Who I am
Written by
Natasha Cherie
A visual poem written to help spread awareness of human trafficking.
INT: BOY’S BEDROOM - DAY
Fade in:
On bedroom door. All camera angles in bedroom are close up/ tight shots.
Door handle turns as poem begins.
GIRL V.O.
A creak of a door,
A tread of a shoe,
A tiny room full of secrets
Where pleasure waits to ensue.
Close of BOY’s(23) shoe entering room and his hand closing door. Cut to profile shot of his face as he walks from frame.
GIRL V.O.(CONT)
A seat and a table,
An electrical device,
A cave covered in safety
Where no harm is done right?
Close of chair, computer table messy with books and knick knacks. Cut to boy sitting and turning on computer.
GIRL V.O.(CONT)
A button is pressed,
A light blinks white to green,
You sit there and wait
For your computer home screen.
Close on button, computer lights changing colour. Boy cracks his fingers. Computer home screen appears.
GIRL V.O.(CONT)
A click of a mouse,
This is not your first time,
Out pulls two tissue,
Just for me, your prime pastime.
Close on Boy’s hand moving computer mouse. Cut to cursor clicking internet symbol. Boy grabs box of tissues on desk. He pulls out two.
Continued:
GIRL V.O.(CONT)
Who am I? I’m a figure,
A skin shell with curved hips,
Plastic barbies painted red,
Perfect thighs and pouted lips.
Close on different parts on the computer screen. Boy is on a porn website. He clicks on a blurred picture of GIRL (18). Other words on the website read “Find the girl of your dreams”, “Love, no matter the cost”, “Never-ending romance”.
GIRL V.O.(CONT)
I’m a vision dressed in nude,
Draped in silk that’s oh so sweet,
There to awaken deep desires
That all humans within them keep.
Close on Boy’s face with a slight smile. Cut to different shots of blurred Girl on screen dancing seductively. Back to Boy’s face, a slight lift of his eyebrow.
GIRL V.O.(CONT)
Who am I? But a shadow,
A girl you’ll never know,
Forced to fit your desires
Like an arrow to a bow.
But an arrow never fires
Unless you pull it back,
So you pull down your fly’s
To combat that fact.
Close on blurred screen of Girl’s face looking directly at camera. Close of different parts of Girl’s body on screen. Cut to Boy’s hand on his shaking knee. Cut to over the shoulder shot of Boy’s face. Cut to Boy’s hand reaching towards his fly.
GIRL V.O.(CONT)
Two creatures, a dance,
Sly smile plus a wink,
As hands start to move
With the enemy in sync.
Continued:
GIRL V.O.(CONT)
And as I stand there, I wonder,
What you might perceive,
If you knew your now witness
To in fact a rape scene.
On screen a dark haired MAN (27-30) enters and begins to caress Girl while kissing her neck. Various shots of Girl and Man 1 followed by shots of Boy. All angles of Girl and Man 1 are above waist height.
GIRL V.O.(CONT)
That drip of sweat on your brow,
And the familiar shake,
Our face mirrored expressions,
Yours real, mine fake.
Not that you’ll ever know,
Your intellect deceived,
Made to conceive
That I’m always free to leave.
Camera shots mirror poem. Close on Girl and Boy’s face pulling the same expressions.
GIRL V.O.(CONT)
Who am I? I’m a dream,
Your fantasy come true.
The golden Goddess Aphrodite
One’s desire will pursue.
As imagination overloads
Escalating your peak,
Who am I? I’m the she
In which your heart thuds a beat.
Various camera shots of both Boy and the screen. As Boy reaches climax the angles become tighter.
GIRL V.O.(CONT)
And then… It’s over,
You worship your release,
As the feeling bubbles over
With satisfactions masterpiece.
The clean up begins,
No evidence remains.
Who am I? I’m the innocent
Fear locked up in chains.
Continued:
Close on Boy’s face during climax. Man 1 walks out of frame on screen as Girl is left standing. Cut to Boy dropping tissues into the wastebin. Cut to Camera pan - this is the start of the continuous shot. Camera pan starts from behind Boy. He stands, switches off the computer screen and walks out of frame. The camera continues to zoom into the computer screen.
Match cut to:
INT: HOUSE BASEMENT - DAY
The last half of the film is one continuous camera shot. Angle starts by panning away from a home video camera set up on a stand. Unattractive and skinny MAN 2(30-40) stands behind the camera filming. He switched off record looking satisfied.
GIRL V.O.(CONT)
An inside unveil,
The confidential exposed,
A camera, a room,
Three men and a rose.
But the rose doesn’t smell
As sweet as we see,
Because behind the facade
Is a small girl in need.
Continuous camera angle moves from Man 2 to MAN 3(50). Man 3 is fat and old with a cigarette hanging loose from his mouth. He looks almost bored after observing the recent scene. Camera pans 180 degrees onto Girl. She is standing in a silk underdress, her face a picture of fear and shock.
GIRL V.O.(CONT)
As I scream from inside,
“I need help, can’t you see”.
But this crime never stops
And the pain never leaves.
And a slap to my face
That brings me to my knees,
To be dragged back to my spot,
Why won’t you believe?
Camera stills on girl starring forward with a dazed expression as Man 1 reveals a gun from behind Girl’s back. He slams the hammer of the gun behind her ear, jumping her out of her daze. Man 1 grabs Girl and slaps her around her face forcing her to the floor.
Continued:
He drags her towards the corner of the room, which is decorated with a small piece of peeling wallpaper and an old single bed where a couple of dirty sheets lie. He throws her down on the bed and walks out of frame. Girl sits up with her back to the wall, her legs dangle from the bed. Camera again pans slowly as action happens.
GIRL V.O.(CONT)
Who am I? I’m afraid
This life will never end,
That my family will forget
And will never comprehend,
Why I left that day
And never came home.
Who am I? I’m a sister,
Friend, daughter. Not a photo
Of a girl gone missing
Or a runaway porn star too.
Where do you find these lies
That hide the truth.
I once heard said
The truth will set you free,
But how can you find truth
When you don’t open your eyes to see.
Camera continues to pan until frame is of close up of Girl’s face.
GIRL V.O.(CONT)
Did you know
All things in life have a cost.
Who am I?
I am victim,
I am trafficked,
I am…
Camera stops panning as girl looks straight down the lens to speak the last line of the poem in real time.
GIRL
(Whispering)
Lost.
Camera pans backward double time past Man 1, 2 and 3.
They walk out, Man 3 locks the basement door and then all continue out of the house onto a normal looking English street.
Continued:
Continuous pan to wide shot of street, inclusive of passers by, as the men stroll away from the house.
Snap cut to black.
Statistics appear onscreen. End with tagline/ awareness campaign and charity.
Fade to black.
THE END.