Dark Waters (1993) - full transcript

'I am she that liveth and was dead..

... and behold, I am alive forever more...

... and have the keys of hell and death.'

'Dear Elizabeth..

... I suggest you come out here as soon as possible.

I've tried to sort things out, but I don't think I'm getting anywhere.

This pace is unbelievable..

... there's no electricity. and none of the comforts of 20th century living.

You should see the brown sack they make me wear...

The height of fashion for auto-flagellating creeps and crimson saints alike

... I can assure you!



I tell you I'll never complain about London again.

See you soon. Theresa.

... your friend from the land before time.'

No, not tonight

I'm not crossing in this weather

A deal?

What's the hurry?

That island has been there a very long time.

.. and it ain't going to disappear now...

I'll tell you what...

... go to that dump across the road.

... hire yourself a room...

... and next week...

... I'll take you to the island.



I need to reach the convent tonight..

Are you afraid of death, lady?

I am!

My say is no!

Come back next week.

Come back next week!

I'll take you for free.

I'm not afraid.

Sorry?

Death. I'm not scared of death

- I'll take you.. - Tonight?

Tonight, now

It's money up front..

If we go down tonight...

... I want the fish to eat it out of my pocket

When they've finished feasting on my eyeballs.

- Can you give me a hand, please? - You won't drown.

If you fall there, you'll be crushed to death.

Oh my God!

Don't mind him...

... he keeps the other freaks away.

Candles...

In London they don't even have them in churches any more.

Nowadays that's all electric light bulbs...

... put a coin in, press a button and pronto, up it flashes...

... salvation guaranteed!

would like to go to your country, one day.

England?

Why?

You'd hate it. Sarah.

- Cigarette? - No, thank you..

I wouldn't know where to start..

What a beautiful woman..

- Who is it? - My mother.

She came from this island.

Is she living in London now?

She died giving birth to me.

- Sorry, didn't mean to... - Don't worry, it's not your fault.

I'm sorry, truly..

That the only photo I have of her

My father spent his whole life trying to forget about this island..

... and my mother.

Mother Superior will see you in half an hour.

I better get ready.

We didn't think you would make it tonight.

I like to keep my appointments.

Commendable.

... but now, what can I do to make your stay in our humble home.

... a pleasant and fruitful one?

As you know, my father died last October...

... and left me everything...

... and that includes a commitment on my part to continue with the regular payments..

... my father made to this convent for the past 20
years.

I didn't know anything about it.

... his was very secretive about his sudden conversion to religion.

Sometimes secrecy is a blessing..

We are a very secretive order, Elizabeth.

... we don't allow the corruption of the outside world...

.. to divert us from our divine purpose.

But doesn't money count as a corrupting factor?

There is such a thing as a necessary evil, my child.

... unfortunately, there are things which are not solved by prayer alone.

I appreciate that..

but hope you won't begrudge me the right..

... to know why should carry on with these payments..

They serve a purpose. Elizabeth..

... your father understood that, and I trust you too, in time.

In the mean time. will do all I can to help you.

Our library, our ceremonies, you have access to it all.

And Sarah is a good girl...

... she'll make a willing assistant.

Thank you...

Excuse me, what's going on here?

Convent rule.

You're allowed anything, but what they provide for you...

You'll get your stuff back when you leave, of course...

This is for you.. from your friend, Theresa...

She had to leave in a hurry..

Theresa left? When?

Two days ago...

I don't understand...

She had some business to attend to in London.

Business in London? What's going on, Sarah?

I'm as in the dark as you are..

Of course, look, I'm sorry.

I think we both better try and catch up on some sleep now

Al right, see you tomorrow.

Oh, Sarah..

... thanks for everything.

Did you bring Theresa here?

No, not everyone has access to the library...

.. and from the look of the place. I'd say...

... you're the first to visit in ages.

I have to go now...

If you need me, I'll be in my room...

'The beast that thou sawest was and is not

... and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder..

... when they behold the beast that was. and is not, and yet is.

And they shall make an image of the beast...

