Blank (2022) - full transcript

She had always known
it was there.

Barely perceptible.

A shadow behind her.

But now...

it was...

...as if the darkness...

had swallowed her up.

She became part of it now.

Part of the...

dark...

It's rubbish!



Erase session.

Hi, Claire.
It's me, Alice, again

I'm waiting to hear from you.
Please do call me.

This is your invitation
to The Retreat,

where your new chapter
awaits you.

Er, it's Alice again,
urgently awaiting your call.

I cannot keep
fobbing off the publishers.

Hi, Claire. As your friend
as well as your ag

I know something's
gone very wrong,

but you have to find a way
to deal with whatever this is.

Get some help.

Speak to a therapist,

go to one
of these Retreat places.

The publishers are spitting.



You've got one month.

Now ring me.

This is your invitation
to The Retreat,

where your new chapter
awaits you.

So don't delay.

Accept your invitation

to receive
your customized brochure.

Welcome to the beginning of you.

Hello?

It's Clare. Anyone here?

Welcome to The Retreat,
Ms. Rivers.

It's a pleasure
to finally meet you.

I'll be your concierge
for the next 30 days.

Your personalized assistant
is being customized as we speak.

Please.
Feel free to look around.

We have you set up
on the South side,

but if you'd rather
the North side,

I can arrange to have you
moved to another unit.

No.

It's fine. It's just...

So quiet.

It's wonderful, isn't it?

It's by design.

All the doors and the windows
have been reinforced

to block out all exterior noise

and to maintain
your temperature settings.

Your unit has been stocked

with the items you've
requested during your stay.

Ah.

.The Camel Valley
Cornwall Atlantic Dry!

Might I say,
an excellent choice.

It's one of our divine
English quality wines.

Your safety is
our primary concern here.

Your assistant is fully equipped

to deal with all types
of medical emergencies.

Speaking of which,

she's been fully updated
and is ready to assist you.

Go ahead, Ms. Rivers.

She'll activate
at the sound of your voice.

What...?

Hello?

Hello, Claire.

My name is Rita.

It is nice to meet you.

I will be your assistant
for the next 30 days.

I am here to make your stay
as comfortable as possible

and assist you

in the completion of your work.

I will go
and unpack your things now.

Welcome to The Retreat.

Your 30-day-stay
officially begins now.

Oh, no.

Not that.

I sense that I have upset you.

My apologies.

I'll...

I'll finish off now.

Will that be all, Claire?

Yes.

Thank you...

Rita.

Good night, Claire.

Good morning, Ms. Rivers.

Welcome to your first day
with us at The Retreat.

I trust you had
a good night's sleep.

Today's a big day!

Shall I recite
the breakfast menu for you?

Ehm...

No, just...

A coffee would be fine.

Your request has been noted.

Your cup of coffee
will be ready shortly.

Would you like to start
every morning off with coffee?

Sure.

- Why not?
- Splendid!

Your request has been updated.

What's your...

very first thing
you remember seeing?

Your very first memory?

It was the door
from which you entered.

It is the first image
in my visual records.

- So you've never been outside?
- No, Claire.

I've been assigned to this unit

for the last two years,
42 days, 16 hours.

You're not at all curious...

about what's
on the other side of the door?

What's outside the window?

No, Claire.

I've been assigned to this unit.

I'm here to make your stay
as comfortable as possible

and assist you

with the completion
of your work.

Shower...

on?

Good morning, Ms. Rivers.

I hope you enjoyed your run.

I see you're ready
for your first session.

Our technologically
unparalleled device

is designed to increase
neurological activity

and stimulate creativity.

It's what makes us, The Retreat,

the outstanding resource it is.

Is there anything else
I can help you with?

I think I've got it from here.

Happy writing.

How was your first session?

Some of our writers do like
to work without the device.

If you are finding it tricky,

may I suggest
something that might help?

I've pulled up
some amazing articles

on writer's block.

Light on?

The more damage,

the longer it takes
to recover, of course.

But the more you use it,
the stronger the muscles get,

the more effective the results.

But the tech's more
than just about muscle memory.

Some said it's enabled them

to tap into suppressed memories.

Experiences
they've long since forgotten.

It's not uncommon.

With the resurgence
of muscle activity,

it's only natural
that experiences around it

are revived as well.

From a medical perspective,

you're saying there is evidence

to support
what you do at The Retreat.

Proof that,

by stimulating damaged
or neglected mus

we can access untapped
or repressed experiences.

