Screenplay

INT. AIRPORT BATHROOM - DAY

OVER BLACK AND CREDITS:
Voices speaking a foreign language exchanged hushed and
nervous words.
MAN
It goes with her?
CUSTOMS OFFICER
On the bag.
MAN
Is that how they track it?
CUSTOMS OFFICER
Its one of the ways.
MAN
Do I get one as well?
CUSTOMS OFFICER
No, it just goes on the bag.
Beat.
MAN
It should be enough.
CUSTOMS OFFICER
Thats fine.
REVEAL: A pair of large hands tighten an elastic band around
a roll of cash. They place it in a pocket. From the same
pocket they withdraw a LUGGAGE TAG, which they place in a
second pair of hands, eagerly awaiting.
We follow the hands holding the luggage tag as they move
across the room, then clasp around a third set of hands,
these small and delicate.
MAN
(V.O.)
Breathe. Just breathe. Look at me.
Beat.
MAN
(V.O.)
Its going to shake and bounce
around a bit. Once it gets going it
will be alright.
(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

2.

One hand leaves the frame and re-enters holding a cell

phone.
MAN
If anything goes wrong,

call me.

He closes her hands around the phone and the luggage tag.
REVEAL WIDE SHOT:
A MAN and WOMAN stand in the middle of the frame, in between
them, a large dark DUFFEL BAG.
A CUSTOMS OFFICER stands by the locked bathroom door, arms
crossed, impatient.
The man looks at the woman. They reach around the duffel bag
and hug stiffly.
Letting go slowly, they exchange a brief glance.
She lowers her eyes, then slowly descends to her knees, then
lies on the ground inside the duffel bag, her slim figure
barely squeezing within its dark confines.
Her husband folds the flaps of the bag about her like
bedsheets of black nylon, then slowly zips them shut.
HARSH CUT:
EXT. AIRPORT LOBBY - DAY
The Customs Officer exits the bathroom, holding the door
open for the man, who tows the duffel bag behind him on a
set of small wheels.
The Customs Officer surreptitiously points to where they
need to go, but the Man only gets a few steps before the
duffel bag wobbles and nearly topples over, weighed down by
its awkward load.
The Customs Officer rolls his eyes, and takes the bag from
the Man.
As they begin to move through the airport, the Man walking
behind the Officer with the bag in tow, he notices a few
tufts of hair sticking out of the zipper of the bag. He
skirts forward and points it out to the Officer silently.
The Officer furtively tows the bag to a bench. The Man tries
to unzip the bag, but the hair is caught in the serrated
teeth. His wife issues a shrill CRY.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

3.
MAN
(whispering)
Sorry! Your hair is caught.

He tries to gently remove the hair, working the zipper back

and forth, but to no avail. She CRIES out in pain again.
The Customs Officer, looking around nervously, hands the Man
a SWISS ARMY KNIFE.
CUSTOMS OFFICER
(hushed)
Stop fucking around!
The Man nods, unfurls the knife, and CUTS the tuft of hair
free.
WOMAN
(muffled)
Wait!
The Man UNZIPS the bag, and opens it just enough to peek
inside and see the face of his wife, her eyes lit by the
thin shaft of light coming through the opening in the bag.
WOMAN
...I hear it gets cold.
The Man leans down, trying awkwardly to kiss her through the
opening. The Customs Officer PULLS the bag away, and zips it
shut.
CUSTOMS OFFICER
(livid)
Are you insane?
He WALKS off with the bag. The Man follows timidly behind.
He opens his hand to see the tuft of his wifes hair still
there. He puts it in his pocket.
HARSH CUT:
INT. BAGGAGE CLAIM - DAY
CLOSE UP: A mop being wrung out in a dirty bucket by a
middle aged JANITOR. He stops and slops it down on the faded
linoleum.
Between the mop and the bucket we see the Man sitting in the
background besides a baggage carousel.
The Man stares intently at the conveyor, some stray tags, a
hat, one bag; not his.
(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

4.

