Inverse (2014) Movie Script
(ethereal music)
(wind whipping)
(rock music)
- (gasps)
(gasping)
(groaning and panting)
(panting)
(grunting)
(grunting)
Unh! Agh!
(gasping)
(blinds clatter)
(faint radio
dispatch chatter)
(radio chatter continues)
(panting)
MAN: My sympathies
are with you, Veronica.
Max will be so greatly missed.
- "Max."
MAN: You and your family
are in our thoughts.
We are blessed to have known
Mr. Gilchrist.
May he rest in peace.
- (panting)
(ethereal music)
WOMAN: Can you hear me?!
(whispers)
Please.
(gasping)
(whispers)
Who are you?
- I'm Max Gilchrist.
- No.
WOMAN: Control yourself.
(breathing deeply)
- You're my wife.
Veronica Gilchrist.
I don't know why I'm here.
Please help me.
(pounding on door
and doorbell ringing)
- Don't answer it.
(doorbell rings)
(knock on door)
(pounding)
Do you recognize the name?
- No.
Maybe he came here
looking for me.
- Why would he come
here looking for you?
- I don't know.
- What would he want?
- I don't know. Okay?
I don't know.
I-I can't remember anything.
- I'm sorry.
- Stay back!
(whispering)
- It's okay.
It's okay.
I have you back.
I can't lose you again.
Please.
You cannot
leave this house.
Don't answer the door.
Don't answer
the phone.
Okay?
Nobody can see you.
Let's put you
in some clothes.
(door creaks)
(faint radio dispatch chatter)
(hangers clattering)
(tense percussive music)
(haunting music)
WOMAN: Max?
What did you do
to your...
What are you up to?
(ethereal music)
- (gasping)
MAN ON RADIO: Subject 26-7
exhibited dissociative behavior
at a pronounced level.
Subject 26-7 soon after
exhibited advanced paranoia
indicative of symmetry.
Witness nine, after Level B
coercion and interrogation,
noted that subject 26-7
after suspected contact date
seemed to be
"a different person."
(phone dialing)
(phone line ringing)
- Hello?
MAN: Do you know
who you are?
- I'm Max Gilchrist.
(sighs)
- Wrong.
- Is this Batter?
- You'd think, right?
Seeing as that's
the name on the card,
and you called the number.
- Yeah, and don't
come here again.
- Lights feel marvelous,
don't they?
Like ecstasy.
It's like oxygen for you.
You need the light,
right?
Now I got your attention?
Okay, first.
And hear me on this:
trust nobody, you hear me?
Nobody.
- What about you?
- Definitely not me.
You need the light
'cause you're dyin'.
You're inverse, man.
You scrambled your
brains to mush,
thinned yourself out
'cause you've been comin' here
so many times.
- Coming here from where?
- I can't talk about
this stuff over the phone.
I gotta see you
in person.
- I keep coming here
from where?
- I have something for you
that you gave me
last time you were here.
But we gotta be alone.
She can't be around.
Don't trust her.
- I keep coming here
from where?
- You're from
a parallel universe.
(dial tone)
(water bubbling)
(faint radio dispatch chatter)
(radio chatter
continues)
(mouse clicking)
- Hey.
Welcome back to the, uh...
Chronicles of
Life is Beautiful.
I'm Max Gilchrist.
Well, Tommy...
(panting)
...you said I couldn't do it.
There it is.
Over there.
Isn't she beautiful?
And, uh...
Veronica...
I love you.
Me.
I saw me.
And now I can't stop
thinking about it.
Me!
It won't stop.
(knock on door)
MAN: Max!
Come on, man, open up.
I know you're home.
I see your car in the drive.
Open up!
(knocking)
(camera clattering)
MAX: Are you alone?
MAN:
Yes, I'm alone!
MAX: Get in.
Go on.
Go on, get in there.
MAN: What the fuck
is the problem?
(door slamming on screen)
MAX: Get in here.
MAN: What the fuck is
the matter with you?
- My mind, it won't
stop thinking.
- That's what
minds do, right?
What's the matter with you?
- A loop that plays
over and over,
and in my head.
I saw me, okay!?
- Okay.
Come on, man.
(sobbing)
- And now it won't stop.
(Max sobs on screen)
- Come on, man,
this is Tommy.
What are you talking about?
- My face...
my eyes.
- You saw you?
- Me. I saw me.
(mouse clicks)
I saw me.
(mouse clicks)
I saw me.
(clicking)
I saw me.
- I killed him,
didn't I?
- You're here with me now.
That's all
I care about.
(gasping)
WOMAN: No, don't touch me!
MAX: Hey.
- No, I want you
to tell me
exactly what's
going on right now.
- You're scaring me.
- I saw you this morning!
You came to me,
you kissed me.
This morning, I saw you!
- Honey...
I was at work.
I wasn't here.
- Well, who did I see?!
- I don't know.
- You're lying.
- I'm not lying.
- When I kissed you,
I could tell.
But it was--
it was you exactly.
It was... up here.
Oh, my God.
What is happening?
What is happening?
What is happening?!
What is happening?
- Don't!
- What is happening?
MAX: It's okay.
WOMAN: No!
- It's okay!
- No! (sobs)
(scribbling)
(phone ringing)
(ringing)
BATTER: You hired me
to track you down
when you returned,
but you're so thinned
you don't remember.
Get her out of the house,
so we can talk.
(knock on door)
- You're still warm.
Let me get you some water.
- I want a--
I want a cheeseburger.
Yeah, I'm gonna go
get a cheeseburger. Yeah.
- No, you can't leave.
- I really want--
- I'll cook you something.
- Hey, you know,
I really just want a--
- We have plenty of food here.
- I really want to get
some air as well.
- Okay, I'll go.
Okay?
Promise me you won't
leave this house
while I'm gone, okay?
Promise me.
- Yeah, I promise.
- Okay?
- Okay.
- Cheeseburger.
I'll be back soon.
(pounding on door)
(pounding continues)
BATTER: Your antics are
costing both of us.
Uhh! What the fuck?
(both panting)
- Don't trust anyone.
- Hey, look at that,
you remembered something.
- Talk!
- I can't, I get shy
around knives.
You need to remember
yourself, asshole.
I wasn't even supposed to
tell you where you came from.
But you're so toasted,
I'm surprised
you even can remember
how to take a piss.
Grab what's in...
my side pocket.
Do it.
You need to take
the black one today
and the white one
the morning you leave.
It prepares your
cells for departure.
You gonna let me go or you gonna
bury that in my throat?
I'm sick of this shit!
I'm trying to help you,
you put a goddamn knife
to my throat, come on!
(breathing heavily)
(cork pops)
You wanna go home.
No matter how much
she or anybody
tries to convince you
to think differently,
you do not want to stay here.
- I came here
for a reason.
The...
The other version
of myself--
- Your echo.
(drink pouring)
- I came here
for a reason.
(scoffing)
- There's always a reason.
That's the problem,
you keep coming back here.
- Is that why I'm sick?
- (sighs)
Why I'm dyin'?
- No.
Our systems need time
to recover between trips.
You keep skipping your
recovery time back home.
You keep coming back
before it's safe.
Last time you left,
you were supposed
to pull a favor
for me back home.
You didn't do it.
Do you remember the favor?
(distant dog barking)
Useless son of a bitch.
We are so fucked.
- Well, wh--
what was the favor?
- Get me home.
Get me home.
That's what you promised.
- You have to leave, quick.
- Start with
the black one.
- Then what?
- Remember your three keys.
They're all up here.
Uh, expect some weirdness
after you swig that down.
It fucks with you,
it alters the system.
But, uh, that's okay.
It's all part
of the preparation.
Take it!
Take it now!
Trust me.
(sprinkler sputtering)
- (sighs)
- Hello?
(high pitched beeping)
(echoing breathing)
Oh, I forgot my wallet.
What's going on?
(sound slowed)
Are you okay?
Is it another fever?
- No.
Take off your dress.
- Excuse me?
- I wanna see you.
- No.
- Come here.
(heartbeat pounding)
Feel.
- You're beating
like a hummingbird.
You're hot.
(ethereal music)
(woman gasping)
(woman gasping)
(both panting)
(wind whipping)
(crickets chirping)
- I'm sick of you!
I'm sick of this house!
The air, you can't see
the stars at night.
- Stop it.
- You live here, not me!
- Stop it!
I am not staying in
the same room with you!
- (screaming)
I'm sorry.
- You've been saying this last
night and every two hours.
- You're hiding things from me!
- Then you wanna break me down!
