Disgrace

This film contains some strong language and some scenes of a sexual nature.

WOMEN SPEAK LOCAL LANGUAGE

MAN: I haven't heard from my daughter.

-WOMAN: Still living with the woman?

-Yes, still a lesbian.

Still on the farm.

-She thinks it's safer.

-Nowhere's safe.

Too many people with nothing to do but cause trouble.

How's work?

They look through me when I speak, forget my name.

There's no respect any more.

Have you missed me?

I miss you all the time.

I'm curious. How do you manage this life? Is there a husband?

You better go now.

I forgot to tell you, my mother's ill.

I have to take care of her, so I won't be here next week.

Will I see you the Thursday after?

I'm not sure. Why don't you ring the agency?

Give me your number, I'll ring you direct.

No. Ring the agency.

"That had usurped upon a living thought

"That never more could be."

Why did Wordsworth use the unusual verb form 'usurp upon'?

Because usurp upon means to 'intrude' or 'encroach upon'.

"The clouds cleared, the peak was unveiled, and we grieved to see it."

Why 'grieve'?

WOMAN LAUGHS

I already have a boyfriend.

THUNDER RUMBLES

THUNDER RUMBLES AND RAIN BEGINS TO FALL

SQUEALING AND LAUGHTER

My lunch is wet. Wait.

Ow!

Are you all right?

I'm fine.

Melanie, isn't it?

My favourite season and time of day.

Do you live around here?

Across the line. I share a flat.

I live nearby.

May I invite you for a drink?

OK. But I have to be back by 7:30.

PIANO MUSIC

What is the reason for taking a course in Romantic Poetry?

-It's mainly for the atmosphere.

-Are you enjoying the course?

I'm not that crazy about Wordsworth.

Wordsworth has been one of my masters.

-Maybe he'll grow on me.

-Maybe.

But in my experience, poetry speaks to you at first sight or not at all.

SWITCHES ON CLASSICAL MUSIC

Like falling in love.

What are your career plans?

Stagecraft and design. I'm doing a diploma in theatre.

-I see.

-Yeah.

You've got a lot of books on Byron. Didn't he die young?

They all die young or dry up or...go mad.

-I must go.

-Stay longer.

Why?

Because you ought to.

-Why ought I?

-Why?

Because a woman's beauty does not belong to her alone.

It's part of the bounty she brings into the world.

She has a duty to share it.

What if I already share it?

Then you should share it more widely.

I must leave.

Shall I walk you home?

-No.

-Very well. Goodbye.

GATE BUZZES

PHONE RINGS

-WOMAN: 'Hello.'

-May I speak to Melanie, please?

'Just a minute.'

Is something the matter?

Are you worried about the two of us?

Maybe.

No need.

I won't let it go too far.

PANTING

RAIN FALLS

I'll give you a ride home.

I missed you yesterday in class.

Are you all right?

Did you get my carnations?

Is there something wrong?

Please, tell me.

-SHE SIGHS

-Thanks.

Aren't you going to invite me in?

I think my flatmate is home.

-What about this evening?

-I've got rehearsals.

Then, when do I see you again?

Thanks.

WOMAN: Could you do my hair like Oprah's?

MAN: We don't want much now, do we, dearie?

Well, I'll go and make some magic chemical.

But, meanwhile, can I get you ladies some coffee?

-WOMAN: I'll have mine white, please.

-I'll have mine black, please.

Well, that's easy to remember!

I've come for the job you've advertised.

So? What are you waiting for?

There's the broom. Make yourself useful!

WOMEN SCREAM

WOMAN: No! No!

Everything has to happen much quicker - a la Marx Brothers!

Ryan, is this gadget gonna work? I want a loud bang and sparks.

Are the others gonna work? There's only one lamp blinking.

Melanie, don't pre-empt.

I want to see shock in your body language.

You're coming across like a limp fish.

DOOR BUZZES

MUSIC PLAYS

Not now. My cousin will be back!

So, you're the professor, huh?

-Melanie's told me about you.

-Indeed. What has she told you?

-That you fuck her.

-That's enough. What do you want?

Don't tell me that's enough!

You can't do what you want when it suits you!

It's time for you to leave.

Goodbye, Professor Chips.

Just you wait and see.

As we saw last week,

notoriety and scandal affected not only Byron's life,

but also the way his poems were received by the public.

"At times resign his own for others' good,

"But not in pity, not because he ought,

"But in some strange perversity of thought,

"That sway'd him onward with a secret pride

"To do what a few or none would do beside,

"And this same impulse would, in tempting time,

"Mislead his spirit equally to crime."