He slowly gets up and tries to peek behind the black flaps.

Nothing.
He walks over to the opposite side of the room, where a
young clerk awaits him.
CLERK
Something I can help you with?
He hesitates, then points to the carousel.
MAN
(in broken English)
Bag...
CLERK
Yes sir, that is where you get your
bag.
MAN
Bag. Not there.
CLERK
Your bag is missing?
MAN
Yes!
CLERK
Is that it there sir?
She points to the single bag spinning lonesomely around and
around.
MAN
No.
CLERK
Alright. What Im going to need you
to do is fill out this delayed
baggage retrieval form, please
include your home address and
contact information as well as a
detailed description of your
luggage and its contents.
The man scans the form haplessly, confused. Most of the
words appear and random gibberish, but some we can make out:
"Contents"
"Approximate value"
(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

5.

"Return Address"
MAN
How I get bag?
CLERK
You gotta fill out the form, okay?
MAN
Okay.
CLERK
Alright?
MAN
Yes.
The man diverts his eyes from the form and looks down into
his pocket, he strokes the few strands of hair poking out.
A large clang.
JANITOR
(O.S.)
Shit.
Man looks over and notices the mop and bucket has fell over
with the janitor in the middle. .
The dirty water has formed a liquid island around him.
Man looks back at the form
CU: "Description of bag missing and contents"
Man looks at the black flaps of the baggage carousel.
SMASH CUT:
EXT/INT. DOORWAY - DAY
The flaps of a mail slot on a door opens as the Man peers
out.
There is mail strewn around him on the floor. A newspaper
with the words "MISSI- can be seen.
He closes the slot. Waits a few seconds, then opens it
again. Closes it. Opens it.
To his amazement, he sees the black duffel bag, sitting at
end of his walkway!

6.

EXT. HOUSE - DAY

He BOLTS out the door, leaving it open as he rushes to the
bag.
Snow dusts the ground as the gray sky looks down.
Reaching the bag, the man opens it and pulls out... skates,
sticks, water bottle and goalie pads.
A couple of kids walk up to him with bags slung around their
shoulders.
They look at him perplexed.
He looks back.
MAN
(in his language)
Sorry.
Man walks back into the house.
INT. OFFICE - DAY
Man sits in front of the computer, researching the procedure
for missing bags. A phone, wedged to his ear between his
head and his shoulder plays a hokey jingle, like elevator
music.
He types in the search bar: "MISSING BAG"
OPERATOR (V.O.)
(on phone)
Hi thank you for holding.
Unfortunately we dont have any
record of that piece of luggage
arriving at this time.
MAN
Oh...
He types in the search bar: "PERSON IN BAG"
OPERATOR (V.O.)
(on phone)
So what we can do is have you call
our associates at BagTracer, you
can create an account with them and
theyll file a claim for your lost
baggage.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

7.

MAN
Yes. Thank you.
He types in the search bar: "__________ CULTURAL CENTER"
OPERATOR (V.O.)
Ill give you their number. Do you
have a pen and paper ready?
MAN
Uh... oh no sorry.
OPERATOR (V.O.)
Okay. So its 416The man reaches for a pen. He fumbles along the materials on
his kitchen counter. His hands close around a familiar
shape. Its the Baggage tag.
He looks over in horror, the phone falls from his ear and
clatters to the floor.
His hand is grasped around a flier, presumably part of the
mail strewn all over his kitchen table.
He looks at the computer screen, where the address for the
cultural center is listed. He jots it down.
From the phone on the floor, a voice calls out meekly.
OPERATOR (V.O.)
Hello?
INT. FOYER - A LITTLE LATER
The man is preparing for an excursion.
He tries to put together the last bit of clothing; his
pants. The zipper proves difficult but he finally manages
it.
Next the jacket... which shockingly wont zip.
After a brief struggle he gives up the battle, and leaves
with his jacket open.

8.

