Awareness (2023) Movie Script
1
- Is that all?
- Yeah, that's it.
That'll be 90 cents.
Okay. Keep the change.
Much appreciated.
- Hold on a bit, I'll get the truck.
- Hurry up.
What a freak.
What the fuck?
Stop! Stop, you bastard!
How did you do it? Get out.
Get out. Fuck.
Drop the hammer.
Or what, pretty boy?
Don't make me do it.
Stop right there!
Don't come any closer!
Ian!
Ian, son!
Ian, snap out of it.
What have you done? Let's go.
Quick!
Help!
- Help!
- It's okay, ma'am.
- What happened?
- I've been shot.
- Where?
- I've been shot.
You're not hurt. You weren't hit, relax.
No way!
I've been robbed.
The truck!
It's the third one this year.
- It's stolen.
- But I like this one.
Do whatever you have to,
but don't let them see it.
Why the hell did you do that?
Don't you remember the rules?
We have two rules.
Rule number one, never stand out.
And number two,
don't play tricks on family. I know.
Why do we always
have to settle for crumbs?
We could pull off a heist and live large!
Ian, please, not again.
I go to a bank.
I make them believe I have a check,
and free money!
No. I told you.
Banks are the major league,
and we play in the minors.
They'd find us
before we could spend a euro.
They'd find us? Who?
Let me be clear.
If they catch you,
they'll take you to a lab. Remember that.
They'll run tests without your permission.
That's why we have rules.
To live in peace, respect the rules.
Code 10-43, aggravated robbery.
Suspect in a Lancia Delta.
Southbound on Road 212.
Stop the vehicle immediately.
I repeat, stop the vehicle!
Ian. Hold on.
What are you doing?
Stop the vehicle right now!
Ian, you're not as good as you think.
Stop the...
A full tank, chief?
GAS STATION
MAIN STREEYes. I'm watching it.
Good job.
Finally.
Paca! My Paca.
Pretty little thing!
Come here.
Happy birthday to you
There we go.
Happy birthday to you
All right, Dad. I heard you!
Stop singing. I have a headache.
Happy birthday from your dad
Happy birthday to you
- Come on, make a wish.
- Okay.
Yay!
Thanks, Dad.
I've been thinking all night.
And I have a plan.
I'll find a job as a mechanic.
So you can focus on your Biology degree.
With that brain of yours,
it'll take no time.
And we start living!
We already lost your mom.
I don't want to lose you too.
Do you know what else
I've been thinking about all night? Look.
Look at this.
Isn't she beautiful?
The day you discovered
you could do all those things you do.
As a kid you were obsessed
with two things,
animal cookies and balloons.
"A balloon, a balloon."
You were always bugging us
to buy you more balloons.
And that day, who knows,
you probably got fed up.
And decided to make them yourself.
Later, I don't know why,
you suddenly made them all pop at once.
I'm leaving.
No. Where to? Come back.
- I told you yesterday. I have plans.
- Right, but it's a bad idea.
I've been living in this boat for years.
By your rules.
Listen.
I'm just going to the arcade for a while.
Is doing something normal for once
that dangerous?
- It's just that...
- For once.
You're not normal.
And after the show you put up yesterday,
- we can't take any risks.
- She was about to bash you with a hammer.
- You know that?
- Yeah, and I appreciate that.
Son, don't worry about me.
You're the only one that matters.
It doesn't feel like it.
Hold on a sec.
FOR IAN
I swear.
It was a hailstorm.
- There's never been a hailstorm here.
- That wasn't the weirdest part.
I asked to see the footage from the car
and the grocery shop.
And the gas station CCTV footage.
And you know what?
It had already been confiscated.
"By your colleagues," they said.
They were looking for the boy
and his father.
Those bastards.
Shit!
Are you okay?
No, I'm looking for him.
Bruce Hong.
Your brother. Where is he?
That's what I'd like to know.
He is very busy, fighting over...
- Bruce is Dragon Hong's brother.
- Ian!
Come, Bruce Lee's clone
is about to raise hell.
You seem very confident.
You are also kind.
Of course. Even more than you.
Ian?
Thank you for the trick you pulled
on the Civil Guard.
The Agency
wouldn't have found you otherwise.
The Agency?
That sounds way too official
for an unofficial organization.
Are you still calling them "perceivers"?
Perceiver. Singular.
There's just one left.
And believe me, he's on his last legs.
Where's the boy?
I don't care what you do to me.
I won't say it again.
We have him.
Three kilometers away.
His truck is at the arcade.
Entering the arcade.
Perceiver in the area.
Perceiver in the area!
Awaiting orders and backup!
Change of priorities.
Catch the perceiver.
We can't let him near the kid.
Visual on the target.
He's heading to the exit. Awaiting orders.
Go after him.
- Don't even look at him.
- You're not safe here. Let's go. Now!
You've seen what that guy can do.
There are more like you, Ian.
Come with me if you want to live.
We don't have all night, kid.
It's up to you.
Dad...
- Dad!
- Sit down.
Dad!
What are you doing?
I'm sorry.
We have the kid.
Sending samples for analysis.
- The perceiver has blocked the road.
- Don't believe it. Carry on.
Sorry about the helmet, Ian.
I have to guarantee my team's safety.
I'm Doctor Levin,
but you can call me Adriana.
I don't care who you are.
What am I doing here?
Let's take a look at history.
Don't you have the feeling
the world is getting worse?
Each new government promises
change and hope when it's elected.
But they end up doing
exactly the same as the previous one.
They say one thing and do the opposite.
The world we live in is defined by power.
But real power can't be bought with money,
knowledge or technology.
It's achieved by being able
to create a lie and remain invisible.
By making others believe
whatever you want.
And, eventually,
if that doesn't lead to concrete action,
making them do it against their will
and redirecting the course of history.
That's true power.
We're at war, kid.
Against the Awareness.
I don't know what that is.
An organization of people
with abilities like yours.
