Final Cut, The (2004)

Can I play?
Do you have any marbles?
Yep.
OK.
Thanks.
You're welcome.
So, what's your name?
Louis. Yours?
Alan.
You're not from around here,
are you?
No. I'm here with my parents
for the day.
What?
What's over there?
Don't do that. We're not
even allowed to be here.
Come on.
Wait for me.
Let's go back down.
Nope.
Don't!
Alan, don't!
See? That wasn't so bad.
Just don't look down.
Louis!
Come on.
See? It's steady.
- Louis!
- I can't move!
Come on!
Alan, help!
Wait!
Here it comes. Just relax.
You're doing great now.
All right.
Now, just a couple more seconds.
Here it comes, sweetie.
Just keep breathing.
All right, the head's crowning.
Very good.
Excellent. Here we go.
One more big push, sweetie.
That's it. Now breathe.
It's coming.
Push, push, push!
Oh, here we go.
We have a boy.
Oh, is he OK?
- He's perfect.
- He's fine. He's fine.
A beautiful son.
Beautiful. He's beautiful.
- Are we OK?
- He's fine, honey.
- He's beautiful.
- Oh, he's perfect.
Congratulations, Dad.
Here he comes.
You did really well.
Oh, hi. Oh, it's OK.
Beautiful baby boy.
You did really well.
He's got his eyes open.
He's looking at you.
- What's his name?
- Danny.
Danny.
Danny, come here, sweetie.
Get away from the ants.
See, we have the best-fed ants
in the neighborhood.
Come on.
Have to do that later.
Jason, my guys took
your guy's gun.
Can't.
It's attached to his leg. See?
Oh, my God.
That's me, man.
That's me.
Danny, play nice
with your brother.
What's that music you're using?
I really dig it.
Whatever it is,
it's terrific, man.
It really...
I don't know...
suits his life somehow.
So, Danny, you still drawing?
Nope.
No? Didn't you want to grow up
to be an artist?
That's some
of the opening sequence.
The rest needs
some fixes and tweaks.
But right now, he's clocking in
at one hour and 40 minutes.
Yeah, that's cool.
I just wanted to have a look...
before the Rememory tomorrow.
You know.
You've done a hell of a job
with him, Mr. Hakman.
You've done
the son of a bitch right.
You're welcome.
I don't suppose...
There was a fishing trip
when we were 13.
Just Danny and I and Dad...
- At the cape.
- Yes, that one.
My God,
that day is still with me.
You requested it specifically.
It's there.
Well, I'll be off, then.
Closing Zoe project
D. Monroe, rough cut 6.
Opening D. Monroe, scene 127-Q.
Jesus Christ!
I told you to shut up!
Danny! Danny, stop!
You...
You deserve this, bitch!
No!
No! God! Please... please...
No! Stop! No! You're killing me!
Stop!
Scene 127-Q deleted.
EYE Tech introduces...
the ninth generation
of the Zoe implant...
from our family to yours.
Do you think
we'll be able to afford one?
Yep.
I hope so.
Well, we can save.
It's worth it, I think.
Excuse me.
This girl was a complete wreck.
Drinking, drugs,
in and out of schools.
Then she turns 21...
and she finds out
about her Zoe implant.
Complete 180. She's born again.
Her knowing that
someone would one day watch...
transforms her into this kind,
gentle, loving person.
So, what happened?
She committed suicide.
Took a dive off her balcony...
twenty-seven floors
straight onto her head.
The implant
was instantly vaporized.
Charming story, Hasan.
Please do go on.
Alan!
This is a rare treat.
Alan!
Michael, this is Alan Hakman.
- Hi.
- Hi.
It's an honor to meet you.
Mike is my new assistant.
What happened to Eddie?
Eddie freaked out on me.
Strung too tight.
Hey, Alan, have you seen these?
They are all over town.
These anti-Zoe hippies always
seemed a little crazy to me.
But now they just seem crazy.
Listen...
"It is not our place to see
through other people's eyes.
"That is for God and God alone."
Anyway, how's
the Monroe project coming?
