Original subtitles

Clara?

Let's go. I'm going down. Something is down there.

OK.

-Can you see anything? -Not much.

Please be careful.

There's no one here.

-It's OK. -Oh, my goodness!

-What is this? -Here. Peter, take it.

What is that?

They're paints.

-What is this place? -I guess it's a studio.

I can't make the flashlight work. They do an upgrade, I want to scream.

I just figured out how to work it. Now they change it?

Why would I want to text-message my face as a dragon?

I understand. Let me try to help.

-Yo, got it. -Oh, my goodness!

Look!

I was right!

It's her.

Yes! Yeah! We found you!

We win! Yeah!

Why is she just staring at us like that?

She's not moving.

It's just a painting.

It's like the murals in Fishtown.

It looks so real.

Wait, I found a light switch.

OK, nice.

Oh, cool.

Clever.

I am full Fredwynn right now.

"Turn off the lights so you can see."

-Give it to me. -You can't do it.

It's old. I know how to use this one.

Wait.

Guys, "Turn off the lights so you can see."

OK. Try now.

Black-light flashlight.

-Careful! -What?

These flashlights detect scorpions!

-Oh, my God. -Fredwynn!

Fredwynn.

-Look! -I knew it.

I knew that.

Amazing.

Oh, my.

Look at this.

So much time and work.

Hey, guys. Guys, I think I found the beginning.

"My name is Clara, and I am you."

"If you found your way here,

it must mean we are more alike than you know.

Heck,

if you squint your eyes,

maybe I am you."

I am Clara.

I'm creative and really determined.

Sometimes I'm scared.

And one time...

Well, one time...

I was swallowed up by the dark.

Move a little closer.

Get comfortable.

In front of a brick wall,

with a black light,

in a spooky basement.

Come on, just work with me a little.

Because I am Clara.

And I am you.

Don't believe me?

Fine.

Because I'm gonna show you.

This is Fishtown.

Home, sweet home.

Once upon a time and all that jazz.

You know how they say, "This place has seen better days"?

Fishtown wouldn't know what a better day looked like

if it got hit upside its Fishtown head.

The rules are simple.

You're born here,

you live here, you die here.

They say it's better not to dream in Fishtown.

It hurts too much to wake up.

I don't know quite why today was different.

It was tolerable enough.

I guess maybe that's what was gnawing at me.

Was this my destiny?

A life full of "tolerable" days?

Was I not meant for more?

Was I not...

special?

My mom was special.

She made things.

But she got swallowed up by the dark.

My dad says that this is my story, not hers,

and I don't have to think about that, but I do.

For a long time, I ignored the ache that was growing in my heart.

And today, it just... wouldn't leave me alone.

I could feel the darkness creeping in.

I was so tired.

Tired of feeling...

hopeless.

Tired of feeling...

powerless.

But I am not Fishtown.

And I am not my mom.

I am Clara.

And my story is my own.

I didn't have a name for the other feeling - the good one.

Not yet.

But I knew it was blue...

and that when I needed it, it was usually there.

I just had to catch it.

And sometimes that was hard.

But I had to, because it gave me the one thing I needed.

And a window I could open...

to Elsewhere.

An ice-cream truck?

That's new.

Or maybe it was there all along, but I couldn't see it.

Maybe I can turn this into a place

I could dream of escaping to...

instead of escaping from.

"...instead of escaping from."

-So, she drew herself a window. -She's taking her life by the balls.

But she climbed through a painted wall? What?

Don't get distracted.

It's a clue.

Where's the next clue?

-Fredwynn. -Fredwynn.

This is somebody's house, Fredwynn!

Should we go up after him?

I don't know. Maybe he'll give us a signal.

OK, wait for a signal.

-Oh, that's it! -Fredwynn?

-Fredwynn? -Fredwynn!

Yeah, the place is booby-trapped.

It's just a chair, Fredwynn.

We need to be more industrious with our flashlights.

Or light switches. We can just use light switches.

-Hold this. -OK.

-Fredwynn, are you all right? -I'm fine.