We're taking this work
most seriously.

TV off.

Rita?

Rita!

Good morning.

I trust you had
a good night's sleep.

Shall I recite
the breakfast menu for you?

What were you doing last night?

In the living room.

It looked
like you were charging.

I do not need to charge.

I have a battery life
of approximately 50 years.

So what were you doing?

My daily maintenance.

I connect
to the main system nightly

to run a full diagnostics test
and receive any updates.

I'm constantly improving
to serve you better.

Queen...

D-four.

Rook, E-six.

Shit!

Relax.

Let's hope you get
a sense of humour

in your next upgrade.

I'll see to it, Ms. Rivers.

Oh. Enough of the Ms. Rivers.

You just beat me
five times in a row.

I think that qualifies us
for first name basis.

Absolutely, Claire.

But what do I call you?

What do you prefer?

You look like a...

Henry.

Henry?

That has a nice ring to it.

I just looked it up.

It means
'ruler of the household.'

And I'm now apparently
ruler of the chess board too.

Would you like
to play another game?

I could always reset it
to beginner level, Claire.

Hmmm. Somebody's
getting a sense of humour.

You learn something new
with every game.

Hmmm.

I think I'm trapped.

Rook, E-six.

Shower on.

Oh, Henry!

Good evening, Claire.

How may I be of service to you?

Don't you know
that it is rude...

to let a woman drink on her own?

My apologies, Claire.

Where are my manners?

Is there anything else
I can have Rita get for you?

Perhaps a Gruyère?

It would pair
wonderfully with the wine.

No, I think just...

stay with me.

Take the night off.
You deserve it.

I'm glad you're enjoying
your stay with us.

Yeah. Who'd have thought?
This is nice.

Being here.

With someone.

Sometimes it gets so...

quiet!

Perhaps I can help with that.

We have
a wide selection of music.

Over 1,000 genres
to choose from.

That would be nice, Henry.

That would be very nice.
Why don't you choose?

Studies show

that classical music
improves focus

and boosts creativity.

Perhaps it could help
with your writer's block.

Do me a favour.
Stop bringing that up.

My apologies.

Is there anything else
I can improve upon?

What's happening?

Hmmm.

Some malware
was detected in the system.

Don't worry,

a simple reset
should do the trick.

However, I will have to remain
offline during the reboot.

In my absence,

Rita will take care
of anything that you need.

My apologies.

Rita?

Jesus, Rita!

I apologize, Claire.

I can sense you are distressed.

Perhaps you should lie down.

Good night...

Rita.

Good night, Claire.

Child!

Henry?

You there?

Rita?

Something's wrong.
The door's not opening.

Your key print has been erased
from the system.

I'm the only one authorized
to open the door now.

How the hell did that happen?

The system has returned
to its default settings.

I'm now running solely
on my two primary drives,

to make your stay
as comfortable as possible

and to assist you

in the completion of your work.

Ok.

Well, you can assist me now
by opening the doors.

I cannot open the door
until your work is completed.

This is fucking ridiculous!

Thank you
for choosing The Retreat.

We are currently unable
to answer calls.

Please refer all queries
to your personal assistant.

Rita, you're supposed
to listen to me.

My apologies, Claire.

I can sense you are distressed.

Perhaps you should lie down.

TV on!

If your computer
is already infected,

then the malware will...

If you haven't already
received a warning like this,

it's easy to tell
if your computer's infected...

I sense you are distressed.

Can I assist you with anything?

Something's going on out there.

I need to get to the car,
so please open the door.

I'm sorry, Claire,

but I cannot do that
until the book is complete

Open the door.

Now.

I'm sorry, but I cannot...

Open the fucking door!

Open it!

This is an emergency!

I am fully equipped
to handle medical emergencies.

Give me your...

Henry!

Oh.

I sense you are distressed.
Perhaps you should lie down.

Oh, God.

Claire.

Thank God, Henry!

I need you
to open that door right now!

I apologize, Claire,

we are experiencing
some internal issues.

At this time,

your assistant is the only one
who can unlock t

But that thing nearly tried
to pull my fucking arm off!

I apologize, Claire,

but until I'm connected
back to the system,

there's nothing I can do.

The Retreat
is a fully AI-operated staff.

Everything runs
off of the system.

Ok, well...

You have to get someone
from tech support here.

You have to get a person here.
A real person.

The breach disabled

all Internet and land line
communications.

