Illuminant Object (2025) Movie Script
In the 1940s
the US navy conducted a magnetic
field experiment near Philadelphia.
They used energy pulses around a ship
to create a huge magnetic field.
After a flash of green light
the ship allegedly disappeared from sight.
After the experiment
the ship appeared 400km
away from the original site.
It's reported they successfully
managed to teleport
the destroyer to another space.
The three of us went to the same college.
We went to Elephant Mountain.
On the day of the incident
it was raining heavily.
I remembered passing
a security bunker nearby.
The bunker
looked
really deep.
There was a murmur
coming from inside.
I said we should turn back.
Jian agreed.
But Bighead wanted to press on.
The rain had turned to drizzle
so I called to them to come out.
I called but there was no reaction.
I thought of making a
fire and waiting for them.
And then in front of me
there was a huge bang.
I saw it.
It was huge.
A white light.
He'd discovered something.
I didn't understand.
After that I saw that
as soon as he got home
he'd hide in his room.
I had no idea what he did in there.
Take them.
Stop filming!
Get out.
Like I couldn't move for a few seconds.
Jian shouting non-stop.
He just cried: Ah!
Ah!
He was screaming.
His hands were
clutching at things randomly
desperately trying to get out.
A woman went missing.
A local in her fifties.
When they found her she was adamant
she'd seen a bright light.
I also heard
someone from a nearby county
disappeared and was never found.
The bunker was dark.
Who knows what happened.
I desperately ran out with him.
Not long after
I glanced back
Dad?
If I looked different one day
would you still recognise me?
I realised Bighead hadn't come out yet.
So I asked Jian:
Where's Bighead?
Please take your belongings
and exit through Gate 23.
You came.
I'm surprised.
Take a seat.
Come on in.
It's been years.
Drink up.
Right to the brim.
Slow down.
Listen up.
We've come today for Peng. Not for you lot.
Get that straight.
Otherwise I'm not paying.
I'll get you shitfaced.
Really?
Really.
I haven't seen Peng for years.
Did you know
out of all of us
Lin's done the best for himself?
Did you know
Jian got out a few years ago?
He went completely crazy.
Yeah.
I heard ages ago.
To be honest
do you
believe
what happened?
Hold on.
Let's not talk about that today.
Let's not mention it.
It happened years ago.
We don't want him to hear.
Anyway, if you ask me...
Peng!
Come and eat.
You leaving?
Peng!
I'm sorry about Zhou.
I should've spoken to him before.
It's fine.
It's all over.
Here.
Take this car.
To help you get around.
Ten years
gone by in a flash.
That's Jian's old home.
His mum used to live here alone.
He'd visit at the weekends.
We used to come eat at their place too.
Jian?
Still not possible?
I've already been very clear.
I just want to meet him.
Nothing else.
Well?
No luck.
Let's go.
Come on.
Let's come another day.
Drink up! Eat up!
Cheers!
Hi there.
My friend Peng.
Hi.
Hello, Peng.
Help yourselves.
Happy birthday!
This is my friend Peng.
Uncle Guo.
Anyway...
Peng liked to stay in his office.
Doing his stuff.
He didn't socialise much.
But truth be told
Peng was a great teacher.
I went to some classes.
I always thought it was a shame he was
just a school teacher.
Honestly.
Anyway...
Gradually
his mood and state of mind improved.
But about six months later
something happened.
He was cooking in his room at the school
when a fire broke out.
The whole house burnt down.
Lots of people said
Peng set fire to the house because
of a grievance with the school.
It was complete nonsense.
I know Peng.
He'd never do such a thing.
Anyway, the school decided
to make an example of him.
So Peng couldn't stay.
He quit his job.
Peng!
Peng!
Two years later when
the school moved location
I left to set up my own business.
Many years have passed
but I get the feeling
he still hasn't let go.
Scientifically speaking...
I used to teach geography.
Elephant Mountain is
typical karst landscape.
Most of the mountain is limestone.
There are lots of caves.
It's not unusual
for people to go missing on the mountain.
The term "Lost Zone"
comes from stories like that.
Peng!
Peng!
Ever since the incident
I haven't touched
anything in this room.
I keep thinking
if Bighead were to come back one
day everything would look the same.
It was
in the autumn.
He'd just been on holiday.
But I noticed he looked spooked.
He told me
he'd discovered something.
I didn't understand.
After that I saw that
as soon as he got home
he'd hide in his room.
I had no idea what he did in there.
He'd work into the middle of the night.
Once
his brother went into his
room to look for something.
He flew into a rage
and locked the door.
That's Jian.
That's me.
The one in the hat is Bighead.
We were all so young.
It was only after the incident
that I found out
he'd been secretly doing
those things.
