Rose Red (1994) - full transcript
Simon Pummell's (Bodysong) visually ravishing sci-fi thriller exploring the future of virtual reality and the desire to transcend human limits. The theft of an experimental drug to suppress the immune system reveals a case of virtual reality addiction and forces a detective to confront his nightmares.
(ominous music)
(footsteps)
(gasp)
(dialling)
- [Phone Operator] Welcome
to Dr. Marx's night line.
- Hello Dr. Marx?
It's Thomas Shaw.
- [Phone Operator] Please wait.
Thomas Shaw. File search.
(heart beating)
- [Phone Operator] How may I help you?
- Its my dream again.
- [Phone Operator] Tell
me all about your dream.
- [Thomas] I still do the same thing.
And I want to know what it means.
- [Phone Operator] Well yes, meaning.
- [Thomas] I.. I want
to know why I help her.
- [Phone Operator] Do
you get through to her?
- [Thomas] Yes... yes I do.
(breathing)
- [Phone Operator] Why do you hurt her?
- [Thomas] I enjoy it.
Look its just a dream.
- [Phone Operator] But
you enjoy hurting her.
- Exactly. Every night.
- Thomas?
- Nothing. Its just a dream.
- [Female] Again?
(sigh)
- Go back to sleep.
(ominous music)
(glass shatters)
(footsteps approaching)
- I called security to see a Dr. Lewis.
- Hi Evan, I booked you
into monitor room 27.
- Thomas Shaw
- Lewis. Hi.
- Hi.
- Our surveillance people
pulled you this disc from
the pharmacy cameras.
- Thanks.
(heavy footsteps)
- First floor
- This, is what was stolen.
Rose Red.
- What does it do?
- Cripples your immune system.
- Why would anyone want that?
- You see this unit here
essentially is a plug.
We use it to connect people to machines.
Think of it... as an extension
socket for the human brain.
- And the Rose Red?
- Normally an implant
like this would cause
a massive immune response.
Meningitis, brain damage.
- Really?
- Well, the implant is a foreign body
and Rose Red suppresses the response.
- Right now your mind is
hardwired to your body
but if we plug you in,
it can transmit your mind somewhere else.
Right now he is flying an
experimental shuttle over China.
At least his mind is.
- Does it hurt?
- No
- What's it like?
- Paradise. Seconds in there
seem like years to him.
- [Lewis] Yeah but what does he feel?
- Well, timelessness.
Freedom.
The power of flight.
Its good.
(smirks)
- [Computer] Force unknown
- [Lewis] System report.
- [Computer] System cured.
There is no cause for concern.
- [Thomas] He volunteered for this.
- Hmm
- Its like sleep walking. But not real.
- Inhabiting a machine is no less real
than inhabiting a body. In
many ways its more immediate,
more...
exhilarating.
- Its that good, huh?
(Computer raises alarm)
- [Lewis] That's enough. Shut down.
- [Computer] Remote system infected.
Remote system does not respond.
- Override it.
- [Computer] No response
from remote system.
- Flush it.
- [Computer] Flushing
memory status. Deleted.
(keyboard sounds)
- Subject attempted hijack.
Dr. Lewis's project.
List requirements.
(garbled computer audio)
- [Computer] Sensory
deprivation tank available.
Landline connection to
project not available.
- Subject. Theft of
experimental immune suppressant,
Rose Red.
Identify the suspect, please.
- [Computer] Please wait.
- Okay.
- [Computer] Connected to public archives.
Search underway.
Possible ID established.
Seeking confirmation.
Good evening. Thursday,
10th October, 2025.
Subject identified.
Claire Maurevale. Born 1985.
Educated International school.
Graduated in Aeronautical
Design Systems, 2010.
Assigned to W.E.Avionics.
Flight lieutenant,
rose to rank of Major.
During sea survival exercise
was a victim of sexual
assault by unknown assailant.
Case remains unsolved.
Appointed to Rose Red, 2013.
Project details classified
under Cortland order.
For further information,
see personal records,
medical discharge file
- Medical discharge file
please. Just the outline.
