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A Young Man with High Potential (2018)
"Invisible
Traces"? I like that, it sounds promising. Like an exciting take on the subject. I'm really looking forward to the results of your work, Piet. And, just between the two of us, I haven't met many students with such high potential. Thank you, Mr. Karadimos. But don't get cocky about it. It's still going to take you a while to make this into a solid paper. Yes, sir. Well, got to go, keep it up. Excuse me. Excuse me! Are you Piet Carnell? Milk, sugar? Black, thank you. "Invisible Traces"? It's the paper I wrote with Klara. I know, I read it. You did? I liked it. Did you come up with the title? Yes, I did. How can I help you, Miss Stantz? This is a good start. You know, I already talked to the police several times. I don't work for the police. You don't? No. I didn't care for it much. So, why are you here? I work for Klara's family. What exactly can I do for you? From what I learned, you were the one who reported Klara missing. And you said that you had nothing to do with her disappearance or the state of her body when it reappeared. That's correct. Stop me now if what I say upsets you, but I'm having trouble believing that. Good morning, Mr. Piet. How are you doing today? Morning. So, today you have two from Horizon, one from Heaven. Right. And the regular shopping delivery. Sign here, please. Something missing? My sushi? Oh, right, sushi set A. Yeah, that's my lunch. Oh, I'm sorry about that. Here, mark the missing item on this form and it'll be refunded. Could you go get it? I'm sorry, man, I don't think I can do that. What this invocation does is the following. It binds X to 144, but this binding, this binding is local. - Meaning it only holds... - Hi! Within the confines of the code. Hi, excuse me. Are you Piet Carnell? - Yes, how do you... - May I? It won't take long, I promise. I'm looking for a partner for the term paper and Professor Karadimos told me that you were available. Yeah? Yes, I would love it if... No, um, uh, no, I really need to get going. Of course! - For some, I have... - So, what about the project? Yeah, I think you have the wrong information because I already have a partner. - Oh, really? - Yeah. Maybe another time and have a nice day. Hello, Mr. Spengler. Right on time for our little private chat. How are you doing, sweetheart? I'm fine, thank you. How do you like my outfit? Not too much? 'Cause I know you like it more casual, don't you? Sometimes. Alright, what do you feel like today? You want me to show you my new high heels? Sounds good. They're super fancy. I'll be right back. Who's there? Hi, Piet. Hey. Sorry for being so pushy. I kind of had the feeling that I scared you off. What can I help you with? I read your last paper and I thought it was great. So, if it's a possibility, I would really like to work with you. You read my paper? What can I say? It's really good, especially your counter-thesis to Ian Clark. Thank you. Um, you know, I already have a partner, so... Look, I'm the new kid and you don't know me, but I'm a fast learner. And I promise you won't regret working with me. I'll make the sunshine's rays hot for you Every night So, you do classification of data sources. Okay. Alright. And chapter three, the ghost machine? I'll do that. Okay, but what is it? It's part of a theory of mine. Can you explain it to me? Okay, um... Imagine you, um, you had a tool that was able to move through the internet like a ghost. Like a covert by proxy? Even more than that. Think IC reach, just more powerful. You'd be able to access everybody's accounts; banks, emails, social networks. Even beyond that you'd be able to access anybody's computer, look inside their computer's hard drive as if it was your own. The interesting question is; if you had a tool like this and nobody knew about it, would you use it? I guess everybody would at least take a peek, right? But we both agree this would be wrong? This would be a wrongdoing? Alright, so? So, the question is; if getting away with it determines whether or not you're gonna do something immoral. Well, I guess it's true, but it's not exactly informatics. Why do you think this should be in the paper? Because the entire idea of digital traces comes with moral issues, either for