They've been controlling
the spheres of power for years,
manipulating the minds and decisions
of those in power.
Leaders, politicians and the military.
It doesn't matter who is in charge.
In the end, they'll follow
the path laid by the Awareness.
We're here to stop that from happening.
To preserve the scant democracy
left in the world.
What does that have to do with me?
You're still alive
because we got to you before he did.
Who was he?
That man.
A perceiver.
- A what?
- A perceiver.
The last one remaining
from the Awareness, we believe.
He can project images, like you.
And do a few other things.
He's the most powerful we've faced.
He wants you to join him.
If you don't, he'll kill you.
Great. Kill me.
And what do you want?
I want you to work with me.
And also, the formula in your blood.
What formula?
The one that can create
or cancel your powers.
What else can you project?
Larger objects?
Environments?
People?
People? I've tried it many times,
but it's not possible.
It is possible.
Where is my father?
I don't want to hurt you, Ian.
- Tell me where he is.
- Not yet.
- Tell me.
- I want to help you.
Where's my father?
Sit down.
First do something for me.
Then you can see your father.
Show me what you can do.
I want you to make me believe
I'm on the beach.
It's sunny.
White sand.
Drinking a mojito.
With a chihuahua by my side.
Look, Doctor, it doesn't work that way.
I can make you see something,
but nothing as spectacular as that.
Don't be afraid.
You can run before you walk.
Emotions are a great way
to channel your powers.
The more intense they are,
the bigger your ability to project.
Find a strong emotion
and project it onto me.
Look inside yourself.
I'm sure you had a tough childhood, right?
What do you mean?
I've been looking for you for years.
But Vicente managed to hide you.
I imagine you've gone from town to town.
No schooling.
No friends.
No mother.
Now the chihuahua.
A fly?
Really?
Now I want to go home
and have the fly follow me in a loop.
A projection, but forever.
The subject won't even know it's not real.
Like a sick person
who sees things others can't.
My reality will constantly
include that loop.
Your free trial is over.
If you want more,
I want to see my father.
Dad!
Dad!
Are you okay?
Help me.
- Help me, son.
- Did they hit you?
You should look after yourself.
You're no longer a kid.
Hold on.
You know each other?
Find out for yourself.
Go into his memories.
What?
Don't you ever
suddenly feel invaded by bits
of someone else's life?
You could control that.
See what those memories hold
and go through them.
It's the second power.
You might find blank spaces.
You'll learn to avoid them.
Ian, don't listen to her.
They just want to run tests on you.
I'm offering him the truth.
- What is she talking about?
- Don't listen!
Everything they say is a lie.
Why are you afraid, then?
Go in and find out who this woman is.
Adriana...
I'm begging you, please.
Ian, please.
Please.
This will only make it worse.
I'm begging you!
Vicente, what are you doing?
Leave him. He's not yours.
What the fuck was that?
Did you see her?
No. I've only seen you and Dad.
And a baby.
He took it.
It was me.
That baby was me.
He's not my father.
That's right, Ian.
He ran away with you.
I understand this might be hard for you.
But your mother might still be alive.
Get up, kid.
Have you seen where you are?
You're a lab rat.
And you know what they do to those.
We have to get out. Can you fight?
Here you go, Doctor.
Thanks.
Doctor.
We have to repeat the tests.
The NTF had an invalid value.
And it'd be nice...
As I was saying, the kid...
You should know we had never administered
such high doses before.
Okay, I'll be back in a while.
NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR: 204%
Come on!
Let's go!
What are you waiting for?
Hold on a moment.
We can't leave without my father.
You've seen he's not your father.
Leave him.
He's useless.
He can be of use.
My answers are in his memories.
Sound the alarms!
Close the perimeter.
Cover access points!
These.
- Give them to me.
- No. I'll drive.
Duck, son. Buckle up.
Don't call me son.
You finally did it.
You got into my head!
Yes, I got into your head!
Watch out!
I wanted to tell you.
But it's not easy. It's not!
What are you doing? Go to your office.
The boy has escaped.
Shoot to kill. Orders from above.
Ian, please, we already lost them.
Watch out!
Careful.
There you go. Come on.
Ester.
Come here.
Why are you helping me?
I can either help you...
or kill you.
Lighten up, kid.
I still haven't killed you.
Can you also...
do mind tricks?
You work for the Resistance, right?
The Awareness.
And no, I can't do mind tricks.
Do you like this song?
I like the classics.
One time Vicente caught me
doing pranks on the overpass.
I was watching cars avoid
the balls I was projecting.
He taught me to sprinkle them.
You mean spit on them.
Yeah, right.
It turns out he's not my dad.
Actually, it's ironic.
I thought I was the one
creating illusions for everyone.
What an idiot.
The world was creating illusions for me.
Ian, what makes you different
makes you strong.
I get that it's not easy,
but being unique isn't bad.
You have to believe in yourself
and follow your gut.
And when that happens,
they better be ready.
You'll be unstoppable.
- The song is over.
- Yeah.
Let's talk!
Motherfucker.
Look, I know that deep down you love him.
But he's a drunk and a liability.
- That's bullshit.
- I don't like to argue.
It's just a fact.
- What do you want me to do?
- I don't know.
You wanted him here.
I want to know who I am.
What I am.
What are you waiting for?
Go in there and find the answers.
You can go in and measure the subject.
I bet the big boss asked you personally.
I bet the big boss asked you personally.
12K WOJDYNSKA STREET,
WARSAW, POLAND
Kominski wants
to give him the formula tonight.
Kominski wants
to give him the formula tonight.
Ian. What did you see?
Good morning. How may I help you?
In small bills.
- Please.
- We don't have this much money.
To withdraw 50,000 euros
you have to give notice.
Please wait here.
Hold on.
I think you read it wrong.
I wish it were 50,000.
Five thousand. That's different.
- All right, sign here and here.
- Okay.
Five thousand.
In small bills.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
I'M SORRY
Security!
Security! Get that boy!