Fine.
- Just fine?
- Just fine.
Michael,
it's your great privilege...
to meet this man.
He's the best cutter in town.
- Who's your assistant?
- I don't have an assistant.
I have a friend that's looking
to get into the racket.
I don't work with an assistant.
You have
something for me, Thelma?
Straight to business.
I got a job last week
that I passed on...
and I think
it's right up your alley.
You know Charles Bannister?
His widow
is looking for a cutter.
Bannister, the EYE Tech lawyer?
He was out jogging
and his heart collapsed.
Wait a minute.
EYE Tech let that footage out?
Jennifer Bannister
won the lawsuit against them...
and claimed
her husband's implant.
She insisted on having
her own cutter, too.
And with good reason.
We could have taken that job.
After Caldwell,
our schedule is wide open.
I don't like the ugly stuff.
It gives me nightmares.
And this pig Bannister...
he's human garbage.
I took one look at the footage
and sent it straight back.
She only hired me because
you were busy with Monroe.
It's you she really wants.
- I'm available.
- Good.
Our friend Alan...
that's his specialty,
so to speak.
If you can't bear
to look at it, he will.
I'll tell her
you'll come by tomorrow.
She'll be expecting you.
We should actually go.
Oh, yes.
Rememory is in two days...
and we're still cutting picture.
Goddamn last-minute jobs.
Thelma, come on.
It keeps you young.
Alan.
Hasan.
Oh, hey, Alan.
I've been working on...
this new sorting program
for the Guillotine...
and I would really love
to get your feedback on it.
Maybe another time.
Yeah, maybe some other time.
Put it in archives very gently.
- Sure.
- All right.
Delila,
is suicide under self-help?
What are you doing here?
I just wanted to talk.
I'm busy.
Store's still open.
It's the 11:30 rush.
Books are flying off the shelf.
We close in 20 minutes.
This is exciting.
You've never had me over before.
You've always
wanted to see my work.
Well, you're always working.
I'm curious about
what takes up all your time.
Guillotine.
You're like a mortician...
or a priest...
or a taxidermist.
All of them.
I mean...
you get to see life upon life.
Most of us get only one,
if that.
What are people's lives like?
Do they make any sense?
It all seems so massive
and so random.
Have you ever been
to a Rememory?
No. Well...
Once, a few years ago.
Whose?
My ex-boyfriend.
But I couldn't take it.
I didn't stay.
Why not?
Because it just wasn't...
It wasn't him.
And I wanted
to remember him my way.
Sit down.
Thank you.
It's like
you read my mind, Alan.
I have this recurring dream
where I'm aging backwards.
Wow.
What about all the bits
in between?
It's a miniature.
Concise, symmetrical.
That's the way the world
looks to me...
the way I see it.
How do you do this?
It's what I was meant to do.
You were meant
to live your own life, too.
- Hey.
- Hey.
The house was big...
enormous...
like this one.
We didn't care
whose house it was.
It felt dangerous to be there.
It felt exciting.
I can see the grass.
I can hear it
crunching beneath our feet.
And then the sprinklers
came on...
all around us...
and we ran.
I remember that
like it was yesterday.
Do you recall any moments
with your daughter?
This isn't long ago.
We were watching Isabel
in a school talent show.
She was wonderful that night.
I think Charles and I
both felt...
what an amazing thing
a family was.
We felt it together.
She was up there on that stage.
Oh, goodness.
Excuse me.
I know this is very hard,
Mrs. Bannister...
but it's important.
It's the foundation
of a cutter's work.
I need you and your family...
to help me choose
those moments you want to keep.
I won't be able to do
your husband justice...
if I don't understand him
through you.
I heard you were the best...
that you would know
how to handle Charles.
My husband was a great man,
Mr. Hakman.
He deserves to be remembered
as a great man.
After my initial cut...
I will need
to speak with Isabel.
Is that necessary?
There's nothing that
any one of you can tell me...
that I won't know very soon.
Of course. Yes.
Rom.
Please call EYE Tech storage.
Tell them Mr. Hakman
will be dropping by.