So...

What kind of creature is this Lucifer?

MAN: He does what he feels like.

Doesn't care if it's good or bad, he just does it.

Exactly.

Good or bad, he just does it.

He doesn't act on principles but on impulse,

and the source of his impulses is dark to him.

Read a few lines further.

"His madness was not of the head, but heart..."

A mad heart.

What is a mad heart?

Never mind.

Note that we are not asked to condemn this being with a mad heart.

On the contrary, we are invited to sympathise.

For though he lives among us, he is not one of us.

He is what he calls himself, a 'thing' - that is, a monster.

Not possible to love and condemned to solitude.

Melanie, may I have a word with you in my office, please?

Melanie...

Would you mind waiting outside, please?

My dear, I can't have your friend disrupting my class.

And you have to make up the test you missed.

I can't. I haven't done the reading.

Just take the test, Melanie. Let's set a date.

How about next Monday?

You've got the weekend to do the reading.

12 o'clock, here in my office.

OPERA MUSIC PLAYS

MOTORCYCLE ENGINE REVS

MOTORCYCLE ENGINE REVS

HE BRAKES

MAN: Where can I find Professor Lurie?

Here I am.

Professor, what you have done is not right.

You should be ashamed of yourself.

We never thought we were sending our daughter into a nest of vipers!

Won't you come to my office?

So help me God, if I have the wrong end of the stick,

but I don't think so.

I can see it from your face.

Excuse me, I have business to attend to.

Professor Lurie! Professor Lurie! You can't run away!

You haven't heard the last of it yet!

I was thinking of seeing Lucy after the inquiry.

Of course, I haven't told her.

Well, let me tell you, everyone already knows

about this latest affair of yours, in the juiciest detail.

Really?

The story is she took sleeping pills.

Come on, David, we shared a bed for 10 years.

Why should you have secrets? Was she in love with you?

No, Rosalind, I'm afraid it wasn't that dramatic.

-SHE SIGHS

-What an inglorious end to a brilliant career.

What if you lose your pension?

They can't cut me off without a penny.

You haven't asked me whether I was in love with her.

For God's sake, David, you're 52!

Will you be able to resume your post?

I'm not sure I'll want to.

The whole thing is disgusting.

Disgusting and vulgar. And I don't mind saying so.

DOOR SLAMS

MAN: David, is there any member of the committee

whose participation you feel might be prejudicial to you?

Not in a legal sense.

Let me remind everyone this is not a trial but an inquiry.

Now, the first complaint comes from Miss Melanie Isaacs.

You all have a copy of her statement?

OTHERS: Yes.

Will Miss Isaacs be appearing in person?

Miss Isaacs appeared before the committee yesterday.

Now, if we could push on...

The second and related charge comes from the registrar.

The record shows a mark of 70%

for a midterm test which she did not sit.

I'm sure this committee have better things to do

than rehash a story over which there's no dispute.

I plead guilty to both charges.

Pass sentence and let us get on with our lives.

Professor Lurie, we are here to listen to both sides.

Perhaps it would be better if you were represented

by someone who is more familiar with our procedure?

Why? I can represent myself perfectly well.

Despite the plea I've entered, must we continue with this hearing?

We want to give you a chance to state your position.

I've stated my position. I'm guilty.

-Guilty of what?

-Of all I'm charged with.

You are taking us in circles. Have you read Miss Isaacs' statement?

No, but I'm sure it's all true.

Would it not be prudent to actually read her statement?

No.

There are more important things in life than being prudent.

Have you consulted anyone?

A priest, for instance, or a counsellor?

Would you be prepared to undergo counselling?

No. I'm beyond counselling.

I've made my plea.

Is there any form of public statement

you'd be prepared to subscribe to?

What do you want the statement to contain?

An admission that you were wrong.

I've admitted that. I'm guilty.

There's a difference between pleading guilty

and admitting you were wrong.

And that would satisfy you? An admission I was wrong?

No!

First, Professor Lurie must make his statement.

Then we can decide if we can accept it.

See if it comes from the heart.

From the words I use, you can see if it comes from the heart?

Very well.

I took advantage of my position.

It was wrong...

..and I regret it.

The question is, does it reflect your sincere feelings?

That's enough.

Let's play it by the book.

I plead guilty.

I'd become a servant of Eros.

-WOMAN: That's him!

