TAKIPSILIM: TRAPPED IN POWER

CASTS
Rosa (Shalimar): Main female lead. Outspoken, loud. Speaks about what she thinks is wrong. Her righteousness may get
to her sometimes and not see her wrongdoings.
Marcello (DX): Rivalries with Simon. supposedly the leader of the group. Tendencies to be insensitive and dictatorial.
Cold and objective. Control freak.
Simon (Jethro): Rivalries with Marcello. Compassionate and a man for the people. Has a sense of leadership, but can have
a bad temper and be foolishly idealistic. Gets killed later on.
Laya (Luthienne): Close friends with both Marcello and Simon. Very curious person, always questions everyone. Lacks
direction, perspective, and knowledge, stays on the neutral spectrum of things.
Lachesis (Rachelle)

SCENE 1.1
(Front angle, nasa classroom) (Lachesis)
Lachesis: "It is not power that corrupts- but fear." It is deep within ourselves as humans, that we crave for a sense of
superiority. Having said that, we constantly look for ways to achieve this, while on the other side of the coin, we also
know how it's like to be helpless and desperate. Ang pinagkaiba nga lang, there's a person that will be blinded with so
much greed that he'll do anything it takes to have everything, even if it comes with the cost of himself. [...] But what
happens to him and his people, if all is deprived of power, and all is left with nothing but fear?

SCENE 2.1
(Labas ng classroom) (Rosa, Marcello, Simon, and Laya gathered)
Lachesis (Voiceover): Ika-dalawampung araw ng Pebrero taong 2011, alas sinco y medya ng hapon. Ang section
Maharlika ay ihinati sa pagpapangkat ng apat para sa isang proyekto. Nagkataon na nagkabuklod sa isang pangkat ang
matatalik na magkaibigang sila Rosa, Laya, Marcello, at Simon. At dahil nabibilang ang kanilang baitang sa panghapong
shift, karaniwan na sa kanilang nakasanayan na lumuwas ng paaralan nang gabi, at mas lalong hindi na rin panibagong
culture sa kanilang silid ang mag-overtime sa tuwing may tinatapos na gawain.
Simon: Ganto sana gusto kong gawin... (May ipinakitang print outs) Minimalistic nalang sana yung design natin, para less
nalang gagastusin, considering we're only given a fixed budget.
Rosa: (Tinitignan yung papel with Laya) Agree ako dito sa idea ni Simon, pero since ganto yung naassigned na task satin,
meron naman siguro tayong allotment for simple decors.
(Simon, Rosa, and Laya continue to look at the print outs)
Rosa: Maganda rin ata ‘to kung magagawa natin siya-
Marcello: (Biglang kinuha yung print outs) Kilala niyo naman siguro si Ma’am Besamonte, ‘di ba? (Tinignan yung print
outs) Alam niyo namang hindi yun mahilig sa mga simpleng datingan.
Rosa: (Sinideye si Marcello tas tumingin kay Simon who’s doing the same)
Laya: Edi anong gusto mong gawin natin?
Marcello: (Shrugs) Depende sa gusto niyo. Kung gusto niyo maging mataas grades natin dito, edi dapat magarbo ang
magiging gawa natin.
Simon: Meron nga tayong fixed budget para dito, Marcello. Hindi natin afford gumastos ng 60% ng funds for aesthetic
purposes.
Marcello: I heard you the first time you said it. Kung meron tayong fixed budget para dito, edi pag-ambagan nalang ng
lahat yung magiging kulang! Hindi naman siguro sa kakapusin mga bulsa niyo kung mag-aabono.
