The Park (2023) Movie Script
1
(lively jazz music)
- [Narrator] Hello
there, boys and girls.
Recently you may have noticed
some changes in your bodies.
But don't worry, these
changes are perfectly normal.
What's happening to
you is called puberty.
It's the process of changing
from a child into an adult.
- Deaths have been reported
in cities around the world.
Back to you- (static crackles)
- This ain't from
nature, people.
This is a man-made
biological weapon.
- The scale of which
we have never seen
and every adult is at risk.
(nurse coughs)
(girl screams)
- It appears the
disease has no effect
on prepubescent children.
However, when infected
children reach puberty,
the effects of the
disease will be fatal.
- [Narrator] It may seem
strange, uncomfortable,
even unpleasant at times,
but it happens to each
and every one of us.
- Let us pray for our children,
for soon we will be gone
and they will have to
suffer this plague alone.
(ominous music)
(boy imitates car zooming)
- [Boy] We're not gonna make it!
Yes we are! Hooah!
(brush rustles)
(foreboding music)
(twig cracks)
- [Girl] Cute backpack.
Bring it here.
- Come and get it.
- Ah, ah. I got this.
Look, buddy, there's two
ways this can go down.
The easy way, or...
What am I saying?
Nothing is world
is fucking easy!
(pensive music)
- He cut you?
- [Girl] I'm solid.
- Tell me he's got water.
I'd kill for something
with bubbles.
Shit, man.
(girl laughs)
What's with you?
(girl laughs)
Think it's funny?
Starving to death in
the fucking woods?
- Shh!
(woman singing in distance)
Listen.
(wind howling)
(music playing faintly)
You hear that?
(melancholy rock and roll)
- Where are we?
This place ain't on the map.
We should skip it. We
gotta find that genius.
- Wait.
They've got water.
But they're packing heat.
Heavy.
- Water?
They got a whole ocean!
You never want to hurt
the one who loves you
(foreboding music)
So.
What's our move here?
- It's my move.
(fabric rips)
You're staying on recon.
- (sighs) Boring!
- Lay low and suss out the area.
This is just a pit stop.
- Wait. You're leaving me here?
Alone?
In Blue Meanie territory?
(ominous music)
I heard they found
geezers around here.
Wrapped in blue plastic.
Throats cut open.
Like pigs.
(voice chitters)
- Don't be a pussy.
I'll back with a tasty
treat just for you.
Don't lose that.
(chuckles) Scared
of a ghost story.
- I ain't scared!
It ain't no story.
- Mm-hmm.
(eerie music)
(girl merrily humming off-key)
- Halt!
Who's there?
- Water!
Please.
Meet me in three. By
the jazz swingers.
- Jazz swingers?
(chains rattle)
(foreboding music)
Thank you.
It's been rough out there.
I'm headed north.
Town called Derby.
Heard of it?
They say there's
like some kid genius
who made a vaccine or something.
It's probably just a rumor,
but I'm still gonna go look...
- Are you alone?
You sure?
I hate surprises.
- Yes.
- (laughs) I'm just playing.
I love surprises. You're
coming from the city, right?
I heard kids over there
be going, like, crazy,
like full-on Mad
Max and whatnot.
My mom was from there.
Where are you from?
- I'm from-
- Oh!
Guess what I'm working on?
Bet you money you can't guess.
Not that money matters anymore.
I'm sorry, I just get really
excited when I meet new people.
Oh, speaking of surprises, I
need to show you something.
My project, Al-Shifa.
You're gonna bug out.
It's literally gonna
change the world.
Can you walk on that?
- Sorta.
- Great. Here, let
me get that for you.
- Hands up and don't move.
All of your shit? It's mine now.
So be a doll and
gather it up for me
and I'll be on my merry way.
- Whose blood is that?
- The last fucker who
didn't do as they were told.
Hold still!
One more step and I toast you.
I'm for real, this aint a game.
(ominous music)
- Sure it is.
- Kids these days.
(toy gunfire blares)
(girl groans)
- (laughs) Wow!
You were really gonna
ice me just like that.
You cold-blooded.
(ominous music)
Tell you what.
Apologize and maybe I'll
still show you my project.
- Back the fuck off!
Hey, Bui!
- Okay, you know what?
Now you're starting
to piss me off.
- Ow!
Ow! Ow!
Ow!
(tense music)
(muffled voices echo)
(hospital monitor beeping)
(foreboding music)
Please.
No. No more shots.
No!
Stop!
Don't! I'm not sick anymore!
Get off of me!
Stop! Stop!
Stop! Ow!
- Idiot!
Hold still!
- Kid.
Kid!
- My name is Kuan.
And I bet we're,
like, the same age.
Okay.
This is going to hurt,
but you're a dingus.
And you sorta deserve it.
- Ow!
- (sighs) I ain't scared.
(melancholy country music)
Oh, I wish I had
someone to love me
Someone to call me their own
Oh, I wish I had
someone to live with
- What is this?
- [Kuan] Dinner.
- This smells like
actual garbage.
Wait! Sorry.
Oh, please meet me
tonight in the moonlight
Please meet me
tonight all alone
- Aw, jackpot.
These are mine, girl.
- Ines.
- What?
- Ines. That's my
name, it's French.
It's clear tonight.
- Dormir a la belle etoile.
That's French for
"to sleep under-"
- Je sais. Tu parles francais?
- Oh. Uh, no.
Not really. My mom taught me.
She knew, like, 20 languages.
Wanted to learn 'em all.
Even at the very end.
You should've seen her
in her hospital bed
with like all of her phrasebooks
stacked up around her.
Counting to 10 in Indonesian.
Satu.
Dua.
Tiga.
(Kuan counting in Indonesian)
(muted chatter echoing)
(pensive music)
- Kuan, why are you helping me?
- The way I see it is that
we're helping each other.
My project, it's...
It's like a football game.
I need a team. I
can't do it alone.
Unless I threw the ball
really high to myself.
Or made little cardboard
team cutout people and-
- What project?
- You ever heard of Al-Shifa?
It's this ancient Persian
book. It means "The Healing."
Now, I'm not religious, really,
but they say that
if you can recite
all of Al-Shifa to a sick man,
he will be cured (snaps
fingers) like that.
