Original subtitles

** [acoustic guitar]

** [electric guitar]

[film projector running]

** [eerie piano]

[Man, narrating] Film is magic.

And in the right hands, a weapon.

[buzzer]

[Man, over intercom] Hello? Yeah, you called me?

From the Vogue?

[gate disengages]

You are late. Mr. Bellinger is waiting for you.

[Austrian accent] Mr. Sweetman.

Mr. Bellinger.

Wow, you have an incredible collection.

Thank you.

I'm sure you have some rare pieces of your own.

Not really. It's too expensive.

Must be a torture-- hunting down pieces for others,

to have something in your hands, only to give it up immediately.

Well, there's perks.

When I track down a rare print, I get to screen it.

Quality-assurance purposes, of course.

Of course.

La Fin Absolue du Monde.

The absolute end of the world.

What do you know about it?

I know it played once, opening night premiere,

the Festival International du Cinema Fantastique.

Violence erupted in the theater.

When Hans Backovic, the director, tried

to get it out of the country,

the government seized it and destroyed it,

not realizing it was a work in progress

and its only print.

He quit the business. That film's only been seen

by that one audience.

You did your homework.

But the government didn't destroy the film.

What's this?

A prop from the film.

I'm a bit obsessive about La Fin Absolue du Monde.

Why this particular film?

[smirks] I have a collection

of over 8,000 films,

the most extreme images,

created by some of the most obscure filmmakers from

around the world.

I'm not about to drag you up here in the middle

of the night

for something that made a schoolgirl dizzy.

I'm talking about real power.

Were you at the festival when this played?

Yes.

I even had tickets for the screening.

But I had seen Backovic's previous work

and I wasn't impressed.

So I went to see the first "Dr. Phibes" instead,

hoping to meet Vincent Price.

In '83, the Rotterdam Festival announced a screening.

By the time I'd flown there, they had canceled it,

saying it was an error.

The fact that the venue had burned down must have had

something to do with it.

Every mention of the film since '71,

every rumor about underground screenings,

the official report from Sitges, Mr. Sweetman.

Why are you giving me this?

Isn't it obvious?

I want you to find the print for me.

Finding a rare print can be costly, even under

the best circumstances.

But La Fin Absolue du Monde is-- it's infamous.

It's rarer than rare.

If there was a print out there, I'd know it.

It is out there,

believe me.

My sources are unimpeachable.

Follow me.

I have to show you something.

As you can see, I collect more than movies,

Mr. Sweetman.

Meet one of the stars of La Fin Absolue du Monde.

[moans]

Tell Mr. Sweetman what you told me.

We are a part of the film,

bound to the negative, like soul to flesh.

If it had been destroyed, we would know.

[Bellinger chuckles]

[Bellinger] I did terrible things

in my life.

I know, full well, what will happen

to this desiccated captive I call a soul.

Call me crazy, but I wanted at least a taste of heaven

before an eternity of hell.

Money is no object.

I pay all your expenses

and $100,000 on the top.

I'm not a well man,

and my days are numbered.

But I don't want to die without having seen this film.

Why me?

Because you have great taste as a programmer.

You see it as a shit box.

You have 800 seats,

and you are happy to sell 50 tickets a night.

[whimpers]

Find this copy for me.

And after I've seen it,

I'll give it to you for a two-weeks' run.

I promise I wouldn't give it to any other theater.

You need it.

200,000.

[chuckles]

200,000.

A deal?

[laughs]

There you are, you son of a bitch.

[Woman's voice] * Kirby Sweetman *

* Is my sweet man *

Are you my sweet man, Kirby?

Will you take care of me, always?

Hey, Timpson, what's up?

Our last show will be over in about 15 minutes.

Profondo Rosso, ready to go.

Did you, uh-- you get your souvenir?

Dude.

It's Argento. Had to do it.

What's it with you and the cigarette burns?

When you're watching a film and one of those bugs appears,

it lets you know

something's gonna happen.

"Hold on. Here it comes."

You take 'em out...

all of a sudden, it's anarchy.

All right, Mr. Anarchy, try not to burn the place down

when I'm away.

Did you get a new client? Yeah, yeah.

An incredible offer. The guy kind of freaks me out.

What film is it this time?

La Fin Absolue du Monde.

[gasps]

No shit?

No shit.

