eXistenZ (1999) - full transcript
Allegra Geller, the leading game designer in the world, is testing her new virtual reality game, eXistenZ with a focus group. As they begin, she is attacked by a fanatic assassin employing a bizarre organic gun. She flees with a young marketing trainee, Ted Pikul, who is suddenly assigned as her bodyguard. Unfortunately, her pod, an organic gaming device that contains the only copy of the eXistenZ game program, is damaged. To inspect it, she talks Ted into accepting a gameport in his own body so he can play the game with her. The events leading up to this, and the resulting game lead the pair on a strange adventure where reality and their actions are impossible to determine from either their own or the game's perspective.
eXistenZ.
Written like this.
One word.
Small "e". Capital "X".
Capital "Z".
eXistenZ.
It's new.
It's from Antenna Research.
And it's here.
Right now.
We encourage consumer loyalty,
and we want you to help us...
with our product testing.
We're a team. Antenna and you.
Those of you who've come
to our invited seminars before...
will know that I normally lead
the groups through our new games.
But tonight it won't be me.
No.
For our test launch
of eXistenZ, by Antenna...
we've brought you
a seminar leader who is rather special.
Yes, it is.
The world's greatest
game designer is here...
in person, to lead you,
our first test enclave...
through her newest creation,
eXistenZ, by Antenna.
I give you the game-pod
goddess herself...
Allegra Geller.
Allegra! Allegra!
Allegra!
The world of games
is in a kind of a trance.
People are programmed
to accept so little.
But the possibilities are so great.
eXistenZ is not just a game.
It's an entirely new game system.
And...
it involves a whole lot
of new toys, which...
you're gonna be
the first to try out.
We have 12 prototype
MetaFlesh Game-Pods.
And that means that for our first-wave
test enclave, we need 12 volunteers...
who will port into these slave units
with the game-pod goddess herself.
Hold it.
Not so fast.
Oh, jeez. Right.
Oh, God. I'm not late, am I?
Did I miss the port-in?
It's just the first wave.
You can be part of the second wave.
You and the guy at the back
with the grey hair.
You, sir. This lady here.
Just come up. Thank you.
Noel Dichter?
Yes.
Put your arms up.
I have to scan you.
Weapons check?
More for recording devices. Lot of
money invested in these games, Noel.
Our assistants will then help you to port
your pod into your bio-ports...
using Antenna Research's new...
What's in this case?
I brought my game-pod.
It's got original Marway tissue
architecture. I know it's kind of obsolete.
Even though I couldn't afford the Antenna
15 upgrade, I figured out this method...
You won't need it tonight.
Everything's provided for.
How are you doing? You okay?
So what do you think?
Two hours, tops?
Well, two, three hours.
- So you're saying three hours?
- Yeah.
Okay.
Everything's in order.
Are you ready, Allegra?
Sure. This is my favourite part.
Take it away.
All right.
I'm ready to download eXistenZ,
by Antenna Research, into all of you.
Now, I'm warning you,
it's going to be a wild ride.
But don't panic.
No matter what happens, okay?
All right. I'll see you back
here in no time at all.
She seems to be very shy.
Never occurred to me
that a big star would be shy.
She spends most of her time alone
in a room, designing her games.
I think she'd like it best if she
never had to show them to anybody.
Death to the demoness
Allegra Geller!
No!
Death to Antenna Research!
Get her out of here. Save her!
There might be more of them.
Go on!
- Me? Take her?
- We have enemies in our own house.
Trust no one. Trust no one!
Miss Geller, you're coming with me.
I'm responsible for you.
You're supposed to come with me.
Well, what are we
gonna do out here?
Do you know your way around?
Do you know any country people?
Not country people.
Games people.
Countryside's full of games-development
people, project coordinators...
little factories, you name it.
Okay, so you know your way around.
We can hide out.
Maybe.
It seems like I have some enemies
I didn't know I had.
"Death to Allegra Geller."
How would you like to hear
someone with a gun screaming...
"Death to Ted Pikul"?
Hey, how'd you know my name?
You're labelled.
Yeah.
What's that?
My pink-fone.
Ted Pikul.
What hap...
What?
Hey!
What did you do that for?
- That was our lifeline to civilization.
- That was a range-finder.
As long as you have that,
they know where we are.
They?
- You mean head office?
- I mean anybody.
Pikul, why don't you have a gun?
What?
You're not armed.
They told me you're my security,
but you have no weaponry.
Who told you that?
I'm just a marketing trainee.
Fucking hell.
I'm marked for death, and they send me
on the road with a PR nerd.
"Marked for death".
"Marked for death". Oh, Jesus.
Okay.
Don't sweat it, Pikul.
Don't sweat it.
I'm gonna handle it.
And right now we need to stop.
We do? Why?
So we can have an intimate
moment together.
Come on, if you're gonna do it, do it.
Okay.
Did somebody bite you?
What?
What I just dug out of you...
It's a tooth.
A human...
tooth.
Let me see that weirdo pistol.
The bullets are human teeth.
This one's got a cavity.
That thing was designed to get past any
kind of metal or synthetics detector.
It's all flesh and bone.
I suppose the smaller calibre pistols
would have to fire baby teeth.
The tooth fairy could go
into the arms business.
Where were you just now?
I was wandering through eXistenZ.
The new system, I mean.
I like it in there.
Of course, without another player
you're only a tourist.
It's frustrating.
Why won't you let me contact Antenna?
They've gotta be going crazy
wondering what's happened to you.
I mean, it's not like
we've done something wrong.
We just ran because we didn't know
how many of them there were, right?
I think we owe it to Antenna
to let them know you're all right...
and to get them to send
somebody to help you who...
knows what he's doing.
Besides, I can't...
I can't just keep doing this,
whatever it is...
you know, forever.
Not having any idea when it's going...
Hey.
What are you doing?
Where's your bio-port?
Don't tell me you've
never been fitted.
I can't believe it.
No, I was never fitted with a bio-port.
What do you care?
You wanna get into the biz, and
you've never played one of my games?
You've never played any game?
Look.
I've been dying to play your games...
but I have this phobia
about having my body penetrated...
surgically.
You know what I mean.
No, I'm not sure that I do.
Getting a bio-port fitted.
I don't know. I can't do it.
It's too freaky.
Makes my skin crawl.
They just pop your spine
with a little hydro-gun.
They shoot the port plug into it.
They do it at malls. It's like
getting your ears pierced.
Yeah, sure, with only an infinitesimal
chance of permanent spinal paralysis.
- I've read all about it.
- Hey, it's your chosen profession.
Besides, once you're ported...
there's no end to the games
you can play.
You can't seriously wanna
play games now.
Not here. Not while we're being
hunted down by crazy people.
My baby here took a huge hit
in the church, Pikul.
One of those UmbyCords
got ripped out of her.
Ripped out of her.
Just as the game architecture was being
downloaded from her to all those slave pods.
That's a very vulnerable time for her.
She could be crying out
for help right here...
right now.
The only way I can tell...
if the game's
not been contaminated...
the pod is not about to be crippled
for life because of my negligence...
is to play eXistenZ...
with somebody friendly.
Are you friendly?
Or are you not?
Sure.
Let's do it.
Let's do it now.
Let me see.
To get an illegal...
unregistered bio-port installed...
at about midnight...
we just drive up to your local
country gas station, right?
Anything else I can do for you?
Well, Gas...
you could check
your bio-port plugs.
The what? Spark plugs?
You heard me.
My friend here
has a bio-port problem.
A bio-port. Now...
that's a sort of hole
in your spine, isn't it?
Lots of assholes around here,
but that's generally it.
I don't know why you'd be
talking to me about that, lady.
Sure you do.
Allegra Geller.
You've changed my life.
What was your life like before?
Before?
Before it was changed
by Allegra Geller.
I operated a gas station.
You still operate a gas station, don't you?
Only on the most pathetic
level of reality.
Geller's work liberated me.
Liberated?
Did you ever play her game ArtGod?
One word. Capital "A".
Capital "G".
I don't have a bio-port.
"Thou, the player of the game, art God."
Very spiritual.
Funny too.
God, the artist, the mechanic.
Funny.
Here we go.
Those are sterilized,
aren't they?
Not to worry.
The way they set things up, you could
fire in a bio-port in a slaughterhouse...
and never generate an infection.
Then why the clean overalls?
It's a mental thing.
Helps me focus.
The one thing you don't wanna do
is miss with the stud-finder.
