Original subtitles

MAN: Assume the future is bigger than you are.

Near it, somewhere...

everywhere...

people are channelin' themselves through machines...

talkin' without eye contact, without touchin'.

Somewhere along the line, a new wrinkle comes into it.

Becomes possible...

to project an image of yourself as you talk.

An image that doesn't necessarily correspond

to how you look.

It doesn't look anything like you really look.

In this future, you can choose how you want to appear.

That's the form we take online.

An avatar, you know?

That's what it's called, an avatar. From the Greek.

No, it's Sanskrit, isn't it?

Right.

But imagine you fell in love with this image on the screen.

With you. You think that's what's happening?

Imagine you fell in love.

A friend asked me something strange today:

"How would you rather think of your life:

as dust or as wind?"

Friend asked you that?

It depressed me. A little.

I wonder why.

Listen.

Lemme tell you a story.

[SIREN WAILING FAINTLY]

[***]

We're on the first floor, checking our extension.

All right, upper end collapse.

Is he okay?

I'm fine.

I'm okay.

Okay.

We're opening up the ceilings.

Whoa!

Amelia?

Bill Everson.

You sprouted.

All your aunt's photos make you look tiny.

She asked me to pick you up. You got any more luggage?

Here, let me give you a hand.

No, thanks. No, no, I got it.

[PLANES SOARING]

You haven't been to New Orleans for a while, have you?

I've never been here.

Never been?

Well, you'll like it.

It's almost entirely below sea level.

[***]

BILL: French Quarter.

You've heard of the French Quarter, right?

AMELIA: Yeah.

Well, this ain't the French Quarter.

BILL: Hank Williams got married around here.

Twice in one day.

Up ahead is Napoleon House.

Built for the emperor of the same name.

We were gonna rescue him from his island prison,

substitute a look-alike double, bring the real guy here

and start a new French empire.

Well, he died before it could happen.

It's a restaurant now.

But I prefer Bud's Broiler.

It's a chain of very slow fast-food establishments,

usually located by cemeteries.

[TRAIN WHISTLES]

Hey!

Phine, come on over here, say hi to your cousin.

Hi, sweetie.

Hey. Hi.

Miss me?

I hope you didn't mind

Bill pickin' you up.

You know how planes make me nervous,

and Josie had to practice her, uh-- Her solo.

The police haven't turned anything up.

I'm taking that as a good sign.

[PLAYING EXOTIC MUSIC]

She wanted to take a pilgrimage.

She's always asking me about Mexico, Tibet and India

and about the sadhu...

the holy men that renounced all worldly goods.

She was working herself up to something.

I think she's okay.

How you doing there, Jo?

Good.

If she were in real trouble, I'd feel it.

I wanna look for her.

I couldn't stay at home not doing anything.

Dad's all shut down.

Doesn't talk, goes fishing.

Felt like I was going insane.

Well, Bill can help out.

He's part bloodhound, and he used to work for the CIA.

Can I use your phone?

* Now here's a very nice dance That we'd like to learn to do *

* It should come Very easy to you *

* Just go from side-to-side And... *

* And, uh, back and forth *

* And clap your hands And so forth *

* And so on and ooh *

* That's kind of nice Isn't it? *

* Really nice Yeah, mm-hmm *

* Now here's a frantic Dynamic romantic *

* Lil' ol' dance called... *

[***]

WOMAN: She hadn't traveled much.

Not far from home, and never alone.

The world seemed too big.

Filled with strangers.

[DOG BARKING]

She thought of that Emily Dickinson poem

from her last week of school:

"The brain is deeper than the sea,

wider than the sky..."

something...something, something.

It already seemed like a long time ago.

[DOG BARKS]

[DOG BARKS]

Hi, Isabel.

We call him Karl, Karl Barx.

Muriel spoke about you a little.

[COOL R&B PLAYING]

A singer, is that you?

She said you had a beautiful voice.

ISABEL: Guys, this is Muriel's sister, Amelia.

That's Peter.

And that's Quinton. Mr. Quinton.

Quinton?

[DOG BARKS]

And that's Karl, that handsome devil, our son.

[BARKS]

Don't be mad.

[DREAMY HAWAIIAN SONG PLAYING]

"On any trip, strangeness is balanced by familiar things.

"And so it is in Hawaii."

Very private girl.

Withdrawn. It's very sad.

Sometimes she wouldn't say a word,

she'd just go up to her room

and stay on her computer all night.

All night?

She didn't sleep much. None of us do.

"--shift and interplay.

"The voice of the island speaks through the people,

"the wildlife, and even the elements.

"The dramatic, the sentimental, the savage.

"We do not merely listen to the islands...

we are there."

This next song's about me before I quit drinking.

It's not the sort of thing you wanna say,

"Oh, yeah, that's me."

But it's a great song.

[FESTIVE HAWAIIAN SONG PLAYING]

This brings back memories

of when I was first courting Isabel.

We used to go out to eat, and I just couldn't say a thing.

