Downriver (2015) Movie Script

Just take a seat, Dana.

- Hey, buddy.

- Hey.

Just when you're ready.

Dana: Have they

given you a date yet?

Not yet.

I heard it's soon.

What are you going to do?

He can't say...

..Where he's going, who

he's with, what he's doing,

anything like that.

I suggest you ask

what you came to ask.

Dana: Where is he?

James: When I left,

he was in the water.

Dana: Did you push him out?

James: No.

Dana: How deep was he,

over his head?

James: Not real deep.

Dana: We've had divers search

right up and down there.

James: It's not far

from the sea there.

Dana:

But you didn't push him out?

James: I never lied.

Dana: This doctor is saying

your epilepsy's

made you forget things -

it's not true, is it?

Did you weigh him down...

..Or did you take him

to the bushes?

James:

It wasn't just me there.

Dana: I don't have him, do I?

So you wouldn't forget

pushing him out?

It's killing me.

I can't keep looking.

I'm the only one

that still is.

James: The police

should have found him.

Dana: They didn't need to.

They had you.

He was the front page

of all the papers

when he went missing,

and now no-one even remembers

his name.

You hid him. You had to.

Did you mutilate him, did you

do something sexual to my son?

Rita: Dana...

- Did you?

Rita: You know what

we agreed on.

Dana: I went to sleep

for a half an hour,

and my son is gone.

I don't believe you.

Until I find him,

he's still just missing.

Man: Four bucks, Anthony.

Didn't you get the photo

I sent you?

I'm not giving you freebies

no more.

Why don't you just take it off

what you owe me?

And sign here.

Rita: Anthony and his family

have taken out

an intervention order.

You can't contact him or go

within a 5km radius of them.

James: Witness to crime.

Rita: Witnesses get notified

of parole.

They can ask to be protected.

Bullshit.

Good.

Now, you'll be sick

of the sound of my voice

every 24 hours for a month,

and then you report every 72

after that.

Zero tolerance.

Same goes for violence.

Any whiff of violence and a

magistrate may revoke parole.

You're a fisticuffs fan.

Don't do it.

We've got you

in a halfway house.

You've got your own room.

Do you want these?

Books and magazines.

I don't need them.

Worth getting sprung tonight?

Ok for you,

you're gone tomorrow.

Bet I get some motherfucker

in here.

Don't do that.

Night-time's when

you get all negative.

Ok, maybe worth it.

James: He still lives there.

Cellmate: What do you think

he's like now?

A coward.

Don't say goodbye.

Yes, mum. Yes.

Don't you eat egg anymore?

I hate it, and onion.

'The lot' means

'egg and onion'.

They're stingy on the sauce.

How long have you guys

been going out?

We're just friends.

What does he do?

He drives a truck.

Cool.

You heard from dad?

A few weeks back.

What did he say?

He said that if you needed

anything, he'd help.

Does he have a spare room?

He meant money.

Your place is pretty big.

You said you had no room.

It's not about having no room.

Why are you looking at me?

You know, at lunch,

if someone was looking at me,

I'd be like...

A guy got stabbed in the mouth

the other day.

Tried to get him in the neck,

but he missed.

It's too easy

for people to find me.

It's happened before -

reporters and, you know,

people connected with family.

This is for your own good.

Here, I'll pay

until you start earning.

I don't want you

forgetting to report.

Paige: What did you do today?

James: Not much.

What about tomorrow,

you going to do something?

Man: Nads, for fuck's sake!

Why do you always want

to play with my bloody stuff?

- Five seconds of peace!

- Leave it the fuck alone!

- Damien!

- Mum!

This is my fucking iPad.

Fuck you!

* classical symphony

I said, it's hot, hey?

Can I ask you something?

Do you know a guy called

Anthony?

A dark-haired guy.

He lives up the mountain road

but cuts through here

sometimes.

I hate everyone.

Alright.

Can I have

a packet of silvers?

And our power's not on.

- Which plot?

- It's 33.

You pay your day rate,

and that gets your mains on.

Alright, just give me a day.

