THE HEAT Written by Eric Fisher Based on a True Story [email protected] 1-403-305-2488 FADE IN: EXT. HOSPITAL ROOM - NIGHT SUPER: June 1987. South Africa. MRS. VAN HEERDEN (20s) lays in a hospital bed after giving birth. DANIE VAN HEERDEN (20s) sits next to her. DR. WILLIAMS (30s, female) enters. DR. WILLIAMS We found something. Danie grabs one of his wife’s hands. DR. WILLIAMS (CONT'D) One of his kidneys is not functioning properly. He’ll need an operation. Fear highlights the mother’s face. DR. WILLIAMS (CONT'D) I’m sorry. Doctor exits. Danie lays on the bed beside his wife, putting an arm around her. She breaks into tears. EXT. EMPEROR'S PALACE - NIGHT SUPER: September 2006. Emperor's Palace, South Africa. Establishing. INT. EMPEROR'S PALACE ARENA - NIGHT Bright light emanates from THE RING where CHRIS "THE HEAT" VAN HEERDEN (19) engages in boxing with LUCKY MAVIMBELA (20s). Stuck in corner, Mavimbela tries deflecting but The Heat shows no mercy. A powerful swing implodes Mavimbela's chin. He drops. REFEREE (40s) motions The Heat to back off. Mavimbela rises, albeit wobbly. 2. Bell dings. Chris saunters to corner. CORNERMAN (male, 40s) sets out stool. Chris guzzles water from bottle the Cornerman holds. Crowd cheers on as Chris bows his head. EXT. HOUSE - DAY SUPER: Summer 1997. Johannesburg, South Africa. Natural landscapes surround a large acreage. Chris (10 years old) runs around house. He’s a passionate boy eager to please those around him in everything he does. STEPMOTHER (30s), sitting on porch, pencils something onto a pad. Chris' brothers ETHAN, TIM, and CALVIN lay on grass catching their breath. INSERT - Marks tally up to thirty-four on a notepad. Stepmother crosses a line through most recent tally. BACK TO SCENE Danie (now 30s) exits front door onto porch. He crosses his bulging arms, watching Chris dash across yard with a slight frown. He peeks at notepad before receding into house. EXT. ACREAGE - DAY Chris keeps up rapid pace. EXT. FRONT PORCH - DAY Chris stops his run, panting. Danie emerges onto porch. Stepmom hands a stopwatch and notepad to Danie. He inspects the stopwatch and notes. Danie pulls three R2 notes from his pocket. He hands his three sons each a note. The boys yell in excitement. ETHAN Thanks, Chris! Brothers scurry away, leaving Chris alone. 3. DANIE Something wrong? Chris shakes his head. DANIE (CONT'D) Good. Follow me. INT. HOME GYM - DAY Fitness and boxing equipment lays across large open room. Danie beats a punching bag. Chris holds a towel and water bottle in one hand and stopwatch in the other. He clicks stopwatch button. CHRIS Time. Danie halts. He steals bottle and takes a sip. After wiping his face with the towel he returns items to Chris. DANIE Again. Chris clicks a button. CHRIS Go. Danie beats into bag with a vengeance. Chris spots Ethan and Tim playing outside with a rugby ball. He grimaces. DANIE Pay attention. Chris reverts to his dad. He focuses on stopwatch. Moments later... CHRIS Time! Chris extends water bottle and towel like they're poisonous. Danie takes stopwatch from Chris before grabbing items. 4. INT. CHRIS' BEDROOM - DAY Danie enters and sits on bed edge. He pats bed space next to him. Chris complies. DANIE One day, when you're old enough, I'll tell you something important. CHRIS But why can't you -- DANIE Not now. Okay? Chris nods he understands. Danie pats Chris on thigh before vacating room. INT. GYM BOXING RING - DAY Men and women train by lifting weights, beating punching bags, and even old fashioned pushups and sit-ups. Danie spars with Chris. Both of them wear protective gear. DANIE Right arm is slipping. Keep it high. Chris obeys. Danie doesn't refrain, using a jab combo. Chris allows three jabs through. DANIE (CONT'D) Never lose your stance. Asking for a beating. Chris breaks into several jabs and left hooks. Danie only allows one through, which hits his stomach. He backs away. CHRIS Why is it called southpaw? Danie showcases southpaw stance against Chris. DANIE You have an advantage over right- handed boxers. Everything is opposite of what they usually see. 5. CHRIS They get confused? DANIE Exactly. Danie brings a slow right swing to Chris' cheek. DANIE (CONT'D) Then bam! Down for count. Chris giggles as they exit ring. Danie helps Chris pull off his gloves. A fellow boxer named SEAN (20s) approaches. He pumps Danie's glove with a fist. DANIE (CONT'D) You met my son yet? SEAN Can't say I have, from the looks. DANIE Can he punch your stomach? SEAN Say what? DANIE Can my son punch your stomach? Sean smiles. He places his hands