A Dry White Season Page #2

Synopsis: Ben du Toit is a schoolteacher who always has considered himself a man of caring and justice, at least on the individual level. When his gardener's son is brutally beaten up by the police at a demonstration by black school children, he gradually begins to realize his own society is built on a pillar of injustice and exploitation.
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Director(s): Euzhan Palcy
Production: MGM
  Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 7 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.0
Metacritic:
68
Rotten Tomatoes:
83%
R
Year:
1989
97 min
488 Views


SUZETTE his daughter, sophisticated --groomed. She

takes her baby from the black nanny waiting in the car,

carries the child to the group chatting with CHRIS, her

husband. She shows it off proudly. Ben is chatting,

concerned, to a WOMAN. She looks drawn and worried.

MRS. COETZEE (WOMAN)

He won't come to church. He lies

in bed all day, listening to his

headphones.

BEN:

I wondered why he wasn't at

school. Would it help if I came

to see him? He's always seemed a

good kid to me.

MRS. COETZEE

Oh, would you?

BEN:

Of course. I'll phone and we can

fix a time.

Mrs. Coetzee smiles her gratitude.

SUSAN:

Ben! Ben!

She's waving impatiently at him. He crosses back to her.

Suzette's BABY is HOWLING.

(CONTINUED)

5.

CONTINUED:

She rocks it back and forth, holding it at arm's length.

The BABY SCREAMS. The nanny comes forward --Suzette

hands it over.

SUSAN:

Mrs. Coetzee. She looked worried.

BEN:

She's having trouble with her boy.

He won't come to school.

SUSAN:

So you said you'd have a word with

him?

BEN:

Yes!

She smiles and walks him to the car affectionately.

EXT. BEN'S HOUSE -BARBECUE -DAY

The Du Toit family.

Susan is bringing out the salads. Chris, her son-in-law,

is at the barbecue, stinging his eyes. Ben is bouncing

his grandson, little Hennie, in a small, portable pool.

The black nanny sits in attendance in the shade, a towel

at the ready. The good life...

... Suddenly disturbed by... Gordon and Jonathan standing

uncertain at the far side of the garden; Gordon's hat

pressed flat against his chest, Jonathan defiant.

Susan looks up --as do each in turn --curious at the

intrusion... then the black nanny --and finally Ben.

After a moment, Ben walks up to Gordon.

BEN:

Gordon! What are you doing here?

INT. BEN'S KITCHEN -DAY

Six cuts, like six knife gashes, revealed on the bloodstained

buttocks of Gordon's son, who stands in painful,

truculent embarrassment.

Ben is shocked by the severity of the canning.

GORDON:

That's not why I'm complaining,

Mister Ben, sir. If he did wrong,

I'd beat him myself. But he

didn't.

(CONTINUED)

6.

CONTINUED:

GORDON:

He did nothing and they wouldn't

listen. They wouldn't believe

him.

BEN:

I'm sorry, Gordon. But there

must be a reason.

GORDON:

He says he wasn't doing anything

wrong, Mister Ben, sir. And I

believe him, I know my son! It's

an injustice!

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Colin Welland

Colin Welland, born Colin Edward Williams, was a British actor and screenwriter. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his script for Chariots of Fire. more…

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