[woman, voiceover] Kirby knows absolutely

everything about movies.

And the theater-- It's beautiful.

[sniffs] It just needs a little work.

Yeah. We could do it ourselves.

Think of it as a wedding present.

Okay? [sniffs]

Why don't you wait in the car, sweetheart, while Kirby and I

work out the details?

Okay.

This is not a gift. It's a loan.

Get your shit together.

Get her shit together.

Don't make me sorry.

Excuse me, sir, but we're not open yet.

Oh, Mr. Matthews.

Listen, Kirby's not here right now.

[stuttering] I can tell him you came--

Oh, wow, look at that.

You're a hard man to get hold of.

It's almost like you're avoiding me.

Why would I avoid you? You're so much fun

to be around.

We need to talk.

I don't have time to talk to you right now.

How about a check for 200,000?

Got time to talk about that? I'll get your money.

When? Soon!

No, I don't believe that.

I don't believe anything you say.

Look, I know that you're not gonna go away

until I get you your money,

but every time you stop by, every time you call--

I feel like I'm getting cut open.

I see Annie's face every day, all day long.

You have no idea what I'm going through

to get you out of my life.

You've got one week. If you can't get the money,

I'll take great delight in coming down here

and tearing this shit hole down.

[gasps, exhales]

A.K. Meyers.

I've read all this guy's shit. Good critic.

Big fan of the esoteric, and out of all Kale's disciples,

the most original thinker.

"In order to fully appreciate La Fin Absolue du Monde,

"one must understand the context in which it premiered.

"The Sitges Festival is still young, but there is a boldness

to their programming

"that makes this an essential stop for any fan

"of what are typically thought of as lesser genres:

science fiction, fantasy or horror."

What's he up to these days? I don't know.

He lives upstate New York, kind of a recluse.

I'll tell you when I get back.

[typewriter keys clacking]

Mr. Meyers, can I speak to you, please?

[Meyers] Go away.

It's important. It'll just take a minute.

Who sent you? No one sent me.

It's about a review.

I'm done with that. I won't discuss any review.

It's about La Fin Absolue du Monde.

[door buzzer]

[typing resumes]

Did they pass out any press notes at the Sitges screening?

They did.

Did you happen to save any of those?

I did.

I'd love to read those or anything else

you have on the film.

Dangerous.

Backovic said, "Film, in the right hands, is a weapon."

He was right.

"La Fin Absolue du Monde is not a movie,

but more like a bullet

"fired directly into the collective brain pan

of all that is assembled,

and the only rational response is violence."

We trust filmmakers.

We sit in the dark, daring them to effect us,

secure in the knowledge that they won't go too far.

I've read your review twice on the plane

and I still have no idea what this movie's about.

Hans Backovic was a terrorist.

He abused the trust we place in filmmakers.

He didn't want to hurt his audience, he wanted

to destroy them completely.

I've seen extreme gore and it never made me crazy

or violent.

What is it about La Fin Absolue du Monde

that is so dangerous?

Backovic was brilliant. But all that violence

in the theater--

that was all exaggerated, right?

If anything, the incident was downplayed.

I watched four people die.

It smelled like a slaughterhouse.

The center isle was slick with blood.

Backovic knew what he was doing.

When Stravinsky's"Rite of Spring"premiered to riots,

it was an accident.

La Fin Absolue du Monde was no accident. He told me so.

Wait-- You spoke to Backovic?

At the start of the festival.

He told me exactly what was going to happen.

I recorded the whole interview.

Could I listen to that tape?

People weren't ready. They still aren't.

That review I published was a joke.

It doesn't begin to describe the film.

I was given the opportunity to be the messenger

and I failed.

But you'll see.

People will understand as soon as I finish

my new review.

Is that what this is, all of this?

That one review? It's almost finished now.

There's a chance that there still may be a print out there.

I was hired to find it.

To what purpose?

To show it.

[laughs]

You should know what you're getting in to.

You're right.

The film is still alive.

Even if they tried to destroy it, they couldn't.

Some films are meant to be seen.

These--

These will change your life.

Promise me--

Promise me, when you find the film,

you'll let me see it again.

I've dreamed about it every night for 30 years,

laying eyes on it again.

Once you start this, you can't just shake it off

and walk away.

It gets inside you.