So that's what I'm building.
That's my project. Hold this.
- You're making a cure?
- Yep.
- I knew it!
You're the kid genius! You're
the one I've been looking for!
(Kuan laughs)
- You can't cure the virus.
That's literally impossible.
My cure is for something else.
- Wait, then you're not-
- Watch this.
(laughs) I am a golden god...
Or not.
(kick clangs)
Dang it.
- Wait, so what are
you curing then?
- Well, it's like...
Did you believe in Santa
Claus when you were younger?
- Of course.
- Right, so when you're a kid,
you believe in the impossible.
But then you grow up
and the world teaches
you that it's not true.
You stop believing.
But what if the world is wrong?
- The fuck are
you talking about?
Have you see the world today?
The twisted shit these kids
are doing to each other?
It's a sickness! We're
all sick, inside and out.
I'm sorry, but you're
weird and I'm confused
and this all just seems
like a huge waste of time!
Which, if you hadn't noticed,
that is in short
supply these days!
And I want...
I, I...
- What do you want?
- I...
I...
Bui, don't!
(Kuan grunts)
- [Kuan] Big mistake!
You guys are dead!
(Bui panting)
- She hurt you?
(foreboding music)
- We gotta take her out.
(metal creaking)
(carnival music blaring)
(demonic voice cackling)
What the fuck?
(ominous music)
(bat clangs)
(Bui screams)
Bui!
Shit!
(Ines grunts)
(ominous music)
- Faster.
You know, I had a,
like, perfect plan
before you and your
butthole friend came
and mucked everything up.
Now I'm not so sure.
I mean, maybe you're right.
Maybe I got this
world all wrong.
I mean, shit, we're
gonna die anyway, right?
Why waste time?
Why not kill each other?
Move.
What do you see?
- A moldy old slide.
(honks) Wrong.
You're only what's
right in front of you.
You have an imagination,
don't you, dummy?
So use it.
See what this place could be.
What we could share with
everyone that's left.
Look.
(pensive music)
(Ines screams)
- No, no, no, no, no, no, no!
(Kuan laughing)
(Ines screams)
No!
(girls laughing and screaming)
(Ines coughs)
(girls laugh)
Can we do that again?
- [Kuan] Yeah!
(girls laugh)
(foreboding music)
(metal clinking)
(Meanie growls)
(Meanie growling)
(lively jazz music)
- [Narrator] As we
go through puberty,
we start to notice
changes in our bodies.
Our voices start
to sound different.
See, there's an
organ in your throat
called the larynx, or voice box.
During puberty your larynx
grows thicker and larger.
Boys will notice their
voice becoming deeper.
Girls will too,
but only a little.
So buckle up because
puberty is taking you
on the bumpy road to adulthood.
(knife slashes)
(kid groans)
(Ines panting)
- [Jack] Relax, Scarface.
The first kill is
always the hardest.
It'll get much easier with
a little more practice.
And cheer up. You're
this week's champion!
(Ines gasping)
You just made my new squad.
Here's your uniform.
(Ines gasping)
Scarface, don't go
crybaby on me now.
You wanna be part of my
squad, you better man up.
(Ines gasping)
(tense music)
(pensive music)
- [Ines] Hey! Get over here!
Hurry up! Faster!
(girls chatting and laughing)
- Fucking bitch.
- Where did you
learn to do that?
You're a freaking fish ninja.
- YouTube.
- You see what
I'm seeing, right?
- Hell yes.
A little salt, some chili
oil, and we got us a tasty...
- Hands off Carpe Diem!
Have a little vision. This
is only the beginning.
We get your gigantic
friend to help us,
we stock this place
full of specimens,
make sure the rides and slides
are spic and span and up
and running, and boom!
We are the proud owners
of the best theme park slash
aquatic entertainment center
in the world.
- Best and only.
Huh! Fuck me.
So why carry a fake gun
when you got the real thing?
- Never let the enemy know
the true power of your forces.
Art of War.
Sunny Zoo wrote that.
- It's Sun Tzu, not Sunny Zoo.
And he never said that.
- It was Tom Cruise then.
Say, what do you think
happened to the zoos?
Do you think all the
animals ate each other?
Or did some of them escape
and start toasting people?
What would you rather fight?
A lion or a Blue Meanie?
- A Blue Meanie. 'Cause
they aren't real.
- They are too real.
We're on the same
team now, right?
And you're going to put
your genius hunt on hold
and help me with Al-Shifa.
Don't lie!
I can see if you're lying.
- Bullshit you can.
(foreboding music)
- (gasps) Wait!
(knife thuds)
Wow.
You just, like, saved my life.
- This guy's not poisonous.
(pensive music)
- [Kuan] Are too real!
- Dude!
The Blue Meanies were
made up by some kingpin
to freak his squad out
and keep 'em in line.
Trust me, it's what I do.
Only I'd come up
with a better name.
- You ain't got no squad.
- I used to.
- [Kuan] What happened to 'em?
- What do you think? They
were two grades ahead.
They went geezer a while back.
Bui and I are all that's left.
- Oh. I'm sorry.
- Don't be. No one's
gonna miss those pricks.
- I wish I had a squad.
All I got is stupid Luka.
- Who?
- Luka, my brother.
He's a real pain in my ass.
I mean, he was supposed to
re-up on water from the river.
I'm sure he's out there
somewhere just, like,
playing with little
cars or something.
I mean, this kid...
(snaps fingers) Earth to Ines!
- Sorry. What was...
- I said did you happen to
see Luka on your way in?
- Sorry.
(haunting music)
(metallic drumming clanging)
(suspenseful music)
- What a little fuckin' pussy.
- Easy, tiger.
- Took you long enough.
- If you played nice with
her for like two seconds,
she'd let you go.
- When do we play nice?
Don't get it, man.
Shit here's all backwards.
(Kuan merrily singing off-key)
Shit!
- Chill!
She won't see us.
- Ugh.
She's crazy and tone-deaf.
Yo, we're wasting time here.
We gotta get moving and
find that genius already.
You wanna go full geezer
in this shithole or what?
- So just lie to her.
Say you're sorry.
- I ain't like you.
I ain't a liar.