- Can I see some ID?

- I don't have any.

I need to know

who's on the grounds.

Well, how much is a day?

22 bucks.

Well,

I'll just have a day, then.

I'll need a photocopy

of your ID.

It's my family's cabin.

Who is Paige Levy? Levi?

What does it matter?

Ah, $12.50, love.

- There you go.

- Thanks, mate.

I'll just pay for the smokes.

I don't need

the fucking power.

Hi. Sorry, I can't

take your call at the moment.

Please leave a message.

Yeah, Paige? This is Gary from

crystal brook holiday park.

I think I might have your son

in your cabin.

He hasn't checked in properly.

My sister's boy.

Alright.

Humans do not know

there are other life forms

in the universe.

There is only one rule -

never go out without

morphing into human form.

What happened to your eye,

your scar?

I, um, hit my head

when I was a kid.

On purpose?

No, I have epilepsy.

I had a fit.

That was a joke!

I'm scarred.

Mum went totally psycho

and pushed me into a door.

Now my chin's uneven.

* classical symphony

bump there. See?

Feel it?

Nadia: Turn that off!

I can't hear.

Damien: Well,

bloody turn your telly up!

Whatever.

Hey, how come

nobody's used that cabin

the whole time

we've been coming?

It's one of the ghost cabins.

Were you here then,

when that boy drowned?

- Were you?

- No.

The rumor is, the kid who

did it lived in your cabin.

The kid who died

was my brother.

Shit.

Sorry.

We come and look sometimes.

This is a good one,

it's a good one.

- He can go first.

- Oh, passing! Well.

Ok. Um...

- She's confident.

- Ten diamonds.

James: No, it's a black card.

- Ok.

- Four spades.

- No, it's a club.

- Oh.

- Ten clubs.

James: Lower than ten clubs.

Um, six clubs.

Higher than six clubs.

- Eight clubs.

- Lower than eight clubs.

So I'm going to pass it

to your sister right now.

- Seven clubs.

- Yeah!

Do we hug?

Ok!

It's going to be like that?

You approached me.

You know

you'll get recognized?

I don't look ten anymore.

I knew you straight off.

You would.

How was prison?

Fuck you.

Anything else?

What are you doing here?

This is our cabin.

Yeah,

but you're within the radius.

What, are you

trying to find him, like her?

Wander up and down the river -

'oh, is he there?'

Yeah, right.

Yeah, good boy, hm?

You still killed him.

Fuck off.

You know, I've seen her around

a couple times, his mum.

Yeah. She, um,

she's got two new girls.

I don't know where she got

that mutilation bullshit from.

But I wouldn't feel sorry

for her if I was you,

'cause you don't know half the

shit she was saying about you.

You think I moved him?

No. I didn't need to.

You should have just shut up,

like we said.

'Cause it

looked like an accident.

And the kid goes missing.

Even better.

But no.

You bawled like

a fucking baby, didn't you?

If you'd shut up,

you would have been free.

Oh, yeah. They get closer now.

They scrounge around the park.

This little girl got bit

on the face the other day.

Yeah.

You know, my theory is that

a wild dog came down

and took him from the river.

'Cause didn't something

come up in your trial

about drag marks in the bush?

I mean,

you know better than me.

Alright!

Yeah, it's not a safe river,

you know?

It's like quicksand

all up and down it.

You could be standing there

one minute,

and then the next,

you know, just gone.

- That's bullshit.

- No.

People drown all the time.

Last year,

my dad and I went to Sydney.

We were drinking on the beach,

and he went off for a piss

and found a dead baby.

Like, someone had drowned

their own kid.

- That's awful.

- Yeah.

Next day,

everyone just went swimming

like nothing had happened.

Did you see it?

Yeah - shriveled and blue.

You want to come back

to my place?

What, now?

Yeah.

I just live up the mountain.

I don't live in the park.

You live on the mountain road?

Mm-hm. In a proper house...

..All to myself.

The kid next door

is looking for you.

For me?

This girl came down the river

before.

She had a massive fight

with her friend,

so she was a bit pissy, right?

