The Sender (1998) - full transcript

Catch this one, John!

Hey, good stuff.

Something set him off quickly.

Let's see that again.

He's coming down now.

- Sorry to disturb you, Dr Denman.
- Yeah?

We've got an attempted suicide case
in Admissions.

- I think Dr Farmer should see him.
- OK, thanks.

Dr Farmer?

Will you go to Emergency
right away?

- OK.
- OK.



'Will you shut up?'

Hello, Ron.

Hi.

Thank you.

Did they have to resuscitate him?

No, he was conscious.

When did it happen?

Around lunchtime.

Who is he?

He doesn't have the faintest idea.

There's no wallet or ID?

Just rocks in his pocket.

I'm Gail Farmer.

I'm a psychiatrist.



It says in the report you tried
to drown yourself. Is that true?

I hate this name they gave you,
John Doe 83.

Can you tell me your real name?

Is that light bothering you?

So, what am I gonna call you?

Mr Doe? John? Johnny?

- JD?
- Get stuffed.

Well, I know two things
about you anyway.

You had a mother
and you had a father, right or wrong?

Just leave me alone.

Do you know where you are?

A mental hospital?

A state mental hospital,
which is no place to ride an attitude.

Have you been in a hospital before?

No.

Where do you live?

In a house.

Where? How far away?

I don't remember.

Who else lives there?

My mother.

What's the matter?

Can't you tell?

I said something stupid before, didn't I,
about your parents?

You said I had a father.

Did he leave you? Or die?

I never had a father.

Like Jesus?

That's right. Like Jesus.

That's gonna be a problem.

There's this other guy here,
he thinks he might be Jesus.

- What am I going to tell him?
- Fuck off.

I could tell him to fuck off.

Quit messing with my head!

- You'd sooner die?
- That's right.

Then why didn't you jump off a bridge
or in front of a train

instead of going for a swim?

You chose a public park at noon.

You did everything but bring a towel.

Think you might wanna stick around
for a while?

At least until we find the true Christ?

Let's go, fish.

You've been sleeping all day.

Come on.

'Wards 043 and 048,
last call to sub-group.'

Ah, welcome to O-forty-eight.

What you in for?

- My memory.
- Memory?

Look, don't worry about the Messiah.

He lost his marbles in India.
Thinks he's the Chosen One.

Listen, stick with me, kid.

I'm faking it.

They wanna
send me back to Vietnam.

Shit, man,
I'm saner than all of them.

So tell me something,
how are our boys doing out there?

- Where?
- 'Nam!

They're finished. Years ago.
The war's over.

Ah, shit, not you too, kid, huh?

They told you to say that!
Well, I'm not going back there!

Fuck it!
I'm not going back, you hear?

Hey, someone's looking for you!

What's the matter, rookie?
You look like you've seen a ghost.

You think you're Jesus.

Well, walk on that.

What is it?

John?

What's wrong?

Nothing.

Nothing's wrong.

You didn't sleep, did you?

What do you mean?
I've been sleeping all day.

Is that the John Doe?

Yes, it is.

Don't come near me!

He's been guillotined.

Says he can't move his head,
it'll fall off.

- How come it didn't fall off?
- He's biding his time.

- Who?
- John Doe.

- Did he threaten to cut your head off?
- Yes.

You lie like a dog.
He never said boo to you, Private!

When was his last medication?

He won't take it.
He's afraid to swallow.

Then we'll have to inject it.

Who is it?

Who is it?

'This is Sergeant Stroud.
Hold the line, please.'

Hello?

'Sergeant Stroud.

Yes. This is Dr Farmer,
505 Corinth Way.

Somebody's breaking into my house.

'OK. Now stay calm.

'There's a car on its way.'

Dr Farmer?

It's all right,
it's not a prowler.

It's a patient of mine.

He took a piece of jewellery
from my nightstand.

It's a necklace.
He saw me wearing it today.

- Excuse me, I've got to call in.
- OK.

- '043.'
- Hi, it's Gail.

A patient of mine, a suicidal patient,
walked off the locked ward tonight.

I wanna know when and how.

His name's John Doe 83.

'John Doe 83. Hold the line.'

Thank you.

How'd he get in?

