Waking Karma (2023) Movie Script
1
[3 Round Burst Productions
introductory theme music]
[Dreamlet Productions
introductory theme music]
[opening theme music playing]
[breathing heavily]
[birds chirping]
-The vessel is holy
The vessel is holy
The soul awakes in her
The soul awakes in her
[vocalizing]
The vessel is holy
The vessel is holy
The soul awakes in her
The soul awakes in her
The vessel is holy
The vessel is holy
The soul awakes in her
The soul awakes in her
Hey, yeah
Hey, yeah
Hey, yeah
Hey
Vessel holy
Vessel holy
Soul awakes
Soul awakes
Vessel holy
Vessel holy
Soul awakes
Soul awakes
The soul awakes in her
I've never seen you before
Did you think that
I should listen to you?
I'm about to kick your ass
Through the door
Carry me further in regret
I tried to leave but regret's
Got quite the death grip
[knocks on door]
-[clears throat] Come in!
-[clears throat]
-Please, I beg of you.
Do not do Marilyn Monroe singing
"Happy Birthday" to JFK.
I'll die.
-Okay, but
I'm only sparing you
because it's your birthday.
-Thank you.
-That's "Thank you,
Mister President,"
to you.
-No!
-At least you had the decency
to pretend to be asleep.
-What do you mean?
-Don't play innocent.
You can't lie to me.
Now, make a wish,
and don't tell me what it is,
no matter what
I threaten you with.
[Polaroid snaps,
developing picture]
-Hot.
-Cute.
Ugh!
Please tell me
you'll throw that out.
-I will if you tell me
what you wished for.
-You told me not to.
-Hm. Then look where
it's going...
into my bag to show
all my friends.
-Yeah, well, luckily,
I know you don't have any
besides me.
-Um, what do you think
you're doing, young lady?
-Eating breakfast
before dessert,
like a normal human being.
-That is a violation of
at least three birthday laws.
I insist that you eat every last
crumb of your birthday cake,
and then let me make you
some of that disgusting
vegetarian bacon
you claim is edible.
-I'll tell you
what I wished for.
-Deal.
Honey, you're doing that thing.
What's up?
-Uh, nothing.
Yeah. It's stupid.
-Nothing you want is stupid.
Tell me.
-[chuckles]
I've been thinking about
changing my last name to Jones.
Officially.
-Uh, yeah. Listen.
You can change your name
if you want.
But there's a reason
I gave you his.
-To guarantee
I never date until my 40s?
-To make sure
that neither of us forgets.
I mean, no matter what
the paperwork says...
Believe me.
I have been trying for years,
and you can't erase him
that easily.
He doesn't just go away.
And it's...
safer not to pretend
that he has.
Anything else
you want to tell me?
-Mm, no.
-This came yesterday...
It's a great school.
And I know you've been checking
online every five minutes.
I don't understand
why you didn't tell me.
-It's on the East Coast.
-We'll make it work.
I can always get an apartment
near campus.
I am kidding.
Now go get your bathing suit on.
-Mom. I have school.
-Uh, birthday statute 435.
"Thou shalt not attendeth school
on thy birthday."
-Where's the rule against
bossing around
the birthday girl?
[unsettling music playing]
-[giggling]
-That one guy's bathing suit
should have counted
as a sex crime.
-There is no excuse
to wear a Speedo
in the 21st century.
-No, you can't--
you can't have
a Speedo and a mustache.
One is the legal limit.
[chuckling]
-Hey, wait, where do you
think you're going, missy?
-To bed.
-But it's still
your birthday for...
39 more minutes.
I'll--I'll brew us a pot
of extra strong coffee,
we can stay up late,
watch a scary movie,
eat candy until we feel sick?
-Mom, I already feel sick
from eating cake for breakfast
and three veggie dogs for lunch.
-Until we feel more sick?
-I have school
in the morning, okay?
I don't want to be tired.
And don't you have to work?
-I actually sell more houses
when I'm half asleep.
It makes me a better liar.
-I'm gonna go to bed,
all right?
You--I'll close my door
so you can watch
whatever you want
by yourself.
Good night, Mom!
[door slams]
[emotional music playing]
[door opening slowly]
[creature breathing
through mask]
-[gasping]
[panting for breath]
-[Sunny crying faintly]
[still crying]
-Mom?
Are you okay?
-This came for me today.
Without a stamp.
-"She has been prioritizing
the plush monkey all her life.
"I will teach her
to choose wire.
It's time.
I am coming for her."
I don't get it.
-It's from him.
-How?
"I'm coming for her?"
-You. He means you.
-Okay. Um...
we'll call the police.
It'll be fine.
-No. No, you don't know him.
The cops won't do any good.
They'll make things worse.
-Well then, what?
-Pack a bag.
I know a place we can go.
[paper crumples]
[approaching footsteps]
KARMA: Please don't tell me
you forgot to renew triple A.
-I don't want to talk about it.
-Why'd you even open it?
-I don't know.
Better to do something
than nothing.
-Can we get an Uber there?
-Nah, it's too far.
[hood closes]
We could hitchhike.
-Mom!
That's like a guaranteed way
to get murdered.
Absolutely not.
-Your generation is so fragile.
-Maybe yours wasn't
fragile enough.
[car door opens]
-[trunk closes]
-[car engine starts]
-Hey! Quick! Get in.
-Don't you think
you should maybe, like,
I don't know,
tell me some stuff?
-Stuff?
-You know what I mean.
-Honestly, I don't.
-About him.
-I've seen your search history.
You've seen every article
ever written about him.
What more do you want to know?
-What happened to you.
-No.
-KARMA: No?
That's it?
Mom.
It feels like
I'm going in blind here
and it might help to actually,
like, know--
-It won't.
What you don't know
is the only thing keeping you
calm and sane right now,
I promise.
[car engine revving]
[foreboding music playing]
[gears shift]
-Sunny.
-SUNNY: Hi.
BUTCH: Hey, look at you, huh?
[car doors closing]
And that must be Karma.
-Hmm. Yeah.
-Oh, yeah. Hugs.
-Karma, this is Butch.
I'd really hate to see
how you say hello
to someone you don't like.
-Ah, yeah.
Sorry about that.
Didn't--didn't mean to
give you a start.
But, you know,
you can't be too careful, right?
-SUNNY: Hm.
-Especially now.
So, uh, why don't we go inside
and let Priscilla
feed you some breakfast?
That'll make her happy.
I'll get the gate.
-Did you see something...?
-What? No.
I'm sure it was just the wind.
Or that big head of yours
making up stuff
like it sometimes does.
-[scoffs]
-Sorry, little lady. We prefer
to stay off the grid here.
You know those things
are homing beacons, right?
Lead somebody right to you.
-He's right.
-So you guys don't have Wi-Fi?
-Not even dial-up.
So, come on.
Let's eat. After you.
After you.
-Hi.
-Ah, Karma,
this is my wife, Priscilla.
[door closes]
And you remember Sunny.
Well, sit, sit.
We're not formal here.
Mm, hope you like
your bacon crisp.
I prefer mine chewy,
but I'm happy to defer
to the majority
on special occasions.
Karma, are you a vegetarian?
-Vegan. Sorry,
we should have told you.
-No, no. Nonsense.
We'll keep that
warm in the oven
and Priscilla will whip you up
one of her delicious
soy protein shakes.
-No, no,
I--I'm not even hungry.
-No, it's no trouble. Really.
I'll get some strawberries
from the garden.
She'll like those.
-[door opens, closes]
-Hm.
-Does she not talk?
-Hasn't in years.
-What happened to her?
-Sometimes when you stay
quiet for too long, it sticks.
[distant glass shatters]
I'm going to go
check on that shake.
[footsteps receding,
floorboard creaking]
Hey, Priscilla,
let me help you with that.
[distant blender whirring]
[tense burst of music]
[distant creaking]
[distant blender whirring]
[door shuts]
[tense music continues]
Sorry. That was a whole drama
with Butch and the garden.
You would not believe
how much dirt goes into
this whole
fruit and vegetable thing.
Make sure you finish
the whole thing.
Breakfast is the most important
meal of the day,
or at least
that's what they say.
-It tastes weird.
[footsteps]
-So, how's the shake?
-Delicious.
-I told you. [chuckles]
Sunny,
you'll have the works, right?
-Yes, please.
-BUTCH: There you go.
So, Karma, your mom tells me
that you got into
some really fine schools.
You must be very excited
about next year.
[slams her glass]
-I'm sorry,
but can we talk about
what's actually going on here
for a minute?
-Karma. Don't be rude.
-No. It's...
it's quite all right.
But nothing's going on.
You're safe here.
That fence outside?
It's impenetrable.
The gate we have chained
and padlocked.