So I went swimming with her

to cheer her up.

We smoked a bit of weed.

Next thing,

she's ripping my gear off,

saying weed made her horny.

She's licking my neck,

letting me suck on her tits.

She tells me to lie down

so she can get on top of me.

By this point, i'm, like,

hard as fuck.

She's got hands

down my shorts...

..Telling me I had the nicest

cock she'd ever seen.

She wanted

to give me a blow job.

Then her fucking phone

goes off.

It's her friend, saying,

'come back.

Sorry.'

Honey?

Wake up.

Come on, we're going home now.

Get off me!

- Don't you dare!

- Get out!

Hey! What's...

I frightened him.

This is what I mean, hm?

Wayne:

He can't behave like that.

Paige: We're trying to

help him. Wayne, you just go.

- We'll get the bus tomorrow.

- You're kidding me?

I'm not leaving you, Paige.

I'm not leaving you with him.

Come on.

Damien: Hey, your mountain

road friend was around.

James:

How did you know it was him?

Brown-haired kid, said

he lived on the mountain road.

- Did you talk to him?

- Yeah.

- Didn't you see him?

- What did he say?

- Why?

- Don't talk to him.

I'm not kidding - don't.

Paige:

Wayne doesn't know about you,

so you need to stay quiet

about that.

What are you doing here

anyway?

You're not supposed to be

within five kilometers of him.

You know that.

You're coming back with US.

What do you know about dogs

up here, wild dogs?

There was some dog problem

at some point.

I think a dog

might have taken him.

Who?

Honey!

The police looked.

It happens...

..Dogs taking lambs, chickens.

Why not a kid?

Is that really

what you've come for?

There's a woman

I want to ask about it.

Hey!

- Hey!

- You selling something?

- No.

- What do you want?

I just wanted to ask...

If you ask

if I have god in my life, son,

you're about to find out.

No. I just wanted to ask you

some stuff.

Please. It would only take

two seconds.

Well. Haven't you

the nicest manners?

Do you feed the wild ones?

Feed them? Mate, I kill them.

But I thought you love dogs.

Not those dogs.

They don't need food.

I remember her.

She rides in the front seat

while the other two

ride in the tray.

You must be thinking of susie.

- Oh, yeah?

- He's her pup.

Got a different nature to her,

normally - not as trusting.

She was a good dog.

Do you think a wild dog

took that boy from the river?

Son, you ever see dogs

kill a sheep?

They don't kill for food

so much as fun - tear them up.

Let's say for a second

they got that boy's body.

There would have been

bits of him everywhere.

How do you kill them?

Traps all around here.

They like hanging out here

a little too much.

Even deep-burying the bastards

won't stop them

sniffing around.

They'd eat their own young.

Do the police know about this?

You'd have to be cunning to

think of getting him in there.

- Boys, wasn't it?

- Who else knows about this?

- Just me and a farmer friend.

- No-one else?

They missed that boy when

they searched the river.

Half-done job.

All kinds of dead trees

and old machinery in there.

Little thing

was probably stuck under one.

You know, six months of water

rushing by, he's all gone -

a bunch of bones

swept out to sea.

How many are down there?

We would have got

30 or 40 between US.

We've got problem dogs

rather than big packs.

Damo.

He's got epilepsy.

- You're right.

- Son...

- Look at me. You're alright.

- James...

Mary: Come on.

Come on!

Mary:

Funny, you bringing up susie.

You know she ran off on me,

or so I thought.

This one day, a boy turns up,

bawling his eyes out,

sorry for

what they'd done to her.

Only a coward

kills a dog like that.

James: Who was he?

They said

you weren't coming back here.

Ray, that woman with the dogs,

she said two boys

killed a dog of hers.

One came back and apologized.

Ray, I know that was you.

- I'm not meant to get upset.

- Then don't.

It was Anthony, wasn't it?

You have no idea

how much I hate him.

What happened between you two?

You know. Everyone knows.

Tell me.

Ask!

Why'd you cut your dick off,

ray?

Why'd you cut it off, ray?

