hey, don't record any more messages on my alarm--clock, okay?
i'll think we're married or something.
how's your cold?
i guess you took my mind off it. she pulls a pink pill-box purse from the nightstand, withdraws a multi-colored phone.
help yourself to whatever you want. set the alarm, maria will clean up. lock up when you go. and.  you are the greatest.
bye "honey!" i'll call you later.
soon! they have a comfortable, healthy, mutually satisfying, gloriously superficial relationship.
did you reserve the court?
i'm sorry to do this early. i gotta be done by 10. car phone rings. david checks caller id - it's his office. he clicks on.
how did you find me?
what are the colors?
let, me think about it.
okay, but. don't tell anybody where i am i don't care if god calls. i'm very busy.
the seven dwarves? no.
and that was the desire of my father, who hired them.
i had a cold. i was alone.
thanks.
julie gi.anni is a friend. sometimes we sleep together. brian howls in pain, like a hurt dog.
what --
what do you want to listen to?
what have we got here - barcelona, looper.  radiohead? brian freezes at what he sees.
we almost died.
how was it?
you changed your hair. david taps on the window of the art department, in panic over several cover mock-ups. he gives a presidential thumbs-up, moves on. they look at each other, trying to decipher if the thumbs-up was a decision.
good. now i want answers, and i want them now. how's it going? he gestures charmingly, easily, and bows with apology over his lateness. all are happy to see him. sort of.
it's a nightmare either way.
what --
i'm not talking to you anymore.
no.
the conversation, the coffee --
there is no murder! it didn't happen! i don't have to talk to anybody! a contentious prison guard swings his feet down and gets up from watching a 17-inch television on a stool. he exits into the bigger room to quiet down david aames.
get the fuck away from me.
get the fuck away from me.
my parents are dead, you fuck!
good cop.  bad cop.
primer on david aames, senior. my father was not built for the 21st century. he never ate at
i don't think he ever got over the fact that i was terrified of heights. and when he and my mother were run over by a drunken teenager on new year's eve, ten years ago.  david aames moves closer to the light. we see a strange bland expression of his mask, at first other--worldly.  and then more clearly.
he left the keys to the kingdom to me.  51% control, 49% going to a group of seven board members who all thought they were first in line.
what do you care?
if i talk, you'll just think i'm crazy. mccabe gathers his things.
fine. enjoy your dinner. somehow the lilt in mccabe's voice draws him closer.
who needs ice? aames moves swirls is more like it - through into his party, which is nicely underway. upscale. modern. part literary crowd. part fashion crowd. he's great in a crowd. surrounded by people, david aames comes alive.
jesus, you have the greatest taste in shoes i've ever seen. bar none. anywhere. a woman caterer in whites slips by with a knowing smile.
emma, do you know lynette?
livin' the dream, baby. livin' the dream. the two friends hug. david shares a quick glance with brian's date, who still burdened with coat.
and to what do i owe this pleasure, the pleasure of --
no no, i think it's amazing. i love your coat.
well, madison square garden is nearby, it might fit there.
thank you.
okay.
i'll leave this upstairs. david exits. they are left to consider his personal charisma.
hey tommy. david moves to address him so he can still track sofia.
it's okay, tommy --
i got it.
two's enough -
get tipp out of here, drive him home, and in the morning tell him he's re-hired with a 50% raise. set up a meeting with the other attorneys. i'm going to be in early tomorrow -- -- earlier than usual.
i didn't invite you, julie.
but that's how it works with parties. you have to be invited.
is that good?
four is pretty good?
four is what?
four is what?
four is what? she pulls away, and talks plainly to him.
a moth?
it was a gift, actually. she turns and sees it's david, engaging smile in place. she jumps slightly.
whoa, whoa, whoa.
how about if you help me? unless i'm horning in here.
see, i've got a little problem. i've got a stalker.
i need a cover. i need for you to pretend we're having a scintillating conversation. and you're wildly entertained. i know it's tough.
