Salsipuedes Street is a feature film script, set in Santa Barbara and dealing with the effects of deportation on the immigrant community. It was commissioned by the Community Film Studio of Santa Barbara.
SAMPLE SCENE.
FULL SCRIPT AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST
(Luis Vazquez, 18, and his sister Angie, 16, speak to
the employers of their mother, Rina, who has
been deported. The employers, Sheila and Jeremy,
Ellis, believe Rina has simply taken ill. In this scene,
Luis has forced his sister to return a watch she
stole from Sheila to get money for her mother to return to the U.S. Blake Ellis, 22, the son,
is also present during the discussion. )
LUIS (to Jeremy): It’s about our mother, sir.
SHEILA: How sick can she be? My God, have you taken her to a doctor yet?
JEREMY: You know, I'm starting to get the impression that what's really--
LUIS (covering quickly): --it's serious, but not life-threatening. Not that that justifies what my sister did.
ANGIE: (low) Fuck you, Louis.
LUIS: She thought she could solve all our problems by just, you know...
JEREMY: Well, we all want to be reasonable here. Would some kind of a loan help to tide you people over?
SHEILA: Oh, pull-eeze.
ANGIE (boiling over): You know what? This whole situation sucks. You people have been taking advantage of our mom's hard labor for what, like fifteen years now? At what, thirteen dollars an hour?
SHEILA: Fifteen.
ANGIE: Oh, fifteen. Major bling.
SHEILA: For your information, missy, nobody we know pays their help that much. And for the record, Rina is like one of the family to us.
ANGIE: Right, the one who does the shit-work. Have you ever provided her with health insurance? Put money into social security for her? Given her a frickin' paid vacation?
JEREMY: Hold your horses. Rina doesn't have a social security number.
SHEILA: Yes, and we've been very polite about it. Even though we know perfectly well that she's illegal.
LUIS: Actually, our mother is a very hard-working person. The only thing she lacks is a certain piece of paper.
BLAKE: Whereas in this house, we have everything. Everything except...
SHEILA: Do not start with one of your Occupy lectures!
BlAKE (palms up innocently): No lectures. I took the watch. I gave it to Angie. End of story.
SHEILA: I could vomit. My own son, in my own house.
JEREMY: Everybody simmer down here!
ANGIE (to Luis): Vamonos. (Out of here.)
TOBY CAMPION