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Lazarus Project, The (2008)
Daddy, what's the greatest thing
you ever saw? The greatest thing that I ever saw. One time, when I was a little boy... ...I was playing with my slingshot, and I saw this jaybird. I don't know why, but I shot him. You killed a birdie? I didn't mean to. I don't even know why I shot at him, but I felt so bad. Then I started praying to God that he would come back. And all of a sudden, the jaybird woke up. He just... He just flew away. God saved him? Yeah, I think so. Hey, Katie. Bedtime. Why does it always have to be bedtime? I'll race you inside. December 18th. Your last day. No more parole. I'm a free man. It seems like so long ago. So... You wanna celebrate? You got problems. Issues, man. Come on, today's a good day. I'm celebrating something. So no problems today and definitely no issues. Sorry to bust up your fantasy world, Cinderella... ...but our 5:00 just took a nose-dive into the Dallas river. We lost a thousand cases. - All right, call in a four-shift. - Okay. Have them pull a swing. I want another truck loaded and off by 11. All right? Yeah? - Did you hear about the 5:00? - Yeah. Hell, if it ain't always something, huh? We'll make up for it by tomorrow. How's the driver? Broken leg. Passerby pulled him out. Who says there's no more heroes, huh? How's your little girl? She's good. She's an angel. Love every moment. It kills you when they leave. I'll call the driver's wife. - Ben. - Yeah. You're doing a great job. Thanks. I can schedule the classes around Katie's school. And if I score over 80 on the test, RealTops guarantees me a job. How much is the class? It's $ 1100. This could be really good for us. I can make money selling homes. Enough that we can move out of the city, on a lake. - But Dallas isn't that bad, come on. - I know. There's a RealTops office in Marietta. When that brewery opens... But they haven't offered me the job yet. Yeah, but they will. Danny trusts you. He'll want you running that place. You really wanna live in the country, huh? lt'd be nice to look out the window and see something other than concrete. I like the country too. - Why, you mother... You mother... - Watch your mouth. You know how Dad felt about cussing. - They let you out early? - They can't keep you forever. Not on burglary, anyway. - Good to see you, big brother. - It's good to see you, okay? Hey, Lisa. - It's good to see you. - Yeah. Good to see you too. Look at you. Prettiest little girl on planet Earth. - Katie, this is your uncle Ricky. - I've seen your picture. That's funny, that's really funny... ...because I got a picture of you in my wallet. How long are you in town for? I don't know. I gotta get her to bed. - I love you, baby. - Hey, it's good to see you. It's... Yeah. I'm sorry I couldn't come visit you. Florida's a long drive. And jail ain't a place for your little angel. She's beautiful, Ben. Hey, Ricky, there's blankets in the closet. Thanks, but I got a room. I didn't wanna impose. All right, I'm going to bed. You boys don't drink yourself stupid. Good night. How's Marilyn? She's not a part of my life anymore. I got something. I got something good. Supercomputers. Ones like the military uses. The internals, wiring and switches... ...all custom-made, lined with a common conductor. Gold. I'm not talking gold bars. I'm talking something so low-profile, a rent-a-cop watches the place. Dust. Gold dust. Untraceable. The lab stocks 30 pounds of it. You can carry that out with a knapsack. All I need is a dialer. Look, Ricky. Every day I was inside, all I could think about was my family. You know that Katie was 3 years old when I got out? Three years old. And she didn't even know who the hell I was. I can't go back in. You ever think about what we'd be doing... ...if Dad hadn't killed himself? All the time. I'm heading to Utah Sunday. Till then, I'm at the Six Days Inn. Don't be stupid, Ricky. You're out. Stay out. If you change your mind, call me. I'm calling you no matter what, but I'm not changing my mind. - I love you. - You too. Dad? Ben. Damn it, Ben. Don't smoke in bed. You're gonna burn this place down. Are you okay? I am fine. I just had another bad dream. I'm sorry. May I see? Are you all right? You're all right. What did Ricky want? He just