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The Experience (2019)
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So Scarlet, her main issues are trust, forgiveness, and gratitude. You don't say? Is that all? It's love. All these issues are a direct result of a lack of love. She needs to experience love. It'll transform her. Scarlet, you can't run away. There's no place for you to go. You know, nature's unforgiving. Out here it's either eat or be eaten and in your case it's the latter. There's mountain lions. You will die out here. I want to. You want to die? Scarlet, each time you run away, you extend your stay. So you're being counter-productive here. Get up, let's go. Okay. You know this here is a great place to find out who you really are, what you really want. Now, come on, let's go. Great. It is gonna take a while to catch up with the rest of the group. You know, it's really selfish of you to make everyone wait. What is it? You look sad. It's, never mind. What? It's Scarlet. What, is she doing drugs again? No, she stopped going to school. Oh. Her therapist suggested a boarding school. It's like a wilderness camp. I looked into it and it's, I don't know, it looks tough. I never heard of anything like that. It's for extreme cases. Why don't you just send her to military school. That's what I would do if she was my kid. Ah that's a little harsh, isn't it? She's completely out of control, Peter. You're losing her. Scarlet. I suggest we go there and check it out. You can decide for yourself. - Go, go. - Please, no, Daddy, Daddy, don't leave me, don't go! Dad, Daddy, no, Daddy, no, please! Dad, Dad, Daddy, please! Let's go. We're so fucking late. We're not gonna get there till after dark, starving and exhausted, all because of this bitch. Mason, pick up two stones for cursing. You'll be carrying them for three days. Shouldn't it be two stones for two days? Let's go. I know the hikes are long and hard and the gear's heavy. Yet, this could possibly be the best time of your life. Not every teenager gets the opportunity to connect with nature and work on your problems like this in a challenging but very safe environment. Your parents paid a hefty price so you could come here and find out who you really are. So make the most of it. God is watching over each and every one of you. Just don't forget to ask for help when you need it. Time to get up, let's go. Leave me alone. Scarlet, come on, you got to go to school. No, I don't. Scarlet, please. You will have to repeat a year. Leave. Your mother would've wanted you to go to college. Don't you dare talk about my mother. Get out. Scarlet. Get out. Yeah. I started to appreciate the awful food that we have here. Okay, positive things only. We are learning to express gratitude. I have been here for four months. I think I'm going home soon. You think you're going home? Yes. That's a separate conversation. Please pass the stone. I got a letter from my mom today. She says she's allowed to visit. I'm so excited. I don't know. Another day here. I'm sober, I'm clean. I'm good, I guess. Scarlet. Scarlet. Maybe she needs another semester. Her parents can afford it. I am confident she can handle it. Money is the least of my concern. As I said, she needs to experience love. If she fails this time, her parents will have to pay for another semester. Advise her of the cost and notify her parents. Hello, Mr. Evans, this is Russell, Scarlet's counselor. Hey, Russell. I'm just calling with an update. Unfortunately, I don't see any improvement. She's having a really hard time sharing and communicating, fitting in with the group. And I don't think your upcoming visit will help the situation. But I was really looking forward to seeing her. I miss her. I understand, Mr. Evans, but we have got to do what's right for Scarlet. She's just not ready to see you. Your visit should be a reward and she has not earned it. Future Scarlet will thank you for this. Okay. She's a tough girl. We're gonna do all we can to get her on the right track. Yeah, thank you, Russell. Thank you, Mr. Evans. I would suggest a wilderness program. You can look it up online. It's 10,000 a month and it works. Well, what's the average stay there? Depends, eight months is average. It's money well spent. It's not about the money. She's all I have. I understand. That's why you should do it. What if she doesn't wanna go there? Well, there's two ways to do it. One is you ask for transport. They come and get her. You mean, against her will, just drag her out of her house kicking and screaming? Peter, they're trained in this sort of thing. They've been doing it for years. Scarlet