Very good, ma'am.
Thank you.
I've...
I've seen Rememories
where the cutters were careless.
They had no respect
for the dead.
The dead mean nothing to me,
Mrs. Bannister.
I took this project
because I respect the living.
Remember for yourself!
Live for today!
You are blasphemous, you freak!
Why don't you people go home?
Just go home! Show some respect!
Open your eyes!
I'm sorry, Mrs. Monroe.
It's never been this bad before.
So... this is him, huh?
That's him.
Caroline, are you all right?
You did very well.
Oh, hi. Oh, it's OK.
He's got his eyes open.
He's looking at you.
- What's his name?
- Danny.
- Hi, Danny.
- Oh, careful.
Hey, Daniel,
we got some visitors for you.
Look. Everybody's here. Look.
- There's your grandma.
- Look. That's Grandma.
How are you feeling, Eliza?
I'm good. I'm really good.
- Excellent.
- Look what I made.
That looks really good, Danny.
Now go wash out your brush.
Hi!
Come on, Uncle.
Bring a steak for us.
Sit in the shade, honey.
So, Danny, you still drawing?
Nope.
No? Didn't you want to grow up
to be an artist?
Not anymore.
No?
What did you want to be, then?
A doctor.
A doctor, eh? Clever kid.
That'll keep you in the bucks.
Why a doctor?
Because I want to help people
when they're hurt.
Would you listen to
this little kid?
You got a good heart, Danny.
And that's all you need in life.
Come on. Be a good boy
and eat your lunch.
Now I make the incision here.
Hand me the number 17, please.
Actually, Professor,
I think the number 12...
would be more appropriate.
Yes. Correct. The number 12.
Thank you, Mr. Monroe.
Hello there.
I'm Dr. Daniel Monroe.
I've seen you around
the hospital these last few days
and I couldn't help but notice
the most beautiful woman here.
I was wondering if maybe
you'd like to join me...
for dinner sometime.
That might be nice.
You lasted longer
than I thought you would.
Come on, Danny boy.
It's a strange profession
you have, isn't it, Alan?
You take people's lives,
make lies out of them.
Fletcher.
It's been a long time.
Eight years.
Yeah. I don't have time
to catch up right now.
Come on! Speech!
- Say something.
- Speech.
I want to thank all of you.
I mean that.
This is the best birthday
I have ever had.
How can you handle it, Alan?
People sleeping and shitting...
people stealing
from each other...
manipulating each other...
the obscenity.
I can't talk. I'm working.
Well, now... I'm hurt.
That's not why I'm here.
I'm booked solid
for the next two months.
No, no, no.
I don't have a job lead for you.
You do have something
that I need, though.
What could I possibly have
that you want?
I know you've taken
the Bannister project...
and I want it.
Wow. I thought
you'd given up cutting.
I'm offering you
$500,000 in cash.
Oh, what? The code?
Would you forget
the damn code and grow up?
This is real life now.
Hey, did you change
the color of our fishing boat?
- I would never do that.
- Are you sure?
Because I remember
it being green, not red.
Weird. All my memories
in that boat...
have it being green.
It just blew my mind.
Maybe it was green.
Will you excuse me?
I have to go.
OK. Rush, rush, rush.
Beautiful work, Mr. Hakman.
I'll keep you in mind for me.
Ah, yes, the questions.
"I remember it differently.
"Are you sure
that's what happened?"
Some of us still
live by the code, Fletcher.
We didn't walk away.
We have what it takes.
And what does it take, Alan?
Delusion? Obsession? Guilt?
No, I don't have any of those...
not as much as you do.
I'll be in touch.
Wait!
He was such a good father, too.
When his son had the mumps?
Oh, my God!
My heart was in my throat.
That part with the partners.
Could you believe that?
It's the Rememory
your husband deserved, Caroline.
He really was someone special.
Thank you, Nathalie.
Yeah! Danny! Danny!
Excuse me.
Mr. Hakman.
Mrs. Monroe.
Why are they tattooed like that?
I'm not sure.
They're so grotesque,
aren't they?