Run.
Run!
Stop right there!
Stop!
That was fucking awesome!
He won't like it one bit.
I've always wanted to do this.
Stop, stop!
Where's Vicente?
Here.
He's probably at the bar. You know.
Stay here.
Projections don't work on mirrors
or with me, Ian.
I see Adriana has done a good job
setting you against me. Calm down.
I am calm!
Calm down.
- I'm here to help you.
- I don't need your help.
Get up!
Relax! Look at me.
Calm down! Breathe.
Don't you think it's strange the Agency
is no longer after you?
It was me. I got rid of them for you.
We're on the same side, Ian. Trust me.
This is for your own good.
Stop, stop!
That was fucking awesome!
Run!
Security! Get that boy!
I want to know who I am.
What I am.
What are you waiting for?
Go in there and find the answers.
The scientist is currently retired
and lives in the outskirts of Warsaw.
...in the outskirts of Warsaw.
It's our only option.
I'll see you soon.
Ian.
What happened here?
Ian!
Come.
Can't you see how serious this is?
Everyone's talking about it.
It's all your fault.
If you had told me the truth,
we wouldn't be here.
Besides, we need money.
What for?
We're going to Warsaw.
Why the heck do you want to go to Warsaw?
You know damn well what's in Warsaw.
Kominski.
- You've gotten into my head again.
- Yeah, I did.
You've had chances
to tell me your secrets.
But you always choose not to.
What is it? You don't trust me?
Trust you?
How the fuck am I supposed to trust you?
You've been lying to me my whole life!
- I was going to tell you!
- You kidnapped me!
You took me from my parents.
And forced me to lead your shitty life.
You've turned me into a wretch.
Just like you.
And the balloons?
What the hell was that?
Did you have fun telling me that bullshit?
Everything I've done was for you.
It's not so hard to understand.
- But if you break the rules...
- What rules?
No playing tricks on "family"?
- No.
- No? Because you're not my father!
Let's calm down.
Isolating you from the world
was my way of protecting you.
- I know I wasn't the perfect father...
- You're not my father!
You're right.
I'm not your father.
But you are my son.
Listen to me,
because I can only say this once.
You have two options.
Continue on this path, which I guarantee
will only bring you pain.
And suffering.
Or come with me.
And make a fresh start.
You and I. Alone.
Together. Like at the beginning.
- Yes?
- We have him. He's bought train tickets.
Activate the protocol.
WARSAW
All right.
Affirmative. They're here.
It feels like home.
It looks like no one lives here.
- So why are you whispering?
- I don't know.
There's nothing here.
Or no one.
We're back to square one.
To ground zero.
What?
"Ground zero" sounds cooler.
The room from my dreams.
I spent hours playing with my mom here.
I remember a bunny that...
I remember it bigger.
You can't have memories from that age.
Something is off.
What's off is that in my dreams
it was bigger.
Memory doesn't work like you think.
An image can spark a memory.
But, a kid that young?
- How old were you?
- One year old or so.
It's her journals.
It's her.
It's always the same dream.
I'm in that white room.
And she always sings.
Her name is Urszula.
Urszula Kominski.
You're Kominski's grandson.
Drinking won't help you forget.
Is that how you fix everything?
Last time you weren't so nice.
What do you want?
We know Ian is flying solo now.
Tracking him has been easy.
If we can find him...
so can the perceiver.
If you wanted to help him, you could...
- just leave him alone.
- It's not that easy.
Ian is the only person
who could face The Mule.
He's our only hope.
Look at you.
After all these years
you're still going on about The Mule.
No man's land.
That's what I chose.
The Awareness on one side,
the Agency on the other,
and the kid and me in the middle.
Not letting either side sway us.
He's following his own path.
I have to respect that.
Ian is no longer protected.
He's alone, lost, and easily manipulated.
Meanwhile, you stay in the middle.
You should stop drinking
and become a real father for once.
I'm sure there's a clue somewhere in here.
Ester?
But... What are you doing?
- Helping you.
- Helping me?
- What is this?
- You wanted answers.
Listen to what he has to say.
Stay back.
- I don't want to hurt you.
- Stop!
I just want to talk.
Well, I don't. Go!
Stop, I said!
Stop!
This one is real.
If I wanted to kill you, I'd do it now.
Hands down.
I know you're looking for your parents.
I've been looking for you, son.
You?
I don't believe a word you say.
We're a product, Ian.
A creation.
Fruit of a secret program
created in the 1950s, after World War II.
There was a group of volunteers.
Like your mom and me.
Kominski injected us
with a compound that he created.
- The formula.
- Yes.
Thanks to the formula,
we developed extrasensory abilities.
We're spies capable of mental control.
After the Cold War,
they didn't know what to do with us.
They feared we might regroup
or form an alliance with an enemy.
They decided to exterminate us.
They called it The Disinfection.
They hunted us one by one.
Like rabbits.
We had no hope.
Until The Mule appeared.
He's the last and strongest
of the perceivers.
The perfect weapon.
When they went after him, The Mule
counterattacked.
A few days before The Disinfection,
they'd detected signs of a new ability
that made the Agency tremble.
The third power.
Complete subjugation.
Being able to bend anyone's will.
Make them do what you want,
how you want it, when you want it,
wherever you want it.
Like a puppeteer.
He regrouped the survivors.
And created the Awareness.
He gave us guidelines to go unnoticed
without having to use our powers.
Why "The Mule"?
We perceivers, like mules,
are sterile.
Governments made sure it was that way.
But I'm the son of two perceivers.
You are. And that's the miracle.
It was impossible. Your mother and I
had been together for years.
And suddenly one day,
she realized she was pregnant.
The first natural perceiver
was going to be born.
No fucking way.
After me. Go to the roof. I'll cover you.
I don't believe a word.
Stop lying to me.
Where is my mother?
Hey, I don't like to argue.
Go back to Spain.
I have a house in Madrid. She knows where.
Good.
Trust us.