is not the first and definitely won't be the last. I strongly suggest you use their services. What is the other way? You trick her. Trick her? Yes, you tell her you're gonna be visiting some schools. She should think of it as an excused absence from school. It usually works. I don't like either one of those options. Well, it is your choice, Peter, but this is what I strongly recommend. - Go, go. - Please, no, Daddy, Dad, don't leave me, don't go. Dad, Daddy, no, Dad, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy. Michael, we have a problem. Ton Oil. Yes, our biggest campaign contributors. The lawsuit is getting out of hand. I thought their oil storage facility is sealed. The leak is under control. The lawsuit is not. Aren't they settling for 80 million? Yes, however, the ground waters are likely still contaminated. And in addition to the 80 million, they've just been hit with a $45 million health study for the good residents of the contaminated area. - I was not aware of that. - They just sent this. Needless to say, such a health study could uncover a whole new can of worms. So we have to give them a health study but it has to be a $1 million health study. That's a big drop from 45 mil, sir. You think? Call Peter. They just assigned him to the case. Oh, as you know, Peter used to work for Air and Water Protection. That's probably why they assigned him this case. And he owes me. I certainly will remind him of that, sir. Though it's known that Peter can be a pain in the ass when it comes to these issues. He is an environmental fanatic. Peter Evans. Hey, how are you doing, Michael? Yes, sure. Michael, no. My dog was sick when I left to come here. He was still a puppy. He's okay now. He's much bigger though. Do you think he'd remember you? I hope so. I got him from a shelter. Saved his ass. When I was little, my dad used to take me to this place on a lake just to fish. I miss that. Yeah, I used to fish with my grandpa. I miss my dad. Scarlet, we're setting up for a late hike and another exhausting day thanks to you. So you're doing it again. We really have to go. Just send me home. That's not how it works. Of course you'd say nothing because it's so important to you that everybody thinks that everything is fine. Scarlet, do you know what status quo is, sweetie? It's a silent killer like smoking only worse. Come in, Scarlet. This is so fucking stupid. Finally. This is bullshit. Pick up a stone for swearing, Robert. Fuck. Now I have to pick up a stone for expressing my honest feelings about this spoiled, PMSing bitch? Two more stones, Robert. Okay, good morning, everyone. Uppy, uppy, uppy, let's go. Wakey, wakey. It's up and at 'em, come on. Check those shoes for spiders and shake the snakes outta your sleeping bags. Uppy, uppy, wakey, wakey, eggs and bacey. Well, not really 'cause you don't know how to make a fire but we'll get to that. If you'll notice, we have a new family member. Her name is Dylan. Make her feel welcome. She's just detoxing a little bit. She'll be fine in a few minutes. Mmm, give it. Hey. Hey, you okay? Hey. You're falling asleep. I'm fine. Don't stop there. No, I, I can't do this, okay. I better go. This party sucks anyway. No, don't leave. Look, I can give you a ride home if you want. Where do you live? I live in a trailer. Trailer? Yeah, a trailer with my mom. She loves me. A lot. We love each other. Me and my mom. Whatever. You got to get up, okay? Where is this trailer of yours? Go to your place and cuddle. I don't think so. Come on, you got to get up, okay? Come on. No, get, ah, okay. Ah. Come on. Wait just... Then... Hey. What's your name? Abigail. This is so stupid. Nobody gets it on their first try. Keep working at it. You got it, Robert? Yeah. There you go. You know it's not that bad. Least it's not hiking. Ah dio. It's kinda like playing the cello or something. Fuck. Dylan, you can't leave. Dylan. Don't worry about her. Keep working at it. It'll get better. - Ow. - Hey. Hey. Are you okay to go on? Yeah, I think so. - Okay. - Yeah. Um... Um. Do you want me to help carry your gear? Yeah? Uh, okay. Okay, well just hold on one second. Uh, Russell, hey, hey, wait up. Russell. - Yes, Dylan. - Hey, she twisted her ankle. Can I help her carry her gear. She's like limping for real. Everyone should carry their own gear. Are we supposed to develop a sense of team spirit? Help each other out, work on our sense of community? Okay, you can carry one item. Thank you. Are you sure? Of course. Okay. Do you wanna lean on my arm? Yeah. - Okay. - Okay, okay. All right. I got ya. Okay. Oh fuck. My dad is fucking a gold digger and my mom was screwing my