-No, you're bleeding. -It's OK.

-You're bleeding. -Just a scratch.

Come to the bathroom.

There must be some astringent or something.

You don't have to hold my hand.

Well, there are no Band-Aids, but at least I can clean...

Here, hold my phone.

Here. OK.

Do you smell something?

Well, it is a bathroom.

Saltpeter.

No, I don't usually carry spices.

Potassium nitrate, also known as saltpeter.

Out! Everyone out!

-Out, out, out! -What, what, what?

Wait. What?

Stand back.

Voilà!

You may return.

This is awesome!

So...

shall we continue?

I'm Clara.

Mateo.

Mateo had it going on.

No doubt about that.

Brains and the brawn to match.

This is Kimbra.

Kimbra was a feisty little sister with a tough facade

that masked a love of baby zebras

and funnel cake.

He's Sanjay.

Sanjay didn't look like much,

but rumor had it that those roller skates hid a pair of legs

that were sharpened to a point at the end.

And when he disappeared for weeks at a time,

he was actually working for the US government

as a deadly assassin.

Instantly, we were the best of friends...

and I knew that we'd all be best friends forever.

So... I was just wondering,

you guys ever think this place could be something -

I don't know...

special?

I just mean that maybe with a little push,

things could be better than they seem?

Like, what if that's not a garbage truck?

It's actually a Zamboni

that leaves a track of snow and ice behind.

Zamboni.

Or maybe, those smokestacks at the cow rendering plant...

Maybe when we're not looking,

they're secretly blowing colorful marshmallows into the sky.

I just think, maybe, if we put our heads together,

we could really change the story.

What do you think?

Anybody?

They didn't get it.

Why couldn't they see what I saw?

Why couldn't they just...

believe?

I don't know how or why, but I just...

I just knew that I was meant to do something.

I had painted myself some hope,

and I could feel it fading away.

Think, Clara.

Your story is your own.

Try something.

Make something.

It's OK to be wrong. It's OK to be wrong.

I got it.

I was there.

I was Elsewhere.

I understood my purpose.

I had an idea.

I called it "The I.D.E.A."

I kept talking about hope,

but it wasn't enough for me to tell them about it.

I had to really show them.

I didn't know if they would understand.

Did that scare me?

More than I ever thought it would.

But if I didn't believe,

then how could I expect them to?

I had to show them

that life wasn't something you watch passing you by.

It was something you could reach out and touch.

It was something you could hear, like a rumble,

that you could dive into and let it carry you away

a million gallons a minute in a briny wet spray

on the hottest day in the history of forever!

An ice-cream truck crashing into a fire hydrant didn't hurt, either.

-I'll get you one. -I got a chocolate!

It was a moment.

Extraordinary, shimmering, sticky,

magically wet, perfectly perfect moment.

And in that moment,

everyone was Elsewhere.

Well, almost everyone.

What the heck are you kids doing?

You're giving away free ice cream!

You are cutting into my profits! I'm gonna tell your parents.

Well, I'm just harnessing my Divine Nonchalance.

Your what?

I'm not sure.

It came to me when I was upside-down.

We called ourselves The Elsewhere Society.

"And we promised that nothing would tear us apart."

You OK?

Me?

Yes. Of course. I'm just...

She's inspiring.

She came from this place where nobody thought anything was possible,

and then she put herself out there to make it great.

I'm inspired.

-You are? -Yes.

This is my face inspired.

Oh, my God! It's almost three o'clock in the morning. I've got to go.

Lev worries when I'm late. I'll call a cab.

Where's my phone? You've got it.

How do I call a cab? I'll google a cab, right?

So, we'll all meet back here tomorrow afternoon

to see if there's more story after Peter and Simone get off work.

-Is that OK? -Right.

Keep our heads in the game, see if clues from the story

pop out while you're off living your lives.

-You don't use your brains that way-- -Simone has an art degree.

Sorry. It's just, you have an art degree, right?

And so much of this story seems to be about Clara's art.

And so, whether or not we're trying to find a real person

or solve some puzzle,

I just think maybe it has something to do with this art.