she's right across the room and she's burning a hole in my back right now, isn't she?
yes_
shit.
hmm.
sort of a day office. come on - they arrive at the door to a smaller upstairs apartment.
well i am. goodnight. he enters and shuts the door. frustrated, she stands for a moment, listening to the music streaming from the downstairs apartment. we watch her private moment as she decides to leave him, turns, feels the emotional pull, dances back and knocks sharply three times.
we're safe. and i've got nothing to drink.
this is joni mitchell. this one is monet. and this one is done by me. it is a snowboard.
it's the real thing. his paintbrush painted that vanilla sky. his canvas. it. was my mother's.
you know what i think? you're either a very good actress or you really do sort of like me.
there's probably not too much you aren't great at.
it's pretty good, you know -
i'm surprised you're available.
i can't keep this banter going.
what's going on --
julie gianni is stalking me.
well, we're out of drinks up here.
these stupid glasses -
don't be stupid. the party's just starting.
you can't go. you're my guest of honor.
i don't own you. you're brilliant, you're good-looking, you're handsome.
no one's hitting on sofia.
no, you're not blind. you're just drinking jack daniels. and when you drink jack, you start. in with that frank sinatra, "she shot. me down," gimme a cigarette, king of sad thing.
i'll find one.
everyone does.
you're not from ohio.
i feel the same way.
i'll give you a lift home later.
the sweet and sour speech again.
a lot of people are scared of heights. it's not the heights that bother me, it's the impact that terrifies me. i won't stay long. she laughs. it was never his decision to make.
i'm glad he protects you. this is a lethal canine.
no problem.
so you're really a dancer, huh?
sure. david looks at her refrigerator. a note reads: call dad! an odd epiphany occurs as he sees the collage of photos
i like your life.
i do not want to know the story behind this photo. who's sergio?
your nickname is sergio?
so many secrets.
i've never known an arms dealer.
citizen dildo.
never run a company. stay an artist. stay an arms dealer.
no. ever accept any of your 12,000 proposals?
and you moved to new york. to dance and paint and act and deal arms.
jeff buckley.  or vikki carr? both - simultaneously. he continues looking. flashes of the photos on her refrigerator.
no. i really don't.
boy, am i going to the wrong dentist.
ah, you've got dinner with your daughters.
back then i had intricate systems with women you wouldn't believe.
hey doc. don't get all melancholy over the thirty seconds you were single a long time ago.
yes.
just our shortcomings. that's all we're allowed to draw.
mine's finished.
jesus. that's how you see me?
no. it's wonderful. it's something you'd see on the wall of a steak-house in hell, but it's wonderful. sign it. sofia's face falls a bit. she sees she's hurt him. she takes the drawing and signs it, a little guilty.
no. she grabs it. its a rich portrait, filled with detail, humor and style. she is rocked by its elegance.
i know. i couldn't. i saw you like that.
i'll sell it to you.
one kiss. she smiles. something is developing between them.
that smile is gonna be the end of me.
he only met you a few hours before me. he would do the same.
it is. but as his best friend, i also know that he's trying to finish a novel about inadequacy and rejection. so the longer i stay, the better it is for his career. sofia smiles, shakes her head. and yawns.
no, no. you're more right then you even know. i used to be one of those guys who was just
about five minutes ago.
it's the greatest show.  it's called "sofia." sofia looks at him and smiles. they look back to the television.
we did a story on this guy. he owns half of arizona.
how would you ever know?
i left my number on your fridge. he makes a courtly bow and turns. she feels the loss of his company.
thank you for the inspiration. i will now attempt to run my company, showing compassion for the seething throng of my partners who root quietly for me to fail. she looks at him, quite aware of his personal and business crossroads. silently, she roots for him like crazy.
for things you don't even know - thank you. i'm going to go to work. i have a company to run.
julie gianni. you're following me.
and _-
yes she did.
