The Hunter

This film contains some strong language

PLANE ENGINE HUMS

"SONG TO THE MOON" BY DVORAK PLAYS

MUFFLED PHONE RINGING

Who's he?

Wait at the bar.

This is no way to greet an old friend.

You've kept me waiting here for two weeks.

Christ! It's Paris! See the sights.

I'm here for work.

There's a lot of ground to cover.

Difficult terrain, remote, so...

..they want me to send someone with you.

Two men is a security risk.

This is an important job. There's no room for mistakes.

So don't make any.

It must be very nice, William,

not to need anyone.

The client is Red Leaf, a military biotech.

They're after something extremely rare.

You're to bring back biological samples.

Blood, skin, hair, organs.

As for the rest, make sure no-one else can ever find it.

What Red Leaf wants is very valuable.

But only if they have exclusive ownership.

You're looking for something most believe is extinct.

The rarest, most elusive creature on the planet.

The client has evidence it still exists.

If so, it may be the very last one.

MUFFLED PA ANNOUNCEMENT

The client has reports from a reliable source.

Two confirmed sightings in the past year.

Until now, these sightings have been kept secret.

But word always gets out.

We have only a couple of months,

maybe less.

After that, there will be competition.

Perhaps there already is.

Hello?

Hey, what are you doing?

You can't wake her up!

I'm Martin David, from the university.

Hello, Martin David.

I'm Sass, he's my brother Bike.

Mum said we should show you to your room.

Come on.

-The bulb's burnt up.

-No.

No fuckin' power.

Excuse me?

There's a generator. But it's stopped working.

You going to fix it?

I've got a lot of equipment. I need power.

Yeah.

It used to work, then it stopped.

Dad says the fuckin' fuck is completely fucked.

Where's your father?

Gone away, up there.

He'll be back soon though.

He'll fix it if you can't.

There's water in the cold tap.

Oh...and the toilet's outside.

You right there, mate?

Um, just need to use the restroom.

You want a drink first?

Right.

Beer?

Sure.

How much to rent a room?

No vacancies.

Not even one small room?

All regulars, mate. Live-ins.

I can pay double.

Pay triple if you want. Same difference.

Hey, you!

Hey, you!

-Do you want a room?

-Yeah.

Yeah.

Well, you can't have one.

STIFLED LAUGHTER

You're from overseas, aren't you? Some uni.

You got a room? I can pay.

No.

Thing is, mate...

we don't really like greenies around here.

So unless you want to join your mate,

Jarrah fuckin' Armstrong,

fuck off.

-You're up, Dougie.

-Comin'.

RINGING TONE

I've arrived. The lodging is... not what I expected.

The communication may be a problem,

so I'll call when I have something to report.

HE GROANS

HE GASPS

OMBRA MAI FU BY GEORGE FRIDERIC PLAYS

What's she singing about?

She sounds sad...

yelling like that.

She's not yelling.

Don't you ever listen to music?

Sure. My dad likes "The Boss".

Who?

"The Boss".

Bruce Springsteen.

He rocks!

OPERA MUSIC CONTINUES

GUN CLICKS

CHILDREN GIGGLE

You shouldn't come in here without knocking.

Are you looking for my dad?

No, I'm researching Tasmanian devils.

But if you see him, will you tell him to come home?

I'll be up 12 days, and then I'll come back for

two days to resupply and do my paper work.

If I'm not back Wednesday next week...

Take this when you go up.

You can keep it for a while.

He's my dad, and we gave him that for his birthday.

That's what he looks like.

OK.

Double four point three zero...

Those are my coordinates.

They're points on the map. Now, listen,

-when your mother wakes up, remember...

-I know. 12 days.

-CAR HORN TOOTS

-Jack's here!

-Where are my soldiers?

-Jack!

Hello, princess. Hello, mate.

Oh, there he is.

G'day. Jack Mindy.

Martin David. How's it going?

-How's the room? All right?

-Yeah, it's fine, thanks.