- You're a pain in my
ass is what you are.
- Wait.
- I got the wrong key.
- Since day one I've done
like you've always said.
I might not be clever like you,
but I can see what's
in front of my face.
And I'm telling you, that girl,
she ain't us.
- Bui.
Let me go!
(pensive music)
(Jack groans)
- She fucking stabbed me!
What are you all standing
around for? Do something!
One of you get her!
I'm your goddamn leader!
Oh shit.
Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!
(Jack groans)
- The king is dead. Long
live the motherfucking queen!
From now on you do what
I say, when I say it,
or you get toasted.
We crystal on that?
Lovely.
First things first:
no more of this.
We shouldn't be
fighting each other.
This aint' fuckin'
"Hunger Games."
We stick together and we keep
the system nice and binary.
There are two kinds of people.
There's us and there's them.
And if you ain't us,
well, then tough titty.
What do you say?
Bui?
Us?
Or them?
(ominous music)
(Jack groans)
Wait! I...
I give up!
You win! Stop, please!
(sinister music)
(wind howling)
This is your last chance.
Concentrate.
Make it count.
Ho-ho-ho!
C'est dommage.
So close.
Hey! You only get three tries!
(cans rattle)
You know, cheaters
only cheat themselves.
Silly girl.
(melancholy rock and roll music)
(alarm beeps)
Aw, snap. It's chow time.
- [Ines] We are not eating that
garbage-ass stew ever again.
- [Kuan] Wow. Harsh.
Two lovers quarrel
And then they break up
Time goes by
They kiss and make up
And before they mend
their broken hearts
Before they've gone too far
What's another word for sacred?
- Um...
Holy?
Hallowed?
Divine.
- Hallowed. That's perfect.
(pensive music)
Hey, wanna know what
I'm writing about?
- [Ines] Not really.
- Ah!
Oh, dios mio!
This is the tastiest
thing that I've ever ate
in my entire life.
This is magic. This...
This is...
This is Carpe Diem.
I loved that fish.
- (laughs) And
it's not your fish.
It's Severus Snake.
- Not cool!
What the heck kind of name
is Severus Snake anyway?
That's like not even...
Oh, wait.
No, I get it. (laughs)
That's actually pretty
funny. That's pretty funny.
Stop and think
before you act
In everything you do
Broken hearts can be mended
But when they've
gone too far
Mended hearts
always leave a scar
(birds caw)
Ines, how come you
know so many words?
- I read a lot. Like your mom.
- [Kuan] You were sick too?
- Mm-hmm.
- So tell me about it.
- Uh, I don't now.
I spent a lot of
time in the hospital.
There was no one to talk
to. I was bored as shit.
- [Kuan] Where
were your parents?
- [Ines] I never met them.
So I read.
A lot.
My favorites were the stories
with disasters and monsters
where everyone dies at the end.
I started imagining what I'd
do if that ever happened to me.
And then I started, like,
researching what to do.
(visitors laugh)
And the more I read,
the more I started to
believe it was all real.
And it sounds nuts,
but it was almost
like I was waiting
for the end of the world.
So that when it finally
came, I was ready.
Although I was hoping there
would be some zombies.
- There's Blue Meanies.
- Shut up and pull it.
(transformer whirs)
- Aw, man, that's it?
It looks terrible!
I spend like so long
working on... (gasps)
You did it!
(Kuan giggles)
Magnifique! (laughs)
Ah!
(dreamy music)
Mended hearts
always leave a scar
You hear that?
- [Ines] It's Bui.
In everything you do
Broken hearts can be mended
But when they've gone to far
Mended hearts always
- Wowzas.
- You should hear
him on the guitar
Leave a scar
(alarm beeps)
- Time to signal Luka,
make sure he's okay.
Be right back.
- So. What do you think?
Is Luka gonna be okay?
- What are you talking about?
- Don't play stupid with me.
- [Ines] Just keeping
it on your level.
- Why you always
ragging on me? Huh?
Like, why you gotta
be so nice to her
and such a dickhole to me?
Is it 'cause I know the real you
and not this fake-ass
character you're playing?
Is that it?
It's like, what if she knew
you toasted her little friend?
Would you still be
all BFF then? Huh?
- For two years I've kept your
dead-weight bitch-ass alive!
Remind me why I bother.
- I wasn't gonna tell
her nothing! I swear!
Ines! Ines, wait!
Shit!
(pensive music)
(fireworks pop)
(sinister music)
- He's gone. Isn't he?
- Kuan, I gotta
tell you something-
- You know, every time
this happens, it gets...
Easier to say goodbye and...
(thunder claps)
(water splashes)
Just like that, you
start to forget.
I don't want to be forgotten.
I don't want this place
to just disappear.
I want us, all of us,
to build it, together.
To remind everyone that's
left what this world could be.
What it should be.
(thunder rumbles)
(rain pattering)
And I believe in that.
In this place. It can save us.
I'm not crazy for
thinking that, am I?
- Oh, you're definitely crazy.
But you're right
about this place.
It's...
It's really special.
(soft music)
What?
- You have, like, some
paint on your face.
- Ow! Be gentle.
(thunder rumbling)
(wistful music)
(thunder claps)
(foreboding music)
- Ines!
It's time for us
to go. Right now.
- Bui-
- Me or her!
Who's it gonna be?
- Big guy, you need
to take a chill pill.
- Move.
- [Ines] Bui, no!
- [Bui] Oh, you're dead!
- Guys! Stop!
(Bui shouts)
Ow! (yelps)
- You okay?
(Ines whimpers)
- [Ines] Ow!
- This was Luka's.
You!
No.
It was you.
Yeah. Of course it was.
- Kuan, please. I didn't know.
- Should've seen it right away.
But I saw something in you.
You were different.
You were good!
I'm so fucking stupid!
Now you have 10 seconds
to get out of here
before I'm back with a
bullet for each of you.
You killers.
You fucks!
You don't belong here!
You'll never be cured.
And you'll die.
And you'll rot.
And you'll be
forgotten. (choking)
- Kuan!
Kuan!
(Kuan gasping)
Kuan!
Kuan!
No, Kuan!
(Kuan coughing)
No, Kuan!
Please!