That's not so stupid.

Thank you.

Yeah, OK. I'll think on it.

This has all been so perfectly choreographed, you know?

Maybe we were matched for a reason, the four of us.

And you're the art person, so... maybe this is your moment.

Just... Just let me think about it.

Of course. Yeah, there's no pressure.

-Hey, quick question. -Yes?

If I'm "tortured art girl,"

and Fredwynn is "lead us off the road guy,"

and Janice is Janice,

what does that make you?

Probably the "guy who needs to do something brave

but ends up embarrassing himself" guy.

-Sounds about right. -I know.

Here he is! Simone, can I give you a ride?

-Yes, please. -OK. Good.

All right.

-Bye, guys. -Bye, Janice.

-See you later. -Hey, Simone.

I never said you were tortured.

I know.

Oh, yeah, there's a long history of this stuff in Philly.

Tina Llamada might know more. I can shoot her an e-mail.

Yeah, an e-mail would be great. Thanks.

It's for this project I've been working on.

Once I get more of a handle on it, I can fill you in, but...

right now it's a little bit like Fight Club,

but, like, the positive version of Fight Club, I think.

Sounds great.

Well, you look great.

Can I say that? The rules are new to me.

Screw the rules. We're all trying our best.

And I think you can say I look great,

transition-wise.

Maybe not teacher-student-wise, but I don't know.

You can't really win by speaking nowadays.

I was hoping you came to tell me that you were re-enrolling.

No.

No, I...

I don't even know what I'm doing right now.

I'm running around the city playing some secret game

with a bunch of strangers.

It just feels like I'm not in the position

to be making any other big life decisions at the moment.

How is that a big life decision?

I'm sorry?

Why do you view coming back here as a big life decision?

I guess...

It just, like...

It feels like I chose a path,

and then, before I knew it, I was on a track.

And, I mean, I liked art in high school,

but just because I was good at it

and I liked it better than other subjects.

So then I studied it in college and then grad school, and then,

by the end of it, I just...

wasn't... happy here.

I don't know how much of that is me or my attitude, but... I don't know.

I feel like if I don't take a second to step back

and re-evaluate what it is that I want,

then I'm gonna wake up one day,

and I'll be 60 years old, looking in a mirror,

totally unsure of where I am.

My major was marine biology.

-What? -Yeah.

I was all-in on marine biology.

And then, at some point,

I realized that I didn't like being wet all the time,

I constantly smelled like fish.

So I switched to art. I like it.

I'm dry, and I just smell like a middle-aged man.

That's to say we make a decision, and then if we need to,

we make a new decision.

You've made a really, really big and important one.

The other decisions don't need to feel so big.

Find something that makes you feel good. Try it out.

You're allowed to be wrong.

I'm allowed to be wrong. Yeah.

You're saying I need to harness my Divine Nonchalance?

I'm not exactly sure what that is,

but "Divine Nonchalance" is my new favorite term.

Thank you.

And if you have any...

any thoughts on those murals,

please just let me know.

Sure.

I need to find my Elsewhere.

Do something.

Prove something.

Imagine.

Dream.

You're just in my head.

I'm very tired.

I'm talking out loud to myself now. OK.

Hey! Saltpeter Mockingwhistle!

That's not anything close to my name, but, yes?

Are you gonna help me or not?

Find your nonchalance, bud.

No one's gonna find it for you.

Find my nonchalance.

Hey, Peter!

Hey, Stretch, over here.

Wouldn't it be nice if other people could feel how you feel right now?

Yes, it would.

So...?

No, no, no.

No. No, no, no.

No. No. No.

No, no.

No, no, no. No. No.

No.

I know what you're asking me to do. I can't do that.

People told me I couldn't do things, but I told them to shove it.

Come on, man.

Live a little.

Fine.

I really shouldn't do this.

Totally.

Two, four, six, eight!

There you go! Good job, ladies!

-He doesn't want it done, I think. -Yeah, he's--

We could do this. Yeah.

Well, she thinks she can change the world,

and she's inspired her whole neighborhood.