Sorry about your loss.
Thank you.
Look! It's the cutter!
Open your eyes!
Hey! Back off! Back off!
Keep your distance.
Receiving Zoe footage,
Charles Bannister.
Processing 544,628 life hours.
Sorting life files.
Childhood...
sleep...
puberty...
eating...
awkward phase...
romantic life...
temptation...
personal hygiene...
religion...
tragedy...
wedding...
masturbation...
fears...
athletics...
growth spurt...
university...
violence...
school...
courtship...
career...
...these documents...
and I'm quite concerned
about EYE Tech's liability.
I think if any of this
were to get out...
it could be quite devastating.
We do have $1.2 billion
that we wish to invest...
and I'm just wondering,
with EYE Tech, if there's...
What do you think?
I love it. Thank you, Charles.
Hey, Joey, come help me
build a sandcastle.
Here. Use my shovel.
Happy anniversary, honey.
Is it keys?
Hi, baby. You still awake?
No.
Daddy loves you so much.
You know that.
I love you, too, Dad.
Do you want to come down
to my study?
I'd like to show you
what I'm working on.
What are you working on?
It's a new case. Come on.
OK.
So, how was school today?
Good. We read a book
about Kipper, the Sparky Dog.
Kipper, the Sparky Dog?
He's a very happy dog.
Daddy?
What, sweetie?
Can I have a pet?
Well, maybe. What kind of pet?
Maybe a kitty.
A kitty? Of course.
Go on in, honey.
- Daddy?
- Yes, sweetie?
I want to go back to bed.
In a little while, baby.
In a little while.
Daddy loves you so much.
You know that.
And I love you, too, Dad.
Thank you.
Wasn't she wonderful?
- You look lovely, honey.
- Thank you.
I'll tell Rom to bring up
some more champagne.
- Fine.
- Would you like one, sir?
No, thank you.
Isabel wanted to stay up
and say hello...
but the poor thing fell asleep.
It's a beautiful picture.
She's a very bright little girl.
Yes, she is.
Jennifer and I are very lucky.
We're very fortunate.
We're looking forward
to spending...
So, what's your name?
Louis. Yours?
Alan.
Identity match.
Searching.
Come on.
No, I can't move.
I can't move!
I know you've taken
the Bannister project...
and I want it.
I found something, Delila.
I mean, in a new project.
Something very important,
and I have to explore it.
It's...
A new cutting project?
That's what you're talking
to me about, Alan?
Well, more than that.
Alan,
you've seen so much life...
and somehow you miss the point.
I mean, I haven't
even heard from you...
since that night
at your apartment.
I need you.
Why?
Why do you need me?
There's no place for me
with you.
You haven't even made room
for yourself.
You have to separate yourself
from that machine.
Yeah. Yeah.
Alan?
Alan.
You look like shit.
What happened to your face?
This? Rather not elaborate.
Come in.
I mean, you decided
that this scene, this event...
is what made this woman
who she was.
You've taken
this woman's entire life...
and drawn a straight line
from this particular moment.
How can you make
a decision like that?
Whittling a life down to one...
Michael, we have to make
story decisions.
Otherwise,
there will be no Rememories.
Yeah, I still don't buy it.
You don't have to buy it.
You just have to do it.
Trust me.
Alan, darling, you look spooked.
Sorry about the place.
The kid's mess.
I need to speak with you alone.
Michael, honey, would you
run down to the store...
and buy us some cigarettes?
We've got eight packs already.
Then go and return them,
sweetheart.
We don't need so many.
He's an emotional one.
Now... are you all right?
I saw Fletcher yesterday.
Really?
Yeah.
Fletcher.
Now, he was a great assistant.
What happened to him
after he quit?
He seems changed.
We kept in touch
for a few years...
and then his sister Laura...
You remember Laura.
She had a son,
died of leukemia.
He was only twelve.
She never got over it.
She spent days and days watching
his unedited Zoe footage...
stopped speaking to everyone.
And then she didn't even
recognize who Fletcher was.
After that, he dropped off
the map completely.