- I know--
- Get out of my way!
(knocking)
WOMAN: Hold on.
Hold on a second!
Hi! Can I help you?
- I need to speak to you
about your colleague,
Max Gilchrist.
- I don't...
work with him anymore.
I'm sorry.
What is this regarding?
- The government.
- I would prefer you come
back when my husband is home.
- Your husband won't be home
until 5:30.
About 120 miles
due northeast from here,
there's a secret military base
located in the middle
of bone dry desert.
There's a dried out ravine
adjacent to the base.
I bury my interviewees
there up to their necks.
MAN ON PHONE: I don't know what
I did, don't leave me here!
- I've seen the noonday sun
peel the skin off a face.
MAN ON PHONE:
Please, you can't leave me!
- You see, the base's sewer
line empties into my ravine.
It's a leeching field.
Twice a day, my ravine
fills with shit.
And then it bakes.
It'll take me two hours
to get there from here,
depending on traffic,
which means I need to leave
in the next...
20 minutes.
So unless you want to
be my next interviewee,
answer the questions.
(door squeaks)
(light rock music)
- (chuckling)
- Feel better?
- Peachy.
(chuckling)
- "Peachy."
Beginning to sound like
a local all over again.
- So-- so how's
it all work, man?
- Wh--
- I mean...
How do I know
how to use a computer?
A phone...
I mean, I know how
to brush my teeth, but I...
can't remember who I am.
- You're given consciousness
for this world.
You can drive,
you can shop for a tie,
fly a kite, everything.
But you also
have full knowledge.
When you're healthy.
You're not healthy.
Your brain's mush.
So I gotta speak to you
in... metaphors,
so you understand.
But when it all clicks
back together again,
if it clicks together...
every single cell
in your entire body
will explode like
a sunburst of knowledge.
You won't need
the light anymore.
You'll see in
the fuckin' dark, man.
That's when you'll
be healthy again.
But if I try to
explain it to you now...
it'll sound like Chinese.
And if you understand Chinese,
it'll sound like
a language that
you don't understand.
Oh, shit, I... gotta pick up
my kid from school.
- Kid?
- Story for another time.
Who is she anyway?
- Veronica?
She's my wife.
- Not your wife,
Scrambled Egg, your Echo's.
Wait, where is your Echo,
anyway?
- He's dead.
I think I killed him.
- You what?
- Well... where do you think
he's been this whole time?
- Out of town, vacation.
Shit I don't know,
but not dead.
- Well, how come
you don't know?
I mean you've been
stalking me since I got here.
- You told me where you
were gonna return, and when.
That's it-- you never
talked about your Echo,
so I never asked!
Shit!
Shit!
Tell me what you know,
right now.
- It comes in pieces.
I... get little bits
of memories.
(gate squeaking)
You gotta go.
- Fuck that!
- You gotta leave now.
- This world knows about us.
Their governments
know about us.
They hunt us down.
They find you,
they do unimaginable shit
to get answers.
If you killed your Echo,
you're dead...
and so am I.
What did you tell her?
- Everything.
(door slides shut)
- You idiot.
- He's dangerous!
Get out of my house,
or I will slice your throat!
- Calm down, calm down.
- Get out!
- You're scared and confused,
I understand.
But please, calm down
and answer a simple question.
Did he kill your husband?
- Leave now!
- He's staying!
He's staying,
I need him to stay.
Put it down.
Put it down.
- Move!
(ethereal music)
(zapping)
- (groaning)
(grunting)
(gasps)
(gasps)
- No.
No!
No!
(grunting)
No!
No!
No, no!
(panting)
(whimpering)
- This ring a bell?
No?
Okay.
How about this one?
- I already know it.
- Good.
That's good.
What is it?
- It's 9:22.
- AM or PM?
- AM.
- It feels good to you?
- I see it in my mind
clear as day.
- There you go.
You got your departure time.
If your memory comes back,
your internal clock...
(watch beeping)
...will kick in.
But in case it doesn't.
Jump in the pool
at 9:22 tomorrow morning.
That's your Lumin.
- Lumin?
- Your portal.
All you need to do is
remember your third key
and you ride home.
If your Echo is dead...
why did you come back?
- I have less than 24 hours
to figure that out.
- Maybe this'll help.
I couldn't give it to you
until you remembered your time.
Get me home.
(drink pouring)
We come here.
We have rules
we have to follow.
No contact.
Remain invisible.
You're not you.
Remember that.
(doll crying)
BATTER: We come here
to see a...
different version
of ourselves.
(kiss)
But we can't
control what we see.
Their unpredictable lives,
the choices they make.
The ones they don't.
What they fear...
what they love.
Since contact is forbidden,
we're not gonna stand
outside the window
all day and night
like a Peeping Tom.
We spy like a Peeping Tom.
And we set up cameras.
How'd it go?
WOMAN: Great.
Yeah, it was really fun.
- I have a present
for you.
I brought you
something special.
And I know...
you're gonna like it.
(chuckling)
Come on, I'll, uh, pay you,
and you can hit the road here.
WOMAN: Sounds good.
- Um...
(continues indistinctly)
BATTER: Crazy, isn't it?
Just looks so wacky.
I just thought it would
be really great on you.
You gonna put that on
and make me happy.
You're gonna have a good time.
(ominous music)
My Lumin was the next morning.
I had no choice.
I had to leave.
But I came back.
(distant glass breaking)
(glass shattering)
(crunching)
(baby crying)
(baby doll crying)
When I made contact,
the look in his eyes.
The dark recesses of his mind.
I saw it light up
for the first time.
The primordial reconnection.
Like watching
the birth of a star.
I didn't speak.
I didn't move.
I just let him
soak in the shock.
I couldn't stand
the sight of him.
(thwack)
Uhh!
(thud)
Uhh!
(muttering and groaning)
Uhh!
The bad man is gone, honey.
He is never gonna
hurt you again.
Okay?
- Okay, Daddy.
BATTER: Rule number one.
Do no harm to your Echo.
Or else it's automatic
closure of the Lumin.
And if your actions
cause your Echo to die...
...they take your life.
So I'm stuck here.
Looking after a kid
that isn't mine.
Hiding in the shadow.
- How did they find out?
- They know everything.
The only reason
I'm not dead yet...
is because of you.
You were sent here
to kill me.
But you discovered your Echo
and everything changed.
I helped you.
- What is it?
- Your nest.
(light rock music)
You think you know
But you don't
know me, you...
- (gasps)
- We need to talk
about your husband.
(door squeaking)
(faint radio dispatch chatter)
(radio chatter continues)
- I, um...
I made my first
visit today.
His name is Max.
He's a happy guy.
I saw his wife, too.
Veronica.
She's beautiful.
I'm-- I'm...
I'm struck at
how beautiful she is.
(chuckling)
(stammering)
This is extraordinary.
I'm picking up
the modified video cameras
from Batter tomorrow.
Exciting stuff.
(static)
I made contact.
The camera...
in the living room...
went black, it went out!
I followed the schedule.
Max was supposed
to be at work!
Max walked in.
The way he looked
at me, the...
Like a-- like a lost child,
like, I don't know.
Unable to process,
so fragile, so weak.
I had to leave.
I-I-I walked out the back
and I just left him.
I'm worried about him.
I'm worried about her.
I need to know
if she's okay.
I don't know what to do.
(latches snap)
(ominous music)
(faucet squeaking)
(water running)
(water running)
MAN: Hey now.
If someone's here,
you may as well come out, okay?
- (panting softly)
(door squeaks)
(gasps)
(gasps)
(shrieks)
(Veronica grunting,
phone ringing)
- Oh!
- What are you doing here?!
(phone ringing)
Answer me!
(voice mail beeps)
MAX: Veronica, it's me.
Are you there?
Pick up.
Pick up the phone.
MAN: Aagh!
- Come on.
Pick up the phone...
- Uhh!
- (muffled sob)
- Max.
Ohh.
Max told me about you.
He talked about you...
all night long.
(man sniffles)
Max died.
- Tommy.
It's okay.
- (grunting)
(whispering)
- Okay?
All right?
I'm gonna put it down.
It's okay.
(Veronica breathing hard)
(Veronica whimpers)
- Uhh!
- No!
(Veronica moaning,
sound slowed)
- (muffled speech)
- Look at you.
- (muffled speech)
- Where's Veronica?
- Veronica is in Portland...
mourning the death of my brother
with her family.
This is Veronica!
My brother, he hung himself
in that garage two weeks ago.
I found him.
We buried him a week ago.
