|
Cell, The (2000)
Thank you for the horse.
You liked him? Oh, it's beautiful... but I thought we were going sailing today. You promised. Well, that one's too old. See, now? That'll do! Come on! Mm-mmm. Come on, Mr E. Mm-mmm. It's broken. Who says? Mokelock. Now, Edward, we agreed. No more Mokelock. Mokelock is the bogeyman. Mokelock wants me where I am. We can fix it! Edward. Sing a song of sixpence. Sing a song of sixpence. A pocketful of rye. Baked in a pie. Rise and shine. Mr E is doing fine. Did we go sailing? Almost. Mokelock showed up. Mokelock is the bogeyman. Mokelock wants me where I am. Mokelock is a pain in the ass. Where'd he get Mokelock again? Mother Goose. Henry. Barry. What's the matter, Barry? Edward's parents are here. He needs a haircut. He loves it when you visit. My husband wonders if that's true. He wants to place Edward in a hospital. I'm sorry, Catherine. Mr Baines, I've been working on this project for 7 years. I know, Henry. I know. Please don't take offence, Dr Kent. Your work's invaluable to this company. But you're not sure about me. We've waited 18 months for signs of progress. There has been progress. There's no proof, Catherine. With all due respect, Mr Baines, I'm not the one who designed the procedure. I mean, I wish I could take credit for it, but I can't. I was chosen to do a job. They picked me, but if you think there's someone better... or someone who's more devoted to your son, then... No one's doubting your ability, Catherine. What is it, then? There's no proof, Catherine. There's no proof the procedure works. All you're giving me is the belief that your interaction with my son is not a... hallucination. Shit! I better get back to work. Oh, good-bye, Mrs Baines. Thank you. Thank you, Mr Baines. Come, shall we? Lucien. Lucky she worships you. Why? Because he hates me? Distrusts, dislikes immensely, can't bear the sight of. What's the verdict? Well, we've got another 6 months... and Barry had to push for that. I want to reverse the feed, Miriam, now more than ever. We've been through this a hundred times, Catherine. It's too risky. Why not? What do we have to lose? When I did social work, it was always better when we took the kids out of their environment. Foster homes can be scary at first, but eventually they see that things can be different. Edward is like that right now. He--he's living in a world that is not healthy. Let's show him a different place. All right. Let's say we do it your way. We reverse the feed, and we bring Edward into your mind. Can you imagine his shock when he finds that he's been thrust into this whole other world? I do it all the time. Yes, but you're a willing participant, Catherine. You're aware of what's happening. Edward's in a coma. And besides, we don't know what effect it will have on you. I mean, you're already exhausted. Have you been sleeping? Yes. Any more nightmares? No. No. Good. Leave work here. Don't take it home in this. Hey, you. What are you looking for, hmm? Want some milk? Edward... Daddy! Uhh! Aah! Daddy! You son of a bitch! That's fun. Let me try it. Not so much power. The animal is delicate. Uhh! Uhh! Edward, is that you? Edward, were there seagulls being killed on the beach while you were sailing? Don't hide, sweetie, please? Edward, is that you? Don't be afraid. No one will hurt you. Edward, is that you? Go to sleep. Ohh! God! Daddy! Please. Please, don't. Help me! Help me! Please! Answer me! Help me! Aah! Please help! Please help! Uhh! Help! Aah! Thanks for waiting, Cole. Teddy Lee, no problem. Special Agent Ramsey. Cole. Morning. Who found her? The surveyor for the railroad, about 6.00 this morning. Skidmarks appear to match the tyre tracks from Reno. Hmm. And it looks like he scraped the rail and lost some paint, too. It's on its way to the lab already. Dumped the body over there. Bleach. Anne Marie Vicksey. She makes 7. Jeez, this stinks. Do they all look like dolls? Every unfortunate soul. What's that? Some kind of a collar. Part of his methodology. The way he puts it there? He makes it for them. It makes him feel they belong to him. Is the water always this low? Yeah, this time of year. Give me a coroner's report right away. Preliminary forensics, too. I don't want anyone dragging their ass on this. So, how was work? Oh, exhausting. Sugar prices rolled back Tuesday to last week's Near-term sugar futures eased 0.11 cents to 7.7 cents a pound. Last week, the U.S. Agriculture Department said that