Stay here.
There's no emergency ladder.
There!
Ian, we don't have time.
Ester!
Come on!
You will all regret this.
All of you!
It almost worked out for you.
Letting me find the kid
so you could catch us both.
It's called strategy.
You might have powers,
but we have brain and muscle.
And we'll soon know if you're The Mule
or if it's just a legend.
Then you'll tell us where the kid went.
And if I don't? What will you do to me?
Will you kill me?
No.
Not yet.
As soon as I have the formula,
I'll strip you of your powers.
And then,
you'll beg me to kill you.
Adriana,
wasn't sterilizing me enough, you bitch?
Start the tests.
Listen to yourself!
You talk just like Kominski!
I want that formula.
Doctor.
Bad news.
The formula...
It's so diluted in his body
it's impossible to synthesize.
I'm thirsty!
Can I get some water?
It's really hot in here, motherfuckers.
Keep your mouth open.
What are you doing, Doctor?
Return the robot to its initial position.
Deactivate the robot now.
He's controlling my movements.
Remove your hand from the joystick.
I won't say it again!
Remove your hand from the joystick!
This way.
She likes being sung to.
Mom.
You must have imagined this moment
a million times.
And I'm sorry
it's not like you imagined.
But your mother isn't gone, Ian.
She's still in there, somewhere.
And you can reunite there.
Mom.
Ian, look at your mother.
This is what they do to our kind.
Before being caught,
Urszula managed
to implant a memory in you.
This memory.
She knew they couldn't create
perceivers without the formula.
She destroyed Kominski's only copy.
And encrypted the original in your memory.
Ian.
With that formula,
we could create new perceivers.
And put an end once and for all
to that Agency that has hurt
you,
me,
and your mom.
Ian.
You can't get them yourself?
There's no time, son. Give them to me.
She didn't want anyone to see them.
Just me.
Ian, give me the blocks!
So I can protect you from the Agency!
Stop!
Stop!
Stop, you'll hurt her!
Step away from the boy!
There it is.
The third power.
I knew it.
Ian!
Ian!
I can't move.
Ian.
What are you doing?
Ian, stop.
Stop, Ian. Don't make me do it.
Open fire!
Shoot!
It's a direct order!
I just saw it.
No, Ian, stop. What did you see?
- Is she alive?
- Do it, son.
She's responsible for this.
We lost her many years ago.
Whatever you saw is his doing!
You're lying!
You'll pay for everything
you did to my mother.
For opening her head.
Like a lab rat.
No, Ian...
Do it.
- Do it!
- Ian!
You.
You're with them.
Don't do it. You have to stop.
Don't interfere.
Son...
He's manipulating you, look.
He treats you like a puppet.
- He treats you like a child.
- Shut up!
Leave me alone!
Make him do the same thing as the rest!
Don't do it,
you'll regret it your whole life.
Take a look.
Look at them, they're terrified!
Go.
The Agency...
tortured my mother
until she turned into a vegetable.
Just to get the formula.
And destroy us.
Ian...
Look around you. Is this what you want?
Don't let him control you like always.
Think about your life.
No family, no friends.
Son, now you have the chance
to do something big. Don't listen to him.
He's a drunk. Listen to your father!
Father...
A father is the man who raises you.
Who gives you everything
and makes sacrifices...
What have you done?
Ian!
No.
No, no.
No, no, no.
If I go in, you won't survive.
No.
See... See for yourself.
You're not like the others.
I can feel your pain.
- Let go, please.
- He's here.
He wants to take him away.
Don't let them hurt him.
You have to take him. Promise me you will!
Please! The child deserves a future!
Forgive me.
- Dad. Forgive me.
- Don't worry.
I'm the one who should apologize.
You gave up your life...
so I could have one.
Yes, but I was wrong.
I never should've lied to you.
But you...
You can find your own path.
Are they not coming today?
You have to be patient,
like when we played hide-and-seek.
- What if the fish are all gone?
- Ian.
Come on! How can they all be gone?
Can't you see how big the sea is?
See the end?
Yeah, the line is the end.
Listen. Just because
you can't see further,
it doesn't mean something doesn't exist.
Behind that line there's still much more.
A lot more.
So never give up. Okay?
Who are the best fish for?
- For those who keep their hopes up.
- That's right.
Dad.
Dad...
Ian!
Stop. Don't move.
You're strong, son.
But you haven't mastered it.
I can see it in your eyes.
Take it easy.
Relax.
One more step and I'll kill her.
Do what he says, Ian.
You took advantage of me.
Like everybody else!
You only care about the formula.
Pretty much.
Let me see it in your mind
and I'll go without hurting her.
She has nothing to do with this!
She? Don't listen to him!
Whoever she is, she's a projection.
He's put a loop into your head.
What are you saying?
I can't see her. No one else sees her.
Only you can see her!
That's a lie. She's playing tricks on you.
- She said it was impossible.
- Be careful with what you decide.
Whatever you do,
there's no going back.
Should I pull the trigger
to see if she's real?
This is between you and me.
Ian, try to remember.
He had to plant the loop at some point.
Ian.
Drop your weapon.
Please, I don't want to die.
Shut up!
I don't want to hear you.
Look at me.
I know you feel the same way.
- Is that not real?
- No. You're not real!
No. You're just in my head.
Are you sure?
- Ian.
- That's a strong bet, son.
I am not
your son.
This was just the beginning.
I've already lost too much.
The only people who cared about me.
And 18 years I want to get back.
We need the formula, Ian.
We need you.
The fate of a lot of people
depends on this war.
Innocent people.
You can't sit on the fence.
You have to decide which side you're on.
No man's land.
Does it ring a bell, Doctor?
You didn't have to do this.
You just had to ask.
I'll think about it.
FOR IAN
My dad gave it to me for my birthday.
What are you waiting for?
The Majesty of the Ocean.
THE BEST FISH ARE FOR THOSE
WHO KEEP THEIR HOPES UP. I LOVE YOU.