-WOMAN 2: Here he comes!

Professor Lurie!

Excuse me, Professor, can we talk to you for a minute?

-What about?

-You know, the hearing.

-I can't comment on that.

-Are you sorry?

No. I was enriched by the experience.

-He was what by the experience?

-He was enriched.

TELEPHONE RINGS

OPERA MUSIC PLAYS

CAR APPROACHES

I always forget how far away you live.

Well, you're here now. Nice and safe.

-Where's Helen?

-Back in Johannesburg, since April.

You didn't tell me you broke up.

-Aren't you nervous on your own?

-I've got the dogs.

And I've started a boarding kennel.

Anyway, if there's a break-in,

I don't see how two people are better than one.

Very philosophical.

And I have a rifle. It's never been used, but it's there.

An armed philosopher. I like that.

Did you bring work with you?

I'm thinking of perhaps writing an opera - Byron's time in Italy.

DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES

-Petrus...

-Mm?

This is my father.

Molo. Kunjani?

I have come for the spray.

It's in the Kombi. Wait here, I'll go get it.

I look after the dogs and work in the garden.

Yes, the dog man.

I'm anxious about my daughter alone. So isolated.

Yes, everything dangerous today.

But here, it is all right, I think.

Thanks.

Petrus helps me out.

-He's also co-proprietor.

-Since when?

Does he live on the property?

I've put electricity in the old stable. He stays there.

What would you like to do first?

Like a cup of tea or a show-off around the farm?

Show me what you've been up to.

Rosalind rang me, filled me in with the details.

What happened with the hearing?

They wanted me to go through some kind of public repentance.

I'd prefer to be put up against a wall and shot.

-So, you left the university?

-I was asked to resign.

Oh, dear. Will you miss teaching?

Ah, my daughter, the one who comes to teach, learns the keenest of lessons.

Those who come to learn, learn nothing.

Well, we start at five tomorrow morning, Professor.

Shall I wake you?

If you make me coffee.

DOGS BARK

I will do that. Take those to the Kombi.

Monica, this is my father, David, visiting from Cape Town.

OK. Hi.

BOTH SPEAK LOCAL LANGUAGE

Have you ever thought of getting married again?

I wasn't made for marriage.

-Well, you can't keep...

-Preying on young women?

It's not gonna get any easier as you get older.

Do you remember Blake?

He says, "Sooner murder an infant in the cradle

"than nurse unacted desires."

Good day. How much are your carrots?

-Two rand.

-I'll take one, thank you very much.

-Thanks.

-OK.

-Bye.

-Bye.

Why did you quote that to me?

Just that every woman I've been close to

has taught me something about myself.

To that extent, they've made me a better person.

-500 rand.

-Mm. That's pretty good.

I'm gonna stop in on Bev. I need to collect medicine for the dogs.

Who's Bev?

She's one of my closest friends.

She runs an animal clinic. All voluntary.

KNOCK AT DOOR

Hello?

KITTEN MEWS

Hello, Lucy. How are you?

-Good. And you?

-I'm good.

-Bev, this is my father, David.

-Nice to meet you, David.

Come in. Yeah?

-Sorry we're late.

-That's all right. You're here now.

-Hello, Bill.

-Lucy, how are you?

-I'm well. How are you?

-Fine.

Ah, you must be David.

I'm Bill. Come, make yourself at home.

Tea? Sit down, sit down.

We can't stay. I'm just gonna get the medicine for the dogs.

I'll go and get it.

CAT MIAOWS

DOOR OPENS

-TURNS TV ON

-Oh, shit.

MAN TALKS EXCITEDLY ON TV

Mmm!

Oh! He is good.

Mmm! He is a good man.

PETRUS EXCLAIMS AND LAUGHS

Hmm?

TURNS VOLUME UP

KNOCK AT DOOR AND DOOR OPENS

What's the story with Petrus?

Can he just come in here and do as he pleases?

We have an understanding.

He got a Land Affairs grant earlier this year,

enough to buy a hectare and a bit from me.

We share the dam, and everything from there to the fence is his.

If he gets a second grant,

he'll build a house and move out of the stable.

He's very busy. You should give him a hand.

Give Petrus a hand? I like that.

I like the historical piquancy.

-And will he pay me?

-I'm sure he will.

Why don't you ask him?

And what can I do for you while I'm here?

You can help me with the dogs, you can help Bev at the clinic.

You mean Bev? Help Bev?

I don't think Bev and I will hit it off.

Well, don't expect to get paid.