(ominous music)
(Meanies growling)
- Shit!
Shit.
Come on, we gotta go! Come on!
(Meanies growling)
We gotta get those gats.
Where's that cabinet? Come on!
- [Ines] But the Blue
Meanies, they're not real!
(foreboding music)
(Meanie growls)
(Meanie grunting)
(dogs howl)
(Meanie growls)
(wheels rattle)
(Meanie sputtering)
(ominous music)
(Meanie growls)
(Bui grunting)
(tense music)
(Meanie growls)
(Bui shouts)
- Bui!
(Meanie croaks)
(Meanie grunts)
(Bui panting)
Bui.
Stop.
- Gotta keep...
- Dammit, let me down!
(Bui panting)
- Ines, we gotta...
We gotta keep going.
- There's no we.
And there never was.
There's you and there's me.
So go. Keep off the trails
and you can make it.
- Ines.
Fuck you.
(pensive music)
(gunshot cracks)
(Bui panting)
They're close.
Shit.
(pensive music)
Come on, you gotta
eat something.
Shit.
- Put me down.
- Ines-
- I need to see this!
- Okay!
Chill.
(flies buzzing)
- His throat.
Looks like it's smiling.
- Come on.
Creep.
(thunder rumbles)
(rain pattering)
Good news. 10 miles.
Derby's up the road.
If we hustle tomorrow
we can find your genius.
- There's no genius.
No cure.
She was the only one
who understood that.
And even still, she
built all of that...
Al-Shifa.
What a useless thing to do.
(somber music)
I never got to say goodbye.
(pensive music)
- Leave it.
We need to keep on.
You want it? You want it?
I'm sick and tired of
this crybaby routine.
It ain't you.
Snap out of it!
Ines!
Ines, for real!
You can barely swim!
(somber music)
- You can't swim at all!
You wanted me to choose!
I would've taken Kuan!
Not you!
- Think you're so
fucking smart...
But you don't know
dick about shit!
Family ain't
something you choose.
- [Ines] Family?
- You can't stop me!
You and me? We're family!
You can't...
You can't...
And you can't change
that, you stupid...
Stupid asshole!
- Bui!
Bui! Shit!
(pensive music)
(Ines groans)
No!
Wake up!
(Ines wails)
(Ines sobbing)
No!
(bullies laugh)
- What a little
fuckin' pussy. (laughs)
(Bui sobs)
- Hey, kid.
Word of advice? Never
let them see you cry.
See you around, kid.
No! No!
Fuck this!
Get up!
There's work to do and
you're not finished yet!
I need you, Bui!
So if you know
what's good for you,
you better take
a fucking breath!
Right fucking now!
Please!
Oh my god!
(Bui gasping)
- Did you try to kiss me?
(Ines groans)
Ow.
(Ines laughs)
- Don't ever do that again.
- This is all I could find.
What's your move here?
- Our move.
We're done running.
It's time to hunt.
You'll be the bait.
- Wait. Wait, what?
- Trust me.
This is gonna work.
(energetic music)
(foreboding music)
But when ye come
And all the
flowers are dying
If I am dead, as
dead I well may be
Oh, Danny boy
The pipes, the
pipes are calling
From glen to glen
And down the mountainside
The summer's gone
And all the roses
- Man, this plan sucks!
(Meanie croaks)
(Meanie growls)
(ominous music)
- Checkmate, dickhead.
(Meanie chortles)
Well, fuck me.
(Bui shouts)
(tense music)
Hey, freak!
Drop it or I open her up like
a fucking Christmas present.
Let my friend go.
You okay?
- Solid.
- Blue Meanies my ass.
Look at you losers. You
ain't nothin' scary.
You're just a
couple of stupid...
Stupid kids.
(Meanies grunt)
- The hell are you doing?
- Let 'em go.
Trust me.
- We can't just leave them.
- Sure we can. They're smart.
They know what happens
if they come at us again.
Come on.
(Ines coughs)
(Meanie croaks)
Bitch, are you deaf and dumb?
- Hehp ooh. Hehp ooh.
Hehp ooh.
- I don't speak fuckin' Meanie.
- Hehp ooh.
- Hehp ooh?
You've gotta be kidding.
All this time...
You...
All this time, y'all were...
Y'all were, uh...
(Ines gulps)
- Ines? Ines, Ines, Ines!
Ines!
(Ines coughs)
Stay with me. Stay with me.
Look at me. Look at me.
Look at me.
(Ines squeals)
(Ines gasping)
- The more you know,
the less you now.
Or is it the other way around?
The less you know, more-
- Am I...
I mean, like...
Are we...
Are we dead?
- I don't feel dead.
But I have been here
for, like, an eternity,
which is a lot of time
to think about things.
- What kind of things?
- Ines things. Your whole deal.
Your purpose, why
you exist, you know.
All the basic stuff.
- I've done terrible things.
Made so many mistakes.
I don't know what I'm doing.
Or if I ever did.
- What you should do is
throw the friggin' plane.
(pensive music)
You may not see it yet,
but you're on a path.
A road you've been walking
down your whole life.
And it's bumpy and it's rough
and sometimes you get a
little rock in your shoe
and then you get a blister
and then the blister just
keeps bursting, it's the worst,
then you wonder, "Is this
the wrong shoe for this?"
But you gotta keep
walking the path
and leading the others
down it with you.
'Cause that's what
girls like you do.
Everything we do in this life,
the good, the bad,
the help and the hurt,
it all gets added up.
And in the end,
I'll bet top dollar
that you'll have
a big ol', giant, 10-story
stack of good in your hands.
You just gotta keep on.
- Kuan?
I...
I'm...
- I know, girl.
Me too.
(Ines sniffles)
(hospital monitor beeping)
(Ines grunts)
(Ines croaks)
(pensive music)
(idyllic music)
(Champ grunts)
(Champ growls softly)
(soft guitar music)
- Hey!
The bag.
Toss it over here.
(Ines rasps)
You got a death wish, bitch?
Yeah.
That's what I thought.
Aw, fuck!
(girl screams)
(gunshot pops)
Let me go!
(Bui snorts)
Oh shit, you're one of
them! Please don't kill me!
I have money!
