("The Inquiry")
Screenplay by
DIEM JUDILLA
djudilla@yahoo.com
Cebu City, Cebu
2013
SCREENWRITER NOTES
CHARACTERS
NOEL, 20s y.o. adult with a toddler's mind, heart and
tongue. Dressed like a pastor, he looks meek and harmless.
Spasms jerk his body from time to time.
GARDO, an ex-cop in his mid-to-late 40s but looks older.
A tough man borne of tougher living. His own burden of sins
and crimes shows in his hunched posture and bloated body.
HOMER gets only heard by his voice and seen as a body in
the end. Cut from the same cloth as Gardo, they're mutts
from the same breed.
MARCUS/MARK, seen via PHOTOS at least a decade old.
A good-looking young man, bright with a sunny smiles,
he's a hero to Noel.
SETTINGS
There are only three interior settings: Gardo's bedroom,
the den or sala 1and a store-room or bodega.
Ideally, all these settings should be found at one location
for convenience and no need for transportation.
The last scene requires an exterior setting of an empty lot
with an open hole or pit. Locations such as quarries can be
used, or a small dirt hill or mound or beach dunes or river
banks can be made to appear as the ledge leading into a
hole, or a shallow pit can be made to look deeper via
forced perspective: i.e. get the actor kneel down in a
shallow pit and use forced perspective to make it appear
he's standing in a deep pit.
1.
2.
3.
4.
GARDO
Gipangita gihapon siya sa iyang
pamilya. Gi abangan ko
mobestigar kun asa siya ron.
HOMER (O.S.)
(filtered) Kini kinabuhi gyud.
Unsay buhaton nimo?
GARDO
Muikyas gyud ko. Sa lain nasod.
HOMER (O.S.)
(filtered) O naa kay kwarta?
GARDO
Mm way sapayan. Tawgon tika.
Gardo ends the call. He leans down under his cot and brings
out A TRAVELLING BAG. He zips the bag open and takes out a
LOCKED CASH-BOX.
Gardo inserts A SMALL KEY into the lock, opens the lid.
INSIDE THE CASH BOX, several old I.D.s, some jewelry, a
small pistol, and from these Gardo pulls OUT A WRISTWATCH.
A FAMILIAR WRISTWATCH. Gardo holds it up, turns it over to
its back...
ON THE COT, THE PHOTO OF MARCUS PREVIOUSLY SHOWN.
INT. DEN AFTERNOON.
NOEL tears up as he reads the watch's inscription.
He breaks out a happy smile and laugh.
NOEL
For Marcus, we are proud of
you! Love, Nanay, Tatay and
Noel. Kini kang manoy ni!
Noel yells with joy! He eagerly embraces Gardo, pumps the
man tightly. Then releases Gardo.
5.
GARDO
Gikan ni sa prenderyan duol sa
bordinghaws kun asa gapuyo imong
manoy sa una.
NOEL embraces Gardo again. Gardo looks uncomfortable,
forces Noel off him and steady the man's excitement.
GARDO (CONT'D)
Ser Noel! Base sa tiket sa
pawnshop ang gaprenda ay usa sa
amigo ni noy Marco nimo, gapuyo
ron sa Biliran. Kinahanglan ko
muadto didto. Kinahanglan ko ug
ekstra. Para sa biyahe.
NOEL
Sige, mowithdraw ko sa ATM po.
Mubalik ko.
With Marcus' wristwatch, he leaves, then comes back.
NOEL
Tagpila ang kinahanglan niyo?
GARDO hands him A SLIP OF PAPER for Noel to read.
Noel nods and leaves.
Gardo turns to the windows, watches and waits.
THE WINDOWS the daylight dims quickly into dark night.
GARDO looks at his watch, impatient.
He grabs his travel bag and heads towards the front door.
He opens it and bumps into Noel.
NOEL lifts up A FEW PLASTIC BAGS of takeout food, liquor.
INT. DEN - NIGHT
ON THE DEN'S TABLE Roast chicken, barbecue and pancit
Canton are spread out. Noel pours liquor in a glass.
GARDO
Katung kwarta Ser Noel?
6.
7.
8.
9.
NOEL grips Gardo's temples and forces the bound man's face
on the table-top, against the tools.
NOEL
Ayaw pamakak! Asa si noy? Asa?!
GARDO
...wa koy kahibalo. Motuo ka.
NOEL
Di na giingon ni Homer. Ingon ni
Homer, kabao ka sa tanan.
GARDO gets aware and astounded at the mention of Homer.
GARDO
Homer? Di na tinuod.
HOMER (O.S.)
Kibaw si Gardo sa tanan.
Si Gardo ang galuyong sa lawas.
GARDO freezes. He turns slowly, afraid to look up,
to see...
NOEL sits across the table, now calm, but he speaks out in
Homer's voice identically(!)
NOEL/HOMER (O.S.)
Gipugsan namo katung batan-on
para maniguro way gyud siya
labot sa rally. Gapalabi mi sa
paghadlok. Naa diay sakit sa
kasing-kasing katung si Marco.
GARDO leans forward, can't believe what he sees and hear.
NOEL/HOMER (O.S.)
Si Gardo, ingon si Gardo siya'y
bahala. Siya'y nangita og paagi.
Giluyong ang lawas human gipa
ingon nagawas na ang batan-on.
NOEL glares.
10.
11.
NOEL stands, leans over the pit's edge and looks down.
GARDO lay on the ground, one leg twist at a broken angle.
Blood frothes out his mouth.
GARDO
(gasps) Tabangi ko...
akong luyo...
NOEL nods. He disappears and returns with A LARGE HEAVY
SACK, throws A PLASTIC BAG down.
THE PLASTIC BAG lands on Gardo's chest. He looks into it,
he sees THICK STACKS OF MONEY... his money(!)
NOEL pushes the heavy sack over the edge the hole, lets
SOMETHING large slide out.
ON GARDO, A MAN'S CORPSE lands beside him.
NOEL
Imung kwarta... og amigo nimo.
NOEL holds the shovel, throws dirt down into the pit.
GARDO
Ayaw, palihug. Ayaw!
ON GARDO, as dirt rains down on him, he cries then screams.
GARDO'S SCREAM is muffled (O.S.) as if buried.
The shovel pats down the dirt on the now-covered hole.
Dirty and sweaty, Noel drags the shovel to the bag.
He looks down into the open bag. He turns his head,
listening. He breaks into a wide smile.
THE END.