Energy
EXT. BEACH ROAD, JOSE IGNACIO, URUGUAY - SUNSET - December 21st, 2024
EXT. BEACH ROAD, JOSE IGNACIO, URUGUAY - SUNSET - December 21st, 2024
The sun coming down over the grassy dunes and bougie bungalow homes of the booming neighborhood just off the beach. Shane and JULIE (35, a short social butterfly from New York visiting Shane on his travels) walk along the dirty, sandy road, approaching the beach they still cannot see.
JULIE: I feel like it’s going to be all sixty-something’s and us.
SHANE: I mean, they did say there would be a DJ. I don’t think boomers are into DJ’s.
JULIE: But is it a “DJ” DJ, or like someone playing background music?
SHANE: It looked like they were setting up a whole thing earlier. I don’t know. We can get some food and chill while the DJ is on, then dance when the band comes on.
They walk up a wooden ramp, leading over a sand dune and onto:
EXT. BEACH - SAME
An open aired restaurant pulses with light and vibration in the distance. The dance floor is full of artsy, hip, unique, “Burning-Man” type attendees ranging in ages from 19-69.
JULIE: Oh shit!
SHANE: Okay! Maybe we aren’t eating here.
LATER:
With drinks in their hands, Shane and Julie dance among the others.
JULIE: Do you think people can tell we’re not from here?
SHANE: No. We are from here. We live here now!
The sunset and clouds blasts shades of pink, yellow, orange and purple throughout the sky, reflecting on the waves.
A beautiful BORDER COLLIE marches past on the dance floor, as if just another party-goer.
A moment later, a BLACK LAB passes.
Shane and Julie look at each other and shrug.
LATER:
Julie and PAULA (65, Argentinian, beautiful sun-kissed skin and a flowing red dress) try to talk over the music into each other’s ears. Paula walks away. Julie leans into Shane.
JULIE: She wants me to meet her son? They are in a band together or something?
Paula’s SON and NEPHEW (both early 20’s) are ushered to Shane and Julie by Paula.
NEPHEW approaches Shane and extends his hand.
NEPHEW: Are you a musician?
SHANE: No. Not really? Are you?
NEPHEW: Yes. I have two bands in Buenos Aires.
SHANE: Oh, that’s cool!
NEPHEW: Yes. Do you work in music?
SHANE: No.
And then he walks away. Shane stands confused by the interaction. Julie chats with Paula and her son. Shane approaches them.
PAULA: We should do lunch tomorrow. Here, they have great shrimp! Lunch. 2pm. Yes?
JULIE: Yeah we’re around.
They give a warm goodbye, customary kisses on the cheek, and walk away. Julie turns to Shane.
JULIE: I think she thinks I am a music manager in New York?
SHANE: What? Why?
JULIE: I don’t know. She thinks I can help her son’s band?
SHANE: Is that why she wants to do lunch? Do we have a lunch meeting tomorrow?
Julie can’t answer him as she is occupied by a laughing fit.
LATER:
Shane returns from the bathroom. Julie is chatting with JOHN (30, Tall, White, American. Even on a warm summer night he wears a sweater with a collared shirt sticking out under it). His eyes darts in many directions as he talks.
JULIE: Shane! This is John. He’s from Houston. He just moved to Jose Ignacio.
JOHN: Hey nice to meet you. Some of us are going to get some food after this if you want to come.
SHANE: Oh nice. Sounds good to me. You’re from Houston? What brought you here? Work?
JOHN: No I just love it here. I work remotely so I can live wherever.
SHANE: What do you do?
JOHN: I work in energy risk management.
SHANE: That sounds cool. Sounds like important work right now, with the state of the world.
John rubs his nose, his eyes moving around the room.
EXT. PARKING LOT - NIGHT
Shane and Julie follow John and his friend, DIEGO (30s, Uruguayan) to their car. They trail fifteen feet behind.
SHANE (hushed): Do you know what this guy does?
JULIE (hushed): Something with energy?
SHANE: Remember Standing Rock? And all the protests trying to stop the pipeline from being built through indigenous land? He works for the company trying to build the fucking pipeline!
JULIE: Oh shit! When you tell someone you work in energy, it makes it sound like you’re on the good side.
SHANE: Right? Fuck. It’s confusing cause he’s being so nice to us. But also, is he kind of evil?
JULIE: Guess it just shows you, nobody is just one thing.
EXT. RESTAURANT - NIGHT
Shane and Julie are spread among a large table of friends eating, sharing wine and cigarettes. A fire pit crackles in corner.
John tries to explain a dice game to them.
JOHN: Okay so you want fours or sixes. And you throw down the dice.
He rolls the dice.
JOHN: Okay see so I have ten now. And you want to get a hundred and fifty. So I have ten, I roll again.
He rolls.
JOHN: Okay so this is twenty. See I have a five? But I have fours. Then it’s still my turn. So I roll… Okay so that’s ten again. The two’s. Plus a one. The one doesn’t count. Then again… twenty. So I’m at sixty. Got it? And I roll again…
LATER
Shane and Julie sit by the fire pit. Julie tries to talk (quietly) through another laughing fit.
JULIE: Him trying to explain that game…??
SHANE: It makes so much more sense now. He’s on drugs!