Ok.

Ok.

When I get out of here,

somebody is getting bloody sued!

Claire.

Those are unbreakable.

You already injured yourself.
Calm down.

Hello, Claire.

My name is Rita.

I will be your assistant
for the next 30 days.

I'm here to make your stay
as comfortable as possible

and assist you

in the completion of your work.

I apologize, Claire.

Let me clean that up for you.

What happened
to your hand, Claire?

I'm fully equipped

to handle all types
of medical emergencies.

What?

I apologize, Claire.

Let me clean that up for you.

There it is. It's finished.

I'll start packing.

You have not finished, Claire.

Excuse me?

You have plagiarized
these pages.

What are you talking about?

"There is neither happiness
nor misery in the world.

There is only the comparison
of one state with another,

nothing more.

He who has felt
the deepest grief

is best able to experience
supreme happiness."

That is from
The Count of Monte Cristo,

an adventure novel

written by French author
Alexandre Dumas,

completed in 1844.

- You can read?
- Yes, Claire.

As your personal assistant,

I can assist
with grammatical errors,

propositional phrases,
proper tenses...

Stop! Just...

Stop.

Plagiarism
is considered a crime.

A plagiarist
can face hefty fines

or up to ten years...

I said stop!

Someone will hear it
and they'll find me.

Maybe one of the workers
that maintain this place.

The Retreat runs
on a fully automated system.

- There are no human...
- You don't know that.

I can detect the vital signs
of living organisms

in a 440 yard radius.

Ok.

Well, that's good.

If you detect anything...

come and tell me.

Of course, Claire.

Anything else?

I can detect vital signs.

- How far?
- 14 yards away.

Twelve yards away.

Ten yards away.

Help!

Help! Here! Help me!

Help me!

I can sense
you are distressed, Claire.

Perhaps you should lie down.

Henry?

Did you find anything?

I have.

No basement?

No cellar?

I'm afraid not.

The entire unit
is only one level.

You gotta help me.

We gotta think
of something. I mean...

Is there a crawl space
in the ceiling or the roof?

I've already checked.

The windows and the main doors
are the only ways in a

Sorry.

This is fucking ridiculous!

What if there was an emergency?

Check the emergency protocol.

Of course!

I found something.

"In the event
of an interior emergency,

all exits
will automatically unlock

and guests will be asked
to vacate their units

until the situation
is contained."

Hello, Claire.
My name is Rita.

There are clothes that need
folding in the bedroom.

- As soon as possible.
- Of course.

Right now!

Come on!

Oxygen...

Oxygen levels...

Why isn't this working?

Henry!

Come on!

Come on!

Henry!

Why isn't it working?

The door's supposed
to automatically disengage.

It's not responding
to the protocol.

Do something!

Claire, the oxygen levels
are dropping.

Clare, you need to calm down
and conserve your energy.

Claire, stay with me.

Claire?

Stay with me, Claire.

Hello, Claire.
My name is Rita.

I will be your assistant
for the next 30 days.

I'm here to make your stay
as comfortable as possible

and assist you

in the completion of your work.

You saved my life.

I have no record
of that, Claire,

but I'm fully equipped

to handle all types
of medical emergencies.

Henry?

I'm here, Claire.

What about the other units?

Are there people
trapped in them as well?

I'm only designated
to this unit.

I've never corresponded
with the others.

But someone...

knows I'm here.

Right? I mean,

they've got proof
from when I checked in

and when they see that
they'll come and find me.

Right?

The manifest was erased
during the breach.

No one knows you're here.

If I may offer a suggestion,

if your assistant
won't let you out

until you write a book...

I foresee only one logical way
out of this problem.

Child!

Are you upstairs?

I'm coming, Mother!

I'm right here.

Did you need something?

I felt a chill.

Did you open a window?

No, Mother.

I'm hungry.

"Exodus 17:1.

So they quarreled
with Moses and said,

'Give us water to drink.'

Moses replied,
'Why do you quarrel with me?

Why do you put
the Lord to the test?'

But the people were thirsty
for water there,

and they grumbled against Moses.

They said, 'Why did you
bring us up out of Egypt

to make us...'"

Stop putting that poison
in my food!

Dinner is ready.

Rita.

I want you to leave
this room alone, no matter...

how messy it gets.

I like things a certain way.

Yes. Of course, Claire.

"But the people
were thirsty for water."

Stop putting that poison
in my food!