soccer coach. So they finally just got a divorce. The gold digger's happy. I'm sorry. It's okay. How'd you get that here? You want some? Yeah, sure. Thanks. Mmm. I miss these so much. Hey, Dylan. I'll be right back. Hi. Oh. What's up? Wanna see something? Yeah. Oh, yes. It's really, really melted with... Uh. Ready? Cheers. It's so good. It's the best thing I've had all day. What do you want me to do, kill him? I love when you talk like that. I'll do anything for you, anything. Daddy? Hey, what are you doing? Hey. What was that? Nothing, it doesn't matter. Didn't look like nothing. It's nothing. It was a little weird. I'm weird. I'm weird, too. It's a camp of weirdos. I guess I'm weirder. You seem normal. I don't know what you're doing here. Well, you don't know me very well. I guess I don't. So are you gonna tell me why you're here? It's a long story. I'll tell you one day. Just tell me now. You're not gonna like it. Why? I don't care, just tell me. What you don't know can't hurt you. You're right, you're weird. You are very, very, very weird. Do you ever wonder what your life would be like if your family and you were normal? What's normal? Normal? I, I don't know. Sometimes I just wish that my family was simple and normal. There are a lot of people with normal families and they're still pretty weird. Maybe. 'Cause normal's overrated. Sure. All right, everyone, feel free to explore the trail. Back here in 15 sharp. That's interesting. What's that? It's my dog. Since I've been here they gave him away. Who's they? My dad and Hannah. Hannah's allergic to dogs. Who's Hannah? Dad's whore. Geez. Not kidding, huh? Not at all. She used to be my tutor. And then one day I came home from school and they were on the couch. Mmm, mmm. So, Scarlet, I just can't be your tutor anymore now that your father and I are dating. It would just be a conflict of interest. Are you sure you know what it means? Don't get smart with me, young lady. I'm about five minutes away from being your mother. I was high all the time. I just didn't ever wanna feel again. And then I just thought, I want out. I ODed once, too, but not on purpose. When did you do it? 'Bout a year ago. Once? Yeah. And after that? After that I was on suicide watch, had lots of therapy, went back to school. I stayed clean for awhile. What about your parents? I only have my dad. My mom died. I'm so sorry. It's okay. It was a long time ago. I was little. What happened? I don't really wanna talk about it anymore. Mama, Mama, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mama, Mama, Mama! Mommy. Scarlet. Scarlet, wake up. Are you okay? Yeah. You were dreaming about your mother? How do you know? You were screaming "Mommy, Mommy". We should get ready before Russell gets mad. Where is Rachel? She got picked up early this morning. She get transferred to another group? No, she's going home. Scarlet, you have to start writing. You need to log something every day, even if it's just a couple of words. There's nothing. Hi, Scarlet. Listen, I know it's hard. But remember, you can always ask for help, for guidance. All your power is within you. You just have to let it flow. Do you ever pray? No. You should. What for? It helps. How? Sometimes it's not about the how. Faith is like love. It can work miracles. But what is love? What is faith? People find it easier to believe in something other than themselves. Once they've laid their problems on imaginary shoulders, they're free to tap into their own strength. You are very strong. Have faith. Why are you saying this? Aren't you supposed to tell me about God and shit? Pick up a stone, Scarlet. I talk to you in a language that you understand. There are many paths to the summit. You just have to keep going. The summit is death and nothing. Have you ever been on the other side of death? No. Then how can you be so sure? Dearest Scarlet, I miss you so much. The house is much lonelier without you. I spoke to your counselors and based on their recommendation I had to cancel my visit next week. I am truly sorry. Please know that however much this feels like a punishment to you, this is an attempt to help you succeed. This is about doing what's best for you. The truth is the sooner you take this to heart and begin to try harder, the sooner you will come home. I hope to see you soon, Pumpkin. Love, Dad. Hey, hey. Just go, okay. What are you doing? Nothing. So what are you gonna do when you get outta here? I don't know. I don't know if I ever get out. Feels like prison, right? Gulag. I'm gonna get some money when I get out. A trust fund? Yeah, kind of. I have one, too, but won't get it for awhile. I get mine