It's wonderful. A kind of anything-is-possible moment.

And there's a boy she likes.

We both know how that can turn out.

But something has been going round and round in my mind.

I wanted to mull it over with you.

Peter and Simone and Fredwynn, they're so caught up in Clara

and the intrigue and her vision.

But I feel we're missing something.

Something sad.

Clara isn't just hope and whimsy.

She also seems desperate to me,

and I'm afraid for her.

OK, don't say it. Don't say it.

I can tell by the look on your face. I'm overthinking.

And the kids have infected me with their intensity

and their need to know.

So, we're meeting back at the house later today.

There's probably more rooms.

We can find the rest of the story and maybe a clue.

Fredwynn always needs his clue.

Janice.

Can I talk to you for a second?

If you don't mind?

Yes.

Yes, of course.

Thank you.

-You're early. -Yeah.

So, I just wanted you to understand that I'm uncomfortable

with what happened last night.

Oh, Meredith, I'm so sorry. I know I said I'd be home before midnight.

You have been so helpful and flexible with your hours.

I just got caught up in the adventure.

It won't happen again.

No, it's...

I thought the text that you sent was a bit... rude.

What text?

See?

"Hey, hey. I'm having fun.

Leave me alone. Snitches get stitches.

Need to stay here. #IceBucketChallenge.

Black Santa."

I didn't send this. I don't even know what it means.

Well, it's from your phone.

Well, that's impossible.

"The Elsewhere Society.

Working in shadows.

Often wrong, but never in doubt.

We were the custodians of its secret."

We were a team. We were the future.

We were determined to make The I.D.E.A. a reality.

Hey! Hey, stop!

And we were poor, so we did what we had to.

After all, it was for the greater good.

Wait! Oh, not again.

Wait!

Hey.

I don't know who you are, but I'll find out!

We were a new civilization,

rising from the ashes of the last.

Divine Nonchalance was our fuel,

and Elsewhere was our destination.

Yes!

The abandoned cigar shop became our Batcave.

Together, we would make the world a nicer place to be alive.

Can you...?

My store...

Can you make it beautiful?

We'll be there tomorrow.

Promise.

Also, there's another group of kids who are very much like you,

but their costumes aren't as good.

Can you help me find them

so I can tell their parents that they are troublemakers?

Sure.

Frank, what's going on?

Who did all this?

She did.

When I look in her eyes

She goes with me To a something-something

We only have one rule here.

-You know what that rule is? -Don't use Mary's Splenda.

Do not violate the sanctity of the playlist.

Each person's playlist is like their DNA.

When you added that song, you altered their DNA without their consent.

We're not gene-splicing here.

We offer people unlimited choice...

and they just end up listening to the same songs

over and over and over again, like they're trapped.

We take their money,

and we leave them lost in this overwhelming sea of options.

It's the illusion of choice. So, I just thought that maybe...

I could show people there was beauty out there

if they knew where to look.

-Who do you think you are, exactly? -I'm me!

I'm me. I was just... maybe trying to be more like her.

What are you talking about?

Peter, let me explain something to you.

Work. Work stuff.

Work. Work. Work.

Work stuff.

Work. Work. Work.

-Work stuff. -I quit.

I'm not gonna go back to feeling nothing, where you talk and I nod.

I'm just not. I quit.

-You can't quit. -Well, you know what?

I'm sure you can find somebody

who will better serve your needs, but you can't just keep me here,

because I'm an adult, and I can do what I want.

And I quit.

No, I'm saying you can't quit because I just fired you.

Were you listening to anything I just said?

No.

I was not.

It's here. I know it is.

-Did you check behind the frames? -I checked everywhere.

-What do you want us to do? -Think, damn it.

But don't distract me.

Think silently.

This is odd.

What?

Well, Clara doesn't strike me as a knitter.

And her mother wasn't even here.

-So, what-- -Please!

Let me think.

What's up?

Me?

I quit my job.

Allegedly, I was fired first,

but I didn't hear that happen,

so I'm still really proud of myself for quitting.