(tranquil music)
(melancholy guitar music)
(wistful music)
(lively jazz music)
- [Narrator] Hello
there, boys and girls.
Recently you may have noticed
some changes in your bodies.
But don't worry, these
changes are perfectly normal.
What's happening to
you is called puberty.
It's the process of changing
from a child into an adult.
- Deaths have been reported
in cities around the world.
Back to you- (static crackles)
- This ain't from
nature, people.
This is a man-made
biological weapon.
- The scale of which
we have never seen
and every adult is at risk.
(nurse coughs)
(girl screams)
- It appears the
disease has no effect
on prepubescent children.
However, when infected
children reach puberty,
the effects of the
disease will be fatal.
- [Narrator] It may seem
strange, uncomfortable,
even unpleasant at times,
but it happens to each
and every one of us.
- Let us pray for our children,
for soon we will be gone
and they will have to
suffer this plague alone.
(ominous music)
(boy imitates car zooming)
- [Boy] We're not gonna make it!
Yes we are! Hooah!
(brush rustles)
(foreboding music)
(twig cracks)
- [Girl] Cute backpack.
Bring it here.
- Come and get it.
- Ah, ah. I got this.
Look, buddy, there's two
ways this can go down.
The easy way, or...
What am I saying?
Nothing is world
is fucking easy!
(pensive music)
- He cut you?
- [Girl] I'm solid.
- Tell me he's got water.
I'd kill for something
with bubbles.
Shit, man.
(girl laughs)
What's with you?
(girl laughs)
Think it's funny?
Starving to death in
the fucking woods?
- Shh!
(woman singing in distance)
Listen.
(wind howling)
(music playing faintly)
You hear that?
(melancholy rock and roll)
- Where are we?
This place ain't on the map.
We should skip it. We
gotta find that genius.
- Wait.
They've got water.
But they're packing heat.
Heavy.
- Water?
They got a whole ocean!
You never want to hurt
the one who loves you
(foreboding music)
So.
What's our move here?
- It's my move.
(fabric rips)
You're staying on recon.
- (sighs) Boring!
- Lay low and suss out the area.
This is just a pit stop.
- Wait. You're leaving me here?
Alone?
In Blue Meanie territory?
(ominous music)
I heard they found
geezers around here.
Wrapped in blue plastic.
Throats cut open.
Like pigs.
(voice chitters)
- Don't be a pussy.
I'll back with a tasty
treat just for you.
Don't lose that.
(chuckles) Scared
of a ghost story.
- I ain't scared!
It ain't no story.
- Mm-hmm.
(eerie music)
(girl merrily humming off-key)
- Halt!
Who's there?
- Water!
Please.
Meet me in three. By
the jazz swingers.
- Jazz swingers?
(chains rattle)
(foreboding music)
Thank you.
It's been rough out there.
I'm headed north.
Town called Derby.
Heard of it?
They say there's
like some kid genius
who made a vaccine or something.
It's probably just a rumor,
but I'm still gonna go look...
- Are you alone?
You sure?
I hate surprises.
- Yes.
- (laughs) I'm just playing.
I love surprises. You're
coming from the city, right?
I heard kids over there
be going, like, crazy,
like full-on Mad
Max and whatnot.
My mom was from there.
Where are you from?
- I'm from-
- Oh!
Guess what I'm working on?
Bet you money you can't guess.
Not that money matters anymore.
I'm sorry, I just get really
excited when I meet new people.
Oh, speaking of surprises, I
need to show you something.
My project, Al-Shifa.
You're gonna bug out.
It's literally gonna
change the world.
Can you walk on that?
- Sorta.
- Great. Here, let
me get that for you.
- Hands up and don't move.
All of your shit? It's mine now.
So be a doll and
gather it up for me
and I'll be on my merry way.
- Whose blood is that?
- The last fucker who
didn't do as they were told.
Hold still!
One more step and I toast you.
I'm for real, this aint a game.
(ominous music)
- Sure it is.
- Kids these days.
(toy gunfire blares)
(girl groans)
- (laughs) Wow!
You were really gonna
ice me just like that.
You cold-blooded.
(ominous music)
Tell you what.
Apologize and maybe I'll
still show you my project.
- Back the fuck off!
Hey, Bui!
- Okay, you know what?
Now you're starting
to piss me off.
- Ow!
Ow! Ow!
Ow!
(tense music)
(muffled voices echo)
(hospital monitor beeping)
(foreboding music)
Please.
No. No more shots.
No!
Stop!
Don't! I'm not sick anymore!
Get off of me!
Stop! Stop!
Stop! Ow!
- Idiot!
Hold still!
- Kid.
Kid!
- My name is Kuan.
And I bet we're,
like, the same age.
Okay.
This is going to hurt,
but you're a dingus.
And you sorta deserve it.
- Ow!
- (sighs) I ain't scared.
(melancholy country music)
Oh, I wish I had
someone to love me
Someone to call me their own
Oh, I wish I had
someone to live with
- What is this?
- [Kuan] Dinner.
- This smells like
actual garbage.
Wait! Sorry.
Oh, please meet me
tonight in the moonlight
Please meet me
tonight all alone
- Aw, jackpot.
These are mine, girl.
- Ines.
- What?
- Ines. That's my
name, it's French.
It's clear tonight.
- Dormir a la belle etoile.
That's French for
"to sleep under-"
- Je sais. Tu parles francais?
- Oh. Uh, no.
Not really. My mom taught me.
She knew, like, 20 languages.
Wanted to learn 'em all.
Even at the very end.
You should've seen her
in her hospital bed
with like all of her phrasebooks
stacked up around her.
Counting to 10 in Indonesian.
Satu.
Dua.
Tiga.
(Kuan counting in Indonesian)
(muted chatter echoing)
(pensive music)
- Kuan, why are you helping me?
- The way I see it is that
we're helping each other.
My project, it's...
It's like a football game.
I need a team. I
can't do it alone.
Unless I threw the ball
really high to myself.
Or made little cardboard
team cutout people and-
- What project?
- You ever heard of Al-Shifa?
It's this ancient Persian
book. It means "The Healing."
Now, I'm not religious, really,
but they say that
if you can recite
all of Al-Shifa to a sick man,
he will be cured (snaps
fingers) like that.