sugar production was expected to drop the first decline in several years. Uhh! I have no idea, Jean. For God's sake. Yeah. Good luck with the monster. OK. I love you, too. I gotta go. OK. Thanks. Bye. All right. Bye-bye. Hot off the presses. Oh! There's nothing new to report, gentlemen. A match on his semen. Water in her lungs show high levels of chlorine and rust. What, pray tell, is this? They say they found some dog hair? From a canine unit? No. There was no canine unit. And Anne Vicksey doesn't own a dog, Teddy. I want to see this. What you got, Teddy? Hmm. Ah ah ahh! Hypomelanosis. And that means? A complete absence of melanin. The dog is an albino. He'd love an animal like that. Gentlemen... I believe an albino dog is a rare animal indeed. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh... You poor boy. You're gonna be OK. Baby, I'm so sorry. Jesus Christ, Peter. Thought you were gonna get some sleep, clean yourself up. I did. They're waiting, you know? I'm ready. Let's go. We're gonna do this 2 ways. Breeders of German shepherds. Ford dealers. I want you to be thorough, and I also want you to be fast. This guy's accelerating. He only waited 6 days this time. When he first started, months could pass. And that means one of 2 different things. One, he thinks we're stupid, and we can't catch him. that I believe, he wants to be caught. The dog hair thing is sloppy. He leaves Anne Marie Vicksey in 3 inches of water. He knew that we'd find her. Now, there's one thing I know for certain. If we can't stop him... he ain't gonna stop himself. Will this be all right? Yes, ma'am, that's great. Thank you very much. Uh, she was still... she was still living at home, ma'am? We were looking through apartments. But they're not moving in together until after the wedding. Julia wants to be married. Did she ever mention anything out of the ordinary? For instance, somebody she was seeing mad, or somebody perhaps watching her or following her? No. Pardon me. Ramsey. What if you made a mistake? Maybe this isn't the man. Maybe Julia's safe. There's certain things that he does that, uh... make us pretty positive that this is the man. Last year, I lost my husband to cancer. I went through such terrible pain. But Julia, she was always there for me. What's going on, Gordon? Riverside sheriff found a dog breeder in Woodcrest. she had a buyer for an albino shepherd pup. Sheriff checks D.M.V. Son of a bitch drives a '92 Ford pickup. Guess what colour. Aquamarine. Ramsey! Novak! Where is he? Edison, just east of Loma Park. S.W.A.T.'s had the house under surveillance for about 20 minutes. Carl Rudolph Stargher. No registered weapons. No priors. Got a licence for his dog, though. Named him Valentine. Hah! You're the bad man, aren't you, Carl? Mairzy doats and dozy doats And liddle lamzy divey A kiddley divey, too Wouldn't you? Uhh! Uhh! Brock, Agent Ramsey, Agent Novak. We got here as fast as we could. I briefed them on the way over. Where do we stand? Here's the situation. We got a high-ground team on the roof, a 4-man element to the east, we got an entry team in the van across from the house, a 2-man element to the south. Have you seen him yet? No. There's been some movement in the kitchen. Can't tell what it is. You think the girl's in there? We'll proceed assuming that she is. FBI! FBI! FBI! Go! Freeze, motherfucker! FBI! FBI! I got the dog! Clear. Clear. They'll take him to county general. Reid's already there. Make sure he stays cuffed. I want 2 men on him at all times. I don't want anyone to treat him but Reid. Not so much as a thermometer up his ass, understand? Mmm. She's not here. Yeah. You should, uh, you should come downstairs. Aah! Mommy! Please take care of my little baby! Hello? Hello? Please, are you there? Hello? Please hear me. Can you hear me? Hello? I need something. I need you... Anybody here? This is not happening to me. This is definitely not happening. Please help! Have you ever heard of Whelan's infraction? It's a form of schizophrenia. It's very rare, and it's very severe. In any schizophrenic, these areas would be affected, but in someone with Whelan's, they're hit hard, and they're hit fast. Can't you load him up with Thorazine or Doxepin? Normal psychotropics don't work. This thing is caused by a virus that infects the neurological system in utero. It lays dormant until it's triggered by some kind of trauma. Most likely, he's exhibited symptoms for some time, but the infraction, or the