Guys.

I told you I was inspired.

-I mean, good for you. -Guys.

Where is that clue?

Guys!

Voilà!

You pull.

I'll read.

"Did you know

that there are hundreds

of shades

of blue?"

Royal blue, cadet blue, turquoise,

ink blue, ultramarine,

Persian blue, Air Force blue.

We have every resource you could possibly need, Clara.

Raw materials, draftsmen,

assistants.

It's OK to be overwhelmed.

Every world changer who's joined my team has had a similar reaction.

What you have done in your neighborhood, on your own,

is miraculous.

But with all these resources at your disposal,

just imagine what kind of magic you could create

and spread throughout the entire world.

But I wasn't on my own.

Ah, your friends. Of course.

Let's repair to my office and discuss.

May I offer you something to drink?

Maybe some water?

You seem fancy, so I'll take fizzy, if you got it.

Clara,

the world has so much more to offer than you could ever imagine.

Holy crap! That's delicious!

Oh, Mateo is gonna freak out.

Wait until you meet my friends. We're gonna change the world.

You'll love them.

I'm sure I will. I can't wait.

Sometimes people like us,

people who are special,

we have to make difficult choices

about the people we surround ourselves with.

You, Clara, are unique...

because you create hope,

which is a rare and precious resource.

But you're giving away something that we at The Institute

work very hard to sell.

I want to give you a place where you can dream,

where you can realize your vast potential

beyond the confines of Fishtown, where you can...

change the world.

The choice is yours.

You belong with the special ones.

Join us.

How did it go?

He told me I could change the world.

But I had to go it alone.

So...

I told him

to buzz off.

What? Oh, yes!

Nobody's gonna break up the Elsewhere Society that easily!

Come on, this is a movement, people!

You know what to do.

We didn't need no fancy British

chocolate-milk-drinking gazillionaire.

We had The I.D.E.A.

And that's all we needed.

The Institute had... other ideas.

Interesting ideas, sure, but...

No. No way! Forget them!

You can't sell hope.

It belongs to everyone.

Sure, I'd like to be one of the special ones.

And, yeah, it would be nice to have all that new paint.

But,

I mean...

I made the right choice.

I think.

No!

I ran. I called out. I tried to escape.

Clara!

Come on, come on, grab my hand! You can do it! Come on!

And then...

I disappeared.

"Swallowed up by the dark."

Damn.

They just snatched her off the street.

It was such a nice story... for a while.

Then shit got real.

It was all right in front of her.

And then they took it.

Strong devours the weak. She should have run faster.

You didn't give me the message.

I'm sorry?

Last night, our nurse Meredith...

You didn't give me the message. You betrayed me.

-Nurse? -I secured your phone, yes.

I needed to go home. My husband was having a bad night.

I should have been with him.

-He could have died, Fredwynn! -I can see that you're upset.

And I'm not sure how to respond to that,

but... I'm aware of your condition.

-It was not your place. -You looked like you were having fun.

How would you know that?

You don't know what I'm feeling - not then, not now.

You don't even know what you're feeling.

Look, maybe you don't have anything more important in your life

than the game, but I do!

Goodbye, Peter, Simone.

Goodbye, Janice.

Well...

Janice is taking this game a little bit too seriously.

I think I'm gonna get some air.

That was a lot.

This game is pretty odd, huh?

It's having an effect on people.

You quit your job?

I did. Yeah.

-I did. -I'm...

proud of you.

You were miserable there.

So, what's next?

I don't know. I guess I'll figure something out.

Well, for what it's worth, I told my professor today

that I'm probably not coming back to school.

I guess we both have some stuff to figure out.

Yeah.

I'm glad we met.

Oh, yeah?

Yeah.

Me, too.

I...

I got to get back home.

Hey, do you want to share a cab?

Yeah. Yeah, of course.

Oh, my professor got back to me.

Is everything OK?

Simone?

You were right.

Peter, I...

I think you were right.

What's that?

"Nothing like you described happening now.

Dug this up from 20 years ago."

It's real.

The story's real.