wanted to say hi. Other side. Okay? - Stop it, Daddy. - One more, one more. Love you, guys. Yeah. Joey said you wanted to talk to me. Yeah, sit down, Ben. Well, this must be serious. It seems like we mostly talk with my head poking through the door. Yeah, that's true. I mean, that's... That's how we talk. You upset with me, Danny? Oh, God, no, Ben. You're one of the good ones. That's what's making this position I'm in... Well, it's making me sick. I gotta let you go. I put you in to run the new place in Marietta. The owners did a background check. - Your record came up. - Yeah, that was a long time ago. Hell, I don't care what you did in the past, Ben. I've made some bad choices in my life too. Yeah, well, then talk to them, Danny. Tell them I'm not the same man. I have talked to them, Ben. Hell, they wanted you gone three weeks ago. Danny, this job is everything to me. I'm sorry. Hi. Hey. - I see you got your books already. - Yeah. All I gotta do is study for five months and we are home free. You okay? Yeah, I'm all right, just... I'm... I'm tired. I'm just gonna lay down. Yeah. Tomorrow night. Why did you change your mind? Life changed it for me. Just get in the back. Hey, give us a second. Ready? Who in the hell is that? His name is Phelps. And he's the one that gave me the tip. We were inside together. He's okay, man. He's just an extra pair of eyes, is all. You didn't tell me about Phelps, Ricky. I didn't tell you, because I knew how you'd react... ...and I need you. No, I can't do this. Period. Tell him. Let's get the hell out of here. Ben... Phelps, he works for someone. A guy I owe a lot of money to. And they... They want their money now. Tonight. And they're not the kind of people... ...who would understand why it didn't happen tonight. They're gonna kill me, Ben. Let's go. Hold this. Come on, man. It's cool, man. Ricky told me. No guns. I know. You'll do as you're told. - What's with all the colored ones? - Watch this. Yellow's video. Red's audio. Green is the alarm companies. Most of the others are dummies. All right. All right, five minutes until the alarm company... ...knows they have crossed wires. It means we have three. - Ready? - Yeah, ready. Let's go. All right. Almost looks real. All right, you know what you're doing. Make sure no one surprises. We're going straight in. Ready? Let's go. Touch that thing and we all go boom-boom. Show me your hands. You, right there. Come with me. Come on, come on, come on. Let's go. Get out of here, come on. Come on, let's go. Let's go, let's go. Come on, come on. Let's go. Let's go take a walk. Come on. Come on. Over here. All right? Sit right here. Don't move. Don't move. Relax. Calm down. Sit tight. It's gonna be a happy ending, okay? Capiche? Okay. What the hell is taking him so long? - It's been 30 seconds. Calm down. - All right. Cool. Everybody's cool, right? Everybody's cool. Hey, don't. Don't. - What are you doing? - Don't do it. His ankle. His ankle. - Show me your hands. - Police. Drop your weapons. Ben Garvey, please rise. We, the jury, duly impaneled in the above entitled action... ... find the defendant, Ben Garvey, guilty. Because you committed a crime... ... that lead directly to the deaths of three people... ... the jury has found you guilty of three counts of capital murder. I hereby sentence you to Beaumont Supermax... ... where you will await execution. May God have mercy on your soul. State Supreme Court refused it. I'm not a killer. You were there during the commission of a crime. This is Texas. In the eyes of the law, you might as well have shot them yourself. Ben, they're moving real fast on this. You need to prepare yourself. And then Wendy told Mrs. Jamison, so I hit her in the face. You know that was wrong, don't you? Yeah, but she deserved it. She broke a promise. Yeah, but no more hitting. No matter what, okay? Okay. Daddy, when are you gonna come back home? You know I love you and your mommy... ...more than anything else in the world, right? Yeah. Well... I did something real bad. Come on, take your walk. Something I didn't mean to do. Like the jaybird? Yeah, like the jaybird. So Daddy's gotta go away for a really long time. Do you have to go? Yeah, I have to. When are you gonna come back? I'm not coming back. I can't come back. Daddy will always love