breach, didn't occur till today. The triggers can vary. Uh, usually water-related, but the results don't vary. He's not just catatonic. He's disappeared, like having a dream and never waking up. For how long? Oh, forever. Lee, I think we might be missing the bigger picture here. Now, whatever state that he happens to be in, there is a girl that is missing, and her name is Julia Hickson, and he is the only one that knows where she is. He keeps them in this thing for about 40 hours. Now, he took Julia Hickson at 7.30 last night. Peter, you know me. If there were anything, anything... What? He provides them with food, drinking water, and a toilet. Now, she thinks she's been kidnapped, that there's a chance of survival, but it's just a form of torture. This is a kind of ritual for him, a cleansing before he takes them home and turns them into a doll, a toy. Now, this thing is fully automated, and unless we find her by tonight, this will happen to her. At the request of Mr Cooperman, we've contacted your board of directors, and they've given their approval. And so have Edward's parents. But the decision is yours. Henry? Yes. Miriam. It's up to Catherine. She's the one who would have to face whatever risks there might be, so, I support whatever decision she makes. Can I ask you something? Please. If he wasn't like this, if he was conscious, do you think that he would tell you where she is? There's always a chance of a confession. Yeah. And there's things that he's done that show a need for disclosure. He hasn't had a sympathetic ear. He wants someone to listen, to, uh, try and understand him. Look. I feel for this girl, I do. But Stargher may no longer know the truth. For severe schizophrenics, there's no discerning between fantasy and reality. Is it possible? If he came to trust me, yes. But it takes months to earn that kind of trust. Is it possible? Come here... and save me! Save me! Daddy? Daddy. I'm Daddy's girl. His levels are too flat. What happened here? We removed Should have left him the way he was. He used to suspend himself, didn't he? Yeah. Yeah. They're comforted by the feeling of weightlessness, like floating in water. Now, this, gentlemen, is the catalyst. The neurological connectic transfer system not only maps the mind, it sends the signal to another party. All you need to do is tune in, but you do much more than tune in. You become part of the show. He's ready. Why are there For a while we tried joint therapy sessions. the price of one, but Edward hated it and only talked to Catherine. She has a gift. Are you sure? I'm sure. OK. Response signal... functioning. We implanted a touch-sensitive microchip in her hand, so if she wants to stop the session or if it gets too intense, she can give the signal, and we abort. When we were ready for practical testing, Miriam and I auditioned some of the best child therapists in the country. And all they did was observe and report, nothing more. Catherine was the least experienced, but she came so highly recommended that we decided, what the hell, we'll give her a shot, and, immediately, we could tell she was different. You're not human. You don't lie in my house. You're an animal! Hey! Hey, you. Yeah, you like that, don't you? Is your name Carl? You know, I know another little boy with a horse. His name's Edward. I mean the boy, not the horse. What's wrong? His victims. Unh! Where you come from? Yeah? Gentlemen, she's back. I'll be right there. All right. Come on, Catherine. She's had quite a journey. Unlike anything we've ever seen before. So she's made contact? Oh, yes. She's gone very deep into his world. At times too far. It's cold. That can be dangerous. What are you talking about? Well, if she came to believe that Stargher's world is real, then theoretically, her mind could convince her body that anything that was done to it there is actually done. It's like the old wives' tale where you die in your dream, you die in real life. Henry, could you raise the temperature in here, please? Dr Kent? Just a moment, please. Dr Kent, can I come in there to speak with her? We have to be patient. I mean, look at her. She's drowsy. Let her wake up. We don't have a lot of time. Do you understand that? Our Father, who art in heaven... hallowed be Thy name. Am I interrupting anything? Is it OK if I... He knows you're here, doesn't he? My friend Dr Reid said... that it's very unusual. Schizophrenia, that is... in a child that's this young. They usually