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Screenplay:
A QUESTION OF JUSTICE
1st Ten Pages
(based on stories in the book Desires)
FADE IN:
EXT. CARIBBEAN ISLAND BEACH - DAY
Beautiful twenty-something-year olds are playing volleyball,
surfing, swimming and having a good time.
ADRIAN (V.O.)
I live in a tropical paradise. The
pace is slow and the people are
laid back. Foreigners like to come
here for they say that we islanders
are warm and welcoming.
EXT. CITY STREET - DAY
An angry MOB (note the deleted words) is marching down the
street with banners and placards demanding justice. They are
chanting as they make their way to the courthouse.
MOB
Free the Five! Free the Five!
The REPORTERS are in their glee. This is their biggest story
ever.
An army of POLICEMEN, armed with battle gear, barricade the
courthouse. They are sweating and their fear shows on their
faces.
ADRIAN (V.O.)
But I think what me and my friends
did, changed the climate of my
country forever.
A MAN rushes out from inside the courthouse and shouts from
the steps.
MAN #1
GUILTY!!!
The mob's shouting and stomping intensify causing a human
earthquake. The policemen get ready for the inevitable
battle.
EXT. COURTHOUSE STEPS - DAY
FIVE MEN, all in their twenties, and of mixed races typical
of the island of Trinidad, emerge from the courthouse in
handcuffs.
The mob tries to cross the human barrier and the police lash
out with blind fury. The Five freeze, amazed at the support
they are getting but quickly horrified by the violence.
The policemen herd the Five back inside.
POLICEMAN #1
Quick! Back inside! Move it!
COURTHOUSE
The Five are pushed and shoved through the building and obey
without question.
POLICEMAN #1
(into walkie-talkie)
We're coming through the back.
Bring up the van.
UNDERGROUND PARKING LOT
The Five, herded by the policemen, burst through the back
door and a van backs up. The doors fly open.
POLICEMAN #1
Hurry! Inside!
The Five climb in and the doors shut. The policeman hits the
side of the truck and it burns tires as soon as a small group
of protesters burst through the back door. There is a brawl
and one MAN escapes the melee.
STREET
As the van emerges it gets caught up in the sea of
demonstrators. The driver HONKS his horn in vain.
DRIVER
Come on! Come on!
The crowd is oblivious to the van until the man who had
escaped the melee comes running out shouting:
MAN #2
They're in there! Inside the van!
The crowd starts to POUND and to rock the van from side to
side.
VAN
The Five are holding on to the sides of the van. JASON is
smiling with satisfaction but the others are scared.
ADRIAN
We have to put an end to this.
They're out of their minds!
JASON
This is better than what we
planned. The people have risen up
against the injustice they see in
this land. We will bring change.
ADRIAN
Not this way.
OUTSIDE THE VAN
The mob pulls the driver and the other police officer out of
the van, take their keys and open the back door. Jason steps
forward, still smiling.
They loose their handcuffs.
MAN #3
You're free! Run! Hide!
Jason jumps into the cheering crowd and turn to face the
others who are still undecided. The crowd pulls them out and
sends them on their way, cheering as they go.
The Five make it to the edge of the crowd. A ROOKIE OFFICER
jumps out at them, his automatic gun ready. The Five balk
and an OLDER POLICEMAN, a sympathizer, jumps on the rookie
cop as he fires.
OLDER POLICEMAN
Noooooo!
INT. CLASSROOM - DAY (TWO MONTHS EARLIER)
ADRIAN, a Caucasian American history teacher in his late
twenties, is animatedly teaching his attentive senior class.
He is a trendy dresser: short sleeves, colorful tie, jeans
and loafers. He loves his job because of the kids, but he
does not do well with his geriatric colleagues.
ADRIAN
Now you won't find any of this in
your textbooks because no one has
ever been brave enough to go
against the status quo... not yet,
anyway. But when you grow up and
study Caribbean History....
The students chuckle.
ADRIAN (CONT'D)
You will probably share my views.
A beat; the students hang on every word.