Any problems, you just let me know. I'll sort it out.

Ah, it's a good spot for you here. Quiet, convenient.

Now the blokes from the university told me you needed a guide.

-Really?

-Yeah, I can take you up there, no worries...

-No, no, I wouldn't want to put you out...

-No, no, it's not a problem.

You get your stuff, you can follow me in your truck. All right?

MACHINES BUZZ

Who were they?

Blockade? That's greenies protesting the logging.

Jarrah started all that.

The children's father?

Jarrah, yeah.

Got a lot of time for Jarrah, he's a good bloke.

Eco warrior.

-Where is he now?

-He went missing last summer.

He was out doing his university work and...

he never came back down.

Didn't the university tell you?

Different university.

Anyway, it was a bloody nightmare.

The search and rescue was out for two weeks.

Not a trace.

And his wife?

Lucy's not doing too good. She's...

I do what I can to help.

Your rent money'll go a long way.

This is all ear-marked for logging.

So...

..what is it you're studying?

Devils.

Dunno why. They're pests.

Still, makes a change.

From what?

Oh, we get a lot of tourists this way looking for the Tassie Tiger.

Reckon they can take a bit of a day-trip,

and find an animal that has been written off as extinct.

What do you think?

I heard one once.

HE IMITATES TIGER

I was a kid, I was out trapping with my dad.

50 years ago, but I still remember it.

Every now and again, some clown reckons he sees one, but...

no-one can ever prove it.

It's not a Sunday stroll out where you want to go, Mr David.

It's a part of these highlands never been mapped.

Got satellite maps, all right,

but doesn't mean anyone's ever been there.

What do you think happened to Jarrah Armstrong?

He slipped, he fell...

broke a leg...

froze, starved...

then the devils got him.

Eat you alive if you give 'em a chance.

Odd, though, not to find a trace.

Well, depends if anyone wanted a trace left.

Made a few enemies, Jarrah.

He was a foreigner, like yourself.

Wanted to save the trees.

The logging trees are the only reason there's any people here

at all. Or a town.

So you can imagine when he arrived a few years back,

he was about as popular as a snake in a sleeping bag.

Good Lord!

Good Lord indeed, Mr David.

Thank you, Mr Mindy. I'll take it from here.

You'll what?

I'd like to go on alone.

-You sure? It's a...

-Yes.

I'm sure.

Oh, well, suit yourself. It's a...

I'll leave you to it, then.

See you in a couple of weeks.

And watch your step.

GUNSHOT

ANIMAL CRY

THEY SNARL

BANG!

Ah, f...!

HE STOMPS FEET

G'day.

You're back then.

-Get what you needed?

-Sort of.

See many devils?

Yes.

Sick or healthy?

Healthy.

Oh, well, don't let me stand in your way.

Just brought round some supplies.

Your dinner's in the kitchen.

-Is that your father?

-Which? Oh, yeah.

He did it.

-Why's he scratching his head?

-He's not.

He's looking for something.

But you'd never guess what for.

-A way out of here?

-A tiger.

Really? A tiger?

What kind of tiger?

-A Tasmanian tiger.

-A Tasmanian tiger?

That's very interesting, but you know...

-they don't exist.

-Do so!

-They're extinct.

-Oh, no!

My dad saw one last summer.

It's a secret.

He must have told somebody about it.

Somebody else, besides you.

Have other people seen it?

I don't know. Ask him.

HE GROANS

Hey, man.

I hear you're doin' some research up on the plateaus - devils, right?

-Yeah, that's right.

-Very cool.

I'm Free, by the way, this is Simon.

-How's it going?

-Hey, you should stop by some time,

man, we'd love to hear about your work.

I'm sorry, but I won't have any time.

You're not using traps up there, are you? Steel traps?

No, I won't do that.

Thanks.

I bet you helped your dad too.

What is that now? A little monkey face?

OK. Here goes nothin'.

METAL CLATTERS Oh, G...!