Think he could be involved
with anti-implant groups?
I've heard rumors...
talk of them being organized
by an ex-cutter.
I never thought
it could be Fletcher.
He wants to buy
Bannister's footage.
These anti-implant groups have
become like religious fanatics.
They gave Michael one hell
of a beating last night.
So it's not just talk anymore.
You know,
if they want Bannister's life...
the bastard's
not worth fighting for.
Give the footage
back to his widow.
Let her deal with it.
I can't give it back.
There's someone in that project
I haven't seen for years.
I hate when that happens.
Oh, yeah.
He's at a party, in a crowd...
never mentioned by name.
I've got to find him, though.
He's not a main character
in Bannister's life.
It'll take
the Guillotine days...
to track his face
through the footage.
Who is this person?
Just someone from my childhood.
Bannister's life
is my only lead.
OK. Go through the family,
snoop around...
tell them you're doing research
for the project.
It might be faster
than waiting for the Guillotine.
Be careful, Alan.
So...
how is it that you and I
know each other again?
We don't.
That's the wrong answer, pal.
We share a mutual friend.
Billy Finch.
Billy who?
Don't play games.
I know you better than that.
I know all
your little secrets, Oliver.
How do you know my name?
I know that you suffocated
those kittens when you were 13.
I know that that scar on
your head was self-inflicted...
and I know
that you sold Billy the gun...
that he killed his brother with.
They say that friends
help you move...
but good friends help you
move bodies, don't they?
I just want what Billy wanted.
A gun.
Take it. Take it.
And these. Take these.
Take them all.
Please go, OK? Just go.
Thank you, OIlie.
Take care.
I'm here.
Is this why you wanted
to meet me here?
I thought
it would be safer this way.
How's Thelma doing?
I can't give you Bannister,
and you know I can't.
It's unbelievable,
when you think about it.
One in twenty of these people
has an implant.
How will that baby remember
his mother years from now?
Will he remember the special
moments between them...
or moments someone like you
decides are special?
My job is
to help people remember...
what they want to remember,
Fletcher.
Ah. Oh, that's noble.
But I don't think you understand
the scope of the damage.
There is no way to measure...
the profound effect
the Zoe implant has had...
on the way
people relate to each other.
"Am I being filmed?
Should I say this or not?
"What'll they think in 30 years
if I do this or that?"
What about the simple right
not to be photographed?
The right not to pop up
in some guy's Rememory...
without even knowing
you were being filmed?
I didn't invent the technology.
If people didn't want it,
they wouldn't buy it, Fletcher.
It fulfills a human need.
Alan, you take murderers
and make them saints.
That's why we need
Charles Bannister.
He was a public figure
for EYE Tech...
their star attorney...
well respected,
loved his family...
gave to charity, and if
you get through with him...
that's all
anyone will ever know.
But Bannister is
the first EYE Tech employee...
whose implant has left
the confines of the corporation.
His widow fought for that.
We know she's hiding something
about him and his daughter...
and we're gonna find it.
EYE Tech's hands aren't clean.
Bannister's implant is evidence.
So you want to destroy
EYE Tech with a scandal?
Absolutely.
The press would go apeshit.
He's the perfect candidate.
I must have his footage.
Is this about your sister?
Don't even say her name.
You don't know anything
about that.
She has nothing to do with it.
These implants
distort personal history...
and therefore all history...
and I will not stand by
while the past is rewritten...
for the sake
of pleasant Rememories.
Tell me something.
Why is your name
the first on the list...
for cutting
scumbags and lowlifes?
Because I forgive people
long after...
they could be punished
for their sins.
I know what you do.
Why do you do it?
Do you know
what a sin eater is?
It's part of
an ancient tradition.
When someone would die,
they would call for a sin eater.
Sin eaters were
social outcasts, marginals.
They would lay out the body...
put bread and salt
on the chest...
coins upon the eyes.
The sin eater would eat
the bread and salt...
take the coins as payment.
By doing this,
the eater absorbed...
the sins of the deceased,
cleansing their soul...
and allowing them safe passage
into the afterlife.