Oh, God.
God?
The mechanic.
Step into my office.
See? That didn't hurt, did it?
I didn't expect that to hurt.
I expect the next part to hurt.
Yeah, that's what I expect to hurt.
I haven't crippled anyone yet.
How many have you done?
Three.
Well, you'll be my third.
Easy.
- What was going on, Gas?
- Hell...
he's acting
like I'm attacking him.
People usually pay me to do this, you know.
Yeah? All two of them?!
As you can see...
I've decided not to have
a bio-port installed.
This is it, you see.
This is the cage of your own making...
which keeps you trapped and pacing about
in the smallest possible space forever.
Break out of your cage, Pikul.
Break out now.
The swelling doesn't last for long.
Tomorrow you won't even notice it.
I love it.
Great.
What's going on?
I can't move my legs!
The procedure comes...
with its own epidural.
Just like when you have a baby.
Kind of like instant paralysis
from the waist down.
That's why it didn't hurt you.
It'll wear off in no time.
I'm gonna go wash up.
You two make yourselves at home.
We don't have to wait
for the swelling to go down.
You're gonna port into me
while I'm paralysed?
You wanted to play my game,
didn't you?
Yeah, I did. I do, but...
Here? Now?
It's an instant-on world, isn't it?
What's that for?
Feels...
cold.
New ports are sometimes
a bit tight.
Wouldn't wanna hurt you.
How come...
bio-ports don't get infected?
I mean...
they open right into your body.
Listen to what you're saying, Pikul.
Don't be ludicrous.
Don't you think
you could call me Ted?
Maybe afterwards.
Shit!
Pikul!
I can't believe it.
You blew my pod!
You must've neural-surged.
What do you mean?
I jacked you into my pod
and you obviously panicked.
Now it's totally fucked!
This is a disaster.
I was nervous,
but I didn't panic.
I was forced to trust you, and you
panicked and you neural-surged...
and you blew my pod.
You can get a new pod.
Pikul.
In this pod...
is the only, the original
version of eXistenZ.
An entire game system that cost
38 million to develop.
Not including pre-release
marketing costs.
And I'm locked outside my own game.
I can't get me in or it out.
Are you serious?
That's the only version that exists?
It's the only one
and it's stuck inside...
and it's your fault.
I've devoted five of my most passionate
years to this strange little creature.
And I've never regretted it, Pikul.
'Cause I knew it was the only thing
that could give my life any meaning.
Allegra.
Why is it my fault?
I'm telling you, I didn't.
I did not neural-surge.
I didn't.
I didn't feel any surging.
It's not your fault.
It's my fault.
Oh, no, Gas. Not you.
I wouldn't try to use
that bio-port again.
Except maybe for a toaster
or something.
What's going on?
You're worth a lot of money
if you're dead.
What are you talking about?
You know what I'm talking about.
It's all over the countryside.
Five million dollars for her dead body.
No questions asked.
But she changed your life.
Yeah.
Now I'm gonna change hers.
What?
Why did you install
a bad port into me?
Seems there's a bonus for killing...
Allegra Geller's latest game,
or whatever it is.
I think I just did that, didn't I?
But can you kill me, Gas?
Can you kill a person?
Can you do that?
Hide my body...
contact the crazies...
trust them to pay up?
Hand over my now decaying,
fucking grotesque corpse...
really expect them to hand over
five mill cash?
I mean, don't you ever go
to the fucking movies?
I like your script.
I wanna be in it.
Oh, God, I think he's dead.
- He wanted to kill you.
- Yep.
That's two people in one day...
who wanted to actually kill you.
I've never been more popular.
Allegra, we need help.
You're right. I've gotta
get this pod fixed.
We're going skiing?
Hey.
Hey!
Look at that huge bug.
It's got two heads.
It's not a bug. It's a mutated
amphibian. It's a frog...
salamander-lizard thing.
Sign of the times.
What happens if somebody comes up here
and really wants to ski?
Come on, Pikul. Nobody actually physically
skis anymore. You know that.
No, don't use that!
And bring me the sterile wash.
My darling.
Allegra Geller.
I am so pleased and...
so astonished to see you here.
Kiri Vinokur...
my bodyguard, Ted Pikul.
Hello.
Sterile wash.
I hear this ridiculous story...
about some fatwa against you.
The company are desperately
trying to find you.
Now, is this really serious?
Are you in danger?
There have been a couple
of attempts on my life already.
This is unbearable.
The company must stop this.
They owe you every kind
of protection.
I don't know if they can do anything.
It seems to be open season on me.
Well, you will be safe here.
I assure you that.
I will contact Antenna right away
and have them send some people over...
No, Kiri, don't.
You mustn't let anybody
know that we're here.
I can't be sure that Antenna
is completely safe for me.
I understand. Yes.
You know...
you can hide out in one
of the guest chalets...
as long as you like.
And I'll make sure
you get fresh towels.
And make sure I don't lose everything
I have in here.
You bet.
Take that.
Good.
Pull this back.
What did you port into?
Pikul's bio-port.
Really, that's what caused
all the damage?
It was a flawed installation.
My first.
Well...
it fried a lot of very expensive
neural webbing.
You see?
Looks like an animal in there.
Feels like you're operating
on somebody's pet dog.
I told you, Landry,
we have become...
glorified veterinarians.
Put a little in there, please.
The eXistenZ game-pod is basically
an animal, Mr. Pikul.
It's grown from fertilized amphibian
eggs stuffed with synthetic DNA.
Only Antenna Research has this.
Wow. Where do the batteries go?
Very funny.
He's not kidding.
He's a total PR nerd. It ports
into you. You're the power source.
Your body, your nervous system,
your metabolism, your energy.
You get tired, rundown,
it won't run properly.
Landry here will finish up
the pod work. Now, let's...
get that nasty bio-port out of you,
put a nice fresh one in.
It hurts.
I think it's infected.
No, it's not infected.
It's just excited.
It wants action.
I really don't think that
I want action. Me, I mean.
The bearer of the excited bio-port.
My baby here has now taken three major
hits, Pikul. One in the church...
one in the gas station
and one on the operating table.
The only way I can tell
if everything's okay...
is to play eXistenZ
with somebody friendly.
Are you friendly or are you not?
You're telling me this thing
will run off my body's energy?
That's how they work.
See? You're humming along already.
Okay...
eXistenZ.
Only from Antenna.
- Here we go.
- You.
You've got a bit
of an unfair advantage, don't you?
How can I possibly compete
with the designer of the system?
Well, you could...
beat the guy that
invented poker, couldn't you?
- You want that one?
- Yeah, that one.
- Are you sure you want that one?
- Yes.
- I wouldn't recommend it.
- Why not?
The graphics on this one are better.
In fact, there's no comparison.
- This is the one you want.
- That one?
That was beautiful.
I feel just like me.
Is that kind of transition normal?
That kind of...
smooth interlacing from place to place?
Depends on the style of the game.
You can get jagged brutal cuts,
slow fades...
shimmering little morphs.
This is amazing.
I had no idea.
Look at this.
Games I've never heard of.
Wait a minute.
That reminds me.
What precisely is the goal of the game
that we're playing now?
You have to play the game to find out
why you're playing the game.
It's the future, Pikul.
You'll see how natural it feels.
Look at this.
Can this be the future too?
Ever see anything like this before?
These are delicate.
You got to be careful.
Yes, I can imagine.
Cortical Systematics...
is the latest and the hottest.
Not just a new game...
but a new system.
Will it work with an industry
standard bio-port?
I'm D'Arcy Nader.
Welcome to D'Arcy Nader's
Game Emporium.
Is there anything I can be
helping you with?
We're just looking.
I have...
what you're looking for.
Who sent you?
It's none of your business
who sent us.
We're here.
That's all that matters.
God.
What happened?
I...
I didn't mean to say that.
Your character said it.
It's a kind of schizophrenic feeling,
isn't it?
You'll get used to it.
There are things that have to be said to
advance the plot and establish the characters.
Those things get said whether
you wanna say them or not.
Don't fight it.
Just go with it.
But should you be saying this
in front of him?
Look at him.
- What's he doing?
- He's gone into a game loop.
He won't come out of it until you give
him a proper line of game dialogue.
This is tricky.
Start by repeating your last line.
Include his name so he knows
you're talking to him.
We're here, D'Arcy Nader...
and that's all that matters.
Yes, you're right.
That is all that matters.
Now, you said you have
what we want.
We're waiting.