the one who collects the traces or the one who leaves them behind. Control over traces equals a lot of power. And the potential power of a ghost machine would make anybody feel untouchable, hence allowing them to act immoral. But a wrongdoing, a wrongdoing is a wrongdoing. Even though you had the guarantee to get away with it. Piet, may I ask you something personal? Okay. You are a great guy and really smart. How come you hide yourself away like this? I've never seen you in class. I just don't feel comfortable around people. But how come? You don't seem uncomfortable now. Well, I'm not now. Should we continue? It's a little strange talking about this. Well, you know, I'm not your advisor or anything, but maybe you should challenge yourself a little? - Hello. - Hello. Is the lasagna good today? Excuse me? Would the lasagna be a good choice today? I don't eat here. Oh. That's a lovely shirt. That's the uniform. Everybody wears it. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Fourth floor. Door opening. Wait a minute. You like her, don't you? No. You're such a bad liar. What's her name? Why do you care? Come on, Piet. - What's her name? - Klara. Now we're talking. So when can I meet your new girlfriend? Piet! I wish I hadn't told you. No, you did the right thing. It's good to talk to your friends about shit like that. So, how far did you get? Come on, did you make out, hold hands? So nothing happened? It's just we get along really, really great. You know? That's, that's good. It's just, it's just I don't know how to, um... I don't know how to get it, you know, to, um... Make a move. What? You need to, uh, establish a physical connection. But, it's not like that. It is like that. Don't you think that would be a little aggressive with the project? Forget about the project. Everybody knows you don't need any help on this. You need more game. So if you ever wanna have sex, then you gotta make a move. Thanks. Are you alright, Piet? Yeah. You seem a bit tense. No, I'm fine. Well, actually I feel a bit tense myself. Should we take a break? Shouldn't we just finish this first? Relax, it's almost done. Let's sit for a while. And... I brought you something. Oh. That's great stuff. Where do you want to go in life, Piet? You're gonna laugh. But I want to make the world a better place. Like Jesus? No, not like Jesus. Like, uh... Like a modern day Robinhood. A Robinhood who never leaves Sherwood Forest. That would work, yeah. You're full of shit. What about you? Mother Superior? Believe it or not, I have no clue. Before I got into informatics I was into all kinds of stuff; traveling, music, architecture. Why didn't you study any of that? I guess I didn't have a real passion. All I know is, whatever I'll end up doing, I won't be selling it cheap. For now, I'm just trying to get the best CV possible. That's rational. Actually, it's a bit cynical. But it's a cynical world out there. Why do you think I never leave the Sherwood Forest? What do you live off, anyway? - Do you have a scholarship? - No. I have money. Where from? From the company I sold last year. It's true. It's true, I had a small company and I sold it. It's not a joke, it's not a joke. Hey, that's a good track. I didn't know that you were into this kind of music. Well, when I was a teenager, my mother, she sent me to a language school in England. And I had a Jamaican roommate and we would smoke weed and listen to Roxy Music all day long. Really? Wow! - Yeah, no. - Hey, you! That'd be cool. Shivers runnin' down your spine You need a love that'll shock you to the bones Klara, it's done. Klara? Goodnight, sleep tight. Oh, good morning. Good morning to you, too. I completely passed out. I hope the sofa wasn't too uncomfortable. No, no, I'll live. I'm in a bit of a hurry. I gotta go and feed the birds. The birds? Yeah, two budgies. My mom hates them so I took them with me. That's nice. Well, it was a fun project with you. I enjoyed it a lot. Me, too. Yeah. Don't be stupid. Let's hang out sometime. Yeah. - Oh, uh, Klara, Klara? - Yeah? Maybe now that we're finished with the paper and all, um, I was thinking maybe you, we could have, um, a dinner on Saturday? - Yeah, lovely, sure. - Yeah? Why don't you come over to my place for a change? Yeah? Yeah. That'd be nice. I may not be your kind of guy