EXT. CULTURAL CENTER - DAY

The air is crisp and unwelcoming, as wind whips his jacket
and snow violently around him into a slight frenzy. Too bad
the jacket wont zip.
Walking up to the front of the cultural center, he notices a
sign.
"CLOSED FOR HOLIDAYS"
(In both English and in his native language.)
The wind is harsh, and it howls sorrowfully. Also, snow now
looks to be falling.
Defeated he turns around and once again, he pauses and again
tries to zip up his jacket in frustration, which causes him
to slip on some ice.
He curses to himself and heads home.
INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY
He paces back and forth with the phone in his hand and the
translation book in his other, the few strands of his wifes
hair being used as a makeshift bookmark.
He presses a button on his home phone while he studies the
pages of the translation book intently.
VOICE MAIL
You have. Two. New messages.
A beep.
VOICE MAIL
"Hello, this is Jonathan, your
assigned BagTracker associate
calling in regard to your missing
luggage claim. We have yet to
receive your baggage request
confirmation form, so if you can
just log in to your BagTracker
account...
The man wanders into the living room, where he grabs a pen
and circles the words "deliver", "delay" and then, morbidly,
"deport".
He wanders back into the kitchen.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

9.

VOICE MAIL
...4526. Thank you very much and
have a great day.
Another beep.
VOICE MAIL
*white noise*
...
White noise and a faint low rhythmic humming sound issue
from his voicemail.
The Man stops and listens. Very faintly, he can just make
out what sounds like shallow, quivering breaths.
He approaches the phone, listening intently. The breathing
is more clearly audible now, but is mostly drowned out by
the rhythmic humming. It sounds like the whine of a
vehicle... or an airplane?
The man picks up the phone, presses a key to take the phone
off speaker, and holds it to his ear. Amidst the whining, he
hears something.
VOICE MAIL
(just barely audible is
feminine chattering and the
sounds of shivering)
BEEP.
The man stares at the phone in horror. He quickly presses a
few keys.
VOICE MAIL
Thank you for calling your wireless
voice mail system. You have. One.
New Message. First message.
VOICE MAIL
"Hello, this is Jonathan, your
assigned BagTracker associate..."
He Man presses another button frantically.
VOICE MAIL
Message erased. No new messages.
Main Menu. To check your wireless
voice messages, press 1. To record
a new voice mail greeting, press 2.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

10.

MAN
Play message! Last message!
VOICE MAIL
For account information, press 3.
To speak to a customer service
representative, press 4. To speak
to a...
MAN
(in his native language)
Hello? Can you hear me? Are you
there?
VOICE MAIL
...To speak to your wife who is now
dead because you tried to smuggle
her aboard a plane in a bag, press
6.
The man stares at the phone. In abject terror, he presses 6.
Carefully he brings it back to his ear.
The roaring sound of rushing water can be heard. He drops
the phone in panic. It goes dead.
SMASH CUT:
INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Man is watching T.V, a glass of water next to him.
We hear the news.
NEWSCASTER
(O.S)
Following up with yesterdays tragic
disapHe flips the channel.
A home shopping channel. A middle aged woman sits opposite a
young, good looking co-host who clearly thinks hes too good
to be there.
The Man listens to them prattle on, hawking their trivial
goods. He starts to dose off.
He wakes back up, he turns his attention back to the TV.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

11.

HOME SHOPPING HOSTESS

...here we have a really one of a
kind item. As you can see you get a
tremendous amount of space in one
of these.
She indicates a large black duffel bag.
HOME SHOPPING HOST
Oh that is roomy!
HOME SHOPPING HOSTESS
Isnt it? Perfect for a holiday or
a trip overseas. You could fit your
entire wardrobe in here.
HOME SHOPPING HOST
Probably a couple of your kids too!
HOME SHOPPING HOSTESS
(laughing)
Well sure! Why pay for the extra
seat when you have all this room?
Now this item also comes with a
little bonus gift.
HOME SHOPPING HOST
Oooh, whats that in there?
HOME SHOPPING HOSTESS
This is actually the dead body of a
woman.
HOME SHOPPING HOST
(bemusedly)
Ohhhhh.
HOME SHOPPING HOSTESS
Yea, looks like someone just left
her in there. Maybe her lover or
her husband.
HOME SHOPPING HOST
(smiling)
Til death do us part indeed.
They both chuckle.
The hostess turns to the camera, grinning, as water comes
pouring out of her mouth.