In the time before the incident
he hadn't been well.
He was so skinny
he looked a bit disfigured.
I remember him asking me:
"Dad?"
"If I looked different one day
would you still recognise me?"
I said: "Silly boy."
"However you change
I'll always be your dad."
"I'll always recognise you."
Where's Peng?
You've some nerve.
Out.
Get out.
Let go!
Let's talk this through.
Out of my way!
Stop fighting.
Peng!
Get back here.
Take them.
Worthless junk.
Stop filming!
Last warning.
Stop filming!
Get out.
After the incident
everyone thought I'd gone crazy.
Except for Lin.
I didn't want to go back home.
So I moved to Gedong.
I helped a market
seller with their accounts.
Not long after I met Meng's mother.
She'd only just got divorced.
She had a child too.
They needed help at the kebab joint.
So I helped out.
All I had to do was set
up the stall in the evening.
I had a flexible schedule.
I gradually felt better.
She knows a bit
about what happened.
I have no idea
at which point in time
my life changed forever.
Let's have lunch here.
After lunch we'll head over that way.
We should have time.
Hey Peng!
Come here.
Listen to this.
The landslide has damaged
the roads to different extents
on Elephant Mountain's western side.
Rescue efforts are now underway.
The future opening date is uncertain
A landslide.
How long will it take to clear the road?
A fortnight?
Okay, I see.
The landslide was pretty huge.
The road's blocked.
It'll take a fortnight to clear it.
After I left the rescue squad
I moved back to my hometown.
The college student you
mentioned with the nickname...
Bighead.
When he disappeared
lots of search teams were sent out.
They had bad luck.
It was the rainy season.
The search teams' efforts.
The search teams' efforts.
Newspaper clippings.
Photos.
Then they said
they'd found something.
But all they found were bits of clothing.
I've got one here
on the geology team leader.
When he went missing
the North Ring Road wasn't built yet.
He was the first person
we know to have disappeared.
I heard his wife was confined to her home.
In a vegetative state.
If she's still alive
she'd be in her 60s now.
Before he disappeared
the man had been diagnosed
with a terminal illness.
A few years after Bighead
a woman went missing.
A local in her fifties.
When they found her she was adamant
she'd seen a bright light.
I also heard
someone from a nearby county
disappeared and was never found.
When it comes to the truth
it's only what we see with our own eyes
that really matters.
What is it?
What is it?
What is it?
What is it?
Director?
Director?
I've found something really strange.
Let's go look.
Let's go.
Come on.
Over there.
Don't touch.
Look at this.
Something's wrong.
Could be broken.
It's the magnetic field.
It's not right.
Hear that?
That murmur?
That's the murmur...
Who's there?
Master, will you be
our guide tomorrow?
Go back.
We can't.
We're looking for something.
A wild monkey
never returns to the place
where his mate was killed.
Even if that place has his
favourite fruit or drinking hole.
Know why?
Boundaries.
The monkey knows very
well what its boundaries are.
It knows
what's allowed.
And what
is out of bounds.
What did he say?
Are we going or not?
Come on.
Let's go.
It's an old model.
Tapes.
Come on. Let's go.
23 is a mysterious number.
23 pairs of chromosomes
decide all human features.
Julius Caesar
was stabbed 23 times.
Many things come in 23s.
Did you know
how long
it takes for our blood
circulation to complete a cycle?
23 seconds.
Could be coincidence.
It's possible.
But who knows.
Let's go.
Stop!
Who let you up here?
You can't carry on.
Off you go.
Go away.
Sir.
We're just filming.
Not here.
Film elsewhere.
Off you go.
No filming.
Help me with this.
I've no idea what he said.
Lai.
Watch this.
It's in Mongolian.
A wild monkey
never returns to where his mate was killed.
Even if that place has his
favourite fruit or water hole.
Why not?
Boundaries.
It knows its boundaries.
It knows
what's allowed.
And what's out of bounds.
Peng.
Peng?
You okay?
Hello?
What's up?
Apparently,
some woman got into an accident.
A huge truck hit her car
on the highway near her house.
Supposedly, she died.
Mr Li helped me
get in touch with the
woman's daughter, Min.
Min runs a hair salon.
When she's not busy
she does live streaming.
About three years ago
I remember clearly that in October
she said she was going to my grandmother's.
And she'd be back in the evening.
But the next day she still wasn't back.
So I called her.
They told me she was dead.
So I got really upset.
I knew something had happened.
How would you like it?
Just a little trim today.
Just a trim?
That same afternoon
I got a phone call
saying a shepherd
had found her up at Beishan.
When she was found she was in shock.
I wanted to ask more but I didn't dare.
My uncle called me later
to say she was fine.
I burst into tears.