No, no, no, no, no, no What difference does it make No, no, no, no, no, no Hello. Wow, look at you! Uh, I brought wine. Tempranillo. - From Catalonia. - I know, fantastico! Well, come in. - You like red wine, right? - Yes, I love it. Make yourself comfortable. I gotta finish this really quick. - Before we get to the wine. - Okay. So that's what you use that for? Handy, ain't it? Yeah, I don't think I ever used mine. On the one hand, she's like my best friend, but on the other hand, oh, my God, she's no needy! And, you know, I feel kind of bad seeing her. I feel annoyed. I know I shouldn't say that. - I know it. - No, no, no! I totally get it, my mom's the same. Yeah, she lives less than an hour from here. - Really? - Really, and she didn't want me to go because she said she was worried about me. I wish she would just, I don't know, screw the mailman or something. It's actually not funny. Yes, it kind of is. You are a fun guy. Where are you going? We need more drinks. Okay, keep 'em coming. This stuff is the best. What is it? It's my favorite Polish vodka. Okay. Polish vodka. Let's drink Bruderschaft. Bruderschaft, what? It means brotherhood in German and it goes like this. - Now, bottom's up! - Oh, all of it? Yes, quickly. Now kiss. I have never felt this way And I have never felt more right than today I'm sorry! I'm sorry! What? Oh! What? I never thought of you like that. Like what? You know, like as a man I could sleep with. Hey, Piet. Hey! It's not a big deal. Oh, um, I, uh... Piet! Look, I didn't mean it like that. I have to go. Piet, look, I'm... I'm, I go, I'm going. But, listen... I, uh, don't. You have four messages. Hey, can you please call me back? I left my jacket at your place and, well, I really think we should talk. Bye. Piet, Karadimos speaking. I've just finished reading "Invisible Traces". And what can I say? It is brilliant. A little heavy on the moral side, but altogether a great job by you and your team. And, by the way, I'm also happy to see that you seem to get along with Miss Koslowski so well. I was... Okay, you didn't fuck her. So what? I mean, it's a big world out there, man. It doesn't make sense to cry about one individual. I mean, think about it. You need some distraction, man. You gotta lift yourself out of this hole. I got it! Jean, the French guy, you know? He knows that one call girl that's into nerds, it's perfect! Fuck. Hello, Mr. Spengler. It's been a while. Did you miss me? A little. Just a little? Are you okay? Don't ask. Okay, sure. So, what do you feel like today? Look, I put the casual clothes on again. Take your clothes off. Straightforward. Do you like lingerie? Take it off. Is that really you, Spengler? Yeah, of course, it's me. Since when did you become such a naughty boy? Don't call me a boy. Um, sure, whatever. Take your clothes off. How do you like it? Spread your legs. Like this? Yeah, that's okay. Okay, what's next? You want me to play around with myself or suck a dildo? Don't talk like that! Hey, come on, what's wrong with you? Why are you acting so strange? Twist your nipples. No. Yeah, twist your nipples. No, I'm not doing this. This is not for pleasure anymore. Or are you enjoying yourself? No. Why are you so angry? Are you having some kind of trouble? Girl trouble? Spengler? Hey? Did someone hurt you? Fuck you. Piet? Piet? Hey, Piet, are you okay? Have you come to... The door wasn't locked and I was worried about you. What do you want? I wanted to tell you how sorry I am. I understand that you're mad at me. What I said was horrible. Did you mean it? No! I mean, it's not that I don't like you... That's not what I'm talking about. Okay. Let me put it this way. To be honest, at first I didn't think that I would ever really like you, but I was wrong. You are a great guy. And, yeah, I even have some feelings for you that I never thought could exist. You do? Yeah, you know, under different circumstances... What circumstances? Right now, you and me don't make sense. Why not, why not? Don't you get the point? That I'm unfuckable. Jesus, Piet, I'm trying to make peace with you! It's not my fault that nobody found a way into your rat cage to fuck you! God, I'm making everything worse. May I? You... Well, maybe I shouldn't have come. But I care for you, man! I care for you, too. Piet. We make