Reminiscing Sequence done in BLACK & WHITE and in SLOW MOTION
(FADE IN) EXT. WOODED AREA - DUSK (A man turns on his camera and adjusts it accordingly, trying to make sure his entire face can be seen. It's obvious he's slightly intoxicated & in the woods. In the background is what looks like to be a person covered in a sheet with duct tape wrapped around the neck and waist. When MAN is just about to start speaking, while holding a shovel & a whiskey bottle. The body makes a noise as it slides & slumps over from the tree causing MAN to turn around to look back at it) MAN (aloud & to himself) Shit! (As MAN starts to get up towards the body, the recording camera stops abruptly with the sound of a beep. The recording begins again, with MAN trying to make adjustments to the camera, making sure everything is at the right angel. In the background, the body is again leaning against the tree)
MAN: Good afternoon, America. I'm back behind my trailer, some 20-30 yards away. It's 8:20 in the evening and I'm hung over. (chuckles, then MAN's facial expressions change as he notices the camera slowly beginning to fall & abruptly stops recording with a beep, then recording continues immediately) MAN Sorry about that. I had to adjust... (pauses while figgiting with the camera) MAN ...that should do it...I think. It's all fixed now. Anyway, here I am once again doing a favor - a big favor, mind you! Got to... (pointing quickly at the body) MAN ...you know - bury it. (takes a drink out of the whiskey bottle) MAN But, that's my job. I'm a "digger". Anytime, any day. I'll be right here! Twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. I even work holidays! You hear me!?
WOMAN'S VOICE (from the background, 20-30 yards away) Yeah, I hear ya! Now shut the hell up!
MAN You see, America? No respect. No respect for the shit I have to do or the shit I have to put up with in order to do the shit I have to do. (MAN begins to dig, pause)
Reminiscing Sequence: Man as a boy, he's sweeping a back storage room while an old man is speaking to him and happily giving him money while patting his shoulder. The old man seems very pleased.
MAN (Narrating during Reminiscing Sequence) I wasn't always a digger. I use to work for Mr. Howard. He owns a butcher shop, up by "the hole". Reminiscing Sequence Ends (MAN pauses to reflect, takes a drink)
MAN He caught me stealing some steaks. (MAN begins to dig again) Reminiscing Sequence MAN as a boy, helping older teenager boys steal cases of meat and load up a van. Old man walks up, the van and several boys drive away while another teen, being left behind, pushes MAN down to try and escape on foot.
MAN Narrating during Reminiscing Sequence It's not that he caught me stealing a few steaks, he caught me stealing a few cases of steaks. Don't go thinking that mean old Mr. Howard would go & fire a starving man trying to feed his family. Reminiscing Sequence Ends MAN Hell, I was only thirteen. Reminiscing Sequence Begins MAN as a boy, standing outside of small grocery store while old man is pointing as if he is telling him to go home and never come back. The old man is looking very sad. MAN is looking shameful. MAN Narrating during Reminiscing Sequence No, Mr. Howard is a good man - I just gone off and done a bad thing, that's all. Reminiscing Sequence Ends (MAN pauses & rests a bit)
MAN After that, I cut grass. I shoveled snow sometimes in the winter, but I mostly cut grass. I did it for six years. I sold pot, too. In fact... (MAN raises his hands, shovel drops, and looks at the ground)
MAN ...this is where I grew my shit. Wait... (MAN pauses and lowers his hands and looks off in the distance & points) MAN ...it might have been over there. (the recording camera begins to fall again then abruptly stops recording with a beep, then immediately starts recording with MAN handling the camera semi-roughly)
MAN (to himself) Mother fu... I'll get ya. (MAN adjusts the camera & goes back to digging)
MAN But now? Now I'm a worthless digger. (MAN drops the shovel & rushes to the camera - staring close into it)
"But why do you do it, man? Why do you keep doing it?" you ask. I'll tell you why, because I make good ass money - that's why. (MAN backs away, stares away, grabs the bottle of whiskey & takes a drink)
MAN I make real good money. (MAN reaches in his front pocket pulls out a wad of cash & throws it in the air)
MAN You know...? Two tears in a bucket... (MAN takes another drink, long pause, the recording camera begins to fall & abruptly stops recording with a beep, camera starts recording again)
MAN (first part of conversation isn't recorded) ...so I said, "The hell with you, man. I ain't your shit." Then he hit me. (pause, and starts digging)
MAN (visibly upset) I don't care. My dad... he was an asshole. He used to come home drunk and... (MAN sniffs heavily & continues to dig, pause) MAN (looking over at the body) I didn't even kill this asshole. (camera stops recording with a beep, camera starts recording again with MAN pissing next to the tree)
MAN Oh well. (drinking from the whiskey bottle at the same time, MAN looks over at the body & pisses on it a little)
MAN To hell with you too. That's why you're dead, asshole. You let people piss on you. (camera stops recording with a beep, camera starts recording again with MAN back at digging fast & crazy) MAN I got this. I got this. I got this son-of-a-bitch.