you're right on the money, julie.
hey, julie.
i'm not blowing you off! i just want to be alone for a little bit. trust me - i have a lot of things i gotta take care of. if we're friends, which we are, you'll understand.
sure i would -
it's vivid.
well, you know, if you can reach one person. julianna is a little hurt, hides it well.
what is happiness?
i didn't tell him that. i didn't say that.
about what --
promises - i thought we had an understanding.
julie.
stop the car! she picks at things on the dashboard, as she talks with a manic energy.
take me to your house. we'll talk this out. i want to see where you live. i want you to stop the car, julie. i want you to stop the car!
you're amazing. hello.
yeah, well, actually.  i had a horrible dream.
i left your house. i went to the car, and my friend the stalker had been following me.
yes. she followed me down the street. she wanted to talk, and i had that buzz.  from you and me, and i think my mind was on that terrible drawing of me.  and, you know, i got inside. and she drove me off a bridge and committed suicide with me in the car.
but i survive! i survive with my arm and my face reconstructed. and what's worse i couldn't wake up.
what party? a party?
i don't.  i don't remember.
and then.  i came back to life. just like that dog, benny. benny the dog.
except my life was no longer normal. there were blinding migranes now.
 nerve damage. why? this is how big business operates. a random accident. a "lifestyle mishap?" they are not coincidences. how do you think air-tight contracts are broken? these are power upheavals.
and they're in the news every day, right. between the lines. someone did this to me. my father wrote this in his book, you know. chapter one, page one, paragraph one. what is the answer to 99 out of a hundred questions? money.
yes, well, the rumors of my death have been mildly exaggerated.
is that the procedure for all bilateral periorbital hematomas in a lefort iii fracture of a comatose patient?
and beyond the cheek grafts, dr. pomeranz is, are the pins fastened
experiment. use me.
these are more than headaches. this is like a steel plate slicing through my every thought.
because i can't think straight most of the time.
yes. medication.
this isn't about vanity, dr. pomeranz! this isn't about vanity. this is about functioning in the world.
fuck my arm! dr. pomeranz looks over to a young assistant.
tell me. bring it on.
a facial prosthetic.
so it's an aesthetic regenerative shield.
i see --
good. because for a minute there i thought we were talking about a fucking mask!
no it's great. this completely takes care of halloween. but what about the other 364 days of the year?
sofia. sofia. sofia. sofia. sofia. sofia.
because nobody's buying books let's invest.  my father was an adventurer.
sofiaaaaaaaaaaa. serrano.
you won't believe this.  but this is me smiling. she laughs a little at his strange new humor, keeps a brave front.
i didn't want to see me, okay. but then i woke up today and finally, a good hair day. david fights anxiety, smoothes his coat.
you want to go out, you want to do something?
what?
this weekend. i'll cancel an operation or two. we'll have fun. because i am all about fun. she kisses his cheek, pulls back quickly, and as she exits.  he sees her fighting tears.
hey listen, it's david. i'm back in your life. i saw you earlier tonight. i was just watching our old friend benny the dog on.  on conan.  and i thought of you. whatever. i loved seeing you today. so i'll see you soon. you're a great dancer! he hangs up and feels instantly mortified. he looks at the phone in his hand.
what are you drinking?
is there any other kind?
you look good, man. how's your book?
i can't. it's a facial shield. it's an antiseptic prosthesis to stop infections. these fucking doctors.
i can't. it's my face. this is my face.
hey, if you're embarrassed, just go. nobody asked you to chaperone
she didn't want to be alone with me? that's bullshit. because i think i'm being pretty fucking cool about the whole thing.
did she say that? i met her "once?" did she say i met her "once?" brian looks away. he's said too much.
fuck you, brian. how about no more sympathy? how about if that's the deal we make with each other? okay? david shakes him off, goes to the bar, and rips off his mask. his head thuds from a migraine.
gimme a budweiser and a shot of tequila.
what did you say to me?