a pretty good team. We do, yeah. Are you okay? Yeah, just... All of a sudden I... I feel very tired. Do you mind if I rest my head for a minute? Don't you wanna go to the big dance? Yeah, sure. Can you wake me up in five? Sure. Piet? Are we cool? Yeah, we're cool. Mr. Spengler, I didn't expect you back so early. Well, can we go into private chat? Mm-mm, you know the schedule, honey. Right now it's happy hour for all the dudes. I will pay you double. I can't do that. Triple. Well, I guess it's pretty urgent. I just need 15 minutes. Please? Oops! Mrs. Baer is coming up with an all-new business model tonight. Alright, I apologize, but Eddie, Paradox, and everyone else, you'll get a voucher for my website. Be back in 15 if you can hold it that long, boys. Thank you. So what do you want? Listen, I apologize for the other day. Yeah, but what do you want? I need your advice. On what? I'm with a girl right now. Okay. That's unusual, and what do you need me for? I can't relax. And why is that? She, uh, she's quiet. Mm-hmm. Okay, so don't worry. Girls, they can be like that. Usually they just want you to take the lead. Huh? Relax. You want me to warm you up a bit? Yes, that would be great. You want the strawberries? I really like the strawberries. You like that, don't you? Mm-mm. Please, go on. Oh, fuck! Come on. Klara, drink, drink, it's okay. It's water, drink, drink, drink. It's water, drink, drink. Spengler? Spengler? Hello? The strawberries are gone. Klara? Klara? Klara, Klara, hey! Oh fuck, fuck. Okay, fine. Delivery, Mr. Piet! Come on, I know you're in there. - I heard you. - Shit. Late night express delivery. I didn't order anything. Are you sure? Yeah, I'm sure. But this is your usual delivery; sushi set A, extra soy sauce. Yeah, well, I didn't order anything. But this is your address. No, that says 47, this is 41. Oh, sorry about that. Why is everyone in this building so crazy about sushi? I don't know. Anyhow, sorry for the intrusion. Okay. And have yourself a good night. You, too. Delivery, Mr. Osmond! Okay. Piet! Let me in! Alex, what are you doing here? I'm gonna kill her, Piet. What are you talking about? She is with Mark now. Sports science Mark. Your ex? Don't patronize me, smartass. Huh? Calm down, please calm down. It's a farce, I told you. Where is my ignorance when I need it? For a little while, just for a little while, I thought it was gonna work out. I know how you feel. And it's gonna be, uh, it's gonna be okay. It's gonna be okay. You're beautiful, man, you know that? I gotta piss. Go on, go on home. I gotta piss. I can handle this myself! You better get ready for disco attire. You... Should hold yourself in higher esteem. I'm so sorry. Third floor, door opening. Second floor, door opening. Hello. Are you okay? What happened? A bird, a bird. A bird? Yes, I saw a bird and I fell, it scared me. Shall I call a doctor? No! No. No. Thank you. Okay, fine. So. Thank you, really. How can I return the favor? Where are you going? North. Perfect, you'll drive me home. Okay. Can you even drive a car? Why do you book a car if you can't drive? How will you get back? It doesn't matter now. You're a little strange, Thomas. Why do you call me Thomas? It's on the parcels. Isn't that your name? Yeah, sure, yeah, of course. I can easily remember because I have a grandson called Thomas. - That's nice. - Yeah. - What are they, anyway? - Hmm? What are they? - The packages? - Yeah. Return consignments. Are they broken? Yeah. Yeah, they're broken. Oh. Border police. I have to go out. Why? I have no papers. Like ID, driver's license, what? Visa. You don't have a visa? No. How did you get the job at the school? I have an agreement but I can't talk about it. Can we go around somehow? I'm really sorry. Wait! Wait, wait, please wait, I need your help! I need your help! I can leave the car here but I can't make it through the forest alone, please. No, fuck, fuck, fuck! Shh! Fuck! Fuck! What? - It's just a phone. - Fuck! It's not just a phone! I don't know where we are and I don't know where we're going. Okay? Thomas, what's wrong with you? Something horrible happened tonight. I don't want to know! Pull yourself together and let's go! Come on, come on, come on. Okay, let's go. Sorry. There it is. Thank God. I have to go left now. Can you make it on your