You'll have to do it out of the goodness of your heart.

Hmm, I don't know, Lucy.

These animal welfare people are a bit like Christians.

Everyone is so cheerful and well-intentioned

that, after a while, you itch to go off and do some raping and pillaging.

Or kick a cat.

Bev tries to set an example.

What are you reading?

Oh.

-Hey, mister!

-Some money, please, sir?

-Can I have some money?

-Sorry, I've got nothing.

DOGS BARK

-BEV: Come on.

-GOAT BLEATS

Oh!

David, just in time.

Could you hold him from the front?

Come round and take his legs.

There, my friend. Hey, steady, my friend.

Hey, my friend.

It's OK.

Steady, steady, my friend.

Shh.

Blowflies.

You waited too long.

You can leave him here with me and I will give him a quiet end,

or come back on Thursday when the vet is here,

but I think it's too late.

GOAT BLEATS

What a pity.

But you can't force the owners.

They like to slaughter their animals their own way.

How do you pay for this stuff?

We get it wholesale.

Hold public collections, donations.

We get a grant for putting the dogs down.

Who does that?

Dr Oosthuizen, our vet.

But there are too many of them.

So, I help out, do what's left on a Sunday.

Oh, which reminds me, check yourself for fleas tonight.

-Are they all going to die?

-If nobody wants them.

And you don't mind doing the job?

-DOGS BARK AND WHIMPER

-Hey, hey, hey, hey. Settle down.

I do mind. Hey! I mind deeply.

And I wouldn't want someone doing it for me who didn't mind. Would you?

DOG GROWLS

Aren't they lovely?

They come back every year, the same three.

I feel so lucky to be visited - the one chosen.

Animals are creatures of habit.

SHE SIGHS

Come on, Jessie.

When you were small, our next-door neighbour had a dog.

A golden retriever, remember?

Dimly.

It was a male, and whenever a bitch went past,

it got excited, unmanageable.

And with Pavlovian regularity, its owner would beat it,

so that at the mere smell of a bitch, the dog would run around the garden

with its ears flat and its tail between its legs,

whining and trying to hide.

I don't see the point.

Well, you can punish a dog for chewing a slipper.

The dog can accept that.

But desire's another story.

Is that the moral?

Males must be allowed to follow their instincts unchecked?

No, that's not the moral.

What was ignoble about the spectacle

was that the poor dog had begun to hate its own nature.

It no longer needed to be beaten. It punished itself.

At that point, it would have been better to shoot it.

-Have you always felt this way?

-No.

At times, I've felt just the opposite -

that desire's a burden we could well do without.

Hey, what've you got there?

DOGS BARK IN THE DISTANCE

Should we be nervous?

-DOG GROWLS

-Stay.

HE HISSES

Petrus! Petrus!

-MAN SPEAKS LOCAL LANGUAGE

-Hamba!

Quiet!

What do you want?

We must telephone. His sister, accident.

-What kind of accident?

-A baby.

-Where are you from?

-Erasmuskraal.

Why don't you ring from the forestry station?

Is no-one there.

Hold on.

Inside. Quiet. Quiet!

You stay. ..You come in.

Lucy...

DOG BARKS

Lucy! Lucy!

DOOR CLOSES

SHOUTS IN LOCAL LANGUAGE

Get him! Get him!

BOY SCREAMS Lucy!

SCREAMING

BOY CRIES OUT

HIGH-PITCHED WHINE

(Lucy.)

(Lucy!)

Lucy!

Lucy!

DISTANT VOICES

No! No!

FOOTSTEPS APPROACH

FOOTSTEPS RECEDE

DOGS BARK

GUNSHOT AND DOG WHINES

GUNSHOT

DAVID GASPS No!

GUNSHOT AND DOG WHINES

GUNSHOTS

HE GASPS

HE WHIMPERS

HE CRIES OUT

MEN TALK AND LAUGH OUTSIDE

CAR ENGINE STARTS

DOOR HANDLE RATTLES

WATER RUNS

Lucy?

Lucy? Lucy?

What on earth did they do to you?

They've stolen your car

and let down the tyres of the Kombi and they smashed the phone.

I'm walking over to Ettinger.

You say what happened to you,

and I'll say what happened to me, please.

I never go anywhere without my Beretta.

At least you can save yourself, because the police won't.

Not any more, you can be sure.

I told Lucy to install bars like me, and a security gate and a fence.

And to buy a pistol and a two-way radio.