That was their job.
And what about the sin eater...
who bears the burden
of all those wrongs?
Are you worried
about my soul, Fletcher?
I will have Bannister.
I can't give him to you.
You see that man behind me?
I don't want to bring him
into this conversation...
but I will if you leave me
no other choice.
Alan!
Alan!
Do you remember the moment...
you first fell in love
with your husband?
Goodness. How can you answer
a question like that?
The pier?
Yes, the pier.
He had taken me down
to the pier.
It was springtime.
We were walking,
and he was going on...
This was during college?
Yes, I was in college...
and I remember,
I looked up at him...
and I thought,
this is the man...
I want to spend
the rest of my life with.
I just have one more question.
There was a man
at one of your parties.
- A man?
- Yes. A man with glasses.
You may have noticed them.
They're very thick glasses.
Thick glasses?
Mr. Hakman,
how is this relevant?
Minor people I don't even know
have no place in the Rememory.
Family...
career...
community.
That's all I want.
Cut everything else.
Maybe I could speak with Isabel?
Right now?
It would be very helpful.
Yes, of course.
Isabel?
Remember what I told you?
Mr. Hakman wants
to talk to you about Daddy.
It's for Daddy's Rememory.
Mrs. Bannister?
We have a problem
with the caterers.
Hi, Isabel.
Hello, Mr. Hakman.
"Mr. Hakman."
That's very formal.
My name is Alan.
Beautiful house.
What's going on in there?
Birthday party for Mr. Froggy.
Do you think Mr. Froggy
would mind...
if I took you away
from the party for a minute?
OK.
Who's that in your arms?
My doll.
Oh. What's her name?
She doesn't have a name.
She's just a doll. See?
Isabel, your daddy...
My daddy is the best daddy
in the world.
He had a really big meeting
one day...
but instead,
he took me horseback riding.
He would read me stories
before bed every night.
Sometimes he would make it up
as he went along...
and I knew, but I didn't care.
Your mom said I was here
to talk about your dad.
But we don't have to do that
if you don't want.
I don't want.
OK. Then we won't.
When I was a little older
than you...
I lost both my parents.
Not many people
know what you're feeling.
Not many people understand.
But I do.
You don't want me nosing around,
asking questions.
And you're right.
OK.
Alan...
it's not really
Mr. Froggy's birthday.
It's in a week.
Can I ask one question?
And then I'm gone.
There was a man at
one of your parents' parties.
The thing that's special
about this man...
is he wore glasses
that were very, very thick.
They're almost like the bottom
of a glass bottle.
Mr. Hunt.
I took him the invitation.
Mr. Hunt?
Was his name Louis Hunt?
He was my teacher.
Really? What does he teach?
He doesn't teach anymore.
He died in a car accident
a year ago.
It was very sad.
Did you have a Rememory,
like for your father?
I don't know.
We just had a day at school
where we talked about him.
Thank you, Isabel.
Alan?
Are you gonna fix
what my daddy can remember?
In a way... yes.
Can you make him forget
that I...
that I drew on
his contract with crayon?
I will.
And that I pulled
Dottie's hair so hard...
that she cried.
Will he forget that?
He'll forget.
But make sure you don't.
Hey, Alan...
would you relax?
There's nobody
following us, all right?
This is a really big favor
I'm doing for you.
You're lucky my cousin Karim
is working late tonight.
Thank you.
So, what's this guy's name?
Louis Hunt.
If he had an implant...
there will be a record
of it in here.
I could lose my job,
letting cutters in here.
Come on, Karim.
Would I get you in trouble?
They can track anyone
accessing data from a computer,
so this is the best I can do.
Please hurry.
Wait.
These are genealogies.
I don't know his family tree.
How do I use this?
Hard copies are
sorted by series numbers...
alphabetically on the boxes...
and then arranged
by implant date.
He's the same age as I am...
so it would be a 1500 series.
Hunt.
No Hunt.
Alan!
Alan, are you OK?
I'm fine.
OK.
Hello, Mr. And Mrs. Hakman...
and welcome
to the EYE Tech family.