I'd just sit there and push my food around my plate.

Finally, I looked up at her and said,

"I think I've fallen in love."

And realized I hadn't made myself clear,

so I added "with you."

[PHONE RINGS]

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATION]

MAN: You don't want to drink too much.

You're Tom, right?

Yeah.

I'm Hannah Webster.

Ritchie Webster's wife.

Widow.

I saw you at the funeral.

Have some cake.

Is it someone's birthday?

No. Jeff's wife just likes to bake cakes.

You going to ask me about my eye?

Which one?

I had laser surgery last week, but it isn't healing.

Cornea's scratched.

It's very rare, but that's why

they do the operation one eye at a time.

Does it hurt?

I wanted to talk with you about what happened when Ritchie died.

[ALARM BLARING]

[WOMAN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY OVER P.A.]

[SIREN WAILING]

[HORN HONKS]

Hi, honey.

You didn't have to wait up for me.

Oh, no, I didn't. We couldn't sleep.

We rearranged the furniture, now, did you notice that?

The piano was against the wall over there.

And, uh, we moved the... um, table, and, uh...

And the... This was, uh...the chair.

And then, when it was all over, I just looked around me,

and I thought,

"Now, finally, my life has order and clarity."

Everything is possible and new because I moved the piano.

Did Muriel's friends have anything to tell you?

Just that she liked her computer more than she liked them.

Good night. Good night, honey.

[UPBEAT BLUES PLAYING]

* Oh, tell me, babe *

* Whatcha got on your mind? *

* But don't you hear me cry? *

* Ooh, ooh *

* Ooh, ooh *

* Yeah, yeah *

I was reading this story...

about a guy...

who went into space with the Russians.

Their whole space shuttle was held together with duct tape.

The guy was just Velcro'd in there,

waitin' for something to go wrong.

G-7.

What?

G-7, check it out.

[HEAVY R&B PLAYING]

* I'm gonna do a little song For you now *

* That'll make you Clap your hands *

* Kick your feet And as a matter of fact *

* It'll tear you up *

* La-la-la-la-laaaah *

* La-la-la-la-lahhhh *

* La-la-la-la-laaaah *

And so...

of course, a fire broke out

aboard this Russian death ship.

In deep space, Tom...

in outer space, if a fire breaks out, what happens?

There's no oxygen. It'd get snuffed out in no time.

Inside the ship there's oxygen, Tom,

but no gravity.

Think about it:

the shape of a fire...

all the shifting points and claws and tongues of fire,

like an animal.

Everything Heraclitus recognized as the essence of life, in fire.

In outer space, it's completely different.

In outer space, a fire is spherical.

Like a little ball?

A fireball, right. It's neat, huh?

Why are you bringing this up?

You're not interested?

No, I'm interested.

I just thought it'd be a neat scene in a movie:

fire in outer space.

I've never seen it.

Because I'm gonna finally do it, Tom.

I'm gonna make my movie.

Well, good. In outer space?

Just one scene in outer space. The rest in New Orleans.

A termite movie.

There might be termites in it.

People too.

Hey, kids.

I am going crazy.

My new boyfriend, he brought over this TV set.

I haven't lived with a TV for seven years.

Now it's on all the time, and I'm watching it.

Can we order?

Of course.

Sorry.

Apple pie, heated, à la mode, two scoops.

How about you, Tommy?

You gonna pig out like your brother?

TOM: Uh...sake.

Sake?

Right. You, uh, see that on the menu?

A large sake.

Yeah, a little living large these days.

TOM: And, uh, sushi.

Great...

fine.

Deluxe sushi, mom, extra large. And get yourself a sake.

We'll get drunk, go back to your place

and watch TV.

[TRAIN WHISTLES]

[WIND CHIMES TINKLING]

Where's Muriel's computer?

You always sleep with your clothes on?

Seriously, where is it?

Bill has it.

Bill?

[KNOCKING AT DOOR]

What are you doing?

Would you know if I told you?

That's Muriel's, it's private.

The hard drive's been wiped out,

intentionally and completely.

Does that sound like something your sister would do?

I mean, would she want to erase herself?

Well, if she didn't do it, who did?

Exactly.

But everything's not lost.

I picked up traces off the Webcam.

Traces of what?

Bits and pieces.

I'm workin' on it.

BILL: Have you seen this guy before?

No.

Just give me time.

I'll see what I can scare up.

[PLAYING "TEQUILA"]

[CLASS BLOWS ON BOTTLES]

[BLOWS]

[BLOWS]

[CLASS BLOWS ON BOTTLES]

[TEARFULLY] Okay, it's okay.

Let's keep on playing.

Let's keep on playing that song, it's a good one.

[RESUMES PLAYING "TEQUILA"]

[CLASS BLOWS ON BOTTLES]

[HARD RAP MUSIC PLAYING IN DISTANCE]

Whoa!

You okay?

Sweetie, we can wash those clothes for you.

You don't have to keep on wearing all that.