soon. What are you gonna do? I'm gonna get a small boat, catamaran, and just go sailing in the British Virgin Islands. Why there? I saw it in a movie once. But it's really cool. I'm gonna hop around from island to island and you know there's pot everywhere. Are you gonna get dreadlocks? Sure. I'll be the captain of course. And I'll take tourists around. People like to charter boats with captains. Yeah, I'll just live on the boat. For how long? Till I die at least. Hey, can you cook? I can make pot brownies. Perfect. You can be the ship's cook. What do you wanna do? I don't know. What's the point of thinking about it? What do you mean? Sometimes I feel like there's no point, no purpose for all this, us being here, our existence. Our life feels so artificial like we're trapped on this planet that we can never escape. I mean, we can look at the stars but we can never go out and go there. It's like this camp. There's nowhere to go from here. We're trapped in our minds, trapped in our bodies. We're trapped on this planet, in this camp. Our lives are like this one, long, painful, pointless hike. It's like climbing Mt. Everest. People climb it to make this awful journey all frostbitten, blistered, and exhausted. Tears and mucous frozen into one big icicle on their faces. There's nothing waiting for them at the top except for the sense of accomplishment. Our lives are the same. We die and all we get to say is that we lived. The end of our journey is death. It's finally over, you're done except you're dead. You afraid of death? I'm afraid to live. Why? Living is suffering. You wanna know what's worse than suffering? What? Watching someone you love suffer. I'm afraid of death. Why? Well, 'cause then there'll be no more me. Um, hey, do you wanna run away? I tried. I know how. I can help you. I wanna help you. They're just gonna bring us right back here. We can hide. No. No, we can't. But we can. - Here. - Yeah, thanks. Isn't it? Double strawberry. Raining. No, worse. That's the worst. Single file please. You have been warned. Oh man. You want more attention, Mr. Headband? You never ask me about my day. Do you wanna share? Again? It's nice to be noticed sometime. Go for it. God! Oh man. Thanks, Bobby. Scarlet, how 'bout you? Um, I had a good day. That's all I'm gonna say. I had an awesome day. Mason, how are you doing, bud? Glad they had a good day I guess. Maybe she'll fucking walk faster now. Grab a stone. Another stone. Smile, smile, and I got all these stones. Hello, Mr. Evans. This is Russell, Scarlet's counselor. Good news. Scarlet is doing much better. She's ready to see you. Peter Evans. Ton Oil. Their oil storage facility's sealed. The leak is under control although the lawsuit is not. Michael, no I can't. Peter, think about it. The ground waters are likely still contaminated. Air and Water Protection is insisting on a $45 million for the good residents of the contaminated area. However, we have a problem, Ton Oil is our biggest campaign contributor. What do you propose? It has to be a $1 million health study. But that's nothing. I needs to be a reasonable number. We're not the ones who decide on the numbers. We just do what is necessary. The 45 million they're asking is the bare minimum of the 10-year study. Peter. Michael, no. You listen to me. Fuck. Peter. Michael. Okay, let's talk. I can't... This is not a request. People are dying. Children, children with leukemia. Have you seen a child who's gone through chemotherapy? Bold, big, dark eyes, looking right through you. Their parents here with breast cancer, liver cancer, brain tumors. They're all here and they come to my office, my office demanding a legitimate health study and they are waiting. Michael, they are waiting for justice. Justice is a fickle-minded bitch, Peter. And you don't wanna get on the wrong side of her. Now, do this and she may just leave you alone. Okay, Michael, listen to me. Mike, Mike! Hey, Russell, I'm here. Scarlet, Scarlet! Scarlet, wait. Scarlet, stop. Mama, Mama, Mama. Mama, Mama, Mama, Mama. Let's do it, let's get to it. It's gonna be a balmy 110 today. Lots to look forward to. We're a little worried about Ton Oil. Who's we? And who are you? Settle the Ton Oil case, Peter, or you're finished. Any good news on the health study? Nothing yet. Not acceptable. The timing could not be worse. Right before the reelection? Sir, give me a little more time. I might have something. Soon. Yes, sir. Scarlet. Scarlet. Hey. Hi. Do you wanna go look at the stars? Now? Yeah. - Yeah. - Okay. We just, we have to be really quiet. Okay. And you're crazy. Let's go there. Wow, I have never seen so many stars