You've made
an important decision.
You've purchased a Zoe implant
for your unborn son.
What does that mean?
Immortality.
No longer do our most cherished
moments together...
have to fade
and disappear over time.
Remember, the Zoe implant
is entirely organic...
and since it grows...
with your baby's brain
and nerve centers...
it's virtually undetectable.
When is the right time
to tell your child...
about their miraculous gift?
By their 21st birthday...
most carriers are
mature enough to understand...
and from then on,
your son can live his life...
knowing
that always and forever...
his experiences and adventures
will be revisited and relished,
and that's what
great memories are made of.
Congratulations.
Oh, my God. That's me, man.
That's me.
You take people's lives,
make lies out of them.
My daddy is the best daddy
in the world.
It's unbelievable
when you think about it.
One in twenty of these people
has an implant.
When is the right time
to tell your child...
about their miraculous gift?
What are people's lives like?
Do they make any sense?
It all seems so massive
and so random.
This is real life now.
Don't do that. We're not even
allowed to be here.
You take murderers
and make them saints.
Everybody's here!
- Just someone from my childhood.
- Remember for yourself!
What about the sin eater
bears the burden...
Get out of my head!
Oh, no.
Oh, Alan...
your phone call had me
so worried.
I saw the mirror.
What happened to you?
I saw something.
All right.
You cannot let your work
get to you like this.
Please don't leave.
What have you got to eat
in this dump?
Not much.
Try looking in the cupboards.
The cupboard.
I saw that in a project
I was working on.
An herbalist.
It looked interesting.
That's disgusting.
Well...
I guess we order out, then.
I want to show you something.
I've never shown it to anyone.
What is this?
Some implants have a defect.
They can't differentiate
between what the eye sees...
and what the mind sees.
What?
What were these? Dreams?
Yeah, dreams.
Daydreams. Hallucinations.
It's so beautiful.
Where are you off to, Alan?
Let's do this.
Oh, no. Not now.
There's somebody up there.
This has to be clean.
No mess.
Clean, dirty.
It's all the same to me.
I think he's a cutter.
You want to do him?
Yeah, I'll do him.
Hi.
You can follow her.
Now, you know how this works?
No, not at all.
OK. We draw synth tattoos...
with electrosynthetic ink.
And it creates
a magnetic field...
which interferes
with the Zoe implant...
blocking it from recording
audio or video...
from that point on.
Now, first
we do the audio tattoo...
and we wait a week.
If you don't get a migraine
and your system takes it...
then we'll do the video tattoo.
Do I have to cover
my whole face?
No.
Those guys...
they're just young and angry.
You want it discreet.
Very.
Yeah.
Will this hurt?
Oh, yeah.
Fletcher?
I'm armed.
What's the matter, Delila?
You know
that recurring dream I have?
You know
that recurring dream I have?
Where I get younger and younger?
I had it again.
I make you happy?
Yeah.
Well, I make myself miserable.
That's just
because you're silly.
You're silly.
How can you not be happy
right now?
I think the first books I read
were really, really sad.
Why do they make
children's books so sad?
They're always terribly tragic.
Not so hard to make
this thing play disks.
Not so hard at all.
- Delila...
- Shut up!
That was my old boyfriend,
you bastard.
Is that why you wanted
to be with me?
Because you saw some proof
that I'm to your liking?
No.
These moments...
they belong to me, Alan.
The good and the bad.
They're mine and his!
Who are you to take them
away from me?
No! No! Don't touch me!
A gun.
Who are you?
Please, please, no.
Who are you, Alan?
No! No!
No!
Why did you do that?
Mine!
You're still here.
Alan, this thing is junked.
The implant itself is severed.
God himself could not
retrieve that footage...
and you know that.
Then we have to access
a different life.
OK. Well, where is it?
My implant.
What?
The one in my head.
You want to take a shot, too?
Everybody else has.
I deserved that one.
You deserve a lot more
than that, Hakman.
Why didn't you tell us, Alan?
Because I didn't know until
I found the files at EYE Tech.