I love it.
- Is that all?
- Yeah, that's it.
That'll be 90 cents.
Okay. Keep the change.
Much appreciated.
- Hold on a bit, I'll get the truck.
- Hurry up.
What a freak.
What the fuck?
Stop! Stop, you bastard!
How did you do it? Get out.
Get out. Fuck.
Drop the hammer.
Or what, pretty boy?
Don't make me do it.
Stop right there!
Don't come any closer!
Ian!
Ian, son!
Ian, snap out of it.
What have you done? Let's go.
Quick!
Help!
- Help!
- It's okay, ma'am.
- What happened?
- I've been shot.
- Where?
- I've been shot.
You're not hurt. You weren't hit, relax.
No way!
I've been robbed.
The truck!
It's the third one this year.
- It's stolen.
- But I like this one.
Do whatever you have to,
but don't let them see it.
Why the hell did you do that?
Don't you remember the rules?
We have two rules.
Rule number one, never stand out.
And number two,
don't play tricks on family. I know.
Why do we always
have to settle for crumbs?
We could pull off a heist and live large!
Ian, please, not again.
I go to a bank.
I make them believe I have a check,
and free money!
No. I told you.
Banks are the major league,
and we play in the minors.
They'd find us
before we could spend a euro.
They'd find us? Who?
Let me be clear.
If they catch you,
they'll take you to a lab. Remember that.
They'll run tests without your permission.
That's why we have rules.
To live in peace, respect the rules.
Code 10-43, aggravated robbery.
Suspect in a Lancia Delta.
Southbound on Road 212.
Stop the vehicle immediately.
I repeat, stop the vehicle!
Ian. Hold on.
What are you doing?
Stop the vehicle right now!
Ian, you're not as good as you think.
Stop the...
A full tank, chief?
GAS STATION
MAIN STREEYes. I'm watching it.
Good job.
Finally.
Paca! My Paca.
Pretty little thing!
Come here.
Happy birthday to you
There we go.
Happy birthday to you
All right, Dad. I heard you!
Stop singing. I have a headache.
Happy birthday from your dad
Happy birthday to you
- Come on, make a wish.
- Okay.
Yay!
Thanks, Dad.
I've been thinking all night.
And I have a plan.
I'll find a job as a mechanic.
So you can focus on your Biology degree.
With that brain of yours,
it'll take no time.
And we start living!
We already lost your mom.
I don't want to lose you too.
Do you know what else
I've been thinking about all night? Look.
Look at this.
Isn't she beautiful?
The day you discovered
you could do all those things you do.
As a kid you were obsessed
with two things,
animal cookies and balloons.
"A balloon, a balloon."
You were always bugging us
to buy you more balloons.
And that day, who knows,
you probably got fed up.
And decided to make them yourself.
Later, I don't know why,
you suddenly made them all pop at once.
I'm leaving.
No. Where to? Come back.
- I told you yesterday. I have plans.
- Right, but it's a bad idea.
I've been living in this boat for years.
By your rules.
Listen.
I'm just going to the arcade for a while.
Is doing something normal for once
that dangerous?
- It's just that...
- For once.
You're not normal.
And after the show you put up yesterday,
- we can't take any risks.
- She was about to bash you with a hammer.
- You know that?
- Yeah, and I appreciate that.
Son, don't worry about me.
You're the only one that matters.
It doesn't feel like it.
Hold on a sec.
FOR IAN
I swear.
It was a hailstorm.
- There's never been a hailstorm here.
- That wasn't the weirdest part.
I asked to see the footage from the car
and the grocery shop.
And the gas station CCTV footage.
And you know what?
It had already been confiscated.
"By your colleagues," they said.
They were looking for the boy
and his father.
Those bastards.
Shit!
Are you okay?
No, I'm looking for him.
Bruce Hong.
Your brother. Where is he?
That's what I'd like to know.
He is very busy, fighting over...
- Bruce is Dragon Hong's brother.
- Ian!
Come, Bruce Lee's clone
is about to raise hell.
You seem very confident.
You are also kind.
Of course. Even more than you.
Ian?
Thank you for the trick you pulled
on the Civil Guard.
The Agency
wouldn't have found you otherwise.
The Agency?
That sounds way too official
for an unofficial organization.
Are you still calling them "perceivers"?
Perceiver. Singular.
There's just one left.
And believe me, he's on his last legs.
Where's the boy?
I don't care what you do to me.
I won't say it again.
We have him.
Three kilometers away.
His truck is at the arcade.
Entering the arcade.
Perceiver in the area.
Perceiver in the area!
Awaiting orders and backup!
Change of priorities.
Catch the perceiver.
We can't let him near the kid.
Visual on the target.
He's heading to the exit. Awaiting orders.
Go after him.
- Don't even look at him.
- You're not safe here. Let's go. Now!
You've seen what that guy can do.
There are more like you, Ian.
Come with me if you want to live.
We don't have all night, kid.
It's up to you.
Dad...
- Dad!
- Sit down.
Dad!
What are you doing?
I'm sorry.
We have the kid.
Sending samples for analysis.
- The perceiver has blocked the road.
- Don't believe it. Carry on.
Sorry about the helmet, Ian.
I have to guarantee my team's safety.
I'm Doctor Levin,
but you can call me Adriana.
I don't care who you are.
What am I doing here?
Let's take a look at history.
Don't you have the feeling
the world is getting worse?
Each new government promises
change and hope when it's elected.
But they end up doing
exactly the same as the previous one.
They say one thing and do the opposite.
The world we live in is defined by power.
But real power can't be bought with money,
knowledge or technology.
It's achieved by being able
to create a lie and remain invisible.
By making others believe
whatever you want.
And, eventually,
if that doesn't lead to concrete action,
making them do it against their will
and redirecting the course of history.
That's true power.
We're at war, kid.
Against the Awareness.
I don't know what that is.
An organization of people
with abilities like yours.
