He wobbles and has to stop himself
          lunging head first over the precipice. Instead he drops to
          the bolts and kisses them like the pope arriving in a foreign
          land.

                         
          Unravelling the rope of its knots, he's baking in blazing

           70.

                         

                         
          light. He can't go yet, every knot must be undone pulled open
          between his teeth and his hand. But he'll die if he can't
          have moisture. He tips the saved urine over himself and
          licking and retching simultaneously he suddenly stops and
          listens. He can hear a shuffling, a zip-zip... The rope is
          uncoiling over the ledge. He put it down to drink. Picking up
          speed the more it falls, there's only a few feet left. He
          lunges across the ledge and catches it just in time. That was
          his future disappearing over the ledge.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          EXT. CANYON. DAY


                         

                         
          We're far below - 6 storeys - and see him inch over the edge.
          Something's not right. It's a difficult overhang and he's
          awkward and vulnerable with only one useful arm. His bad arm
          catches horribly on the lip of the ledge. Suddenly he starts
          coming fast, faster and then hideously, much too fast,
          accelerating out of control and smashing into the water with
          deadly force.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. UNDERWATER. DAY.


                         

                         
          We're underneath, deep in the pool, and he crashes in an
          explosive cascade of air forced into the water.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          EXT. C/U: DAY.


                         
          His feet gently touch the sandy floor, 10ft to the side of
          the pool...

                          CUT TO:

                         

          EXT. POOL. DAY


                         
          ... he's a great climber and even in his present condition
          has perfectly executed the descent. And the pool is a puddle,
          swimming with dead leaves and insects, 2 inches deep at most.
          He falls on it with his bottles, filling them and dipping his
          mouth into the water, He washes his head, drinks and fills,
          drinks and gargles, and drinks again-insects, leaves,
          tadpoles, everything. Blood splashes in beside him so out
          comes his map again as he plots his way out. He sees a great
          goose- necked avenue before him bending to the right.

           71.

                         

                         
          Checking the map... there's a long way to go and he's small,
          nothing in this landscape.

                          CUT TO:

                         

          EXT. (VARIOUS)CANYON. DAY.


                         
          He walks shedding any weight that might reduce how long he
          can keep going; his equipment, carabiners, headphones; his
          harness left like a spent snake skin behind him. He keeps to
          the shadows of the huge Monument Valley-like cliffs when he
          can.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          EXT. HORSESHOE CANYON. DAY.

          Finally, he comes to the great gallery that we saw in the
          opening titles. A 300ft huge wall with dozens of broad
          shouldered figures painted to enormous scale in all shades of
          tan and maroon. They seem to stare back at him. He salutes
          them in his own way and continues.

                         
          He banks left beneath a colossal alcove high up in the cliff
          face and makes to the flattest ground - there's no shade to
          hide in here.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          EXT. HORSESHOE CANYON. DAY.


                         
          70 yards ahead, 3 aliens are walking away from him. 2 tall,
          one shorter. All with elongated bodies and tiny heads,
          shimmering in the heat.

                         

                         

                         
          He goes to shout but his voice catches. Then a feeble effort
          is lost in the vast scale of the canyon. The figures walk on
          bending and disappearing in the light. He digs deep.

                          ARON

           HELP!

                         
          And the figures turn.
          There's a terrible pause of uncertainty on both sides and
          then he pushes out another heartbreaking -

                          ARON (CONT'D)

           HELP ME! I NEED HELP!
          The figures begin to run towards him. We watch his face in
          close up as they come. If tears come, then now they come at
          the sight of humans. He mutters to himself.

           72.

                         

                         

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           Hang in there Aron.
          At they get closer he summons a surge of energy from
          somewhere.

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           My name is Aron Ralston. I was
           trapped by a boulder on Saturday
           and I've been without food and
           water for 5 days. I cut my arm off
           this morning to get free and I've
           lost a lot of blood. I need medical
           attention.

                         
          There's a pause as they look at this refugee from a low
          budget horror movie. He hungrily eyes the water bottles
          attached to their waist bands. This gives them a way in to
          his world. The moment is broken by their offering him their
          water. It pours down his throat bypassing the swallow
          mechanism.