I don't care. I don't care!

You should care.

- You should care.

- Ok, ok.

Ok. I care.

I care.

It's ok.

You love your sister,

don't you?

Yeah.

She means a lot to you.

Yeah.

You should write her name

here.

Next time you try to cut,

you won't be able to.

Ray, wherever that dog is,

it's really important to me.

He'll get me.

I won't let him.

Ray: It was easy.

We just called out to her

and she chased US.

We didn't want

to get seen with her,

so we took her up the river...

..Up to the bridge.

Do you know you can get in?

The safety grille was

taken off a long time ago.

Road guys go in

to check the bridge is safe.

The kids smoke bongs in there,

mess around.

There are holes in the floor

where the pylons are,

and they go all the way

down...

..Down into the river.

We were just playing with her.

He had something

in his hand she was chasing,

and he just dropped it...

..Right down the hole.

What did you do to ray Lewis?

Ray Lewis...

Ray Lewis is a joke.

Do you think that finding him

is going to make everyone

love you?

'Cause it just...

It looks like

you've lied about it

and you've made life

even more shit for his mum.

You think I'm being a cunt

right now,

but I'm just telling you

the truth.

I don't want that for you,

James.

Don't talk like that.

Like what?

Like we're mates.

Well, we were mates.

We were fucking good mates.

Yeah,

but then you dumped me in it.

Man, I said what they wanted

to hear so I could go home.

Ok? I was a kid.

I said you panicked,

and that's it. Nothing else.

Didn't say you were a bad kid,

ok? Nothing like that.

I didn't mention you at all.

I know. Your mum did.

I know that.

- You went back down there.

- I never moved him.

Bullshit.

Fuck, mate! What do you want

me to tell you, huh?

I will fucking choke you!

I was with you.

The whole time,

I was with you.

After the fit, until

the ambulance took you away.

I even got your fucking mum.

Don't you remember?

So when can I have

fucking moved him?

It's my dad.

Tell me the truth.

I am.

I'm drowning!

Woman: Come here!

Child: What?

- Put that stick down!

How many times

do I have to tell you? No!

- Ow!

- Don't go in there!

I told you no!

Listen to me - get in the car!

That boy's going to grow up

terrified of her.

You have to walk in someone

else's shoes for a bit.

Yeah. I suppose every parent's

got their own ideas,

don't they?

Like I'd know!

I didn't mean that, Paige.

I didn't mean,

because you don't have kids,

you don't understand.

A boy drowned here.

That's what that was about.

That's why she hit him,

because

down there's where that boy

went missing.

I didn't know that.

So she's scared,

so that's on her mind.

I lost my boy...

..And this place

just reminds me...

..Way too much of that time.

You're James's mum.

Have you met him?

Have you been swimming?

Seemed like a good day for it.

Anthony!

- How are you doing, mrs l?

- Have you seen James?

Yeah, sure have.

What are you going to say

about that?

I don't know yet.

He hasn't come back for you,

he just needs

to put some things at rest.

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I get it.

Where is he?

I don't know.

You keep letting him fuck up,

eh?

- He's not fucking up.

- Well...

..You led him straight

into prison the first time,

and you're doing it again.

Getting him to speak

to the police was right.

Yeah.

Look where it got everyone.

Look, I know

we don't like each other...

- I like you a lot.

- ..But do not punish him

to get back at me.

What would I

get back at you for?

You had a hunch about me,

it was wrong. No sweat.

Why wouldn't you like me?

I was nine years old.

What was so wrong with me?

That's past, Anthony.

You're right, that is past.

How are you two getting along,

by the way?

- Pretty good.

- Funny.

You never even wanted him.

Fucking rubbish!

You were fucking pissed

out of your brain one night,

and we heard you say

how much having a kid

ruined everything.

It was more than a hunch,

you fucking little shit!

He's still lying for you.

What is it? What is it?

Slap a kid. That's nice.

It was good seeing you.

Look how skinny I was.

You should put it on.

You've got to be kidding!

Wayne would like it.

Good grief!

He's a good guy.

