Taoudenni: A Screenplay

By James Lawson

A mysterious adventurer, operating under a curse that he cannot fathom, wanders the earth ceaselessly, siring children in his wake. He is pursued by a young woman obeying her mother’s deathbed command to track him down and punish him. The man may or may not be her father; the punishment is for an offense that may or may not have happened. But the woman is relentless and beyond reason.

Both of them consult a powerful oracle in Timbuktu on their way to a final reckoning at one of the most desolate hellholes on earth, the salt mines of Taoudenni, a Saharan prison from which few return. In Taoudenni, they are brought face-to-face with the consequences of their compulsions.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Sep 9, 2016
• ISBN: 9781532004230

Book preview

Taoudenni

A screenplay

James Lawson

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TAOUDENNI

Copyright © 2016 James Lawson.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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ISBN: 978-1-5320-0270-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-0423-0 (e)

iUniverse rev. date: 09/09/2016

FADE IN:

1. EXT. THE HARBOR OF TANGIER, MOROCCO - DAY

Over the credits, the scene is set with a long shot of the waterfront of Tangier, moving across the harbor, past large freighters and oil tankers to fishing boats, trawlers and smaller boats.

SUPER: Tangier, Morocco

The camera moves inland to some of the buildings along the waterfront and settles on a shabby building at its center. The sign over the door reads The Harbor Master’s Office, Port of Tangier, in Arabic, French and Spanish.

SUPER: The Harbor Master’s Office, Port of Tangier

CUT TO:

2. INT. THE HARBOR MASTER’S OFFICE – DAY

In a small office, strewn with papers, A CLERK sits behind his desk, playing solitaire. His ASSISTANT comes in and speaks to him in Arabic (with English subtitles).

ASSISTANT

She’s here again.

CLERK

(Without taking his eyes off the cards)

Tell her to go away.

ASSISTANT

She won’t go away.

CLERK

You told her the lists aren’t public?

ASSISTANT

Four or five times.

CLERK

She needs an official police request in

writing.

ASSISTANT

She says she has one.

CLERK

You saw it?

ASSISTANT

She’s very pretty.

CLERK

You never told me.

ASSISTANT

It wasn’t relevant …

CLERK

Idiot. Show her in immediately.

The assistant backs out and turns to call the woman but she is right behind him. He waves her in with a smile. MARIGNY CHENIER is barely 20, with a small, slight figure, which she carries with dignity and seriousness. She wears a dark, floor-length Moroccan kaftan, and her head is covered Moslem-style with a chador. The clerk barely has time to cover his cards with a document and gesture her to the chair in front of his desk.

CLERK

(Cont.) (He first speaks to her in

Arabic but when she doesn’t understand,

switches to French, with English

subtitles) Your passport, Mademoiselle.

She places her passport on his desk. He looks at it with surprise.

CLERK

(Cont.) You’re American?

MARIGNY

Yes.

He opens the passport and stops at the name.

CLERK

Marigny Chenier. That’s not an American

name.

MARIGNY

It is in New Orleans.

The clerk nods and flips through the visas.

CLERK

Mexico, El Salvador, Peru, Tahiti,

Australia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Yemen,

Egypt … You’ve done quite a bit of

traveling for a woman your age.

Marigny shrugs.

CLERK

(Cont.) The police request.

MARIGNY

I don’t have it.

The clerk raises an eyebrow. He looks her over, clearly contemplating some kind of sexual sport.

CLERK

It seems we have a problem here.

MARIGNY

It is written, "Woe unto he who would

be seen at worship yet refuse small

kindnesses."

CLERK

Excuse me?

MARIGNY

Surah 107, revealed to Mohammed at Mecca.

CLERK

Come again?

MARIGNY

It is also written, Whoever doeth an ill-deed, he will be repaid the like thereof, while whoso doeth right, whether male or female, and is a believer, such will enter the Garden. Surah 40, verse 40, also revealed at Mecca.

CLERK

You are a believer?

MARIGNY

As you are.

Bothered by the suspicion that he may be dealing with a madwoman, the clerk decides it would be easier to capitulate.

CLERK

Alright, alright, what are you looking for?

MARIGNY

The crew list of the freighter, Agnes May,

which leaves tomorrow.

CLERK

We have them computerized now. I’ll set it

up for you.

He pecks at the keyboard with one-finger, muttering to himself, as she watches him intently.

CLERK

Here we are. Are you looking for someone in

particular?

MARIGNY

Juan Covarrubius.

The clerk scans the list with his finger, not wanting to admit he doesn’t know how to spell the man’s name. Impatiently, Marigny leaves her chair and goes behind the clerk’s desk to see for herself.

MARIGNY

Let me look.

She scans the list and scrolls down to see more names, edging out the clerk.

MARIGNY

(Cont.) He may be using a different name.

How do I get the crews of the other ships

leaving this week? Oh, I see.

As she manipulates the computer with considerable expertise, the clerk feels left out and begins to hum to himself.

MARIGNY

(Cont.) Quiet.

She switches from one list to another with ever increasing ferocity.

CLERK

Hope you find him soon.

MARIGNY

In sha’Allah. Is this all? What about

fishing boats, pleasure yachts?

CLERK

We don’t keep records of those.

She takes a manila envelope out of her bag and hands him a poster with a man’s picture on it, along with his name, aliases, description and contract information.

MARIGNY

Have you seen this man?

CLERK

No.

She places it on his desk.

MARIGNY

Post this on your wall outside. If you have

any information at all, I’ll be at the

Hotel de Fez until tomorrow midday.

She stands up, preparing to leave.

You’ve been most helpful. Allah rewards

the generous.

CUT TO:

3. INT. THE CENTRAL ROOM OUTSIDE THE CLERK’S OFFICE

Marigny passes by the Assistant’s desk on her way out. They speak in French (with English subtitles).

ASSISTANT

Did you get what you wanted?

MARIGNY

Yes, thank you.

ASSISTANT

How did you convince him?

MARIGNY

I can be very persuasive. (Muttering to

herself, in English, as she leaves) Usually,

I have to give them blow jobs.

DISSOLVE TO:

4. EXT. THE DECK OF THE FREIGHTER, AGNES MAY – NIGHT

On the deck of the Agnes May, JUAN COVARRUBIUS, with his back to the camera, is leaning over the railing, smoking a cigarette. A man, HANK, calls to him and then comes up to him. Throughout the scene we never see Covarrubius’ face.

HANK

Johann.

Covarrubius does not respond.

HANK

Hey, Johann.

COVARRUBIUS

Ya.

HANK

There’s a woman on the dock handing out

pictures of you.

COVARRUBIUS

Do you have one?

Hank hands him the poster. Covarrubius studies it for a moment.

COVARRUBIUS

It’s not me.

HANK

And that’s not your real name?

COVARRUBIUS

No.

HANK

What do you think she wants?

COVARRUBIUS

Probably some process server. You know

how lawyers are.

HANK

You got legal problems?

COVARRUBIUS

Maybe the guy she’s looking for does. What

time do we leave?

HANK

As soon as the captain sobers up.

COVARRUBIUS

That could take a week.

HANK

(Laughing) Yeah.

DISSOLVE TO:

5. INT. HOTEL DE FEZ – NIGHT

The Hotel de Fez is a small, faded,