So that's what I'm building.
That's my project. Hold this.
- You're making a cure?
- Yep.
- I knew it!
You're the kid genius! You're
the one I've been looking for!
(Kuan laughs)
- You can't cure the virus.
That's literally impossible.
My cure is for something else.
- Wait, then you're not-
- Watch this.
(laughs) I am a golden god...
Or not.
(kick clangs)
Dang it.
- Wait, so what are
you curing then?
- Well, it's like...
Did you believe in Santa
Claus when you were younger?
- Of course.
- Right, so when you're a kid,
you believe in the impossible.
But then you grow up
and the world teaches
you that it's not true.
You stop believing.
But what if the world is wrong?
- The fuck are
you talking about?
Have you see the world today?
The twisted shit these kids
are doing to each other?
It's a sickness! We're
all sick, inside and out.
I'm sorry, but you're
weird and I'm confused
and this all just seems
like a huge waste of time!
Which, if you hadn't noticed,
that is in short
supply these days!
And I want...
I, I...
- What do you want?
- I...
I...
Bui, don't!
(Kuan grunts)
- [Kuan] Big mistake!
You guys are dead!
(Bui panting)
- She hurt you?
(foreboding music)
- We gotta take her out.
(metal creaking)
(carnival music blaring)
(demonic voice cackling)
What the fuck?
(ominous music)
(bat clangs)
(Bui screams)
Bui!
Shit!
(Ines grunts)
(ominous music)
- Faster.
You know, I had a,
like, perfect plan
before you and your
butthole friend came
and mucked everything up.
Now I'm not so sure.
I mean, maybe you're right.
Maybe I got this
world all wrong.
I mean, shit, we're
gonna die anyway, right?
Why waste time?
Why not kill each other?
Move.
What do you see?
- A moldy old slide.
(honks) Wrong.
You're only what's
right in front of you.
You have an imagination,
don't you, dummy?
So use it.
See what this place could be.
What we could share with
everyone that's left.
Look.
(pensive music)
(Ines screams)
- No, no, no, no, no, no, no!
(Kuan laughing)
(Ines screams)
No!
(girls laughing and screaming)
(Ines coughs)
(girls laugh)
Can we do that again?
- [Kuan] Yeah!
(girls laugh)
(foreboding music)
(metal clinking)
(Meanie growls)
(Meanie growling)
(lively jazz music)
- [Narrator] As we
go through puberty,
we start to notice
changes in our bodies.
Our voices start
to sound different.
See, there's an
organ in your throat
called the larynx, or voice box.
During puberty your larynx
grows thicker and larger.
Boys will notice their
voice becoming deeper.
Girls will too,
but only a little.
So buckle up because
puberty is taking you
on the bumpy road to adulthood.
(knife slashes)
(kid groans)
(Ines panting)
- [Jack] Relax, Scarface.
The first kill is
always the hardest.
It'll get much easier with
a little more practice.
And cheer up. You're
this week's champion!
(Ines gasping)
You just made my new squad.
Here's your uniform.
(Ines gasping)
Scarface, don't go
crybaby on me now.
You wanna be part of my
squad, you better man up.
(Ines gasping)
(tense music)
(pensive music)
- [Ines] Hey! Get over here!
Hurry up! Faster!
(girls chatting and laughing)
- Fucking bitch.
- Where did you
learn to do that?
You're a freaking fish ninja.
- YouTube.
- You see what
I'm seeing, right?
- Hell yes.
A little salt, some chili
oil, and we got us a tasty...
- Hands off Carpe Diem!
Have a little vision. This
is only the beginning.
We get your gigantic
friend to help us,
we stock this place
full of specimens,
make sure the rides and slides
are spic and span and up
and running, and boom!
We are the proud owners
of the best theme park slash
aquatic entertainment center
in the world.
- Best and only.
Huh! Fuck me.
So why carry a fake gun
when you got the real thing?
- Never let the enemy know
the true power of your forces.
Art of War.
Sunny Zoo wrote that.
- It's Sun Tzu, not Sunny Zoo.
And he never said that.
- It was Tom Cruise then.
Say, what do you think
happened to the zoos?
Do you think all the
animals ate each other?
Or did some of them escape
and start toasting people?
What would you rather fight?
A lion or a Blue Meanie?
- A Blue Meanie. 'Cause
they aren't real.
- They are too real.
We're on the same
team now, right?
And you're going to put
your genius hunt on hold
and help me with Al-Shifa.
Don't lie!
I can see if you're lying.
- Bullshit you can.
(foreboding music)
- (gasps) Wait!
(knife thuds)
Wow.
You just, like, saved my life.
- This guy's not poisonous.
(pensive music)
- [Kuan] Are too real!
- Dude!
The Blue Meanies were
made up by some kingpin
to freak his squad out
and keep 'em in line.
Trust me, it's what I do.
Only I'd come up
with a better name.
- You ain't got no squad.
- I used to.
- [Kuan] What happened to 'em?
- What do you think? They
were two grades ahead.
They went geezer a while back.
Bui and I are all that's left.
- Oh. I'm sorry.
- Don't be. No one's
gonna miss those pricks.
- I wish I had a squad.
All I got is stupid Luka.
- Who?
- Luka, my brother.
He's a real pain in my ass.
I mean, he was supposed to
re-up on water from the river.
I'm sure he's out there
somewhere just, like,
playing with little
cars or something.
I mean, this kid...
(snaps fingers) Earth to Ines!
- Sorry. What was...
- I said did you happen to
see Luka on your way in?
- Sorry.
(haunting music)
(metallic drumming clanging)
(suspenseful music)
- What a little fuckin' pussy.
- Easy, tiger.
- Took you long enough.
- If you played nice with
her for like two seconds,
she'd let you go.
- When do we play nice?
Don't get it, man.
Shit here's all backwards.
(Kuan merrily singing off-key)
Shit!
- Chill!
She won't see us.
- Ugh.
She's crazy and tone-deaf.
Yo, we're wasting time here.
We gotta get moving and
find that genius already.
You wanna go full geezer
in this shithole or what?
- So just lie to her.
Say you're sorry.
- I ain't like you.
I ain't a liar.
- You're a pain in my
ass is what you are.