[Meyers, on tape] Mr. Backovic, this is

your third feature film.

[Backovic] Well, I prefer not

to categorize any film.

What difference does running time make?

The mechanics of film, the language,

that is what matters.

[Meyers] Your work, so far,

has been experimental.

You eschew conventional narrative.

[Backovic scoffs] Narrative is dead.

Hollywood is shit.

Film, it's not entertainment.

[explosion]

[high-pitched tone]

[water dripping]

[screams]

[sighs, turns off tape recorder]

[telephone rings]

Bonjour, Monsieur Sweetman.

This is your wake-up call.

[sighs]

Oh, fuck.

[exhales]

[grunts]

So you're on the hunt again, Kirby?

Yeah, but this is different.

I'm looking for something that may not exist anymore.

You chose an inopportune time, I'm afraid.

We are reorganizing the accounts. Everything's

in boxes, as you can see.

But if you give me the title-- La Fin Absolue du Monde.

Vous êtes fou.

Did you just call me a name--

Who asked you to do this? A private collector.

Then he's the fool. Don't help him.

I may not have a choice.

I'm up to my neck in debt. This job could turn

everything around.

Don't do it for the money. It's not worth it.

This guy came to me because he knew I could find anything.

I'd like to prove him right.

Besides, I'd like to see the film.

How much do you know about La Fin Absolue du Monde

and Hans Backovic?

Not enough. I talked to A.K. Meyers about it.

Nice choice. Most people start with Sitges

and try to drag it that way.

Most people?

You don't think you're the first to look for this film, do you?

If you know so much about it, why don't you help me?

You can use my assistant's office next door.

But it's not in there.

You have to earn this movie.

What do you know about Patton League?

The cinematographer?

You think you can help me? A tragic story, that. He went

blind after they made the movie.

You have to understand, he won't even speak Backovic's name.

The last person to ask him about La Fin Absolue du Monde,

he got six stitches from where League smacked him

with his cane.

What's with all the mystery?

There's a wall of silence around this film,

around Backovic's whole life!

If I could just talk to him for a secon--

And he's dead.

There's no records that he's dead.

Trust me.

Backovic is quite dead.

Who told you that? His family? His friends?

Anybody you can introduce me to? I'm sorry,

I can tell you no more.

[speaking in French]

[door opens]

[door closes]

Henri.

You disappoint me. You should not be here.

I thought we were friends. But you know more

than you're telling me.

That film that you're holding-- that's one of Backovic's

short films, isn't it?

You do not understand. I don't understand anything

that's happening to me.

Last night I saw something I-- A circle?

Huh? Like the reel change in the movie?

Yeah.

Then it's started.

You're already in it.

It's only going to get worse from here.

What? What's happening to me?

When you look for this film, the more you will see

those burns.

You'll pay for every step closer you'll take. I'm trying

to do you a favor.

I'm telling you to walk away because I like you.

I've been where you are right now. I've felt

that same building curiosity,

like an unscratchable itch.

I had to know.

I had to see it.

I was the projectionist at the private screening

in 1988.

The faces in that room--

Famous, beautiful people from all over Europe.

When I threaded the film into the projector,

I saw those same dots you described.

And when I actually started it running...

I lost my nerve, I looked away.

It was playing right there, right in front of me

and I was too frightened to watch.

When the screaming started and the smell of blood hit me,

I tried to stop the film.

The projector wouldn't shut off and I grabbed the film

to rip it out

and then I saw those same circles.

And...I don't know.

I must have blacked out.

Time seemed to drop away.

When I came to, the film was over and my hand...

Look,

I appreciate you trying to protect me, I really do.

But I need this.

And I won't watch the film, and I won't play it

at my theater.

I'll give it to this collector and walk away.

If I were you, I would not call this number.

This man has an excellent collection, but he's dangerous.

Does he have the film?

No.

But he does have items given to him by

the Backovic estate.

God knows why.

He can get in touch with him for you.

[speaking in French]

[stuttering] It's not for me.

It's for a client.

[speaks with foreign accent] But you're curious,

aren't you?

If Henri sent you to me, then you've had your first glimpses.

Glimpses? Glimpses of what?

It's different for everyone.

What you see isn't the important part.

It's the way you change.

It's what the film does to you that matters.

Have you seen the film? No.

Would you if you got the chance?

Of course.