think it's autism. What you have to understand is there's nothing wrong with his body. What's paralysed is a part of his mind. It's so damaged by the virus he can't even will himself to move. You think you can change that? Do you believe there's a part of yourself that you don't show anybody? I think everybody has that side of themselves. During a session, when I'm inside, I get to see those things. I feel them. With Stargher, I felt things I never want to feel again. He's not even Carl Stargher anymore. He's this idealized version of himself. A king in a very... very twisted kingdom. The place for him to indulge every... You know, I don't want to talk about this in here. I could never do what you do-- devote myself to understanding a mind like that. I don't think we'll ever be able to understand a mind like that. But you try. That's your job. I guess so. You don't like what you do? I like it better than my old job. Used to be an attorney. I was a prosecutor. What happened? I had a case, um, where this little girl was molested. And because of this one tiny piece of evidence that was tainted, he walked. Uh, Charles Gish walked away. Nothing I could do about it. The night after he was released, Margaret's parents came home-- that was the little girl's name-- Margaret Sims. And they found Charles Gish sitting in their living room. He was watching television, and Margaret was sitting next to him, and he had cut her open right down the middle. The parents found Margaret's heart in the freezer. Charles figured they'd probably want to keep it. After that, I left the D.A. and joined the FBI. Figured l'd just try to catch 'em. Till now. Yeah. You know, I started to tell you that Stargher really isn't Stargher anymore. Well, that's true, and it's not. The dominant side is still this horrible thing, but there's a positive side that-- Positive side? Well, the way he sees himself as a child. But isn't that him? The boy Stargher made contact. He's curious about me. If I could reach the boy, then maybe he'd tell me about Julia. Whatever happened to Charles Gish? Old Charlie beat the murder rap because he was insane when he killed Margaret. His attorney milked the jury for all they were worth. Said that a life of sexual abuse drove him to do these things, and, you know, whatever the fuck. All that same old bullshit. Why is that bullshit? I believe a child can experience a hundred times worse the abuse than what Gish went through and still grow up to be somebody that would never, ever, ever hurt another living being. And you're sure of that? Yes, I am. I'm sure of that. Hey, where the hell you been? I've been right here. Well, next time tell me, OK? I didn't want to disturb you. You looked so cute, you know. You're all sleeping when you get that look on you. Your colleagues want to know what to do with Stargher. Tell them to prep him. I'll be right there. Thank you, Catherine. Stargher have any pets? You know, cats, dogs... Yeah, you're a good boy, aren't you, Valentine? That's supposed to help? On a subconscious level, yes. Anything that was special to Stargher, gave him pleasure, should make him more...accessible. More peaceful. Peaceful? That's enough. Thank you. Mr Novak. Doctor. Thank you. You got it. Round 2. Henry, not funny. Not funny, Henry. Catherine? Come on, stop playing around. I'm not. It's a power problem. We're locked out, Catherine. I--I need you to check the circuit breaker. I want you to check circuits 6 through 12. Come on. Get up. Mm-hmm. I'm already in. What did she say? Valentine. Valentine. Come here, boy. Valentine. Can you take me to Carl? Need some help? I've got a present for you. If you need me, or if you feel like I'm around but you can't find me, just... shine it like this. Go ahead, take it. You like it? Carl? What's the matter? What? What's wrong? What happened over here? Just broke all by itself. Did you break that plate? I broke the plate. Did you break that plate? I broke the plate. Well, hey. Let's break 'em all, how about that? You little fucking liar! I should've drowned you like the runt of the litter. You don't lie in my house. This is my house! He's just a boy. Shut up! You're not his mother! She's not your mother. She left us, Carl. Remember that. See that? See that? That is... a place of evil. What the fuckin'-- Cripe. Jesus Christ! What the fuck is this? Get back here. Get over here! Playing with dolls? You little faggot! God. What are you, some kind of a woman? Get