So why don't you
tell me who you are?
- Tommy, listen to me, please.
- You killed Max.
- Tommy...
- You killed...
He was scared.
He lost his mind!
Max is dead
because of you!
- I'm sorry.
- Ohh.
Tommy, I can...
Tommy, don't call
anyone else, please.
You don't understand--
(muffled protests)
- Shut up!
(muffled protests)
(muffled)
- Tommy, Tommy! Come back!
(muffled protests)
Tommy!
- Hi.
Is this Albert?
This is Tommy.
(muffled)
- Tommy, listen to me!
- You're not gonna believe
what I'm about to tell you.
MAN: How long
has he been here?
TOMMY: Uh, I don't know.
Two hours maybe.
- Two hours?
- Yeah.
- And her as well?
- I-I found her first, so...
- Just hang back here.
I'll take care
of the rest.
- Okay.
- (exhales)
Hello, Max.
- He isn't Max.
Is he?
- Just give me a minute, okay?
- His voice,
it's Max's voice.
He's got Max's eyes.
One moment I see him,
and the next I don't.
- Step outside a moment.
Don't automatically
assume that a new Max
suddenly appeared
out of thin air.
Do you understand
that's science fiction?
- Yes.
- Good.
Now, I know
what I'm doing.
So shut up...
and follow my lead.
- I don't want anyone hurt.
- You have two people
bound and gagged.
I'm professionally trained.
Trust me.
- (grunts)
- Hi... I'm Albert.
How are you?
- Peachy.
- Good.
Why don't you tell us
where you came from?
- I don't know.
- Did the stork bring you?
- Sounds about right.
- Hmm, yeah.
How did you get here?
- I don't know.
- Okay.
What's the first thing
you remember?
- Well, um...
Mr. Stork, he must have
missed his target
because I was drowning.
(phone ringing)
Uh, in water.
(ringing)
- Um, literally?
Like, um...
like underwater?
- Yeah, that's how
it works, right?
Underwater, drowning.
- (chuckling)
Obviously. Right.
Stupid question.
(muffled)
- Tommy... uhh!
- Shh.
Let's talk with the woman.
- (muffled shouting)
(shouts)
- Hi Susan, Bill.
Uh... uh, good, good.
Real quick, do you think
you could watch Meghan
for a couple more hours?
I had an urgent business
commitment come up and, uh...
Oh great, great, thanks,
I really appreciate it.
Bye.
(Taser clacking)
Uhh!
(thud)
(ominous music)
(Batter groaning)
Hey. Hey, what the...
(weakly)
What are you doing?
Hey, don't, don't,
don't, don't, no.
MAX: Hey.
Hey... hey...
(Veronica groans softly)
Are you okay?
(weakly)
- No.
- Who are you?
- The woman you used to love.
- You're from
the same place as me.
- Yes.
- Why are you here?
- To bring you home.
(grunting)
(Max grunting)
- Uhh!
- You disintegrated
before my eyes.
You fell in love with her.
You kept coming here.
Even when your health
was at risk.
You barely made it
home alive last time.
(grunts)
How did I lose you?
What did I do wrong?
- You didn't
do anything wrong.
This was all my fault.
- This is the consequence.
- This is my last trip.
- You've said that
a dozen times.
- I have less than a day.
- Me too.
- When do you leave?
- An hour after you.
So I make sure you return.
(door sliding open and closed)
- You two having a grand time
catching up?
- Why don't you untie me
and we'll talk about it?
- Nah.
(click, electronic static)
MAX: (on recording)
I have less than a day.
(click)
- (chuckling)
Isn't this the best
fucking idea?
It works every time.
- Just don't tell
him where it is.
You stay calm.
- Stop! (screams)
ALBERT: Your brother is dead.
- I can't do this.
- Okay...
- I can't!
- Come on! Come here.
- Just relax!
The moment you saw him,
you fell into a black hole.
You will vanish if you
don't do exactly as I say.
- (Max grunting)
- You will disappear.
(phone vibrating)
(Max continues struggling)
(phone line ringing)
(mutters)
- Shit.
WOMAN: You have
reached the voicemail
of mailbox number--
- You want the truth?
- Yeah, I'm listening.
- The government has a branch.
Makes DARPA look
like Disneyland.
They've been tracking
people like him.
They know about him.
They're real life...
doppelgangers.
The multiverse theory,
if you're familiar with it...
is true.
The government has an entire
campus underground
where they research on them.
I work with the government
in this capacity.
- (scoffs)
He's not the only one?
- There's an entire lab
full of them.
The government hunts
and collects them.
Some of their kind
work with us.
A few rare people are able
to handle a contact
but most people go bonkers,
like your brother.
No offense.
I'm telling you all this
because I like you.
And I don't want you
to disappear.
(Max coughing)
- So what do we do?
- You need to trust
everything I do.
And you help without question.
Understand?
- Okay.
- He possesses knowledge.
Equations, formulas.
The technology that
brought them here?
We're talking tens
of billions of dollars
worth of information.
But they never talk.
We get that information...
and you and I,
we can disappear.
But on our terms.
- How do we get it?
- Go get the watering can
from outside.
(Max gurgling and sputtering)
(Albert humming)
(Max gasping for air)
(Max coughing)
Fill it up.
(Max coughing)
(Max gasping)
- He's dead.
You know it
and I know it.
But I can save you...
and I can save her.
So let's speak to each other,
scientist to scientist.
Start with quantum mechanics
and dark matter.
Explain what you know.
- (panting)
It'll only
sound like Chinese.
And if you know Chinese...
it would sound like
some other language
you don't understand.
- Actually,
I know... a lot.
About you and your kind.
Primaries, echoes.
I've got all night.
- You sure
you've got all night?
Who keeps calling you?
- Well, if you prefer...
I can go tap, tap, tap
on your lady's shinbones
with a hammer until she talks.
- What I have to say
is not very encouraging.
- Enlighten me.
- You don't have
the intellectual capacity
to understand.
Not you individually,
your race.
You hear how you
only use 10% of your brain?
It hasn't always
been that way.
You used to use 100%.
- Actually, I do use
100% of my brain.
My hypothalamus,
my cerebral cortex,
my temporal lobe.
If I didn't use
100% of my brain,
I wouldn't be able to
button up my shirt.
Drive my car...
stand in front of you.
The 10% is an urban myth.
- You preach your ignorance
with such confidence.
- So...
(sighs)
That 90% differential, what?
Deteriorated over time?
- Precisely.
(breathing heavily)
Start with Schrodinger.
- Schrodinger?
You mean like
Schrodinger's cat
and the Copenhagen
interpretation
of quantum mechanics?
Are you talking
about entanglement?
Does this have validity?
- (laughing)
- You think
the Earth is flat, too.
(laughing)
(Max grunting)
- Just stop!
It's not working!
(grunting)
- Aagh!
- I said nobody
gets hurt!
- Let me go, you idiot!
You imbecile.
- (Max choking)
TOMMY: He's Max!
You're hurting him!
- Fucking retard!
You will fucking die!
You will fucking die,
you fucking idiot!
(both panting)
(Max coughs)
I understand your pain.
I've experienced loss too.
I empathize.
You want answers.
- I want my brother back!
- I can't do that.
But we can
get answers.
We need answers.
Let me go.
Together we'll find them.
(Max coughing)
Put this back
where it belongs.
It only makes him
more of a wise-ass anyway.
(Max groaning)
(Max gasping and groaning)
You've given me no choice
but to work over
your lady friend, asshole!
Sleep tight.
(Max groaning)
(sobbing)
(groaning)
(panting)
Bingo.
Flash you lights
if you're out there.
You say you're there.
I don't fucking
see anything.
No, you're not at 1659 Orion.
You wanna know why I know that?
Because that's where I am.
What you talking--
no, no, no, don't call it in.
It's a Loch Ness pickup.
It's a goddamn
Loch Ness pickup,
you newbie-ass fuck!
Look, I didn't call it in,
and you don't report it.
Now, get your ass
here two minutes ago.
(mutters)
Bitches.
(van idling)
(Veronica grunting in protest)
- (muffled cries)
(banging)
(ominous music)
(crickets chirping)
You forced me to break out
my bag of tricks.
I know why you came back.
You'll talk.
- (grunting)
- Where are we going?
(muffled banging from trunk)
- You'll see.
- (grunting)
(muffled banging continues)
- They're gonna
let her go, right?
- Don't you worry about it.
(lock clicks, lid squeaks)
- (grunting)
MAN: (echoing)
This time, it's war.