Is it true that you keep in contact

with the Backovic estate?

I've got a number I've called a few times.

I've managed to pry a few items loose.

Backovic's widow can be difficult to deal with.

I admire a man like Backovic:

unafraid to transgress,

in life and in art.

You see,

I've always wanted to make my own films.

But I detest the falseness of Hollywood.

I would rather die than make something false.

[click]

Don't you agree?

Yeah. Sure.

[gasps]

Don't leave, Mr. Sweetman.

There's so much more for us to talk about.

What is it that you Americans say, huh?

[panting]

"Relax."

"Chill out."

[projector running]

The blade of a splicing table can be used to create a lie

or to tell the truth.

It all depends whose hand it's in.

This may be larger than a natural splicing blade,

but you get the point.

[woman gasps]

I believe in truth.

[gasping]

One take.

One, uninterrupted shot.

The only cut was to her.

[thud]

[knife clatters]

I turned her into art.

Something happens when you point the camera

at something terrible.

The resulting film takes on power.

No, it doesn't! Cinema isn't powerful.

It doesn't reveal some hidden truth.

It's just fuckin' murder!

[pants]

You're not listening to me, my friend.

You come all this way, then you don't listen.

You want to understand why La Fin Absolue du Monde

tore through the audiences.

Backovic was an exceptional editor.

He understood the value of a cut.

But there was more to it.

They say the movie works subliminally as you're watching.

But the thing that made the film a weapon:

blood.

Spilt blood.

What if you got hold of an angel,

a divine being with the blood of gold flowing through

its veins?

And what if you sacrificed it... on camera?

Something that profound,

that personal--

it changes everyone who was part of putting it on film

and everyone who sees it.

The closer you get to the film,

the more you'll be changed too.

This was Backovic's secret.

"Film is magic," he said.

And he was right.

[gasps] What is it you see?

Who is it who wants you?

Who will be waiting for you on the other side?

[explosion]

Fuck you.

Fuck me? Fuck me? Huh?

Fuck you, psycho!

[grunts] Tell me where

the film is.

Tell me who to talk to! No!

You have the film?

[gasping] Katja!

[pants]

Ah, bonjour. Can you connect me to Air France, s'il vous plait?

[rings] [clears throat]

[woman] Yes? Miss Backovic, can I speak

to you for a minute?

I've come a long way.

[door buzzer]

Are you my sweet man, Kirby?

Will you take care of me always?

You're not real.

[elevator dings]

[door closes]

You saw something that upset you. In the elevator?

You could say that. Yet now you are here.

You must want this very badly. You're the first to make it

this far.

I didn't expect you to be here. I thought you'd be in Europe.

This is still very much his house. He's in every room.

Hans moved us here because he thought it would become

a place to make films

more affordably than Hollywood could.

20 years later, he's right.

I have so many questions.

I'm not sure I have the answers you're looking for.

But we'll see.

Do you have a print of La Fin Absolue du Monde?

That's not what you want.

You want to know if the stories about the film are true.

Are they?

Yes. Unfortunately.

Why are you looking for the film?

I'm being paid to.

[laughing] That is just an excuse.

If someone paid you to kill a man, would you?

No, of course not.

But you have been warned about this.

La Fin Absolue du Monde is no ordinary film.

That's what everyone keeps telling me, like I'm going

to back off or something.

I don't want to see an ordinary film. I want to see

something extraordinary.

You sound exactly like Hans.

He would do anything to make his films stand out.

Who produced the film? You're very direct.

I just wanna hear somebody say it.

I asked Hans the same question, many times.

"The producers of this film produce many other things:

chaos, sorrow, suffering, famine."

What does that mean? The devil?

Hans never put a name on it.

"Evil is evil," he would say. "Does a name really matter?"

Come with me.

I have something to show you.

This is nice.

He kept it all state of the art until the year he died.

How did he die? There was no official obituary.

Hans...became obsessed with La Fin Absolue du Monde.

During the last year of his life,

all he did was watch it,

like a punishment.

In the end, he got too close to the fire.

The film was too effective.

It, um-- It got inside him.

It made him crazy.

He stopped by the kitchen on the way to find me...

in the bedroom.

He meant to kill us both.

But when he cut my throat...

he only disfigured me.

When he cut his own throat...

he died.

I'm not sure I got the better deal.

