# Jackfruit Ceremony ## Concept Main concept is about the realities and imaginations, desires and contentments in our lives and how they interrelate to each other: asynchronously reproducing one another. Jackfruit Ceremony is thus a symbol for all of these and their repercussions. ## Ceremony We'll make a "Jackfruit Ceremony", which is a gathering of people to hold a spiritual activity guided by a shaman to sacrifice and eat jack fruit together; nearby a bonfire at the huge, empty beach further from the main point close to Stay Golden. It'll be hold during the full moon night, on the 2nd September. ## Film I'm writing a script for a film with the same title: "Jackfruit Ceremony" to be shot during the ceremony evening. It may be necessary to shoot some extra footages during another day, but in any case, most of the filming will take place in the night of the ceremony. ### Plot "Jack", who is a tall guy from the US, is at the beach talking to his friend abroad on phone. Not realising that the connection was disrupted and that his friend couldn't at all hear what he was saying, he goes into a monologue with deep speech and articulations about his life. When he shockingly realises that his friend was cut off, unheard of his talk at all; he initially gets angry and disappointed. But he also realises the power of talking to himself, imagining and articulating the "realities" in his life and sharing with one another. Then he continues to do so, wishing, desiring and planning things in his mind. After a short walk, he finds himself at a "jackfruit ceremony" that appears almost as an oasis. Being first unsure and hesitant if it's actually real; he then takes part in the ceremony and holds it together with others; "until it becomes real". ### Script Jack is at the beach, talking on phone.. - J: Yeah I reckon right. It’s this attachments that liberates you kind of… Or you think you get liberated but it’s fake. Don’t know something like that… - F: You know a lot of this is just bunch of patterns that you develop, but not necessarily even be aware of performing them… - J: Oh fuck yeah those patterns. The patterns. They are really powerful sometimes. It’s almost like the only way to deviate from the pattern is to draw a new pattern. Then it’s a bunch of spirals that go one another within itself that is rounded but not circular. It’s like ellipsis. You know what I mean it’s the idea that you don’t loop but you keep repeating with differences. Like difference of repetition and repetition of difference. Oh yeah it’s as if you’re symbiotically living in with an organism inside another, and there’s one within another. Then there’s another etc… - J: I had this traumatic shit that just keep looping man. Somehow I find myself doing exactly the same thing, and yet take pleasure of it. It’s fun to perform habits somehow. Like you take some guilty dirty pleasure out of it. With this last job I had that I hated but had to continue working just because I was manipulated by this corporate bullshit. They give you an extra week vacation, right. But then what did I do? Turn it around against them, I screwed them. They forgot to pay my insurance and I sued them for some cash. That’s how I’m living off right now. But it’s certainly finite. Thus need to find a way to figure out how to make my life. Therefore I’m really thinking of starting this kind of business… It’s not really so much business - I mean I literally don’t care much to grow and make shit loads of money. You know just enough to make my living comfortably and get to spare a bit for hard times, family, insurance and all that shit. I wanna become a carpenter but like one that does custom furniture for people and edu - … (silence) - J: Friend, are you there? Hello… Helllooo? Checks his phone and sees the message that says ”Sorry the connection disrupted. I think it’s bad reception here. Let’s try another time.” - J: He sent this message 2 minutes ago. Holly shit didn’t hear any of what I said. What the fuck man, those information first time I shared with someone and he wasn’t even there! Why the fuck does this disconnection keep happening! (Irritated, playing the role of the victim, hopeless, slightly angry) - J: But hey. OK Jack you don’t need to do this. It’s fine it was more important to reflect and think about these issues, and, I mean to talk about it then to have someone listen. We all fucking listen to each other just to wait for another to stop so we can talk ourselves anyway. Fuck that! I’ll talk to myself. Yeah… This carpentry idea where I could make my art, my collection, but in people’s homes! Not in fucking museums or shopping centres, it’s in homes! Gardens, schools, farms, wherever that people are actually supposedly happy man. Let’s serve that purpose… - J: Yeah why not. But last time you were really romantic about your projects just like this didn’t turn out so well. - J: Right, I fucked it up. - J: Are you ready to elaborate that a bit? - J: (Inhales and exhales promptly) yes! Let’s do. - J: It wasn’t really only a bad investment, but it was the worst. Ever you could think of. - J: But you needed that in order to find out about your deep down vulnerabilities… Your fragile points. Go into them. - J: If I do, then I realise more sides of mine that are blurry. Some are really dark as well. Astounding but hard stuff man. - J: Yeah but how about dumping your utmost lover because you got into this fucking weird mode then? - J: I don’t want to talk about this. It’s hard shit. - J: But you know Jack that you will get love again. Someone who really cares about you. Just like her, but with different qualities… - J: Am I looking for a replacement, or a mother sister cosmos. - J: Well that’s a deeper and perhaps rather unnecessary approach; because it concerns all relations. Not just this. - OK I do really think that this carpentry thing will save me from some suffering… He's dreaming of some plans, grieving about some others He gets disappointed and angry and then wait a bit fuck that... Then he bumps into a lunatic man, carrying a large piece of wood Jack ends up helping him after a short talk, but it's not really a talk because the man doesn't speak English, rather a mix of different asian languages, often mumbling in his mouth... They have a sort of dialog that isn't so upright natural and easy to understand. But they somehow communicate very well, walking together... Then they bump into a couple, the guy is yelling: - "Hit me! Hit me!" to his girlfriend. - “Please hit me honey”. He seems a bit drunken, but more like he got to a point where he convicted himself as guilty victim and he seeks punishment from someone else, which is hitting at him. His girlfriend tries to communicate to him, but also in a dramatic way. - ... Then when they see Jack and the mad man, and