(electronic sound effects
on stereo)
(techno music playing)
JACK NICHOLSON: Here's Johnny!
DJ, let the bass
drum go like--
(music shuts off)
(Max grunts)
(Albert panting)
(Max grunting)
- Welcome to the clean house.
Some of the sick fucks
I work with
call it the fun house.
When you're here,
you don't exist.
- Where is she?
- Your friend?
She's en route
to another fun house
far, far from here.
She's gone.
- (gasps)
- You aren't gonna
see her again.
- (sobbing)
- That's the price you pay
for not talking!
- (screaming)
I can't talk!
It would be
your annihilation!
You'll just turn the information
against yourselves,
wipe out your entire
fucking race, you idiot!
- Body count is going to
continue to climb
unless you cooperate.
The clock is ticking!
TOMMY: You told me
they were taking her home!
- Wake up, Tommy!
Get with the program.
(snaps fingers)
Snap out of it.
She's not going home.
(weakly)
- Listen to me, Tommy.
He's gonna kill you.
Then me.
He just needed
an extra pair of hands
to do his dirty work.
He's just using you.
Tommy, look at me!
Think of Max.
Max wouldn't
want you to die.
- He's trying to get
inside your head.
MAX: Shut up! Shut up!
Tommy.
Max, Tommy.
Think of...
- Take out your gun!
Put it on the table!
Prove him wrong.
- You're not understanding
the full magnitude
of our situation.
- I understand.
I'm not stupid!
- Really?
You understand that
we're in possession
of an alien life form?
The gun is for protection
for both of us.
If you're not
fucking stupid,
stop acting like you are.
Talk.
Talk.
Lights.
- No.
- Tommy, hit
the fuckin' lights.
- No!
This has gone too far!
Now, I was confused.
I see straight now.
This man,
whoever he is,
he must have
part of Max in him.
And even if it's
a fraction of my brother,
then he's a better man
than you!
I'm no longer
part of this.
You go fuck yourself!
- Okay.
Okay, Tommy.
I haven't been
100% honest with you.
But now you see straight,
so I'm gonna peel
the whole banana for you.
You deserve it.
You've been a trooper.
- No!
(grunts)
The blondie back there.
She's gonna be tortured until
either she spills some beans
or she dies.
He made contact
with your brother.
Weak Max,
who went cuckoo
and hanged himself
in the garage.
That much you knew.
But what you didn't know...
what the real
question is, Tommy...
is why did he
keep coming back?
Even after your brother
was dead.
He wasn't
interested in Max.
He wanted Max's wife,
Veronica.
(chuckling)
Isn't that somethin'?
All this because he wanted
to get his dick wet.
I pieced it together.
You know how?
Well, I questioned Veronica.
Because that's what I do,
I leave no stone unturned.
- If you hurt her--
- If I hurt her what, Tommy?
What?
Because I did hurt her.
I hurt her real bad.
It's my job.
Remember, Tommy?
I'm a professional.
So what are you
gonna do, save him?
You couldn't save
your brother Max.
What makes you think
you can save him?
- (shouting)
Uhh!
(Max groaning)
(muffled)
- No!
(muffled scream)
- Max, gone.
Your blondie, gone.
Tommy, gone!
The bodies are piling up
because of you.
That's on your conscience!
(Max groaning)
(chair scraping
and squeaking)
(woman shrieks)
- You have less
than an hour left.
So here's how
we're gonna proceed.
I keep taking away your light,
let her watch you
squeal in pain.
Then when you're
good and worn down,
you get to watch me,
front row seat,
while I get busy with her,
using more traditional methods.
(Max groaning loudly)
I gotta say...
your stroke of genius
was returning to Max's house.
And so soon.
In a million years,
we didn't figure that.
We calculated...
two months, the earliest.
We've been
on a wild goose chase,
scrubbing clean
every single person
affiliated with Max.
All the while,
you're at the house.
Fuckin'-A!
(Max groaning)
- Every single cell
in your entire body
will explode like
a sunburst of knowledge.
(rock music)
(Max groaning)
You won't need
the light anymore.
You'll see
in the fuckin' dark, man.
(Max panting)
- Don't make her watch
anymore.
She's been through
enough already.
Agreed?
- Yeah.
I got a bad feeling
about this.
- What?
- I said...
I got a bad feeling
about this.
- No shit.
- No.
It's a line
from "Star Wars."
- What the fuck
are you talking about?
- You don't think it's funny
that I'm referencing
"Star Wars"?
- Fuck it,
I'm turning the lights off
for good this time.
- Wait!
Wait.
(ethereal music)
What I'm saying is...
I'll give you what you want.
You let her go.
There's one formula.
It'll make you the richest man
that's ever lived.
It'll be your next step
forward in evolution.
It'll drag you right
into World War III.
- That's all I want.
That's all I want.
Just one formula.
Then I'll let her go.
I'll let you go.
We all walk away.
We all win.
- Okay.
But I have to write it.
You won't understand
what I say.
It goes back to
the dormant brain.
You're--
you're too dumb.
Look, I'll write it.
I'll give it to you.
(wincing)
- Pull anything stupid,
she gets the bullet,
and you get lights out for good.
(chalk scraping softly)
(chalk clatters)
- (whimpering)
- So that's how
it's gonna be?
After all this?
So long, asshole.
(zap)
MAX: I've got a bad
feelin' about this.
(zap)
(Albert grunting)
(choking)
(groans)
- Say hi to Bertolf for me.
- Uhh!
(keys jingling)
(somber music)
You have to get up,
come on.
Let's go, move, up!
- No!
- Hey.
- (sniffles)
- Hey.
We have to leave now.
Come on. Come on.
(Max grunts)
Ugh.
You have every right
to be scared.
Your entire world has
been turned upside down.
I get it.
I came back to help you.
Please let me help you.
- No... I lost Max.
He's gone.
Max is gone.
- Please.
You're in grave,
grave danger.
We need to leave now.
- You came to me!
But you're...
You are not Max!
- My name is Arquin.
- Arquin.
- We have no time.
(whispering)
Okay. Okay.
Let's go, this way.
Let's go.
(machinery humming loudly)
(metallic crashing)
(metallic clatter)
(both panting)
(metallic clatter)
- (panting)
This way, go!
(ignition firing)
(tires screeching)
(Max breathing heavily)
(tires screeching)
- You took it all away.
That... psychopath
back there,
he explained
everything to me.
Where you're from.
You came here and you
spied on Max and me.
Like we were animals
at the zoo!
- No.
- No, isn't that right?
- I was only curious, I just--
- You're sick!
You're the animal!
- You're right.
I'm not a good man.
I came here.
I found a better person
than me.
I didn't mean for
any of this to happen.
- (sighs)
- Why did you come to me
that morning?
- It was a mistake.
I was foolish.
- Why?
You can never go home.
You can never
contact anybody.
Not your family,
not your friends, nobody.
This will give you
the means to disappear.
(sniffles)
You have to leave now.
(car zooming by)
You have to leave now.
Now!
Go.
Now!
I'm sorry.
(tires screeching)
(engine revving)
(tires screeching)
- (sniffles)
ARQUIN:
Veronica, I'm sorry.
For the rest
of my living days...
Not one moment...
thought...breath I take
will pass without me
feeling those words.
There's no forgiveness
for what I've done.
My selfish curiosity is
responsible for Max's death.
I'm truly sorry.
I'm sorry I came to you
that morning.
I was drawn to you.
I had an attraction,
a connection.
A deep connection...
that I could neither
deny or resist.
I was selfish.
I fell to my own
temptations, my needs.
MAN: Go!
(door crashes in)
Not one thought
for the consequences.
(ethereal music)
(footsteps echoing)
I am truly sorry.
(ethereal music)
(rifles cocking)
(water bubbling)
(birds tweeting)
- You'll come back for her.
Sit by the depression
You don't want to remember
Where you were
when all that happened
Where were you
when all that happened?
Will that be me?
Will that be me?
Will that be me?
Will that be me?
Will that be me?
Will that be me?
I remember only
My favorite Halloweens
And nothing in between
Age five or six to 12
Was it really you?
Was it really you?
Was it really you?
Was it really you?
Was it really you?
Was it really you?
I imagine your face
Young and old, really gone
Was there something else
supposed to happen?
Was there something else
we should have said?
I wish I was gone,
I wish I was gone
I wish I was gone
I wish I was gone
I wish I was gone,
I wish I was gone
Away, away, away, away
Away, away, away, away,
away, away
Was it really you?
Was it really you?
Was it really you?
Was it really you?