You're going to need
these micro-pods...
to download your new identities.
I assume that you both
have had these...
industry standard bio-ports...
that you mentioned installed.
Yes, of course,
we both have bio-ports.
We do, don't we?
I assumed we did.
In the game, of course, we might not.
We better check.
Yeah, it's there.
Looks a little different,
but it's there.
Yeah, I see what you mean.
Yes, we both have bio-ports.
Good.
Port in.
And this will tell you
all you need to know...
for now.
I'm going to leave, while you two
finish up here because...
it wouldn't be good for us all
to be seen together.
I assume that Nader is our
entry point into the game.
Yeah, kind of disappointing.
Nader?
Yeah, he's not a very well-drawn character.
His dialogue was just so-so.
His accent...
Yeah.
Okay.
The pods are so small...
they plug directly
into the bio-port.
Okay.
Oh, God.
What happened?
The whole pod just disappeared
into your back.
It disappeared into my back?
It's in my spine? It's working
its way round my spinal cord?
Don't panic. It's just a game.
Do you feel anything yet?
No, I don't.
Not a thing.
I don't feel a thing.
- Do you want me to do you?
- Yeah.
What the hell was that?
That wasn't me.
It was my game character.
I wouldn't have done that.
Not here anyway.
Our characters are obviously
supposed to jump on each other.
It's most probably...
a pathetically
mechanical attempt...
to heighten the emotional tension
of the next game sequence.
No use fighting it.
What about our new identities?
Do you feel yours yet?
They'll take care of themselves.
I'm very worried about my body.
Your what?
Where are our real bodies?
Are they all right?
What if they're hungry?
What if there's danger?
They're just where we left them.
They're sitting quietly...
eyes closed.
It's just like meditating.
I feel really vulnerable.
Disembodied.
Okay.
Don't sweat it.
All your senses
are still operating.
You'll pop right out
of the game if there's a problem.
Trying to remember who you are?
Hey.
Hey, it works!
I must be Yevgeny Nourish.
And you are new to trout farm.
Yeah.
Yes, I'm...
I'm very new.
Did you say "trout farm"?
Yeah, trout farm. Trout farm.
You know, raising baby trout from eggs
and releasing them in rivers.
Entire place used to be trout farm.
From outside, you would never guess
it's now factory for making game-pods.
Seems like most everything
used to be something else, yes?
You might be new, but you seem
to know what you're doing.
It surprises me more
than it surprises you.
You might be new, but you seem
to know what you're doing.
I've been trained by the very best.
So have I, my friend. So have I.
Where are you planning
to have lunch?
I'm new here.
I have no plans for lunch.
May I suggest the Chinese restaurant
in the forest?
Everyone knows where it is.
Just ask.
Well, won't you be going there too?
Unfortunately, I have
other plans for lunch.
But I do suggest
you order the special.
And don't take no for answer.
All right, I'll do that.
Larry.
Yes?
They need this in the back.
They asked for you.
Hey.
I saw you make contact, Larry Ashen. What
did the guy on the assembly line say to you?
Can you believe the game version
of your pod?
It's sick...
and so unconvincing! I mean,
using mutated animal organs...
and nervous systems as game-pod parts
is certainly feasible, but...
everything here's so dirty.
Absurd.
Grotesque.
I saw you make contact, Larry Ashen. What
did the guy on the assembly line say to you?
He told me where to have lunch.
We have nice sea bass today.
Shall I bring it for everyone?
We want the special.
Did you hear me, Chinese waiter?
We want the special.
The special is for special occasions.
I cannot give you the special.
But this is a special occasion.
It's her birthday.
A birthday is a special occasion.
I will therefore bring the special
for everybody.
I guess the special
isn't very popular.
I guess not.
I wanna put the game on pause.
The game can be paused, can't it?
I mean, all games
can be paused, right?
Yeah, sure. But why? What's wrong?
I mean, aren't you dying to see
what's so special about the special?
I'm feeling a little disconnected
from my real life.
I'm kind of losing touch
with the texture of it.
You know what I mean?
I mean I actually think...
there's an element
of psychosis involved here.
Yes!
This is a great sign.
Your nervous system is fully
engaging with the game architecture.
eXistenZ is paused!
Did I do that?
I guess I did.
So how does it feel?
What?
Your real life.
The one you came back for.
It feels completely unreal.
You're stuck now, aren't you?
You wanna go back
to the Chinese restaurant...
because there's
nothing happening here.
We're safe. It's boring.
It's worse than that.
I'm not sure...
I'm not sure here...
where we are...
is real at all.
This feels like a game to me.
And you...
you're beginning to feel
like a game character.
Definitely not.
Let's go back.
Special order for the birthday girl.
Hope you enjoy it very much.
Look, it's our two-headed friend.
Doesn't look too healthy.
I think I lost my appetite.
Oh, a shame.
Mutant reptiles and amphibians...
provide new and previously
unimagined taste sensations.
Shall I clear all this away?
No.
We're happy.
Very good.
Enjoy.
Pikul, what are you doing?
I don't know.
I find this disgusting,
but I can't help myself.
Good.
"Good"? You think this is good?
Yeah. It's a genuine game urge.
It's something your game
character was born to do.
Don't fight it.
I'm fighting it.
But it isn't doing me any good.
Oh, my God.
This looks awfully familiar.
You sure this is okay?
Yeah, it should be okay.
Do you have that bridge
in real life?
Absolutely not.
My teeth are perfect.
Death to the demoness
Allegra Geller.
That's not funny.
Sorry.
But, you know...
I do feel the urge
to kill someone here.
Who?
I need to kill our waiter.
Well, that makes sense.
Waiter!
Waiter!
When he comes over, do it.
Don't hesitate.
But everything in the game is...
so realistic.
I don't think I really could.
You won't be able to stop yourself.
You might as well enjoy it.
Free will is obviously
not a big factor...
in this little world of ours.
It's like real life. There's
just enough to make it interesting.
He's too nice.
I won't do it.
What can I do to make
your lunch more pleasant?
I found this in my soup...
and I'm very upset.
It's all right.
Just a little misunderstanding...
over the check.
Pay no attention
and enjoy your meal.
I feel a serious game urge...
to get out of here.
Through the kitchen. That way.
Did you like the meal
I prepared for you?
Yeah.
It was very...
revealing.
Yes, it certainly was for me.
You both passed our little test
with flying colours.
- Why did the Chinese waiter have to die?
- A waiter hears...
many things spoken when
people are relaxing and eating.
A waiter has many opportunities
for betrayal.
He betrayed you?
He betrayed us. Us!
Come. This way.
Come.
These are the breeding pools.
Breeding pools.
Is this...
Is this where you caught
today's special?
We originally were raising
these mutant creatures...
for their nervous systems
for game-pods.
But then we found they
could be quite tasty.
So we opened the restaurant,
and now that is our cover.
But of course we are also
raising them as components...
for undetectable and
hypo-allergenic weapons.
Right under the noses
of our enemies.
And speaking of our enemies,
it's important...
that you go back to work
at Cortical Systematics.
We need to maintain as many
agents there as possible.
The trout farm is owned
by Cortical Systematics?
Yeah. Their corporate slogan should be:
" Enemies of Reality."
Someday soon, we will
destroy trout farm...
and all game-pods inside.
We love you.
Now that you have proven to be
true and trustworthy Realists.
We'll be in touch.
I'm looking for D'Arcy Nader.
Is he here?
Hugo Carlaw, is D'Arcy Nader here?
He's in the back.
You want him, there he is.
You shouldn't have killed
the Chinese waiter.
Why not?
He was your contact
at the trout farm.
Damn good man.
His...
dog brought me this.
We were contacted there by Yevgeny Nourish.
He seemed to know exactly who we were.
That's because Nader tipped him off that
you were coming. Nader was a mole...
for Cortical Systematics.
- You're with the Realist Underground.
- Yes.
I was placed here
to keep an eye on Nader.
If Nourish isn't our real contact,
who is he?
Nourish is a double agent
for Cortical Systematics.
He was working with Nader
to subvert the Realist cause...
and doing it rather well. After all, he got
you to assassinate your own contact.
But now you're gonna
put a stop to him.
I don't wanna be here.
Come on, Pikul.
You've just got a bad case
of first-time user anxiety.
I don't like it here.
I don't know what's going on.
We're both stumbling around together
in this unformed world...
whose rules and objectives
are largely unknown...
seemingly indecipherable
or even possibly non-existent...
always on the verge of...
being killed by forces
that we don't understand.