ADRIAN (CONT'D)
One of the things the history books
will not tell you is that Columbus
was a greedy crook.
The students laugh out loud and BANG their desks. Adrian
holds up his hand for order.
ADRIAN (CONT'D)
Think about it. How could he be
trying to convert those so-called
savages if he didn't even speak
their language?
There is HOOTING and CHEERS coming from the students.
ADRIAN (CONT'D)
He could have only been after one
thing... their gold!
There is pandemonium in the classroom and then the door is
yanked open. A short, balding man - MR. JACOBS, the school
principal - storms in. He is the kind who does not believe
that fun and education should be in the same sentence.
MR. JACOBS
What is going on in here?
Mr. Jacobs looks like he is going to have a heart attack but
the students barely notice him.
ADRIAN
(calm)
Mr. Jacobs.
Gradually the noise subsides as the students become aware of
the principal's presence.
ADRIAN (CONT'D)
How nice of you to drop in, Sir.
As a former student of History,
care to give your views on what
motivated the Spanish to come to
the West Indies?
Snickering.
MR. JACOBS
This is a classroom, Mr. Greene,
not the football field!
ADRIAN
You are right, Sir, but you can't
expect students to not react to the
events in their own history, can
you?
Mr. Jacobs faces the students and is so angry that words fail
him. He clenches his fist, lets out a groan, and stomps out,
saying:
MR. JACOBS
Mr. Greene, we have an emergency
staff meeting right now.
When Mr. Jacobs leaves, Adrian turns and faces his class.
ADRIAN
Now you guys have gotten me in
trouble....
STUDENT
Again.
They laugh, including Adrian.
ADRIAN
Yes. Again. Okay, I want you guys
reading chapter three until I get
back. I'm curious to hear your
views on the Spanish.
Everyone gets their textbook out and start to read. At the
door, Adrian turns and smiles at the group, pleased with
their diligence.
INT. STAFF ROOM - DAY
Adrian is late for the meeting. Many of the ladies are
crying and some of the men are consoling them.
The other men are gloomy in their corners. The principal,
who is at the head of the room, has apparently dropped a
bomb.
MR. JACOBS
We will have an assembly to let the
children know. The Ministry of
Education has approved a day off
for the funeral.
(a beat)
That is all.
Mr. Jacobs, business as usual, leaves the room, unaffected by
whatever bad news he has just delivered. An ELDERLY FEMALE
TEACHER sobs heavily in Adrian's chest.
ADRIAN
What is it, Mrs. Thompson?
ELDERLY FEMALE TEACHER
It's Karen....
And she continues crying in his chest.
INT. PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE - DAY
Adrian barges into Mr. Jacobs's office. The principal is
reclining behind his desk, massaging his temples.
ADRIAN
We have to do something!
MR. JACOBS
You could at least pretend to have
some respect for me and knock.
ADRIAN
Karen is one of us. When will you
start treating this staff as if
we're human beings?
MR. JACOBS
You're getting the day off....
ADRIAN
To hell with the day off! Don't
you see? Crime has reached our
school and how we deal with it is
going to speak volumes to these
kids.
MR. JACOBS
The Ministry of Education will not
sanction....
ADRIAN
The Ministry of Education has made
you manager of this school, to do
what you think is best for this
school. But you behave like a
toothless bulldog.
MR. JACOBS
(jumping up)
I beg your pardon.
ADRIAN
If you won't do something, I will.
(a beat)
And I know exactly what.
Adrian turns to leave and Mr. Jacobs follows.
MR. JACOBS
Your roguish ways may make you
popular with the kids, but I will
not stand for it.
Adrian keeps walking.
ADRIAN
What are you going to do, deport
me?
Mr. Jacobs stops in his tracks knowing that he has no control
over Adrian. (Notice deleted line.)
Suddenly Adrian stops and returns to face Mr. Jacobs.
ADRIAN (CONT'D)
The kids are right to call you
"inches", not because of your
height but because you are so
damned short-sighted!
Adrian leaves Mr. Jacobs to stew.
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