WOMAN SPEAKS ON PA SYSTEM

-May I help you?

-My father's been severely burnt.

I was wondering when he could see a doctor.

-You'll have to wait in line.

-Thanks.

Ettinger's going to take me to the police station.

You stay here. If they discharge you, just wait here.

Won't the police want to see me too?

I don't think there's anything you can tell them that I can't.

Or is there?

WOMAN: You're lucky that there's no damage to the eye itself.

If they'd used petrol instead of methylated spirits,

now, that would have been a different story.

The burns on your scalp aren't serious.

You just need to keep an eye out for infection.

David?

Shocking. Absolutely shocking.

Lucy's at our place. It's all right.

I'm all right.

It takes you back, you know.

It's like being in the war all over again.

Has Lucy been to the police and a doctor?

Yes, yes. There's a bulletin out for your car.

All attended to.

Lucy...

Lucy... Lucy?

LOUD CLATTERING

Lucy?

I have to speak to Lucy. I want to see Lucy.

I had a dream. I'm sorry, I thought you were calling me.

I wasn't. Go to bed.

Try and sleep now.

How is she?

CAT MIAOWS

This is not an easy thing to talk about, but have you seen a doctor?

-There's a risk...

-I saw my doctor last night.

And is he taking care of all eventualities?

'She' - 'she', not 'he'.

How can a doctor take care of all eventualities? Have some sense.

What are our plans for today?

To go back to the farm and clean up.

We can't just pick up where we left off.

Why not?

Because it's not a good idea. Because it's not safe.

It was never safe. And it's not an idea, good or bad.

I'm not going back for the sake of an idea. I'm just going back.

Lucy, things are changing. Guns and gates don't save you.

Ettinger is wrong.

No, no. We are not going back.

HE GRUNTS

CAR APPROACHES

PETRUS TALKS IN THE DISTANCE

MEN SHOUT

Petrus is back...

with a load of building material and a woman.

Oh, good. That's his new wife.

Why didn't he tell you he was going away?

His timing is a bit suspicious.

I can't order Petrus about. He is his own master.

Lucy...

..there's no shame in being the object of a crime.

Are you trying to remind me of something?

Remind you of what?

Of what women undergo at the hands of men?

Nothing could be further from my thoughts.

As far as I'm concerned, what happened to me

is purely a private matter,

this place being what it is.

-This place being what?

-This place being South Africa.

You must have heard we had a big robbery on Wednesday,

while you were away.

Yes. I heard.

Very bad. Very, very bad.

-But you are all right now.

-Oh, I'm alive.

As long as one is alive, one is all right? Is that what you mean?

Will Lucy go to the market tomorrow?

She will lose her stall if she does not go.

Like peasants everywhere.

Honest toil and honest cunning.

Petrus wants to know if you're going to the market,

otherwise you might lose your stall.

GOAT BLEATS

GOAT BLEATS

Don't you think you could tie them where they could graze?

They are for the party.

On Saturday, I will slaughter them for the party.

You and Lucy must come. The big party.

Why is Petrus having a party?

Because of the land transfer, I guess. It's a big day for him.

We should put in an appearance, take him a present.

I don't like the way he does things,

bringing the beasts home to acquaint them with the people

who are going to eat them.

Wake up, David.

This is the country.

MUSIC PLAYS

-LUCY SPEAKS LOCAL LANGUAGE

-You must open it.

SPEAKS LOCAL LANGUAGE

WOMAN GASPS HAPPILY

It's a bedspread.

Lucy is our benefactor.

MEN SPEAK LOCAL LANGUAGE

When is the baby due?

October. We hope it is a boy.

-What have you got against a girl?

-A girl? Very expensive.

Always money, money, money.

GUESTS SPEAK LOCAL LANGUAGE

I'm going to dance.

WOMAN SPEAKS LOCAL LANGUAGE Thank you.

-They're here!

-Who's here?

I saw one of them out at... out at the back.

I don't want to kick up a fuss, but can we just leave at once?

I know you!

MAN SPEAKS LOCAL LANGUAGE

Do you know who this is?

-What is the trouble?

-He is one of them. Ask Lucy.

Ask him why the police are looking for him.

-It's not true.

-SPEAKS LOCAL LANGUAGE

SPEAKS LOCAL LANGUAGE

He says he does not know what you're talking about.

He's lying.

I'm going to telephone the police.

DOOR SLAMS SHUT

DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES

If you call the police, it will destroy the evening for Petrus!

Really?

