FADE IN:
EXT. BLIZZARD OUTSIDE A SMALL CABIN – PERPETUAL DARKNESS OF ARCTIC WINTER
SUPER: ANTARCTICA 1986
INT. ANTARCTIC MID-WAY STATION FOR ARGENTINA/ENGLAND RESEARCH FACILITIES; COUCH AREA – 3:00PM
ALVARO FERNANDEZ, 48, Argentinian, serious expression, sits as still as a statue as he studies a chess board silently on a makeshift coffee table.
GRAHAM DAVIES, 26, British, expressive face, jittery, seems impatient.
GRAHAM
(British accent)
Why does everything take you so long?
Alvaro looks up at Graham but does not move.
GRAHAM
I can’t take much more of this.
ALVARO
(Argentinian accent)
Two more months.
Graham sighs and begins tapping his fingers on the table.
GRAHAM
It’s summertime back home. People are going to the coast.
ALVARO
Nothing better than football on the beach and a dip in the ocean.
Graham crosses his arms and exhales loudly.
GRAHAM
I bet all of you Argentinians cheat when you play football.
ALVARO
We did not cheat.
GRAHAM
(Getting louder)
Maradona used his hand. Two England players saw it with their own eyes. And Maradona practically admitted it.
ALVARO
No, he said it was la mano de Dios, the hand of God.
GRAHAM
Hand of God, my ass. I cannot believe Argentina won the world cup. You should be ashamed.
Alvaro makes a move on the chess board.
ALVARO
I will never be ashamed of Argentina.
GRAHAM
Really? Not even for starting a stupid war?
ALVARO
I am proud of my people for their foolhardy attempt to defend the Maldinas.
GRAHAM
Well, we won that match fair and square.
ALVARO
Your country had no right to stake claim to our islands.
Graham makes a move on the chess board.
GRAHAM
Haha! In your face. I stake claim to the Falklands and your bishop.
ALVARO
British Colonial occupation is at the heart of everything that is wrong with your country.
GRAHAM
At least we aren’t a dictatorship.
ALVARO
I have already explained to you that Argentina no longer has a dictatorship. I voted for President Alfonsin.
GRAHAM
Well, Margaret Thatcher already proved she could beat that guy.
ALVARO
She did not beat him. He was elected after the war.
GRAHAM
You have to admit she is impressive.
ALVARO
Impressively imperious.
GRAHAM
(pumping his fists in the air)
The Iron Lady!
ALVARO
Exactly. Shouldn’t you despise her like the poor miners who were protesting against her?
Graham shrugs and goes to the refrigerator to get a drink.
GRAHAM
I am going to drink one of my last New Cokes.
ALVARO
You said you were going to wait for a special occasion.
GRAHAM
I’ll still have one left. Plus, it is a special occasion. I’m about to beat you at chess.
Graham pops open the New Coke and sits back down at the table.
ALVARO
(shaking his head)
You have absolutely no self-control.
Graham slurps loudly with every drink, belching between sips.
ALVARO
And you’re disgusting. How do you drink that?
GRAHAM
(belches a long loud one)
You’re just jealous that you didn’t order some on the last shipment and now you have to wait until September.
ALVARO
I don’t drink soda. I prefer my tea. As a matter of fact, I’m going to make a cup after I beat you.
Alvaro makes a move on the chess board.
GRAHAM
Damnit!
Graham pounds the chess board scattering the pieces.
GRAHAM
There’s the hand of God for you!
Graham storms out of the room and ALVARO begins cleaning up the chess game, but while staring at the pieces…
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. BY THE FRONT DOOR – ALVARO’S IMAGINATION
Graham is dressed in his winter gear with measuring equipment.
Alvaro is looking at charts on the wall.
GRAHAM
I’ll be back.
ALVARO
Be sure to check the generators.
As soon as the door closes, Alvaro locks it from the inside and smiles. He sits on the couch reading a book and Graham can be heard screaming from outside, banging on the door to be let back in.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. COUCH AREA – PRESENT 4:20PM
Graham belches from the other room and the sound brings Alvaro back to the present. He gets up and goes to the kitchen area where he puts the kettle on and stares at it.
DISSOLVE TO:
FLASHBACK – MONTAGE INSIDE CABIN – ALVARO’S IMAGINATION
Graham clips his toenails on the couch, sucks his teeth, drums on things while listening to a Walkman, slurps his soup, cracks his knuckles, chews with his mouth open, dumps his wet icy stuff by the front door, hocks loogies, talks nonstop, picks his nose…
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. KITCHEN STOVE – PRESENT 4:30PM
The tea kettle WHISTLING brings Alvaro back to the present and he makes a cup of tea.
GRAHAM
(only heard)
Ooh, I’ll take a cuppa. That sounds good.
Alvaro sighs and begins to make a cup of tea for Graham.
FADE TO:
INT. SMALL TABLE – ALVARO’S IMAGINATION
Graham LOUDLY STIRS his tea in an otherwise silent room, then begins to SLURP.