you. You headed for Mount Angel? Rain's gonna start up again. Jump in. I'll give you a ride. Constant rain showers this time of year. Like clockwork. Sun, rain, sun, rain. I'm assuming you're the new groundskeeper? Yeah. Well, how do you like it so far? What's happening to me? It's quiet. Quiet is why the order came here. It's good for priests. Not to mention the patients. Groundskeeper's office is at the end of the main hall. Let me park, and I'll give you the tour. You have been given a second chance. I wanna go home. Tapalamaho is what the Indians called this plateau. They'd come here to pray. Then, 200 years ago, the order came... ...built this place and started praying too. I guess if it's good enough for the Indians, it's good enough for priests. Chapel's off the east wing. I'll show it to you. The stained glass needs to be cleaned every month. The chapel itself, once a week. Fridays are good. The last groundskeeper left things in a bit of a mess. Unexpected departure. The chapel was the first building put up, and all the pipes run from it. Most plumbing problems will start here. Oh, it's the old priest rectory. It's closed up. Water damage. This tunnel connects all five buildings. Its not used for much anymore. But I think the first priests hid here... ...when the natives got restless. There's no going back, Ben. If you need help, use Robbie. Working on the grounds is good therapy for him. He likes to be needed. Well, she's all yours. How are you adjusting? It can be difficult at first. It becomes easier. Do you remember my name? Avery. Where am I? This is Oregon. I'm alive. What does that make you, then? A guide. I don't want any of this. I wanna be back with my wife and my daughter. Can I please leave? You've made a selfish choice, Ben. Men died that day. There's a price to pay. You cannot see them again in this life. It was an accident. It was a horrible accident. Ben, listen to me. The rules are simple. This is a second chance. Now, if you deny it... ...you've damned yourself to an eternity without Lisa and Katie. Outside of this town, the only thing waiting for you is death. Accept this new life. What if I can't? You will. Only a fool spits in the face of God. I'm not crazy. People think just because you're here... ...means you're crazy. I did high school in Portland. I didn't like it. I wanted to go to college after... ...but my dad wanted me to join the Army. He thought it would make me tough. Do you like your dad? Yeah. He live in Oregon? He died when I was a kid. That's sad. People are watching us. I don't know who they are. They're always watching. Do you think I'm crazy? No. I don't think you're crazy. Watch his hand. Why did you stop me? Why did you stop me? Why did you stop me? Why'd you do it, Ben? PGE operator. Can I help you? Yes, I need a number, please. Lisa Garvey in Dallas, Texas. Hold on, please. I'm sorry, sir. There is no such listing. Priest Andari. They're copies of his most famous works. Hi. I'm Julie Ingram. I'm one of the counselors here. You are the new groundskeeper? Ben. They were etched by the Mount's founding priest, Isaac Fowler. They've faded a bit, but this is a nice place to think. I'll come back later. No. No, it's okay. I'm done thinking. Hey. Welcome to Mount Angel. Why did you stop me? It was an accident. There are no accidents. There are only thing things we do and what those things do to other people. William. Let him go. You're just like me. This is Building Number 5. It's where we keep patients who can't be controlled. It's best to steer clear of it. You new? Around here, I mean. Yeah. There's not a lot to do in Dundee, but it's an all right place. Can I get you anything else? I'll just take the check. Go away. Get out of here. Go home, dog. You're not getting in here. Go home. People have been drawing with charcoal for thousands of years. There are these caves in France... ...Lascaux, I think... ...where they found these from the Stone Age... ...all done in charcoal. Deer, bison, horses. Even one of you. Hi. I'm Lisa Madison, and I've been selling homes here... ... in the Marietta, Powder Springs area for over a year now. I know the area and the people... ... like the back of my hand. Why? Because I live here with my daughter. This is my house and my dream. RealTops made it possible for