Yeah, he is.

James: That last day,

when I had my fit,

how did you find me?

Paige: Anthony.

He came and got me

and we carried you back.

James: Then he went home?

Paige: No, he stayed.

He was crying so much,

it annoyed me.

It was like he was trying

to pull attention from you.

I just kept telling him

to go home.

James:

I just had a partial seizure.

Paige: You still get them?

James: Sometimes.

Paige: Lie down.

I'm ok.

You don't owe that woman.

The police owed it to her

to find that boy, they didn't.

It's not your responsibility.

Plus, the things she said!

She called me,

'that bitch in the make-up'.

How long was I down there,

between me having the fit

and you finding me?

Well, you'd been gone all day.

I don't know.

You were still on the ground.

- 20 minutes, maybe.

- It's not long enough.

He just wouldn't go.

It was like

he was glued to you.

I kept saying, 'go home,'

but he just wouldn't.

Always glued to you.

James:

He couldn't have moved him.

Paige: Honey, he's gone.

They missed him, and you're

not going to find him now.

- Cheers, bud.

- Cheers.

So you're a truckie?

Yeah.

I'm thinking

I might like that.

You got your license yet?

No.

Maybe start with that, eh?

You keep on with those beers,

you'll start

looking like a truckie.

Oi!

What's a truckie look like?

No comment.

We could head out

on the river, do some fishing.

What do you get up here?

Barra, yabbies.

I think your aunt wants to go.

We could head out and

get something for a fry-up.

Wayne: That actually sounds

bloody good.

There's those old rods

in there.

How far would you go?

James: Up to the bridge.

Paige: That far?

It's the best spot.

Damo's dad's got a tinnie.

Paige: Who's damo?

James: Kid next door.

His dad takes him out

every day.

Wayne: Let's go fishing.

Thanks. Thanks, mate.

I'm going to disappear

for a minute. Stay here.

See you guys in a minute.

Oh, look at that!

Bit of mud on them.

See that, Wayne?

- See how blue they are?

- Nice one, mate.

They go bright pink

on the Barbie.

You got brothers and sisters?

No.

Funny what you find

on the Internet.

Just reading about

Chris McCarthy's two sisters.

No brother.

I don't want you

around my sister.

What?

Clive: What's wrong, buddy?

Cold, dad.

Wayne: Hey, James!

Bloody trove here, mate,

look at this.

James?

James! James!

Give US a hand!

Grab him!

Bring him up. Bring him up!

Damien: You killed him,

and then you said

you're his brother.

That's the sick part.

James: I couldn't tell you

anything, man.

Well, lie differently.

I felt sorry for you.

Now, when I look at you,

all I see is what you did

to that fucking kid!

- So do I.

- How you covered him in mud,

in his face, in his eyes, to

make him look like a troll.

And then you pissed on him.

You threw rocks at him

and you shoved sticks in him.

Those stories are bullshit!

They made me sound horrible,

like a devil.

They made me sound like

I don't care about life.

It's Anthony, isn't it?

Is your mate

getting involved with him?

What do you care?

I went to school with

his brother. Do you know Joe?

I'm going to be straight up

with you.

Really?

You know the kid who drowned

in the river, Chris McCarthy?

I killed him.

Come in.

I used to just fuck him...

..Now I pay him.

Whatever he wants, I pay him.

He needs money a lot.

Why?

He doesn't work.

His dad's a deadbeat

and his mum's gone.

For a while, he got ray Lewis

to do webcam shows for money,

until that all went weird.

Bear!

Ah, is Anthony here?

No. He's not far off.

Come in.

James: Why do you pay him?

Amos: I don't know.

He's the biggest

fucking monster.

Amos: You know

he got ray to cut off his dick

so it looked more like a cunt?

You want a drink?

I'm alright, thanks.

Amos: I feel sorry for him.

He hates himself so much.

Why did you ask me

about his brothers?

To see how much you knew.

So you killed that kid, huh?

So it goes.

Mario,

Joe,

Anthony,

bettina.

Amos: Wogs always

have a shitload of kids, eh?