I fail to understand why you did not lay real charges against them

in the first place.

And why are you protecting Petrus? Petrus is with them!

Don't shout at me! This is my life!

I'm the one who has to live here!

Lucy, if you're too scared to call the police now,

we should never have involved them in the first place.

We should have just kept quiet and waited for the next attack,

or cut our own throats.

Stop it, David! You don't know what happened.

I don't know? Why do you keep saying that?

You don't begin to know.

Lucy, please, if you buckle now,

you won't be able to live with yourself.

If you show you're afraid, you're finished.

Please, let me call the police.

No.

MAN SHOUTS IN LOCAL LANGUAGE

AUDIENCE WHISTLES AND ULULATES

ALL FALL SILENT

Can I borrow some tools? I have to put in my PVC pipes.

And could you help me fit the regulator?

I don't know anything about regulators or plumbing.

It is not plumbing, it is pipe-fitting.

Just laying pipes.

Lucy has given her permission for the pipes to cross her land.

She is forward-looking, Lucy. Not backward-looking.

Petrus, the boy...what's his name?

Yes. He is angry.

You are calling him a thief.

It is hard for me, as I must keep the peace.

I have no intention of getting you involved.

I need the boy's name and the police can take care of it.

But the insurance will give you a new car, new TV.

The insurance will not give me a new car.

They will give me a percentage of what the old car was worth,

if they're not bankrupt by now with all the car theft in this country.

Besides, it's Lucy that's the issue. You know what happened to her.

Yes, I know what happened. But now it is all right.

Who says it's all right?!

I say. I will protect her.

You didn't the last time!

And now, one of them is your friend.

The boy is not a criminal. He is not guilty.

He is too young.

What can I say? You know everything.

Do you need me any longer?

-LAUGHS SOFTLY

-No, now it is easy.

Now I must just dig the pipe in.

BEV: You underestimate Petrus.

He slaved to get that market garden going for Lucy.

I'm not saying she owes him everything, but she owes him a lot.

In my opinion, he's itching for Lucy to pull out.

Made sure he wasn't home, no warning, nothing.

Now he's turning a blind eye.

Poor Lucy.

First Helen leaves, now this.

SIGHS

She's been through such a lot.

I know what Lucy's been through, I was there.

But you weren't there, David.

She told me. You weren't.

I'm ready. Can you bring in the next dog?

Hello, my girl.

Hello. Hello, my fine friend.

DOG WHINES SOFTLY Come on.

-That's it.

-Good girl.

That's my girl. That's my girl.

Come on. Good girl. Good girl.

That's my girl.

Come on, sweetheart. Here we go.

Good girl. Come on.

That's it, sweetheart. That's my girl.

CRIES

FLIES BUZZ

WOMAN ON TV: For each correct answer, you win a prize.

I'll ask you two questions. Your first prize is a steam iron.

-WOMAN: Oh, excellent.

-Here's your first question.

What is the entertainment centre of New York called?

Is it Greenmarket...?

I'll do that. You'll be wanting to get back.

I'm in no hurry.

You must find it dull here.

Miss your own circle of friends, particularly your women friends.

Women friends didn't bring me much luck.

Do you regret it?

No. Of course not.

In the heat of the act, there are no regrets. You must know that.

You must find Grahamstown very quiet by comparison.

At least I'm out of the way of temptation.

CHAINSAW STARTS

PHONE RINGS

David Lurie speaking.

BEV: Can we meet at the clinic at 4:00?

I'll be there.

CHAINSAW STARTS UP AGAIN

"She walks in beauty...

"..like the night..."

ENGINE STARTS

Ah, I forgot.

A Detective-Sergeant Esterhuyse rang.

They found your car.

Oh, that's wonderful news. I'd given up. Is it driveable?

Yes, he said you can take it home.

Oh, come on, let's get out of here.

Come on.

This is the car we found, sir, that fits the description you gave us.

Unfortunately, this is not my car.

-A lighter colour.

-OK.

-Oh, well.

-Thanks.

Yeah, it's a mistake.

-Anyway...

-All right.

It's all a mistake. A waste of time.

They have a Corolla, but it's not mine.

And, anyway, even if they are caught and there's a trial,

would you testify?

Are you ready for that?

Lucy...

..it's time to face your choices.

Can't we talk about it rationally?

I can't talk any more, David. I just can't.

I just can't.

Lucy, lock the house,

pay Petrus to look after things,

go to Holland, see your mother.

I'll pay for it.