That sounds like my game, all right.
That sounds like a game that's
not gonna be easy to market.
But it's a game everybody's
already playing.
The cashier said it would be
in a familiar place.
Is there such a thing here?
My assembly bay.
Is that it over there?
God, it's ugly even for a game-pod.
I have a terrible urge to port into it.
What about you?
Sure. Yeah.
Desperate to port into it.
All right. Here we go.
- You wanna give me a hand?
- You're not serious!
That's a diseased pod.
You port into that...
Yes, exactly.
Help me.
How long does it take
for the infection to take hold?
No time at all.
Then you quietly port
into all the other pods and...
spread the infection to them.
Oh, God.
What's happening?
Something's wrong.
I'm gonna unport you now.
Oh, God! Don't, don't!
That really hurts.
I'm gonna cut you free.
No! I'm afraid!
Pikul...
I'm bleeding to death.
I'm sorry.
I don't know...
I don't know what else to do!
I know what to do.
I know...
exactly what to do.
Death to Realism!
Burn!
Burn, diseased pod.
Bugs!
No! No, spores.
Deadly spores.
Spores!
No, it's just...
Death to the demoness!
Demoness!
I think we just lost the game.
Or maybe not.
Allegra...
we're back home.
We're back home.
Pikul... Pikul...
What's the matter? What's wrong?
It's here.
It's happened.
It's come back here with us.
We brought it back
from eXistenZ.
Brought what back?
I can't understand what you're saying.
We brought the disease
back with us.
My pod is diseased.
Oh, God!
I'm really gonna lose it.
I'm gonna lose my game.
Unport me. Come on, unport me.
All right.
Okay. I'm coming.
I'm coming.
This can't be possible. How can a game event...
merge into real life?
There's a very weird reality-bleed-through
effect happening here.
I'm not sure I get it.
What's in the needle?
Sporicide.
Pods are susceptible
to spore infections.
It works if you get it in time.
Come on.
Come on.
Let me see your bio-port.
What?
Let me see it.
What?
I know what happened.
It's Kiri Vinokur. That bastard.
Vinokur?
He gave you a new bio-port, didn't he?
Oh, God.
He gave you an infected bio-port so that my
pod would die and so would my game system!
I'm infected? Wait a minute.
The poor thing was trying to tell us that it was sick
by introducing the theme of disease in the game.
"The theme of disease"?
I'm fucking really infected!
What? Is it gonna crawl up
my spine and rot my brain?
All right, all right. Just calm down.
I've got something that will help you.
Turn around.
I'm gonna seal up your bio-port
with this sporicidal resonator.
It uses the Umby pick-ups for power.
It should cleanse all your porting
channels of infection within a few hours.
It's gonna give you a slight
skin buzz when it's done.
Of course, we can't play until then.
Great.
Now listen.
Listen.
This could be critical.
Were you really saying that Vinokur...
- is an agent for...
- Oh, God!
Pikul...
my pod's dying.
I can't help it.
There's nothing I can do for it.
The uprising has begun!
The world is in flames!
Let's go!
You gotta get out of here!
They're gonna be looking for you.
The cashier...
He's a game character.
How can he be here?
Leave that rotting piece of meat here.
It's done its job.
I keep my game inside there!
I can't let my game die!
No! Wait!
Allegra! Listen to me.
Listen to me.
I think we're still inside the game.
I think your pod's out there
somewhere, somewhere safe.
I think it's all right
to let go of this one, this pod.
It's not the real one.
Everybody out! Now!
This way! Come on! Follow me!
This way. Come on.
Up here.
You can see everything
from up here!
What is it that we're seeing?
The victory of Realism.
And you were part of it.
The death of eXistenZ.
And we were part of it.
There's just one more thing.
We're on your side.
How could you be?
How could Allegra Geller...
the world's premier game designer,
be on our side?
Oh yeah, we know who you are. But you
can't hide inside a game forever.
Something slipped over
the edge here, Allegra.
Something's all wrong.
See what I mean?
See the problem?
I tried to find you.
Thank God I got here in time.
My dog brought me this.
You didn't get here in time.
My game is dead.
You murdered my game!
No, I murdered your pod.
Your game is healthy and happy.
I replicated...
your pod's entire nervous system
during our little surgical procedure...
at the chalet,
complete with contents.
You copied eXistenZ?
Allegra...
come over to Cortical Systematics.
Yes. Yes, Cortical Systematics.
I am defecting, and
so are all Antenna top brass.
You're a spy for Cortical Systematics?
If you want to be reunited with
your baby, you'll come over to us.
Can you talk to her?
It would be best for everyone.
I mean, you can come with us too.
What the fuck are you doing?
You've killed him.
Are you gonna kill me next?
Pikul, he was only a game character.
I didn't like the way he was
messing with my mind.
You didn't like that,
so you killed him?
He's only a game character.
Allegra.
What if we're not
in the game anymore?
If we're not...
If we're not...
then you just killed someone real.
It was no accident that you and
I ended up on the run together.
Not an accident?
No.
That's why you never had a bio-port.
You were one of them.
I still am one of them.
But you have a bio-port now.
I made the bio-port sacrifice
to get close to you.
Why would you wanna do that?
To understand what I have to kill.
Then understand this.
Understand I knew...
that you were my real assassin when you
pointed the gun at me in the Chinese restaurant.
And understand that...
you're dead.
Death to the demon Ted Pikul!
Have I won?
Have I won the game?
Have I won?
Are you all back?
We're back.
We're back, Merle, but...
I have a feeling some of
our crew doesn't realize it yet.
Wow.
Anybody want a bowl
of hot and sour soup?
It's on me.
Yes, I'll have some.
If you make sure there's some mutated
amphibian nervous systems in the rice.
My accent in the game was so thick,
I could hardly understand myself.
- How long were we gone?
- About 20 minutes.
God, it seemed like days.
It's fantastic.
Just think about it, man.
If you stayed your whole life in the game
world, then you could live to about...
I don't know, 500 years.
The twists and turns at the end
made my head spin.
Maybe there was too many,
too fast to absorb.
I sucked, but you guys were great.
I mean, you were like game divas.
Personally, I think you both
deserve to win.
I was really bummed out at first.
I got knocked out of the game so soon.
It was fantastic how mean you were.
Really scary and crazy.
I had a lot to do in that first scene at the
church, but I thought the character was boring.
Well, no matter how boring you were...
you still all get a certificate. A
certificate for helping us out here and...
Am I right about this, Merle?
I think...
Yes. And that will entitle you to
reserve one of the first batch...
of the transCendenZ by PilgrImage
game modules to hit the market...
at a seriously discounted price.
You're gonna love it.
Remember, it's written like this:
Capital "C", capital "Z".
transCendenZ.
It's new.
It's from PilgrImage, capital "P",
capital "I", and it's coming soon.
I just wanted to say thank you
to Mr. Nourish for...
giving me the chance to play
the role of a star designer.
I guess the game picked up
on my ambition to be like you.
Allegra, you were so good
in that role that I suspect...
it won't be long before PilgrImage
is after you to sign a designing contract.
And maybe you should bring along
your friend Ted here, Mr. Pikul.
He's obviously pretty good in a crisis. And when
you're designing games, there's plenty of those.
I guess you could all tell that
Pikul and I had a relationship...
prior to coming here. We really
do like to play together.
We do.
But I'd just like to
assure everybody here that...
Allegra wouldn't really jump
into bed with a security guard.
Unless he were me.
Well, what do we have to say
to our brilliant...
award-winning game designer, Yevgeny Nourish?
Does he have another winner
on his hands or not?
Merle, I was very disturbed
by the game we just played.
What do you mean?
It had a very strong,
very real anti-game theme.
I mean, it began with the attempted
assassination of a designer.
Really? That's very creative.
On second thought, I see what you mean.
It does makes me nervous.
You think this must've come
from one of our game players?
Well, it sure didn't come from me.
Let's probe it when
we do the focus group.
Thank you for looking after my dog.
Hi.
We just wanted to ask Mr. Nourish
some questions away from the others.
Sure. Shoot.
As long as you don't ask me
to fill in your questionnaires.
We've played your game now...
so we can finally agree with the others that you
are indeed the world's greatest game artist.
We weren't sure before.
Thanks so much.
Yevgeny?
Don't you think you should
have to suffer
for all the harm you've done and
intend to do to the human race?
- What?
- Yes.