on his hips. SEAN Go for it. Go on. Embarrassment gleams on Chris' face. DANIE Don't be shy. Settling into southpaw stance, Chris pile drives his left fist into Sean's stomach. Sean takes a step back, catching his breath. Danie laughs. SEAN Whoa. DANIE Deep breaths. Wrapping an arm around Chris, they head for dressing room. 6. INT. HOME GYM - DAY Chris pounds into heavy bag his father holds onto. GYM CORNER Chris performs push-ups on exercise mat. EXT. HIPPO QUARRIES - DAY Danie races up a hill. Chris runs behind his father with Ethan in third. EXT. HIPPO QUARRIES OVERLOOK - DAY Danie halts upon reaching level ground. He rests on a large rock overlooking a stunning landscape. Chris and Ethan sit on opposite sides of their father. DANIE Doesn't matter how big you get. Faith in God is what counts. Remember that, boys. EXT. CHURCH BUILDING - DAY Establishing. An old nearby billboard has the words “HEID” in bold black letters. Rest of the word is not visible. INT. CHURCH AUDITORIUM - DAY Chris sits in a pew with his father, stepmother, and seven siblings. The family almost take up an entire row. Black and white people compose the audience. Chris’s head bobs as he is close to falling asleep. Danie stretches right arm out across top edge of pew, moving halfway down the row of kids. He taps Chris on the cheek. Chris’ head jerks. He looks around before focusing on his father. Danie watches the pastor with a slight smirk. PASTOR (50s), lanky, soft spoken, preaches with a passion. PASTOR Evil deeds, thoughts, intentions. Those things coming straight from the heart! Those defile! (MORE) 7. In Proverbs chapter twenty-three verse seven we read a powerful message. "As a man thinks, so is he." EXT. CHURCH PARKING LOT - DAY Families leave for their vehicles or talk in cliques. Danie and his family head for two separate vehicles. DANIE Did you understand the sermon? CHRIS All I heard was an old guy yelling. DANIE He was yelling about keeping our hearts pure. Family stops at the vehicles. Some kids jump in one car and some jump in the other. Stepmom climbs into driver seat. CHRIS I don’t understand. Danie crouches to Chris' level. DANIE You know when I wash my boxing hand wraps? Chris nods. DANIE (CONT'D) After washing them, they are clean. Pure. Not dirty. CHRIS So our hearts should be like clean wraps? That’s kinda weird. Danie chuckles. He tugs Chris toward the car. EXT. ROADWAY - NIGHT Danie pulls vehicle over to roadside. 8. INT./EXT. CAR - NIGHT Chris, Tim, Calvin, and Ethan are passengers. Police car pulls up behind. TRAFFIC COP (30s, black) approaches. DANIE Sit still. Don't say anything. EXT. ROADWAY - NIGHT Traffic Cop approaches Danie's open driver side window. TRAFFIC COP Do you know why I pulled you over? DANIE (stuttering) M, M, M, M, M, Mister, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, don't, don't... Traffic Cop waves him off. TRAFFIC COP Forget it. Forget it. Have a good night. Cop retreats back to his car. DANIE Take that, that, that, police, police, office, officer. The boys laugh. Danie smiles. INT. CLASSROOM - DAY Chris works through a math problem in notebook. MRS. ATWELL (30s), strolls down aisle. She places a paper on his desk. INSERT - Test paper marked with an "A+" in red pen. INT. GUIDANCE COUNSELOR OFFICE - DAY Chris rests in chair across from MR. CUMMINGS (50s, bald, suspenders) who props his feet on a makeshift desk. MR. CUMMINGS Chasing a unicorn, lad. 9. CHRIS A unicorn? MR. CUMMINGS I read your file. You had a kidney operation as a newborn. Boxing is off the table. Chris gulps. Clears throat. CHRIS I've also thought about being an accountant. MR. CUMMINGS Accountant, eh? Better odds. INT. HOME GYM - DAY Danie beats the punching bag while Chris holds the towel and stopwatch. Danie stops punching as he notices Chris’ glum expression. DANIE Something wrong, son? CHRIS Nothing. Danie kneels down to his son’s level. DANIE God likes hearing the truth. Chris exhales hard, gearing up for the revelation. CHRIS My guidance counselor said I couldn’t be a boxer. Because of what happened when I was born. DANIE You believe him? CHRIS Well, it’s true. DANIE Only if you believe it. 10. CHRIS Doctors said I couldn’t. He said I couldn’t. Even God says so. Danie puts a glove on Chris’ shoulder. DANIE God challenges us in different ways. This is your test. Have faith he can carry you through. All the way. CHRIS All the way to where? Danie smiles. He rises. DANIE Wherever He leads. Chris looks away in thought. EXT. HIPPO QUARRIES - DAY Chris punches his father's mitts with boxing gloves.