NO PAIN LIKE THIS BODY
A Screenplay
by
Tony Hall
Christopher Laird
Errol Sitahal
based on the novel by
Harold Sonny Ladoo
JULY 2000
There is no fire like passion;
there is no losing throw like hatred;
there is no pain like this body;
there is no happiness higher than rest.
The Dhammapada
PA, (Babwah) Father of
the family, in his thirties.
MA, (Roona) Mother
of the family, in her early thirties.
SUNAREE Daughter,
about 11.
BALRAJ Eldest son,
about 12.
PANDAY & RAMA
Twin sons, about 9.
NANNY Maternal
Grandmother. Born in India.
NANNA (Dowlat) Maternal
Grandfather. Born in India.
THE PUNDIT,
BENWA, JADOO, PULBASSIA, JASSO,
ONE-LEG, WHITE
MAN, CHIN, LALOO and other
villagers.
Title Sequence
1.
EXT: Riceland. Day. Drizzle.
Wide shot. The sky is overcast. Heavy dark rain clouds are gathering.
There are flashes of lightning in the distance and a fine mist of drizzle veils
the surrounding forest. The sun still shines through the drizzle.
A flock of birds flies across the sky and
lands on trees near the riceland. Camera pans following them and comes to C.U.
of SUNAREEÕS face. She squats on a
rising playing (a bhajan) on a rough-hewn bamboo flute. The sound of a
one-stringed instrument, an ektara, gradually fades up and blends in with her
playing. She stops playing and turns her head in what she imagines is the
direction from which the sound is coming.
Behind her and below is the riceland and
their thatched ajoupa: Ma and PaÕs house.
Beyond the riceland and the house on Tola
Trace she spies a slight figure traditionally dressed in dhoti, bare-backed,
with a bag hanging over his shoulder. He carries an ektara and plucks its
single string. He is blind in one eye.
A smile of recognition crosses SunareeÕs
face. She rises.
SUNAREE, 11 years old, is a slight figure
with long black hair. She is wearing an oversize, hand-me-down dress.
Beyond and below her Ma is about ten feet
away from the edge of the riceland near the hog plum tree. She is washing
clothes in a tub. She is small and thin with long deep-black hair. She is
wearing a faded cotton dress and a white silk orhni.
BALRAJ, SunareeÕs brother, is sweeping his
hands through the water in the rice lagoon trying hard to catch tadpoles. He
chases them. They swim rapidly away.
He is twelve and is wearing a pair of his
fatherÕs old trousers cut off at the knee, and a sleeveless flour-bag ŌTÕshirt.
The twins, RAMA and PANDAY, aged nine are
a short distance away from Balraj running around in the water. They wear only
sleeveless flour-bag ŌTÕ shirts.
BALRAJ looks up in the direction of
Sunaree.
Soona!
Ma, look at Sunaree again!
SUNAREE turns in their direction. MA looks up at the children.
Is
alright, Balraj. Leave she by sheself lil bit nuh.
And
who holdin the bag for the tadpole an them? Chut, man!
BALRAJ tries to lift the bag from the
water and doesnÕt succeed in getting a handful of tadpoles into it. He throws
it down in a temper and stands looking defiantly at Sunaree. SUNAREE starts down toward the house. She runs down the hill. BalrajÕs eyes following her. The blind
beggar, SADHU BABA, stops and turns in her direction. SUNAREE stops.
Soona!
SADHU turns and continues on his way. As
SUNAREE watches, he disappears into the forest, the sound of his ektara fading
with him. C.U. of SUNAREEÕS face.
freeze.
FADE TO BLACK.
GRAPHIC Tolaville, Carib Island, 1905
Fade
up from black
2. EXT: Riceland. Day. Drizzle.
The
children are in the riceland catching tadpoles and Ma is washing nearby.
THE
TWINS are running close to SUNAREE splashing her dress.
Now Rama and Panday behave all you self.
SUNAREE
turns with the bag hanging from one hand.
And stop kicking up the water so. You ain't see it
wetting up me
clothes?
Is not me. Is Rama.
You lie, is you.
I don't care who it is.
BALRAJ
turns round with another handful of tadpoles.
Stop it I tell you.
Sunaree I going to kick you! Where the bag is?
SUNAREE
turns to Balraj.
The bag in the water brother.
BAL
AnÕ what it doing in the water?