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. TV STUDIO. DAY. ERIK MEJER TESTIMONY


                         
           (Erik's English is almost
           perfect, although
           accented and without
           humour. His family sit
           beside him on comfortable
           chairs in a TV studio.
           They are very pleased to

                          BE THERE)

                          ERIK
           We are the Mejers from Holland. At
           the start of the trailhead we
           talked to a ranger who told us
           about a car that was parked in the
           area already for several days and
           that the owner might be missing in
           the canyon. We joked that we would
           keep our eyes open and that we
           would try to find him.
           After a hike of 5.3 kilometres to
           the Great Gallery (Indian rock art)
           where we took some pictures, we
           returned and suddenly heard a noise
           behind us, and after that a voice
           that cried "Help, I need help".
           Monique and I immediately realized
           that this had to be the missing
           person.

                          (MORE)

           73.

                         

                          ERIK (CONT'D)
           We didn't find him, he found us!
           We gave him our water and Oreos.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          EXT. HORSESHOE CANYON. DAY.

          Back now live as Aron wolfs down the cookies and organises
          the Mejers in a series of jump cuts pushing us through the
          final stages-he's brutally practical.

                          ERIK
           We are the Mejers from Holland.
           You should stop and rest.

                          ARON
           No, we need to keep hiking.
           We need a helicopter - who can run
           fastest?- You, go now fast. Take
           him.

                         

                         

                         
          Monique runs ahead with Andy, her son.

                          ERIK
           They told us you were here.

                         

                          ARON
           Who? Who told you?

                          ERIK
           The police at the parking lot

                          ARON
           Do you have a phone?

                          ERIK
           There's no signal for miles.
          Nobody for 6 days and then like London buses another couple
          appears. They too are confronted by:

                          ARON
           Do you have a cell phone?

                          WAYNE
           No. I'm Wayne. I have some medical
           training.

                          ARON
           Is it ok for me to drink so much
           water?

           74.

                         

                         

                          WAYNE
           Sure so long as it doesn't make you
           vomit.
          Aron drinks more and more, he overhears...

                          WAYNE (CONT'D)

                          (TO ERIK)
           Make sure he doesn't pass out.

                          ARON
           I gotta stop and empty my shoes.
           You'll have to tie my shoe lace.
          As he sits his head slumps forward. He's absolutely
          motionless. Wayne and Erik try to talk to him but he can
          barely hear them. A pop song spins round and round distantly.

                         
          He strains to pull his head up, and, staring, drops forward
          to his knees. There it is. Filling his vision like a god.
          Whirling screaming in front of him, dust blasting him as he
          kneels. A HELICOPTER.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          EXT. HELICOPTER. DAY.

          A strange slightly formal man pops out of the helicopter. He
          almost looks like he's part of the Matrix.

                          PILOT
           Are you Aron?

                         

                          ARON
           Yes I am. Can I get a lift?

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

          EXT. HELICOPTER. DAY.


                         
          Aron looks at the beautiful white leather seat before he gets
          in the back of the helicopter. Surreal. It's a startling
          contrast to his Frankenstein, and even now it's not lost on
          him.

                          ARON
           I'm gonna make a terrible mess of
           your seat.

                          PILOT
           Just get in buddy. We're all
           looking for you.

                         
          The helicopter sucks upwards into the sky leaving Wayne,
          Monique, Andy and Erik far below.

           75.

                         

                         

                         

                         

                         _____________________________________________________________

                         

                         

                         

                         

                          1000 HOURS LATER

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. UNDERWATER. DAY.


                         
          Underwater. A figure dives in, pulling strong breast strokes
          down and towards us. Its Aron, fully recovered after surgery.
          Eyes open, he pulls and pulls down through crystal clear,
          oxygenated water.

                          INTERCUT WITH:

                         

                         

          EXT/INT. HOSPITAL ROOM. DAY.


                         
          As the helicopter and gurney staff transfer him into the
          medic room he's surrounded by vertical giants as he lies
          horizontal for the first time in 6 days.

                          ARON
           Thank you for bringing me back.
          The most senior of the burly men says,

                         

                          BURLY MAN
           That's all your miracle days used
           up kid. You need to rest. You can
           stand everyone a beer later.
          Aron is greeted by medics. Needles. Care. Machines. Tubes.

                          ARON
           Will you look after this for me
           please?

                         
          He opens his fist and there is the small folded up knife.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. UNDERWATER. DAY.

          He pulls again releasing a huge chunk of air into a metallic
          bubble.

                         

                          CUT TO:

           76.

                         

                         

          INT. HOSPITAL ROOM. DAY.

          A very soft voice reading.

                          VOICE (MOM)
           ...his love, the peace that passeth
           all understanding...

                         

                          ARON
           Mom.

                          MOM
           My boy. My only one. There you are.
          She strokes his head so gently.