- He broke a window.
- Uh-huh.

You live here alone?

- 'Dr Farmer?'
- Yes, what happened?

'I don't know, Doctor.

'If he walked off the ward,
he walked right back on again.

'He's in the dorm now, sleeping.'

- Are you sure?
- 'Yes, Doctor, I'm sure.'

Well, thank you.
Thank you very much.

Well, that may not...
not have been him.

You wanna show me
which window he broke?

Yes, it's in the living room.

You see, Doctor, we checked
these windows from the outside.

Are you sure it wasn't
a bottle in the street?

Yes. I heard a window break.

- Where were you?
- In bed.

- Sleeping?
- No.

You're positive?

Yes. Why?

Hugh!

Is that the missing item?

It seems to me, Doctor,
like somebody was dreaming.

- Good night, ma'am.
- Thank you.

What's that lady doing here?

What lady? Where?

There, in that room.

Well, you don't have to see anybody
you don't want to.

Do you want me to tell her to go?

No.

No, I'll tell her.

What's the matter, baby?

Aren't you happy to see me?

How did you know I was here?

Merciful God...

You have to ask me that?

You ran away from me.

- Remember?
- Yes.

Well, I've come to take you home.

I've given him a sedative.

Do you think we should
schedule him for shock?

No. Why?

He's severely depressed.
Practically catatonic.

He's amnesiac.

I'm trying to loosen his memory,
not knock it out.

- Just give me some more time with him.
- For what?

Another suicide attempt?

Gail...

I know your views on shock therapy,
but in every other hospital I know,

electroshock is the treatment of choice
for suicidal depression. It works.

So would torture.

- There's no pain involved.
- How do you know?

- Have you ever been shocked?
- No patient has ever reported pain.

Yes, because they don't remember it.
That doesn't mean they didn't feel it.

You shock a patient, you punish him.
He stops feeling guilty for a while...

Exactly! And he becomes accessible
to psychotherapy.

He's already accessible!

He's not going to kill himself.

Can you be sure of that?

Some woman came to see him today.
That's why he's so upset.

Why are you so upset?

I am not upset!

Dr Farmer, did you want me
to give the Messiah his injection?

No. I'll take care of it.

Gail...

What is it that's bothering you?
Just tell me.

Just please give me
some more time with him,

before you start scrambling his brain.

Ugh!

- What are you looking for?
- The Thorazine.

There's the Thorazine.
It's right in front of your nose.

Doctor? What's wrong?

Nurse.

I'm sorry, Dr Farmer,
I didn't mean to spook you.

I'm here about your patient,
the one that's driving you crazy.

My name is Jerolyn.

Yes...

What can I do for you?

Tell me you haven't been seeing things.

Of course,
I didn't let it throw me.

I've been living with it for twenty years.

I gave him perfect love.

Whatever he needed,
I gave him.

I'd be working at the factory,
I'd rush home.

If he was hungry, or having a bad dream,
I'd know about it.

A mother always knows
her baby needs something.

He tells her.

That's all he is, he's a baby.

He's crying for his mama.

No matter where I am, I...

I can always hear him crying.

That's why you're here?

He needs me.

He's lost without me.
He's never been away from home.

I'm all he's ever known.

I'm a good mother.

I raised a powerful, good son.

Yes, I know.

Will you tell me his name?

You're in dangerous water.

Take it from me.

I appreciate the warning.

If you don't mind,
I'd like someone else to hear this.

- 'Dr Denman's office.'
- Yes, Mary, I need to see Dr Denman.

Would you ask him
to come right away?

'I'm sorry, Dr Farmer, he's on the telephone.
He may be a few minutes.'

Well, when he's finished,
would you tell him to come to my office?

Tell him John Doe's mother's here.

Thank you.

There was a woman in my office.
Where did she go?

I'm sorry, Doctor, I didn't see.

'Dr Hirsch, please report to reception.

'Dr Hirsch, please report to reception.'

Eddie... Eddie,
did you see a woman go by here,

about forty,
with a dark blue dress on?

No, Doctor, I can't say I did.

Jerolyn!

Well, how do you explain it?

I'm some kind of
a receiver for John Doe.

He's sending me his dreams.