when Jack tries to communicate to them about what's going on, can he help? and all; the guy begs Jack to hit him. Jack denies to do so, and insists to communicate by talking to try to resolve his emotional breakdown. Meanwhile he insists: - Hit me, please. Fuck me! The mad man comes to the scene and hits the guy. Everyone gets chocked a bit, but the situation somehow resolves. Though they kind of blame the mad man now: Now he's the convicted one. The mad man then convicsts himself as the guilty, and shows that he is not well and he needs to fix himself. Kind of regretful actions of a repetitive behavior he showcases. Then he leaves the scene, going to the opposite direction of where he was heading with Jack. Before that he hands the piece of wood to Jack and points to the direction and tries to communicate to him that he (Jack) should go there: - There's "telemony" there.. (says the mad man kind of) .. Jack continues the walk at the beach with the wooden piece, walking to the direction that the mad man pointed. Meanwhile making fun of the man's way of talking and all: - "Whats this telemony thing - it'll be interesting to see... Perhaps some aliens will land down and fly me away from this world..." Then he continues to walk and sees the fire a little ahead. He approaches the fire with enthusiasm, curiosity and fascination. He bumps into a group of people with a chunk of jackfruit on the ground. They seem to be preparing for something. There's a girl approaching Jack (Kasia), and checks up about the wood. - K: Hi welcome. May I help you? (..looking at the piece of wood as well as Jacks eyes with a smile) - J: Hi. Ahmm, oh yeah.. Please. I was handed over this by a man down there who pointed me here to bring the wood I think. But I wasn't sure. - K: Oh I see. OK you can be sure that it was the case. He's one of us (while taking the wood putting it down by the fire) - J: Oh nice. What are you doing here (surprised, excited...) - K: We're preparing for a ceremony. Would you like to participate? - J: Would that be OK? - K: Well, since you brought the wood which we need for fire, it's fair that you join us. I mean you also seem to be a nice person. - J: Oh thanks. Yes I'd love to take part. - K: Nice. Just make sure to be sensitive about all the souls here... (invites him in with a bodily gesture and disappears) - J: Ah, oh, I will. But... (J stops talking since K left.) After feeling a little lost, Jack finds himself a corner to squeeze into and then says hi to someone (JJ). They start talking: - J: Hi I'm Jack. - JJ: "It's a moral dystopia. You have to be a narcissist-masochist to want something and let others give it to you. And a bit drunk." - J: "Wait a bit. Do you know what just happened right there before, earlier?" - JJ: "It's the same thing that happens all the fucking time. You persecute yourself and let others punish you. Sometimes even crave for it, sometimes create this whole pseudo trial. I just do think though that this is a final plot by an infective organism that lives in humans neural system. It's about to die off. It's just making its last attack by assimilating us into its parasitical agenda" - J: "Wait I like that but I didn't get who's doing that? And why are you externalising it and fashioning it up as evil?" - JJ: "Well, no. That's your projection to what I'm saying. I'm not really externalising it: It's in your body: it's part of those who make you, help you make decisions. They digest your food for you: But they make you desire what they want. The totality of their existence equates somewhat to your willpower. In fact you probably don't even exist without them. What's you anyway? Other than being your own enemy. The protagonist who created the antagonist in the mirror. The god who needed the devil and then created it." - J: I don't get it. You mean the microorganisms in our bodies rule over us? - JJ: A total sum of them divided by your cognitive experiences in life. And if you are in the spectrum, this is probably a little different equation or there's some radiative quantum field. The thing is I have no clue, I'm just sharing with you what I conceive from her. - J: Who's her? - JJ: It's her (showing the jackfruit). The ceremony starts... Women making a sort of half circle like a crescent together facing the moon with the jackfruit in the middle. They are slowly getting close to inside the fruit. Bare hands. Really slow... ... - J: Why you getting so close to each other? - A: Why not? - J: I mean you don't get so close to each other in real life you know.. - A: You've been choreographed by department store tables and chairs for too long hon. They direct every movement of yours - X: It's much more fun being close to each other. - XYZ: Giggles... ... - Shaman: So man are not allowed within the circle. Indeed. - J: But I'm a man. - Someone: Right. And you think you are allowed. - J: Am I not? I was invited. - Someone: Right. That makes it allowed. - Shaman: Did you have a choose for it? - J: What? To be allowed? - Shaman: You being a man. - Not really I was born with it. - Someone: OK, just so you know. You're allowed because, and only, this is your first time. - J: So the last time too? - ...(silence) - Shaman: So long as you claim to be a man, yes. - How come could I possibly change it? - You don't do anything, but to open up yourself to your desires and admit the drives to yourself, not repress them. And then perhaps you really are willing to remain as a man. - J: So you'll eat all the jackfruit right away? - Y: There's a reason men are not allowed here. We're harvesting. - X: They tend to abuse what they behold, unless they are tamed enough.. Jam session starts with some drums and didgeridoo etc. Fire is on. They start going through the jackfruit. Slowly, very slowly, they start going into the jackfruit. Even for the first 10 mins, they are actually just smelling it, putting their heads down, feeling it. Then they start touching slowly, and meanwhile someone pours coconut oil. (Short distant shots) Then they start slowly fingering into it. Their entire bodies are moving around, dancing around. Improvising with their hands, and thus entire bodies, while they have their hands inside the jackfruit. Then at some inflection point, it cracks. They fine-tune the right time to do it. Then they start handing it out to the others sitting around them, the guys. There is a celebratory moment happening amongst the crowd. Sharing, loving, eating etc… They collect the seeds. Someone says its their currency. Jack wakes up the morning after and he sees no one of them around. The fire is off etc. He is wondering what happened. Then Kasia comes by and hands him a few of the jackfruit seeds from last night. They are also painted. She says him: Keep these with you. You can use them to get food and art.