(Laya, Rosa, and Simon silently sighed, crossed their arms, and scratched their heads as they looked away)
Rosa: Kaya nga mayroong fixed budget kasi hindi lahat satin mayaman… (Pabulong, and her gaze follows Laya who
stood up to go out of the room. Simon and Marcus continue with their discussion)
Laya: (Notices that the door doesn’t open even if it’s not locked inside, frantically tries to open it more) Bakit ayaw
nitong mabuksan…
Rosa: (Napansin si Laya and stands up to see what she’s doing, leaving Simon and Marcus talk) Na-lock-an ba tayo mula
sa labas…? (Flashbacks from the time they were in a classroom discussion, where a teacher had announced that the school
grounds will be dismissed earlier than usual, then realization hits) (Laya still tries to twist the door knob open, then Rosa
banging the door) KUYA! KUYAA! MAY TAO PA DITO!
(Simon and Marcello frantically gets up)
Marcello: Anong meron?
Rosa: Na-lock-an tayo ng guard! Maagang ipinasara ang school ngayon! (Still continuing to knock) KUYA GUARD!!
Laya: (Binitawan yung door knob nang mabagal, a sign of giving up) Walang makakalabas kung nakalock na yung pinto
mula sa labas… (Tinignan yung kabilang door na nakalock din) Wala rin naman satin yung susi para doon sa kabilang
pinto…
Rosa: (Facepalms in great frustration and scratches her hair)
Simon: Oh, so nasarhan pa tayo ng room? Hanggang sa umabot ng kinaumagahan andito lang tayo? (Scoffs then throws
the papers) Pambihira nga naman! Kung kailan naman nag-aalanganin tayo sa pagkakasundo. (Slumps back on the chair
obviously distressed by the situation)
SCENE 2.2
(Nakaupo sa isang column, magkakasama yung apat)
Rosa: Paano na tayo nito? (Chinecheck yung phone nang paulit-ulit) Walang signal para makapagchat maski kanino.
(All of them are visibly stressed)
Simon: Punyeta! Sino ba kasi nagsabi na dito dapat tayo magusap-usap?! Hindi man lang inalam kung maagang
magpapasara ng rooms ngayon. (Rolls eyes at Marcello)
Laya: Saka lang naman nag-announce si ma’am noong may pinakuha siya kay Marcello sa department niya..
Marcello: Oh, so bakit kasalanan ko? Is it my fault na hindi kayo nakikinig sa instructions? (Crossed arms)
Simon: Kasalanan mo parin kasi kahit ilang suggest na kami ng ibang place, pilit mong pinagpipilitan na dito tayo sa
classroom kesyo hindi naman kuno tayo matatagalan! Hindi tayo matatagalan dito kung hindi palagi yung gusto mo yung
dapat na masusunod!
Rosa: (Sighing and shaking head in disapproval, tahimik lang silang dalawa ni Laya)
Marcello: Talaga ba, Simon? At least hindi ako namemeke, at mas lalong hindi ako pakitang tao tulad mo. Hindi ako
namimili ng tama o mali. Ang tinitingnan ko ay ang katotohanan. Mapagmataas nga ako. Oo, inaamin ko 'yon. Pero
ipinagmamalaki ko naman 'to! Kung sa tingin niyo masama akong tao, problema ko na 'to, okay? At hindi niyo dapat
sabihin kung anong dapat kong gawin! Wala kayong karapatan!
Laya: Marcello, Simon, tama na yan… hindi ngayon ang tamang oras para mag-away.
Marcello: Ang bait mo tignan lagi sa harapan ng klase, andami-dami mo pang pinuputak na kesyo dapat ganito ganiyan
para lang magmagandang loob, eh ang totoo isa ka lang din namang hipokrito na pinalaki nga lang masyado ang ulo. And
that’s what makes you so much worse.
Simon: Oh, coming from YOU? (Laughs sarcastically) Just say that you’re bitter about the fact that laos ka na! Everytime
you nominate yourself as leader, wala nang gustong bumoto para sayo kasi pinagdaanan na nila kung paano ka mamuno!