before. It's incredible. Yeah, it's really beautiful. You know it's weird but I'm actually starting to like this camp. Wow. You know I did not think that it would turn out like this. Me neither. What's going on here? Um... What are you doing? Get out, come on. Scarlet, you're in isolation tomorrow. What's the first thing you do after that? Good question. Eat ramen. Eat ramen? Yeah. Show me your journal. Still not writing. Scarlet, you're not making it easier on yourself. You know you'll be here as long as it takes for you to start cooperating. I have nothing to write. I'm stuck here. My life sucks. You were blessed with a great life, Scarlet. People dream of having your life. You had beautiful things back home. You just didn't appreciate any of them. Things stop being beautiful once you know that they're a status symbol. A status symbol? When you drive on the road you see flowers and you think these are really beautiful flowers. But then you know that people pay a lot of money to have these flowers in their front yard to say fuck you to the neighbors. So you can't enjoy the flowers just because they're there? No, it's intent that counts. Everything is a status symbol. Everything is there to say fuck you to somebody who can't afford it. Phones, clothes, shoes, everything. How does that make you feel? It makes me wanna puke. Makes no sense that everything is there because somebody wanted to say fuck you to somebody else. That's not true. People need things. Yeah, maybe somebody needs a car but nobody needs $100,000 car. Indeed, Scarlet, intention is all that matters. Once you go to say heaven or whatever you imagine your next step of existence to be it's all about intentions. You can't always control the results of your actions but you can control your intentions. Seriously? Heaven? What counts in heaven? What surprises me is that you show such a profound understanding of human nature, be such an egalitarian, but still be so mean to everyone. At least I'm not fake. No, you are not fake. And you do have a lot to say. Should've listened to my father. Probably turning over in his grave right now. You are just like your father. Obsessed with politics, anything for a vote. Oh stop. At least I'm doing something with my life. What are you doing? Oh what can I do? Sell Girl Scout cookies? Why not? Why not be normal? Beats too much competition for normal in this little town. Normal is all that anyone wants. All the slots are taken. Jane, Jessica, Mary, Peggy, Suzy, they're everywhere. Soccer practice, PTA, car pool, church. Guarding their positions with vigilance. Looks like we're all sold outta normal. No room for me. You despise everyone. All you do is hate. Now you don't have a single friend. Oh because you have friends. You just have a whole town of friends, hmm? Is begging people for a vote is how you make friends? That's enough. You don't know what friends are, Peter. You just use people. I said that's enough. It's not that I blame them. But every country deserves its ruler. That is so cliche. Look at you. Look at you, what are you doing? What am I doing? I'll tell you what I'm doing. I'm dying. I'm suffocating this slow, agonizing death. In this old house. I wanna be an actress. I wanna be on stage where I belong. And you move me to this town for your career and you killed mine. You murdered it and with that you murdered me. So dramatic. May I remind you, you came after me. Yeah, you did. You knew who I was. And you wanted it. No. No? All I've ever wanted is to be an actress on the stage and then to hear people clap for me. And you imprison me in this little town full of gossip and bullies. Your little jar of spiders with everybody just judging you. Just judging and judging, judging. You've had too much to drink. You need to sleep it off. I'm leaving. No, you're not. Two more years. I can't. Two more years. You trapped me here. I never wanted any of this. - I didn't... - Daddy. Hey. Hey, sweetheart. You okay, Mommy? Mommy and Daddy were just, we were just playing. You, where's your nanny. Should we go find her? Okay, come on. Gimme a big hug. Oh that's my girl. Yes. Oh, let's go find your nanny. There's still food if you wanna try. Daddy, what are you looking for? What are you looking, yeah. I put something away and I can't find it, sweetheart. What was it, Daddy. Uh, it was a thing on my desk, you know that horsey. The horsey? Yeah, Grandpa's horsey. Have you seen it? No. Okay, it's okay. Daddy, I'll miss this house. Yeah, yeah, me, too, sweetheart. I'll miss Mommy in heaven, too. Sweetheart, okay, okay. Okay, are you ready? All right, gimme your hand, baby. Hey, Scarlet, you