me... ... and I can make it possible for you. Bye. So, what's in Texas? Home. Bus will be along in about an hour. This bus is not for you, Ben. You don't wanna be on it. You need to let go. Stop thinking about what you had. Just accept what you were given. A new home, a job. A chance to make what you did right. I have to be with my wife and my daughter. They need me. Ben, look at me. Death is here. Close to you. It's what you hear in the forest when you're all alone. Now, you cheated him once. You won't cheat him a second time. This bus won't take you home. Stay on it and you'll never see your family again. Make the right choice while you still can. Thank you. Ben? Hi. Hi. I didn't see you today. I was cleaning the chapel. It's beautiful inside. Quiet. Quiet guy who likes quiet places. Shocking. Hey, what are you doing for dinner? You still smoke? Cigarette burn between your fingers, right? Yeah. I quit a few years back. I fell asleep while smoking. - Could've burned your house down. - That's why I quit. So you been in Dundee long? No, not long. I'm actually from San Diego. And you're a psychiatrist. And your job brought you here. Partly. And then there was the train wreck of a relationship that I was in. I think I needed to escape that. - Changing your whole life around. - Yeah. That must have been tough. No. Not really. I figured I was probably more lonely in the relationship than I was out. I was right. It looks like they're kicking us out. Need a ride? No, thanks. I'm just down the road. Okay. I'll see you in the morning. This bus is not for you, Ben. What did we do? What's the symbol mean? I killed a man. Shot him. And I did it for no other reason than he was home. That's how I got here. What does it mean? The symbol on your wrist, the one that you carved into the trail. How could I have done that? I saw you out, William. No one can get out. Not even you have that key. What does it mean? You should know. You're just like me. They're watching again. Nobody's watching, Robbie. I see them. There's nobody. Do you understand that? That's why they keep you here, Robbie. It's because you act crazy and you talk crazy. There's nobody watching us. You're here too, Ben. I didn't mean to sneak up on you. I'm picking up some furniture in Silverton. I could use a hand. Oh, rain clouds. I suspect it's gonna start up again. People like Robbie... People with psychological issues, do they even know it? No, not usually. The hardest part of treatment is convincing them they're ill. What's wrong with Robbie? Robbie killed his father. Stabbed him 40 times with a hunting knife, then burnt the house down. - Robbie did that? - Yup. His father was a bad man. Robbie thinks people are watching him. Yup. Well, we all create fictions to deal with our pain. The only thing watching Robbie is his guilt. I'll be right back. I just want to say goodbye to Carl. It looks like poison ivy, maybe an allergic reaction. How's everything else? You look tired. I haven't been sleeping so well. Because? I've never lived in the woods before. At night, you get woken up. You hear things. Well, sometimes I even see things. Nothing's out there. You know, it's just the wind. Yeah, I know. I'll give you some prescription-strength hydrocortisone. It'll bring the swelling down. Hey. Hi. I was gonna take a walk down Plowers' trail after work. You wanna come along? Oh, come on, dog, stop digging. I hope you like the rain. It's on its way. Can my dog come along? What's his name? Dog. You named your dog Dog? Well, I just found him. Yes, bring Dog. But we're giving him a real name on the walk. All right. What about Bill? Bill? What kind of name is Bill for a dog? It's better than Dog. Not by much. So tell me something about you. Like what? I don't know. What's your favorite color? Well, I haven't thought about that one. Hey, I wanna show you something. Over here. Come on, Dog. It's beautiful. I know. Do you come here a lot? Yeah, quite a bit. To think. About? Just things I'm trying to let go of. There's a struggle. How do you live if you're ruled by your past? But how do you let go of a past that made you? You still haven't told me anything about yourself. I like the name Dog for a dog. Maybe it's not such a bad name. Hey, man. Kitchen guys wanted me to let you know the disposal line's