Was it really you?
Was it really you?
(wind whipping)
(rock music)
- (gasps)
(gasping)
(groaning and panting)
(panting)
(grunting)
(grunting)
Unh! Agh!
(gasping)
(blinds clatter)
(faint radio
dispatch chatter)
(radio chatter continues)
(panting)
MAN: My sympathies
are with you, Veronica.
Max will be so greatly missed.
- "Max."
MAN: You and your family
are in our thoughts.
We are blessed to have known
Mr. Gilchrist.
May he rest in peace.
- (panting)
(ethereal music)
WOMAN: Can you hear me?!
(whispers)
Please.
(gasping)
(whispers)
Who are you?
- I'm Max Gilchrist.
- No.
WOMAN: Control yourself.
(breathing deeply)
- You're my wife.
Veronica Gilchrist.
I don't know why I'm here.
Please help me.
(pounding on door
and doorbell ringing)
- Don't answer it.
(doorbell rings)
(knock on door)
(pounding)
Do you recognize the name?
- No.
Maybe he came here
looking for me.
- Why would he come
here looking for you?
- I don't know.
- What would he want?
- I don't know. Okay?
I don't know.
I-I can't remember anything.
- I'm sorry.
- Stay back!
(whispering)
- It's okay.
It's okay.
I have you back.
I can't lose you again.
Please.
You cannot
leave this house.
Don't answer the door.
Don't answer
the phone.
Okay?
Nobody can see you.
Let's put you
in some clothes.
(door creaks)
(faint radio dispatch chatter)
(hangers clattering)
(tense percussive music)
(haunting music)
WOMAN: Max?
What did you do
to your...
What are you up to?
(ethereal music)
- (gasping)
MAN ON RADIO: Subject 26-7
exhibited dissociative behavior
at a pronounced level.
Subject 26-7 soon after
exhibited advanced paranoia
indicative of symmetry.
Witness nine, after Level B
coercion and interrogation,
noted that subject 26-7
after suspected contact date
seemed to be
"a different person."
(phone dialing)
(phone line ringing)
- Hello?
MAN: Do you know
who you are?
- I'm Max Gilchrist.
(sighs)
- Wrong.
- Is this Batter?
- You'd think, right?
Seeing as that's
the name on the card,
and you called the number.
- Yeah, and don't
come here again.
- Lights feel marvelous,
don't they?
Like ecstasy.
It's like oxygen for you.
You need the light,
right?
Now I got your attention?
Okay, first.
And hear me on this:
trust nobody, you hear me?
Nobody.
- What about you?
- Definitely not me.
You need the light
'cause you're dyin'.
You're inverse, man.
You scrambled your
brains to mush,
thinned yourself out
'cause you've been comin' here
so many times.
- Coming here from where?
- I can't talk about
this stuff over the phone.
I gotta see you
in person.
- I keep coming here
from where?
- I have something for you
that you gave me
last time you were here.
But we gotta be alone.
She can't be around.
Don't trust her.
- I keep coming here
from where?
- You're from
a parallel universe.
(dial tone)
(water bubbling)
(faint radio dispatch chatter)
(radio chatter
continues)
(mouse clicking)
- Hey.
Welcome back to the, uh...
Chronicles of
Life is Beautiful.
I'm Max Gilchrist.
Well, Tommy...
(panting)
...you said I couldn't do it.
There it is.
Over there.
Isn't she beautiful?
And, uh...
Veronica...
I love you.
Me.
I saw me.
And now I can't stop
thinking about it.
Me!
It won't stop.
(knock on door)
MAN: Max!
Come on, man, open up.
I know you're home.
I see your car in the drive.
Open up!
(knocking)
(camera clattering)
MAX: Are you alone?
MAN:
Yes, I'm alone!
MAX: Get in.
Go on.
Go on, get in there.
MAN: What the fuck
is the problem?
(door slamming on screen)
MAX: Get in here.
MAN: What the fuck is
the matter with you?
- My mind, it won't
stop thinking.
- That's what
minds do, right?
What's the matter with you?
- A loop that plays
over and over,
and in my head.
I saw me, okay!?
- Okay.
Come on, man.
(sobbing)
- And now it won't stop.
(Max sobs on screen)
- Come on, man,
this is Tommy.
What are you talking about?
- My face...
my eyes.
- You saw you?
- Me. I saw me.
(mouse clicks)
I saw me.
(mouse clicks)
I saw me.
(clicking)
I saw me.
- I killed him,
didn't I?
- You're here with me now.
That's all
I care about.
(gasping)
WOMAN: No, don't touch me!
MAX: Hey.
- No, I want you
to tell me
exactly what's
going on right now.
- You're scaring me.
- I saw you this morning!
You came to me,
you kissed me.
This morning, I saw you!
- Honey...
I was at work.
I wasn't here.
- Well, who did I see?!
- I don't know.
- You're lying.
- I'm not lying.
- When I kissed you,
I could tell.
But it was--
it was you exactly.
It was... up here.
Oh, my God.
What is happening?
What is happening?
What is happening?!
What is happening?
- Don't!
- What is happening?
MAX: It's okay.
WOMAN: No!
- It's okay!
- No! (sobs)
(scribbling)
(phone ringing)
(ringing)
BATTER: You hired me
to track you down
when you returned,
but you're so thinned
you don't remember.
Get her out of the house,
so we can talk.
(knock on door)
- You're still warm.
Let me get you some water.
- I want a--
I want a cheeseburger.
Yeah, I'm gonna go
get a cheeseburger. Yeah.
- No, you can't leave.
- I really want--
- I'll cook you something.
- Hey, you know,
I really just want a--
- We have plenty of food here.
- I really want to get
some air as well.
- Okay, I'll go.
Okay?
Promise me you won't
leave this house
while I'm gone, okay?
Promise me.
- Yeah, I promise.
- Okay?
- Okay.
- Cheeseburger.
I'll be back soon.
(pounding on door)
(pounding continues)
BATTER: Your antics are
costing both of us.
Uhh! What the fuck?
(both panting)
- Don't trust anyone.
- Hey, look at that,
you remembered something.
- Talk!
- I can't, I get shy
around knives.
You need to remember
yourself, asshole.
I wasn't even supposed to
tell you where you came from.
But you're so toasted,
I'm surprised
you even can remember
how to take a piss.
Grab what's in...
my side pocket.
Do it.
You need to take
the black one today
and the white one
the morning you leave.
It prepares your
cells for departure.
You gonna let me go or you gonna
bury that in my throat?
I'm sick of this shit!
I'm trying to help you,
you put a goddamn knife
to my throat, come on!
(breathing heavily)
(cork pops)
You wanna go home.
No matter how much
she or anybody
tries to convince you
to think differently,
you do not want to stay here.
- I came here
for a reason.
The...
The other version
of myself--
- Your echo.
(drink pouring)
- I came here
for a reason.
(scoffing)
- There's always a reason.
That's the problem,
you keep coming back here.
- Is that why I'm sick?
- (sighs)
Why I'm dyin'?
- No.
Our systems need time
to recover between trips.
You keep skipping your
recovery time back home.
You keep coming back
before it's safe.
Last time you left,
you were supposed
to pull a favor
for me back home.
You didn't do it.
Do you remember the favor?
(distant dog barking)
Useless son of a bitch.
We are so fucked.
- Well, wh--
what was the favor?
- Get me home.
Get me home.
That's what you promised.
- You have to leave, quick.
- Start with
the black one.
- Then what?
- Remember your three keys.
They're all up here.
Uh, expect some weirdness
after you swig that down.
It fucks with you,
it alters the system.
But, uh, that's okay.
It's all part
of the preparation.
Take it!
Take it now!
Trust me.
(sprinkler sputtering)
- (sighs)
- Hello?
(high pitched beeping)
(echoing breathing)
Oh, I forgot my wallet.
What's going on?
(sound slowed)
Are you okay?
Is it another fever?
- No.
Take off your dress.
- Excuse me?
- I wanna see you.
- No.
- Come here.
(heartbeat pounding)
Feel.
- You're beating
like a hummingbird.
You're hot.
(ethereal music)
(woman gasping)
(woman gasping)
(both panting)
(wind whipping)
(crickets chirping)
- I'm sick of you!
I'm sick of this house!
The air, you can't see
the stars at night.
- Stop it.
- You live here, not me!
- Stop it!
I am not staying in
the same room with you!
- (screaming)
I'm sorry.
- You've been saying this last
night and every two hours.
- You're hiding things from me!
- Then you wanna break me down!
- I know--
- Get out of my way!