There are motion sensors
all around the edges,
so we're gonna know if anybody
gets too close for comfort.
The only way anybody gets in
is if I let them in.
And that's not going to happen.
-I just wish you guys
would stop acting
like everything's okay.
-Old habits die hard, I guess.
-I'm not feeling very well.
May I please be excused?
-Of course. You want to lie down
in our room,
you're more than welcome to.
-No, that's okay.
[clears throat]
[door opens, closes]
[soft unsettling music playing]
[phone thuds]
-Thank you, darling.
-Was it true
what you said to her?
About how safe it is here?
-Yeah.
There are no cell phone towers,
no data, no cloud.
[water running on dishes]
No one out there
even knows we're here.
SUNNY: And Paul?
Where is he?
-Well, the authorities
were last tracking him
in Oaxaca, Mexico.
-But somebody dropped
that note at our place.
-He could've paid
anybody to do that.
Not necessarily a believer.
[water running]
-How many do you think
he still has?
-[faint creaking]
-BUTCH: Well, Wendell's never
left his side.
A big, quiet man always
shows up in the reports.
I don't need to tell you--
I mean, Paul is basically
the Pied Piper of lost souls.
He can get anyone
to follow him through fire
and not ask for water
on the other side.
-[chuckles]
But that far in in Mexico.
I thought he was
sticking closer to TJ.
-Well, a few too many girls
disappeared.
He had to move on.
-Yeah.
In some ways, I'm sure Mexico
is perfect for him.
Remember when all those
factory women turned up missing
a few years back?
-Yeah.
Well, as long as
you're poor and brown,
no one seems to care.
-[breathes deeply]
[knife thuds]
[door closes]
-I'm sorry if I scared you
last night.
That's part of why I don't like
talking about your father.
I don't want to give you fear
that isn't yours.
-It's okay. I just wish you
wouldn't treat me like a child.
-Honey, you are a child.
It's my job to treat you
like one.
-I'm the same age now
as you were when you had me.
-Believe me,
I was a child then, too.
-Do you trust him?
-Who?
-Butch.
-Absolutely. With my life.
-Mom, I think there was
something in that shake.
I don't feel right.
-No, I'm sure it's just nerves.
Look, Butch went to
an awful lot of trouble
to make sure he didn't
have to hurt people anymore.
He's not going to
start again now.
-That's comforting.
-Maybe you should lie down,
like he said.
Come.
[strains]
[teasing]
Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk.
Ssshhhh.
I'll be right outside
if you need anything, okay?
[footsteps receding]
-[sighing]
[]
[]
[clattering]
[bottle thuds]
[sighs]
[box unlocks]
-The scorpion fly
represents reincarnation.
The larvae appear to die
before they're reborn
as adult flies
who then give birth
to new larvae,
beginning the cycle
all over again.
-I'm--I'm--I'm so sorry. I--
-BUTCH: You were scared.
And wondering if I was
the embodiment of everything
you are running from.
I don't blame you.
-What are these?
That--that mask, I--
-They're reminders
of why I left.
I keep these in case
I'm ever tempted to go back.
This is our daughter, Cindy,
the night she died.
-What happened?
-A failed reincarnation.
I'm surprised your mother
hasn't told you about them.
-No. She won't tell me
any of it.
It's like it never happened.
Is that why you left?
-Yeah. And why I sold out
every friend I had
to try and send
your father to prison.
Instead,
I loosed him on Mexico,
and guaranteed
my wife and I would live
running from our shadows
for the rest of our days.
There is some beauty in it.
The promise of a life
never ends.
The end to the fear of death.
And in my experience,
the more we resist
the inevitable,
the more we bring it on.
-I need--I need some air.
-Well, we got plenty of that.
I'll go with you.
-No, no. I'd rather be alone.
I'll--I'll be fine. Honestly.
[soft music playing]
[hyperventilating]
[distant splatter]
[intense burst of music]
[breathing heavily] Hello?
Is anyone in there?
[screams]
[breathing heavily]
[alarm system bleating]
Mom!
[drawer opens, closes]
-Priscilla?
Where are you?
Priscilla!
Priscilla!
Darling, we got to go.
All right?
[keys jingle]
I need you to go start the car.
I'm going to go get weapons
from the shed
and then find Karma and Sunny.
Listen to me, it's going to be
all right, I promise.
It's probably
just a squirrel again,
but just in case,
I need you to move.
Come on. Let's go.
[alarm system continues
bleating]
[door closes]
[alarm system silenced]
[gun fired]
Wendell.
How the fuck did you get in?
Hey. Take me.
Just leave Priscilla.
She doesn't know anything.
She never talked.
She can't talk.
Please. I'm the one you want.
-You are a rat.
Rats don't kneel. They run.
Run.
Run!
-[door opens]
-[Sunny's muffled breathing]
-Mom? Ah!
-[muffled sobs]
-[Karma shrieks]
[breathing heavily]
[mouse squeaking]
[door knob rattles]
-[bangs on door]
-Hello! Is anybody out there?
-[door knob rattles]
-[mouse squeaking]
-Hey.
You can come out.
I'm not going to hurt you,
I promise.
[mouse squeaking]
[distant creak]
[gasps]
[cries] Mom!
[heart pounding]
[gasping]
[mouse squeaking]
[cries]
Stop, stop, stop,
stop, stop, stop,
stop, stop, stop,
stop, stop, stop.
-Oh. Don't tell me
you never made it to the car?
Where are the keys?
Give me the keys.
Oh, no, no, no, I'm sorry,
my love, I'm sorry.
But I do need you to stand up.
Now. Now.
Listen to me.
It's going to be okay.
It's going to be okay.
But we have to go. Let's go.
[mouse squeaking]
-[breathing heavily]
PAUL: Hello, Karma.
-I know you're not real.
You're not real.
[tense beats of music]
-You're a lot shorter
than I thought you'd be.
But, uh, you know, you're...
every bit as weak.
That figures, you know,
considering how your mother is.
-Fuck you.
Where--where is she?
-There you go.
You're catching up.
There you go...
uh, she's where she should be.
-You're not real.
You're not real.
-Oh, yes I am.
You're seeing things, you see,
because you're very,
very close to divinity.
I'm curious:
Are you a virgin?
-What? What...?
-Do boys want to touch you?
When even like probably not
if they find out who
your father is, right?
Maybe they get off on it.
[laughs]
-That's disgusting.
-I'm guessing virgin.
I'm guessing
you're a virgin, yeah.
You don't smell like a slut.
[sniffs]
I can smell one of them
from across the room.
-What do you want from me?
Why am--why are you here?
-What do I want from you?
You know, I believe in choice.
Free choice, okay?
You know what that is, right?
I want you to kill a mouse.
All you gotta do is...
do this,
put his little head in there...
[mousetrap snaps]
It's over. Dead.
-I don't kill animals.
-[laughs]
Did you know
that Hitler was a vegetarian?
It's easy. Trust me.
[mousetrap thuds]
Or...
You know, you could die here
and then he'll eat you.
You want to be eaten by a mouse?
-So why don't you
just kill me right now
and get it over with?
-You really think
I would just kill you, huh?
You're my daughter, Karma.
What kind of a monster
do you think I am?
-I'd rather die.
[mouse squeaking]
[breathing heavily]
[thuds]
[Priscilla panting]
-Hello, rats.
[mouse squeaking]
-[Karma hyperventilating]
[mousetrap snaps]
[tormented squeaking]
[crying]
[gasping]
[suspenseful music]
-Here you go.
Oh! [laughs]
What do you say?
-Please.
-Please what?
-Sir.
-Good job.
Congratulations.
-[drinks aggressively]
-Mm, looky there.
Look what we got here.
[chuckles]
You know, you're all
the same, aren't you?
Just all full of
your own desires.
Slaves to your physical needs.
That's the most
important thing, right?
I should've had a son.
-Wendell!
-[straining]
-Where do you think
you're going?
You can let go of her now.
You know, next time you do that,
you're gonna get shot.
All right?
You can go, Wendell.
What are you so serious about?
You know I'm just
joking around, right?
[laughs]
That shaking thing.
It means I'm getting to you.
It's a really bad habit.
You ever hear of a, uh...
Harry Harlow?
Ring a bell?
No?
And they let you
into Harvard, huh?
[laughs]
You know what he did?
He got a bunch of monkeys,
and he took their mother
away from them.
And then he gave them
a choice of mom:
one made out of wire,
to feed them.
Or a nice, you know,
soft, nice, cozy,
comfortable, gentle mother
to watch them starve.
Which one do you think
they picked, huh?
'Cause I'm trying to find out:
Are you a real girl?
Or a fucking monkey?
Which one are you?
You a fucking monkey?