When she got back I said to her:
"There's no road access to Beishan".
"And it's 100km from the accident scene."
No one knows how on earth she got there.
She said
she saw a very bright light
and then began to run.
And after that she didn't
remember anything.
She slowly recovered from the ordeal
but it took about six months.
An accident.
It was a traffic accident.
It was all very sudden.
I wasn't at home that day.
She was looking for her dog
driving on the new highway
when a van carrying eggs crashed into her.
The driver had just got his
license. He fell asleep at the wheel.
When I got there
there were eggs all over the road.
By the time I got there she was dying.
They tried to save her
in hospital but couldn't.
Of all the endings I imagined
it never crossed my
mind that's how she'd go.
In the 1940s
the US navy conducted a magnetic
field experiment near Philadelphia.
They used energy pulses around a ship
to create a huge magnetic field.
After a flash of green light
the ship allegedly disappeared from sight.
After the experiment
the ship appeared 400km
away from the original site.
It's reported they successfully
managed to teleport
the destroyer to another space.
Another case was of a young man in 2006
wearing an old Soviet-style uniform
who appeared on the street.
A policeman checked his ID card.
But it was from the 1950s.
So he should have been in his seventies.
But he looked in his twenties.
They removed the film
from the old camera
and developed it.
In the photos they found
an unidentified flying object.
Our physical world
is a very precise system.
It operates based on a subtle balance.
But we mustn't forget
that a precise system
also has its flaws.
Those flaws can be
ignored on a macro level.
But on a micro level
they can have a huge impact
on the human world.
I've seen your materials.
What exactly caused
the chaos in the magnetic field
and warping of space and time?
Is it random?
Or caused by a meteorite?
It's hard to say.
But you must remember
even human consciousness
may rely on quantum processes
that limit our choices.
So on the surface what may
seem like an unidentified light
or a displaced or missing object
or an altered consciousness
caused by a force field
could in fact
be something we cannot begin to understand
or even imagine.
Our understanding stems
from our status as humans.
Because we are humans
we can only observe
things through our own eyes
and think with our own brains.
We try to surpass these limitations
but we're unable to.
After days of clearing rubble
the road destroyed by the
mud slide on Elephant Mountain
should be open to traffic
again within three days.
I wanted to ask how Li Jian's doing?
His condition isn't stable yet.
It may be for personal reasons.
He doesn't trust hospitals.
He hasn't got the treatment he needs.
So it's looking serious.
All we can do now is provide
conservative treatment.
That's all I can say.
Okay. Thank you, doctor.
Peng?
What did he say?
Peng!
What's wrong with you?
Hey!
Wait up!
Peng!
Peng's completely wasted.
That fire in his apartment...
That was actually my fault.
Peng came over after the fire.
He said to me:
"Lin."
"You have your whole career ahead of you."
"I don't want to teach anymore."
So he decided to take the blame for me.
Who says I can't film?
I'm the director here.
There's no fucking film!
Take a seat.
I'll get you some water.
The glasses
must be in here.
One of you won't get any water.
Eventually Meng's mum
shut the kebab joint down.
I knew she wanted something more.
But it wasn't to be.
Do you remember Min?
The girl we interviewed?
I don't know where she
got my contact info from.
But she sent me this.
I later found out
that every year at the same time
there were sightings
around the Lost Zone.
I also found out when the
next time window will appear.
I have a feeling Min's mother and Jian
experienced the same sort of thing.
But in their case
they were lucky.
The geology team leader?
And Bighead?
What happened there?
Sorry about last time.
If we take the original route next time
and drive up the mountain
we'll be there in a few hours.
I get the feeling
that the puzzle
is almost complete.
I know
you want to get to the bottom of this.
I'll pay for the costs
this time.
Turn the camera off.
When's the next time window then?
Day after tomorrow.
I lied last time.
After she got out of hospital
her condition didn't really improve.
She'd always say
this wasn't her home
and I wasn't her daughter.
She'd shut herself in her room.
Her behaviour and actions
were all different from before.
As if she'd become a different person.
I don't know why
but I constantly feel like that person
isn't really my mother.
Peng!
There you are.
Come on.
I got you some equipment.
Take a look.
Torches, waterproof jackets and shoes.
They'll come in useful.
The geology team leader that Li mentioned.
Remember him?
Turns out his wife's alive.
A friend of mine who works
at the hospital knew him.
They say the geology team leader
was so obsessed with studying the meteorite
he didn't even come back
when his wife had a miscarriage.
His wife become severely depressed.
She tried to kill herself but now
she's in a vegetative state.
Strange thing is
for years someone's been wiring
money to the hospital for her.
We don't know who.
This is from Jian.
He refused any treatment.
They couldn't save him.
His family asked me to give this to you.