How do you know Anthony,

from school?

I know him from the park.

Amos: I always thought

it was weird

Anthony didn't go with his mum

in the divorce.

Joe went.

Mario had already left.

Anyway, he didn't.

So I'm friends with Joe

online,

and I'm seeing

all of his photos.

There's photos of Joe and some

of Mario and some of the mum,

but none of bettina.

And I can't figure it out.

Amos: So I'm thinking,

'where is she?'

is it just you two here?

Living here? Yeah.

Amos: And I ask Joe...

- Just me and Anthony.

Amos: ..And Joe

just doesn't respond.

The others, they, uh,

live with their mum.

Amos:

Joe doesn't respond at all.

Joe's here sometimes.

Amos: So I figure she must

still be with the dad.

Around that time, I started

hooking up with Anthony,

and pretty soon,

I'm always at the house.

And I'm thinking,

'where's bettina?'

so I ask Anthony,

and he weirds out.

Damien: Did you once find

a dead baby?

Anthony said you found

a dead baby at the beach.

Someone had drowned it,

their own kid.

The shit that

comes out of that kid's mouth.

Oh. He made it up?

Amos: And then Joe rocks up

one night,

beats the shit out of me,

and says if I don't shut

the fuck up about bettina,

he's going to call the police

on me.

And say what?

That I started fucking Anthony

when he was 14.

Should I just, um,

wait in his room?

Yeah, if you want.

Is it just...

- First one on your left.

- Thanks.

James: So where is she?

Amos: You're not listening.

That family has a secret,

something rotten.

That little girl's

gone missing.

They don't talk about it.

Nobody talks about it.

The kid you killed,

people don't shut up about.

James: So say something.

Amos: It's not for me.

He's down the river.

I'll drop you.

Amos: So you killed that kid,

you held him down?

Who suggested

going down river?

Whose idea was the drowning?

Whose idea was taking the kid

in the first place?

Paige: So he's

a fucking epileptic!

Wayne:

You should have told me that.

He was in the middle

of the river by himself!

Paige: I didn't know

he still had them.

Wayne: What are they?

Paige: Don't worry about it.

Wayne: You don't need those.

Paige: Don't you tell me what

I do and don't need, Wayne.

Wayne: I can't work you out.

Paige:

What can't you work out?

Wayne: Why can't you say it?

- Say what?

Say that

he's your fucking son!

Say whatever it is you're

going through, he's had a fit

in the middle

of the fucking river!

You're his mother.

I don't even know

what I'm doing here.

What's that supposed to mean?

Trying to

hold onto some things.

Some useless attempt

to get something back.

Jesus, Wayne! I know

you're a fucking truck driver,

but are you

that fucking thick?

I spend too much time

imagining it

the other way around -

pretending that

her boy killed mine,

just so I can have

someone else to hate

other than myself.

I killed someone.

She's just used to lying

about it.

It's not your fault, mate.

Sorry to leave you stranded.

We're not stranded.

My brother went to prison,

mate.

I don't pretend

to know what it's like, but...

He used to say, people think

you go in, you get punished,

you come out.

That's not

the real punishment.

That comes after...

..When you have to convince

yourself and everyone else

that you're still

worth something.

Don't you let any bastard

tell you that

you don't deserve anything.

Hey!

What have you been saying

about your sister?

What sister?

James: I'm sorry, mum.

I said I never lied...

..But I did.

The police asked

if there was a plan.

I said it was just random.

Chris was just

wandering lost or something.

No, he wasn't.

There was a plan.

Anthony...

..Said he wanted

a little sister...

..Asked me to steal him one...

..If I would do that.

And then we saw Chris...

..And Anthony goes,

'he'll do.

Get him.'

we were just playing.

I never knew

it was going to end like that.

One minute,

we're having fun...

..And the next,

he starts screaming...

..Screaming right in my face.

And Anthony goes,

'you stole him. You did it.

And you're going to

get locked up now.

You're going to have to

do something about it.'

if I had just said

there was a plan...

..They would have asked

Downriver (2015) - full transcript