[imitates monkey noise]
[laughs]
You don't like that, do you?
Which one do you think
they picked, huh?
-Um. [clears throat]
The cold...cold wire mom?
-The wire.
[sucks through his teeth]
Ooh.
No. Of course they picked
the nice, soft, cozy, warm,
comfortable mother
to watch them starve.
Listen...you can leave
if you want.
You can go run away.
It's open.
Go ahead, take it.
Go ahead.
Ooh.
Except for one thing.
Uh, your mom is staying here.
-No. No. I won't leave her.
-Oh yeah, you will.
Yeah, yeah, you are. Yeah.
-No. No. No,
I'm not leaving without my mom.
-You got about five minutes
to make up your mind
because Wendell's
gonna come back out
to check on me, so here.
-Okay. [panting]
[car door closes]
Okay.
[car engine sputters]
Come on. Come on. Come on.
Fucking Sunny.
[car engine sputters]
-Roadside assistance. [laughs]
A little trouble
with your starter there?
That's because I told Wendell
to disengage it,
'cause you ain't going nowhere.
-[gasping]
Mom!
PAUL:
Another weak monkey moment,
ladies and gentlemen.
-Mom? It's me.
Can you talk?
Priscilla! Are you okay?
Do you know where my mom is?
Where's my mom?
[muffled screaming]
-Can I give you
a word of advice?
-Shhh.
-[whispering] I've spent
a lot of time with your father.
And at this point, struggling
can only make things worse.
He wants to break your spirit.
It's not personal.
It's not about violence.
This is just what he does.
He wants to crawl
inside your head
and make you
just as cruel as he is.
-You said no one
was getting in here
unless you let them in.
-I can promise you,
it wasn't me.
I'd rather die than
help that man again.
-Then who was it?
[panting]
-[Wendell whistling the tune
of "Waking Karma"]
[loud thud]
[whistling continues]
-Where's my mom?
-Well, good afternoon
to you, too.
She's right where
she should be, all right?
Ask stupid questions.
-I'm vegan.
-I don't really care
one way or the other.
-I'm not going to eat it.
-Yes, you are.
-Or what?
-Or what?
Well, I tell you, um,
you're never gonna
see your mother again.
How about that?
-So if I eat this,
I can see my mom?
-What's so wonderful
about mothers?
If you tell me what's
so goddamned important
about a mother,
that might help.
-You must have had one.
-Your grandma
was a real peach of a woman.
The--the fucking face
that launched a thousand drunks.
-Paul. Spare the girl.
PAUL: Why?
What's so goddamned important
about being a mother?
I was thinking maybe we should
ask, uh, Priscilla.
She's a mom. She would know.
Maybe she has some insight.
-You know she doesn't speak.
Please.
-Yeah, well.
Not many marriages can survive,
you know, a daughter's throat
being slit by the father.
Right, Butch?
[laughs]
-[Priscilla cries]
-I mean,
you don't even know
what happened
between these two, do you?
-They told me
you killed their daughter.
-[laughs]
Oh, that's a good one.
-I never said
he was the one who did it.
-All right...so.
[laughing]
The mute's crying now! Yes.
-Paul, I deserve this,
all right?
Every second of it.
But these two
haven't done anything.
Let them go.
Let them go! Do whatever
you want with me.
-You--you really mean that?
-Yes.
PAUL: Well, all right.
-Argh!
God!
-[gasps]
-I decide what you deserve.
-[grunts]
-Eat your food.
Or I won't take the knife out.
-[through gritted teeth] Karma,
you don't have to do
anything you don't want to.
You don't have to.
-Eat your food.
-[Butch grunting]
-Eat your meat.
Eat it.
Eat it all!
-[Butch grunts]
-That's a good girl.
BUTCH: Ah!
[Priscilla cries]
-Now you're worse than me.
-Worse than you?
-[laughs]
You know, I was your age
when I killed my mother.
She was the first one.
Yeah. But at least
I didn't eat her.
-Where's my mom?
-Well. There she is,
right there.
BUTCH: Oh, Jesus.
-[coughs, gags, vomits]
PAUL: Well, I promised you
if you ate,
you'd see her again.
Wendell. Get rid of these two.
-[Karma coughing]
[crying] Mom.
-You're a very good girl.
-[sobbing]
[]
WENDELL: Stay here.
Come on. Stand up.
Here.
-[laughing]
[clears throat] You know, um...
I'm very proud of you.
What you did at lunchtime.
You earned the right of choice.
These two?
I'll fucking kill them both
right now.
I'll stab them to death.
But you earned the right
to decide.
You kill one of them
or I'll do them both.
-Karma.
Karma, I'm begging you.
Kill me, leave Priscilla.
Let Priscilla live.
Baby...
please.
-Come on.
Good girl.
You could actually save a life.
BUTCH: Kill me!
Please, Karma.
-Do it!
The time is now.
Butch or Priscilla, which one?
Who you gonna do?
-Let them both go.
-[Paul laughs]
You're gonna stab yourself,
is that it?
Yeah, you know how hard
that is to do?
You're not even going to get
through your T-shirt, all right?
[switchblade clicks]
Let's give Butch
a really good show.
What do you think?
Huh? All right.
-No!! No.
-[agonal cough]
[Paul laughs]
[Butch sobbing]
PAUL: You know,
when I was a kid, I really
didn't get fed enough.
My mother didn't really
feed me good.
So, one day I took a stick.
I was so fucking hungry that
I killed a rat.
With a stick. And I ate it.
That's how, you know,
hungry I was.
See, and there's a rat,
right there.
You know what it's like to
have a rat in your life?
You know, who wants that? Right?
That's not good for Papa.
Is it?
A rat, on a stick.
Open up your mouth, rat.
Open up!
-Fuck you.
-[groans] Mom?
Mom?
-PAUL: Open up your mouth!
-I thought you were dead.
He told me that you...
Are you okay?
Where were you? Mom!
-[Butch gurgles]
-[Karma gasping]
Mom!
Mom!
What's going on? What?
Is he making you do this?
-Nothing.
No, no, of course not.
-So you just decided
to come out
and save his life
instead of mine?
-I believe in
the power of choice, honey.
-That's something he thinks;
that's not something you think.
-We think the same things.
-Since when?!
-Let's talk
about this later, okay?
You're tired and you don't know
what you're saying.
-I thought we were
best friends, Mom.
-Of course we are.
But this is the highest honor
I could hope for for you, Karma.
-What are you talking about?
How--how is this an honor?
Did he drug you? Mom?
-Hey, listen.
You know what?
This woman right here
has never wavered against me,
never went away from me,
for 17 years.
You know, she gave birth to you,
you know,
to save her own skin,
but nevertheless,
she did do that.
-The path is clear, Karma.
The soul may reject the vessel,
but not if she's
a perfect genetic match.
A daughter.
-You bred me for him?
[spits]
You fucking bitch.
You don't deserve to live!
[slap thrown]
-PAUL: Wendell!
-[cries] Ah! Ah!
No! No! No!
Mom, please.
Mom. Mom!
-Honey,
we have great news for you.
Should I tell her,
or do you want to?
-Uh, you go ahead.
-You passed. Yay!
It was touch and go there
for a while
with your attachment to me,
but you came through at the end
and you really
stuck the landing.
-Yeah, you sure did.
I'm proud of you, Karma.
-Fuck you,
you fucking psychopath.
-You see?
I told you she had spirit.
-Well, I mean,
you were right,
but she also had
a lot of bad habits,
and sometimes you have to
break somebody's spirit
to get rid of bad habits,
and that's what we did, so...
-So can I leave now?
-Even better.
You might not like
the sound of this at first,
but I promise you,
it's going to be amazing.
-Karma, you and I
are going to spend
the rest of our lives together,
starting tonight.
-What?
-I mean,
there's really no higher honor.
I would have offered
to do it myself,
but I wouldn't be
a genetic match.
-But I thought
if I survived then...
-Oh, no, no.
This was never about survival.
It was about getting you ready.
-Ready for what?
-You have to break
the spirit of the host
before the new soul
enters the body.
-And in your case, honey,
we had to prepare you
for a level of brutality
that you were used to rejecting
so you could match up
with your dad.
-Mom. This makes no sense.
Please tell me you hear that.
-I know it's unfamiliar. But
it's the simplest thing.
You're going to be the host
for the soul
of the greatest prophet
the world has ever known:
your father.
Congratulations.
-PAUL: Wendell!
-No, no, no, no, no, no!
Let me go! Let me go!
[breathing heavily]
Mom? Mom? Mom? Mom?
-Let's get you
cleaned up, okay?
Everything will
look brighter then.
Shhhh.
Good girl, baby girl.
Good girl.