12.

INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

The man wakes up shaking himself as he knocks the glass of
water next to him over and onto himself.
He looks at the T.V.
Same boring woman shopping hosts look back at him, their
show as innocuous as before.
He gets up.
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT
We can see snow outside coming down, a deluge of white.
The man grabs a dustpan and broom.
Noticing a pen and piece of paper he stops, then quickly
grabs them.
He frantically starts to write in his native language.
FOCUS ON PEN PAPER:
My wife is gone. I have lost her. I told her we would start
a new life. But now, she doesnt even have her old one. She
is dead. I know it is my fault. I promised to protect her
and now I am being punished. May God and my wife have mercy
on me.
He stops.
DRIP.
DRIP.
DRIP.
Water drips onto the paper he is writing on, gradually
soaking the page. He looks up to see the ceiling above him
welling with dampness, pooling and dropping down drip by
drip.
He grabs a bunch of mail and papers, and sticks them
underneath the falling water to soak it up. Some of them are
expired Visa/Refugee application forms.

13.

INT. MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT

He walks upstairs. He enters the master bedroom, which is
empty but for a lonely mattress absent any sheets.
Down a long hallway, he notices something on the floor of
the closet.
Its the bag.
He walks tenuously forward.
He reaches it and places his shaking hand on the zipper.
An unsure beat.
He unzips it, slowly, just a few inches.
BEAT.
We hear the wind outside, buckling branches raking the
windows like spindled fingers.
He tentatively inserts his hand inside the bag.
INT. DUFFEL BAG - NIGHT
An ethereal ebony oasis, as the ghostly shape of the Mans
hand enters from the upper corner of the darkness.
From below another hand appears, slender and grasping, cold
white, almost translucent.
INT. MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT
Dark unassuming night.
Near silent except for the ever present wind and the
occasional creak.
The man shivers and instinctively tries to pull his hand
out.
It is stuck.
He tries harder.

14.

INT. DUFFEL BAG - NIGHT

The slender hand is wrapped around his, its fingernails
digging into his skin. We can practically see the bone
through the thin, wrinkled skin.
INT. MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT
The same wind and creeks persist.
Except, now we hear his GRUNTING and PANTING.
With a great effort, he pulls his hand out.
He tumbles backwards, then sits up and stares at the open
bag.
The bag quivers.
He frantically crawls all the way to the other side of the
room, his back against the wall.
The bag shakes again.
He stares, his eyes wide and unblinking.
BEAT.
Like a pale crawling spider, the hand emerges from the bag.
BEAT.
Finding its bearings, it reaches out and lands on the floor.
ANOTHER BEAT.
It slowly starts to drag itself towards the man, duffel bag
in tow, like a slug dragging its lifeless carapace behind a
creeping maw.
Paralyzed with fear, he cannot yell or scream.
He can only stare.
ANGLE ON: From Above.
The moonlight shines a narrow beam between the both of them.
The hand is getting so close.
It brushes on his feet, ever so slightly.

15.

He opens his mouth. A chilling silence. A single finger

alights upon his lip.
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT
A faded scream.
Maybe another thud, depending which tricks your ears may be
playing on you.
Silence.
BEAT.
We focus on the newspaper laid down that is now damp and
sogging with the gathered water.
HEADLINE: 177 missing as Airplane H73 disappears over the
Atlantic.
The few strands of hair the man kept of his wife floats down
and lands in the wet spot of the paper.
Not really soaking or drying it up. Just laying.
FADE OUT
EXT. BEACH - DAY
A black bag rests on the shore.
Is it moving because of its occupant?
Or perhaps it is just the gentle motion of the waves.
FADE OUT