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The Last Boy (2019)
Mamma?
Mamma. Thank you. Help... Help me sit up. I don't have much time. I have to know you're going to be OK. I will be OK. Get the map. I know we've been through this many times and that you know it, but just one more time, for me. Show me the route. And why this way? I stay as close to the water as possible, for as long as I can. The water keeps me safe. - And this? - Bad. - Why? - The wind hides in the cities. Where else? Open areas where there's no water. And here? I must be careful. Look, listen and use the scanner. And? Never be in the open at night. Even near water. - You promise? - I promise. Come over here. I wish we could have gone there together. So do I. If I had known what they did to me. Mamma? Mamma? Who are you? - I'm Sira. Who are you? - My name's Lilly. What are you doing here? I was with some people and then the wind came and we were running and I got lost. I saw a man last night. He was running from the wind. Was he with you? I don't know. - OK. Well, I have to go now. - Where are you going? To the place that grants wishes. Can I come? OK. We have to be very quiet until we get to water. I know. What's that? - It can detect the wind. - The wind that takes people? Yeah. And where did you get it from? My mother gave it to me. Was he one of the people you were with? I don't know who that is. Can we talk now? - Yes, but quietly. - So where is this place, then, that grants wishes Here. And we're here. - That's far. - Yes. And this place, when you get there, you can wish for something and it comes true? - Yep. - How do you know? - My mother told me. - Is your mother here? No. No, she... she died. Are you gonna wish for her to be alive again? How many wishes do you get in this place? Just one? - I don't know. - OK. We can't go through there. We have to go back and around. Sira, your scanner. How did he do that? I don't know. He must have a special power. I don't know. Do you think they might help us? No, Lilly. It's getting late. We might have to stay here tonight. We can't stay here. Give me your bags. Empty your pockets. - Empty your pockets. - I don't have anything. You, boy. Come with me. - What is this place? - A refuge. - A refuge? - A place of safety. Wait! I'll come and see you later. - It will be OK. - Will it? It's a small price to pay for the protection he affords us. You will get used to it. Sit down. What's this? The strong, silent type. Hmm? You use it to deflect the wind. How? Show me. You know. You used it in the field. Not entirely accurate. You see, you're not the first person to have one of these. Fellow who had this one must've done something to it, because I've not been able to make it work and... In testing it, it's... Well, I think you know the rest. - You pretended? - I pretended. - It was the water. - Clever boy. Yes. I know you know about the effect bodies of water have on the wind. I can see that from the route you've marked on your map. But what you can't know is that if you configure sufficient quantities of water in the right geometric pattern, it has a similar effect. I'm with you. I don't understand it either. It's a shame the chap who came up with it isn't around any more. This map of yours... I know this area. There's nothing there. I'm going to ask you again. How do you make this deflect the wind? You know, I could just beat it out of you, but I don't think the women out there would like it very much. Contrary to what you might think, they have their limits. Fine. If you won't show me, maybe your little friend will. - She doesn't know anything. - We shall see. Jenna! - Prepare the girl for a test. - Yes. Well, my dear. Our little friend is proving a tad uncooperative. I'm hoping this will change his mind. Now... What I want you to do... is walk to that flag. Off you go. I don't want to. - Stay here. - I don't want to. Do you want your friend to be hurt? No. Then stay here. - Why are we doing this? - To ensure our survival. But it's not right. I think we're well beyond right and wrong in this new world. Question me again... and you'll suffer the same fate as the girl. - Do you understand? - I understand. Good. Now, this is what happens to those who don't cooperate. Please. Do the honours. I was right! All of this could've been avoided if you'd just played ball. Take them back. The speaker device. Yes, please fetch it. No! I'll do it. After all, I wouldn't be much of a protector if I had you do it, right? As long as they believe he protects them, we will never be free. It's the water that stops the wind. It's his power. The power of the thing he has. The