If I go...I won't come back.

Is that such a bad thing?

There are some things you just don't understand.

You just don't understand. Don't pull over here.

It's a bad stretch.

On the contrary, I understand all too well.

You were raped by three men...

..and I did nothing.

If they'd come two weeks earlier, I would've been alone.

CRIES

They've done it before.

They do rape.

Stealing is a sideline.

Are you afraid they're going to come back?

I think they've marked me.

Then you can't possibly stay!

Maybe they see me as owing something...

..and they see themselves as debt collectors.

Lucy, don't try and work out how they see things.

Maybe...

..hating a woman, for a man, makes sex more exciting.

When you trap a woman...

..hold her down...

..it must be a bit like killing.

You're a man.

You should know.

Perhaps.

Sometimes.

For some men.

I think you should give her some room.

Go back to Cape Town for a while.

Things have a way of working themselves out.

Everything will be all right.

WOMAN: Hello.

I'm looking for Mr Isaacs. My name is Lurie.

-He's not home yet.

-When do you expect him home?

Any minute now.

GATE BUZZES

Hi. I'm Desiree.

You can come wait inside for him if you like.

-Where are you from?

-Cape Town.

My sister's in Cape Town. She's at the university.

DOOR OPENS

I'm David Lurie. Do you remember me?

Desiree, come.

So, what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?

You've heard Melanie's side of the story. I'd like to give you mine.

It began without premeditation on my part.

One of those sudden little adventures

that men of a certain kind have.

Excuse me for talking this way. I'm trying to be frank.

However, something unexpected happened.

Melanie struck up a fire in me.

I ask myself, what on earth you think you are up to,

coming to my house and telling me stories?

I'm sorry. It's outrageous, I know.

How is Melanie?

Melanie's well.

She's resumed her studies.

She continues with her theatre work in her spare time.

So, Melanie's all right.

Is there something else you wanted to tell me, Mr Lurie?

I am truly sorry for what I put your daughter and your family through...

..the grief I have caused you and Mrs Isaacs.

So, at last, you have apologised.

I say to myself, we are all sorry when we are found out.

But the question is what are you going to do now that you are sorry?

May I pronounce the word 'God'?

What does God want from you, besides being very sorry?

Why do you think you are here, Mr Lurie?

You were passing through George and you thought..."Why not?"

No...I came to George to speak to you.

You are not hoping that we are going to intervene on your behalf

with the university, are you?

To intervene?

Because the path you are on, Mr Lurie,

is one that God has ordained for you.

It is not for us to intervene.

No. I don't want you to intervene.

I ask you all forgiveness.

PLAYS BANJO

LAUGHTER

Mmm! Mmm!

And what have we here? A bit too much oomph!

I suppose you want it straightened?

Could you do my hair like Oprah's?

Oh, she's not asking for much, eh?

I'll tell you what, I'll go and mix up some magical chemicals.

Can I get you ladies some coffee?

-I'll have mine white, please.

-I'll have mine black, please.

Well, that's easy to remember!

LAUGHTER

And one cappuccino coming up.

I've come for the job you've advertised.

Oh, is it? Well, what are you waiting for, girl?

Pick up the broom and make yourself useful.

SCREAMS

-Jesus Christ!

-SPEAKS LOCAL LANGUAGE

MAN: (Professor!)

Oh, girls! We have until the end of the month to pay the rent!

Oh! That savage, savage Indian!

-What are we going to do, Sidney?

-Professor!

We're not going to panic. We must be cowboys.

You know, I've got enough chemicals back there

to make an exploding onion bhaji!

And we're going to stick that right up his...turban.

I've got a better idea!

Brilliant! Genius! The girl's a nutcracker!

Are you going to explain this childish behaviour?

Haven't you learnt your lesson?

-What was my lesson?

-Stick with your own kind.

Melanie will spit in your eyes if she sees you again.

Keep away from her.

Find yourself another life, Professor!

UNLOCKS CAR

WOMAN: Hey, you take him. It's your turn.

Fine.

Hi. Hi, big boy.

You looking for a good time? Hello?

Oh, we have a grumpy one.

BOTH LAUGH

Hi. Hello?

MOANS SOFTLY

Thank you. Goodnight.

Goodnight.

LUCY: 'Are you OK?'

I'm fine. I'm very busy.

Ring me any time.

I miss you, Lucy.

-'Goodnight.'

-Goodnight.

LUCY HANGS UP

Why are you going to Durban?

Are you applying for a job there?