Peng.
Be careful.
Like I said before:
Don't go too far.
Off you go!
After the incident
that was the first time I saw Jian.
He never recovered.
Seeing him like that
was really hard for me.
Maybe...
We're here.
It's over there.
Did you hear that?
That murmur?
Over here.
A map.
We came in through there.
Where's Peng?
Peng?
Wasn't he with you?
Peng?
Peng?
Peng!
Peng!
Peng!
Peng?
Is he here?
Peng!
Peng!
Peng!
Peng!
Peng!
Director?
Should we go back?
Hey.
Director.
Look.
What?
What's this?
Don't touch it.
What's wrong?
You're scaring me.
What's wrong?
Stop that.
Stop that.
Stay where you are!
Stay there!
Ha ha ha ha
Ha ha ha ha
You scared the shit out of me!
You idiot.
You almost scared me to death.
Come on.
You don't have to pretend around me.
Tell me.
That email, the girl
and the expert in the video.
You set that up didn't you?
What you talking about?
Still won't admit it?
A while back
when you were on the phone to the producer
I hid in the toilet and overheard you.
All that transcending time
altered consciousness crap.
I almost bought it.
Hei hei hei
Man...
I didn't have a choice.
Think about it.
Without the weird stuff
who'd watch it?
At least I was mentally prepared.
Don't you feel guilty?
Do you really think Peng's that naive?
And that Bighead guy.
What's this?
To spice things up.
It's the diary Jian left for Peng.
You mentioned Bighead just now...
These people
all look a bit similar.
Still at it?
Come off it.
Feels like I've met them before.
Hey man.
Do you remember
the interview
with that expert?
He said the force field
can create an alternate consciousness.
Min...
Min's mother...
She became a different person.
So?
I'm thinking.
What if...
What if the geology team
leader found something
before he died.
What if
that thing
transferred
his consciousness on to someone else?
What the fuck?
Hang on.
No way.
I thought you found the expert?
I did.
But he's an expert on that stuff.
I once saw a video.
Some scientist called Penrose
said consciousness can
manifest itself through
something called quantum superposition.
It's her.
Hey.
Do you remember
that watch at Peng's house?
I get it.
You suspect Peng...
But how could that be?
Peng.
Peng.
What's wrong?
I'm fine.
I'm perfectly fine.
I'm fine.
I've found the way.
It's that way. Let's hurry.
You're not Peng.
All that about sheltering
in that cave
and the white light.
It was all a lie.
The geology team leader
didn't disappear.
He simply used a means
to transfer
his consciousness onto someone else.
He did it again and again.
Living in other people's bodies.
He did it to Bighead 10 years ago.
And to Peng 10 years later.
It's all you.
You're the geology team leader.
This woman
was your wife.
After I came down the mountain
I heard the child had died.
I knew she'd be upset.
But I didn't take it seriously.
I thought she just needed some time
to come to terms with it.
I never imagined
she'd actually jump off that building.
The doctors said she'd never wake up.
I knew
it was a punishment.
That I was being punished.
Back then I was on my last legs.
I thought
I could wait.
I'd wait
until she woke up.
I owed her so much.
I had to wait.
So I was right.
Every 10 years you need to change body.
So you look for the next body.
That's the truth.
Truth?
Truth?
What truth?
That's what you think.
You think the world is how you imagine it.
The truth you're looking for
is nothing but an outcome.
An outcome void of responsibility
to satisfy your curiosity.
10 years.
20 years.
Shifting bodies again and again.
I started to worry
about her waking up.
If she really did wake up one day
what would she think of me?
Who am I really?
Bighead?
Peng?
Or
a monster!
Well?
I had no idea
I was trapped.
I can't go back in time.
And I can't see the future.
However much I cry out for help
no one answers.
All I can do is carry on
just like in that famous saying:
In that darkness with no boundaries
no one can save us.
The only thing lighting up the way forward
is ourselves.
Ourselves.
Only ourselves.
Ourselves.
What's going on?
The light went out.
Where's Peng?
Peng?
Director?
Director?
You'll get killed.
Scared to death
What did he mean by what he said just now?
Director?
Director?
Director!
Director!
Hey!
What's going on?
It's you!
Hey.
How did you get away?
I don't know
what happened.
When I woke up
I was out of the cave.
Who
Who are you?
You scared the living daylights out of me.
Honestly
What happened in there?
Well?
And Peng?
What happened to him?
What now?
We're waiting for Peng.
He'll be here soon.
What?
Is Peng acting too?
What the hell?
Consciousness, my ass.
What about
Bighead?
Did you make all that up too?
I once saw
a post in an online forum that said:
To be real
it has to look real.
You guys are something else.
The producer?
What was the producer's nickname?