- Wait.
- I got the wrong key.
- Since day one I've done
like you've always said.
I might not be clever like you,
but I can see what's
in front of my face.
And I'm telling you, that girl,
she ain't us.
- Bui.
Let me go!
(pensive music)
(Jack groans)
- She fucking stabbed me!
What are you all standing
around for? Do something!
One of you get her!
I'm your goddamn leader!
Oh shit.
Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!
(Jack groans)
- The king is dead. Long
live the motherfucking queen!
From now on you do what
I say, when I say it,
or you get toasted.
We crystal on that?
Lovely.
First things first:
no more of this.
We shouldn't be
fighting each other.
This aint' fuckin'
"Hunger Games."
We stick together and we keep
the system nice and binary.
There are two kinds of people.
There's us and there's them.
And if you ain't us,
well, then tough titty.
What do you say?
Bui?
Us?
Or them?
(ominous music)
(Jack groans)
Wait! I...
I give up!
You win! Stop, please!
(sinister music)
(wind howling)
This is your last chance.
Concentrate.
Make it count.
Ho-ho-ho!
C'est dommage.
So close.
Hey! You only get three tries!
(cans rattle)
You know, cheaters
only cheat themselves.
Silly girl.
(melancholy rock and roll music)
(alarm beeps)
Aw, snap. It's chow time.
- [Ines] We are not eating that
garbage-ass stew ever again.
- [Kuan] Wow. Harsh.
Two lovers quarrel
And then they break up
Time goes by
They kiss and make up
And before they mend
their broken hearts
Before they've gone too far
What's another word for sacred?
- Um...
Holy?
Hallowed?
Divine.
- Hallowed. That's perfect.
(pensive music)
Hey, wanna know what
I'm writing about?
- [Ines] Not really.
- Ah!
Oh, dios mio!
This is the tastiest
thing that I've ever ate
in my entire life.
This is magic. This...
This is...
This is Carpe Diem.
I loved that fish.
- (laughs) And
it's not your fish.
It's Severus Snake.
- Not cool!
What the heck kind of name
is Severus Snake anyway?
That's like not even...
Oh, wait.
No, I get it. (laughs)
That's actually pretty
funny. That's pretty funny.
Stop and think
before you act
In everything you do
Broken hearts can be mended
But when they've
gone too far
Mended hearts
always leave a scar
(birds caw)
Ines, how come you
know so many words?
- I read a lot. Like your mom.
- [Kuan] You were sick too?
- Mm-hmm.
- So tell me about it.
- Uh, I don't now.
I spent a lot of
time in the hospital.
There was no one to talk
to. I was bored as shit.
- [Kuan] Where
were your parents?
- [Ines] I never met them.
So I read.
A lot.
My favorites were the stories
with disasters and monsters
where everyone dies at the end.
I started imagining what I'd
do if that ever happened to me.
And then I started, like,
researching what to do.
(visitors laugh)
And the more I read,
the more I started to
believe it was all real.
And it sounds nuts,
but it was almost
like I was waiting
for the end of the world.
So that when it finally
came, I was ready.
Although I was hoping there
would be some zombies.
- There's Blue Meanies.
- Shut up and pull it.
(transformer whirs)
- Aw, man, that's it?
It looks terrible!
I spend like so long
working on... (gasps)
You did it!
(Kuan giggles)
Magnifique! (laughs)
Ah!
(dreamy music)
Mended hearts
always leave a scar
You hear that?
- [Ines] It's Bui.
In everything you do
Broken hearts can be mended
But when they've gone to far
Mended hearts always
- Wowzas.
- You should hear
him on the guitar
Leave a scar
(alarm beeps)
- Time to signal Luka,
make sure he's okay.
Be right back.
- So. What do you think?
Is Luka gonna be okay?
- What are you talking about?
- Don't play stupid with me.
- [Ines] Just keeping
it on your level.
- Why you always
ragging on me? Huh?
Like, why you gotta
be so nice to her
and such a dickhole to me?
Is it 'cause I know the real you
and not this fake-ass
character you're playing?
Is that it?
It's like, what if she knew
you toasted her little friend?
Would you still be
all BFF then? Huh?
- For two years I've kept your
dead-weight bitch-ass alive!
Remind me why I bother.
- I wasn't gonna tell
her nothing! I swear!
Ines! Ines, wait!
Shit!
(pensive music)
(fireworks pop)
(sinister music)
- He's gone. Isn't he?
- Kuan, I gotta
tell you something-
- You know, every time
this happens, it gets...
Easier to say goodbye and...
(thunder claps)
(water splashes)
Just like that, you
start to forget.
I don't want to be forgotten.
I don't want this place
to just disappear.
I want us, all of us,
to build it, together.
To remind everyone that's
left what this world could be.
What it should be.
(thunder rumbles)
(rain pattering)
And I believe in that.
In this place. It can save us.
I'm not crazy for
thinking that, am I?
- Oh, you're definitely crazy.
But you're right
about this place.
It's...
It's really special.
(soft music)
What?
- You have, like, some
paint on your face.
- Ow! Be gentle.
(thunder rumbling)
(wistful music)
(thunder claps)
(foreboding music)
- Ines!
It's time for us
to go. Right now.
- Bui-
- Me or her!
Who's it gonna be?
- Big guy, you need
to take a chill pill.
- Move.
- [Ines] Bui, no!
- [Bui] Oh, you're dead!
- Guys! Stop!
(Bui shouts)
Ow! (yelps)
- You okay?
(Ines whimpers)
- [Ines] Ow!
- This was Luka's.
You!
No.
It was you.
Yeah. Of course it was.
- Kuan, please. I didn't know.
- Should've seen it right away.
But I saw something in you.
You were different.
You were good!
I'm so fucking stupid!
Now you have 10 seconds
to get out of here
before I'm back with a
bullet for each of you.
You killers.
You fucks!
You don't belong here!
You'll never be cured.
And you'll die.
And you'll rot.
And you'll be
forgotten. (choking)
- Kuan!
Kuan!
(Kuan gasping)
Kuan!
Kuan!
No, Kuan!
(Kuan coughing)
No, Kuan!
Please!
(ominous music)
(Meanies growling)
- Shit!