I was left to take care of La Fin Absolue du Monde.

I hate that film. And I understand its power.

I wish it had never been made.

Do you understand what that's like, Kirby?

Wanting to do penance for something but knowing

it's too late.

[panting]

Yeah.

I do.

People said terrible things about Hans.

Some people said he deserved his death.

[quietly] Maybe he did.

But I miss him...terribly.

Miss Backovic-- Oh...Katja.

Katja...um...

can I watch the film?

I put it here.

I hate even having it in the house.

Ever since I've been tracking this, I've been seeing flashes.

Circles with images inside of 'em.

The cigarette burns?

Yeah. And every time I see them, something--

Terrible things happen. When did they start?

I have a tape of an interview with Hans.

Ever since I heard his voice-- You were marked.

That's how potent La Fin Absolue du Monde is.

It doesn't just effect you when you're watching it.

As soon as you start getting close to it,

it rubs off on you, like you're stepping into quicksand.

So go ahead, take the film.

It's already too late.

[moans]

I can feel it.

It's worth every penny.

[sighs]

[gasps, exhales]

[button clicks]

[projector running]

[cork pops]

[ghostly whispers]

Fuck!

[cell phone dialing]

Timpson, yeah, I just got back.

I'm standing in front of the theater right now.

Where the fuck are you?

You were here? When did he put the chains on?

He said I had two weeks.

All right, all right. Relax, relax.

I've got the money.

We'll be back in business by tomorrow.

I'll take care of it.

Yeah, I'm fuckin' pissed!

No, man, I'm not pissed at you. All right. Bye.

[cell rings]

Hello?

Bellinger?

Yeah, but wai-wai-wait. What happened?

All right. I'm coming right now.

Mr. Bellinger! Mr. Bellinger!

Mr. Bellinger called me. You brought the film

to this house!

I don't want any trouble. But you brought trouble

to this house, didn't you?

And now you're back.

Hell...

I know what you want. You want to see the movie.

No, I don't. Yes, you do.

I hope you get what you want,

what you deserve!

[screams]

[screams]

[indistinct whispers]

[gasps]

[grunts]

[groans] Bellinger?

[coughs, gasps]

You missed the good part. What's goin' on?

[pants]

Oh, nothing. And everything is all right.

You sure? Maybe I should call a doctor?

I have done terrible things in my life.

You don't make as much money as I have...

without burying a few bodies.

[grunts]

You only can sleep at night...

if they stay buried.

They never do.

You watched La Fin Absolue du Monde?

Yeah.

[gasping] I highly recommend it.

[straining] It's...not a movie, however.

It's a preview.

It's coming attractions of the soul.

But it has...

[chuckles] a hell of an ending.

You said on the phone you needed help.

I...was going to ask you

to find another movie for me.

After all, you did a good job with this one.

I don't need it anymore.

I have been...inspired.

[gasps] I made my own movie.

[gushing sounds]

[gagging]

Jesus, what are you doing? What's going on here?

What filthy, fuckin' thing-- What is this?

You don't wanna be here now! You're right.

Lately I've been spending a lot of time doing things

I never would have expected.

Like sitting outside your theater for days at a time,

with a loaded gun

or letting my business go to hell while I figure out ways

to ruin your life.

I didn't want to throw my life away.

But now, if you get shot here,

what's it matter, who's going to notice?

Just one more freak on a stack of bodies tomorrow.

[laughs]

Hey! [grunts, groans]

[explosion]

[gasping]

Annie, baby! Daddy?

Hush, hush. Daddy's here.

Everything's gonna be fine.

Daddy? I'm right here.

I'm right here.

I'm so cold.

[whimpers] Everything's fine.

I'll get you out of here.

Daddy? [stammers]

I'm sorry, honey.

Everything will be okay now, okay?

I'm-- I'm hungry.

[screams]

[screams, gasps]

I see now. I understand.

Annie?

What's happening? She was just here!

Of course she was, 'cause you won't let her go.

I loved her.

I loved her too! But I see now,

that we can't both let her go.

It's like we're killing her over and over again.

[gasping] And we'll never let her go.

Not until we're both dead.

[groans]

[blood gushes]

[panting] Here's your fucking money.

[whimpering] I love you. I'm sorry.

[explosion]

[gunshot]

Thank you...for this.