same power as you. It only helps me control it. It doesn't do anything else. The one he had was broken. What if you're wrong? I'm not. Turn it off. Turn it off! Sira, do you mind if I talk to Lilly alone? OK. I'm sorry about what happened. If we had known the truth, we would never have let him do the things he did. I've spoken to Sira... and I understand why he has to go. But you could stay here. With us. I'm going with Sira. - Why? What's out there? - A place that grants wishes. And what will you do when you get there? I will ask for my pappa back. Have you told Sira? Why ever not? Sira's going to wish for his mother to come back and if there's only one wish, he won't let me go with him. How do you know there's only one wish? I don't know. It's a long way to go to find out. It's OK. It's already been a long way. I hope both your wishes come true. - What did she say? - She wants me to stay. - Do you want to stay? - No. Do you want me to stay? Well, it's still a long way, Lilly. And look what's happened already. I don't care. I know you'll protect me. Yeah, but... what if I can't? I know you can. Goodbye. And thank you. Why doesn't the wind chase the horses? I don't know. It doesn't really care about the animals. What is it? It's nothing. How the hell did you do that? Get behind me. Get behind me! I'm not gonna hurt you. Sira... It's getting late. We have to go inside. He's right. - You know a place? - There's a house. Just beyond those trees. OK. Hey, do you wanna keep an eye on things down here, I'm just gonna go upstairs. I don't think you're gonna need that. OK. All clear. So, wanna get settled in for the night? - What's that? - A book of rhymes. "The breezes at dawn have secrets to tell you, don't go back to sleep. You must ask for what you really want, don't go back to sleep. People are going back and forth across the doorsill where the two worlds touch. The door is round and open, don't go back to sleep." Who's Rumi? - He was a poet. - Is he still alive? No. He died a long time ago. Well, I hope you like beans. Hmm, could be worse, right? So what's your story? - It's OK, I... - No, it's not you. It's... I haven't had many conversations in the last three months, so... I'm British Army, actually, stationed out in Lympstone. I was on leave. I'd just, just got married. Then I was emergency recalled to my base. Time I got there, all hell had broken loose and nobody was there. So I just spent the last three months heading back here to... try and find my wife. I saw the kids and here we are. Did you find your wife? No. I'm sorry. What about you? Oh, I teach. Taught. Electromagnetics at a university not far from here. We were monitoring routine collision data through from CERN. Nothing special. Yeah. Usual night shift for me, given I had no social life. I went to the bathroom and when I came back, everyone had disappeared and all the equipment was dead. The only clue was a print-out which showed a huge spike just before everything stopped. It's the... What is this all about, here? Oh, uh, random output noise from the spike. So this is from CERN? - Hadron Collider, right? - Yeah. Something happened there and now most of us are gone. And at the same time, something else has come into our world that seems pretty intent in finishing off the rest of us. Whatever it is, it's drawn to artificial sound. That's why the cities went first. When you say "it", you're speaking about the wind, right? Yeah. "But when he saw the wind, he was afraid. He cried out, 'Lord, save me!'" - What's that? The Bible? - It is. So you think this is an act of God? Maybe. Truthfully, I don't know. Are you Christian? Aren't you supposed to be a pacifist? "Thou shalt not kill," and all that. Yeah. Times like this, it gets complicated, right? It's pretty simple now, there's no one left. How did you make it out alive? That night, I was taking a cold shower to wake myself up. The water around me and in the pipes... I guess it all added up. But I thought it was just large bodies of water that repelled the wind? Smaller, geometric configurations seem to work sometimes, sometimes not. It's like the rain. It doesn't do much but slow it down. It's weird. I mean, we're mostly water, right? I don't make the rules. I was on my way to a former professor's place not far from here and I got caught short and the rest, you know. And what's at your professor's place? Equipment that still works. I hope. Anything that was running at the time of the event - is permanently dead. - You have any theories? Theories? Oh, yeah. A way to prove them? No. Until now. The boy? You see the way he used that scanner. The effect it