HE SIGHS

CREAKING

FALTERING REVVING

GENERATOR STARTS, HE LAUGHS

"I'M ON FIRE" BY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN PLAYS

MUSIC CONTINUES TO PLAY

# Hey, little girl, is your daddy home?

# Did he go away and leave you all alone?

# I got a bad desire

# Oh-h-h I'm on fire

# Tell me now, baby, is he good to you?

# Can he do to you the things that I do?

# I can take you higher

LAUGHTER

# Oh-h-h, I'm on fire... #

You're back.

# Sometimes it's like someone took a knife, baby

# Edgy and dull and cut a six-inch valley through the middle of my soul

# At night I wake up with the sheets soaking wet

# And a freight train running through the middle of my head

# Only you can cool my desire

# Oh-h-h, I'm on fire... #

Where did these come from?

It's her prescription, from the doctor.

Jack Mindy brings them.

Your mother doesn't need these any more. So no more, OK?

OK.

Go run a bath.

GENTLE SPLASHING

Sass. Here, help me.

Here, get her legs.

I have to go back up tomorrow.

You're going to have to take care of your mother.

-She's going to feel sick.

-OK.

Give her lots of tea and water...

and let her rest.

-OK?

-OK.

Out!

You can't come with me.

You know these are extinct. They're gone.

I don't know what your father told you, but he couldn't have seen one.

Come on.

OK, if I see one, you'll be the first to hear.

THUNDER CRACKS

ELECTRONIC BEEPING

BEEPING

TRUCK HORN BLASTS

DIAL TONE

HE SNAPS LAPTOP SHUT

Where's your mother?

In town, with Jack Mindy.

She's better now.

Did you find anything?

It's not my dad's.

OPERA MUSIC PLAYS

-What are you doing?

-We're getting in!

-No, you can't!

-But we always do.

-Wait until I'm finished.

-Nah, the water'll be cold.

And besides, Dad says when we have a bath,

it's a shame to waste all the hot water.

Well, I'm not your dad, and I don't think your mum would like this.

-He tells a story.

-I don't know any.

-None?

-No.

-Not even one story.

-No.

What's she singing about, then?

She's...just singing.

About what, though?

People never sing about nothing.

Nobody I've ever met has sung about nothing.

So you can't sing a song about nothing.

So, what's she singing about?

He's back.

-I'd better come in.

-I'll be fine.

I'll see you soon.

Thanks.

OPERA MUSIC CONTINUES

Hi. Want some water?

-Hi.

-Hi, Mum.

They don't like to waste the hot water.

-You guys hungry?

-Yeah.

I'll get dinner ready.

DOOR CREAKS

A tiger in the trees.

Which trees?

There are lots of trees up there.

Winters up here are something else, especially when the snow comes.

-Shiraz?

-No.

He, um, drinks tea.

Jamie? Dinner's ready.

Jamie?

-His new name's Bike.

-Bike?

Bike. Mm, I suppose that's not too bad.

What about you, Katie? You have a new name?

-Sass!

-Oh.

From "sassafras". It's very pretty.

Jamie?

I'll go get him.

Hey. Time to eat.

-So, Mr David...

-Call me Martin.

Martin. How's the study going?

Those devils giving you much trouble?

No, not too much trouble.

-I'm getting...

-Oh, Katie, that's disgusting! Sorry.

-He likes it stronger.

-Oh, like Jarrah.

My husband only liked tea if it was the colour of rust.

-Have you read his book?

-No, I haven't.

-But it's on the top of my list.

-Run and get Daddy's book.

So, what do they teach in zoology these days, Martin?

Same stuff, hasn't changed much in the past ten years.

Do you know Jude Morris?

He's from your neck of the woods. Columbia, right?

I couldn't find it.

I'm finished. Can you tell us a story?

Martin and I will just have to have a little chat. After that.

-You promised. Mum...

-After we've had a talk.

Katie says that you washed me, in the bath.

The children helped.

I am not a bad mother. It...

It's just hard.

What are those... speakers in the trees?