Kaya panig silang lahat sakin. Because you’re nothing more than a prick who only cares about his self-interests. You
don’t want to be a leader to serve others; you only want to be a boss that is served. AND higit sa lahat, ayaw na ayaw
mong pinupuna yang pag-uugali mo-
Marcello: (Pushes Simon to the floor and grabs his collar) Kasi hindi mo alam kung sino ako at kung ano ako. (Begins to
choke him) At mas maganda na hindi mo na malaman- hindi mo rin magugustuhan kung ano pa ang pwede kong magawa
sayo. (Tightens the grip and Simon begins to cough)
Laya: TAMA NA YAN, MARCELLO! NASASAKTAN SI SIMON! (Pulls Marcello away from Simon, while Rosa
helps Simon get up)
Marcello: You want to start a fight? Sure, but make sure you’ll also be the one to finish it. Kasi kahit saan, kailan, at kung
paanong labanan ang gusto mong gawin, hindi kita uurungan. Magsabi ka lang. (Harshly pushes Laya away, leaving the
three taken aback in fear)
SCENE 2.3 (Post-conflict)
(Everyone is in their own space, but the clip focuses on Simon first)
(Nakatulala lang si Simon, still going through the aftershock of the incident. Then all of a sudden, as the camera slowly
zooms out, yung hands ni belle sasakalin si Simon from behind, then onti onti niya tong mararamdaman. The clip will
abruptly cut off and show Laya next.)
(Laya is looking at herself in a mirror, attempting to fix her hair behind her headband when she starts to see hallucinations
of her own as well. This time however, what she sees is only a reflection of herself all the same, but with blood and
bruises all over. She begins to shake and freeze in fear.)
(Rosa is alone sitting in another corner of the room. The hallucinations will begin with her hearing a faint crying voice.
She’ll start to look around and will see belle's character show up beside her. Rosa doesn't feel any fear towards her
presence, but sympathy. She knew who she was beside and was fully aware of what had happened to her. She instead
initiates a conversation with her.)
Rosa: Hindi ka pa rin ba pagod sa mga ginagawa nila sayo?
Character ni Belle: Wala naman siguro akong magagawa kahit na sabihin kong oo, ‘di ba? (...) Mahal na mahal ko parin
sila, bagaman hindi na sila katulad ng dati. Sila yung nagkaloob sakin ng kalayaang alam kong hindi ko matatamasa nang
‘di dahil sa kanila. Kaya sa tingin ko tama lang na malugod ko silang tanggapin, ano man ang kanilang maging
kahihinatnan. Dahil hindi rin sila maririto nang ‘di dahil sakin.
Rosa: Sa lagay mong ‘yan… sa tingin mo ba meron pa rin silang pagmamahal para sayo? Ganon ba ang depinisyon mo ng
pagmamahal? Yung mang-aabuso ka, o maaabuso ka? (Laughs softly, pero not in a happy way. More in a sad and
disappointed way) Pambihira.
Character ni Belle: …
Rosa: Sana balang araw mapagtanto mo na hindi ka itinakdang manatili sa ganto. No matter how tragic the past is… you
must not forget. You must never forget. To forget is to deny the present any significant meaning. ‘Wag mong ulitin ang
kasaysayan. ‘Wag mong sayangin ang kalayaang ipinaglaban ng sangkatao para lang sayo. Hanggang sa meron kang
kalayaan, meron kang pagpipilian. Hanggang sa meron kang pagpipilian, meron kang pag-asa.
(Marcello is also alone contemplating his own decisions, when he starts hearing faint noises of people protesting and
crying. Albeit he tries to shake it off at first, this is only bound to get louder and louder until it finally gets to his nerves,
and belle's character asks/tells him the following. "Wala ka talagang puso." "Kailan mo aakuin mga ginawa mo?" "Sarili
mo parin ba ang iisipin mo hanggang ngayon?" until Marcello shouts, and that's where he'll wake up and realizes that
everything else that happened was an illusion. This is where scene 3.1 will start.)
SCENE 3.1
(Marcello is sitting on the back row by himself, Laya and Rosa staying with Simon who is currently silent and still not
over from the initial shock of the incident)
Laya: (Pinuntahan si Marcello) Sabihin mo sakin. Bakit mo ginawa yun?
Marcello: Hindi ko sinadya yun. He started it.