-[breathing heavily]
[breathes deeply]
-Oh, good. You're awake.
We have a ton to get through
before nightfall.
-Mom, what are you doing?
What--what's going on?
-My first question
for you is,
are you on your period?
-Why? What is this for?
-Are you menstruating,
yes or no?
We need to be quick here.
-No.
No, don't you remember
when I took your last tampon
two weeks ago?
-I do. But these are
for your father.
-Why does he need to know
if I'm having my period?
-I'd appreciate
if you would pee in here
and let me see the toilet paper,
just to be sure.
-Absolutely not.
-I know this all
seems strange but, believe me,
it's in your own best interest
to cooperate.
-If I pee for you, will
you answer a question for me?
As my mom?
-Fine.
-[peeing]
-You're clean.
-Mom?
What did he have to do to you
to convince
you to do this to me?
-Nothing.
I'd do anything for him.
And it's not "to" you.
It's for you.
-You wouldn't do
anything for me?
-It's different.
Is it possible
that you're not menstruating
because you're pregnant?
-I'm sorry?
-Just answer the question.
-Mom, you know
the answer to that.
-I need to
hear you to say it.
-No.
It's not possible
I'm pregnant.
[sniffles]
-Are you a virgin?
-Where were you for the
last three years of high school
while I cried to you
that I couldn't get a date
because everyone thought
I was weird?
-I'll take that as a yes.
Are you a lesbian?
-What does it matter?
-Yes or no?
-No. I like boys,
they just don't like me.
-I'll need you to submit
to a virginity test.
-Are you--
are you fucking kidding me?
Mom, you know
those tests are bullshit.
-Your father requires it.
-[sniffles]
-Wendell,
would you come in here, please?
I need your help with something.
KARMA: No, no, no, no.
Mom, no! No, Mom!
No! You can't do this.
Mom, this isn't you.
No! No!
-That plush monkey
you grew up with,
who you thought you knew?
That wasn't me.
I told her to you
as a bedtime story
so you could fall asleep
at night.
-No.
-But now it's time
to wake up and grow up.
-[crying] Please.
-This is the real me,
whether you like her or not.
[flashlight clicks]
-[cries]
-Everything looks good.
We'll give you a second.
[footsteps]
-[breathing shakily]
[footsteps]
-Get up.
You've had long enough.
-[cattle prod crackles]
-[groans]
SUNNY: I said, get up.
-[cries]
-Put these on.
-No.
-Suit yourself.
[shoes thud]
-[sniffles]
-I need you to dig. Here.
-How deep?
-At least six feet.
-So it's a grave.
-Get digging.
The sun will be going down soon.
-[sniffles] Is it for me?
-That depends entirely
on how the ritual goes.
-So, if it fails...
-If the soul
rejects the vessel,
then the vessel is corrupt,
and we must...
we must dispose of it.
-And what happens to you?
-All I know is that
if you don't do
exactly what I say
and do it now,
I'm going to lose both you
and your father in one night.
-Mom, have any of
these rituals ever worked?
-This one is different.
His power,
your genetic match,
the presence of the divine,
everything we've sacrificed.
This one will work
if you do what I say.
-So you're saying
they've all failed?
Mom. Mom,
let's get out of here together
right now, okay?
Then I don't have to die,
and neither does that fucking
monster you think you love.
-[cattle prod crackles]
-[gasps]
-You don't know him.
Now start shoveling.
Physical exhaustion
will purify the vessel.
Shallow.
But it'll have to do.
-[panting]
Mom, I'm starving.
-Hunger will purify
the vessel.
[water running in sink]
[soft music playing]
-I don't understand
how you pretended.
With me.
-I was never pretending.
-Did you meet him?
Behind my back?
-Never.
He told me to wait.
-And you waited.
-I waited.
-You thought
about him, though.
And never told me.
He doesn't love you.
-It doesn't matter.
-But I do.
-He gave me
everything I have.
But you?
You took and you took,
and you never
gave any of it back.
-Are you kidding?
All I ever did
was take care of you.
You were never a real mom.
[groans]
[water splashing]
-[straining]
Aaaahhh! [cries]
-[coughing,
breathing rapidly]
-I wanted to do that
a hundred times
when you were a baby.
I couldn't go through with it
because I knew
Paul would kill me.
You stole my life.
I never wanted you.
I only had you because
your father told me to.
Is that what
you wanted to hear, Karma?
Because that's the truth.
-[breathing heavily, crying]
-[breathes]
Wendell! We're done here.
[Karma sobbing]
-You want her someplace else?
-No, thank you.
Could you give us
some privacy, though?
I have a present for you.
Your father and I
would like you to wear this.
And then you can put the mask on
and go out to the yard
and we'll meet you there.
You know, after everything
he's done for you today,
I think you could stand
to lose the attitude.
You're lucky to have a father
who wanted you.
Not everyone does, you know.
And sometimes
we have to sacrifice.
You think it was easy for me to
raise you alone with no money?
I can tell you
I didn't get it done
by sitting around
and crying about it.
And sometimes we have to--
buck up and play the hand
that fate dealt us.
So even if you don't like it,
you'll put on the dress
when I tell you to.
Because I am your mother.
-No, you're not.
You never were.
[slap thrown]
[crying]
SUNNY: Fine.
Then do it so your father
doesn't gut you like a fish.
Is that enough motivation
for you?
-[breathing heavily]
[crying]
[sniffles]
[emotional music playing]
[sniffling]
[breathing
through the mask]
PAUL: Thank you, Wendell.
[Wendell whistling the tune
of "Waking Karma"]
[intense music playing]
PAUL: Hello, Karma.
You know,
I've been a fucking monster.
You know, it ain't no fun
being an animal.
It gets to the point where
it just ain't fun no more...
[screams in pain]
[blood splattering]
-[breathing
through the mask]
[suspenseful music playing]
[razor thuds]
SUNNY: Paul?
[breathes heavily]
It's really you.
[cries in happiness]
Wendell.
The soul has accepted
the vessel.
The vessel is holy.
You'll need to bury
the discarded shell.
I believe it's still
in the bathroom.
[trash bag rustles]
-[exhales]
[strains]
-Oh, God, there's so much I want
to ask you.
What did it feel like?
Did you touch divinity
on the other side?
You must be tired.
But we have plenty of time
to catch up now.
Years and years...
Have I told you
how much I missed you?
All those lonely nights...
[Karma breathing through the
mask]
-What are you doing?
Wendell!
Get out here right away!
The vessel is corrupt.
-No!
-We were wrong.
The vessel is corrupt.
[Karma cries]
-I saw him in her.
SUNNY: The vessel is deceitful!
[body thuds]
[panting] No! No!
No, let me go and take her.
She's a lying little bitch
who killed our prophet!
-You want me to kill her?
KARMA: No. I'll do it.
-[Sunny screams]
[panting]
He'd kill me
without blinking.
And you know it.
-[grunting]
-[breathing heavily]
[shovel clanks]
[breathing through mask]
-You know you wouldn't
have survived
a quarter
of what I went through.
And you dare to think
you're better than
the greatest prophet
who ever lived!
To take him from me, you--
KARMA: [through mask]
Shut up!
-You take everything
he gives you.
You think you're so much
smarter than he is,
that it's your right
to decide who lives and dies.
[Karma strains]
-But you're worthless.
You're a worthless
piece of shit.
KARMA: [through mask]
Shut up, shut up,
shut up!
-You don't deserve
the air you breathe--
-[through mask] Shut up!
-Yeah!
[body thuds]
[groaning] Why should I?
Because Paul died
and made you queen?
That's not how it works, honey--
-[panting]
[mask smashing Sunny's head]
[breathing heavily]
-You little bitch.
-[panting heavily]
[keys jingle]
[continues panting heavily]
[crickets chirping]
["I'm Gonna Tell My Therapist
On You" by Pinkshift playing]
Hello, can I help you?
I don't think I've ever
seen you before
Did you think
That I should listen to you?
I'm about to kick
Your ass through the door
Carry me further in regret
I tried to leave but regret's
Got quite the death grip
The meds aren't working
For me anymore
I think I'm spiraling,
I'm spiraling downwards
["Waking Karma" by Shannon
Godly, Luis Lara playing]
-The vessel is holy
The vessel is holy
The soul awakes in her
The soul awakes in her
[vocalizing]
The vessel is holy
The vessel is holy
The soul awakes in her
The soul awakes in her
The vessel is holy
The vessel is holy
The soul awakes in her
The soul awakes in her
Hey, yeah
Hey, yeah
Hey, yeah
Hey
Vessel holy
Vessel holy
Soul awakes
Soul awakes
Vessel holy
Vessel holy
Soul awakes
Soul awakes
The soul awakes
The soul awakes
The soul awakes in her
[music fades out]
[3 Round Burst Productions
introductory theme music]
[Dreamlet Productions
introductory theme music]
[opening theme music playing]
[breathing heavily]
[birds chirping]
-The vessel is holy
The vessel is holy
The soul awakes in her
The soul awakes in her
[vocalizing]
The vessel is holy
The vessel is holy
The soul awakes in her
The soul awakes in her
The vessel is holy
The vessel is holy
The soul awakes in her
The soul awakes in her
Hey, yeah
Hey, yeah
Hey, yeah
Hey
Vessel holy
Vessel holy
Soul awakes
Soul awakes
Vessel holy
Vessel holy
Soul awakes
Soul awakes
The soul awakes in her
I've never seen you before
Did you think that
I should listen to you?