Shit.
Come on, we gotta go! Come on!
(Meanies growling)
We gotta get those gats.
Where's that cabinet? Come on!
- [Ines] But the Blue
Meanies, they're not real!
(foreboding music)
(Meanie growls)
(Meanie grunting)
(dogs howl)
(Meanie growls)
(wheels rattle)
(Meanie sputtering)
(ominous music)
(Meanie growls)
(Bui grunting)
(tense music)
(Meanie growls)
(Bui shouts)
- Bui!
(Meanie croaks)
(Meanie grunts)
(Bui panting)
Bui.
Stop.
- Gotta keep...
- Dammit, let me down!
(Bui panting)
- Ines, we gotta...
We gotta keep going.
- There's no we.
And there never was.
There's you and there's me.
So go. Keep off the trails
and you can make it.
- Ines.
Fuck you.
(pensive music)
(gunshot cracks)
(Bui panting)
They're close.
Shit.
(pensive music)
Come on, you gotta
eat something.
Shit.
- Put me down.
- Ines-
- I need to see this!
- Okay!
Chill.
(flies buzzing)
- His throat.
Looks like it's smiling.
- Come on.
Creep.
(thunder rumbles)
(rain pattering)
Good news. 10 miles.
Derby's up the road.
If we hustle tomorrow
we can find your genius.
- There's no genius.
No cure.
She was the only one
who understood that.
And even still, she
built all of that...
Al-Shifa.
What a useless thing to do.
(somber music)
I never got to say goodbye.
(pensive music)
- Leave it.
We need to keep on.
You want it? You want it?
I'm sick and tired of
this crybaby routine.
It ain't you.
Snap out of it!
Ines!
Ines, for real!
You can barely swim!
(somber music)
- You can't swim at all!
You wanted me to choose!
I would've taken Kuan!
Not you!
- Think you're so
fucking smart...
But you don't know
dick about shit!
Family ain't
something you choose.
- [Ines] Family?
- You can't stop me!
You and me? We're family!
You can't...
You can't...
And you can't change
that, you stupid...
Stupid asshole!
- Bui!
Bui! Shit!
(pensive music)
(Ines groans)
No!
Wake up!
(Ines wails)
(Ines sobbing)
No!
(bullies laugh)
- What a little
fuckin' pussy. (laughs)
(Bui sobs)
- Hey, kid.
Word of advice? Never
let them see you cry.
See you around, kid.
No! No!
Fuck this!
Get up!
There's work to do and
you're not finished yet!
I need you, Bui!
So if you know
what's good for you,
you better take
a fucking breath!
Right fucking now!
Please!
Oh my god!
(Bui gasping)
- Did you try to kiss me?
(Ines groans)
Ow.
(Ines laughs)
- Don't ever do that again.
- This is all I could find.
What's your move here?
- Our move.
We're done running.
It's time to hunt.
You'll be the bait.
- Wait. Wait, what?
- Trust me.
This is gonna work.
(energetic music)
(foreboding music)
But when ye come
And all the
flowers are dying
If I am dead, as
dead I well may be
Oh, Danny boy
The pipes, the
pipes are calling
From glen to glen
And down the mountainside
The summer's gone
And all the roses
- Man, this plan sucks!
(Meanie croaks)
(Meanie growls)
(ominous music)
- Checkmate, dickhead.
(Meanie chortles)
Well, fuck me.
(Bui shouts)
(tense music)
Hey, freak!
Drop it or I open her up like
a fucking Christmas present.
Let my friend go.
You okay?
- Solid.
- Blue Meanies my ass.
Look at you losers. You
ain't nothin' scary.
You're just a
couple of stupid...
Stupid kids.
(Meanies grunt)
- The hell are you doing?
- Let 'em go.
Trust me.
- We can't just leave them.
- Sure we can. They're smart.
They know what happens
if they come at us again.
Come on.
(Ines coughs)
(Meanie croaks)
Bitch, are you deaf and dumb?
- Hehp ooh. Hehp ooh.
Hehp ooh.
- I don't speak fuckin' Meanie.
- Hehp ooh.
- Hehp ooh?
You've gotta be kidding.
All this time...
You...
All this time, y'all were...
Y'all were, uh...
(Ines gulps)
- Ines? Ines, Ines, Ines!
Ines!
(Ines coughs)
Stay with me. Stay with me.
Look at me. Look at me.
Look at me.
(Ines squeals)
(Ines gasping)
- The more you know,
the less you now.
Or is it the other way around?
The less you know, more-
- Am I...
I mean, like...
Are we...
Are we dead?
- I don't feel dead.
But I have been here
for, like, an eternity,
which is a lot of time
to think about things.
- What kind of things?
- Ines things. Your whole deal.
Your purpose, why
you exist, you know.
All the basic stuff.
- I've done terrible things.
Made so many mistakes.
I don't know what I'm doing.
Or if I ever did.
- What you should do is
throw the friggin' plane.
(pensive music)
You may not see it yet,
but you're on a path.
A road you've been walking
down your whole life.
And it's bumpy and it's rough
and sometimes you get a
little rock in your shoe
and then you get a blister
and then the blister just
keeps bursting, it's the worst,
then you wonder, "Is this
the wrong shoe for this?"
But you gotta keep
walking the path
and leading the others
down it with you.
'Cause that's what
girls like you do.
Everything we do in this life,
the good, the bad,
the help and the hurt,
it all gets added up.
And in the end,
I'll bet top dollar
that you'll have
a big ol', giant, 10-story
stack of good in your hands.
You just gotta keep on.
- Kuan?
I...
I'm...
- I know, girl.
Me too.
(Ines sniffles)
(hospital monitor beeping)
(Ines grunts)
(Ines croaks)
(pensive music)
(idyllic music)
(Champ grunts)
(Champ growls softly)
(soft guitar music)
- Hey!
The bag.
Toss it over here.
(Ines rasps)
You got a death wish, bitch?
Yeah.
That's what I thought.
Aw, fuck!
(girl screams)
(gunshot pops)
Let me go!
(Bui snorts)
Oh shit, you're one of
them! Please don't kill me!
I have money!
(tranquil music)
(melancholy guitar music)
(wistful music)