Don't you think the greatest
game artist ought to be punished...
for the most effective
deforming of reality?
I don't think this...
Guys, can you come over
here right now please?
Death to the demon Yevgeny Nourish!
Death to PilgrImage!
Death to transCendenZ!
No, no, no, no!
You don't have to shoot me!
Hey, tell me the truth.
Are we still in the game?
Written like this.
One word.
Small "e". Capital "X".
Capital "Z".
eXistenZ.
It's new.
It's from Antenna Research.
And it's here.
Right now.
We encourage consumer loyalty,
and we want you to help us...
with our product testing.
We're a team. Antenna and you.
Those of you who've come
to our invited seminars before...
will know that I normally lead
the groups through our new games.
But tonight it won't be me.
No.
For our test launch
of eXistenZ, by Antenna...
we've brought you
a seminar leader who is rather special.
Yes, it is.
The world's greatest
game designer is here...
in person, to lead you,
our first test enclave...
through her newest creation,
eXistenZ, by Antenna.
I give you the game-pod
goddess herself...
Allegra Geller.
Allegra! Allegra!
Allegra!
The world of games
is in a kind of a trance.
People are programmed
to accept so little.
But the possibilities are so great.
eXistenZ is not just a game.
It's an entirely new game system.
And...
it involves a whole lot
of new toys, which...
you're gonna be
the first to try out.
We have 12 prototype
MetaFlesh Game-Pods.
And that means that for our first-wave
test enclave, we need 12 volunteers...
who will port into these slave units
with the game-pod goddess herself.
Hold it.
Not so fast.
Oh, jeez. Right.
Oh, God. I'm not late, am I?
Did I miss the port-in?
It's just the first wave.
You can be part of the second wave.
You and the guy at the back
with the grey hair.
You, sir. This lady here.
Just come up. Thank you.
Noel Dichter?
Yes.
Put your arms up.
I have to scan you.
Weapons check?
More for recording devices. Lot of
money invested in these games, Noel.
Our assistants will then help you to port
your pod into your bio-ports...
using Antenna Research's new...
What's in this case?
I brought my game-pod.
It's got original Marway tissue
architecture. I know it's kind of obsolete.
Even though I couldn't afford the Antenna
15 upgrade, I figured out this method...
You won't need it tonight.
Everything's provided for.
How are you doing? You okay?
So what do you think?
Two hours, tops?
Well, two, three hours.
- So you're saying three hours?
- Yeah.
Okay.
Everything's in order.
Are you ready, Allegra?
Sure. This is my favourite part.
Take it away.
All right.
I'm ready to download eXistenZ,
by Antenna Research, into all of you.
Now, I'm warning you,
it's going to be a wild ride.
But don't panic.
No matter what happens, okay?
All right. I'll see you back
here in no time at all.
She seems to be very shy.
Never occurred to me
that a big star would be shy.
She spends most of her time alone
in a room, designing her games.
I think she'd like it best if she
never had to show them to anybody.
Death to the demoness
Allegra Geller!
No!
Death to Antenna Research!
Get her out of here. Save her!
There might be more of them.
Go on!
- Me? Take her?
- We have enemies in our own house.
Trust no one. Trust no one!
Miss Geller, you're coming with me.
I'm responsible for you.
You're supposed to come with me.
Well, what are we
gonna do out here?
Do you know your way around?
Do you know any country people?
Not country people.
Games people.
Countryside's full of games-development
people, project coordinators...
little factories, you name it.
Okay, so you know your way around.
We can hide out.
Maybe.
It seems like I have some enemies
I didn't know I had.
"Death to Allegra Geller."
How would you like to hear
someone with a gun screaming...
"Death to Ted Pikul"?
Hey, how'd you know my name?
You're labelled.
Yeah.
What's that?
My pink-fone.
Ted Pikul.
What hap...
What?
Hey!
What did you do that for?
- That was our lifeline to civilization.
- That was a range-finder.
As long as you have that,
they know where we are.
They?
- You mean head office?
- I mean anybody.
Pikul, why don't you have a gun?
What?
You're not armed.
They told me you're my security,
but you have no weaponry.
Who told you that?
I'm just a marketing trainee.
Fucking hell.
I'm marked for death, and they send me
on the road with a PR nerd.
"Marked for death".
"Marked for death". Oh, Jesus.
Okay.
Don't sweat it, Pikul.
Don't sweat it.
I'm gonna handle it.
And right now we need to stop.
We do? Why?
So we can have an intimate
moment together.
Come on, if you're gonna do it, do it.
Okay.
Did somebody bite you?
What?
What I just dug out of you...
It's a tooth.
A human...
tooth.
Let me see that weirdo pistol.
The bullets are human teeth.
This one's got a cavity.
That thing was designed to get past any
kind of metal or synthetics detector.
It's all flesh and bone.
I suppose the smaller calibre pistols
would have to fire baby teeth.
The tooth fairy could go
into the arms business.
Where were you just now?
I was wandering through eXistenZ.
The new system, I mean.
I like it in there.
Of course, without another player
you're only a tourist.
It's frustrating.
Why won't you let me contact Antenna?
They've gotta be going crazy
wondering what's happened to you.
I mean, it's not like
we've done something wrong.
We just ran because we didn't know
how many of them there were, right?
I think we owe it to Antenna
to let them know you're all right...
and to get them to send
somebody to help you who...
knows what he's doing.
Besides, I can't...
I can't just keep doing this,
whatever it is...
you know, forever.
Not having any idea when it's going...
Hey.
What are you doing?
Where's your bio-port?
Don't tell me you've
never been fitted.
I can't believe it.
No, I was never fitted with a bio-port.
What do you care?
You wanna get into the biz, and
you've never played one of my games?
You've never played any game?
Look.
I've been dying to play your games...
but I have this phobia
about having my body penetrated...
surgically.
You know what I mean.
No, I'm not sure that I do.
Getting a bio-port fitted.
I don't know. I can't do it.
It's too freaky.
Makes my skin crawl.
They just pop your spine
with a little hydro-gun.
They shoot the port plug into it.
They do it at malls. It's like
getting your ears pierced.
Yeah, sure, with only an infinitesimal
chance of permanent spinal paralysis.
- I've read all about it.
- Hey, it's your chosen profession.
Besides, once you're ported...
there's no end to the games
you can play.
You can't seriously wanna
play games now.
Not here. Not while we're being
hunted down by crazy people.
My baby here took a huge hit
in the church, Pikul.
One of those UmbyCords
got ripped out of her.
Ripped out of her.
Just as the game architecture was being
downloaded from her to all those slave pods.
That's a very vulnerable time for her.
She could be crying out
for help right here...
right now.
The only way I can tell...
if the game's
not been contaminated...
the pod is not about to be crippled
for life because of my negligence...
is to play eXistenZ...
with somebody friendly.
Are you friendly?
Or are you not?
Sure.
Let's do it.
Let's do it now.
Let me see.
To get an illegal...
unregistered bio-port installed...
at about midnight...
we just drive up to your local
country gas station, right?
Anything else I can do for you?
Well, Gas...
you could check
your bio-port plugs.
The what? Spark plugs?
You heard me.
My friend here
has a bio-port problem.
A bio-port. Now...
that's a sort of hole
in your spine, isn't it?
Lots of assholes around here,
but that's generally it.
I don't know why you'd be
talking to me about that, lady.
Sure you do.
Allegra Geller.
You've changed my life.
What was your life like before?
Before?
Before it was changed
by Allegra Geller.
I operated a gas station.
You still operate a gas station, don't you?
Only on the most pathetic
level of reality.
Geller's work liberated me.
Liberated?
Did you ever play her game ArtGod?
One word. Capital "A".
Capital "G".
I don't have a bio-port.
"Thou, the player of the game, art God."
Very spiritual.
Funny too.
God, the artist, the mechanic.
Funny.
Here we go.
Those are sterilized,
aren't they?
Not to worry.
The way they set things up, you could
fire in a bio-port in a slaughterhouse...
and never generate an infection.
Then why the clean overalls?
It's a mental thing.
Helps me focus.
The one thing you don't wanna do
is miss with the stud-finder.
Oh, God.
God?
The mechanic.
Step into my office.
See? That didn't hurt, did it?
I didn't expect that to hurt.
I expect the next part to hurt.
Yeah, that's what I expect to hurt.
I haven't crippled anyone yet.
How many have you done?
Three.
Well, you'll be my third.
Easy.
- What was going on, Gas?