- [Computer] During counselling,
subject suffered panic
attacks and exhibited an
addiction to ritual experience.
A special regime of...
- Rewind 20 seconds.
- [Computer] During sea survival
exercise was a victim of
sexual assault by unknown assailant.
(repeats sentence with reverb)
(phone rings)
- [Eva] Hi it's me. We
need software and landline.
- Eva?
- [Eva] We can't access the
project without a landline.
- So?
- [Eva] Well the hijackers
must've had a landline.
- So?
- [Eva] The only one
I could find runs from
the old project buildings.
Its supposed to be offline.
The building's empty. Maybe
we should go take a look.
Any luck on the ID?
- [Thomas] ID? No... no no.
- [Eva] Thomas? Are you okay?
- [Thomas] Okay? Yeah.
No yeah, I'm fine.
(helicopter blades whirring)
(lighter clicks)
- Do you recognise this?
Just I've got a disc of you stealing it.
And a man died last week.
He was plugged into the
project when you hijacked it.
I was there I saw it.
- [Claire] You don't know
the first thing about it.
- No.
Would you tell me?
Where did you get this?
- [Computer] Landline and
radio connection confirmed.
- I wrote it myself.
- [Computer] Instructions please.
- And this?
Does this, go in here?
- Fill the tank.
- You've never used it.
_ I thought I could manage without it.
It only takes 2 or 3 seconds
to connect to the project.
- So?
- [Claire] Unless you're
floating it doesn't work.
Its useless your... senses
kind of hold you back.
Trapped in your own body.
- So why have you never used it?
- I was afraid of the water.
I nearly drowned once.
I get scared inside the tank.
When they found out, they got rid of me.
- Come with me. You're okay.
I'm not going to hurt you.
I won't hurt you. Okay?
Okay?
Have I helped you?
Have I?
Have I helped you?
- What?
- Have I?
- Yes
- So waken
(ominous music playing)
- [Computer] Shutdown sequence begin.
All other protocols will be disregarded.
Expected data loss 38 gigabytes.
All systems disengaged. Purging memory.
Medical systems offline. Pilot released.
(ominous music plays)
(ominous music continues)
(footsteps)
(gasp)
(dialling)
- [Phone Operator] Welcome
to Dr. Marx's night line.
- Hello Dr. Marx?
It's Thomas Shaw.
- [Phone Operator] Please wait.
Thomas Shaw. File search.
(heart beating)
- [Phone Operator] How may I help you?
- Its my dream again.
- [Phone Operator] Tell
me all about your dream.
- [Thomas] I still do the same thing.
And I want to know what it means.
- [Phone Operator] Well yes, meaning.
- [Thomas] I.. I want
to know why I help her.
- [Phone Operator] Do
you get through to her?
- [Thomas] Yes... yes I do.
(breathing)
- [Phone Operator] Why do you hurt her?
- [Thomas] I enjoy it.
Look its just a dream.
- [Phone Operator] But
you enjoy hurting her.
- Exactly. Every night.
- Thomas?
- Nothing. Its just a dream.
- [Female] Again?
(sigh)
- Go back to sleep.
(ominous music)
(glass shatters)
(footsteps approaching)
- I called security to see a Dr. Lewis.
- Hi Evan, I booked you
into monitor room 27.
- Thomas Shaw
- Lewis. Hi.
- Hi.
- Our surveillance people
pulled you this disc from
the pharmacy cameras.
- Thanks.
(heavy footsteps)
- First floor
- This, is what was stolen.
Rose Red.
- What does it do?
- Cripples your immune system.
- Why would anyone want that?
- You see this unit here
essentially is a plug.
We use it to connect people to machines.
Think of it... as an extension
socket for the human brain.
- And the Rose Red?
- Normally an implant
like this would cause
a massive immune response.
Meningitis, brain damage.
- Really?
- Well, the implant is a foreign body
and Rose Red suppresses the response.
- Right now your mind is
hardwired to your body
but if we plug you in,
it can transmit your mind somewhere else.
