GREENLAND CAPTIVE Written by Line Langebek EPISODE ONE (of three) 7 January 2017 Agent: Julia Tyrrell Julia@jtmanagement.co.uk
GREENLAND CAPTIVE OVER BLACK: (V.O.) When I was young I was taught that all things happen for a reason and the law is justice and justice is the law. (beat) But the world isn t just and the law means different things to different people. Maybe an eye for an eye. Who s to say? 1 EXT. GREENLAND PLAINS - MORNING 1 A snow covered landscape, silent, a HUNTER walking softly, slowly, determined towards the prey, up ahead. There are only those two figures in the vast landscape, something eerie and dream-like about the scene. Then the prey starts moving, running - and the hunter does too. As the prey moves its head and briefly turns around to look back we see it's not an animal but a MAN and he's terrified, even though he's holding a rifle. The hunter speeds up too, lifting their rifle. It s a woman: (32, English). Frighteningly calm as she takes aim and SHOOTS. The blood covers the white snow, spreading until the plain is red and we -- SMASH CUT TO: 2 EXT. NUUK / GREENLAND - MORNING 2 More red. But red wood, not blood. Establisher: View of the characteristic coloured wooden houses, amidst more modern buildings. And the stunning Sermitsiaq mountain towering behind Nuuk as a backdrop, the ice floes in Godthåbsfjord. A capital and still also -- a village. 3 INT. SUPERMARKET / NUUK - MORNING 3 Mid-size supermarket. A few other customers and (32), rushing in. She looks a different woman to the one we just saw, longer hair etc. Nurse s uniform under her coat. She heads to the back of the shop, grabs what she needs, heads for the till.
2. Suddenly she stops. Inches backwards to seek cover behind a shelf, eyes the guy manning the till. RASMUS (20s), Inuit. He s serving a CUSTOMER. Something about the way he moves and talks (inaudible) makes us think he has a learning disability. Natalie stands rooted to the spot. Looks around for someone else who can serve her. There isn t. She s visibly shaking. Rasmus still hasn t noticed her. Slowly Natalie puts her things down on the floor and flees, her face a picture of pain and terror. Rasmus only sees the back of her as she leaves, bewildered. 4 INT. NUUK POLICE STATION / FLASHBACK 4 A sparse room, looks more like a classroom than the trial room it is. Natalie seated on one side, with her husband PETER (37), tall, Danish, by her side, RASMUS on the other, standing up, talking, in Inuit, barely audible. Eyes on the floor. Natalie in a state of shock -- the room weighing down on her, a barrage of Danish and Inuit and English, via the ENGLISH INTERPRETER (40s), a soundscape of noise. She s staring at Rasmus, his face, his downcast eyes. The noise builds until it peaks and we -- CUT TO: 5 EXT. QUEEN INGRID S HOSPITAL NUUK - MORNING 5 Silence. A busy parking lot. The low yellow/red buildings, alongside the striking copperskinned building that looks almost like a block of ice. Natalie hurries inside. 6 INT. QUEEN INGRID S HOSPITAL / STAFF ROOM - CONTINUOUS 6 Natalie, in her uniform, pours a cup of coffee. (42), Inuit/Danish comes in - sees Natalie. Hanne s English is good, but her accent is noticeable. Joachim was asking for you. I ll go check on him in a sec.
3. Says he wants to beat you in Top Trumps. I told him he can t play the sick card anymore. Natalie nods. Hanne frowns. Natalie s not playing ball. (CONT D) Fair enough it s early and it was a bad joke, but you could still pretend I m funny? That gets a smile. Natalie nods. Tearful suddenly. Battling to compose herself again. (CONT D) Hey, it s okay? You don t have to pretend if-- I stopped by my local supermarket. (another deep breath) Rasmus Enoksen was working behind the till. (worried) I see. What did you do? What did I do? What did I do?! Why was he working the till? I thought he was inside? Natalie, listen... This is how it is in this country. He can work. He is allowed to work. To him, he is still inside. He s not inside! He was there, he was out. (low) I m inside. She s shaking again. Hanne reaches out to put a hand on her shoulder. It s a hand to say I ll steady you. I know. I know how it must seem. (beat) Find another place to shop right now. Yes? She holds Natalie s gaze until she nods.