I'm about to kick your ass
Through the door
Carry me further in regret
I tried to leave but regret's
Got quite the death grip
[knocks on door]
-[clears throat] Come in!
-[clears throat]
-Please, I beg of you.
Do not do Marilyn Monroe singing
"Happy Birthday" to JFK.
I'll die.
-Okay, but
I'm only sparing you
because it's your birthday.
-Thank you.
-That's "Thank you,
Mister President,"
to you.
-No!
-At least you had the decency
to pretend to be asleep.
-What do you mean?
-Don't play innocent.
You can't lie to me.
Now, make a wish,
and don't tell me what it is,
no matter what
I threaten you with.
[Polaroid snaps,
developing picture]
-Hot.
-Cute.
Ugh!
Please tell me
you'll throw that out.
-I will if you tell me
what you wished for.
-You told me not to.
-Hm. Then look where
it's going...
into my bag to show
all my friends.
-Yeah, well, luckily,
I know you don't have any
besides me.
-Um, what do you think
you're doing, young lady?
-Eating breakfast
before dessert,
like a normal human being.
-That is a violation of
at least three birthday laws.
I insist that you eat every last
crumb of your birthday cake,
and then let me make you
some of that disgusting
vegetarian bacon
you claim is edible.
-I'll tell you
what I wished for.
-Deal.
Honey, you're doing that thing.
What's up?
-Uh, nothing.
Yeah. It's stupid.
-Nothing you want is stupid.
Tell me.
-[chuckles]
I've been thinking about
changing my last name to Jones.
Officially.
-Uh, yeah. Listen.
You can change your name
if you want.
But there's a reason
I gave you his.
-To guarantee
I never date until my 40s?
-To make sure
that neither of us forgets.
I mean, no matter what
the paperwork says...
Believe me.
I have been trying for years,
and you can't erase him
that easily.
He doesn't just go away.
And it's...
safer not to pretend
that he has.
Anything else
you want to tell me?
-Mm, no.
-This came yesterday...
It's a great school.
And I know you've been checking
online every five minutes.
I don't understand
why you didn't tell me.
-It's on the East Coast.
-We'll make it work.
I can always get an apartment
near campus.
I am kidding.
Now go get your bathing suit on.
-Mom. I have school.
-Uh, birthday statute 435.
"Thou shalt not attendeth school
on thy birthday."
-Where's the rule against
bossing around
the birthday girl?
[unsettling music playing]
-[giggling]
-That one guy's bathing suit
should have counted
as a sex crime.
-There is no excuse
to wear a Speedo
in the 21st century.
-No, you can't--
you can't have
a Speedo and a mustache.
One is the legal limit.
[chuckling]
-Hey, wait, where do you
think you're going, missy?
-To bed.
-But it's still
your birthday for...
39 more minutes.
I'll--I'll brew us a pot
of extra strong coffee,
we can stay up late,
watch a scary movie,
eat candy until we feel sick?
-Mom, I already feel sick
from eating cake for breakfast
and three veggie dogs for lunch.
-Until we feel more sick?
-I have school
in the morning, okay?
I don't want to be tired.
And don't you have to work?
-I actually sell more houses
when I'm half asleep.
It makes me a better liar.
-I'm gonna go to bed,
all right?
You--I'll close my door
so you can watch
whatever you want
by yourself.
Good night, Mom!
[door slams]
[emotional music playing]
[door opening slowly]
[creature breathing
through mask]
-[gasping]
[panting for breath]
-[Sunny crying faintly]
[still crying]
-Mom?
Are you okay?
-This came for me today.
Without a stamp.
-"She has been prioritizing
the plush monkey all her life.
"I will teach her
to choose wire.
It's time.
I am coming for her."
I don't get it.
-It's from him.
-How?
"I'm coming for her?"
-You. He means you.
-Okay. Um...
we'll call the police.
It'll be fine.
-No. No, you don't know him.
The cops won't do any good.
They'll make things worse.
-Well then, what?
-Pack a bag.
I know a place we can go.
[paper crumples]
[approaching footsteps]
KARMA: Please don't tell me
you forgot to renew triple A.
-I don't want to talk about it.
-Why'd you even open it?
-I don't know.
Better to do something
than nothing.
-Can we get an Uber there?
-Nah, it's too far.
[hood closes]
We could hitchhike.
-Mom!
That's like a guaranteed way
to get murdered.
Absolutely not.
-Your generation is so fragile.
-Maybe yours wasn't
fragile enough.
[car door opens]
-[trunk closes]
-[car engine starts]
-Hey! Quick! Get in.
-Don't you think
you should maybe, like,
I don't know,
tell me some stuff?
-Stuff?
-You know what I mean.
-Honestly, I don't.
-About him.
-I've seen your search history.
You've seen every article
ever written about him.
What more do you want to know?
-What happened to you.
-No.
-KARMA: No?
That's it?
Mom.
It feels like
I'm going in blind here
and it might help to actually,
like, know--
-It won't.
What you don't know
is the only thing keeping you
calm and sane right now,
I promise.
[car engine revving]
[foreboding music playing]
[gears shift]
-Sunny.
-SUNNY: Hi.
BUTCH: Hey, look at you, huh?
[car doors closing]
And that must be Karma.
-Hmm. Yeah.
-Oh, yeah. Hugs.
-Karma, this is Butch.
I'd really hate to see
how you say hello
to someone you don't like.
-Ah, yeah.
Sorry about that.
Didn't--didn't mean to
give you a start.
But, you know,
you can't be too careful, right?
-SUNNY: Hm.
-Especially now.
So, uh, why don't we go inside
and let Priscilla
feed you some breakfast?
That'll make her happy.
I'll get the gate.
-Did you see something...?
-What? No.
I'm sure it was just the wind.
Or that big head of yours
making up stuff
like it sometimes does.
-[scoffs]
-Sorry, little lady. We prefer
to stay off the grid here.
You know those things
are homing beacons, right?
Lead somebody right to you.
-He's right.
-So you guys don't have Wi-Fi?
-Not even dial-up.
So, come on.
Let's eat. After you.
After you.
-Hi.
-Ah, Karma,
this is my wife, Priscilla.
[door closes]
And you remember Sunny.
Well, sit, sit.
We're not formal here.
Mm, hope you like
your bacon crisp.
I prefer mine chewy,
but I'm happy to defer
to the majority
on special occasions.
Karma, are you a vegetarian?
-Vegan. Sorry,
we should have told you.
-No, no. Nonsense.
We'll keep that
warm in the oven
and Priscilla will whip you up
one of her delicious
soy protein shakes.
-No, no,
I--I'm not even hungry.
-No, it's no trouble. Really.
I'll get some strawberries
from the garden.
She'll like those.
-[door opens, closes]
-Hm.
-Does she not talk?
-Hasn't in years.
-What happened to her?
-Sometimes when you stay
quiet for too long, it sticks.
[distant glass shatters]
I'm going to go
check on that shake.
[footsteps receding,
floorboard creaking]
Hey, Priscilla,
let me help you with that.
[distant blender whirring]
[tense burst of music]
[distant creaking]
[distant blender whirring]
[door shuts]
[tense music continues]
Sorry. That was a whole drama
with Butch and the garden.
You would not believe
how much dirt goes into
this whole
fruit and vegetable thing.
Make sure you finish
the whole thing.
Breakfast is the most important
meal of the day,
or at least
that's what they say.
-It tastes weird.
[footsteps]
-So, how's the shake?
-Delicious.
-I told you. [chuckles]
Sunny,
you'll have the works, right?
-Yes, please.
-BUTCH: There you go.
So, Karma, your mom tells me
that you got into
some really fine schools.
You must be very excited
about next year.
[slams her glass]
-I'm sorry,
but can we talk about
what's actually going on here
for a minute?
-Karma. Don't be rude.
-No. It's...
it's quite all right.
But nothing's going on.
You're safe here.
That fence outside?
It's impenetrable.
The gate we have chained
and padlocked.