You!
Who the hell are you?
the US navy conducted a magnetic
field experiment near Philadelphia.
They used energy pulses around a ship
to create a huge magnetic field.
After a flash of green light
the ship allegedly disappeared from sight.
After the experiment
the ship appeared 400km
away from the original site.
It's reported they successfully
managed to teleport
the destroyer to another space.
The three of us went to the same college.
We went to Elephant Mountain.
On the day of the incident
it was raining heavily.
I remembered passing
a security bunker nearby.
The bunker
looked
really deep.
There was a murmur
coming from inside.
I said we should turn back.
Jian agreed.
But Bighead wanted to press on.
The rain had turned to drizzle
so I called to them to come out.
I called but there was no reaction.
I thought of making a
fire and waiting for them.
And then in front of me
there was a huge bang.
I saw it.
It was huge.
A white light.
He'd discovered something.
I didn't understand.
After that I saw that
as soon as he got home
he'd hide in his room.
I had no idea what he did in there.
Take them.
Stop filming!
Get out.
Like I couldn't move for a few seconds.
Jian shouting non-stop.
He just cried: Ah!
Ah!
He was screaming.
His hands were
clutching at things randomly
desperately trying to get out.
A woman went missing.
A local in her fifties.
When they found her she was adamant
she'd seen a bright light.
I also heard
someone from a nearby county
disappeared and was never found.
The bunker was dark.
Who knows what happened.
I desperately ran out with him.
Not long after
I glanced back
Dad?
If I looked different one day
would you still recognise me?
I realised Bighead hadn't come out yet.
So I asked Jian:
Where's Bighead?
Please take your belongings
and exit through Gate 23.
You came.
I'm surprised.
Take a seat.
Come on in.
It's been years.
Drink up.
Right to the brim.
Slow down.
Listen up.
We've come today for Peng. Not for you lot.
Get that straight.
Otherwise I'm not paying.
I'll get you shitfaced.
Really?
Really.
I haven't seen Peng for years.
Did you know
out of all of us
Lin's done the best for himself?
Did you know
Jian got out a few years ago?
He went completely crazy.
Yeah.
I heard ages ago.
To be honest
do you
believe
what happened?
Hold on.
Let's not talk about that today.
Let's not mention it.
It happened years ago.
We don't want him to hear.
Anyway, if you ask me...
Peng!
Come and eat.
You leaving?
Peng!
I'm sorry about Zhou.
I should've spoken to him before.
It's fine.
It's all over.
Here.
Take this car.
To help you get around.
Ten years
gone by in a flash.
That's Jian's old home.
His mum used to live here alone.
He'd visit at the weekends.
We used to come eat at their place too.
Jian?
Still not possible?
I've already been very clear.
I just want to meet him.
Nothing else.
Well?
No luck.
Let's go.
Come on.
Let's come another day.
Drink up! Eat up!
Cheers!
Hi there.
My friend Peng.
Hi.
Hello, Peng.
Help yourselves.
Happy birthday!
This is my friend Peng.
Uncle Guo.
Anyway...
Peng liked to stay in his office.
Doing his stuff.
He didn't socialise much.
But truth be told
Peng was a great teacher.
I went to some classes.
I always thought it was a shame he was
just a school teacher.
Honestly.
Anyway...
Gradually
his mood and state of mind improved.
But about six months later
something happened.
He was cooking in his room at the school
when a fire broke out.
The whole house burnt down.
Lots of people said
Peng set fire to the house because
of a grievance with the school.
It was complete nonsense.
I know Peng.
He'd never do such a thing.
Anyway, the school decided
to make an example of him.
So Peng couldn't stay.
He quit his job.
Peng!
Peng!
Two years later when
the school moved location
I left to set up my own business.
Many years have passed
but I get the feeling
he still hasn't let go.
Scientifically speaking...
I used to teach geography.
Elephant Mountain is
typical karst landscape.
Most of the mountain is limestone.
There are lots of caves.
It's not unusual
for people to go missing on the mountain.
The term "Lost Zone"
comes from stories like that.
Peng!
Peng!
Ever since the incident
I haven't touched
anything in this room.
I keep thinking
if Bighead were to come back one
day everything would look the same.
It was
in the autumn.
He'd just been on holiday.
But I noticed he looked spooked.
He told me
he'd discovered something.
I didn't understand.
After that I saw that
as soon as he got home
he'd hide in his room.
I had no idea what he did in there.
He'd work into the middle of the night.
Once
his brother went into his
room to look for something.
He flew into a rage
and locked the door.
That's Jian.
That's me.
The one in the hat is Bighead.
We were all so young.
It was only after the incident
that I found out
he'd been secretly doing
those things.
In the time before the incident
he hadn't been well.
