Scene
54 -
The Spotlight of Truth
INT. BELOW STAGE
De la Cruz knocks over a group of giant sugar skull dancers.
He emerges at a full sprint to where his rising platform is
set up.
DE LA CRUZ
Security! Ayúdenme!
The Riveras flood out after him. Héctor jogs next to Imelda.
HÉCTOR
You said "love of your life..."
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MAMÁ IMELDA
I don't know WHAT I said!
MIGUEL
That's what I heard...
A brawl ensues between the family and the guards.
De la Cruz runs to a stage door.
STAGEHAND
Places, señor, you're on in 30
seconds!
De la Cruz shoves the stagehand out of the way.
As security guards try to wrangle the Riveras, Imelda reaches
de la Cruz and gets her hands on Héctor's photo. De la Cruz
scuffles with her to get it back, when Miguel tackles de la
Cruz to the ground. De la Cruz loses his grip; Imelda
tumbles backward, photo in hand.
MAMÁ IMELDA
Miguel! I have it!
Miguel turns toward Imelda but is chased by guards.
Suddenly, Imelda rises into the air. She is on de la Cruz's
rising platform! She is lifted through the ceiling and up to
the stage.
De la Cruz hurries up the stairs after her.
Miguel is detained by a security guard when Dante flies in
and knocks the guard’s head clean off. Miguel, Héctor, Tía
Victoria, and Tía Rosita hurry up the stairs after de la
Cruz.
MIGUEL
Hurry, come on!
Papá Julio, Tío Oscar, and Tío Felipe block the guards from
following the others.
ON STAGE
ANNOUNCER (O.S.)
Ladies and gentlemen... the one,
the only... ERNESTO DE LA CRUZ!
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The platform rises onto the stage and the spotlight falls on
Imelda. Neon letters blast brightly behind her, spelling
"ERNESTO!" The audience bursts into applause!
CROWD MEMBER
Nesto!
Imelda appears onscreen for all to see.
STAGE WING RIGHT
De la Cruz rushes up a staircase and arrives in the wings.
He gets the attention of his guards and points to Imelda.
DE LA CRUZ
Get her off the stage!
His guards hustle onto the stage, scaling the set to get to
her.
STAGE WING LEFT
Miguel, Héctor, Victoria, and Rosita emerge to see Imelda
spotlit above them.
ON STAGE
De la Cruz's guards begin to approach Imelda. She is frozen,
unable to move.
MIGUEL (O.S.)
Sing!
Mamá Imelda looks down and sees Miguel in the wing.
MIGUEL (CONT'D)
SING!
Imelda, seeing that the guards are approaching, closes her
eyes, grasps the mic, and follows Miguel's instructions.
MAMÁ IMELDA
(singing)
AY DE MÍ, LLORONA
LLORONA DE AZUL CELESTE...
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STAGE WING LEFT
Héctor's mouth gapes open. Tía Victoria and Tía Rosita go
wide-eyed.
Miguel sets Héctor up with a guitar, then adjusts a mic stand
in front of him. Héctor plays the guitar, its sound
amplified through the stage speakers.
ON STAGE
MAMÁ IMELDA
AY DE MÍ, LLORONA
LLORONA DE AZUL CELESTE...
The guards reach the edge of her spotlight but stop short,
not wanting to interrupt the performance.
Imelda takes the spotlight with her as she descends the on
stage staircase. As she comes down, she makes eye contact
with her husband in the wing. He smiles as he accompanies
her. Imelda's eyes glint, touched to see him supporting her.
MAMÁ IMELDA
Y AUNQUE LA VIDA ME CUESTE, LLORONA,
NO DEJARÉ DE QUERERTE.
NO DEJARÉ DE QUERERTE!
As Héctor accompanies Imelda, she becomes more confident.
The audience begins to clap.
De la Cruz grunts in frustration.
Soon, the stage conductor joins with more instrumentation,
which kicks into high gear.
MAMÁ IMELDA
ME SUBÍ AL PINO MÁS ALTO, LLORONA,
A VER SI TE DIVISABA.
She doubles down on her performance, taking the spotlight
with her as she moves to put distance between her and the
guards.
Imelda continues to vamp, trying to navigate away from the
guards and toward her family. One guard blocks her way, but
she grabs him and forces him to dance. Scared of the
spotlight, he runs away.
MAMÁ IMELDA
COMO EL PINO ERA TIERNO, LLORONA
AL VERME LLORAR, LLORABA.
(MORE)
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MAMÁ IMELDA (CONT'D)
AY DE MÍ, LLORONA, LLORONA,
LLORONA DE AZUL CELESTE...
She heads to leave the stage when she is stopped by a hand on
her wrist. A voice joins her in harmony, the spotlight
widens to reveal Ernesto de la Cruz singing too. The crowd
goes wild.