(knocking)
WOMAN: Hold on.
Hold on a second!
Hi! Can I help you?
- I need to speak to you
about your colleague,
Max Gilchrist.
- I don't...
work with him anymore.
I'm sorry.
What is this regarding?
- The government.
- I would prefer you come
back when my husband is home.
- Your husband won't be home
until 5:30.
About 120 miles
due northeast from here,
there's a secret military base
located in the middle
of bone dry desert.
There's a dried out ravine
adjacent to the base.
I bury my interviewees
there up to their necks.
MAN ON PHONE: I don't know what
I did, don't leave me here!
- I've seen the noonday sun
peel the skin off a face.
MAN ON PHONE:
Please, you can't leave me!
- You see, the base's sewer
line empties into my ravine.
It's a leeching field.
Twice a day, my ravine
fills with shit.
And then it bakes.
It'll take me two hours
to get there from here,
depending on traffic,
which means I need to leave
in the next...
20 minutes.
So unless you want to
be my next interviewee,
answer the questions.
(door squeaks)
(light rock music)
- (chuckling)
- Feel better?
- Peachy.
(chuckling)
- "Peachy."
Beginning to sound like
a local all over again.
- So-- so how's
it all work, man?
- Wh--
- I mean...
How do I know
how to use a computer?
A phone...
I mean, I know how
to brush my teeth, but I...
can't remember who I am.
- You're given consciousness
for this world.
You can drive,
you can shop for a tie,
fly a kite, everything.
But you also
have full knowledge.
When you're healthy.
You're not healthy.
Your brain's mush.
So I gotta speak to you
in... metaphors,
so you understand.
But when it all clicks
back together again,
if it clicks together...
every single cell
in your entire body
will explode like
a sunburst of knowledge.
You won't need
the light anymore.
You'll see in
the fuckin' dark, man.
That's when you'll
be healthy again.
But if I try to
explain it to you now...
it'll sound like Chinese.
And if you understand Chinese,
it'll sound like
a language that
you don't understand.
Oh, shit, I... gotta pick up
my kid from school.
- Kid?
- Story for another time.
Who is she anyway?
- Veronica?
She's my wife.
- Not your wife,
Scrambled Egg, your Echo's.
Wait, where is your Echo,
anyway?
- He's dead.
I think I killed him.
- You what?
- Well... where do you think
he's been this whole time?
- Out of town, vacation.
Shit I don't know,
but not dead.
- Well, how come
you don't know?
I mean you've been
stalking me since I got here.
- You told me where you
were gonna return, and when.
That's it-- you never
talked about your Echo,
so I never asked!
Shit!
Shit!
Tell me what you know,
right now.
- It comes in pieces.
I... get little bits
of memories.
(gate squeaking)
You gotta go.
- Fuck that!
- You gotta leave now.
- This world knows about us.
Their governments
know about us.
They hunt us down.
They find you,
they do unimaginable shit
to get answers.
If you killed your Echo,
you're dead...
and so am I.
What did you tell her?
- Everything.
(door slides shut)
- You idiot.
- He's dangerous!
Get out of my house,
or I will slice your throat!
- Calm down, calm down.
- Get out!
- You're scared and confused,
I understand.
But please, calm down
and answer a simple question.
Did he kill your husband?
- Leave now!
- He's staying!
He's staying,
I need him to stay.
Put it down.
Put it down.
- Move!
(ethereal music)
(zapping)
- (groaning)
(grunting)
(gasps)
(gasps)
- No.
No!
No!
(grunting)
No!
No!
No, no!
(panting)
(whimpering)
- This ring a bell?
No?
Okay.
How about this one?
- I already know it.
- Good.
That's good.
What is it?
- It's 9:22.
- AM or PM?
- AM.
- It feels good to you?
- I see it in my mind
clear as day.
- There you go.
You got your departure time.
If your memory comes back,
your internal clock...
(watch beeping)
...will kick in.
But in case it doesn't.
Jump in the pool
at 9:22 tomorrow morning.
That's your Lumin.
- Lumin?
- Your portal.
All you need to do is
remember your third key
and you ride home.
If your Echo is dead...
why did you come back?
- I have less than 24 hours
to figure that out.
- Maybe this'll help.
I couldn't give it to you
until you remembered your time.
Get me home.
(drink pouring)
We come here.
We have rules
we have to follow.
No contact.
Remain invisible.
You're not you.
Remember that.
(doll crying)
BATTER: We come here
to see a...
different version
of ourselves.
(kiss)
But we can't
control what we see.
Their unpredictable lives,
the choices they make.
The ones they don't.
What they fear...
what they love.
Since contact is forbidden,
we're not gonna stand
outside the window
all day and night
like a Peeping Tom.
We spy like a Peeping Tom.
And we set up cameras.
How'd it go?
WOMAN: Great.
Yeah, it was really fun.
- I have a present
for you.
I brought you
something special.
And I know...
you're gonna like it.
(chuckling)
Come on, I'll, uh, pay you,
and you can hit the road here.
WOMAN: Sounds good.
- Um...
(continues indistinctly)
BATTER: Crazy, isn't it?
Just looks so wacky.
I just thought it would
be really great on you.
You gonna put that on
and make me happy.
You're gonna have a good time.
(ominous music)
My Lumin was the next morning.
I had no choice.
I had to leave.
But I came back.
(distant glass breaking)
(glass shattering)
(crunching)
(baby crying)
(baby doll crying)
When I made contact,
the look in his eyes.
The dark recesses of his mind.
I saw it light up
for the first time.
The primordial reconnection.
Like watching
the birth of a star.
I didn't speak.
I didn't move.
I just let him
soak in the shock.
I couldn't stand
the sight of him.
(thwack)
Uhh!
(thud)
Uhh!
(muttering and groaning)
Uhh!
The bad man is gone, honey.
He is never gonna
hurt you again.
Okay?
- Okay, Daddy.
BATTER: Rule number one.
Do no harm to your Echo.
Or else it's automatic
closure of the Lumin.
And if your actions
cause your Echo to die...
...they take your life.
So I'm stuck here.
Looking after a kid
that isn't mine.
Hiding in the shadow.
- How did they find out?
- They know everything.
The only reason
I'm not dead yet...
is because of you.
You were sent here
to kill me.
But you discovered your Echo
and everything changed.
I helped you.
- What is it?
- Your nest.
(light rock music)
You think you know
But you don't
know me, you...
- (gasps)
- We need to talk
about your husband.
(door squeaking)
(faint radio dispatch chatter)
(radio chatter continues)
- I, um...
I made my first
visit today.
His name is Max.
He's a happy guy.
I saw his wife, too.
Veronica.
She's beautiful.
I'm-- I'm...
I'm struck at
how beautiful she is.
(chuckling)
(stammering)
This is extraordinary.
I'm picking up
the modified video cameras
from Batter tomorrow.
Exciting stuff.
(static)
I made contact.
The camera...
in the living room...
went black, it went out!
I followed the schedule.
Max was supposed
to be at work!
Max walked in.
The way he looked
at me, the...
Like a-- like a lost child,
like, I don't know.
Unable to process,
so fragile, so weak.
I had to leave.
I-I-I walked out the back
and I just left him.
I'm worried about him.
I'm worried about her.
I need to know
if she's okay.
I don't know what to do.
(latches snap)
(ominous music)
(faucet squeaking)
(water running)
(water running)
MAN: Hey now.
If someone's here,
you may as well come out, okay?
- (panting softly)
(door squeaks)
(gasps)
(gasps)
(shrieks)
(Veronica grunting,
phone ringing)
- Oh!
- What are you doing here?!
(phone ringing)
Answer me!
(voice mail beeps)
MAX: Veronica, it's me.
Are you there?
Pick up.
Pick up the phone.
MAN: Aagh!
- Come on.
Pick up the phone...
- Uhh!
- (muffled sob)
- Max.
Ohh.
Max told me about you.
He talked about you...
all night long.
(man sniffles)
Max died.
- Tommy.
It's okay.
- (grunting)
(whispering)
- Okay?
All right?
I'm gonna put it down.
It's okay.
(Veronica breathing hard)
(Veronica whimpers)
- Uhh!
- No!
(Veronica moaning,
sound slowed)
- (muffled speech)
- Look at you.
- (muffled speech)
- Where's Veronica?
- Veronica is in Portland...
mourning the death of my brother
with her family.
This is Veronica!
My brother, he hung himself
in that garage two weeks ago.
I found him.
We buried him a week ago.
So why don't you
tell me who you are?