He was so skinny
he looked a bit disfigured.
I remember him asking me:
"Dad?"
"If I looked different one day
would you still recognise me?"
I said: "Silly boy."
"However you change
I'll always be your dad."
"I'll always recognise you."
Where's Peng?
You've some nerve.
Out.
Get out.
Let go!
Let's talk this through.
Out of my way!
Stop fighting.
Peng!
Get back here.
Take them.
Worthless junk.
Stop filming!
Last warning.
Stop filming!
Get out.
After the incident
everyone thought I'd gone crazy.
Except for Lin.
I didn't want to go back home.
So I moved to Gedong.
I helped a market
seller with their accounts.
Not long after I met Meng's mother.
She'd only just got divorced.
She had a child too.
They needed help at the kebab joint.
So I helped out.
All I had to do was set
up the stall in the evening.
I had a flexible schedule.
I gradually felt better.
She knows a bit
about what happened.
I have no idea
at which point in time
my life changed forever.
Let's have lunch here.
After lunch we'll head over that way.
We should have time.
Hey Peng!
Come here.
Listen to this.
The landslide has damaged
the roads to different extents
on Elephant Mountain's western side.
Rescue efforts are now underway.
The future opening date is uncertain
A landslide.
How long will it take to clear the road?
A fortnight?
Okay, I see.
The landslide was pretty huge.
The road's blocked.
It'll take a fortnight to clear it.
After I left the rescue squad
I moved back to my hometown.
The college student you
mentioned with the nickname...
Bighead.
When he disappeared
lots of search teams were sent out.
They had bad luck.
It was the rainy season.
The search teams' efforts.
The search teams' efforts.
Newspaper clippings.
Photos.
Then they said
they'd found something.
But all they found were bits of clothing.
I've got one here
on the geology team leader.
When he went missing
the North Ring Road wasn't built yet.
He was the first person
we know to have disappeared.
I heard his wife was confined to her home.
In a vegetative state.
If she's still alive
she'd be in her 60s now.
Before he disappeared
the man had been diagnosed
with a terminal illness.
A few years after Bighead
a woman went missing.
A local in her fifties.
When they found her she was adamant
she'd seen a bright light.
I also heard
someone from a nearby county
disappeared and was never found.
When it comes to the truth
it's only what we see with our own eyes
that really matters.
What is it?
What is it?
What is it?
What is it?
Director?
Director?
I've found something really strange.
Let's go look.
Let's go.
Come on.
Over there.
Don't touch.
Look at this.
Something's wrong.
Could be broken.
It's the magnetic field.
It's not right.
Hear that?
That murmur?
That's the murmur...
Who's there?
Master, will you be
our guide tomorrow?
Go back.
We can't.
We're looking for something.
A wild monkey
never returns to the place
where his mate was killed.
Even if that place has his
favourite fruit or drinking hole.
Know why?
Boundaries.
The monkey knows very
well what its boundaries are.
It knows
what's allowed.
And what
is out of bounds.
What did he say?
Are we going or not?
Come on.
Let's go.
It's an old model.
Tapes.
Come on. Let's go.
23 is a mysterious number.
23 pairs of chromosomes
decide all human features.
Julius Caesar
was stabbed 23 times.
Many things come in 23s.
Did you know
how long
it takes for our blood
circulation to complete a cycle?
23 seconds.
Could be coincidence.
It's possible.
But who knows.
Let's go.
Stop!
Who let you up here?
You can't carry on.
Off you go.
Go away.
Sir.
We're just filming.
Not here.
Film elsewhere.
Off you go.
No filming.
Help me with this.
I've no idea what he said.
Lai.
Watch this.
It's in Mongolian.
A wild monkey
never returns to where his mate was killed.
Even if that place has his
favourite fruit or water hole.
Why not?
Boundaries.
It knows its boundaries.
It knows
what's allowed.
And what's out of bounds.
Peng.
Peng?
You okay?
Hello?
What's up?
Apparently,
some woman got into an accident.
A huge truck hit her car
on the highway near her house.
Supposedly, she died.
Mr Li helped me
get in touch with the
woman's daughter, Min.
Min runs a hair salon.
When she's not busy
she does live streaming.
About three years ago
I remember clearly that in October
she said she was going to my grandmother's.
And she'd be back in the evening.
But the next day she still wasn't back.
So I called her.
They told me she was dead.
So I got really upset.
I knew something had happened.
How would you like it?
Just a little trim today.
Just a trim?
That same afternoon
I got a phone call
saying a shepherd
had found her up at Beishan.
When she was found she was in shock.
I wanted to ask more but I didn't dare.
My uncle called me later
to say she was fine.
I burst into tears.
When she got back I said to her:
"There's no road access to Beishan".