No, I'm okay.

I'll buy you some flip-flops.

[BIRDS CHIRPING]

BILL: Hey!

I found something.

You might wanna come and take a look.

The speed of light.

The speed of light is 186,171 miles a second.

BILL: He's in Spain.

Or at least the satellite is carrying him from Spain.

Do you know anybody in Spain?

I don't think Muriel knew anybody there either.

The speed of light.

The speed of light is 186,171 miles a second.

There's nothing faster than that.

Not even in principle.

A moonbeam takes around about a second to reach Earth.

Ka-boom.

My eyes, lookin' at yours...

what's happenin' as that happens?

We don't know.

Over a hundred years ago,

Nikola Tesla devised a way of slowin' light down

to 38 miles an hour.

Think about that.

You could race a beam of light on a bicycle.

When Tesla died, he was workin' out a way

of slowin' light down to 120 feet per hour,

the speed of a turtle.

Usin' Tesla's system,

you could trigger a beam of light,

go out for a cup of coffee...

and come back in time to watch the light

tap the other side of the room.

But Tesla...

was fanatically secretive.

He did all his inventin' in his head.

Even so, within an hour of his death,

the FBI busted into his hotel room,

confiscated his papers from a safe,

and handed 'em over to the Pentagon.

What's my point?

Here we are, drownin' in time and space.

Somewhere in the universe, children are born,

bridges and sports stadiums are constructed,

and a space shuttle uses lasers

to make a completely detailed topographical map

of the planet.

But when I look into your eyes...

is there any way to understand that?

To hold it and keep it and comprehend it?

And if I could touch you...

then it gets even more complicated.

Which is why...

I prefer the old love songs.

You know the kind.

[COOL R&B PLAYING]

* I never met a girl Who make me feel *

* The way you do *

* I never seen a girl Who makes my dreams so real *

* The way you do *

* So fe-fi-fo-fum *

* Look out, baby Here I come *

* I'm bringing you A love that's true *

* So get ready Get ready *

* Here I come *

* Here I come now *

* If you wanna play Hide-and-seek with love *

* Let me remind you... *

I have that record.

That song, that's a Wayne Cochran song.

But this guy dancing up there, that's not Wayne Cochran.

The audio, the song, is Wayne Cochran,

but this guy up here, this is Ernie K-Doe.

He lives here.

In New Orleans?

Yeah.

You, you know, honey,

he was famous for that-- The "Mother-in-Law" song.

Right? He's got that club, over on Claiborne.

Is that near here?

It's not far.

And he also used to DJ, at, uh, WTUL, out in Tulane.

But that didn't work out

'cause he kept talking about himself

over every song he played.

* All my friends They gonna watch you too *

BILL: All right.

Now we're gettin' somewhere.

And...

have you ever seen the other guy?

The first guy?

No. Mm-mmm.

But you have leads. Huh?

Isn't that what you call this?

Mommy, I'm hungry.

Of course you are, sugar. Come on.

Let's head home, get something to eat,

and let Mr. Bill follow his leads.

I'm gonna stay a minute.

Stay for dinner. I got some...

I got some crackers, uh...somewhere.

I'd like to see it again.

The whole thing, please.

[FOGHORN BELLOWS]

Do you know how much money

Thomas Jefferson paid for the Louisiana Purchase?

You know, when the U.S. bought Louisiana from the French,

they wrote out a check.

For what amount?

I'll give you a clue: It was a bargain.

A lot of money, but fair.

Fifty dollars.

Where are you from?

Macedonia.

Macedonia.

Do they have termites in Macedonia?

I don't know. Probably.

So you have no experience in termite control?

My family moved here when I was 12.

I worked for Terminix last spring.

I know about the chemicals.

You know about the chemicals, that's good.

But if you worked for my competitor last spring,

why aren't you working for them now?

It was personal. Personal reasons.

Nothing to do with termites.

Well, if I call these people up and ask for a reference,

what would they say?

I was fired because I was in love with the boss's wife,

and she was in love with me, too, briefly.

Quinton?

Mm-hmm.

Well, Quinton...

I have to admit, I feel some sympathy for you.

I feel as if I've been in the same boat.

Have you heard of Nikola Tesla?

Yeah, of course.

So you live here?

No. This is just a temporary office

while we renovate.

We got a big place by the river.

This is a client's house.

They have to clear out while we, you know...fumigate.

Yeah. A lot of these big old houses, like my house...

uh, they're empty, so people just live there.

Yeah, well, with real estate being what it is,

I can understand that.

Like I was saying...

what Thomas Jefferson paid for the Louisiana Purchase?

Fifteen million dollars.

That's in 1803 dollars.

Multiply that by 157...

phhht.

But I wonder if he would have paid so much money

if he knew less than 200 years later,

the Formosan termite would invade from Japan,

eatin' its way through every stick of wood,

every house,

every wooden structure in the state.

Seriously, it's all being fuckin' devoured.

Splinter by splinter.

These termites have tiny double-decker wings.