Alvaro quietly drinks his tea and stares at Graham. Then his face becomes contorted.
ALVARO
Did you hear that?
GRAHAM
What?
ALVARO
(motions behind him)
I think the rodent is back.
Graham stands and takes a step toward the shelving area to look closer.
Alvaro takes a powder from his pocket and dumps it into Graham’s tea.
GRAHAM
I don’t see anything. I’ll set more traps before bed.
Graham sits back down and begins drinking his tea, then clutches at his throat and falls to the ground in death throes.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. SMALL TABLE – PRESENT 4:45PM
The sound of TINLKLING brings Alvaro back to the present.
Graham is LOUDLY STIRRING his tea and taking LOUD SIPS.
GRAHAM
I wish it was New Coke.
FADE TO:
INT. WORK AREA – PRESENT 5:30PM
Alvaro is looking at readings from machines.
Graham is writing in a ledger.
ALVARO
Temperature Negative 39.8 Celsius.
GRAHAM
(scribbles and imitates Alvaro’s accent)
Negative 39.8 Celsius.
ALVARO
Windspeed 70.8 Kilometers per hour.
GRAHAM
(scribbles and imitates Alvaro’s accent)
70.8 Kilometers per hour.
ALVARO
Precipitation, rain, zero millimeters.
GRAHAM
(scribbles and imitates Alvaro’s accent)
Rain zero millimeters.
ALVARO
Do you have to repeat everything I say?
GRAHAM
(mocking)
Do you have to repeat everything I say?
FADE TO:
INT. SHELVING AREA – PRESENT 6:00PM
Alvaro is organizing equipment on the shelves.
Graham is doing safety checks on gear.
GRAHAM
Why are we doing this again if we haven’t even used any of it?
ALVARO
Because it’s our job.
GRAHAM
It just seems like a waste of time.
ALVARO
Routine is important during these long winters. It helps us keep our wits about us.
CUT TO:
INT. SHELVING AREA – ALVARO’S IMAGINATION
Alvaro stares at Graham for a moment, then pulls the entire shelving unit onto him, the sharp instruments impaling Graham and he lays dying, bleeding on the floor.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. SHELVING AREA – PRESENT 6:20PM
Graham BANGS something metal on the shelving.
GRAHAM
(holding a ski pole)
I think there is significance to the fact that my research station is named after Edmund Haley and I am here when Haley’s comet passed by.
ALVARO
Perhaps.
GRAHAM
It’s not like your station has anything magical about it. What’s Belgrano, anyway?
ALVARO
It is quite significant. General Manuel Belgrano was a libertador who fought for independence and designed our national flag.
GRAHAM
Boring.
ALVARO
(wounded)
Well, I was not very impressed by Haley’s comet. It was barely visible.
Graham clutches at his chest and feigns a heart attack.
GRAHAM
Haley Research Station also discovered the ozone hole.
ALVARO
Belgrano studies cosmic noise.
GRAHAM
I don’t even know what that is.
Alvaro walks away and turns on a radio, twisting the dial until he finds ARGENTENTIAN TANGO. He steps to the center of the room and motions for Graham to join him.
GRAHAM
(pouting)
I’m not in the mood.
Alvaro STOMPS and motions again.
Graham sighs and slowly walks toward Alvaro.
Alvaro gets into position to lead the tango and Graham becomes the follow. They begin to tango.
ALVARO
Remember your posture.
Graham corrects his posture.
GRAHAM
I’ve decided who you remind me of. You’re a cross between Edward James Olmos and Pee-Wee Herman.
ALVARO
I have heard of Olmos. Not Herman.
GRAHAM
(Pee-Wee voice)
I know you are, but what am I?
Alvaro pulls back from the dance frame enough to look at Graham quizzically.
GRAHAM
(Pee-Wee voice)
That’s my name don’t wear it out.
ALVARO
Is this a movie actor?
GRAHAM
Yes. He’s very famous.
ALVARO
Apparently not in Argentina.
GRAHAM
What movie did you see most recently?
ALVARO
La Historia Oficial, The Official Story. It is a harrowing tale about the effects of the dictatorship on one family and their adopted child.
GRAHAM
That sounds super boring. What about Rambo?
ALVARO
No.
GRAHAM
Jackie Chan?
ALVARO
Nope.
GRAHAM
Return of the Living Dead?
ALVARO
(shakes head no)
GRAHAM
Man, you are missing out.
CUT TO:
INT. WORK AREA – ALVARO’S IMAGINATION
The music comes to a dramatic end and Alvaro dips Graham so that his head hits the counter splitting open with blood flowing everywhere and Graham falls to the floor dead.
ALVARO
Oops.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. WORK AREA – PRESENT 7:00PM
The sound of Graham GRUNTING brings Alvaro back to the present.
GRAHAM
Let me up, man.
Alvaro pulls Graham back up from the dip and both are breathless.
FADE TO:
INT. TABLE – PRESENT 8:30PM
Graham and Alvaro are putting together a puzzle.