- Tommy, listen to me, please.
- You killed Max.
- Tommy...
- You killed...
He was scared.
He lost his mind!
Max is dead
because of you!
- I'm sorry.
- Ohh.
Tommy, I can...
Tommy, don't call
anyone else, please.
You don't understand--
(muffled protests)
- Shut up!
(muffled protests)
(muffled)
- Tommy, Tommy! Come back!
(muffled protests)
Tommy!
- Hi.
Is this Albert?
This is Tommy.
(muffled)
- Tommy, listen to me!
- You're not gonna believe
what I'm about to tell you.
MAN: How long
has he been here?
TOMMY: Uh, I don't know.
Two hours maybe.
- Two hours?
- Yeah.
- And her as well?
- I-I found her first, so...
- Just hang back here.
I'll take care
of the rest.
- Okay.
- (exhales)
Hello, Max.
- He isn't Max.
Is he?
- Just give me a minute, okay?
- His voice,
it's Max's voice.
He's got Max's eyes.
One moment I see him,
and the next I don't.
- Step outside a moment.
Don't automatically
assume that a new Max
suddenly appeared
out of thin air.
Do you understand
that's science fiction?
- Yes.
- Good.
Now, I know
what I'm doing.
So shut up...
and follow my lead.
- I don't want anyone hurt.
- You have two people
bound and gagged.
I'm professionally trained.
Trust me.
- (grunts)
- Hi... I'm Albert.
How are you?
- Peachy.
- Good.
Why don't you tell us
where you came from?
- I don't know.
- Did the stork bring you?
- Sounds about right.
- Hmm, yeah.
How did you get here?
- I don't know.
- Okay.
What's the first thing
you remember?
- Well, um...
Mr. Stork, he must have
missed his target
because I was drowning.
(phone ringing)
Uh, in water.
(ringing)
- Um, literally?
Like, um...
like underwater?
- Yeah, that's how
it works, right?
Underwater, drowning.
- (chuckling)
Obviously. Right.
Stupid question.
(muffled)
- Tommy... uhh!
- Shh.
Let's talk with the woman.
- (muffled shouting)
(shouts)
- Hi Susan, Bill.
Uh... uh, good, good.
Real quick, do you think
you could watch Meghan
for a couple more hours?
I had an urgent business
commitment come up and, uh...
Oh great, great, thanks,
I really appreciate it.
Bye.
(Taser clacking)
Uhh!
(thud)
(ominous music)
(Batter groaning)
Hey. Hey, what the...
(weakly)
What are you doing?
Hey, don't, don't,
don't, don't, no.
MAX: Hey.
Hey... hey...
(Veronica groans softly)
Are you okay?
(weakly)
- No.
- Who are you?
- The woman you used to love.
- You're from
the same place as me.
- Yes.
- Why are you here?
- To bring you home.
(grunting)
(Max grunting)
- Uhh!
- You disintegrated
before my eyes.
You fell in love with her.
You kept coming here.
Even when your health
was at risk.
You barely made it
home alive last time.
(grunts)
How did I lose you?
What did I do wrong?
- You didn't
do anything wrong.
This was all my fault.
- This is the consequence.
- This is my last trip.
- You've said that
a dozen times.
- I have less than a day.
- Me too.
- When do you leave?
- An hour after you.
So I make sure you return.
(door sliding open and closed)
- You two having a grand time
catching up?
- Why don't you untie me
and we'll talk about it?
- Nah.
(click, electronic static)
MAX: (on recording)
I have less than a day.
(click)
- (chuckling)
Isn't this the best
fucking idea?
It works every time.
- Just don't tell
him where it is.
You stay calm.
- Stop! (screams)
ALBERT: Your brother is dead.
- I can't do this.
- Okay...
- I can't!
- Come on! Come here.
- Just relax!
The moment you saw him,
you fell into a black hole.
You will vanish if you
don't do exactly as I say.
- (Max grunting)
- You will disappear.
(phone vibrating)
(Max continues struggling)
(phone line ringing)
(mutters)
- Shit.
WOMAN: You have
reached the voicemail
of mailbox number--
- You want the truth?
- Yeah, I'm listening.
- The government has a branch.
Makes DARPA look
like Disneyland.
They've been tracking
people like him.
They know about him.
They're real life...
doppelgangers.
The multiverse theory,
if you're familiar with it...
is true.
The government has an entire
campus underground
where they research on them.
I work with the government
in this capacity.
- (scoffs)
He's not the only one?
- There's an entire lab
full of them.
The government hunts
and collects them.
Some of their kind
work with us.
A few rare people are able
to handle a contact
but most people go bonkers,
like your brother.
No offense.
I'm telling you all this
because I like you.
And I don't want you
to disappear.
(Max coughing)
- So what do we do?
- You need to trust
everything I do.
And you help without question.
Understand?
- Okay.
- He possesses knowledge.
Equations, formulas.
The technology that
brought them here?
We're talking tens
of billions of dollars
worth of information.
But they never talk.
We get that information...
and you and I,
we can disappear.
But on our terms.
- How do we get it?
- Go get the watering can
from outside.
(Max gurgling and sputtering)
(Albert humming)
(Max gasping for air)
(Max coughing)
Fill it up.
(Max coughing)
(Max gasping)
- He's dead.
You know it
and I know it.
But I can save you...
and I can save her.
So let's speak to each other,
scientist to scientist.
Start with quantum mechanics
and dark matter.
Explain what you know.
- (panting)
It'll only
sound like Chinese.
And if you know Chinese...
it would sound like
some other language
you don't understand.
- Actually,
I know... a lot.
About you and your kind.
Primaries, echoes.
I've got all night.
- You sure
you've got all night?
Who keeps calling you?
- Well, if you prefer...
I can go tap, tap, tap
on your lady's shinbones
with a hammer until she talks.
- What I have to say
is not very encouraging.
- Enlighten me.
- You don't have
the intellectual capacity
to understand.
Not you individually,
your race.
You hear how you
only use 10% of your brain?
It hasn't always
been that way.
You used to use 100%.
- Actually, I do use
100% of my brain.
My hypothalamus,
my cerebral cortex,
my temporal lobe.
If I didn't use
100% of my brain,
I wouldn't be able to
button up my shirt.
Drive my car...
stand in front of you.
The 10% is an urban myth.
- You preach your ignorance
with such confidence.
- So...
(sighs)
That 90% differential, what?
Deteriorated over time?
- Precisely.
(breathing heavily)
Start with Schrodinger.
- Schrodinger?
You mean like
Schrodinger's cat
and the Copenhagen
interpretation
of quantum mechanics?
Are you talking
about entanglement?
Does this have validity?
- (laughing)
- You think
the Earth is flat, too.
(laughing)
(Max grunting)
- Just stop!
It's not working!
(grunting)
- Aagh!
- I said nobody
gets hurt!
- Let me go, you idiot!
You imbecile.
- (Max choking)
TOMMY: He's Max!
You're hurting him!
- Fucking retard!
You will fucking die!
You will fucking die,
you fucking idiot!
(both panting)
(Max coughs)
I understand your pain.
I've experienced loss too.
I empathize.
You want answers.
- I want my brother back!
- I can't do that.
But we can
get answers.
We need answers.
Let me go.
Together we'll find them.
(Max coughing)
Put this back
where it belongs.
It only makes him
more of a wise-ass anyway.
(Max groaning)
(Max gasping and groaning)
You've given me no choice
but to work over
your lady friend, asshole!
Sleep tight.
(Max groaning)
(sobbing)
(groaning)
(panting)
Bingo.
Flash you lights
if you're out there.
You say you're there.
I don't fucking
see anything.
No, you're not at 1659 Orion.
You wanna know why I know that?
Because that's where I am.
What you talking--
no, no, no, don't call it in.
It's a Loch Ness pickup.
It's a goddamn
Loch Ness pickup,
you newbie-ass fuck!
Look, I didn't call it in,
and you don't report it.
Now, get your ass
here two minutes ago.
(mutters)
Bitches.
(van idling)
(Veronica grunting in protest)
- (muffled cries)
(banging)
(ominous music)
(crickets chirping)
You forced me to break out
my bag of tricks.
I know why you came back.
You'll talk.
- (grunting)
- Where are we going?
(muffled banging from trunk)
- You'll see.
- (grunting)
(muffled banging continues)
- They're gonna
let her go, right?
- Don't you worry about it.
(lock clicks, lid squeaks)
- (grunting)
MAN: (echoing)
This time, it's war.