- Hell...
he's acting
like I'm attacking him.
People usually pay me to do this, you know.
Yeah? All two of them?!
As you can see...
I've decided not to have
a bio-port installed.
This is it, you see.
This is the cage of your own making...
which keeps you trapped and pacing about
in the smallest possible space forever.
Break out of your cage, Pikul.
Break out now.
The swelling doesn't last for long.
Tomorrow you won't even notice it.
I love it.
Great.
What's going on?
I can't move my legs!
The procedure comes...
with its own epidural.
Just like when you have a baby.
Kind of like instant paralysis
from the waist down.
That's why it didn't hurt you.
It'll wear off in no time.
I'm gonna go wash up.
You two make yourselves at home.
We don't have to wait
for the swelling to go down.
You're gonna port into me
while I'm paralysed?
You wanted to play my game,
didn't you?
Yeah, I did. I do, but...
Here? Now?
It's an instant-on world, isn't it?
What's that for?
Feels...
cold.
New ports are sometimes
a bit tight.
Wouldn't wanna hurt you.
How come...
bio-ports don't get infected?
I mean...
they open right into your body.
Listen to what you're saying, Pikul.
Don't be ludicrous.
Don't you think
you could call me Ted?
Maybe afterwards.
Shit!
Pikul!
I can't believe it.
You blew my pod!
You must've neural-surged.
What do you mean?
I jacked you into my pod
and you obviously panicked.
Now it's totally fucked!
This is a disaster.
I was nervous,
but I didn't panic.
I was forced to trust you, and you
panicked and you neural-surged...
and you blew my pod.
You can get a new pod.
Pikul.
In this pod...
is the only, the original
version of eXistenZ.
An entire game system that cost
38 million to develop.
Not including pre-release
marketing costs.
And I'm locked outside my own game.
I can't get me in or it out.
Are you serious?
That's the only version that exists?
It's the only one
and it's stuck inside...
and it's your fault.
I've devoted five of my most passionate
years to this strange little creature.
And I've never regretted it, Pikul.
'Cause I knew it was the only thing
that could give my life any meaning.
Allegra.
Why is it my fault?
I'm telling you, I didn't.
I did not neural-surge.
I didn't.
I didn't feel any surging.
It's not your fault.
It's my fault.
Oh, no, Gas. Not you.
I wouldn't try to use
that bio-port again.
Except maybe for a toaster
or something.
What's going on?
You're worth a lot of money
if you're dead.
What are you talking about?
You know what I'm talking about.
It's all over the countryside.
Five million dollars for her dead body.
No questions asked.
But she changed your life.
Yeah.
Now I'm gonna change hers.
What?
Why did you install
a bad port into me?
Seems there's a bonus for killing...
Allegra Geller's latest game,
or whatever it is.
I think I just did that, didn't I?
But can you kill me, Gas?
Can you kill a person?
Can you do that?
Hide my body...
contact the crazies...
trust them to pay up?
Hand over my now decaying,
fucking grotesque corpse...
really expect them to hand over
five mill cash?
I mean, don't you ever go
to the fucking movies?
I like your script.
I wanna be in it.
Oh, God, I think he's dead.
- He wanted to kill you.
- Yep.
That's two people in one day...
who wanted to actually kill you.
I've never been more popular.
Allegra, we need help.
You're right. I've gotta
get this pod fixed.
We're going skiing?
Hey.
Hey!
Look at that huge bug.
It's got two heads.
It's not a bug. It's a mutated
amphibian. It's a frog...
salamander-lizard thing.
Sign of the times.
What happens if somebody comes up here
and really wants to ski?
Come on, Pikul. Nobody actually physically
skis anymore. You know that.
No, don't use that!
And bring me the sterile wash.
My darling.
Allegra Geller.
I am so pleased and...
so astonished to see you here.
Kiri Vinokur...
my bodyguard, Ted Pikul.
Hello.
Sterile wash.
I hear this ridiculous story...
about some fatwa against you.
The company are desperately
trying to find you.
Now, is this really serious?
Are you in danger?
There have been a couple
of attempts on my life already.
This is unbearable.
The company must stop this.
They owe you every kind
of protection.
I don't know if they can do anything.
It seems to be open season on me.
Well, you will be safe here.
I assure you that.
I will contact Antenna right away
and have them send some people over...
No, Kiri, don't.
You mustn't let anybody
know that we're here.
I can't be sure that Antenna
is completely safe for me.
I understand. Yes.
You know...
you can hide out in one
of the guest chalets...
as long as you like.
And I'll make sure
you get fresh towels.
And make sure I don't lose everything
I have in here.
You bet.
Take that.
Good.
Pull this back.
What did you port into?
Pikul's bio-port.
Really, that's what caused
all the damage?
It was a flawed installation.
My first.
Well...
it fried a lot of very expensive
neural webbing.
You see?
Looks like an animal in there.
Feels like you're operating
on somebody's pet dog.
I told you, Landry,
we have become...
glorified veterinarians.
Put a little in there, please.
The eXistenZ game-pod is basically
an animal, Mr. Pikul.
It's grown from fertilized amphibian
eggs stuffed with synthetic DNA.
Only Antenna Research has this.
Wow. Where do the batteries go?
Very funny.
He's not kidding.
He's a total PR nerd. It ports
into you. You're the power source.
Your body, your nervous system,
your metabolism, your energy.
You get tired, rundown,
it won't run properly.
Landry here will finish up
the pod work. Now, let's...
get that nasty bio-port out of you,
put a nice fresh one in.
It hurts.
I think it's infected.
No, it's not infected.
It's just excited.
It wants action.
I really don't think that
I want action. Me, I mean.
The bearer of the excited bio-port.
My baby here has now taken three major
hits, Pikul. One in the church...
one in the gas station
and one on the operating table.
The only way I can tell
if everything's okay...
is to play eXistenZ
with somebody friendly.
Are you friendly or are you not?
You're telling me this thing
will run off my body's energy?
That's how they work.
See? You're humming along already.
Okay...
eXistenZ.
Only from Antenna.
- Here we go.
- You.
You've got a bit
of an unfair advantage, don't you?
How can I possibly compete
with the designer of the system?
Well, you could...
beat the guy that
invented poker, couldn't you?
- You want that one?
- Yeah, that one.
- Are you sure you want that one?
- Yes.
- I wouldn't recommend it.
- Why not?
The graphics on this one are better.
In fact, there's no comparison.
- This is the one you want.
- That one?
That was beautiful.
I feel just like me.
Is that kind of transition normal?
That kind of...
smooth interlacing from place to place?
Depends on the style of the game.
You can get jagged brutal cuts,
slow fades...
shimmering little morphs.
This is amazing.
I had no idea.
Look at this.
Games I've never heard of.
Wait a minute.
That reminds me.
What precisely is the goal of the game
that we're playing now?
You have to play the game to find out
why you're playing the game.
It's the future, Pikul.
You'll see how natural it feels.
Look at this.
Can this be the future too?
Ever see anything like this before?
These are delicate.
You got to be careful.
Yes, I can imagine.
Cortical Systematics...
is the latest and the hottest.
Not just a new game...
but a new system.
Will it work with an industry
standard bio-port?
I'm D'Arcy Nader.
Welcome to D'Arcy Nader's
Game Emporium.
Is there anything I can be
helping you with?
We're just looking.
I have...
what you're looking for.
Who sent you?
It's none of your business
who sent us.
We're here.
That's all that matters.
God.
What happened?
I...
I didn't mean to say that.
Your character said it.
It's a kind of schizophrenic feeling,
isn't it?
You'll get used to it.
There are things that have to be said to
advance the plot and establish the characters.
Those things get said whether
you wanna say them or not.
Don't fight it.
Just go with it.
But should you be saying this
in front of him?
Look at him.
- What's he doing?
- He's gone into a game loop.
He won't come out of it until you give
him a proper line of game dialogue.
This is tricky.
Start by repeating your last line.
Include his name so he knows
you're talking to him.
We're here, D'Arcy Nader...
and that's all that matters.
Yes, you're right.
That is all that matters.
Now, you said you have
what we want.
We're waiting.
You're going to need
these micro-pods...
to download your new identities.
I assume that you both
have had these...
industry standard bio-ports...
that you mentioned installed.
Yes, of course,
we both have bio-ports.
We do, don't we?
I assumed we did.
In the game, of course, we might not.
We better check.
Yeah, it's there.
Looks a little different,
but it's there.