- But the doctor said...
- I'm your mother!

Clean it up.

Has it come?

I don't see it here.

Wait.

I see it. I think he might
have dropped it.

"Dear Ms. Helen Rivers,

Thank you for submitting
your story to Inkmark Times.

We reviewed
over 200 submissions and..."

And?

"Regretfully, we decided
to pass on your submission.

Thank you for your interest

and we greatly
appreciate your time."

I'm sorry.

I don't need your pity!

That smile...

with those perfect
teeth of hers.

They yellowed
with every lie she told him.

What do you think?

It's good.

Don't lie to me, Child.

I like it.

I think it's...

It's rubbish!

If you keep that up...

Do you want to know
what will happen to you?

That big bad world out there
will swallow you up whole.

Just like it did your father.

So you swallow
those tears right now!

Are you all right, Claire?
Perhaps you should lie down.

I don't need you checking up
on me every five minutes.

Are you close to the end?

I don't have an end yet.

My battery is built to last
for approximately 50 years.

I know my end.

You do not know yours,

yet still you must continue.

Would you like me
to prepare dinner?

Hello, Claire.
My name is Rita.

I will be assisting you

with anything you need
for the next 30 days.

Your father was so sure
that you'd come out a boy.

He wanted to give you his name.

Sinclair.

But when you came out,

he...

he was so disappointed.

I told him we could still
give you his name.

Just drop the "sin" off,

but you can never
take away a sin.

Ain't no hiding that.

I'm the one who had
to look at that pretty...

pretty face...

until I couldn't see no more.

I'm the one who gets punished.

How many times
do I have to tell you

to leave those alone?

I apologize, Claire.
I have no record of that.

What happened
to your hand, Claire?

Paper cut.

That is not true, Claire.

Tobacco use is the single
largest preventable...

Yes, Rita.

I'm well aware
of the statistics.

If you are familiar
with the statistics,

why do you continue to smoke?

It's complicated.

Like the girl in the story.

She wants to leave,

but she feels guilty
if she does.

Her situation is complicated.

You have read my story.

Mmm.

So...

What do you think?

I think you have not
finished yet.

That's not
what I meant. What...

Never mind.

I don't like
the parts with the mother.

Which parts?

Page 17.

Helen calls for the girl
at the bottom of the steps.

"I felt a chill.

Did you open a window?"

Page 19.

"Don't make me
come upstairs, Child!"

Page 56.

"It's rubbish!

That's how your story will end.

That big bad world out there
will swallow you whole

like it did your father,
so swallow those tears..."

Stop!

I apologize, Claire.

I can sense you are distressed.

Perhaps you should lie down.

- Where the hell have you been?
- Sorry. I've been rather busy.

It appears the malware
has embedded itself

in my software as well.

I've quarantined the infected
portions of my index,

but the virus has proven
to be rather aggressive.

I don't understand.
What does that mean?

My image will remain,

but my cognitive skills

and my algorithms
are rapidly depleting.

I will only be able to perform
my basic functions.

All my best efforts
have proven infected.

But that doesn't
mean that I'll stop trying.

And neither should you.

I have to go now.

- I have to re-scan my system.
- No. Wait!

"Dear Ms. Helen Rivers,

thank you
for submitting your story

to Red Signal Magazine.

Congratulations,
Ms. Helen Rivers.

It is with pleasure
that we inform you

that your story will be featured

in our next issue."

See?

What did I tell you?

They'll be lining up one day.
You'll see.

You'll see.

He sat down on the bed
next to her.

He took in her beauty.

Her presence.

Her everything.

He scurried through the darkness

of the city streets.

His face white like porcelain.

He watches her breathing.

Today's my birthday.

Happy birthday, Claire.

Do I get a birthday wish?

If it suits you.

I'd like to go out for a walk.

Just to the car and back.

I'm sorry, Claire,

but I cannot open the door
until the book is completed.

You could come with me
if you want.

You've never been outside.
We could go together.

I'm sorry, Claire,
but I cannot...

You could just open the door.
I'd stay on the inside.

That way you wouldn't be
breaking with protocol.

- Can't open the door until...
- Stop saying that!

Something...

Something is going on out there.

And it's affecting us in here.

You're defective, Rita.

Can you feel that?

Your records keep erasing.

Every morning,
you start over again.

Do you know
how long I've been in here?

Do you know how many days
I've been in here?

Today is your first day here.

It's been almost...

two months.

The book that I'm writing...