... for the whole of the image shall make the beast ascend out of the bottomless pit...

... and power shall be given unto the beast

And all, both small and great, rich and poor.

... free and bond, that sawest the true face of the beast.

. shall receive a mark, the mark of blindness.

... that is, and yet is not.

For those who are blind shall see the true face of the beast.

... and forever suffer it in their soul

The beast shall say unto the world...

... 'l am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.

... I am she that liveth, and was dead...

... and behold, I'm alive forever more...

... and have the keys of hell and death.'

Calm down, it's me, Sarah!

They killed her, Sarah. they killed her.

- Who are they? - The nuns, they killed Theresa!

We better move. Follow me.

Did you see where they took the body?

No. I lost them. Why. Sarah?.

Why would they do something like that?

I don't know... I don't know...

You're probably involved too... you probably helped them...

I swear, I'm as shocked as you are, Elizabeth...

Why should I believe you? You're one of them, Sarah...

You should believe me, because right now I'm the only thing you've got..

... and because I saved you up there...

Are you sure it was Theresa?

I saw them carrying the body..

... and that awful painting!

I know they killed her...

We should do something... we should call the police.

There's no police on the island.

... and the boat for the mainland doesn't sail until next week.

We're left to our own devices...

What can we do?

Is there no way of communicating with the mainland?

No, just the boat...

Look, we've got to find out what's going on..

... and maybe, I know exactly where to start...

- Come with me.. - Sarah...

Why are you doing this?

Why are you helping me?

I'm doing it because I like you.

When I was a child, someone used to smuggle Sherlock Holmes books.

... from the mainland.

Now's my chance to pay amateur detective.

Satisfied?

- Can we go now? - This is not a game, Sarah!

We could get killed!

If your theory is right..

... there s a good chance we're going to get killed anyway.

... so we might as well try to find out why.

It's full of his old paintings..

I thought we could find some clues...

How did you find this place?

I told you... Sherlock Holmes, remember?

What do you know about the painter?

Not very much...

... I'm not even supposed to know he exists.

Only a handful of nuns have access to his quarters...

... all the others don't even know he's there.

I suppose it was your affinity with Sherlock Homes.

.. that allowed you to unravel the mystery.

Absolutely right...

My guess is they used the painter as a sort of oracle.

An oracle?

You mean, all these paintings are real?

You've seen the painting of Theresa. How do you suppose he knew?

He never leaves the pit..

and even if he did, how's he supposed to have seen her?

Look at the little girl. She was in another painting I saw in the painter's pit.

Any idea who she is?

No...

I don't know, it's like I should know who she is...

... who they both are...

Does the amulet they carry mean anything to you?

We need more light..

You stay here I'll go to get more lamps...

We should stay together!

I won't be long.

Oh, shit...

Elizabeth... what happened?

They tried to kill me, Sarah...

I can't stay here...

Where else can you go?

I don't know...

... the village...

Nobody will let you in.

Listen to me...

... you're a lot safer here tonight...

You need to rest. I'll stay with you

When I was a child I was scared of nuns...

... they gave me the creeps.

I suppose what's happening just proves your fear was justified.

Yeah, suppose it does..

It's funny, but that's almost all I remember from my childhood...

It's like the first seven years have been erased from my memory...

My father always tried to keep me in the dark about my past...

He didn't even have a photograph of me before my seventh birthday..

... my first English birthday..

What do you mean, your first "'English birthday'?

I wasn't born there.. I was born on this island, Sarah...

This is where I spent the first seven years of my life...

I didn't know anything about it.

My father told me just before he died...

... and then he made me promise never to come here.

Now I wish I'd kept that promise..

But you had to come, Elizabeth...

Maybe...

... maybe I had to come.

Look...

... why don't you try and sleep, now?

The door is locked and I'll stay with you tonight.

Thank you...

If you just came in to look at that...

... it'll cost ya

Sorry...

... I just wanted to know, the boat which just left, was it going to the mainland..

I need to contact the mainland. Can you help?

Do you have a telephone? A radio?