up. But, Dad-- Dammit. You want something to cry about? I'll give you something to cry about, woman! Dad! Mama's boy! I didn't raise no faggot. Christ. Stop your crying. You want to iron like a woman? Let me show you how to iron. No! Help me. She... She was my first. And...and I made such a mess. Now what I have to do. Why are you here? Don't lie. I came to help you. You're lying. Bitch. Whore. Cunt! You sound like your father. He was nothing. He is nothing. Who told you to say that? Do you remember the first time he talked to you? Were you in water? Maybe you went swimming. It was my baptism. My father, he... he pushed me under. I think I had some kind of seizure. I think I was drowning. And everybody just looked at me. Nobody helped me. Nobody. Except him. My father... he took me home that night, and he broke 3 of my ribs and fractured my jaw. I was 6 years old. Carl... what your father did to you is evil. What he did to you was wrong. He treated you like a thing. He was more... powerful than me. No. No one should be treated like that. Is that right? In what world do you live in? Carl, where is Julia Hickson? No. No names. No names! Where is she? I know you, Carl. You want to tell me. Oh, you know me? Oh, you know who I am? Where is she? Where's Julia? Where's Julia, Carl? Miriam. Mm-hmm? That can't be right. No change. Christ. What about emergency cessation? No. Gradually terminate the feed, disable the receptors-- It could lead to massive shock, and, Henry, could you please shut that thing off? What's going on? That hypothetical situation I told you about? Yeah. It's happening. Can't you stop it? It's not that simple. Well, you stopped it before-- Yes, that was different. That was Edward. With Stargher, his mind is unfamiliar territory, and she's lost. She thinks this is real. Well, is there anything that we can do? Whatever we do runs the risk of making things worse for her. Worse. That's great. So she's lost somewhere? Henry... No. No. No, what? I need you here. Fucking stop! Stop! Stop! Let me the fuck out! Let me the fuck out! Let me out! Get me out, you sick fuck! Fuck you! Let me out. Do something. Do something to end this. Do something. Do something. I got bugs crawling all over my body. It gets worse. You're completely unprepared for this. Ah, Dr Kent, we've been over all this. Yes, but I've been through the process. She went through the process, too, and it didn't matter. You don't know him. OK. Be lucky. Come on, guys. Ready? Uh, Peter, the first few minutes will be very disorienting. Remember to stay calm and focused. Instincts play a very important part here, so trust them. All right. Peter, you've read her file. Hit her with something personal. And remember, Peter... it's not real. What the fuck? Have you seen him? My boy? My little one? His father took him from me. I spit it out my hole. Big deal. Don't mean anything. My child's an abomination. He has no soul. OK. Catherine? Is that you? You all right? Catherine? Peter... Listen to me. Poor Peter. This isn't real. Did Daddy do a bad thing? Don't be scared. This isn't real. Catherine, listen to me. Catherine... Catherine... Naughty worm. I'll kill you! Fuck you, motherfucker! Catherine! Wake the fuck up, now! Mairzy doats and dozy doats And liddle lamzy divey A kiddley divey too Wouldn't you? Catherine! When you were in college... your baby brother had a car accident! He was in a coma for 6 months before he died! And I'm sorry for saying that! But you gotta wake up! God! It's not real. It's not real! It's not real! Not real! Not real! Not real! Aaah! Aaah! Aaah! Peter. Aaah! It's OK. What the fuck happened? Where are we? Oh, my gosh. Is this where he keeps them? Carl. No, it's OK. Julia. Don't be scared. I would never hurt you. I'm your friend. And Peter-- he's a friend, too. Do you know where this place is? Like on a map? Oh. Oh. I am so proud of you. Even if Peter doesn't find Julia, Catherine! I promise I will come back and help you. Catherine! Let's go. What are you doing? Carl! It's over. I know how to find Julia. I just can't leave him here! God damn it, Catherine, let's go! Carl! I know how to find her. No! Carl! We're running out of time. No! Let's go back! No! I'll come back for you, Carl! I promise I'll come back! Catherine, we gotta go now! Means he's back. How's Catherine? Take it easy, Peter. Is she OK? Take it easy, Peter. Just breathe. Is she OK?! Yeah, I think she is. Can you get me out of this fucking