                         

                          ARON
           Hey Mom.

                          MOM
           How are you feeling?

                         

                          ARON
           OK. Are you okay...

                         

                          MOM
           You've been asleep for 2 days. We
           are so lucky...
          She's a decent woman and a devoted mum. She looks weary, worn
          out with worry and love for her boy.

                          ARON
           Mom, I'm sorry I scared you.

                         
          Very soft voice (again) - Aron hears the same words as he
          drifts back into drugged rest.

                         

                          VOICE (MOM)
           ...his love, the peace that passeth
           all understanding...

                          CUT TO:

                         

          INT. UNDERWATER. DAY.


                         
          Face underwater. Pull and kick. Wanting oxygen now.

                          INTERCUT WITH:

                         

          INT. PRESS CONFERENCE. DAY.

           (all of this without

                          SOUND)

                         
          Flash of celebrity. His first press conference. And boy, is
          there a lot of press there!

           77.

                         

                         
          Aron, of course has his camera with him as he walks out and
          takes a snap of the noise and light. We see his still, it's
          floor to ceiling, wall to wall journalists.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          EXT. POOL. DAY.

          We can see him beneath, swimming along the floor of the pool,
          like a diver building lung capacity.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          EXT. VAST CROWD. STADIUM. NIGHT.

          The vast crowd again, floodlit, ready to begin their evening.

                          CUT TO:

                         

                         

          INT. ARON'S TRUCK. NIGHT.

          In Aron's 4 x 4 somewhere in the endless parking lot outside
          the stadium. Rana is wearing glasses, reading an SMS she's
          just received.

                          RANA
           OK - he's got 3 vegetarian hotdogs
           and the tickets and he'll be
           outside Gate 6 in 5.

                          ARON
           So are you guys ok with me?

                          RANA
           Yeah. We split up a while back when
           you were in hospital.

                          ARON
           Christine told me.

                         

                          RANA
           (always to the point)
           Is that what this is about?

                         

                          ARON
           Yeah.

                         
          She laughs at him.

                          RANA
           What about the climbing?
          Aron reaches in his bag and pulls out his scary looking
          prosthetic arm / axe. He clinks the points together. She
          doesn't laugh, maybe a smile.

           78.

                         

                         

                          RANA (CONT'D)
           Solo?

                          ARON
           I'm gonna finish the 49ers this
           winter or next.

                         

                          RANA
           (to change it)
           Well, all I can't figure out is
           what took you so long to cut it off
           and get one of these.
          They both laugh. But he also answers.

                         

                          ARON
           Rana, before I did it I was
           hallucinating, I saw this child, a
           little blond boy -

                          RANA
           (over her glasses)
           Not Jesus please...

                          ARON

                         
           No, he looked like my cousin
           Charlie but way too young... and I
           didn't know why but I knew he was
           mine and that this was what lay in
           front of me.
          He looks at her.

                         
          Pause.
          She doesn't say anything.

                         

                          ARON (CONT'D)
           But it's not going to be you, is
           it?

                          RANA
           No Aron, it's not.

                          ARON

                          (HE KNOWS)

           OK.
          Rana leans over and tenderly kisses his cheek.

                          RANA
           You know, everyone who cares for
           you, a little bit of them dies each
           time you go back.

                         
          Before he can work out how to answer she breaks the door
          open.

           79.

                         

                         

                          RANA (CONT'D)
           Let's go hero. If they do The Fly
           first and we miss it we'll never be
           forgiven.

                         

          EXT. CONCERT. NIGHT.


                         
          The concert explode into life.

          THE POP SONG PLAYS OVER:
          ` A man will rise, A man will fall...

                         

                         

          INT. UNDERWATER. DAY.

          His face pushing for the surface. He surges up and out of the
          water, to cling by his elbows on the side of the pool. No
          prosthetic.

                         

                         

          SONG CONTINUES OVER:
          ...From the sheer face of love

                         
          Like a fly from a wall'

                         

                         

                         

                          CUT TO:

                         

          EXT. POOL. DAY.


                         

                         
          There in front of him on the grass by the pool is the same
          sofa as in the canyon. On it and around it, his friends and
          family, including Rana. There's so many of them they fill the
          screen. Tucked deep into the sofa, is his son giggling away.
          They smile, simple, silent support for him. He looks right
          back at them.




                                    THE END


127 Hours



Writers :   Simon Beaufoy  Danny Boyle
Genres :   Adventure  Drama  Thriller


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