4. (CONT D) Come on. Go wipe Joachim s ass - that will make you feel better. Kick his ass, Hanne, not wipe - I do enough of that. Hanne shrugs. Same same. 7 INT. QUEEN INGRID S HOSPITAL / CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS 7 Hanne and Natalie are walking towards the Children s Ward. Boy came in this morning with bad burns. Who saw him? Dr. Sorensen. (on Natalie s look) Yeah, he ll need some cheering up. Actually he would have needed cheering up anyway, poor boy. Not sure why Sorensen chose pediatrics. (re the boy) Accident? Hanne shrugs. Obvious what she thinks. Social services have been notified. Natalie nods. Still distracted, upset. She stops, deep breath, calming herself down so Hanne won t notice. I need the toilet, give me a minute? 8 INT. HOSPITAL / LADIES - CONTINUOUS 8 Natalie inside a cubicle. Eyes closed. (low, quoting someone) OK, focus, focus on something nice, soothing, counting... onetwothreefourfive...sixseveneight ten, onetwothreefourfive...
5. Trying to talk over the barrage of noises she can hear: AUDIO FLASH - The Inuit, England, Danish voices from the trial. 9 INT. QUEEN INGRID S HOSPITAL NUUK/ CHILDREN S WARD - DAY 9 Natalie and (10), cancer patient, are playing Top Trumps and Natalie s winning. When I was your age I d collect the cards from the shops. Saved all my pocket money so I could buy these huge gobstoppers that came with cards too. What is a gobstopper? Something that stops your gob. She points at his mouth and at the card she s holding - a lynx. She show it to him. (CONT D) Speed 80 Kilometers per hour. Joachim looks at his cards, shakes his head. She s won. He shakes his head. He grins. My dad always lets me win. Doesn t work like that does it? I want to play in Danish now. Or Inuit? To make sure I lose? (CONT D) I m just in luck today. Means you ll win at other stuff. I will? Yeah, don t you know? Lucky in games, unlucky in life?
6. I have to lose more in Top Trumps? Natalie smiles. Another NURSE nearby shakes her head. NURSE (not telling her off) So inappropriate. Joachim grins. Then he stops. Worried. So are you not lucky in life? Me? I m so lucky I win in games AND in life. Natalie smiles, winks. But the nearby nurse observes them secretly as they carry on playing, Natalie's steely look, her sadness. 10 INT. CHILDREN S WARD / OTHER ROOM - DAY 10 Natalie with the BURNS BOY (7). He is half dozing, she is changing his dressings. She s gentle, but he winces sometimes. Listens to her low, inaudible chatter. She s good at what she does. We see how much she cares. 11 INT. ENOKSEN HOUSE / KITCHEN - DAY 11 A room filled with knick-knacks. Hanne s cousin, (29), Inuit, is preparing dinner, de-boning fish. Hanne is drinking coffee. ALL DIALOGUE IN INUIT. More of the same. He s got regular work now so that helps. Boats again? Yeah, they took him back. He apologised and the boss was a man short so... A fish is a fish. Except when it stinks and then it s a stinky fish. Sabine laughs good-naturedly. He still hates it.
7. And you? Sabine shrugs. Bites her lip. (CONT D) Sabine? If he s touched you again I swear I ll-- He s not. He s... He s been good to me. I m not the police, I m not, well, you know. You don t have to pretend. Just say. Sabine avoids looking at her. She finishes with the fish. I m trying to get pregnant. I can t, I don t know why I... Maybe if he was home more. (sees Sabine s upset, changes subject) How s the young one? Heard he got a job? Yes. Monday to Friday. Lars says it s good for him. They ve not heard (26), Inuit, come in behind them. He says what s good? Hanne turns, sees Lars in the doorway. No love lost between these two. Sabine looks nervous. That Rasmus got the job, at the supermarket? Lars shrugs, grabs a beer from the fridge. What s for dinner? Ani gave me a large cod, but (placating his rising anger) it ll be fish pie, you won t even know it.
8. He grunts. Eyes Hanne. You come to give my wife advice again? Come to catch up with my cousin. Don t worry, I won t stay for dinner. (finishes her cup) Thanks for the coffee, Sabine. You weren t invited for dinner. Hanne shoots him a look, hugs Sabine and walks out. Lars goes to the window and watches her as she walks away. Suspicious. Seething. Without turning around: (CONT D) I m going out. But I ve prepared dinner, it won t be long, can t you just [wait]-- I m not hungry now. Sabine flinches at this. Lars downs his beer and leaves again.