I don't suppose there's any chance I could post a letter?

Well... put it in here..

... they haven't taken it away in more than a month..

... but you can always hope.

Did you have another girl, an English girl...

... try to post a letter, about two weeks ago?

Maybe...

Can I look?

Please..

Take your time.

Thanks... I'll be going now

You wouldn't know of any hotels here on the island..

... where I could stay, until the boat sails again next week, would you?

No, sorry, lady...

No, I thought so. Thanks, anyway.

Elizabeth...

... you are back...

I'll hope to God this letter reaches you in time.

Don't come, Elizabeth. Your father knew...

... he tried to protect you.

Someone, or something, is trying to put the amulet together again.

I have found the location of one of the pieces of the image of the beast.

... she who was, and is not, and yet is.

The amulet.

... I must prevent the image of the beast ever being whole again.

Please, God, have mercy on my soul.'"

Elizabeth?

Are you all right?

Elizabeth...

... please, open the door.

I've been very worried all day.

Where have you been?

Liar. Go away, liar!

What do you mean?

- I don't understand.. - Liar!

I could have been out of here by now, safe on the mainland...

You're not making sense, Elizabeth...

Let me in, please...

The boat, Sarah. The boat to the mainland went this morning.

Oh God. Elizabeth.

... I got it wrong, forgive me!

You knew, Sarah! You knew!

It was a mistake, believe me!

don't know what to believe any more..

I was sure the boat wasn't sailing until next week

'm tired, Sarah, leave me alone..

I'm as anxious as your are to leave this place...

We're in danger, Elizabeth..

... we must stick together

I want to be left alone

Alone.

Do you want to eat?

Come inside. I've got something that could be of real interest to you.

But it will cost you, I'm afraid

Nobody ever liked her.

... only that weird daughter of hers

She hasn't changed all that much.

And what about this. That weird daughter of hers got married to the American...

Mother...

Hey, lady, what's the matter?

She hasn't changed so much..

Venuchka...

Elizabeth... my name's Elizabeth...

I don't know what you want from me, but I think you owe me an explanation...

You have changed, Venuchka...

Don't call me that again!

Don't you ever call me that!

Is the wolf not a wolf if you call it by any other name?

I don't need riddles, I need answers!

Where is my mother?

Dead...

... she died for you.

Lies! That's all I ever got from my father.

and now that's all I'm getting from you!

This photograph was taken six years after my birth.

... she didn't die giving birth to me

I didn't say that..

You said she's dead!

She would be...

... if she'd ever been born.

Venuchka!

Venuchka!

Venuchka!

Venuchka!

Venuchka!

Venuchka!

Venuchka!

Venuchka!

Venuchka!

Venuchka!

Venuchka... Venuchka...

Venuchka...

Venuchka...

Venuchka!

Venuchka!

Venuchka!

No!

Elizabeth...

Elizabeth...

Oh God. what have you done?

Elizabeth!

Sarah?

I've been waiting for you..

... 'sister'.

Why, Sarah?

Why?

Our father was scared of what you are.

... you, so pretty and so like him...

He thought religion would save you... Fool!

I think it's madness.

... I think we should stop it.

Stopping it is stopping us

It's part of us, Elizabeth

It's not part of me...

What are you afraid of, Elizabeth?

Are you afraid of this?

You're afraid of yourself...

You're mad...

... I've got nothing to do with you.

Don't cover your true self..

.. our father tried, but it all was in vain.

We are daughters of the Beast...

... born from the union of a human being and the mother of eternal sorrow.

We need you...

No...

Now. this time. I will not allow it...

... this time you won't ruin everything, like you did 20

Is our mother here?

Yes...

... our real mother is here

Go... and meet her..

Partake of the human's flesh...

... awaken the beast inside..

... and rejoice in the triumph of sorrow!

Daddy.

... it's part of me, Daddy...

It's winning. Daddy.. it's winning.

... they made me do it, Daddy...

'For those who are blind, shall see..

... the true face of the beast...

... and forever suffer it in their soul.'