backed up. Sorry, Ben. Sorry. - We thought you were William. - He found a way out. You need a hand finding him? No, no, he's dangerous. We'll see you tomorrow. Come on. I wonder how far down it is. Everybody's looking for you. They're worried. They always worry. That's what they do. I kept thinking they'd let me go once I got better if I... If I made better choices. I have a son in the world. I don't see him. Yeah, me too. I mean, I have a daughter. We're far apart. My boy, he... Well, he probably doesn't even remember me by now. They made me this way. They gave me drugs. Put me in that building because I wouldn't do what they wanted. I wouldn't be who they wanted me to be. Let's go back. If you run, they're just gonna follow you. I know. But they can't follow me to heaven. No. No. Give me a hand. Are you okay? Have you ever had this happen before? No. Never a suicide. He wanted to go home. Mount Angel was his home. I guess he just couldn't accept that. Sometimes I think the only real medicine... ...is to accept our lives as they are. Come on. I'll walk you home. Hi. Hi. I heard what happened with William. I just wanted to make sure you're all right. Yeah, I'm all right. Do you need anything? Are you hungry? I can make us something to eat. Okay. Yeah, that'd be great. This beer is good. I mean, I'm not a big beer girl, but there's actually beer that's called: "Stone Brew Nation"? What is that? But it's good. Are you happy here? It's... It's a little strange. I don't know. Do you find it odd? Odd? No. Dundee is perfectly, boringly small-town normal. - I like the people, though. - Yes, the people are very nice. - Yeah. - Decent. Yeah, they just... You know, they're hard working. Normal. I'm sorry, I... - I'm sorry. - No, it's okay. I should leave. Good boy, Dog. Damn it. Sorry, Dog. I'll get it down for you later. Hey, Robbie. Hey, Ben. No clouds out tonight. No. How many you up to? Four thousand two hundred and twenty-one. Listen, Robbie. I gotta ask you something. - Remember...? - You want a Mountain Dew? Thank you. You're welcome. Robbie. The people that you said are watching... ...who are they? I don't know. Do they watch me? Yes. There's nothing that we can do to beat death. Dog, get in the house. Dog, come on. Inside. Leave me alone! Leave me alone! Leave me alone! Leave me alone! Leave me alone! Leave me alone! I just wanna go home. I miss you. I'm sorry. I know. I just wanna come home. Then do. Just come home, Ben. Let's go, Dog. Come on. Dog. Dog? Dog! Dog! How's your head? You took a nasty fall. What am I doing here? You were running through the woods out of control. I couldn't let you leave. What do you mean, you couldn't let me leave? What's this? Patient folder. Your patient folder. You've been with us since shortly after the accident. What accident? We all create fictions to hide our pain. No. No, they're not dead. This is a lie. Three years ago, you fell asleep smoking. There was a fire. You got out. But Katie and Lisa didn't. You blamed yourself. You couldn't handle the guilt. You disappeared after several months. Then you were arrested burglarizing an empty warehouse in Dallas. You were placed in care... ...and you came here shortly after to continue treatment. I'm not a patient. I work here. I'm a groundskeeper. You and Robbie tend the grounds. You both enjoy it. Right, and I have a cabin on Plowers' trail. I have a dog. The old smith cabin? It's been empty for three years. There's no dog, Ben. We don't allow animals at the Mount. You're lying to me. Why are you lying to me, Ezra? They're not dead. I'm gonna prove it to you. Hi, I'm Lisa Madison, and I've been selling homes... ... in the Marietta, Powder Springs area for over a year now. I know the area and the people... ... because I live in Marietta with my daughter. They made my dream a reality. RealTops made it all possible for me. - They can make it possible... - Who's that, Ben? - Bye. - I don't... I don't know. Come on, it's late. Let's walk you to your room. We'll talk more in the morning. Ben! Don't! No, no. No. Come on, let's go. Let's go. Hey. Hey! Let me out! Ezra, let me out! Ezra, let me out! Let me out! No, no. Ezra! No, no! Thank you. Ben, hi. - Hi. - You doing better? I was hoping you weren't still mad at me. About what? What happened at the cabin. I'm