had on the wind. Stopped it in its tracks. If we can replicate that, we've got a way of protecting ourselves, while we try and figure this out. - Maybe even reverse it. - That kit he has. I'd say, in my opinion, it's military. Build quality, all of it. But I've never seen anything like it. We should bring him down here. Sira... That scanner you used out there, where did you get it? My mother gave it to me. Where did she get it? I don't know. Can I take a look? What did your mum do? She worked for the government. What did she do for them? I'm not sure. She didn't really like to talk about her work. Where is she now? Gone. I'm so... I'm sorry. How did you deflect the wind? Well, in my mind, I make the blue and green lines the same as the red and well, the wind just stops. Can I ask you, did you, um... Did your mother show you how to do that? Yeah. - But how did she know? - I'm not sure. OK. Do you mind if I ask where you two are headed? To the place that grants wishes. - Wishes? - And what happens there? You make a wish. And it comes true? Yep. - Where is this place? - I'll show you. - Sira! - It's OK. You can trust us. We're here. And... This is the place. Did you make this? No, my mother did. Can I ask how your mother knew where this place was? I don't know. Thank you, Sira. My mother told me to stay away from people in uniforms. Especially soldiers. Well, uh, I'd say your mother gave you good advice, Sira. Have you ever killed someone? I have. Why? I don't know. You two must be tired, hmm? You go and get some rest. So what do you make of all this? There's something in what the boy is saying. This place they're travelling to, I've heard reports of places like it, where wishes are fulfilled. Wishes? Do you believe that? Our world is upside down. I have no rational basis upon which to deny or accept it. All I know is that the boy believes it and he has demonstrated a power that we need to survive. That's why we've got to protect him. - Spoken like a true soldier. - No, it's not that. He's just a young boy. With what he's shown us he can do, he could be exploited. I mean, he's valuable. - And not just to us. - And where will you take him? Army base? None of those left. I don't know, Jesse. The scanners, you think about it... Where there's one, there must be more, right? Maybe he can teach us how to use them, protect ourselves. Maybe even protect other people. You're curious about this place. Yeah, I'm just trying to get my head around it. So what if his mother is right about this place? That what you wish for came true. Surely someone would've wished for this wind to stop doing whatever it's doing. I don't know. Worth a trip to find out, though. I mean, unless you've got something better to do? Do you think they'll come with us? I don't know. Do you think they have wishes they want to come true? Well, probably. What if the wish only comes true for you because you're special? I don't know, Lilly. OK, then. - Goodnight. - Goodnight, Lilly. You believe the boy. I was never one for fairy tales. The way I see it, this place, if it does exist, is another anomaly and one I can learn from. What, research? With what? We've got no equipment, nothing. My professor's place is not far from here. I'm hoping he'll have what I'm looking for. Yeah, I saw where that place is on the map too. Landlocked, no large bodies of water, which means no protection for any of us. And if memory serves me correct, the route from the army base on the coast to here doesn't have a whole lot of water, so how did you do it, Jay? Training. Trained to be silent, attuned to our environment. I learnt that I could sense when the wind was getting close. - How? - Change in air pressure, background noise. Caught me off guard sometimes. Used the rifle and suppressor. Throw sound, hit a target, make some noise, the wind would hear it, go towards the sound, and I would... I would slip away. That's what you were doing out there. In the field. - Thank you. - You're welcome. Well, you know, the wind did get pretty close to you. - That's quite smart. - Well, yeah, maybe. Well, until I tried to outrun it in a Jeep, which actually didn't end so well. - Still, you're here, so... - Barely. What about you? How did you survive so long? Well, blind luck mostly... which run out just before our boy intervened. The way I see it, with you and Sira, we should be in safe hands. OK, Jesse. OK. Count me in. Then that's settled. We head off early, go the professor's place, - pick up what we need... - Shh. It's leaving. OK. How are they? They're fine. Good... good. You should get some rest. Yeah, I will. You too. Jay and I had a long talk