They've been controlling
the spheres of power for years,
manipulating the minds and decisions
of those in power.
Leaders, politicians and the military.
It doesn't matter who is in charge.
In the end, they'll follow
the path laid by the Awareness.
We're here to stop that from happening.
To preserve the scant democracy
left in the world.
What does that have to do with me?
You're still alive
because we got to you before he did.
Who was he?
That man.
A perceiver.
- A what?
- A perceiver.
The last one remaining
from the Awareness, we believe.
He can project images, like you.
And do a few other things.
He's the most powerful we've faced.
He wants you to join him.
If you don't, he'll kill you.
Great. Kill me.
And what do you want?
I want you to work with me.
And also, the formula in your blood.
What formula?
The one that can create
or cancel your powers.
What else can you project?
Larger objects?
Environments?
People?
People? I've tried it many times,
but it's not possible.
It is possible.
Where is my father?
I don't want to hurt you, Ian.
- Tell me where he is.
- Not yet.
- Tell me.
- I want to help you.
Where's my father?
Sit down.
First do something for me.
Then you can see your father.
Show me what you can do.
I want you to make me believe
I'm on the beach.
It's sunny.
White sand.
Drinking a mojito.
With a chihuahua by my side.
Look, Doctor, it doesn't work that way.
I can make you see something,
but nothing as spectacular as that.
Don't be afraid.
You can run before you walk.
Emotions are a great way
to channel your powers.
The more intense they are,
the bigger your ability to project.
Find a strong emotion
and project it onto me.
Look inside yourself.
I'm sure you had a tough childhood, right?
What do you mean?
I've been looking for you for years.
But Vicente managed to hide you.
I imagine you've gone from town to town.
No schooling.
No friends.
No mother.
Now the chihuahua.
A fly?
Really?
Now I want to go home
and have the fly follow me in a loop.
A projection, but forever.
The subject won't even know it's not real.
Like a sick person
who sees things others can't.
My reality will constantly
include that loop.
Your free trial is over.
If you want more,
I want to see my father.
Dad!
Dad!
Are you okay?
Help me.
- Help me, son.
- Did they hit you?
You should look after yourself.
You're no longer a kid.
Hold on.
You know each other?
Find out for yourself.
Go into his memories.
What?
Don't you ever
suddenly feel invaded by bits
of someone else's life?
You could control that.
See what those memories hold
and go through them.
It's the second power.
You might find blank spaces.
You'll learn to avoid them.
Ian, don't listen to her.
They just want to run tests on you.
I'm offering him the truth.
- What is she talking about?
- Don't listen!
Everything they say is a lie.
Why are you afraid, then?
Go in and find out who this woman is.
Adriana...
I'm begging you, please.
Ian, please.
Please.
This will only make it worse.
I'm begging you!
Vicente, what are you doing?
Leave him. He's not yours.
What the fuck was that?
Did you see her?
No. I've only seen you and Dad.
And a baby.
He took it.
It was me.
That baby was me.
He's not my father.
That's right, Ian.
He ran away with you.
I understand this might be hard for you.
But your mother might still be alive.
Get up, kid.
Have you seen where you are?
You're a lab rat.
And you know what they do to those.
We have to get out. Can you fight?
Here you go, Doctor.
Thanks.
Doctor.
We have to repeat the tests.
The NTF had an invalid value.
And it'd be nice...
As I was saying, the kid...
You should know we had never administered
such high doses before.
Okay, I'll be back in a while.
NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR: 204%
Come on!
Let's go!
What are you waiting for?
Hold on a moment.
We can't leave without my father.
You've seen he's not your father.
Leave him.
He's useless.
He can be of use.
My answers are in his memories.
Sound the alarms!
Close the perimeter.
Cover access points!
These.
- Give them to me.
- No. I'll drive.
Duck, son. Buckle up.
Don't call me son.
You finally did it.
You got into my head!
Yes, I got into your head!
Watch out!
I wanted to tell you.
But it's not easy. It's not!
What are you doing? Go to your office.
The boy has escaped.
Shoot to kill. Orders from above.
Ian, please, we already lost them.
Watch out!
Careful.
There you go. Come on.
Ester.
Come here.
Why are you helping me?
I can either help you...
or kill you.
Lighten up, kid.
I still haven't killed you.
Can you also...
do mind tricks?
You work for the Resistance, right?
The Awareness.
And no, I can't do mind tricks.
Do you like this song?
I like the classics.
One time Vicente caught me
doing pranks on the overpass.
I was watching cars avoid
the balls I was projecting.
He taught me to sprinkle them.
You mean spit on them.
Yeah, right.
It turns out he's not my dad.
Actually, it's ironic.
I thought I was the one
creating illusions for everyone.
What an idiot.
The world was creating illusions for me.
Ian, what makes you different
makes you strong.
I get that it's not easy,
but being unique isn't bad.
You have to believe in yourself
and follow your gut.
And when that happens,
they better be ready.
You'll be unstoppable.
- The song is over.
- Yeah.
Let's talk!
Motherfucker.
Look, I know that deep down you love him.
But he's a drunk and a liability.
- That's bullshit.
- I don't like to argue.
It's just a fact.
- What do you want me to do?
- I don't know.
You wanted him here.
I want to know who I am.
What I am.
What are you waiting for?
Go in there and find the answers.
You can go in and measure the subject.
I bet the big boss asked you personally.
I bet the big boss asked you personally.
12K WOJDYNSKA STREET,
WARSAW, POLAND
Kominski wants
to give him the formula tonight.
Kominski wants
to give him the formula tonight.
Ian. What did you see?
Good morning. How may I help you?
In small bills.
- Please.
- We don't have this much money.
To withdraw 50,000 euros
you have to give notice.
Please wait here.
Hold on.
I think you read it wrong.
I wish it were 50,000.
Five thousand. That's different.
- All right, sign here and here.
- Okay.
Five thousand.
In small bills.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
I'M SORRY
Security!
Security! Get that boy!
Run.
Run!