Yeah, I see what you mean.
Yes, we both have bio-ports.
Good.
Port in.
And this will tell you
all you need to know...
for now.
I'm going to leave, while you two
finish up here because...
it wouldn't be good for us all
to be seen together.
I assume that Nader is our
entry point into the game.
Yeah, kind of disappointing.
Nader?
Yeah, he's not a very well-drawn character.
His dialogue was just so-so.
His accent...
Yeah.
Okay.
The pods are so small...
they plug directly
into the bio-port.
Okay.
Oh, God.
What happened?
The whole pod just disappeared
into your back.
It disappeared into my back?
It's in my spine? It's working
its way round my spinal cord?
Don't panic. It's just a game.
Do you feel anything yet?
No, I don't.
Not a thing.
I don't feel a thing.
- Do you want me to do you?
- Yeah.
What the hell was that?
That wasn't me.
It was my game character.
I wouldn't have done that.
Not here anyway.
Our characters are obviously
supposed to jump on each other.
It's most probably...
a pathetically
mechanical attempt...
to heighten the emotional tension
of the next game sequence.
No use fighting it.
What about our new identities?
Do you feel yours yet?
They'll take care of themselves.
I'm very worried about my body.
Your what?
Where are our real bodies?
Are they all right?
What if they're hungry?
What if there's danger?
They're just where we left them.
They're sitting quietly...
eyes closed.
It's just like meditating.
I feel really vulnerable.
Disembodied.
Okay.
Don't sweat it.
All your senses
are still operating.
You'll pop right out
of the game if there's a problem.
Trying to remember who you are?
Hey.
Hey, it works!
I must be Yevgeny Nourish.
And you are new to trout farm.
Yeah.
Yes, I'm...
I'm very new.
Did you say "trout farm"?
Yeah, trout farm. Trout farm.
You know, raising baby trout from eggs
and releasing them in rivers.
Entire place used to be trout farm.
From outside, you would never guess
it's now factory for making game-pods.
Seems like most everything
used to be something else, yes?
You might be new, but you seem
to know what you're doing.
It surprises me more
than it surprises you.
You might be new, but you seem
to know what you're doing.
I've been trained by the very best.
So have I, my friend. So have I.
Where are you planning
to have lunch?
I'm new here.
I have no plans for lunch.
May I suggest the Chinese restaurant
in the forest?
Everyone knows where it is.
Just ask.
Well, won't you be going there too?
Unfortunately, I have
other plans for lunch.
But I do suggest
you order the special.
And don't take no for answer.
All right, I'll do that.
Larry.
Yes?
They need this in the back.
They asked for you.
Hey.
I saw you make contact, Larry Ashen. What
did the guy on the assembly line say to you?
Can you believe the game version
of your pod?
It's sick...
and so unconvincing! I mean,
using mutated animal organs...
and nervous systems as game-pod parts
is certainly feasible, but...
everything here's so dirty.
Absurd.
Grotesque.
I saw you make contact, Larry Ashen. What
did the guy on the assembly line say to you?
He told me where to have lunch.
We have nice sea bass today.
Shall I bring it for everyone?
We want the special.
Did you hear me, Chinese waiter?
We want the special.
The special is for special occasions.
I cannot give you the special.
But this is a special occasion.
It's her birthday.
A birthday is a special occasion.
I will therefore bring the special
for everybody.
I guess the special
isn't very popular.
I guess not.
I wanna put the game on pause.
The game can be paused, can't it?
I mean, all games
can be paused, right?
Yeah, sure. But why? What's wrong?
I mean, aren't you dying to see
what's so special about the special?
I'm feeling a little disconnected
from my real life.
I'm kind of losing touch
with the texture of it.
You know what I mean?
I mean I actually think...
there's an element
of psychosis involved here.
Yes!
This is a great sign.
Your nervous system is fully
engaging with the game architecture.
eXistenZ is paused!
Did I do that?
I guess I did.
So how does it feel?
What?
Your real life.
The one you came back for.
It feels completely unreal.
You're stuck now, aren't you?
You wanna go back
to the Chinese restaurant...
because there's
nothing happening here.
We're safe. It's boring.
It's worse than that.
I'm not sure...
I'm not sure here...
where we are...
is real at all.
This feels like a game to me.
And you...
you're beginning to feel
like a game character.
Definitely not.
Let's go back.
Special order for the birthday girl.
Hope you enjoy it very much.
Look, it's our two-headed friend.
Doesn't look too healthy.
I think I lost my appetite.
Oh, a shame.
Mutant reptiles and amphibians...
provide new and previously
unimagined taste sensations.
Shall I clear all this away?
No.
We're happy.
Very good.
Enjoy.
Pikul, what are you doing?
I don't know.
I find this disgusting,
but I can't help myself.
Good.
"Good"? You think this is good?
Yeah. It's a genuine game urge.
It's something your game
character was born to do.
Don't fight it.
I'm fighting it.
But it isn't doing me any good.
Oh, my God.
This looks awfully familiar.
You sure this is okay?
Yeah, it should be okay.
Do you have that bridge
in real life?
Absolutely not.
My teeth are perfect.
Death to the demoness
Allegra Geller.
That's not funny.
Sorry.
But, you know...
I do feel the urge
to kill someone here.
Who?
I need to kill our waiter.
Well, that makes sense.
Waiter!
Waiter!
When he comes over, do it.
Don't hesitate.
But everything in the game is...
so realistic.
I don't think I really could.
You won't be able to stop yourself.
You might as well enjoy it.
Free will is obviously
not a big factor...
in this little world of ours.
It's like real life. There's
just enough to make it interesting.
He's too nice.
I won't do it.
What can I do to make
your lunch more pleasant?
I found this in my soup...
and I'm very upset.
It's all right.
Just a little misunderstanding...
over the check.
Pay no attention
and enjoy your meal.
I feel a serious game urge...
to get out of here.
Through the kitchen. That way.
Did you like the meal
I prepared for you?
Yeah.
It was very...
revealing.
Yes, it certainly was for me.
You both passed our little test
with flying colours.
- Why did the Chinese waiter have to die?
- A waiter hears...
many things spoken when
people are relaxing and eating.
A waiter has many opportunities
for betrayal.
He betrayed you?
He betrayed us. Us!
Come. This way.
Come.
These are the breeding pools.
Breeding pools.
Is this...
Is this where you caught
today's special?
We originally were raising
these mutant creatures...
for their nervous systems
for game-pods.
But then we found they
could be quite tasty.
So we opened the restaurant,
and now that is our cover.
But of course we are also
raising them as components...
for undetectable and
hypo-allergenic weapons.
Right under the noses
of our enemies.
And speaking of our enemies,
it's important...
that you go back to work
at Cortical Systematics.
We need to maintain as many
agents there as possible.
The trout farm is owned
by Cortical Systematics?
Yeah. Their corporate slogan should be:
" Enemies of Reality."
Someday soon, we will
destroy trout farm...
and all game-pods inside.
We love you.
Now that you have proven to be
true and trustworthy Realists.
We'll be in touch.
I'm looking for D'Arcy Nader.
Is he here?
Hugo Carlaw, is D'Arcy Nader here?
He's in the back.
You want him, there he is.
You shouldn't have killed
the Chinese waiter.
Why not?
He was your contact
at the trout farm.
Damn good man.
His...
dog brought me this.
We were contacted there by Yevgeny Nourish.
He seemed to know exactly who we were.
That's because Nader tipped him off that
you were coming. Nader was a mole...
for Cortical Systematics.
- You're with the Realist Underground.
- Yes.
I was placed here
to keep an eye on Nader.
If Nourish isn't our real contact,
who is he?
Nourish is a double agent
for Cortical Systematics.
He was working with Nader
to subvert the Realist cause...
and doing it rather well. After all, he got
you to assassinate your own contact.
But now you're gonna
put a stop to him.
I don't wanna be here.
Come on, Pikul.
You've just got a bad case
of first-time user anxiety.
I don't like it here.
I don't know what's going on.
We're both stumbling around together
in this unformed world...
whose rules and objectives
are largely unknown...
seemingly indecipherable
or even possibly non-existent...
always on the verge of...
being killed by forces
that we don't understand.
That sounds like my game, all right.
That sounds like a game that's
not gonna be easy to market.
But it's a game everybody's
already playing.
The cashier said it would be
in a familiar place.
Is there such a thing here?
My assembly bay.
Is that it over there?
God, it's ugly even for a game-pod.
