S H O R T M O V I E S C R I P T
L I S I
LISI
(Short Movie Script)
Characters: DANI: 35 years old
LISI: a dog, Illyrian breed
THE NEIGHBOR: 60 years old
TWO ROMA GRUBBERS
SERBIAN SOLDIERS
SEMI (around 30 years old)
VILLAGERS
THE EVENT May – July 1999, in Kosovo.
At the beginning, the sights of the burnt and destroyed village are given. Lonely streets, devastated abandoned houses. Some burned houses. Graffiti writtenon thewalls: “DEATH TO ALBANIANS”, “ALBRIGHT WHORE” “Down with NATO"etc. The four Serb C letters drawn. Dan's house with its doors forcibly opened isfocused. The grass covered courtyard. Lisi’sdog hut upside-down. Frightened chickenin the garden.
DANI
(He goes in the yard with two charity mattresses and a blanket inhis hand.) He stops in front of the house, puts the charity mattresses down on the floor, looks around the yard. Runs to Lisi'shut, straightens the toppled hut, and calls Lis, Lis... (Goes out to see the garden, the chicken are frightened, flying to the other side of the wall. He gets in the house; the lockers are broken, the books are out of the shelves, the pictures are out of the photo albums and scattered around, torn and scattered all over, four C letters scratched on the wall with a knife. Everything ripped out from itsplace.TV, refrigerator and washing machine spaces empty. The bathroom mirror broken.
THE NEIGHBOR
You have come. (They hug). How we have suffered. You, who got out have survived.
DANI
We were also in anxiety. We even couldn’t sleep worrying for what was happening here. Thank God, finally the tyrant is finished. Lisi, where could he be? Maybe he is killed? When I left I was barely separated from him.
THE NEIGHBOR
(Sighs) The tyrant remains a tyrant, they go away, but they left their tails behind them, spies, usurped properties etc. and it will haunt them for a long time. I fed Lisi every day. He enjoyed when he heard my steps while going towards him. It was a war and also humans lacked food. I decided to unchain him. He was happy like a human. He ran all over the yard and stuck close to me. I opened the gate and set him free.
DANI
And he left, you didn’t see him again?
THE NEIGHBOR
No, he came around here and turned back at the court yard gate. On 6th of April two soldiers came at the door and Lisi wouldn’t make way. He rushed towards them. One of them raised his Kalashnikov and shot at Lisi. I heard him crying, but I couldn’t help him.
DANI
Did they kill him?!
THE NEIGHBOR
He was wounded in his leg. The next day I found him cringing in his hut. I could see his wound. I visited him every time I had a chance and brought him something to eat.
DANI
And...
THE NEIGHBOR
After few days his wound closed up. He could walk…one day I found him in the court yard with a chopped chicken in front of him, I am sure it was one of your chicken. He grinned his teeth like he did not want me to see him.
DANI
And where must he be now, is he alive?
THE NEIGHBOR:
On May 5th Serbs came again and killed Shuki’sdog, Dik’s dog and Xhemil’s dog, in order for them to be easier to wonder around and go to our homes whenever they want, and as many times as they want, take whatever they want, hide from NATO bombing etc. unhindered, while Lisi may have escaped.
RETROSPECTIVE. DAY.
Serbian soldiers get in Albanian houses. They are with two Roma casual labourers. They order them. They take out home appliances from the house and load them on the truck. They want to go in a house, but the landlord has released cows and a bull in the yard. The soldiers, to open way for the Roma who were frightened, kill the bull, break the doors and enter the house. Roma carry items and load a truck, which has license plates of the city of Vranje. Once the house got empty, the soldiers check the casual labourers in case they might have hidden any cash or gold in their pockets. They shoot in the air to signal their superiors that they are leaving. The Roma want to get inside the driver's booth: "Go away, there's no place for you in the booth, your job is done and now get lost!" - gives them some cash and shuts the door. The Roma man still climbs and wants to get inside; "Where are you leaving us, they can kill us." Who they?! The driver pushes him forcibly, pulls the Kalashnikov and spinned the tires in front of the Roma man. Terrified, the Romasrun away. Cynical laughter of Serbian soldiers can be heard.
RETROSPECTIVE (noon) Dani:
In a hurry to get away, he puts the luggage in a car "Fiat". Lisi (the dog) is concerned as if he understands the flight. A shot is heard. Shortly after, Semi arrives frightened, "They killed Shefqet in front of Sylaj's house. Let’s leave quickly," he tells Dan. Lisi does not leave them. He fools the puppy with the piece of bread he had prepared for the road... They depart ... join the caravan of the persecuted people ... Scenes of the caravan, police stops are shown etc. At the border there is a scene of taking identification documents, money, valuables, etc. Serbian police arrogance and violent removal of vehicle license plates.
DANI:
(To the neighbour) I'm going out to ask about Lisi. I have to find out if he’s still alive. (In a bag he takes food for Lisi and departs. The village is like dead, houses are burnt.Gates are violently opened. Lonely streets.Abandoned houses broken in. Somewhere one family is seen getting outofa vanthat returned back from camps. Dani meets people, images with no sound are shown having a chat with them (asks about Lisi) people shrug shoulders; images are shown meeting an old man and him pointing at somewhere beyond the village. Dani continues, crosses the village and somewhere near the cemetery, close to the alley he stops at the mine warning tape. He begins to call his friend: Lis, Lis ... the echo of Dan's call is heard.
Later an image of Lisi is shown descending the slope, avoiding the mined area. Dani awaits him excited. The dog stops and begins to bark athis master. Dani bows, opens the bag and heads towards Lisi. Lisigoes away and begins screeching. Daniis heavily sweating because of Lisi's disobedience, and goes towards him,Lisi runs straight into the minefield. A blast is heard and Lisi's body is blown up in the air. "Ah, Lis, why (cries Dani) why you killed yourself, whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!" The tears roll down his cheeks... he looks sadly at the scene, shortly after some Serbian soldiers grinning, laughing and saying cynically: "Even when we are not there, we kill!"
THE END
Screen writer: Sabit Abdyli