I lied.

I wanted to see if you were all right.

I missed you.

-I'm pregnant.

-You're what?

I'm pregnant.

From that day?

From that day.

But I thought you said you'd taken care of it with that woman GP.

I'm not having an abortion.

Are you telling me you're going to have the child?

Yes.

A child from one of those men?

Yes.

But why, Lucy?

I'm a woman, David.

Do you think I hate children?

Must I choose against a child because of who the father is?

And your mind's made up?

Yes.

Very well.

I'll stand by you, no matter what.

I'm going for a walk.

DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES

CRIES SOFTLY

SNIFFS

Mmm!

By the way, the boy's back.

The boy?

The boy you had a row with at Petrus's party.

He's staying with Petrus.

Helps him out.

His name is Pollux.

Anyway, he turns out to be the brother of Petrus's wife.

So, Pollux returns to the scene of the crime

and we must all behave as if nothing's happened.

I want you to stay clear of him.

I suspect there's something wrong with him,

but I can't order him off the property, it's not in my power.

-Particularly...

-Particularly what?

Particularly when he may be the father

of the child you are carrying.

Molo.

I'm looking for Petrus.

Ah, David. You are back.

-How was Cape Town?

-Good, good.

Lucy tells me the boy is back - Pollux.

He is my relative.

You told me you didn't know him.

You lied to me.

You come, look after your child.

I also look after my child.

Your child? So, now he's your child?

Yes, he is a child.

He is my family, my people.

You say it is bad what happened.

I also say it is bad, but now it is finished.

It's not finished.

It will go on long after I'm dead and you're dead.

He will marry Lucy.

But he is too young - too young to marry.

He is a child.

A dangerous child. A jackal.

Yes, too young to marry.

Maybe one day, he can marry, but not now.

I will marry.

You will marry whom?

I will marry Lucy.

Lucy, this is preposterous!

He's not offering a church wedding. He's offering an alliance, a deal.

I contribute the land

and, in return, I'm allowed to creep in under his wing.

Otherwise, I'm without protection.

What about the personal side?

I don't think Petrus wants to sleep with me.

-And you?

-Don't be ridiculous.

Good, then I will go and tell him that we refuse his offer.

Wait!

Say I accept his protection.

If he wants me to be known as his wife, so be it.

But then the child becomes his too, part of his family.

As for the land, say I will sign the land over to him.

But the house remains mine.

I'll become a tenant on his land.

No-one is to enter the house without my permission, including him.

And I keep the kennels.

Lucy, it's not workable.

I'm not leaving, David.

Go and tell Petrus what I have said.

How humiliating, to end like this.

Yes, I agree.

Like a dog.

Yes.

Like a dog.

SHOWER RUNS

DOG GROWLS

DOG BARKS

You animal!

Swine! You filthy swine!

David! Stop it!

Easy. Easy, easy. Easy. Easy.

Are you all right?

Come, let's go wash it.

WAILS

SCREAMS

We will kill you!

We will kill you!

SCREAMS

This can't go on, David.

-He was spying on you.

-He's a disturbed child!

Is that an excuse for what he did to you? He should be in an institution.

Well, he's here and he's a fact of life!

Everything had settled down before you came back, David.

Then I'd better pack my bags.

Is this just a visit or are you here for a while?

Oh, I'm back for as long as necessary,

but I won't be staying with Lucy.

Anyway, I'm looking for a room,

so if you hear of anything, let me know.

BANJO PLAYS

# She walks in beauty

# Like the night

# Of cloudless climes and starry skies

# And all that's best of dark and bright

# She walks in beauty... #

CHILDREN LAUGH

# ..aspect... #

CHILDREN LAUGH

# ..and her eyes

# Thus mellow'd...

# ..her eyes Thus mellow'd... #

-WOMAN: Thanks.

-Thank you.

-Bye.

-Bye-bye.

DOG WHINES

DOG WHIMPERS EXCITEDLY

Was that the last?

One more.

I thought you would save him for another week.

Are you giving him up?

Yes.

Lucy?

Lucy?

Hello, Milo. Good boy. That's my boy.

I didn't hear you.

Where's the truck?

I parked up the road, took a walk.

Will you come in for some tea?

WOMAN: # She walks

# In beauty

# Like the night

# Of cloudless climes

# And starry skies

# And all that's best

# Of dark and bright

# Meets in her aspect

# And in her eyes

# Thus mellow'd

# To that tender light

# Which Heaven

# To gaudy day denies. #