Otherwise, they're just one big mouth.

The whole point of that mouth is to eat wood.

For me, the business I'm in is what you call a challenge.

* Hey now, mama *

* You sure feed me good *

* Hey, mama *

* You sure feed me good *

* You know I like pork chops *

* And with some greens We're good to go *

Don't even try to buy me a drink.

I can buy my own liquor.

I might buy you a drink...

but I only accept drinks from firemen.

Firemen?

That's right.

And you are not a fireman, are you?

Well... metaphorically, maybe.

Sorry, that's my new policy.

Are you brave?

Brave?

I try to be.

What happened to your eye?

Which one?

You've done this before,

haven't you?

In school a few times.

You didn't like it?

Hm. I was never that crazy about being in my body,

but...I figured out less complicated ways

of getting out of it.

Drugs?

Fishing.

[MODEM BUZZING]

I think I just wanna do it straight...like Muriel.

Howdy, stranger.

Hi.

What do we have here?

I felt like talking. Everybody I know is asleep.

I never sleep.

Things are so much more interestin' when you're awake,

in my opinion.

Yeah, sleep's overrated.

It's just a bad habit people have picked up

over 4000 years.

If you eat right,

exercise regularly, sleep can be avoided.

Or if you take the right pills.

What's your name?

Eddie Mars.

Eddie Mars.

Eddie Mars.

Eddie Mars.

That's my name. Don't wear it out.

What's yours?

Muriel.

That's very nice.

Muriel.

All the same, I find your story hard to believe.

No one else you could call right now?

No one special person in your life?

There are many people in my life.

They're just all asleep.

You're married perhaps.

No, I'm too young. Can't you tell?

I never judge a book by its cover.

Sometimes a cover's all you have.

They're not the most interesting books, are they?

Besides, I'm not much of a reader.

I'm more of a skimmer.

I read for contents.

What's your name again?

Muriel.

Right, Muriel.

I'm Eddie Mars.

Muriel, do you believe in love?

Are you in love with anybody right now?

Well...I just broke up with my boyfriend.

So...I guess...

no, I'm not exactly in love.

What are you gonna do?

About what?

What are you gonna do without him?

Oh, that's why I came to New Orleans.

Oh, you're in New Orleans.

I've heard of it.

Let me tell you about Blaise Pascal.

It's a cool name, isn't it? Blaise.

Blaise Pascal.

Sounds like an Italian cowboy, but he was French.

A mathematician and philosopher.

He invented calculus.

Thanks, Blaise.

And he was a very boring character.

He never made love in his life.

And when he's sufferin' from massive headaches,

which was most of the time,

he solved geometry problems.

I just had a sudden impulse to hear a song.

You mind?

No, I don't mind.

[SNIFFLES]

"The eternal silence of these infinite spaces

fills me with dread."

[ROLLICKING ROCK SONG PLAYING]

* Now, I know why Adam Bit off the apple *

* And why man Invented the gun *

* The kind of love That you possess, baby *

* Make a cripple man Get up and run *

* I got two jobs already *

* But tomorrow I'm-a get another one *

* Because this sweet love You give me-- *

[MUSIC STOPS]

Uh, did he break off on purpose?

Ow. Maybe he could tell that you're trying to trace him.

Are you all right?

Oop--

Sit.

My foot fell asleep.

He had you on the defensive.

You've got to ask more questions.

You've gotta keep him on longer.

What's that place that Lois said?

The Mother-In-Law Lounge?

How late are they open?

["UN BACIO E TROPPO POCO" PLAYING ON RADIO]

PETER [ON RADIO]: Word on the street is that John Sinclair

set fire to his house so he could have these musicians

get together for a benefit concert.

I think I started that rumor.

A lineup like this is worth burning your house down for.

Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers,

Soul Remedy, Royal Fingerbowl, Galactic, the Revealers,

Marva Wright, Soul Rebels, Mutiny, MC Trachiotomy,

Iris May Tango, 3Now4, Katey Red, Erma Thomas,

the Naked Orchestra, Eddie Bo, The Meters,

Astral Project and the Klezmer Allstars.

That's 1500 North Claiborne Avenue,

where you might just catch the emperor of the universe,

Mr. Ernie K-Doe.

[SIRENS WAILING]

[CHEERFUL R&B PLAYING]

* Have no fear *

* Spread a little cheer *

* Have no fear *

* Spread a little cheer *

* Take me higher *

* Take me higher *

* Take me higher *

* Ohhh *

* Oh *

* Baby *

She's too young.

Relax. It's my night out.

She's still too young.

Give her a 7Up.

I'll have the same.

Is Ernie here?

There are three great stars that I know

in the rhythm and blues.

That's Ernie K-Doe,

James Brown,

and Ernie K-Doe.

Of course someone is gonna try

to impersonate me.

I am a public figure.

This man is a legend.

Yes, ma'am.

You don't know these people.

I never have had a flop-record in my life.

I don't what a flop record is.