Right now he is flying an
experimental shuttle over China.
At least his mind is.
- Does it hurt?
- No
- What's it like?
- Paradise. Seconds in there
seem like years to him.
- [Lewis] Yeah but what does he feel?
- Well, timelessness.
Freedom.
The power of flight.
Its good.
(smirks)
- [Computer] Force unknown
- [Lewis] System report.
- [Computer] System cured.
There is no cause for concern.
- [Thomas] He volunteered for this.
- Hmm
- Its like sleep walking. But not real.
- Inhabiting a machine is no less real
than inhabiting a body. In
many ways its more immediate,
more...
exhilarating.
- Its that good, huh?
(Computer raises alarm)
- [Lewis] That's enough. Shut down.
- [Computer] Remote system infected.
Remote system does not respond.
- Override it.
- [Computer] No response
from remote system.
- Flush it.
- [Computer] Flushing
memory status. Deleted.
(keyboard sounds)
- Subject attempted hijack.
Dr. Lewis's project.
List requirements.
(garbled computer audio)
- [Computer] Sensory
deprivation tank available.
Landline connection to
project not available.
- Subject. Theft of
experimental immune suppressant,
Rose Red.
Identify the suspect, please.
- [Computer] Please wait.
- Okay.
- [Computer] Connected to public archives.
Search underway.
Possible ID established.
Seeking confirmation.
Good evening. Thursday,
10th October, 2025.
Subject identified.
Claire Maurevale. Born 1985.
Educated International school.
Graduated in Aeronautical
Design Systems, 2010.
Assigned to W.E.Avionics.
Flight lieutenant,
rose to rank of Major.
During sea survival exercise
was a victim of sexual
assault by unknown assailant.
Case remains unsolved.
Appointed to Rose Red, 2013.
Project details classified
under Cortland order.
For further information,
see personal records,
medical discharge file
- Medical discharge file
please. Just the outline.
- [Computer] During counselling,
subject suffered panic
attacks and exhibited an
addiction to ritual experience.
A special regime of...
- Rewind 20 seconds.
- [Computer] During sea survival
exercise was a victim of
sexual assault by unknown assailant.
(repeats sentence with reverb)
(phone rings)
- [Eva] Hi it's me. We
need software and landline.
- Eva?
- [Eva] We can't access the
project without a landline.
- So?
- [Eva] Well the hijackers
must've had a landline.
- So?
- [Eva] The only one
I could find runs from
the old project buildings.
Its supposed to be offline.
The building's empty. Maybe
we should go take a look.
Any luck on the ID?
- [Thomas] ID? No... no no.
- [Eva] Thomas? Are you okay?
- [Thomas] Okay? Yeah.
No yeah, I'm fine.
(helicopter blades whirring)
(lighter clicks)
- Do you recognise this?
Just I've got a disc of you stealing it.
And a man died last week.
He was plugged into the
project when you hijacked it.
I was there I saw it.
- [Claire] You don't know
the first thing about it.
- No.
Would you tell me?
Where did you get this?
- [Computer] Landline and
radio connection confirmed.
- I wrote it myself.
- [Computer] Instructions please.
- And this?
Does this, go in here?
- Fill the tank.
- You've never used it.
_ I thought I could manage without it.
It only takes 2 or 3 seconds
to connect to the project.
- So?
- [Claire] Unless you're
floating it doesn't work.
Its useless your... senses
kind of hold you back.
Trapped in your own body.
- So why have you never used it?
- I was afraid of the water.
I nearly drowned once.
I get scared inside the tank.
When they found out, they got rid of me.
- Come with me. You're okay.
I'm not going to hurt you.
I won't hurt you. Okay?
Okay?
Have I helped you?
Have I?
Have I helped you?
- What?
- Have I?
- Yes
- So waken
(ominous music playing)
- [Computer] Shutdown sequence begin.
All other protocols will be disregarded.
Expected data loss 38 gigabytes.
All systems disengaged. Purging memory.
Medical systems offline. Pilot released.
(ominous music plays)
(ominous music continues)