sorry, I don't remember any cabin. Ben? Are you okay? I was talking to a man. An angel. And he warned me that if I didn't accept my life here... ...then I would die. That death would find me. And... A couple of times, I would have sworn... ...that I saw a demon or something. And I would have tried to leave sooner... ...but I was afraid. - Those were all hallucinations? - Yeah. Yeah, the angel is a subconscious representation... ...of your desire to heal. The angel was asking you to accept this life... ...which meant getting better. But your mind struggled, because to heal... ...it would also mean letting go of Lisa and Katie. Yeah. So you manifested fears and images of death... ...to keep you here. I wanna start over. I wanna forget. You don't have to forget. You just have to move on. I wanna be outside working the grounds again. All right. We'll move you back to your old room, away from Building Number 5. Do you sleep with the light on? Light on? Yeah. I can't sleep in the dark. I need that light on. If not, I'm afraid that when I wake, everything will be gone... ...and it'll only be me left in the world. Does that sound crazy? No. It doesn't sound crazy. Do you like it here, Ben? I'm okay with it. I like it here. It's better than my old life. That's great, Robbie. Ben. No one's ever treated me like you do. Like a friend. That's because you are my friend. My best friend. Are you sure you want something with shepherd in it? - Positive. - Well, we have one. Small thing, really. Well-mannered. How long has this dog been here? Not long. About a week. You're just like me. What happened? - He's disappeared. - Not for long. He'll turn up. Find Ben. It's him. Okay, go in. Ben, I stopped by your room. You weren't there. I was worried. Ben? Ben's not here. He went home. Ben. What are you doing here? Take it easy, Ben. Take it easy. Ben, take it easy. Since when do angels bleed? Ben, listen to me. Ben, listen to me. Calm down. Ben. Relax. Ben, calm down. So it never happened? - It never happened? - No. Then they're alive. Ben, think of what you're doing. - No! - Ben. You lied to me. Why did you do this? Rehabilitation, Ben. What if instead of killing people, we could change them... ...by providing them with new lives, environments? - Insane. - No. It all starts in the mind. What people do, why they do it... ...the selfish choices, it's all in here. In our heads. What if we could fix human beings, Ben? Fix them before they've even made those mistakes. Then they wouldn't be human. - No, no, you don't understand. - Don't you move. I understand. I understand. You tried to convince me I was crazy, Ezra. You wanted me to believe that if I left, I'd die. That bus never crashed. You told me my family was dead. You're not rehabilitating people, Ezra. You're torturing them. I saved your life, Ben. Like you saved William's. A different case. He didn't do well. You pumped him full of drugs. - You did the same thing to me. - The drugs just loosened the anxiety. You made him nuts. He was seeing things. I was seeing things. - He made a choice. - He had no choice. You killed him, Ezra. You may as well pushed him off that cliff yourself. You'd be buried, Ben. Dead. Mud and worms. We gave William a second chance at life. - The same chance we gave you. - I didn't ask for one. Can't let you leave, Ben. I'm not so sure you can stop me. I found your files, Ezra. I made a copy. - Where's the hard drive? - Hidden, somewhere safe. And it'll stay that way as long as I make it home. Otherwise, it will go to every paper in the country. Now I'm gonna go home, Ezra. And the only way you can stop me is if you kill me. Kill you? Ben, as far as the world is concerned... ...you're already dead. Ben. What we're doing, we're doing for the right reasons. Mommy, I had a dream about Daddy. He lived in the woods with big trees and stuff. I went to see him, but he was sad. I told him about the bird. What bird, honey? The jaybird. The bird that didn't die. Maybe Daddy's like the jaybird. Maybe someday he's gonna come back too. Don't think that way, honey. Don't think that Daddy ever left. Because he didn't. He's still here with us. I know he is. Mommy, what's the greatest thing you ever saw? I don't think I've seen it yet, baby. |
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