"And it's 100km from the accident scene."
No one knows how on earth she got there.
She said
she saw a very bright light
and then began to run.
And after that she didn't
remember anything.
She slowly recovered from the ordeal
but it took about six months.
An accident.
It was a traffic accident.
It was all very sudden.
I wasn't at home that day.
She was looking for her dog
driving on the new highway
when a van carrying eggs crashed into her.
The driver had just got his
license. He fell asleep at the wheel.
When I got there
there were eggs all over the road.
By the time I got there she was dying.
They tried to save her
in hospital but couldn't.
Of all the endings I imagined
it never crossed my
mind that's how she'd go.
In the 1940s
the US navy conducted a magnetic
field experiment near Philadelphia.
They used energy pulses around a ship
to create a huge magnetic field.
After a flash of green light
the ship allegedly disappeared from sight.
After the experiment
the ship appeared 400km
away from the original site.
It's reported they successfully
managed to teleport
the destroyer to another space.
Another case was of a young man in 2006
wearing an old Soviet-style uniform
who appeared on the street.
A policeman checked his ID card.
But it was from the 1950s.
So he should have been in his seventies.
But he looked in his twenties.
They removed the film
from the old camera
and developed it.
In the photos they found
an unidentified flying object.
Our physical world
is a very precise system.
It operates based on a subtle balance.
But we mustn't forget
that a precise system
also has its flaws.
Those flaws can be
ignored on a macro level.
But on a micro level
they can have a huge impact
on the human world.
I've seen your materials.
What exactly caused
the chaos in the magnetic field
and warping of space and time?
Is it random?
Or caused by a meteorite?
It's hard to say.
But you must remember
even human consciousness
may rely on quantum processes
that limit our choices.
So on the surface what may
seem like an unidentified light
or a displaced or missing object
or an altered consciousness
caused by a force field
could in fact
be something we cannot begin to understand
or even imagine.
Our understanding stems
from our status as humans.
Because we are humans
we can only observe
things through our own eyes
and think with our own brains.
We try to surpass these limitations
but we're unable to.
After days of clearing rubble
the road destroyed by the
mud slide on Elephant Mountain
should be open to traffic
again within three days.
I wanted to ask how Li Jian's doing?
His condition isn't stable yet.
It may be for personal reasons.
He doesn't trust hospitals.
He hasn't got the treatment he needs.
So it's looking serious.
All we can do now is provide
conservative treatment.
That's all I can say.
Okay. Thank you, doctor.
Peng?
What did he say?
Peng!
What's wrong with you?
Hey!
Wait up!
Peng!
Peng's completely wasted.
That fire in his apartment...
That was actually my fault.
Peng came over after the fire.
He said to me:
"Lin."
"You have your whole career ahead of you."
"I don't want to teach anymore."
So he decided to take the blame for me.
Who says I can't film?
I'm the director here.
There's no fucking film!
Take a seat.
I'll get you some water.
The glasses
must be in here.
One of you won't get any water.
Eventually Meng's mum
shut the kebab joint down.
I knew she wanted something more.
But it wasn't to be.
Do you remember Min?
The girl we interviewed?
I don't know where she
got my contact info from.
But she sent me this.
I later found out
that every year at the same time
there were sightings
around the Lost Zone.
I also found out when the
next time window will appear.
I have a feeling Min's mother and Jian
experienced the same sort of thing.
But in their case
they were lucky.
The geology team leader?
And Bighead?
What happened there?
Sorry about last time.
If we take the original route next time
and drive up the mountain
we'll be there in a few hours.
I get the feeling
that the puzzle
is almost complete.
I know
you want to get to the bottom of this.
I'll pay for the costs
this time.
Turn the camera off.
When's the next time window then?
Day after tomorrow.
I lied last time.
After she got out of hospital
her condition didn't really improve.
She'd always say
this wasn't her home
and I wasn't her daughter.
She'd shut herself in her room.
Her behaviour and actions
were all different from before.
As if she'd become a different person.
I don't know why
but I constantly feel like that person
isn't really my mother.
Peng!
There you are.
Come on.
I got you some equipment.
Take a look.
Torches, waterproof jackets and shoes.
They'll come in useful.
The geology team leader that Li mentioned.
Remember him?
Turns out his wife's alive.
A friend of mine who works
at the hospital knew him.
They say the geology team leader
was so obsessed with studying the meteorite
he didn't even come back
when his wife had a miscarriage.
His wife become severely depressed.
She tried to kill herself but now
she's in a vegetative state.
Strange thing is
for years someone's been wiring
money to the hospital for her.
We don't know who.
This is from Jian.
He refused any treatment.
They couldn't save him.
His family asked me to give this to you.
Peng.
Be careful.