Stop right there!
Stop!
That was fucking awesome!
He won't like it one bit.
I've always wanted to do this.
Stop, stop!
Where's Vicente?
Here.
He's probably at the bar. You know.
Stay here.
Projections don't work on mirrors
or with me, Ian.
I see Adriana has done a good job
setting you against me. Calm down.
I am calm!
Calm down.
- I'm here to help you.
- I don't need your help.
Get up!
Relax! Look at me.
Calm down! Breathe.
Don't you think it's strange the Agency
is no longer after you?
It was me. I got rid of them for you.
We're on the same side, Ian. Trust me.
This is for your own good.
Stop, stop!
That was fucking awesome!
Run!
Security! Get that boy!
I want to know who I am.
What I am.
What are you waiting for?
Go in there and find the answers.
The scientist is currently retired
and lives in the outskirts of Warsaw.
...in the outskirts of Warsaw.
It's our only option.
I'll see you soon.
Ian.
What happened here?
Ian!
Come.
Can't you see how serious this is?
Everyone's talking about it.
It's all your fault.
If you had told me the truth,
we wouldn't be here.
Besides, we need money.
What for?
We're going to Warsaw.
Why the heck do you want to go to Warsaw?
You know damn well what's in Warsaw.
Kominski.
- You've gotten into my head again.
- Yeah, I did.
You've had chances
to tell me your secrets.
But you always choose not to.
What is it? You don't trust me?
Trust you?
How the fuck am I supposed to trust you?
You've been lying to me my whole life!
- I was going to tell you!
- You kidnapped me!
You took me from my parents.
And forced me to lead your shitty life.
You've turned me into a wretch.
Just like you.
And the balloons?
What the hell was that?
Did you have fun telling me that bullshit?
Everything I've done was for you.
It's not so hard to understand.
- But if you break the rules...
- What rules?
No playing tricks on "family"?
- No.
- No? Because you're not my father!
Let's calm down.
Isolating you from the world
was my way of protecting you.
- I know I wasn't the perfect father...
- You're not my father!
You're right.
I'm not your father.
But you are my son.
Listen to me,
because I can only say this once.
You have two options.
Continue on this path, which I guarantee
will only bring you pain.
And suffering.
Or come with me.
And make a fresh start.
You and I. Alone.
Together. Like at the beginning.
- Yes?
- We have him. He's bought train tickets.
Activate the protocol.
WARSAW
All right.
Affirmative. They're here.
It feels like home.
It looks like no one lives here.
- So why are you whispering?
- I don't know.
There's nothing here.
Or no one.
We're back to square one.
To ground zero.
What?
"Ground zero" sounds cooler.
The room from my dreams.
I spent hours playing with my mom here.
I remember a bunny that...
I remember it bigger.
You can't have memories from that age.
Something is off.
What's off is that in my dreams
it was bigger.
Memory doesn't work like you think.
An image can spark a memory.
But, a kid that young?
- How old were you?
- One year old or so.
It's her journals.
It's her.
It's always the same dream.
I'm in that white room.
And she always sings.
Her name is Urszula.
Urszula Kominski.
You're Kominski's grandson.
Drinking won't help you forget.
Is that how you fix everything?
Last time you weren't so nice.
What do you want?
We know Ian is flying solo now.
Tracking him has been easy.
If we can find him...
so can the perceiver.
If you wanted to help him, you could...
- just leave him alone.
- It's not that easy.
Ian is the only person
who could face The Mule.
He's our only hope.
Look at you.
After all these years
you're still going on about The Mule.
No man's land.
That's what I chose.
The Awareness on one side,
the Agency on the other,
and the kid and me in the middle.
Not letting either side sway us.
He's following his own path.
I have to respect that.
Ian is no longer protected.
He's alone, lost, and easily manipulated.
Meanwhile, you stay in the middle.
You should stop drinking
and become a real father for once.
I'm sure there's a clue somewhere in here.
Ester?
But... What are you doing?
- Helping you.
- Helping me?
- What is this?
- You wanted answers.
Listen to what he has to say.
Stay back.
- I don't want to hurt you.
- Stop!
I just want to talk.
Well, I don't. Go!
Stop, I said!
Stop!
This one is real.
If I wanted to kill you, I'd do it now.
Hands down.
I know you're looking for your parents.
I've been looking for you, son.
You?
I don't believe a word you say.
We're a product, Ian.
A creation.
Fruit of a secret program
created in the 1950s, after World War II.
There was a group of volunteers.
Like your mom and me.
Kominski injected us
with a compound that he created.
- The formula.
- Yes.
Thanks to the formula,
we developed extrasensory abilities.
We're spies capable of mental control.
After the Cold War,
they didn't know what to do with us.
They feared we might regroup
or form an alliance with an enemy.
They decided to exterminate us.
They called it The Disinfection.
They hunted us one by one.
Like rabbits.
We had no hope.
Until The Mule appeared.
He's the last and strongest
of the perceivers.
The perfect weapon.
When they went after him, The Mule
counterattacked.
A few days before The Disinfection,
they'd detected signs of a new ability
that made the Agency tremble.
The third power.
Complete subjugation.
Being able to bend anyone's will.
Make them do what you want,
how you want it, when you want it,
wherever you want it.
Like a puppeteer.
He regrouped the survivors.
And created the Awareness.
He gave us guidelines to go unnoticed
without having to use our powers.
Why "The Mule"?
We perceivers, like mules,
are sterile.
Governments made sure it was that way.
But I'm the son of two perceivers.
You are. And that's the miracle.
It was impossible. Your mother and I
had been together for years.
And suddenly one day,
she realized she was pregnant.
The first natural perceiver
was going to be born.
No fucking way.
After me. Go to the roof. I'll cover you.
I don't believe a word.
Stop lying to me.
Where is my mother?
Hey, I don't like to argue.
Go back to Spain.
I have a house in Madrid. She knows where.
Good.
Trust us.
Stay here.