Because I write from reality.

And when I wake up in the morning,

I'm looking at a hit record.

I don't know these people.

I d-- I really don't know these people but--

[CRUMPLES UP PAPER]

But I sure wish I could help you.

Thanks a lot Ernie.

[MODEM SCREECHING]

[SCREECHING FADES OUT] "You want to love me,"

her ex-boyfriend had said,

"but you don't know how."

["HANDA WANDA" PLAYING]

There was no answer for that.

No way to be clear about what she wanted.

Or how love in her life seemed like her sister:

abruptly lost.

[DOG BARKING]

Hi.

Anyone home?

Um, just me.

I'm looking for this guy.

Hey, this guy looks just like me, don't you think?

No, not really.

Do you have any idea when they'll be back?

They're walking the dog.

* Wham-ba-ba-lam *

Oh, I definitely I recognize this guy.

* Wham, goddamn *

All right, wait right here. I wanna show you something.

* Wham-ba-ba-lam *

* Wham-ba-ba-lam Wham-ba-ba-lam *

[BARKS]

* Wham-- *

[SONG STOPS PLAYING]

This is for you.

Oh...

You don't even know me.

It's for you.

Thanks.

It's nice.

Don't try to kiss me, okay?

Who said anything about kissing?

I didn't say anything about... Anything about kissing.

You don't have to say anything about it.

[STRANGE RHYTHM PLAYING]

I have a new job. I've gotta get ready for it.

I don't have time to kiss you.

What kind of job do you have?

Termite control.

But it could spread into an acting job

in a movie for the Internet.

But I want to play you this song.

Real quick. So shh.

[BIZARRE CHIRPS & THUDS]

[FALSETTO] * Magic machine, magic machine Magic machine, magic machine *

EDDIE: It's a cool name isn't it? Blaise.

Blaise Pascal. Sounds like an Italian cowboy.

But he was French.

A mathematician and philosopher.

He invented calculus.

Thanks, Blaise.

And he was a very boring character.

He never made love in his life.

[COUGHS]

And when he was sufferin' form massive headaches,

which was most of the time,

he solved geometry problems.

I just had an impulse to hear a song.

[COUGHING]

You mind?

[BAND PLAYING FESTIVE MARCH]

Hi.

Howdy.

Remember me?

Sure, partially.

How you been?

Well, I've been taking my medication,

but it doesn't seem to be working.

My leg hurts. I can't sleep.

I can relate to the last part, the sleep part.

What you do today?

I was babysitting.

That's good, you're a babysitter.

Yeah, I was hanging around with my friend Amelia.

She's 16.

And Josephine, she's eight.

And we came to the conclusion that eight-year-olds

have a lot more fun than most people, older people.

You wish you were eight-years-old?

Feel like I am eight-years-old most of the time.

No wonder you're having trouble with your boyfriend.

He shown up yet?

No, he's supposed to step back, remember? Way back.

You miss him.

MARS: Don't start crying again.

Don't worry, I wont.

Let me tell you a story.

Okay.

MARS: Right...

There was a woodcutter,

once upon a time.

And he had a ring of trees.

He'd get up everyday, chop away.

That was his world, his life.

He was happy.

One day, he heard a bird singing

high up in one of the trees.

He stopped, listened.

It was the most beautiful thing he'd ever heard.

He fell in love with the bird.

He decided, of course, he'd have to have it.

Tried climbing the tree

where the bird was.

The bird just moved to another.

You are all right?

Yeah.

Anyone there with you?

No.

Are you gonna finish the story?

The woodcutter chased the bird from tree to tree.

Pretty soon he realized it was hopeless.

The bird could read his mind.

Soon as he moved from one tree,

the bird jumped to another.

The woodcutter was miserable.

Couldn't go back to his old life.

He cursed the bird.

He cursed the bird. He thought,

"I wish I'd never seen you or heard your fuckin' song

"'cause now, without you, my life is hardly worth living.

I was better off before you showed up."

So he went back to his woodcutting.

There was nothing else to do.

Went back to his woodcutting, but now he was shut down,

focused, no distractions.

Chopping away like mad.

And one day, choppin' wood,

the blade of the axe flew of the handle,

and struck a branch high overhead.

And the bird, who was sitting on the branch,

fell down and landed

right in the woodcutter's hand.

And the bird was dead.

What?

MURIEL: Killed by the axe.

Of course not, it was fine.

It lived, and the woodcutter kept the bird.

Well, I don't know.

You don't know?

Well, that's not the point of the story.

Well, then enlighten me. What is the point?

EDDIE: If there were a point,

there wouldn't be a story.

[PHONE RINGING]

[SWITCHES CLICKS, STATIC BUZZES]

Hello.

You're here? All right, hold on.

Just hold on.

Bring your friend.

[STATIC SILENCES]

Howdy. Hi.

Eddie Mars.

Thank you for coming.

This is Isabel.

Hi, Isabel.

Um...come on in.