(camera stops recording with a beep, camera starts recording again with MAN sitting on the edge of the hole he just dug smoking a cigarette, pause, MAN shakes his head in disgust - camera stops recording with a beep, camera starts recording again with MAN digging normally)
WOMAN'S VOICE What the hell are you doing back there? (pause - camera stops recording with a beep, camera starts recording with MAN walking off camera, camera stops recording with a beep, camera starts recording again with MAN walking back into camera holding an ice pack on his shoulder and holding a beer. Just when he jumps and lands in the hole the camera stops recording with a beep, camera starts recording again with MAN digging normally)
MAN You know that feeling you get when you think you're being watched? (pause, stops digging and starts drinking his beer, camera stops recording with a beep, camera starts recording again with MAN standing in the hole just looking behind him) MAN (in a hush voice, seemingly paranoid) Hey...? Hey...? Who's there? (pause, camera stops recording with a beep, camera starts recording again with MAN looking forward again, off into the distance)
MAN I hate this. I really hate doing this at night; it's just plain stupid. (pause, camera stops recording with a beep, camera starts recording again with MAN walking into screen with a lawn chair & another beer, camera stops recording with a beep, camera starts recording again with MAN chopping cocaine lines on something flat, you can hear the tapping, MAN places beer to rest on body's bloody head,pause, camera stops recording with a beep, camera starts recording again with MAN sniffing cocaine, pause, back in hole digging fast & crazy again) MAN You know...? I just want to be appreciated. I mean, it's bad enough that they call me whenever they want, and I'm suppose to drop everything and tend to this freakin' bullshit, but the wife won't quit with her bi...
WOMAN'S VOICE Are you back there!? (MAN stops digging and looks back towards where the WOMAN's voice is coming from with his hands outstretched in wonder) MAN Yeah, I'm back here. I just told you that a couple of minutes ago! (pause, MAN still has his hands out, then slowly lowers them)
WOMAN'S VOICE I need some cigarettes! (camera stops recording with a beep, camera starts recording again with MAN walking back into screen)
MAN (to himself) Fat ass bitch. (Man jumps into hole & starts digging, pause, the body against the tree starts moving, MAN doesn't notice -pause, camera stops recording with a beep, camera starts recording again with MAN standing in hole watching the body trying to sit itself upright & groaning over & over again, MAN starts to climb out of hole)
MAN (to himself) What the fu..? (MAN swings the shovel and bashes the body in the head, body slumps over, camera stops recording with a beep, camera starts recording again with MAN repeatedly bashing the body's head - pause, camera stops recording with a beep, camera starts recording again with MAN knelt down & proping the body back up against the tree, pause, camera stops recording with a beep, camera starts recording again with MAN jumping in the hole) MAN That's messed up right there. (MAN starts digging)
MAN You see, America. People these days, always trying to get by doing the least possible.
(Man stops digging and looks at the camera while pointing back at the body)
MAN You think I wanted to bash its brains in? No. I didn't. That's not my job. (Man starts digging again, pause, MAN starts to chuckle)
MAN God damn. I mean... shit. (MAN chuckles & shakes head, pause, camera stops recording with a beep, camera starts recording again with MAN dragging body over to the hole, and lays it right next to the hole, pause, camera stops recording with a beep, camera starts recording again with MAN kicking body into the hole & starts to bury it) MAN And that's all she wrote, sons-of-bitches. (MAN grabs shovel and walks off screen, pause, camera stops recording with a beep, camera starts recording again with flashlights shining on the ground coming from off screen, pause, then two undercover officers slowly creep in with guns drawn and walk off screen, pause, camera stops recording with a beep, camera starts re-recording immediately)
(Fade to Black) OFFICER #1 VOICE (from 20-30 yards away) You, freeze! Everybody down, get down, get down... (dog barking, a shotgun blast)