- This truck, did anyone else see it?
- I thought I was going crazy. I wasn't.

I was seeing what he was seeing.
That's how he communicates.

It's how he's always communicated,
since he was born.

How do you know this?

Because his mother was here earlier.
She told me.

It's been occurring
since he was a baby.

It's possible, I suppose.
It could be some form of telepathy.

Yes, that's what I think.

Do you think John Doe knows
he has this ability?

No, I don't think he wants to know.
He can't control it.

- That's why it comes out in his dreams.
- Dr Farmer...

- You asked to see a Bible?
- Oh, yes, yes, thank you.

- What are you doing?
- I'm looking up that licence plate number.

It's Luke 1:31.

Luke...

One... thirty-one.

"And behold, thou shalt
conceive in thy womb

"and bring forth a son
and shalt call his name Jesus."

My God,
that crazy woman.

- Thank you.
- Don't forget your jacket.

- Where is John Doe?
- He's in the day room.

Does it remind you of her?

'This decision, Lewis,

'to pack that education in

'and start up a business
at your age...'

What's 1963?
Why were you trying to get there?

I don't know
what you're talking about.

- Look at the top card.
- What for?

Just look at it.
Don't show it to me.

It's a heart.

Again.

Club.

Wrong again.

Keep going.

Black card.

Red card.

Black card.

Red card.

Black.

Black.

Red.

Zero out of ten.

You know the odds against that?
About a thousand to one.

The same as getting
ten out of ten.

People read your mind.

They think your thoughts.

They see your dreams.

They feel your pain.

You may not want to admit it,
but they do.

I'm not trying to hurt you.

You see, that's when it happens,
when you feel threatened or upset.

But you can't control it.
That's what really scares you.

Leave me alone!
Keep her away from me.

She's crazy.

Definitely some sort of telepathy.

How else would you explain
the cards?

Have you considered
this possibility?

What?

Patient comes into the hospital,
depressed, suicidal.

You feel sorry for him.
You want to mother him.

In your eagerness to empathise, you even
start seeing things through his eyes.

Then his real mother shows up.

You feel threatened by her.

She's a rival for his love.
You get upset.

With her, with me,
with yourself.

And go out and wreck my car.
I'm not that guilty.

No...
Guilt would be neurotic.

And you think
I'm just flat-out crazy.

He says, "Yeah, but now
I'm back in Albert's beard."

Gail, I want you to go home.
And I want you to get some rest.

And I want you to stay away
from John Doe 83.

And that, I'm afraid, is an order.

Dr Farmer?

Nurse!

- Dress it and take him to room B.
- What are you going to do?

What we should have done
immediately.

No! I knew he was trying to kill himself.
He sent me a warning.

'Please report to station A,
men's dormitory.'

Lie down.

Now, you're gonna have to keep
your hand still.

Now, don't be frightened.

You won't feel any pain.

As soon as I turn that machine on,
you're gonna fall fast asleep. OK?

- OK.
- Good.

Take these to treatment room A
and then give me a call, OK?

- Right, Doctor.
- Gail, listen, I have to talk to you.

Bite down.

Ready.

- How do you feel?
- I'm fine.

I ran a research study.

Interesting material
on mothers and babies.

It seems an infant can communicate
mentally with its mother.

It's called sending.

Research shows
it's a two-way communication.

It finishes when the baby
is about seven months.

We've got the first adult case.

We have to be
very careful with him.

I'm going home.

- How much longer will you need him?
- We're nearly through.

- Good night, Joseph.
- Good night.

See you, Gail.

Hello?

'Dr Farmer?

'This is Jerolyn.

'Please pardon me
for calling this late at night,

'but it's very important.

'It's about my boy.

'Are you listening?'

Yes, I am.

'I know you're real enhanced with him
and I don't blame you.

'But you're making a terrible mistake.

'He... He tried to kill you once,

'but it'll get worse, believe me.

'I know what I'm talking about.'

Yes, I know you do.

'I'm trying to help you out,
but you've got to do what I say.

'You've got to let him go.'

You want me to release him?

'He belongs with his mother.

'That way he'll be safe,
and so will you.

'Otherwise, I promise you,

'you're gonna curse
the day you were born.'