Nikola Tesla, having faked his own death in 1944,

escapes with his unpatented genius ideas

and settles in the Texas desert.

West Texas, in a ghost town named Mohidas, okay?

Now, around 1972,

his experiments lead him to the first success

in the cloning of human beings.

He clones himself, okay?

Now, Tesla, now 100-something years old,

he can recite logarithmic tables,

but he's terrified of germs,

spherical objects and all contact

with human flesh.

Okay?

All right, this is where our story

really kicks in.

Tesla and the clone both go to New Orleans.

Tesla on a mule, and the clone's pushing a shopping cart.

They meet this stripper at Cafe Brasil.

Part-time stripper/waitress, you know?

And since, after all,

they are actually the same person,

Tesla and the clone both fall in love with her.

Tesla and the clone, who doesn't actually know he's a clone,

both fall in love with the same woman.

ISABEL: Yeah,

Quinton explained all this.

You did?

Yeah,

it's good.

Yeah, I like it.

Is this the set?

Uh, partially. This is the tesla coil.

Have you acted much before?

ISABEL: Um, musicals mostly.

And theater.

Um, I have a radio show, but I'm tired of being just a voice.

Are you gonna shoot on video or film?

What's the difference to you, personally?

Well...

You think video is cheap and insubstantial, don't ya?

Yeah, sort of.

Here's the thing:

A hundred years ago,

you could go see elephants on stage in Aida.

That's a Verdi opera.

Live elephants.

Or you could go to the corner, watch a little flicker of lights

on something called a nickelodeon.

You see, opera, the stage, had the blockbuster mentality.

Movies were just a novelty.

And now it's like you go to the movies to see

the elephants, the sinking ships, the explosions.

And you go to the Internet to see people

talking and living.

The Internet is the new hub of the wheel.

The Internet's the future.

I'm gonna meet my wife on the Internet.

Our children will be educated on a free and informed society

thanks to the Internet.

All our needs and dreams will find fulfillment

on the Internet.

This movie,

this story, will be seen by millions...

on the Internet.

Do I have to take my clothes off?

Yeah, partially.

MAN: Well, my house is gone,

my record collection is gone,

but I've still got my friends,

and I gotta say this:

These are some great musicians and some great people.

And I can't thank everybody enough for helpin' out.

At this time, ladies and g's, without further ado,

let me introduce to you the man they call

The Emperor of the Universe, and the prettiest man I know,

with his band, Blue-Eyed Soul, Mr. Ernie K-Doe!

[CHEERING & WHISTLING]

WOMAN: Yeah!

Thank you.

Heads up, fellas!

[BAND PLAYING "CHILDREN OF THE WORLD"]

* Heyyy *

* Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey *

* Children of the world *

* Children of the world *

* Children of the world *

* You better listen to me And your teacher *

* Learn *

* The golden rules *

* Know why I must talk To the postman *

* The president and the mayor *

* Talk to your governor *

* Your parents And your teachers *

* Wherever they at *

* Oh, stay *

* Now, stay in school *

* Listen to your teacher Right, today *

* Learn the golden rules *

* Ohhh, K-Doe *

* K-Doe *

* Yeah *

* K-Doe *

* I'm K-Doe *

* Ahhh *

[K-DOE SINGING INDISTINCTLY]

* Oh, yeah *

* Children *

* Wherever you come from *

* If you sanctify *

["CHILDREN OF THE WORLD" CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY]

Mind if I join you?

I'm sorry I couldn't talk the other night.

Can't talk here either.

I just wanted to say, um, goodbye.

Okay.

Is he gone?

Yeah.

* Get it on *

* Get it on *

* Oh, get it on *

* Ohhh *

There's a story...

I was reluctant to tell you.

A few years ago... there was a woman.

She lived in Seattle.

And she disappeared.

Her husband called the police.

There was no trace of her.

They looked into her computer,

and she had wiped out the hard drive...

and she had trashed all her files.

You're unraveling.

Spare him.

AMELIA: Are you gonna finish the story?

Story?

The story you didn't wanna tell me.

Oh, right.

Okay.

The missing woman.

A systems expert went into her computer,

sifted through the rubble,

and he found extensive correspondence.

She was e-mailing a man in Alabama.

It was one of those S & M relationships.

It's a secret life

that her husband knew nothing about.

She arranged to meet this man,

the idea being

she was gonna allow herself

to be tortured to death.

This is what she said she wanted,

and this, it turned out...

is what happened.

The FBI...

they flew into this little town in Alabama.

And the man confessed.

And they found the woman's body buried in the woods.

But Muriel wasn't sick. She was just depressed.

I wasn't talking about Muriel.

[PLAYING HARMONICA]

The Chinese wouldn't be doing it for 3000 years

if it didn't work.

I'm taking classes.

[STOPS PLAYING]

Don't talk much, do you?