(electronic sound effects
on stereo)
(techno music playing)
JACK NICHOLSON: Here's Johnny!
DJ, let the bass
drum go like--
(music shuts off)
(Max grunts)
(Albert panting)
(Max grunting)
- Welcome to the clean house.
Some of the sick fucks
I work with
call it the fun house.
When you're here,
you don't exist.
- Where is she?
- Your friend?
She's en route
to another fun house
far, far from here.
She's gone.
- (gasps)
- You aren't gonna
see her again.
- (sobbing)
- That's the price you pay
for not talking!
- (screaming)
I can't talk!
It would be
your annihilation!
You'll just turn the information
against yourselves,
wipe out your entire
fucking race, you idiot!
- Body count is going to
continue to climb
unless you cooperate.
The clock is ticking!
TOMMY: You told me
they were taking her home!
- Wake up, Tommy!
Get with the program.
(snaps fingers)
Snap out of it.
She's not going home.
(weakly)
- Listen to me, Tommy.
He's gonna kill you.
Then me.
He just needed
an extra pair of hands
to do his dirty work.
He's just using you.
Tommy, look at me!
Think of Max.
Max wouldn't
want you to die.
- He's trying to get
inside your head.
MAX: Shut up! Shut up!
Tommy.
Max, Tommy.
Think of...
- Take out your gun!
Put it on the table!
Prove him wrong.
- You're not understanding
the full magnitude
of our situation.
- I understand.
I'm not stupid!
- Really?
You understand that
we're in possession
of an alien life form?
The gun is for protection
for both of us.
If you're not
fucking stupid,
stop acting like you are.
Talk.
Talk.
Lights.
- No.
- Tommy, hit
the fuckin' lights.
- No!
This has gone too far!
Now, I was confused.
I see straight now.
This man,
whoever he is,
he must have
part of Max in him.
And even if it's
a fraction of my brother,
then he's a better man
than you!
I'm no longer
part of this.
You go fuck yourself!
- Okay.
Okay, Tommy.
I haven't been
100% honest with you.
But now you see straight,
so I'm gonna peel
the whole banana for you.
You deserve it.
You've been a trooper.
- No!
(grunts)
The blondie back there.
She's gonna be tortured until
either she spills some beans
or she dies.
He made contact
with your brother.
Weak Max,
who went cuckoo
and hanged himself
in the garage.
That much you knew.
But what you didn't know...
what the real
question is, Tommy...
is why did he
keep coming back?
Even after your brother
was dead.
He wasn't
interested in Max.
He wanted Max's wife,
Veronica.
(chuckling)
Isn't that somethin'?
All this because he wanted
to get his dick wet.
I pieced it together.
You know how?
Well, I questioned Veronica.
Because that's what I do,
I leave no stone unturned.
- If you hurt her--
- If I hurt her what, Tommy?
What?
Because I did hurt her.
I hurt her real bad.
It's my job.
Remember, Tommy?
I'm a professional.
So what are you
gonna do, save him?
You couldn't save
your brother Max.
What makes you think
you can save him?
- (shouting)
Uhh!
(Max groaning)
(muffled)
- No!
(muffled scream)
- Max, gone.
Your blondie, gone.
Tommy, gone!
The bodies are piling up
because of you.
That's on your conscience!
(Max groaning)
(chair scraping
and squeaking)
(woman shrieks)
- You have less
than an hour left.
So here's how
we're gonna proceed.
I keep taking away your light,
let her watch you
squeal in pain.
Then when you're
good and worn down,
you get to watch me,
front row seat,
while I get busy with her,
using more traditional methods.
(Max groaning loudly)
I gotta say...
your stroke of genius
was returning to Max's house.
And so soon.
In a million years,
we didn't figure that.
We calculated...
two months, the earliest.
We've been
on a wild goose chase,
scrubbing clean
every single person
affiliated with Max.
All the while,
you're at the house.
Fuckin'-A!
(Max groaning)
- Every single cell
in your entire body
will explode like
a sunburst of knowledge.
(rock music)
(Max groaning)
You won't need
the light anymore.
You'll see
in the fuckin' dark, man.
(Max panting)
- Don't make her watch
anymore.
She's been through
enough already.
Agreed?
- Yeah.
I got a bad feeling
about this.
- What?
- I said...
I got a bad feeling
about this.
- No shit.
- No.
It's a line
from "Star Wars."
- What the fuck
are you talking about?
- You don't think it's funny
that I'm referencing
"Star Wars"?
- Fuck it,
I'm turning the lights off
for good this time.
- Wait!
Wait.
(ethereal music)
What I'm saying is...
I'll give you what you want.
You let her go.
There's one formula.
It'll make you the richest man
that's ever lived.
It'll be your next step
forward in evolution.
It'll drag you right
into World War III.
- That's all I want.
That's all I want.
Just one formula.
Then I'll let her go.
I'll let you go.
We all walk away.
We all win.
- Okay.
But I have to write it.
You won't understand
what I say.
It goes back to
the dormant brain.
You're--
you're too dumb.
Look, I'll write it.
I'll give it to you.
(wincing)
- Pull anything stupid,
she gets the bullet,
and you get lights out for good.
(chalk scraping softly)
(chalk clatters)
- (whimpering)
- So that's how
it's gonna be?
After all this?
So long, asshole.
(zap)
MAX: I've got a bad
feelin' about this.
(zap)
(Albert grunting)
(choking)
(groans)
- Say hi to Bertolf for me.
- Uhh!
(keys jingling)
(somber music)
You have to get up,
come on.
Let's go, move, up!
- No!
- Hey.
- (sniffles)
- Hey.
We have to leave now.
Come on. Come on.
(Max grunts)
Ugh.
You have every right
to be scared.
Your entire world has
been turned upside down.
I get it.
I came back to help you.
Please let me help you.
- No... I lost Max.
He's gone.
Max is gone.
- Please.
You're in grave,
grave danger.
We need to leave now.
- You came to me!
But you're...
You are not Max!
- My name is Arquin.
- Arquin.
- We have no time.
(whispering)
Okay. Okay.
Let's go, this way.
Let's go.
(machinery humming loudly)
(metallic crashing)
(metallic clatter)
(both panting)
(metallic clatter)
- (panting)
This way, go!
(ignition firing)
(tires screeching)
(Max breathing heavily)
(tires screeching)
- You took it all away.
That... psychopath
back there,
he explained
everything to me.
Where you're from.
You came here and you
spied on Max and me.
Like we were animals
at the zoo!
- No.
- No, isn't that right?
- I was only curious, I just--
- You're sick!
You're the animal!
- You're right.
I'm not a good man.
I came here.
I found a better person
than me.
I didn't mean for
any of this to happen.
- (sighs)
- Why did you come to me
that morning?
- It was a mistake.
I was foolish.
- Why?
You can never go home.
You can never
contact anybody.
Not your family,
not your friends, nobody.
This will give you
the means to disappear.
(sniffles)
You have to leave now.
(car zooming by)
You have to leave now.
Now!
Go.
Now!
I'm sorry.
(tires screeching)
(engine revving)
(tires screeching)
- (sniffles)
ARQUIN:
Veronica, I'm sorry.
For the rest
of my living days...
Not one moment...
thought...breath I take
will pass without me
feeling those words.
There's no forgiveness
for what I've done.
My selfish curiosity is
responsible for Max's death.
I'm truly sorry.
I'm sorry I came to you
that morning.
I was drawn to you.
I had an attraction,
a connection.
A deep connection...
that I could neither
deny or resist.
I was selfish.
I fell to my own
temptations, my needs.
MAN: Go!
(door crashes in)
Not one thought
for the consequences.
(ethereal music)
(footsteps echoing)
I am truly sorry.
(ethereal music)
(rifles cocking)
(water bubbling)
(birds tweeting)
- You'll come back for her.
Sit by the depression
You don't want to remember
Where you were
when all that happened
Where were you
when all that happened?
Will that be me?
Will that be me?
Will that be me?
Will that be me?
Will that be me?
Will that be me?
I remember only
My favorite Halloweens
And nothing in between
Age five or six to 12
Was it really you?
Was it really you?
Was it really you?
Was it really you?
Was it really you?
Was it really you?
I imagine your face
Young and old, really gone
Was there something else
supposed to happen?
Was there something else
we should have said?
I wish I was gone,
I wish I was gone
I wish I was gone
I wish I was gone
I wish I was gone,
I wish I was gone
Away, away, away, away
Away, away, away, away,
away, away
Was it really you?
Was it really you?
Was it really you?
Was it really you?
Was it really you?
Was it really you?