There are motion sensors
all around the edges,
so we're gonna know if anybody
gets too close for comfort.
The only way anybody gets in
is if I let them in.
And that's not going to happen.
-I just wish you guys
would stop acting
like everything's okay.
-Old habits die hard, I guess.
-I'm not feeling very well.
May I please be excused?
-Of course. You want to lie down
in our room,
you're more than welcome to.
-No, that's okay.
[clears throat]
[door opens, closes]
[soft unsettling music playing]
[phone thuds]
-Thank you, darling.
-Was it true
what you said to her?
About how safe it is here?
-Yeah.
There are no cell phone towers,
no data, no cloud.
[water running on dishes]
No one out there
even knows we're here.
SUNNY: And Paul?
Where is he?
-Well, the authorities
were last tracking him
in Oaxaca, Mexico.
-But somebody dropped
that note at our place.
-He could've paid
anybody to do that.
Not necessarily a believer.
[water running]
-How many do you think
he still has?
-[faint creaking]
-BUTCH: Well, Wendell's never
left his side.
A big, quiet man always
shows up in the reports.
I don't need to tell you--
I mean, Paul is basically
the Pied Piper of lost souls.
He can get anyone
to follow him through fire
and not ask for water
on the other side.
-[chuckles]
But that far in in Mexico.
I thought he was
sticking closer to TJ.
-Well, a few too many girls
disappeared.
He had to move on.
-Yeah.
In some ways, I'm sure Mexico
is perfect for him.
Remember when all those
factory women turned up missing
a few years back?
-Yeah.
Well, as long as
you're poor and brown,
no one seems to care.
-[breathes deeply]
[knife thuds]
[door closes]
-I'm sorry if I scared you
last night.
That's part of why I don't like
talking about your father.
I don't want to give you fear
that isn't yours.
-It's okay. I just wish you
wouldn't treat me like a child.
-Honey, you are a child.
It's my job to treat you
like one.
-I'm the same age now
as you were when you had me.
-Believe me,
I was a child then, too.
-Do you trust him?
-Who?
-Butch.
-Absolutely. With my life.
-Mom, I think there was
something in that shake.
I don't feel right.
-No, I'm sure it's just nerves.
Look, Butch went to
an awful lot of trouble
to make sure he didn't
have to hurt people anymore.
He's not going to
start again now.
-That's comforting.
-Maybe you should lie down,
like he said.
Come.
[strains]
[teasing]
Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk.
Ssshhhh.
I'll be right outside
if you need anything, okay?
[footsteps receding]
-[sighing]
[]
[]
[clattering]
[bottle thuds]
[sighs]
[box unlocks]
-The scorpion fly
represents reincarnation.
The larvae appear to die
before they're reborn
as adult flies
who then give birth
to new larvae,
beginning the cycle
all over again.
-I'm--I'm--I'm so sorry. I--
-BUTCH: You were scared.
And wondering if I was
the embodiment of everything
you are running from.
I don't blame you.
-What are these?
That--that mask, I--
-They're reminders
of why I left.
I keep these in case
I'm ever tempted to go back.
This is our daughter, Cindy,
the night she died.
-What happened?
-A failed reincarnation.
I'm surprised your mother
hasn't told you about them.
-No. She won't tell me
any of it.
It's like it never happened.
Is that why you left?
-Yeah. And why I sold out
every friend I had
to try and send
your father to prison.
Instead,
I loosed him on Mexico,
and guaranteed
my wife and I would live
running from our shadows
for the rest of our days.
There is some beauty in it.
The promise of a life
never ends.
The end to the fear of death.
And in my experience,
the more we resist
the inevitable,
the more we bring it on.
-I need--I need some air.
-Well, we got plenty of that.
I'll go with you.
-No, no. I'd rather be alone.
I'll--I'll be fine. Honestly.
[soft music playing]
[hyperventilating]
[distant splatter]
[intense burst of music]
[breathing heavily] Hello?
Is anyone in there?
[screams]
[breathing heavily]
[alarm system bleating]
Mom!
[drawer opens, closes]
-Priscilla?
Where are you?
Priscilla!
Priscilla!
Darling, we got to go.
All right?
[keys jingle]
I need you to go start the car.
I'm going to go get weapons
from the shed
and then find Karma and Sunny.
Listen to me, it's going to be
all right, I promise.
It's probably
just a squirrel again,
but just in case,
I need you to move.
Come on. Let's go.
[alarm system continues
bleating]
[door closes]
[alarm system silenced]
[gun fired]
Wendell.
How the fuck did you get in?
Hey. Take me.
Just leave Priscilla.
She doesn't know anything.
She never talked.
She can't talk.
Please. I'm the one you want.
-You are a rat.
Rats don't kneel. They run.
Run.
Run!
-[door opens]
-[Sunny's muffled breathing]
-Mom? Ah!
-[muffled sobs]
-[Karma shrieks]
[breathing heavily]
[mouse squeaking]
[door knob rattles]
-[bangs on door]
-Hello! Is anybody out there?
-[door knob rattles]
-[mouse squeaking]
-Hey.
You can come out.
I'm not going to hurt you,
I promise.
[mouse squeaking]
[distant creak]
[gasps]
[cries] Mom!
[heart pounding]
[gasping]
[mouse squeaking]
[cries]
Stop, stop, stop,
stop, stop, stop,
stop, stop, stop,
stop, stop, stop.
-Oh. Don't tell me
you never made it to the car?
Where are the keys?
Give me the keys.
Oh, no, no, no, I'm sorry,
my love, I'm sorry.
But I do need you to stand up.
Now. Now.
Listen to me.
It's going to be okay.
It's going to be okay.
But we have to go. Let's go.
[mouse squeaking]
-[breathing heavily]
PAUL: Hello, Karma.
-I know you're not real.
You're not real.
[tense beats of music]
-You're a lot shorter
than I thought you'd be.
But, uh, you know, you're...
every bit as weak.
That figures, you know,
considering how your mother is.
-Fuck you.
Where--where is she?
-There you go.
You're catching up.
There you go...
uh, she's where she should be.
-You're not real.
You're not real.
-Oh, yes I am.
You're seeing things, you see,
because you're very,
very close to divinity.
I'm curious:
Are you a virgin?
-What? What...?
-Do boys want to touch you?
When even like probably not
if they find out who
your father is, right?
Maybe they get off on it.
[laughs]
-That's disgusting.
-I'm guessing virgin.
I'm guessing
you're a virgin, yeah.
You don't smell like a slut.
[sniffs]
I can smell one of them
from across the room.
-What do you want from me?
Why am--why are you here?
-What do I want from you?
You know, I believe in choice.
Free choice, okay?
You know what that is, right?
I want you to kill a mouse.
All you gotta do is...
do this,
put his little head in there...
[mousetrap snaps]
It's over. Dead.
-I don't kill animals.
-[laughs]
Did you know
that Hitler was a vegetarian?
It's easy. Trust me.
[mousetrap thuds]
Or...
You know, you could die here
and then he'll eat you.
You want to be eaten by a mouse?
-So why don't you
just kill me right now
and get it over with?
-You really think
I would just kill you, huh?
You're my daughter, Karma.
What kind of a monster
do you think I am?
-I'd rather die.
[mouse squeaking]
[breathing heavily]
[thuds]
[Priscilla panting]
-Hello, rats.
[mouse squeaking]
-[Karma hyperventilating]
[mousetrap snaps]
[tormented squeaking]
[crying]
[gasping]
[suspenseful music]
-Here you go.
Oh! [laughs]
What do you say?
-Please.
-Please what?
-Sir.
-Good job.
Congratulations.
-[drinks aggressively]
-Mm, looky there.
Look what we got here.
[chuckles]
You know, you're all
the same, aren't you?
Just all full of
your own desires.
Slaves to your physical needs.
That's the most
important thing, right?
I should've had a son.
-Wendell!
-[straining]
-Where do you think
you're going?
You can let go of her now.
You know, next time you do that,
you're gonna get shot.
All right?
You can go, Wendell.
What are you so serious about?
You know I'm just
joking around, right?
[laughs]
That shaking thing.
It means I'm getting to you.
It's a really bad habit.
You ever hear of a, uh...
Harry Harlow?
Ring a bell?
No?
And they let you
into Harvard, huh?
[laughs]
You know what he did?
He got a bunch of monkeys,
and he took their mother
away from them.
And then he gave them
a choice of mom:
one made out of wire,
to feed them.
Or a nice, you know,
soft, nice, cozy,
comfortable, gentle mother
to watch them starve.
Which one do you think
they picked, huh?
'Cause I'm trying to find out:
Are you a real girl?
Or a fucking monkey?
Which one are you?
You a fucking monkey?