[PLAYS BITTERSWEET MELODY]

[WHIRRING, BEEPING]

[STATIC BUZZING]

"When I consider the short duration of my life,

"swallowed up in the eternity before and after,

"the little space which I fill

"and even can see,

"engulfed in the infinite immensity of spaces

"of which I am ignorant and which know me not,

"I'm frightened

"and I'm astonished at being here rather than there,

"for there's no reason why here rather than there,

"why now rather than then.

"By whose order and direction

have this place and time been allotted to me?"

You've changed.

It's a strange book. It's so old, but...

Blaise, my darlin' boy, man of a million headaches...

I've been thinkin' about you.

I wanna talk without illusions.

Honestly. And truly.

Where do we start?

We should meet face to face.

Café du Monde in a half-hour.

I got something cookin' tonight.

Big night. Can't budge.

This is important.

Sure, it is. Important and impossible.

Why impossible?

Well...

I look...

slightly different for one thing.

I think I can handle that.

Well, I'm not sure that I can. What do you look like?

Did you read the part where he gives his theory

on the cause of all the world's troubles?

The basic cause why the human race is unhappy.

"All our unhappiness," he says,

"comes from our inability to sit quietly in one room."

And even if we could sit quietly in one room,

our mind scratches and claws and screams to get out.

Right?

Your mind's always measurin',

wishin', regrettin'.

Is there a solution?

Love?

Are you kiddin'?

I don't know.

Well, when you're in love...

you become selfless,

transparent, that's the idea.

But we live in our bodies.

And what did Blake say?

"The body is the soul perceived by the five senses."

But if I could touch you or kiss you...

would we know each other any better?

I'm just askin'.

Café du Monde in 15 minutes.

I'll buy you a beignet.

'Cause even though I despise Plato

and blame him for almost everything wrong with this...

so-called modern life,

the way you and I talk now is, in some neo-platonic way, pure.

The way love is delusional but pure,

as it gives you a way to find yourself,

yourself reflected in another person,

as if you could reach through this mirror

and find your best self on the other side.

Stop chewin' at your thumb.

Why do you always do that?

Why are you always gnawin' at yourself?

What are you, malnourished?

I'm looking for my sister, Muriel.

I think you knew her somehow.

[SNIFFLES]

I just wanna know if she's all right.

[PHONE RINGING]

Hello?

You're early. Sorry.

Sorry.

We're excited.

Coffee and doughnuts are here.

[COUGHS]

You can change back there.

Tesla will be here soon.

He looked spooked, wouldn't you say?

He did, except...

that evidently, he doesn't look like himself

as we know him, so...

there's no way to really tell conclusively how he looks...

or how he feels.

Except he ran.

Now, that's fairly incriminating.

He knew her.

He knows why and how she's missing.

I got a gut feeling.

I'd like to pistol-whip the fuck, you know?

Just to cut through all this bullshit.

Yeah.

And then you can take him to Café du Monde.

I thought you liked him.

Yeah.

I think he's cute.

I think I can see what Muriel saw in him.

I mean, that's what I was thinking when...

I don't think he'd really hurt her.

You traced him.

I've narrowed down the coordinates.

He lives by the river.

He won't talk with us--

Well, with you again.

This is the only card left in the deck.

I don't believe this.

You don't make the rules, kid.

But-- There's no proof. There's no proof

that he had anything to do with Muriel,

except that he talked to her on the computer.

And he was just lonely. Is--? Is that a crime?

I put some of my medicine in your drink.

You'll sleep good.

And when you wake up...

everything's gonna be okay.

Don't worry.

I'll find him.

This next number is for Isabel,

in honor of her movie debut at this ungodly hour.

She's got the Jessica Rabbit part

in a little local semi-pornographic film,

so she tells me.

Puttin' the "show" back in "show business."

[OSCAR MACK'S "DREAM GIRL" PLAYING]

* Darling *

* You're so wonderful *

* And you're the girl Of my-my dreams *

Okay.

Uh, if you don't mind, Tesla,

um, the other Tesla's gonna sit there.

All right.

Okay, we're almost ready.

Listen, while I'm shooting, I'm gonna be playing loud music.

A lot of people do it this way.

Uh, D.W. Griffith did it this way,

It's just a way of getting you into the mood.

We'll just dub the dialogue later.

All right. So everything's clear?

Uh-- Remember, you don't know he's a clone,

so when the electricity comes on...

Maybe we should go over that part again.

I'd like that.

I also. Me too.

Where are your gloves?

I-I don't know.

Okay.

Just don't touch the coil.

[BEEPING]

Caress her.

[DREAMY MUSIC PLAYING]

No! You're blocking-- You're blocking her.

Kiss her shoulder.

[ZAPPING NOISES]

[SCREAMS]

[SIGHS]

[TIRE POPS, SQUEALS]

Back up.

[BEEPING]

[***]

[FUN R&B PLAYING]

* I never met a girl Who make me feel... *

I'm looking for my sister.

Downstairs, baby.

She went downstairs.

Go on.

It's all right.

Go on, girl.

You're lookin' good. Very good.

[TRAIN RUMBLING]

[***]

Eddie?