up? Dylan, you're not supposed to be here. Nobody saw me. It's freezing. No shit. I can't stand being here alone. I can't stand being here. You wanna go home? Do you wanna go home? Of course I do. I miss my mom. Does your mom love you? She loves me and I love her. I don't know if my mom loved me. What do you mean? Of course she loved you. It's not that simple. My mom was different, an actress. She loved you. She's your mother. I love my dad but... But what? You have to promise never to tell anyone, never. Of course. What is it? Remember I told you how my mom died when I was four. Yeah? Accident. Yeah. Well, maybe it wasn't. What do you mean? I think she was murdered and I think my dad did it. What would make you think that? I found a paperweight, a horse in my attic. It was wrapped in a bloody scarf. It would always be on my father's desk, a family heirloom. I used to always sit on his desk, play with it quietly. It was this quiet time that I remember as the happiest time in my life. I still remember how it felt. The air in his office was warm, calming. And it smelled like old paper and old furniture. Did you see it? See what? Did you see it? No, but I think he used the paperweight to kill her. I found it in the attic years later. I never went back there, I mean, after what happened. My Aunt Rose took me there. She's really close to my dad. Did you tell your Aunt Rose you found it? No, I didn't tell anyone. We left and I never went back. Who lives in the house now? Nobody. It used to be my grandfather's. My dad was born there, I was born there. I don't think we'll ever sell it but... Nobody wants to live there after what happened. I'm sorry. That's awful. It's okay, let's just stop talking about it and go to bed. Hey, Scarlet. Hey. Dylan got picked up. What, why? I don't know but she's not coming back. Get your stuff. Russell sent me to tell you that you're going home. What happened to Dylan? I don't know. I'm sorry. You are next if anything should happen to Peter. What? What should happen to Peter? We don't know yet. However, if something should happen to Peter and should you be assigned to take over the case, we would like to get an assurance from you of your cooperation. Sure, sure. Of course. It goes without saying that the environmental future of our state is paramount as we worked out this settlement with Ton Oil. Now, of course, Ton Oil and the Air and Water Protection don't always see eye to eye but I like to think that is doing what it should do to make sure that all parties can come together as one. Scarlet, we're sorry we have to be the ones to tell you this... For the people of our state. Now, as to the structure of the settlement program, all details will be forthcoming over the next week. Your father's been arrested for murder. Mama, Mama, Mama. You have to promise never to tell anyone. I think he used the paperweight to kill her. Did you tell your Aunt Rose you found it? No, I didn't tell anyone. So are you gonna tell me why you're here or... You're not gonna like it. What you don't know can't hurt you. We're waiting for your Aunt Rose to pick you up. We have reached a settlement. The $1 million health study is a great victory for our state. Due to the hard work and dedication of our elected leaders, Ton Oil has agreed to fund the study to ensure compliance with the California Environmental Quality... I wanna see Dylan. She's gone. No, you're lying to me. I want to see Dylan. Where is she? Scarlet, she's gone. The state and the environmental future of our city. Scarlet, Scarlet. Dylan, Dylan! Dylan, Dylan! Dylan! No, Dylan! Stop it, shh. Dylan! It's okay, Scarlet. Dylan! Scarlet, she's gone. She's gone, Scarlet. Dylan. - Let me go. - It's being handled. - Dylan. - Sure, will do. Let go of me. - Well, thank you, sir. - Dylan! Yes, tomorrow. I don't want it. Well, don't be stupid. You need it. I don't want that money. Take it. Let's go. My driver will take you to the bus station. Put it in your backpack. Well, you don't wanna get robbed or anything. Let go of me. Dylan! Dylan! Dylan! Dylan! Dylan! Please. Dylan! No, Dylan! Dylan, Dylan. Hi. Hi. My dad gave me your address. His name is Peter Evans. I'm looking for my dog, Joey. He's this big white Labradoodle with green eyes and a clay nose. Oh yeah, I remember your dad and your sister Hannah. She's allergic to dogs, right? Um, not my sister. Oh. You see, I find new homes for them. Joey, I remember, great dog. But big, way too big and I couldn't find a home for him and I couldn't keep here so I had to give him to a shelter. Which shelter? He's no longer there. Where is he? He got pneumonia and... I'm sorry. I'm