Like I said before:
Don't go too far.
Off you go!
After the incident
that was the first time I saw Jian.
He never recovered.
Seeing him like that
was really hard for me.
Maybe...
We're here.
It's over there.
Did you hear that?
That murmur?
Over here.
A map.
We came in through there.
Where's Peng?
Peng?
Wasn't he with you?
Peng?
Peng?
Peng!
Peng!
Peng!
Peng?
Is he here?
Peng!
Peng!
Peng!
Peng!
Peng!
Director?
Should we go back?
Hey.
Director.
Look.
What?
What's this?
Don't touch it.
What's wrong?
You're scaring me.
What's wrong?
Stop that.
Stop that.
Stay where you are!
Stay there!
Ha ha ha ha
Ha ha ha ha
You scared the shit out of me!
You idiot.
You almost scared me to death.
Come on.
You don't have to pretend around me.
Tell me.
That email, the girl
and the expert in the video.
You set that up didn't you?
What you talking about?
Still won't admit it?
A while back
when you were on the phone to the producer
I hid in the toilet and overheard you.
All that transcending time
altered consciousness crap.
I almost bought it.
Hei hei hei
Man...
I didn't have a choice.
Think about it.
Without the weird stuff
who'd watch it?
At least I was mentally prepared.
Don't you feel guilty?
Do you really think Peng's that naive?
And that Bighead guy.
What's this?
To spice things up.
It's the diary Jian left for Peng.
You mentioned Bighead just now...
These people
all look a bit similar.
Still at it?
Come off it.
Feels like I've met them before.
Hey man.
Do you remember
the interview
with that expert?
He said the force field
can create an alternate consciousness.
Min...
Min's mother...
She became a different person.
So?
I'm thinking.
What if...
What if the geology team
leader found something
before he died.
What if
that thing
transferred
his consciousness on to someone else?
What the fuck?
Hang on.
No way.
I thought you found the expert?
I did.
But he's an expert on that stuff.
I once saw a video.
Some scientist called Penrose
said consciousness can
manifest itself through
something called quantum superposition.
It's her.
Hey.
Do you remember
that watch at Peng's house?
I get it.
You suspect Peng...
But how could that be?
Peng.
Peng.
What's wrong?
I'm fine.
I'm perfectly fine.
I'm fine.
I've found the way.
It's that way. Let's hurry.
You're not Peng.
All that about sheltering
in that cave
and the white light.
It was all a lie.
The geology team leader
didn't disappear.
He simply used a means
to transfer
his consciousness onto someone else.
He did it again and again.
Living in other people's bodies.
He did it to Bighead 10 years ago.
And to Peng 10 years later.
It's all you.
You're the geology team leader.
This woman
was your wife.
After I came down the mountain
I heard the child had died.
I knew she'd be upset.
But I didn't take it seriously.
I thought she just needed some time
to come to terms with it.
I never imagined
she'd actually jump off that building.
The doctors said she'd never wake up.
I knew
it was a punishment.
That I was being punished.
Back then I was on my last legs.
I thought
I could wait.
I'd wait
until she woke up.
I owed her so much.
I had to wait.
So I was right.
Every 10 years you need to change body.
So you look for the next body.
That's the truth.
Truth?
Truth?
What truth?
That's what you think.
You think the world is how you imagine it.
The truth you're looking for
is nothing but an outcome.
An outcome void of responsibility
to satisfy your curiosity.
10 years.
20 years.
Shifting bodies again and again.
I started to worry
about her waking up.
If she really did wake up one day
what would she think of me?
Who am I really?
Bighead?
Peng?
Or
a monster!
Well?
I had no idea
I was trapped.
I can't go back in time.
And I can't see the future.
However much I cry out for help
no one answers.
All I can do is carry on
just like in that famous saying:
In that darkness with no boundaries
no one can save us.
The only thing lighting up the way forward
is ourselves.
Ourselves.
Only ourselves.
Ourselves.
What's going on?
The light went out.
Where's Peng?
Peng?
Director?
Director?
You'll get killed.
Scared to death
What did he mean by what he said just now?
Director?
Director?
Director!
Director!
Hey!
What's going on?
It's you!
Hey.
How did you get away?
I don't know
what happened.
When I woke up
I was out of the cave.
Who
Who are you?
You scared the living daylights out of me.
Honestly
What happened in there?
Well?
And Peng?
What happened to him?
What now?
We're waiting for Peng.
He'll be here soon.
What?
Is Peng acting too?
What the hell?
Consciousness, my ass.
What about
Bighead?
Did you make all that up too?
I once saw
a post in an online forum that said:
To be real
it has to look real.
You guys are something else.
The producer?
What was the producer's nickname?
You!
Who the hell are you?