[COUGHING]

Eddie's still inside.

[COUGHS]

Eddie? This is Tesla.

Well, I got something for him.

[COUGHING]

[ZAPPING]

Eddie?

Eddie?

[***]

[GUNSHOTS]

[***]

[GUNSHOT]

[ALARM BLARING]

[BARKING]

[***]

[DOOR OPENS]

[COUGHING]

[EDDIE COUGHING]

[COUGHS]

[COUGHING]

[SIRENS WAILING IN DISTANCE]

[COUGHS]

Hello?

Hello? Amelia?

Honey?

Honey, wake up.

Wake up.

Oh, God, what happened, honey?

MURIEL: I used to wonder,

if I disappeared, what difference would it make?

What consequences would follow?

And what would change?

If I could escape...

or if I could wake from my life like a dream.

[***]

Man is only a reed, the weakest thing in nature...

but he's a thinking reed.

There's no need for the whole universe

to arm itself to crush him.

A vapor or a drop of water is enough to kill him.

But even if the universe were to crush us...

we'd still be more noble than our destroyer...

because we know we're dying

and the advantage the universe has over us.

The universe knows nothing of this.

[K-DOE'S "REAPING WHAT I SOW" PLAYING]

* Ooh, ooh *

* Ooh, ooh *

* I've cried and I've cried *

* So very hard *

* Until myyy My-my-my pillow got *

* Soaking wet *

* This I believe I'm reaping *

* What I sow Oh, honey *

* I'm just a-reaping *

* What I've sown *

MURIEL: "It is through thought that we must elevate ourselves

and not through space and time, which we can never fill."

[***]

These words reached me at a time

when everything in my life seemed to be moving too fast.

[WIND CHIMES TINKLING]

And no one could touch me...

when I needed to be comforted.

And to know...

that what really matters is close at hand.

I'm coming at you at this moment.

Now.

[COUGHING]

Now.

Now.

[ERNIE K-DOE'S "LOVE IS ALL RIGHT" PLAYING]

* Love is all right *

* Love, love Love is all right *

* Love * * Oh, love *

* Is all right * * Oh, love is all right *

* Is all right *

* Yeah, yeah *

* Now, when I met you, baby *

* I wanted to die in pain *

* You made my life Worth living *

* Girl, you made me Who I am *

* My happiness was in prison *

* But you came And set free *

* My love, love, love, love Love for you, baby *

* What your love Has done for me *

* And I said, love * * Oh, love *

* Is all right * * Oh, love is all right *

* Is all right *

* Yeah, yeah *

* You get some in your body *

* It puts you in a groove *

* It puts music in your bones *

* And it makes you wanna move *

* It makes a weak man strong *

* And a blind A blind man see *

* Now, look, look, look, look Look what your, baby *

* What your love Has done for me *

* And I said, love * * Oh, love *

* Is all right * * Oh, love *

* Is all right * * Is all right *

* Yeah, yeah *

* It's all right It's all right *

* In the mornin' * * It's all right *

* Love is all right * * It's all right *

* In the evenin' * * It's all right *

* Love is all right * * It's all right *

[MUSIC FADING, CROWD CHEERING]

Okay, heads up, fellas.

[ERNIE K-DOE'S "CHILDREN OF THE WORLD" PLAYING]

* Heyyy *

* Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey *

* Children of the world *

* Children of the world *

* Children of the world *

* You better listen to me And your teacher *

* Learn all the golden rules *

* Knows why I must talk To the pope *

* The president and the mayor *

* Well, talk to the governor *

* Your parents And your teacher *

* Wherever they at *

* Oh, stay *

* You gotta stay in school *

* Listen to your teacher Right, today *

* Learn the golden rules *

* Oh, K-Doe *

* K-Doe *

* Hey, hey, hey, hey *

* K-Doe *

* K-Doe *

* Ohhh, K-Doe *

* Stay in school, children *

* Yeah, children *

* You gotta stay in school *

* Stay right there *

* Listen to your teacher *

* Learn the golden rules *

* The captain, the Baptist *

* The seven days in a week Wherever you are *

* But stay *

* Stay in school *

* If you sanctify *

* Stay in school *

* Stay right there *

* Ohhh *

* K-Doe *

* K-Doe *

* K-Doe *

* K-Doe *

* Oh, K-Doe *

* K-Doe, what ya gonna do? *

* What ya gonna do, K-Doe? *

* Ohhh! *

* Stay *

* You gotta stay in school *

* Listen to your teacher *

* And learn the golden rules *

* Think that You are too late *

* You don't have to *

* See, your mama And your daddy

* Gonna head home *

* And learn the golden rules *

* Ohhh, K-Doe *

* K-Doe *

* Come on, children *

[SINGS INDISTINCTLY]

* Children *

* Children of the world *

* Children of the world *

* Children of the world *

* Children of the world *

* Children of the world *

* Children of the *

* Heyyy, hey, hey *

* Hey, hey *

* Children