It's almost 200 pages long.

How is that possible
if I just rolled out of bed?

And look at this place.
The food is running out, Rita!

If you need the fridge
to be restocked

you can make a request.

- And someone...
- When? No one ever comes!

You can tell...

You can tell
when I'm lying, right?

You can sense it.

Am I lying now?

No, Claire.

Your vitals indicate
you are telling the truth.

If I'm telling you the truth,
then you must be defective.

You're supposed
to make me comfortable.

Rita...

Do I look comfortable to you?

You have to override
the command, Rita.

Otherwise...

I'm going to die in here.

No one...

is coming to fix you...

and no one is coming to save me.

We're alone.

I'm alone.

I can sense
that you are distressed.

- Perhaps you should...
- Perhaps you should lie down!

Oh, my God.

Ok, I think
maybe I should lie down.

It's my fucking birthday!

Do you think I can't count?

Claire?

Your blood alcohol level
is dangerously high.

Would you like to hear a story?

If it suits you.

Once upon a time,

there was this writer.

She had nothing in this world
except for her books.

Her stories.

And they wanted her
to write more.

But she had run out of stories.

All that was left...

were the nightmares.

And so one night...

- One night she...
- I sense you are distressed.

One night
she went into her kitchen...

and she turned on the stove.

She...

Anyway it didn't really matter.

No more lines means...

no more future.

Which means
nothing bad can happen.

Right?

That's a lovely story, Claire.

What?

I sense you are distressed.
Perhaps you should lie down.

Claire!

Every time
I fucking turn around!

You are reaching
dangerous levels

of alcohol poisoning.

No, what the fuck are you doing?

You are reaching
dangerous levels

of alcohol poisoning.

So now...

you're worried about me?

You should be worried
about the mess!

That was not
an accident. Claire.

Clare, if you...

If you continue to...

This is inappropriate behaviour.

Hello, Claire.

My name is Rita.

I will be your assistant
for the next 30 days.

I'm here to make your stay
as comfortable as possible

and assist you

with the completion
of your work.

It's finished.

Your heartbeat,

blood pressure and perspiration

have increased substantially
in the last six seconds.

These are
systematic signs of lying.

I'm sorry, Claire,

but I cannot open the door
until the book is completed.

But...

It says...

The End.

That is not the ending, Claire.

Not the real one.

How on earth would you know
what the ending is?

What happened to Helen?

Not every story
has a happy ending.

How will yours end?

What does that mean?

What does that mean?

Answer me!

Fuck! She has to be on.

You have to be on!

Fuck!

Oh, fuck!

Claire?

Your heartbeat and perspiration

have reached abnormal levels.

I was...

I was...

up all night.

Hello, Claire.

My name is Rita.

I'll be your assistant
for the next 30 days.

I am here to make your stay
as comfortable as possible

and assist you

with the completion
of your work.

You saved my life.

Again.

I have no record
of that, Claire,

but I am fully equipped

to handle all types
of medical emergencies.

Would you like me
to prepare breakfast?

Yes.

Thank you.

Rita?

Can you meet me in the study?

I've almost finished.
Could you read it through?

For mistakes.

Of course, Claire.

Where would you
like me to start?

Oh. From there.

Please.

Out loud.

Of course.

"She crept into the room

and made her home
in the darkness.

A darkness
she knew all too well."

Claire?

Your heartbeat, blood pressure

and perspiration
have increased substantially.

Just keep reading.

"She pulls the covers
off the sleeping child."

You're one little liar!

"Why would you
make a fool of me, Child?

After all I've done for you!"

Stay down!

Stay down!

Why? Why would you
make a fool of me, Child?

I remembered the number.

So I called the magazine
to thank them...

and they had no idea who I was!

"We've never
accepted your story!"

Why would you do that
to me, Child?

After all I've done for you!

You... You've got
the devil's tongue!

You wicked...

Wicked child!

Rita?

Rita?

Accessing damage.

Core memory lost.

Rita, I need you
to open the door.

I'm sorry, Claire.

I cannot do that
until the book is completed.

- It is completed!
- You are lying, Claire.

Rita!

Hello, Claire.

My name is Rita.

I will be your assistant
for the next 30 days.

So I need you
to open the door for me.

- Of course, Claire.
- Ok.

But I must do so
in the next three minutes.

My battery...

Ok. Come on.

Rita, come on!

Come on!

Two minutes, 32 seconds.

One minute, 30 seconds.