Jerolyn, I have a pot of water
boiling here.

Can I call you right back?

Can you give me your number?

Tell me where I can reach you
right now.

Hello?

Jerolyn?

Great.

Oh!

- '043.'
- Yes, it's Gail.

John Doe's having a nightmare.

Tell me about it.

Nurse, get her medication.

It's all right. It's all right.
Come on.

Easy, easy. Easy, down.

Get her into the room.

This way.
That's it, come on.

Mommy.

It's OK. It's all right.

I'm here.

- I died.
- I know.

I saw you.

Do you think
you can talk about it?

I smelled gas.

Here, sit down.

What else?

Did you see this?

Do you recognise it?
Is it your number?

I don't know.

If we called it,
would we get your mother?

Are you afraid to talk to her?

Yes.

Why?
What did she do to you?

She, um...

She locked me up.
She wouldn't let me go.

In the dream,
you're not locked up.

In the dream, you're dead.

Look at me!

Did she try to kill you
to keep her Christ child from leaving?

Is that why the gas was on?

I don't know.
Why don't you ask her?

Because I think
you should ask her.

- Mama?
- 'I'm sorry.

'You have reached a number
that has been disconnected

'or is no longer in service.

'If you feel you have reached
this recording in error,

'please check the number
or try your call again.'

Come on, I'm gonna give you something
to help you sleep.

- No! No, I can't sleep!
- You have to. You need it.

These pills are very strong.
You won't dream or...

I don't wanna die!

You're not going to die.

I'll be right there.

Swallow that.

Psst.
Hang in there, brother.

Here.

I'll be on call if you need me.

And then what happened?

She told me to turn off the lights

and shoot up the heat,
say my prayers.

That's the last thing I remember.

- You don't remember leaving the house?
- No.

Or where it is?
Or how to reach her?

No.

She heard me crying.
She came.

God knows where from.

Don't worry. We'll get it.

I'm scared to even close my eyes.

I'm scared of hurting you again.

Why can't I control it?

When you remember
everything that happened,

you will control it.

I hope she never comes back.

I hope I get some sleep tonight.

Are you sure
you don't want to play?

Say, you OK, brother?
Hey. Say, my man.

'Hey. Say, you OK, brother?

'My man. Say...'

'...young male
recently admitted to their ward

'suffering from amnesia.

'If you know this face,
maybe you can help.

'He has no identification
on him whatsoever

'and could only recall the fact
that he lives alone with his mother.

'It's crucial that the hospital contact her.

'The hospital knows that they live
in a house or a cabin near a highway.

- 'They don't know the number...'
- What's the matter, mama's boy?

'If you know this man or his mother...'

Oh, change it!
The man don't want to see that!

- Do it!
- No!

- Give it here.
- It's mine!

- Give it to me!
- Get your hands off it.

Stop it! Stop it!

'If you know this man
or his mother,

'if you can identify him
or his mother's whereabouts,

'if you have any information
whatsoever...

'To call our hotline number...'

You can't change it!

'If you have any information
whatsoever...

'To call our hotline number...
We'll put you in touch with the hospital.'

You can't change it!

'If you have any information...
information... information...'

'Information... information... information...

'information...
information... information...'

Do it!

Come on!
Incoming. Save me!

'Information... information...'

Phony!

Mama's boy!

Phony. Mama's boy!

Phony. Phony. Phony!

Hey, you!

What the hell
has happened with the lights?

They're out, that's what I mean.

Yeah, OK. As soon as you can.

John Doe,
what are you doing here?

Ron! Ron!

John Doe?

- What's going on here?
- I don't know, Dr Erskine.

OK.

I'll take him back.

Come on now.

He didn't have a head!

- I swear to God, he had no head!
- It's all right, it's not your fault.

I'll take care of it. You take
John Doe back to his ward, OK?

Uh, Ron. Call Dr Warren and tell her
to get the operating room ready immediately.

- Yes, sir.
- And send a stretcher here, OK?

All right.

How long has he been
in dreamless sleep?

About 16 hours.

You can't just keep feeding him barbiturates.
He'll go into a coma.

Precisely.
And the longer we keep him under,

the more likely he is
to hallucinate when he wakes up.

What options do you have?