why don't you ask me to my face, bitch? the barman looks up, expressionless.
patron. if you have it.
another shot, another bud. he throws bills on the bar.
why -
patron! david regards a video monitor behind the bar. someone's camera is fixed on sofia dancing with brian, and another good-looking young man. she playfully shoves the good- looking young man away, not unlike the move that won david
hello again.
idea. let's start all over. he regards her for a moment, sees her apprehension and discomfort.
how about if you help me? unless i'm horning in here - you are. but the food is good. he continues, taking a step.
see, i've got a little problem. i've got a stalker. it doesn't sound life-threatening. i need a cover. i need for you to pretend we're having a
she's right across the room and she's burning a hole in my back right now, isn't she?
that's right! their heads are close together, looking off into the club. david doesn't notice that sofia is having a hard time playing along with this game. she is overwhelmed, holding it in. david continues.
i think she' s the saddest girl to ever hold a martini.
are you okay?
what's wrong? is it me?
come on. tell me now. something's wrong. tell me everything. let's talk about it right now.
i don't believe you just said that. that. is the best thing i've ever heard. that is hilarious. god, that just killed me. the way you said that. see - that's what i love about you. "i'll tell you in another life when we are both cats."
don't be a drag. can't you see she wants to go on her own?
i may be an idiot, but i'm not drunk.
we'll meet up soon. sofia turns and runs away.
we'll call you again to go out with me!
where you going?
wait a minute.
i don't know.
tomorrow i'll wish i was dead.
hey!
what did you say to julie gianni the night of the accident?
you told her she was a "fuck buddy."
and she was a little more than pissed about it.
whatever. i mean - who am i, if i can't. be the one who tells you you're not ugly? aw, give me a courtesy laugh. come on! brian shakes his head, starts running.
brian!! i'm so fucked up. i'm just so fucked up! brian stops one last time, irritated, at the far end of the street.
we're best friends! we're bros! brian needs to rid himself of david. he turns and runs in the direction of sofia. david feels the deep pangs of rejection. breathing hard. his head hurts. his body hurts.
come on, man, we're bros. beat. he sprints down the middle of the street after brian.
no, i'm okay -
ugh -
this is a joke.
i'm still that guy. i'm still that guy. sofia speaks with rapid-fire conviction, as if she might change her mind if she thought about it too much.
i am still that guy.
where's brian?
i thought you guys hooked up. she stops in profile with him. she's astonished at his jealousy. then:
sofia.  i'm.  she covers his mouth, nose and face. only his eyes remain.
no.
no. i did not sleep.
ellie?
i've only been in love once.
everything is a nightmare --
no.  no.
i never trusted the doctors. what happened next was surreal. that same arrogant bastard, dr.
he'd discovered a new form of reconstructive surgery, with the help of a doctor from berlin.
the next thing i knew they shot me full of drugs i'd never heard of and away we went.
what if gawd was one of ussssss.  "
once you've been driven off a bridge at 80 miles an hour, somehow you don't invite happiness in without a full body search.
i always liked.  george.
how about another question -
i don't want to know what's under here.
i already called pomeranz and switched it to wednesday.
i'll go in the morning. the car'll be fixed. she advances, takes his face in her hands. she tugs at the corner of one of the plates.
couldn't be that.
how bad is it?
in my next life i want to come back as this mole -
- i could live right there.
oh absolutely. she grabs his face, kisses him.  a powerful moment, like few others in this life.
i have no idea. brian shakes his head.
how's things, brian?
how's things, brian?
where'd you get the camera?
well, as long as you're okay.
always. david offers his hand. they shake.
what - what are you talking about? brian laughs. the spell is broken. friends again.
you asshole!
no, i think it was me. thirsty, that's all. she kisses his hand reassuringly.
i could listen to you say "mmmmm" for the rest of my life.
where. is. she.