I have a terrible urge to port into it.
What about you?
Sure. Yeah.
Desperate to port into it.
All right. Here we go.
- You wanna give me a hand?
- You're not serious!
That's a diseased pod.
You port into that...
Yes, exactly.
Help me.
How long does it take
for the infection to take hold?
No time at all.
Then you quietly port
into all the other pods and...
spread the infection to them.
Oh, God.
What's happening?
Something's wrong.
I'm gonna unport you now.
Oh, God! Don't, don't!
That really hurts.
I'm gonna cut you free.
No! I'm afraid!
Pikul...
I'm bleeding to death.
I'm sorry.
I don't know...
I don't know what else to do!
I know what to do.
I know...
exactly what to do.
Death to Realism!
Burn!
Burn, diseased pod.
Bugs!
No! No, spores.
Deadly spores.
Spores!
No, it's just...
Death to the demoness!
Demoness!
I think we just lost the game.
Or maybe not.
Allegra...
we're back home.
We're back home.
Pikul... Pikul...
What's the matter? What's wrong?
It's here.
It's happened.
It's come back here with us.
We brought it back
from eXistenZ.
Brought what back?
I can't understand what you're saying.
We brought the disease
back with us.
My pod is diseased.
Oh, God!
I'm really gonna lose it.
I'm gonna lose my game.
Unport me. Come on, unport me.
All right.
Okay. I'm coming.
I'm coming.
This can't be possible. How can a game event...
merge into real life?
There's a very weird reality-bleed-through
effect happening here.
I'm not sure I get it.
What's in the needle?
Sporicide.
Pods are susceptible
to spore infections.
It works if you get it in time.
Come on.
Come on.
Let me see your bio-port.
What?
Let me see it.
What?
I know what happened.
It's Kiri Vinokur. That bastard.
Vinokur?
He gave you a new bio-port, didn't he?
Oh, God.
He gave you an infected bio-port so that my
pod would die and so would my game system!
I'm infected? Wait a minute.
The poor thing was trying to tell us that it was sick
by introducing the theme of disease in the game.
"The theme of disease"?
I'm fucking really infected!
What? Is it gonna crawl up
my spine and rot my brain?
All right, all right. Just calm down.
I've got something that will help you.
Turn around.
I'm gonna seal up your bio-port
with this sporicidal resonator.
It uses the Umby pick-ups for power.
It should cleanse all your porting
channels of infection within a few hours.
It's gonna give you a slight
skin buzz when it's done.
Of course, we can't play until then.
Great.
Now listen.
Listen.
This could be critical.
Were you really saying that Vinokur...
- is an agent for...
- Oh, God!
Pikul...
my pod's dying.
I can't help it.
There's nothing I can do for it.
The uprising has begun!
The world is in flames!
Let's go!
You gotta get out of here!
They're gonna be looking for you.
The cashier...
He's a game character.
How can he be here?
Leave that rotting piece of meat here.
It's done its job.
I keep my game inside there!
I can't let my game die!
No! Wait!
Allegra! Listen to me.
Listen to me.
I think we're still inside the game.
I think your pod's out there
somewhere, somewhere safe.
I think it's all right
to let go of this one, this pod.
It's not the real one.
Everybody out! Now!
This way! Come on! Follow me!
This way. Come on.
Up here.
You can see everything
from up here!
What is it that we're seeing?
The victory of Realism.
And you were part of it.
The death of eXistenZ.
And we were part of it.
There's just one more thing.
We're on your side.
How could you be?
How could Allegra Geller...
the world's premier game designer,
be on our side?
Oh yeah, we know who you are. But you
can't hide inside a game forever.
Something slipped over
the edge here, Allegra.
Something's all wrong.
See what I mean?
See the problem?
I tried to find you.
Thank God I got here in time.
My dog brought me this.
You didn't get here in time.
My game is dead.
You murdered my game!
No, I murdered your pod.
Your game is healthy and happy.
I replicated...
your pod's entire nervous system
during our little surgical procedure...
at the chalet,
complete with contents.
You copied eXistenZ?
Allegra...
come over to Cortical Systematics.
Yes. Yes, Cortical Systematics.
I am defecting, and
so are all Antenna top brass.
You're a spy for Cortical Systematics?
If you want to be reunited with
your baby, you'll come over to us.
Can you talk to her?
It would be best for everyone.
I mean, you can come with us too.
What the fuck are you doing?
You've killed him.
Are you gonna kill me next?
Pikul, he was only a game character.
I didn't like the way he was
messing with my mind.
You didn't like that,
so you killed him?
He's only a game character.
Allegra.
What if we're not
in the game anymore?
If we're not...
If we're not...
then you just killed someone real.
It was no accident that you and
I ended up on the run together.
Not an accident?
No.
That's why you never had a bio-port.
You were one of them.
I still am one of them.
But you have a bio-port now.
I made the bio-port sacrifice
to get close to you.
Why would you wanna do that?
To understand what I have to kill.
Then understand this.
Understand I knew...
that you were my real assassin when you
pointed the gun at me in the Chinese restaurant.
And understand that...
you're dead.
Death to the demon Ted Pikul!
Have I won?
Have I won the game?
Have I won?
Are you all back?
We're back.
We're back, Merle, but...
I have a feeling some of
our crew doesn't realize it yet.
Wow.
Anybody want a bowl
of hot and sour soup?
It's on me.
Yes, I'll have some.
If you make sure there's some mutated
amphibian nervous systems in the rice.
My accent in the game was so thick,
I could hardly understand myself.
- How long were we gone?
- About 20 minutes.
God, it seemed like days.
It's fantastic.
Just think about it, man.
If you stayed your whole life in the game
world, then you could live to about...
I don't know, 500 years.
The twists and turns at the end
made my head spin.
Maybe there was too many,
too fast to absorb.
I sucked, but you guys were great.
I mean, you were like game divas.
Personally, I think you both
deserve to win.
I was really bummed out at first.
I got knocked out of the game so soon.
It was fantastic how mean you were.
Really scary and crazy.
I had a lot to do in that first scene at the
church, but I thought the character was boring.
Well, no matter how boring you were...
you still all get a certificate. A
certificate for helping us out here and...
Am I right about this, Merle?
I think...
Yes. And that will entitle you to
reserve one of the first batch...
of the transCendenZ by PilgrImage
game modules to hit the market...
at a seriously discounted price.
You're gonna love it.
Remember, it's written like this:
Capital "C", capital "Z".
transCendenZ.
It's new.
It's from PilgrImage, capital "P",
capital "I", and it's coming soon.
I just wanted to say thank you
to Mr. Nourish for...
giving me the chance to play
the role of a star designer.
I guess the game picked up
on my ambition to be like you.
Allegra, you were so good
in that role that I suspect...
it won't be long before PilgrImage
is after you to sign a designing contract.
And maybe you should bring along
your friend Ted here, Mr. Pikul.
He's obviously pretty good in a crisis. And when
you're designing games, there's plenty of those.
I guess you could all tell that
Pikul and I had a relationship...
prior to coming here. We really
do like to play together.
We do.
But I'd just like to
assure everybody here that...
Allegra wouldn't really jump
into bed with a security guard.
Unless he were me.
Well, what do we have to say
to our brilliant...
award-winning game designer, Yevgeny Nourish?
Does he have another winner
on his hands or not?
Merle, I was very disturbed
by the game we just played.
What do you mean?
It had a very strong,
very real anti-game theme.
I mean, it began with the attempted
assassination of a designer.
Really? That's very creative.
On second thought, I see what you mean.
It does makes me nervous.
You think this must've come
from one of our game players?
Well, it sure didn't come from me.
Let's probe it when
we do the focus group.
Thank you for looking after my dog.
Hi.
We just wanted to ask Mr. Nourish
some questions away from the others.
Sure. Shoot.
As long as you don't ask me
to fill in your questionnaires.
We've played your game now...
so we can finally agree with the others that you
are indeed the world's greatest game artist.
We weren't sure before.
Thanks so much.
Yevgeny?
Don't you think you should
have to suffer
for all the harm you've done and
intend to do to the human race?
- What?
- Yes.
Don't you think the greatest
game artist ought to be punished...
for the most effective
deforming of reality?
I don't think this...
Guys, can you come over
here right now please?
Death to the demon Yevgeny Nourish!
Death to PilgrImage!
Death to transCendenZ!
No, no, no, no!
You don't have to shoot me!
Hey, tell me the truth.
Are we still in the game?