We go in with micro-electrodes.

We stimulate his limbic system
point by point.

- And he's awake the whole time?
- From beginning to end.

Then you're flying blind. You'll have
to knock out his whole limbic system.

No.

If you want to keep him from dreaming,
you most certainly will,

if that's what you're after.

Every time he hallucinates,
we oblate that area.

In effect, for the first time
we'll be identifying

the regions of the brain
responsible for telepathy.

How about the kleptomaniacs?

Sorry?

How did you cure the kleptomaniacs?
Did you chop off their hands?

No. Just their fingers.

Doctor Denman,
we're getting some data.

This boy hasn't raped
or murdered anybody.

He tried to murder you.
He nearly killed the Messiah.

He's totally without control.

- Oh, then by all means, let's control him.
- I know how you feel about this patient.

What about his feelings?

Or weren't you going to ask him?

No. I was gonna
leave that up to you.

Dr Denman!

Right.

Right. It's starting.
Nurse, come with us.

Tell her to leave me alone!
Tell her to quit it!

- Tell her...
- All right, all right.

OK.

Yeah.

Yeah.

How did you get in here?

Why couldn't you let me have him?

Because you tried to kill him,
didn't you?

I only wanted to help.
That's all I ever wanted.

Well, you are going to help.

You wanted him dead?
Now you're going to save his life.

What is it?
What's going on?

Sheriff Prouty, this is Dr Farmer.
She's been working with the boy.

- Have you been trying to locate his mother?
- Yes, what happened?

- They found her.
- Where?

In a cabin by Potter's Pond,
about four miles north of here.

That's impossible.

I just saw her.
I just talked to her in my office.

I don't know who you've been talking to,
but it can't be his mother.

Dr Farmer, she's dead.

Some hikers found her.
The gas was still on in the cabin.

The windows were sealed,
the outlets taped,

the vents stuffed with towels.

We knew it wasn't a suicide.

There were two sets of prints in the cabin,
and the ones on the gas valve weren't hers.

Then we saw your report on TV
about a runaway boy.

That's why he escaped.
He killed her.

No.

She told him to turn on the gas.

- How do you know?
- Because I know.

Because I talked to her.

You couldn't have talked to her.
She's been dead at least five days.

She was dead when he got here.

When does he go into surgery?

- He's in there now.
- I'm going to have to post a man.

OK, sure. Thank you.

Is this the woman
whose body you found?

Uh-huh.

Start bringing him up.

No, it's bedtime.
Come on.

Take him down. Slowly.

OK?

Yeah, OK.

Mama!

Get out of here, quick!
Move it!

Get him out of there!

Where is he?

- It's no use.
- No!

- She's dead!
- Give me your keys!

No, she's dead!

Let me... No! No!
Take me with you!

Please! Stop!

No, wait!

Maybe I ought to leave now.

Where am I gonna go?

What?

I said,
"Where are you gonna go?"

That's not what you said!

Yes, it is.

Come to me.

Put the candle down.

I'm sorry, I can't help it.

I know.

Poor baby.
Come on, lie down.

That's better.

Close your eyes.

There you go.

Shh...

Now I lay me down to sleep.

I pray the Lord my soul to keep.

If I should die before I wake...

I pray the Lord my soul to take.

That's a good boy.

No!

No! No!

Ugh!

Where do you think
you're going?

Are you trying to run away
from me again?

She's not real.

She's dead.

Sweet Jesus!

When are you ever gonna learn?

There's no place for you out there.

Go back to sleep.

Die.

No!

I fell asleep.

When I woke up,
I could smell the gas.

She was dead.

I made it out of the house
and headed down the highway.

I must've passed out by the lake.

When I came to,
I couldn't remember anything...

except I wanted to die.

Because she wanted me dead.

At the same time,
I wanted help. I was...

I was afraid,
so as long as I could blot it out,

as long as I didn't remember
what happened...

I didn't have to face the truth.

She couldn't help it.

I hate what she tried to do to me,
but she couldn't help it.

So his amnesia is completely gone.

Any questions?

What you gonna do?

What's it matter?
He's getting out, isn't he?

So long, brother.
See you when we've won the war.

Come on.

You look after yourself now, OK?

Goodbye.