DE LA CRUZ/MAMÁ IMELDA
AY DE MÍ, LLORONA, LLORONA
LLORONA DE AZUL CELESTE...
He dances Imelda around the stage, all the while trying to
get to Héctor's photo.
DE LA CRUZ/MAMÁ IMELDA
Y AUNQUE LA VIDA ME CUESTE, LLORONA,
NO DEJARÉ DE QUERERTE.
DE LA CRUZ
Y AUNQUE LA VIDA ME CUESTE, LLORONA,
NO DEJARÉ DE QUERERTE.
NO DEJARÉ DE QUERERTE!
MAMÁ IMELDA
Let go of me!
DE LA CRUZ
NO DEJARÉ DE QUERERTE!
...AY, AY, AY!
At the finale of the song, Imelda stomps her heel into de la
Cruz's foot on his high note, causing him to let her go. She
runs off stage with the photo.
BACKSTAGE
Imelda arrives off stage and, somewhat high on adrenaline,
she embraces Héctor.
MAMÁ IMELDA
I forgot what that felt like.
Héctor is taken by surprise. Imelda, realizing the
impropriety, pulls away from him awkwardly.
HÉCTOR
You... still got it.
They smile at each other, softening. Miguel, off to the
side, clears his throat.
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MIGUEL
Ahem.
MAMÁ IMELDA
Oh!
Imelda, now reminded, gives Miguel the photo. She pulls out
her petal.
MAMÁ IMELDA
Miguel, I give you my blessing.
The petal glows.
MAMÁ IMELDA (CONT'D)
To go home... to put up our
photos...
(beat)
And to never...
Miguel looks slightly saddened, anticipating the condition.
MIGUEL
Never play music again...
Imelda smiles.
MAMÁ IMELDA
To never... forget how much your
family loves you.
The petal surges. Miguel brightens, touched.
HÉCTOR
You're going home.
DE LA CRUZ
You're not going anywhere!
Suddenly Miguel is yanked away from his great-great
grandparents by de la Cruz. De la Cruz has grabbed Miguel by
the scruff of his hoodie.
Imelda lunges at de la Cruz, but he pushes her to the floor.
HÉCTOR
Imelda--
De la Cruz drags Miguel away as his family encroaches.
DE LA CRUZ
Stay back! Stay back. All of you!
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De la Cruz drags Miguel further and further back on the
stage.
DE LA CRUZ
Stay back! Not one more step.
Dante growls and tries to grab Miguel.
MIGUEL
Dante!
De la Cruz pulls Miguel away, closer to the ledge of the
building.
Héctor struggles but continues pursuing de la Cruz.
HÉCTOR
(winded)
Ernesto, stop! Leave the boy
alone!
Héctor stumbles, shimmering like before. He falls to the
ground.
DE LA CRUZ
I've worked too hard, Héctor...
Too hard to let him destroy
everything...
In the stage wings, Tía Rosita commandeers one of the cameras
and points it toward de la Cruz. Tía Victoria sidles up to a
control board and pushes a volume dial up.
HÉCTOR
He's a living child, Ernesto!
DE LA CRUZ
He's a threat!
CUT TO:
STADIUM
The image of de la Cruz holding Miguel hostage is projected
on the stadium screens, the audience falls to a hush as they
watch.
BACK TO:
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BACKSTAGE
Miguel struggles against de la Cruz.
DE LA CRUZ
You think I'd let him go back to
the land of the living with your
photo? To keep your memory alive?
(beat)
No.
MIGUEL
You're a coward!
DE LA CRUZ
I am Ernesto de la Cruz, the
greatest musician of all time!
MIGUEL
Héctor's the real musician, you're
just the guy who murdered him and
stole his songs!
CUT TO:
STADIUM
The crowd is gobsmacked by what they are hearing.
CROWD
Murder?
BACK TO:
BACKSTAGE
DE LA CRUZ
I am the one who is willing to do
what it takes to seize my moment...
(darkening)
Whatever it takes.
Suddenly, de la Cruz throws Miguel off of the structure.
MIGUEL
AHHH!
HÉCTOR
NO!
The family runs to the ledge, horrified.
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TÍO OSCAR/TÍO FELIPE
Miguel!
MAMÁ IMELDA
Miguel!
CUT TO:
STADIUM
The audience gasps. Some shrieks.
BACK TO:
BACKSTAGE
De la Cruz crosses from the ledge, past Héctor, who remains
collapsed on the floor, breathless.
DE LA CRUZ
Apologies old friend, but the show
must go on...
CUT TO:
Miguel is in free fall, the photo still in his hand. As the
wind whips against his face, he hears a faint howling.
Dante slices downward through the air, catches Miguel's shirt
in his teeth, and opens his wings. He and Miguel jerk
upward, but the photo falls from Miguel's hands and