THE CANYON

Written by Ed Cunningham

ed@edcunningham.net

EXT. A CANYON FOREST - LOS ANGELES, CA - EARLY MORNING ECU - The eyes of ODI GUTIERREZ pop open. Odi, a 27 year old migrant worker from El Salvador, climbs out of her sleeping bag. Her husband, MANNY, has been watching over her. ODI Como siente tu tobillo? [How is your ankle?] Es roto. MANNY [Its broken.]

ODI Tiene dolor? [Does it hurt?] MANNY Si. El chingado tiene dolor. [Yes. The fucker hurts.] She sits beside her husband, kissing him gently on the temple. He grabs her chin and plants one on her lips. MANNY (CONTD) Vaya trabajo. [Go to work.] EXT. A HIKING TRAIL - MORNING Shots of Odi hiking out of the canyon; Odi passing all the spring flowers; Odi making her way to the road, walking up Topanga Canyon Blvd toward Calabassas. EXT. THE ROAD - MORNING Odi is running to catch the bus, but it takes off before she can get there. She looks around, starts walking again. INT. A CAR - MOMENTS LATER AN OLD MAN, driving a big ol Cadillac, sees Odi walking. pulls up next to her. OLD MAN You want a ride? ODI Como? [What?] Get in. OLD MAN Ill take you up the hill. He

2. ODI No hablo ingles.[No speak english.] OLD MAN Venga con migo. La alta! [Come with me. The top!] She looks around. Not a soul in sight. drive for a while in silence. Then... She jumps in. They

OLD MAN (CONTD) (in english) Ill pay you three hundred dollars to spend the morning with me in a motel. ODI Como? [What?] OLD MAN (in english) Nothin... Odis confused. The man drives for a bit, mustering more courage, then pulls over to the side of the road. He unbuckles his seat belt, then turns and looks at Odi. ODI No va a la alta? [Youre not going to the top?] OLD MAN (in english) You seem like a nice girl. And I dont want to scare you. But I got a hard on in my pants like you wouldnt believe. She smiles, not understanding. decides to get out. ODI Adios. [Good-bye] He grabs her arm, stops her. OLD MAN Wait a minute. Im askin you... cuantos dinero por... Shes starting to understand. He still holds her arm. OLD MAN (CONTD) I dont know the spanish words... Yo quiero sexo. Contigo. He stares at her. She

3. ODI Tengo esposo. [I have a husband.} OLD MAN I understand esposo, but Im talkin about just this morning. Ill pay you three hundred dollars. He pulls his wallet out, starting counting out $300. Odi watches. He puts it in her hand. She looks at it, feels it, considers it. Suddenly, he lets go of her arm to unzip his fly, but she throws the money at him and bolts, running back down the hill. Looking back, she slips and falls in a ditch. He peels out, leaving her in a cloud of dust. Odi tries to stand. Her knee is injured. She limps back down the hill, pulling a huge clump of mud from her shoulder. EXT. A CANYON FOREST - THE MIGRANT WORKERS CAMP To Mannys surprise, Odi limps into camp. MANNY Que paso? [What happened?] ODI Nada. Estupido. Cayo en la calle. Esa Gringa no tiene trabaja. Me dijo, Go back where you came from! [It was stupid. I fell in the road. That lady doesnt have work. She told me, Go back where you came from!] MANNY Odi. Necesitamos dinero. Busca otro trabajo? [Odi. We need money. Did you look for other work?] ODI Claro. Hay nada. Theres nothing.] [Of course.

There is a long, troubled silence. She sits next to him. Odi looks at her husband and wells up. ODI (CONTD) Beso. [Kiss.] He turns and kisses her. BLACKNESS