Up there.

Um, Jarrah.

He wanted to have concerts up here when he first moved.

Ah, he had this idea that everyone could gather here - artists,

scientists, town's people... like a little Woodstock.

Yeah, he had lots of ideas.

Too many.

Too many to hold in his head at once.

We're lucky Jack sent you.

INSECTS BUZZ

HE SNIFFS

RUSTLING

TWIG CRACKS

HE CRIES OUT

WATER DRIPS

-Hey everybody. This is Martin David, like I told you.

-ALL: Hi.

Hello.

What happened to your eye?

-Ah! Caught a stick in it.

-Gross!

-Where's your mother?

-She's inside. Kitchen.

What's going on?

-We having a little Woodstock?

-You're back!

Your eye!

-Oh, God. What happened?

-It's fine.

-Come and sit down.

Sit down.

-Hmm.

-Ow!

It's not too deep.

We've got a moratorium

for the logging on the forest down the road.

Forestry aren't allowed to touch it for six months.

Not until there's a complete ecological survey.

We're celebrating.

They're friends of yours?

I helped them with their proposal, interpreted some of their research.

I was doing my PhD in plant science when I met Jarrah.

Eco-physiology.

You look different.

Oh, this. Yeah, I had it done in town.

Do you like it?

I liked it better before.

This has all the signs of a tiger kill.

She eats the heart first.

And this is the cave. She's been there.

She probably has dens all around the area.

And she moves between them,

but sooner or later she'll move back here.

I wonder if she's the last one.

Alone, just...

hunting and killing, waiting to die.

CHATTER

Oh, Mummy!

-I'm going to show you my better one!

-OK.

-I'll show you a better one.

-All right.

Yeah!

Cart wheeling!

-Ready?

-Or maybe swimming.

One, two, three, go...

THEY LAUGH

Go on! We won't tell the university.

No, thanks, I'm fine.

Guess you'll be heading home soon since you got what you wanted.

No, got offered a job, him and me.

-Working for the government.

-Searching for tigers!

The National Parks found a footprint.

Ssh! That's fuckin' top secret.

And we know the area, so...

There's no tigers up there.

You don't know that, you only know what they want you to know.

Oh, here we go...

You'd be sitting on a pile of money if you found one,

man, I'm telling you. With cloning and shit.

You're a scientist.

What would you do if you found a tiger?

Not my field.

Yeah, I'd just point his nose due west and tell him

to run like the wind.

That's what Jarred would have done. In't that right, Luce?

Take the kids inside.

Come on. Katie, come.

Listen fellas...

It's not personal.

Takin' away our jobs is personal, mate.

-C'mon, man, there are women and children down here.

-Shut up, Feral.

-Hey, you don't want to do that, mate.

-Yeah?

GUNSHOT

Go on, run, you little fairies!

KNOCKING

Come in.

-I'm making tea. Would you like some?

-No, thank you.

-You sure?

-No, I'm going to turn in.

I've got to go back up early tomorrow morning.

Sorry about tonight.

Do you think those people have something to do with

you... your husband?

Oh, no. They're... They're angry, they're out of work,

but they wouldn't hurt us.

And their kids go to school with my kids.

Jarrah thought that somebody was following him, though.

Not one of the locals.

Well...if not them...who?

My husband pissed off a lot of people.

Did you tell the police?

Yeah, they said there was no evidence.

No, um...body.

Besides, they knew Jarrah, his theories and what he was like,

-so...

-Do you believe someone was following him?

I believe he believed it.

How's it going, Mr Mindy?

Hear you had a bit of trouble up at the house last night.

Everything's under control.

Maybe I should talk to the university and...

find you somewhere else to live, somewhere with fewer distractions.

Lucy's better.

She's off the pills. The kids are fine too.

I don't think you need to come round so much.

-'Hello.'

-This is Jack Mindy from Tasmania.

-'Yes, Jack?'

-You said to call if there were any problems.

-'Go on.'