Laya: Paanong hindi mo sinadya?! Halos patayin mo na si Simon dun kung hindi ka lang namin pinigilan!
Marcello: Andito ako para kumalma, hindi magsimula ng isa pang away. Kung ayaw mo akong paniwalaan panig ko,
mabuti pang umalis ka nalang.
Laya: That's the lie you want to keep telling yourself, Marcello. Na, napilitan ka lang na gawin yun, na hindi mo sinadya!
Pero sinadya mo! Pinili mo! Kaya ‘wag kang pavictim. Hindi ikaw ang biktima.
Marcello: …
Laya: (Sighs after a few seconds of silence, and sits beside him) Alam kong hindi ganon kaganda ugnayan niyo ni Simon
pero ni isang beses, never kitang nakitang pinaginitan siya nang ganon. Alam nating hindi dapat umabot yun sa ganon.
Kaya anong nangyari? Gusto kong maintindihan kung bakit ikaw, na kaibigan ko, nakipagpisikalan kay Simon, na isang
kaibigan ko rin. Karapatan ko naman siguro malaman as the friend you both have, diba? I deserve an explanation. I
deserve an acceptable reason.
Marcello: (Regretful) I didn’t mean for things to turn that way. Everything happened at the spur of the moment. Hindi ko
ginustong umabot sa point na yun, Laya. But he did. Siya yung nagpasimuno. And I only did what I could to defend
myself. Why is it so easy for everyone to see the worst in me? (Sighs) That version of me you saw earlier wasn’t who I
really am, Laya. I promise you. And I’ve decided that I want to prove to you that I am not that kind of person. I want to
clear my name and be understood.
Laya: … naiintindihan kita, Marc. (Tumayo na dito si Marcello as he’s about to leave) Pero.. gusto mo bang patunayan
sarili mo dahil meron ka talagang mapapatunayan, o gusto mo lang patunayan ang sarili mo dahil ayaw mo lang na
mapasama ang pangalang dala mo sa kanila?
(Silence ensued between them. Marcello didn’t answer)
SCENE 4.1
(Marcello and Laya came back with Rosa and Simon, Simon currently sleeping)
Rosa: (Sees Marcello and Laya, stands up and pulls Laya to the side) I know you already know that I never liked Marcello
from the start, but now he has given enough reasons to justify my personal feelings. Laya, hindi na siya katiwa-tiwala! Sa
tingin mo ano pa pwede niyang magawa kay Simon, o kung kaya satin?! Alam kong maganda ang pinagsamahan niyo ni
Marcello sa loob ng ilang taon, pero kung makikipagkaibigan ka sa klase ng taong tulad niya, kahit ikaw possibleng
mapahamak! Please, pakinggan mo ako. Mauulit lang ang lahat ng ito kung hindi ka magtatanda- kung hahayaan mo lang
siya and let him get away with first thing until he repeats the next. We need to make a change. And change starts within
ourselves. Kung hindi tayo ang kikilos, sino ang kikilos? Kung hindi ngayon, kailan pa?
(The scene ends with Rosa holding Laya’s hands, turning into a white screen)
SCENE 5.1
(The scene starts with Laya jolting awake, unsure if everything that happened was a dream. But she woke up to an empty
but well-lit open room, indicating that the night has already passed and the room has already been unlocked, and the
others have presumably left as soon as the door was opened in order to get to their homes. Laya stands up and also walks
her way out of the room.)
SCENE 5.2
(From a farther perspective where Laya is seen to be left, someone on a bloodied white dress and a cloth on her mouth is
seen to be staring at her from afar)
(This scene glitches with another clip showing the POV of the guard who locked section Maharlika’s room from the
outside. The guard attempts to take a peek of the classroom but is immediately cut short as she was approached by the
same lady in white, telling her that the classroom is already confirmed to be empty and she can just lock it.)
(The farther perspective clip ends with the lady in white turning to the camera before the screen turns into black)
"Kung ikaw si Laya, ano ang gagawin mo?"