afraid of death. Why? Well, 'cause then there'll be no more me. And remember, you're not on this journey alone. Ask and it will be given. Knock and the door will be opened. God is watching over each and every one of you. So make the most of it. Just don't forget to ask for help when you need it. Hello, Scarlet. How are you feeling? How was your Experience, Scarlet? It was awful. Great. Your counselor will see you tomorrow and discuss The Experience and go over your results. You can go rest now. No, this, this isn't right. It was way too short. Is Dylan still in there? Yes, I believe so. I have to go back. Scarlet. I have to go back. Dylan will be back soon enough. You know what they say, the time of The Experience is only a fraction of our real life but it gives us a lifetime of lessons. Please let me go back. I am sorry, Scarlet, we cannot. I, I didn't get a chance to fully work through my issues. This isn't gonna get me to the next level. I can even be thrown back to Middle Ages or prehistoric Siberia. I already did that. Please, I can't go back there. Scarlet, as a soon-to-be-graduate, you are able to choose some of your constraints. You also get to exercise your free will. Although it's unfortunate that you chose to end your Experience very quickly, it is within your power, it will be rated accordingly. Would you like a copy of today's Experience now? You can go over it later today and prepare for your meeting with your counselor tomorrow. No, I wanna go back. I can't have this end. I'm screwed up. Scarlet, we call it a character building program. We've helped thousands of people build character. Yes, I'll be honest, the results of your last Experience were not very good. But it reflects your current state of development. I failed. Please let me go back. Scarlet, your session is over. Your expression of free will under the constraints has been registered and is part of your profile. Besides, there's no guarantee you'd do anything differently the next time. You wouldn't even be aware of the fact that it's a do-over. I can go back and save my mother. No, you cannot. It's a part of your constraints. The only one you can save is yourself. I'm not leaving. I wanna go back. Why, dear? Because if I don't then I won't be with Dylan. I want us to graduate at the same time. Would you excuse me for a moment? Thanks for the souvenir. Thought you might like it. So? What do you think? Send her back. You think it's worth a try? I think it's always worth a try. Like I said, send her back. Will do. Scarlet, I had to consult the headmaster. Turns out your Experience has not been fully integrated. And, considering how short it was, you can go back. It's a costly adjustment. As you can understand, it affects the other participants who are still in The Experience. Thank you. Again, I must advise you, you would not know it's a do-over. You would not even know you're inside The Experience. Your current state of character is exactly the same. Your scores for appreciation, humility, compassion, and forgiveness are really low. Most probably you would do the exact same things you did before. I understand. I hope I do it better this time. So you authorize additional draw on your tuition account at time and a half? Yes, thank you. Wonderful. Just one cautionary note. Your previous early termination will result in you losing quite a few points. However, depending on the choices you make, you may still graduate this Experience with good results. Also you might get additional points for your commitment to education and character building. Thank you. Happy Experience, Scarlet. May your Experience be a success. Dear students, your Experience program is an important chapter in your development as a functioning member of our society and as a tool for your future social placement. Your scores will be added with your previous scores and your overall score will be an aggregate weighted against the total number of Experiences. Now let's begin. Please listen carefully as only time for the entire duration of your Experience you will not be aware that you are inside The Experience. You will not have knowledge or comprehension of another existence other than The Experience. You will perceive your Experience as singular and finite. Your Experience will result in death. Your perception of death while inside of The Experience will be fear and sorrow and it will be perceived by you as the end of your existence. Happy Experience, Scarlet. Richard! Scarlet? It's good to see you. It's good to see you, too. I need your help. I wanna see Dylan. Do you know where she is? I can't do that, Scarlet. Please, I need to see her. Okay. Thank you. Hi. Hi. So you're not sailing in the Virgin Islands. No. I just wanna know why. Mom, this is Scarlet. Hi. Hi. Cancer. We used to live next to the Ton Oil storage facility. Mom got cancer, I got lucky. Other than the nosebleeds. My dad was trying to help this case. I didn't know that when I did it. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, too. Scarlet and Dylan, perfect mates. They always find each other in The Experience. Soul mates? Will you stop using cliches from The Experience please? Love? Yes, let's call it what it is. So Scarlet, she is doing much better this time. Yes, much better. A solid B. Not an A? Scarlet's still got work to do. She's yet to forgive her father. She forgave Dylan but not her father. She understands the concept of intent and what intention means in The Experience. She knows her father meant well, yet she does not forgive him. Forgiveness counts for at least 4,000 points. She's still got time, of course. I hope she finds a way to make it right. She made an interesting choice of parents. Yes, and what is very interesting is that she chose harder constraints than I would have chosen for her. She likes the challenge. That's admirable. Yes. But she's still got work to do. Forgiveness. I'm leaving and I'm taking Scarlet. Why? There's no glory in changing diapers. Nobody claps. You're no different than me, Peter. You say you wanna make a difference. Nope. You just wanna leave your mark. With your name on it. You want to distinguish yourself. You're right, I do. Me and everybody else. It is called competition. It drives progress. No, Peter. Not from where I stand. It is the same vanity that you accuse me of. You are destroying this family. - In defense. - You have destroyed this family when you made a choice that your career was more important than mine. Your career? What, what good does it do? Are you saving lives? What? Well, maybe the one life my career can save is my own. Exactly. You don't care about Scarlet. All you really wanna do is hurt me and her. A mother cannot hurt her child. Yes she can, Abigail. And I am not gonna let you take our daughter. Watch me. Abigail? Hey, Abigail. Oye, hey. Oh my God. I hid the horse because of how it looked. It looked like a murder weapon even though it, it wasn't. When the scandal broke out they dug her up and confirmed there was no evidence, nothing consistent with the horse. That's why they let me go. When she fell, she broke her neck and she was dead. Just, just like that. And I stayed with her. I started to call 9-1-1 but she was dead. And it looked, it looked bad. I left. I drove to the city. I picked you and your nanny up and when we arrived, I pretended to find her dead. How could you bring me there? Make me see her like that? Well, there was no other way. I had to do it. I was building my career, running for governor. She died and it just ruined everything. I was lucky to get a job. I was under suspicion. What about that man, the man she kissed? Did she love him? No, she didn't love him. There were others. She was just bored and confused, searching for something. Early fame does that to people. Nothing is ever enough. No party is long enough, no love is strong enough, and certainly no amount of wine and cigarettes is ever enough to make her wanna stop. Nothing. And she made me believe she wanted a family. But she didn't. Was telling me what I wanted to hear hoping I would deduce it somehow and just complete her. You should've just let her go instead of trapping her in a marriage. Trapping her with you. I didn't trap her. I loved her and I loved you. And you needed a mother. You know, sometimes you screw up once and you spend your whole life to make up for it. And all you hope is that it will be enough. You should have just let her go. Scarlet, please. I repeat, she needs to work things out with her dad. Forgive him and make him feel forgiven. Maybe she needs another semester. Yes, maybe. But it's better that she graduates together with Dylan. They like to stay together. I didn't think you'd care. Things we do or we do not experience in our formative years determine who we are and how well we do things for the rest of our lives. Our lives as we know it. Who's to say we're not in some brat camp ourselves? I have always wondered and yet, to this day, I don't know the purpose of our existence. But it might just be that the love that we have for each other, the desire to learn to love and give unconditionally, and the ultimate beauty of love's expression through our souls and our lives is the very purpose of it. |
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