I never thought my parents
could afford one.
Turns out,
they took a loan to get it.
How could you not know?
Because they died before
they told me.
They never got around to it.
You know the code, Alan.
It's one of our central tenets.
A cutter
cannot have a Zoe implant.
I need to access that footage.
I need it right now.
Yeah? Well, that's impossible.
Oh, no, it's possible.
It was done before by you.
An attempt to access footage
while a carrier was still alive.
Yeah. I performed that...
and the woman
never recovered, Alan.
And I will not try that again.
Then you know what it's like
to be haunted.
One memory...
one single incident
has made me who I am.
It won't leave me be.
The guilt tears me apart...
but now I got a chance
to find out the truth.
I have to take it.
Alan, you brought
an implant amongst us.
Why should I help you?
If I try it myself, I'll die.
And I will try it myself.
We've been friends
for too long, my dear.
I can't let you
kill yourself, can I?
But you understand,
you can never cut again.
Yeah.
The last time I tried this,
the woman's nervous system...
shut down immediately.
It couldn't handle it.
She was a blank
for the rest of her life.
Now, remember...
I can't copy anything
into a hard drive.
You can only watch.
You know exactly which scene
you're going to?
I sure do.
You have five minutes.
Anything longer than that
is just too risky.
OK.
Christie.
I remember her.
It's me.
Alan.
Almost there.
There we are.
Come and get me.
Let's go back down.
Don't!
I'll meet you
back on the ground floor.
Hold on. I'm coming.
No. Wait. Wait.
It isn't steady anymore.
Louis, please, just stop.
I can't move!
OK, Louis, you can make it.
Just a few more steps.
Grab my hand!
Wait!
Alan...
- We're done! We're done!
- Alan, unplug it.
I can't.
Alan!
Alan!
Alan?
I'm all right.
Do you have any idea
how close you came?
I saw him.
I tried to help.
I told him to turn around.
He wouldn't listen.
He fell, but...
he was breathing.
It wasn't blood.
It was paint.
Now I remember.
Thank you.
Looking for this?
The implant's history.
You better find yourself
another perfect candidate.
Do you know
how much planning it took...
to make Bannister's footage
available? Do you?
He died of
a coronary complication.
I was the complication.
Or didn't
you get to that part yet?
I guess no one will.
I bet he still keeps good notes.
Don't you, Alan?
All of it?
All of it.
It was a terrible accident.
Sometimes the older Guillotines
can damage a Zoe implant.
There's no replacing
your husband's life.
He deserved a Rememory...
and a place
in your Zoe family tree.
I'm sorry.
You will... waive your fee?
Of course.
And you'll never speak
of Charles to anyone?
What can one do?
Accidents will happen.
Perhaps some things
are best forgotten.
Perhaps.
God, Isabel, you scared me.
Isabel, honey,
what's the matter?
Isabel.
Isabel, what...
What's wrong, honey?
Isabel.
A friend?
Yeah. Something like that.
I hear
you're not cutting anymore.
I've had enough
of other people's lives.
Stop, Alan.
I can't let you go.
What now?
Word travels fast in my circles.
Word is, a cutter came in
for a synth tattoo.
Word is that cutter is you.
You saw that implant.
It was destroyed. It's useless.
You.
Bannister's footage is gone,
but you've seen his life.
It's encrypted
into your implant.
Will you look at that?
Come and get me.
He had a very big meeting
one day...
but he took me
horseback riding instead.
He would read me stories
every night.
Sometimes he would make it up
as he went along...
and I knew, but I didn't care.
Your mom said I was here
to talk about your dad.
We don't need to do that
if you don't want to.
- Daddy?
- Yes, sweetie?
- Alan, please!
- I want to go back to bed.
- It's John's birthday.
- We'll have meatballs.
Italian. You love Italian.
A toast.
- Happy birthday, John.
- Happy birthday, Fletcher.
Thanks, Alan.
Alan, put the newspaper down.
Come on.
You gonna lighten up
and be gay for a moment?
It's for the greater good, Alan.
Your life will mean something.
I promise.