GRAHAM
Since we’re 150 kilometers from both of our research centers, which one should I go to if something happens to you and you need emergency help?
ALVARO
What do you mean?
GRAHAM
Say you get hurt and I go for help, do I go to my people or yours?
ALVARO
We have an emergency telephone.
GRAHAM
But it goes out sometimes. If I had to make it to a station, I think I would go to Haley because they speak English.
ALVARO
There are plenty of people at Belgrano that speak English.
GRAHAM
(trying to force a piece)
You know what I mean. That last guy that had to stop here spoke very little English.
ALVARO
That’s not true.
GRAHAM
He kept turning to you for explanations and talking in Spanish.
ALVARO
That was Italian.
GRAHAM
Well, whatever it was, he kept talking to you instead of me.
ALVARO
He did not always understand your idioms and expressions, but he is fluent in Spanish, English, and Italian.
GRAHAM
Hmmmphh.
ALVARO
How many languages do you speak?
GRAHAM
Just the Queen’s English. That’s the only one I need.
ALVARO
If you spoke Italian, you would have gathered that our visitor was not in the mood for a movie. He was exhausted.
GRAHAM
I thought it would be fun to make popcorn and entertain our guest. I even offered him a New Coke.
ALVARO
It was a nice gesture, but you need to learn to read social cues.
GRAHAM
Whatever…
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. TABLE – ALVARO’S IMAGINATION
Graham’s voice fades out and Alvaro only sees his lips moving. Alvaro jumps on top of Graham, knocking his chair backward. A struggle ensues with Alvaro choking Graham to death.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. TABLE – PRESENT 8:50PM
GRAHAM
(voice fades back in)
Popcorn sounds good right now, as a matter of fact. Let’s watch a movie.
ALVARO
(a little disoriented)
No, thanks.
GRAHAM
Come on. I don’t want to watch it by myself. You can pick.
ALVARO
We’ve seen them all.
GRAHAM
How about The Shining?
ALVARO
No, thanks.
GRAHAM
Sleepaway Camp?
ALVARO
(scrunches up face)
No.
GRAHAM
How about romance? The Blue Lagoon.
ALVARO
(louder than usual)
I said, no!
GRAHAM
Jeez. You don’t have to get your panties in a wad.
FADE TO.
INT. COUCH AREA – PRESENT 9:40PM
Graham is SHARPENING an ice axe sitting on one end of the couch with his feet on the makeshift coffee table.
Alvaro is at the other end of the couch reading a book.
A few moments pass of no sound except SHARPENING and Alvaro TURNING A PAGE of his book.
Graham stops sharpening and squints at the cover of the book Alvaro is reading.
GRAHAM
Is that one of the Agatha Christie books?
ALVARO
Mmm-hmmm.
GRAHAM
What’s it called?
ALVARO
Sleeping Murder.
GRAHAM
I think I read that one.
ALVARO
Shhh…
Graham lays the ice axe down on the makeshift coffee table and leans in closer to look at the cover of the book.
GRAHAM
Yes. This is the one where it turns out to be the doctor all along, right?
CUT TO:
INT. COUCH AREA – ALVARO’S IMAGINATION
Alvaro freezes, slowly looks up from the page, sets his book on the coffee table, and in one swift move grabs the ice axe and begins hacking at Graham. Blood splatters Alvaro’s face.
Then Alvaro sits quietly back down, picks up the book, and gets back to reading.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. ARGENTINE JAIL CELL – ALVARO’S IMAGINATION
Alvaro sits on the lower bunk in a dirty prison jumpsuit, sweaty, with a shaved head. He is trying to read a book.
CELLMATE, 24, shaved head, wearing only underwear, doing push ups.
CELLMATE
(in Spanish; subtitled)
77, 78, 79, 80
Cellmate jumps up and begins pacing the room.
CELLMATE
I can’t take 2 more years of this, man. I’m telling you, I’m gonna snap.
Cellmate rips a piece of metal off the bunkbed and begins BANGING LOUDLY on the cell bars.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. COUCH AREA – PRESENT 9:45PM
Alvaro is still sitting holding his book.
Graham is BANGING a piece of metal against his ice axe.
GRAHAM
(stops banging)
I think I’m going to call it a day.
ALVARO
(a bit shaken, nods)
Good night.
Graham gets up and walks toward the bedroom. Then he turns and looks at Alvaro.
GRAHAM
You should probably get some sleep, too. You’re on toilet duty tomorrow and I plan on blowing it up tonight!
Graham leaves the room chuckling to himself.
Alvaro sighs, then sets the book on the makeshift coffee table and walks toward the kitchen. He opens the refrigerator and stares into it for a few seconds.
Suddenly, a smile lights up his face. He takes the last New Coke out of the refrigerator, pops it open, and takes a sip.
ALVARO
(grimacing)
Disgusting.
Alvaro proceeds to dump the entire contents of the New Coke into the sink, looking back toward the bedroom a few times. Then he crumples the can and drops it into the sink.
ALVARO
(in Spanish; subtitled)
The hand of God.
FADE OUT.
THE END