suit?! Yeah, Cole here. Cole, it's Novak. Yeah, what's up? I want you to go down to the basement at Stargher's workplace and call me when you get down there. They haven't finished building the grid yet. Fuck the grid! Call me when you get down there. You OK, Pete? I'm fine. You want to tell me what happened in there? Oh, fuck. You in pain? What happened, Peter? I saw her. Who did you see? I know where to find her. Who? Julia. I saw her. OK. Why don't you come in-- Why don't you come and let Dr Kent have a look at you? Pete? Cole. Yeah, this is Cole. Uh, now what am I doing down here? That machine that he uses--there's a hoist. I want you to look for a plaque or a metal plate with some sort of logo on it. Yeah, I got it. Uh, it's Carver Industrial Equipment. In Bakersfield, California. I want you to find out every goddamn thing that you can about that machine. Who used it, who sold it, who bought it. Just find out everything you can. I'm gonna call you from the chopper in about 20 minutes. All right, let me have a look. Good. That's good. The FBI has left the building. What? I haven't had a chance to clear Novak! What did you expect me to do? There's no way I could stop him. Go. I'm OK. Are you sure? Let me have a look. OK. All right. OK. Peter, just talk to me. What if your mind is playing tricks on you? They shot you full of drugs, Peter. Who knows if what you saw is real? Catherine? Catherine? Catherine? Open this door. Catherine. What are you doing? I promise... I'm gonna help you. No. Do not jeopardize your career. You're not authorized to be here. Stop! It's dangerous. What are you doing? Miriam. What's she doing? You know what she's doing. For Christ's sake. Catherine! Jesus! She changed the codes. You can't get in. What happened? She reversed the feeds. What does that mean? The process is intended for her to go into his mind. But instead, she's bringing him into hers. Stop! No more! I promised l'd come back and help you. See? I always keep my promises. Can I stay here with you? Oh...no, honey, I'm sorry. It doesn't work that way. There's nothing I can do about that. Yes, there is. When I was a little boy... I found this bird. He was injured and... had a broken leg or something. Well, my father found out that I had it. And I knew that he would do something horrible to it. It was just a matter of time. So I took it to the sink, and I--I held it under. It was better for the bird... because... I saved him. I can't do that, Carl. I won't. It doesn't matter. He found me. He always finds me. Agent Novak? Go ahead. Cole. Yeah, Novak, listen to this. The hoist was sold to a guy named Bainbridge, who tried to build a machine works out near Delano. Bainbridge ends up in bankruptcy court, and the state winds up with the land. And guess who they hire to seal the place up. Aw, you're fuckin' kiddin' me. No. I'm not the kidding type. Carl Rudolph Stargher. Where's the land? Exit 10-- off highway 99. We're on our way now. Got it. I know where that is. Help! Help me! This is the area. My world... my rules. Aaagggh! Nooo! Help! Do it. It's not real. Me got boy. Boy me got. You cannot kill me. Baby, it's OK. Save me. You can stay here with me. Hey! Here! Hey! It's OK. It's OK. It's OK. You've got to back away. Swim to the back. Back away! Back up from here. Back up. It's OK. Are you OK? You OK? Are you OK? Are you OK? Hey! Hey. Agent Ramsey? Yeah, Ramsey. She's here. OK, let her through. Somebody outside for you. What is she doing here? Said she wanted to see his home. It's pretty strange. She's keeping his dog, Peter. l'd say pretty fucking strange is par for the course. I almost didn't recognize you. How long do you get to be a civilian? A couple weeks, till after the inquiry and see what happens. Ramsey told me you were thinking of, uh, what do you call that thing? Reversal. Reversal. Mm-hmm. With that kid you were working with? Yeah. Edward. Edward. Are you sure you want to do that? Absolutely. You're not worried about what might happen? I would never do anything to hurt Edward. It wasn't him I was worried about. What about you? How are you? I'm not sure. l... I remember pieces of everything. According to the FBI, you guys put me on some drug-fuelled mind-bender, which then, uh... triggered a memory I already had, and officially we found Julia Hickson through good old-fashioned detective work. I guess this is hello and good-bye, then. I guess so. Thanks for everything, Catherine. Be safe. All right. |
|