There's no emergency ladder.
There!
Ian, we don't have time.
Ester!
Come on!
You will all regret this.
All of you!
It almost worked out for you.
Letting me find the kid
so you could catch us both.
It's called strategy.
You might have powers,
but we have brain and muscle.
And we'll soon know if you're The Mule
or if it's just a legend.
Then you'll tell us where the kid went.
And if I don't? What will you do to me?
Will you kill me?
No.
Not yet.
As soon as I have the formula,
I'll strip you of your powers.
And then,
you'll beg me to kill you.
Adriana,
wasn't sterilizing me enough, you bitch?
Start the tests.
Listen to yourself!
You talk just like Kominski!
I want that formula.
Doctor.
Bad news.
The formula...
It's so diluted in his body
it's impossible to synthesize.
I'm thirsty!
Can I get some water?
It's really hot in here, motherfuckers.
Keep your mouth open.
What are you doing, Doctor?
Return the robot to its initial position.
Deactivate the robot now.
He's controlling my movements.
Remove your hand from the joystick.
I won't say it again!
Remove your hand from the joystick!
This way.
She likes being sung to.
Mom.
You must have imagined this moment
a million times.
And I'm sorry
it's not like you imagined.
But your mother isn't gone, Ian.
She's still in there, somewhere.
And you can reunite there.
Mom.
Ian, look at your mother.
This is what they do to our kind.
Before being caught,
Urszula managed
to implant a memory in you.
This memory.
She knew they couldn't create
perceivers without the formula.
She destroyed Kominski's only copy.
And encrypted the original in your memory.
Ian.
With that formula,
we could create new perceivers.
And put an end once and for all
to that Agency that has hurt
you,
me,
and your mom.
Ian.
You can't get them yourself?
There's no time, son. Give them to me.
She didn't want anyone to see them.
Just me.
Ian, give me the blocks!
So I can protect you from the Agency!
Stop!
Stop!
Stop, you'll hurt her!
Step away from the boy!
There it is.
The third power.
I knew it.
Ian!
Ian!
I can't move.
Ian.
What are you doing?
Ian, stop.
Stop, Ian. Don't make me do it.
Open fire!
Shoot!
It's a direct order!
I just saw it.
No, Ian, stop. What did you see?
- Is she alive?
- Do it, son.
She's responsible for this.
We lost her many years ago.
Whatever you saw is his doing!
You're lying!
You'll pay for everything
you did to my mother.
For opening her head.
Like a lab rat.
No, Ian...
Do it.
- Do it!
- Ian!
You.
You're with them.
Don't do it. You have to stop.
Don't interfere.
Son...
He's manipulating you, look.
He treats you like a puppet.
- He treats you like a child.
- Shut up!
Leave me alone!
Make him do the same thing as the rest!
Don't do it,
you'll regret it your whole life.
Take a look.
Look at them, they're terrified!
Go.
The Agency...
tortured my mother
until she turned into a vegetable.
Just to get the formula.
And destroy us.
Ian...
Look around you. Is this what you want?
Don't let him control you like always.
Think about your life.
No family, no friends.
Son, now you have the chance
to do something big. Don't listen to him.
He's a drunk. Listen to your father!
Father...
A father is the man who raises you.
Who gives you everything
and makes sacrifices...
What have you done?
Ian!
No.
No, no.
No, no, no.
If I go in, you won't survive.
No.
See... See for yourself.
You're not like the others.
I can feel your pain.
- Let go, please.
- He's here.
He wants to take him away.
Don't let them hurt him.
You have to take him. Promise me you will!
Please! The child deserves a future!
Forgive me.
- Dad. Forgive me.
- Don't worry.
I'm the one who should apologize.
You gave up your life...
so I could have one.
Yes, but I was wrong.
I never should've lied to you.
But you...
You can find your own path.
Are they not coming today?
You have to be patient,
like when we played hide-and-seek.
- What if the fish are all gone?
- Ian.
Come on! How can they all be gone?
Can't you see how big the sea is?
See the end?
Yeah, the line is the end.
Listen. Just because
you can't see further,
it doesn't mean something doesn't exist.
Behind that line there's still much more.
A lot more.
So never give up. Okay?
Who are the best fish for?
- For those who keep their hopes up.
- That's right.
Dad.
Dad...
Ian!
Stop. Don't move.
You're strong, son.
But you haven't mastered it.
I can see it in your eyes.
Take it easy.
Relax.
One more step and I'll kill her.
Do what he says, Ian.
You took advantage of me.
Like everybody else!
You only care about the formula.
Pretty much.
Let me see it in your mind
and I'll go without hurting her.
She has nothing to do with this!
She? Don't listen to him!
Whoever she is, she's a projection.
He's put a loop into your head.
What are you saying?
I can't see her. No one else sees her.
Only you can see her!
That's a lie. She's playing tricks on you.
- She said it was impossible.
- Be careful with what you decide.
Whatever you do,
there's no going back.
Should I pull the trigger
to see if she's real?
This is between you and me.
Ian, try to remember.
He had to plant the loop at some point.
Ian.
Drop your weapon.
Please, I don't want to die.
Shut up!
I don't want to hear you.
Look at me.
I know you feel the same way.
- Is that not real?
- No. You're not real!
No. You're just in my head.
Are you sure?
- Ian.
- That's a strong bet, son.
I am not
your son.
This was just the beginning.
I've already lost too much.
The only people who cared about me.
And 18 years I want to get back.
We need the formula, Ian.
We need you.
The fate of a lot of people
depends on this war.
Innocent people.
You can't sit on the fence.
You have to decide which side you're on.
No man's land.
Does it ring a bell, Doctor?
You didn't have to do this.
You just had to ask.
I'll think about it.
FOR IAN
My dad gave it to me for my birthday.
What are you waiting for?
The Majesty of the Ocean.
THE BEST FISH ARE FOR THOSE
WHO KEEP THEIR HOPES UP. I LOVE YOU.
I love it.