[imitates monkey noise]
[laughs]
You don't like that, do you?
Which one do you think
they picked, huh?
-Um. [clears throat]
The cold...cold wire mom?
-The wire.
[sucks through his teeth]
Ooh.
No. Of course they picked
the nice, soft, cozy, warm,
comfortable mother
to watch them starve.
Listen...you can leave
if you want.
You can go run away.
It's open.
Go ahead, take it.
Go ahead.
Ooh.
Except for one thing.
Uh, your mom is staying here.
-No. No. I won't leave her.
-Oh yeah, you will.
Yeah, yeah, you are. Yeah.
-No. No. No,
I'm not leaving without my mom.
-You got about five minutes
to make up your mind
because Wendell's
gonna come back out
to check on me, so here.
-Okay. [panting]
[car door closes]
Okay.
[car engine sputters]
Come on. Come on. Come on.
Fucking Sunny.
[car engine sputters]
-Roadside assistance. [laughs]
A little trouble
with your starter there?
That's because I told Wendell
to disengage it,
'cause you ain't going nowhere.
-[gasping]
Mom!
PAUL:
Another weak monkey moment,
ladies and gentlemen.
-Mom? It's me.
Can you talk?
Priscilla! Are you okay?
Do you know where my mom is?
Where's my mom?
[muffled screaming]
-Can I give you
a word of advice?
-Shhh.
-[whispering] I've spent
a lot of time with your father.
And at this point, struggling
can only make things worse.
He wants to break your spirit.
It's not personal.
It's not about violence.
This is just what he does.
He wants to crawl
inside your head
and make you
just as cruel as he is.
-You said no one
was getting in here
unless you let them in.
-I can promise you,
it wasn't me.
I'd rather die than
help that man again.
-Then who was it?
[panting]
-[Wendell whistling the tune
of "Waking Karma"]
[loud thud]
[whistling continues]
-Where's my mom?
-Well, good afternoon
to you, too.
She's right where
she should be, all right?
Ask stupid questions.
-I'm vegan.
-I don't really care
one way or the other.
-I'm not going to eat it.
-Yes, you are.
-Or what?
-Or what?
Well, I tell you, um,
you're never gonna
see your mother again.
How about that?
-So if I eat this,
I can see my mom?
-What's so wonderful
about mothers?
If you tell me what's
so goddamned important
about a mother,
that might help.
-You must have had one.
-Your grandma
was a real peach of a woman.
The--the fucking face
that launched a thousand drunks.
-Paul. Spare the girl.
PAUL: Why?
What's so goddamned important
about being a mother?
I was thinking maybe we should
ask, uh, Priscilla.
She's a mom. She would know.
Maybe she has some insight.
-You know she doesn't speak.
Please.
-Yeah, well.
Not many marriages can survive,
you know, a daughter's throat
being slit by the father.
Right, Butch?
[laughs]
-[Priscilla cries]
-I mean,
you don't even know
what happened
between these two, do you?
-They told me
you killed their daughter.
-[laughs]
Oh, that's a good one.
-I never said
he was the one who did it.
-All right...so.
[laughing]
The mute's crying now! Yes.
-Paul, I deserve this,
all right?
Every second of it.
But these two
haven't done anything.
Let them go.
Let them go! Do whatever
you want with me.
-You--you really mean that?
-Yes.
PAUL: Well, all right.
-Argh!
God!
-[gasps]
-I decide what you deserve.
-[grunts]
-Eat your food.
Or I won't take the knife out.
-[through gritted teeth] Karma,
you don't have to do
anything you don't want to.
You don't have to.
-Eat your food.
-[Butch grunting]
-Eat your meat.
Eat it.
Eat it all!
-[Butch grunts]
-That's a good girl.
BUTCH: Ah!
[Priscilla cries]
-Now you're worse than me.
-Worse than you?
-[laughs]
You know, I was your age
when I killed my mother.
She was the first one.
Yeah. But at least
I didn't eat her.
-Where's my mom?
-Well. There she is,
right there.
BUTCH: Oh, Jesus.
-[coughs, gags, vomits]
PAUL: Well, I promised you
if you ate,
you'd see her again.
Wendell. Get rid of these two.
-[Karma coughing]
[crying] Mom.
-You're a very good girl.
-[sobbing]
[]
WENDELL: Stay here.
Come on. Stand up.
Here.
-[laughing]
[clears throat] You know, um...
I'm very proud of you.
What you did at lunchtime.
You earned the right of choice.
These two?
I'll fucking kill them both
right now.
I'll stab them to death.
But you earned the right
to decide.
You kill one of them
or I'll do them both.
-Karma.
Karma, I'm begging you.
Kill me, leave Priscilla.
Let Priscilla live.
Baby...
please.
-Come on.
Good girl.
You could actually save a life.
BUTCH: Kill me!
Please, Karma.
-Do it!
The time is now.
Butch or Priscilla, which one?
Who you gonna do?
-Let them both go.
-[Paul laughs]
You're gonna stab yourself,
is that it?
Yeah, you know how hard
that is to do?
You're not even going to get
through your T-shirt, all right?
[switchblade clicks]
Let's give Butch
a really good show.
What do you think?
Huh? All right.
-No!! No.
-[agonal cough]
[Paul laughs]
[Butch sobbing]
PAUL: You know,
when I was a kid, I really
didn't get fed enough.
My mother didn't really
feed me good.
So, one day I took a stick.
I was so fucking hungry that
I killed a rat.
With a stick. And I ate it.
That's how, you know,
hungry I was.
See, and there's a rat,
right there.
You know what it's like to
have a rat in your life?
You know, who wants that? Right?
That's not good for Papa.
Is it?
A rat, on a stick.
Open up your mouth, rat.
Open up!
-Fuck you.
-[groans] Mom?
Mom?
-PAUL: Open up your mouth!
-I thought you were dead.
He told me that you...
Are you okay?
Where were you? Mom!
-[Butch gurgles]
-[Karma gasping]
Mom!
Mom!
What's going on? What?
Is he making you do this?
-Nothing.
No, no, of course not.
-So you just decided
to come out
and save his life
instead of mine?
-I believe in
the power of choice, honey.
-That's something he thinks;
that's not something you think.
-We think the same things.
-Since when?!
-Let's talk
about this later, okay?
You're tired and you don't know
what you're saying.
-I thought we were
best friends, Mom.
-Of course we are.
But this is the highest honor
I could hope for for you, Karma.
-What are you talking about?
How--how is this an honor?
Did he drug you? Mom?
-Hey, listen.
You know what?
This woman right here
has never wavered against me,
never went away from me,
for 17 years.
You know, she gave birth to you,
you know,
to save her own skin,
but nevertheless,
she did do that.
-The path is clear, Karma.
The soul may reject the vessel,
but not if she's
a perfect genetic match.
A daughter.
-You bred me for him?
[spits]
You fucking bitch.
You don't deserve to live!
[slap thrown]
-PAUL: Wendell!
-[cries] Ah! Ah!
No! No! No!
Mom, please.
Mom. Mom!
-Honey,
we have great news for you.
Should I tell her,
or do you want to?
-Uh, you go ahead.
-You passed. Yay!
It was touch and go there
for a while
with your attachment to me,
but you came through at the end
and you really
stuck the landing.
-Yeah, you sure did.
I'm proud of you, Karma.
-Fuck you,
you fucking psychopath.
-You see?
I told you she had spirit.
-Well, I mean,
you were right,
but she also had
a lot of bad habits,
and sometimes you have to
break somebody's spirit
to get rid of bad habits,
and that's what we did, so...
-So can I leave now?
-Even better.
You might not like
the sound of this at first,
but I promise you,
it's going to be amazing.
-Karma, you and I
are going to spend
the rest of our lives together,
starting tonight.
-What?
-I mean,
there's really no higher honor.
I would have offered
to do it myself,
but I wouldn't be
a genetic match.
-But I thought
if I survived then...
-Oh, no, no.
This was never about survival.
It was about getting you ready.
-Ready for what?
-You have to break
the spirit of the host
before the new soul
enters the body.
-And in your case, honey,
we had to prepare you
for a level of brutality
that you were used to rejecting
so you could match up
with your dad.
-Mom. This makes no sense.
Please tell me you hear that.
-I know it's unfamiliar. But
it's the simplest thing.
You're going to be the host
for the soul
of the greatest prophet
the world has ever known:
your father.
Congratulations.
-PAUL: Wendell!
-No, no, no, no, no, no!
Let me go! Let me go!
[breathing heavily]
Mom? Mom? Mom? Mom?
-Let's get you
cleaned up, okay?
Everything will
look brighter then.
Shhhh.
Good girl, baby girl.
Good girl.
-[breathing heavily]
[breathes deeply]
-Oh, good. You're awake.