-Well, this scientist of yours, he's...

he's becoming a problem.

A beer, please.

Didn't think you'd be back in here.

Why aren't you up there with all your other greenie mates, huh?

I know what you're up to, mate.

The whole fuckin' town knows about it.

It's a bloody waste of taxes.

You and that fuckin' Armstrong bitch deserve each other.

Ah, f...!

-Let him go!

-Fuck.

Fuck.

OK.

Good boy.

My dad was going to fix those.

I'm just helping him out, while he's away.

Can I help too?

-Sure.

-Thanks.

DULL ELECTRONIC THUD

CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYS

CICADAS CHIRRUP

-Hey.

-Hey. Thanks.

Thanks.

What kind of work was your husband doing up there.

I don't know if you'd call it work.

Was he working for Red Leaf?

I saw their name on the back of some of the drawings. On the fridge.

I thought he'd burnt it all.

He got very paranoid about them.

Why?

He was hunting a tiger up there.

He told me that the tiger had some...unique toxin to paralyse its prey...

..and that Red Leaf wanted to own it.

The DNA.

Jarrah was trying to stop them.

It's probably better off extinct.

If it's alive, people will always want to find it...

..hunt it down.

Mum.

-I can't sleep.

-What's the matter, Katie?

I'm scared. I want to sleep in your bed with you.

OK, I'm coming.

Listen.

If it's a nice day tomorrow,

you want to go on a picnic?

Yeah!

-Good night.

-Night.

-Can we bring the chooks?

-No.

Well, why not?

Because...

I don't even know what a chook is.

Chooks.

The chickens.

Oh, my Lord, look at you!

You sure you want to be seen with us?

PHONE RINGS

Hello.

Oh, OK. You want him?

It's for you.

He's coming.

What do you want in your sandwich?

-Martin David.

-'I'm hearing reports.'

-What reports?

-'You're attracting too much attention.'

'Getting involved with locals.'

That's not true.

'You need to focus on the job, or someone else will get there first.'

I found a cave.

A...a kind of den.

I've been there.

'Why aren't you up there now?

'You need a result.'

You'll get your result.

Excuse me.

What are you doing?

I have to go back up.

I have to finish my work.

-I have no choice.

-And what about the kids?

These are my coordinates. If I'm not back in 12 days...

Don't bother.

DOOR SLAMS SHUT

VEHICLE DOOR CLOSES

VEHICLE DOOR CLOSES

WIND HOWLS

FIRE CRACKLES

FIRE CRACKLES

FIRE CRACKLES

RAIN PITTER-PATTERS

WATER FLOWS

TRAP SNAPS

BIRDSONG

BIRDSONG

Get down on your knees and face away from me.

Where's the cave?

What cave?

Hands by your side, palms up.

Where is the cave?

Argh!

-Up there.

-How far?

Two-hour climb.

You're going to take me there.

Let's go.

Um, I can't navigate like this.

Argh!

Argh!

Argh!

BOTH GRUNT

GUNSHOT

HE BREATHES HEAVILY

HE BREATHES HEAVILY

Jack!

Jack?

You stay there!

You stay there!

Don't you make me...

Where are they?

It was an accident.

Police...

said it was an accident. All the candles and...

lanterns, open fire up at that place was bound to happen sooner or later.

Where are they now, Jack?

Lucy and the girl, they're dead. They're...

..they're dead.

And the boy?

They took him away. I couldn't look after him, not at my age.

They'll find him a place. Somewhere good.

Was someone paying you to follow me, to keep an eye on me?

No, I thought you were a scientist, like Jarrah.

No-one was paying me.

You should never have come here.

What did you tell him, you idiot?

They'll send someone to replace me.

They'll send someone to replace him, and they'll keep on sending people

until they get what they want.

WATER FLOWS

GUNSHOT

GUNSHOT

HE SOBS

HE SOBS

FIRE CRACKLES

What you want is gone forever.

Don't bother looking for me.

I'm going to see the sights.

INAUDIBLE