own? Yeah. Okay. Your name is not Thomas, right? No, it's not. Your name is Nathalie, though, right? I've been in bad situations, too, Thomas. It's Piet. Oh, goodbye, Piet. Thank you. Nathalie? I can help you with your visa. Um, I was quite drunk, to be honest. I guess we played some drinking game, or whatever. Yeah, and then I must have destroyed his floor at some point. But he was cool about it. He even walked me back to my room. I was late at the campus, because of the dance, and I met Piet. And he walked me o the bus station. Just in time to wait for the last bus. The ticket? Uh, no, I don't have it anymore. You know, I'm really bad with papers. Well, he showed up at the market at around 5:00 a.m. It must have been the first time I've seen him leave his dormitory building. Usually, he gets everything delivered to him to his door. I woke up in my bathroom and he brought me painkillers, that's all. I don't remember if he was carrying parcels. Maybe he was carrying something? I don't know, I cannot recall. I was at his place earlier that evening, but it was a wrong delivery. No, I don't think there was anyone else with him. No, I don't think you'll find anything on his computer. He's not the type of guy and even if he was, somebody as qualified as him wouldn't leave anything suspicious. I deliver something to him almost every day. He's always the same. He was friendly and helpful. He's a good boy. Excuse me. Are you Piet Carnell? Stop me now if what I say upsets you. But I'm having trouble believing that. What I'm missing here is the emotional currency to your personality. Piet, I actually learned more about you from the term paper than I did from the police reports. Please understand me. I can only lay this case to rest when I'm convinced my doubts are wrong. So, I'm asking you, if you can, to assist me with my dilemma. I'll see what I can do. What do you want to know? What did you like about her? Klara was... She was... She saw me as a whole person. This might sound stupid, but it felt good. It doesn't sound stupid at all. She must have liked you as well. We were close. Closer than you told the police? I understand, I'm not judging you. Did you two ever sleep together? Yes. Did you sleep together on the night she disappeared? You did, didn't you? It's nobody's business. You're right. But why keep it a secret? Klara really never said so, but I kind of knew she didn't want anybody to know about us. You were angry at her. I guess. Did you want to hurt her? No. I, uh, I never wanted her to get hurt. Mmm. We had a fight two days before she went missing because she didn't want to commit to me. But we met again, we talked and it was okay. But we decided to leave it at that. And we, uh, somehow, well, we, uh... Ended up making love. That's, uh... I'm sorry, I, uh... Anyway, I tried to respect what I thought was her wish and I didn't tell anybody any of this. But then when she reappeared I felt strange for not having told the entire truth. What does it matter now, anyway, hmm? Did you just make that up? You believe whatever you want, okay, Miss Stantz? But Klara, she was my first and I loved her. Okay? And she broke my heart. Yeah, but, she changed my life. Without her, I wouldn't, I wouldn't be who I am now. Are you leaving? Yes, excuse the interruption. None of what I've told you proves my innocence. In your paper, you talk about a ghost machine. Do you know why I like it? No. 'Cause it shows you are an idealist. This is my card. Give me a call whenever you need someone to talk to. It's Ketura. Thank you. It's good talking. And I never get girl's numbers like this. Don't get cocky about it. If you need a lad that'll shock you to the bones I'm the one you're looking for I'm the one you're looking for If you need a lover That'll rock you like no other I'm the one you're looking for I'm the one you're looking for Don't you ever, ever, ever leave me, baby Don't you dare break my poor old heart 'Cause if I'm hurt Oh, behold There're many, many things that could fall apart If you need a love That'll shock you to the bones I'm the one you're looking for I'm the one you're looking for If you need a lover That'll rock you like no other I'm the one you're looking for I'm the one you're looking for |
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