We have a ton to get through
before nightfall.
-Mom, what are you doing?
What--what's going on?
-My first question
for you is,
are you on your period?
-Why? What is this for?
-Are you menstruating,
yes or no?
We need to be quick here.
-No.
No, don't you remember
when I took your last tampon
two weeks ago?
-I do. But these are
for your father.
-Why does he need to know
if I'm having my period?
-I'd appreciate
if you would pee in here
and let me see the toilet paper,
just to be sure.
-Absolutely not.
-I know this all
seems strange but, believe me,
it's in your own best interest
to cooperate.
-If I pee for you, will
you answer a question for me?
As my mom?
-Fine.
-[peeing]
-You're clean.
-Mom?
What did he have to do to you
to convince
you to do this to me?
-Nothing.
I'd do anything for him.
And it's not "to" you.
It's for you.
-You wouldn't do
anything for me?
-It's different.
Is it possible
that you're not menstruating
because you're pregnant?
-I'm sorry?
-Just answer the question.
-Mom, you know
the answer to that.
-I need to
hear you to say it.
-No.
It's not possible
I'm pregnant.
[sniffles]
-Are you a virgin?
-Where were you for the
last three years of high school
while I cried to you
that I couldn't get a date
because everyone thought
I was weird?
-I'll take that as a yes.
Are you a lesbian?
-What does it matter?
-Yes or no?
-No. I like boys,
they just don't like me.
-I'll need you to submit
to a virginity test.
-Are you--
are you fucking kidding me?
Mom, you know
those tests are bullshit.
-Your father requires it.
-[sniffles]
-Wendell,
would you come in here, please?
I need your help with something.
KARMA: No, no, no, no.
Mom, no! No, Mom!
No! You can't do this.
Mom, this isn't you.
No! No!
-That plush monkey
you grew up with,
who you thought you knew?
That wasn't me.
I told her to you
as a bedtime story
so you could fall asleep
at night.
-No.
-But now it's time
to wake up and grow up.
-[crying] Please.
-This is the real me,
whether you like her or not.
[flashlight clicks]
-[cries]
-Everything looks good.
We'll give you a second.
[footsteps]
-[breathing shakily]
[footsteps]
-Get up.
You've had long enough.
-[cattle prod crackles]
-[groans]
SUNNY: I said, get up.
-[cries]
-Put these on.
-No.
-Suit yourself.
[shoes thud]
-[sniffles]
-I need you to dig. Here.
-How deep?
-At least six feet.
-So it's a grave.
-Get digging.
The sun will be going down soon.
-[sniffles] Is it for me?
-That depends entirely
on how the ritual goes.
-So, if it fails...
-If the soul
rejects the vessel,
then the vessel is corrupt,
and we must...
we must dispose of it.
-And what happens to you?
-All I know is that
if you don't do
exactly what I say
and do it now,
I'm going to lose both you
and your father in one night.
-Mom, have any of
these rituals ever worked?
-This one is different.
His power,
your genetic match,
the presence of the divine,
everything we've sacrificed.
This one will work
if you do what I say.
-So you're saying
they've all failed?
Mom. Mom,
let's get out of here together
right now, okay?
Then I don't have to die,
and neither does that fucking
monster you think you love.
-[cattle prod crackles]
-[gasps]
-You don't know him.
Now start shoveling.
Physical exhaustion
will purify the vessel.
Shallow.
But it'll have to do.
-[panting]
Mom, I'm starving.
-Hunger will purify
the vessel.
[water running in sink]
[soft music playing]
-I don't understand
how you pretended.
With me.
-I was never pretending.
-Did you meet him?
Behind my back?
-Never.
He told me to wait.
-And you waited.
-I waited.
-You thought
about him, though.
And never told me.
He doesn't love you.
-It doesn't matter.
-But I do.
-He gave me
everything I have.
But you?
You took and you took,
and you never
gave any of it back.
-Are you kidding?
All I ever did
was take care of you.
You were never a real mom.
[groans]
[water splashing]
-[straining]
Aaaahhh! [cries]
-[coughing,
breathing rapidly]
-I wanted to do that
a hundred times
when you were a baby.
I couldn't go through with it
because I knew
Paul would kill me.
You stole my life.
I never wanted you.
I only had you because
your father told me to.
Is that what
you wanted to hear, Karma?
Because that's the truth.
-[breathing heavily, crying]
-[breathes]
Wendell! We're done here.
[Karma sobbing]
-You want her someplace else?
-No, thank you.
Could you give us
some privacy, though?
I have a present for you.
Your father and I
would like you to wear this.
And then you can put the mask on
and go out to the yard
and we'll meet you there.
You know, after everything
he's done for you today,
I think you could stand
to lose the attitude.
You're lucky to have a father
who wanted you.
Not everyone does, you know.
And sometimes
we have to sacrifice.
You think it was easy for me to
raise you alone with no money?
I can tell you
I didn't get it done
by sitting around
and crying about it.
And sometimes we have to--
buck up and play the hand
that fate dealt us.
So even if you don't like it,
you'll put on the dress
when I tell you to.
Because I am your mother.
-No, you're not.
You never were.
[slap thrown]
[crying]
SUNNY: Fine.
Then do it so your father
doesn't gut you like a fish.
Is that enough motivation
for you?
-[breathing heavily]
[crying]
[sniffles]
[emotional music playing]
[sniffling]
[breathing
through the mask]
PAUL: Thank you, Wendell.
[Wendell whistling the tune
of "Waking Karma"]
[intense music playing]
PAUL: Hello, Karma.
You know,
I've been a fucking monster.
You know, it ain't no fun
being an animal.
It gets to the point where
it just ain't fun no more...
[screams in pain]
[blood splattering]
-[breathing
through the mask]
[suspenseful music playing]
[razor thuds]
SUNNY: Paul?
[breathes heavily]
It's really you.
[cries in happiness]
Wendell.
The soul has accepted
the vessel.
The vessel is holy.
You'll need to bury
the discarded shell.
I believe it's still
in the bathroom.
[trash bag rustles]
-[exhales]
[strains]
-Oh, God, there's so much I want
to ask you.
What did it feel like?
Did you touch divinity
on the other side?
You must be tired.
But we have plenty of time
to catch up now.
Years and years...
Have I told you
how much I missed you?
All those lonely nights...
[Karma breathing through the
mask]
-What are you doing?
Wendell!
Get out here right away!
The vessel is corrupt.
-No!
-We were wrong.
The vessel is corrupt.
[Karma cries]
-I saw him in her.
SUNNY: The vessel is deceitful!
[body thuds]
[panting] No! No!
No, let me go and take her.
She's a lying little bitch
who killed our prophet!
-You want me to kill her?
KARMA: No. I'll do it.
-[Sunny screams]
[panting]
He'd kill me
without blinking.
And you know it.
-[grunting]
-[breathing heavily]
[shovel clanks]
[breathing through mask]
-You know you wouldn't
have survived
a quarter
of what I went through.
And you dare to think
you're better than
the greatest prophet
who ever lived!
To take him from me, you--
KARMA: [through mask]
Shut up!
-You take everything
he gives you.
You think you're so much
smarter than he is,
that it's your right
to decide who lives and dies.
[Karma strains]
-But you're worthless.
You're a worthless
piece of shit.
KARMA: [through mask]
Shut up, shut up,
shut up!
-You don't deserve
the air you breathe--
-[through mask] Shut up!
-Yeah!
[body thuds]
[groaning] Why should I?
Because Paul died
and made you queen?
That's not how it works, honey--
-[panting]
[mask smashing Sunny's head]
[breathing heavily]
-You little bitch.
-[panting heavily]
[keys jingle]
[continues panting heavily]
[crickets chirping]
["I'm Gonna Tell My Therapist
On You" by Pinkshift playing]
Hello, can I help you?
I don't think I've ever
seen you before
Did you think
That I should listen to you?
I'm about to kick
Your ass through the door
Carry me further in regret
I tried to leave but regret's
Got quite the death grip
The meds aren't working
For me anymore
I think I'm spiraling,
I'm spiraling downwards
["Waking Karma" by Shannon
Godly, Luis Lara playing]
-The vessel is holy
The vessel is holy
The soul awakes in her
The soul awakes in her
[vocalizing]
The vessel is holy
The vessel is holy
The soul awakes in her
The soul awakes in her
The vessel is holy
The vessel is holy
The soul awakes in her
The soul awakes in her
Hey, yeah
Hey, yeah
Hey, yeah
Hey
Vessel holy
Vessel holy
Soul awakes
Soul awakes
Vessel holy
Vessel holy
Soul awakes
Soul awakes
The soul awakes
The soul awakes
The soul awakes in her
[music fades out]