last night and we would both like to come with you to this place. OK. - Lilly? - Sira said OK. But we do need to make a detour. - How far? - I can show you on your map. No, no, no. That's too close to the city. What difference does that make? The cities are dead. The wind hides in the cities. It's where it sleeps. But we have you and your scanner and we'll be extra careful. No, my scanner can't detect the wind if it's sleeping. - Only if it's awake. - Sira, listen. We understand why you're afraid to go to the city, we really do. And you're right, it's dangerous. Very dangerous. We're not gonna lie to you, but I can hear it, I can divert it, I've done it before. Why do you need to go there? I think, with the right equipment... we may be able to find out how you do what you do and then make a machine do it, so you don't have to. You could do it for all of us? I guess... OK, then. We'll go. Get the equipment. - No! - Why? I told you, it's too dangerous. But Jay can help us and you can keep us safe. - Not in the city, Lilly. - Well, I'm going. Fine. Sira? Sira. Sira, you need to think about all of us from now on. Sira. Now what? Jesse, Jesse! What are you thinking? - We can't just leave him. - I think he's leaving us. - It has to be his decision. - No. We have to be the adults here. There it is. - That's where he lives? - Yeah. It's a big place. Got a problem with big places? Let's go. What's wrong? - I'm not going in there. - Me neither. You gonna be OK out here? OK. Now what? We wait outside. Marcus? Marcus? Is that him? Downstairs, you think? Marcus, you idiot! I'm sorry. Scanners. It works. So what is all this stuff? Particle and quantum physics. A lot of it's analysis of CERN data, but... most of it's beyond me. Is that your mum? - Yeah. - She's pretty. She looks sad. She didn't want to leave me on my own. You're not on your own. - What about your mum? - She died when I was little. My pappa brought me up. Don't know where he is now. - Have you got a picture? - No. Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on. We're in business. Turn it off now, turn it off! Get your things. We're leaving. Not without this. Run! We shouldn't have come here. I'm gonna go speak to him. Sira. I'm sorry. Sorry we didn't listen to you. And I truly wish she was still here. You're a brave boy. I'm glad you're with us. Get some rest. Was it worth it? That's not fair. I'm sorry. I think it can replicate what he can do. I need to calibrate it so it deflects instead of attracts the wind. How? I'll do it the next time he does his thing. Will that work? I'm not sure. I'm not sure of anything any more. How much further? According to his map, it's still half a day away. What do you think he'll wish for? I think it's obvious. I don't know. What about you? For everything to be as it was. Right. Why, what's wrong with that? Look around, Jess. The world seems like it's doing pretty good without us. So what, we just give up, yeah? Return to the Garden of Eden, but this there's time no Adam and Eve to mess things up? Would that be so bad? Out there... the world. What's so broken that needs fixing? I want to survive. Yeah, of course. Of course. Hey, Jesse, it's OK. It's OK. Get some rest, eh? We have a long day tomorrow. Copy that. Rested? We thought we'd lost you for a second. Come on. We need to get out of here, come on. Wait. It's not attacking. It's going across, it's not attacking. I've never seen it do this before. My God. It can't be. Who is it, Jay? My wife. It's my wife. I can get you through. You're going in? I am. Let me set up first. Jesse... Hurry, Jesse. You nod as soon as you're ready. I'm ready. Go. Jay! Run! Sira! Sira, wake up. Are you OK? Where's Jay? He's gone. Who is it? It's my mother. It's my mother. Sira, no. You can't go. You saw what happened to Jay. - Sira, no. - I'm going. Will you help me? Will you help me? - Sira, your scanner. - I don't need it. Sira! "The breezes at dawn have secrets to tell you, don't go back to sleep. You must ask for what you really want, don't go back to sleep." Oh, no. She was my wish. You have to decide. I can't. Follow your heart. We don't have much time. It's breaking down! "People are going back and forth across the doorsill where the two worlds touch. The door is round and open, don't go back to sleep." Are you OK? You saved Lilly. You did good. What's that? It's a letter from my mum. It was just over there in the grass. Shall we open it? It's another map. This can't be... I know where this is. What do you think? I think we go. It's a long way. It's OK. It's been a long way already. |
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