now i'm going to make sure that i tie this four times. do you know why, julie? because four times really means something. david pulls his pants on, frantically opens the wardrobe closet. no sofia. goes to the kitchen. no sofia. julie sobs quietly, sweetly, tied to the bed. she behaves and acts like sofia.
okay, i'm freaked out. it worked. so just tell me right now - where is sofia?
in one minute i'm going to call the police --
i knew you'd survived the accident. she looks at him with tearful eyes.
whose body was it? who's the one who hired you? the seven dwarves?
no, of course not. it wasn't an accident at all. it was attempted murder!
police department? i've captured an intruder who's entered my home. he turns to her. her eyes are yearning.
they think that i had something to so with this.
you've got it solved? where is she?
thank god you're here, man. i love her.
press charges against. me?
this is julie gianni. that's not sofia. this is julie gianni. i didn't do that do that to her. tommy, someone's setting me up.
it wasn't sofia. it was julie.
yes.
i don't know what the cops have told you, but let me assure you - julie gianni is alive alive alive.
where is she?
let me tell you something - i did not do that to her. look me in the eye and tell me that it was the same girl you brought to the party. tell me it was your dream girl, your "proximity infatuation."
you have revealed yourself.
where'd you get the coat, brian? where'd you get the camera? how much did they pay you?
you have revealed yourself to me.
i'm in no mood to be fucked with. so do yourself a favor and le -
who the fuck are you?
what do you want? why are you following me?
calm down?
look. i'm straight, okay?
what i'd like them to do is shut up! especially you! silence. david opens his eyes. they're all staring at him. casually waiting for orders.
i can' t. --
of course. can you?
i signed something.
fuck!
yes.
i.  i don't know what's real.
i don't want to remember.
it wasn't sofia.
no.
no!
who.  are.  you?
you are not sofia.  you're not sofia.
whatever. julie starts to cry. battling tears, she offers her heart and soul.
sofia?
where were you.  sofia doesn't answer, doesn't want to lose the moment.
i don't want to know. just tell me you love me. david keeps his face buried in her shoulder'. he doesn't want to look. the passion gives way to a mounting dread, as he hears a voice almost like sofia's.
what the fuck is happening? julie begins to react to what is clearly no longer an advanced lovemaking session.
i want to see your face! she grabs at the pillow.
i want to see your face! david reaches orgasm, sobbing, recklessly out of control. julie's body stops kicking and settles into silence. he loosens the pillow, and is rewarded with one last violent attempt at life. her hand smacks his neck. he's so taut it bounces off. she grabs at his face one last time, her hand is left with enough power only to caress his face. she goes limp. silence. david's crying turns to a whimper. he looks at the pillow over julie's head. he's confused, a puddle of jagged adrenaline. he doesn't want to remove the pillow for fear of who could be underneath. he rises up, his elbow across her lifeless chest. with true horror, he knows he has to move his hand, but his hand will reveal who he's just killed.
i did it, didn't i? i don't.  feel.  like i killed someone. i feel like.
i'm in a dream.
i need your help.
i need your help.
what will you plead?
what do you believe?
will i see you at the trial?
mccabe!!! mccabe!!! come back!!!
i think i've been here before - mccabe strides purposefully past the building guard. aaron shows the pass, and hustles to keep up.
her name is libby. a stunning young woman rises and moves to greet them.
they laughed at jules verne too.
what's the "lucid dream" option?
 a dream.  what if there was a mistake? what if the dream became a nightmare?
i want to wake up! i want to wake up! aaron grabs for him. david wrenches free.
tech support! david runs down the corridor and into the elevator, aaron chasing after him.
it's a nightmare! the doors shut. music rising.
tech support!! music stops. we hear the ding of the elevator.
tech support.
oh shit. you sold me the lucid dream. ventura smiles.
well, what the hell happened?
"true moment of choice?"
when did the lucid dream begin?
yes.
the splice?
i'm not a big fan of heights.
erased?
my mother's favorite.
an album cover?
what happened in my real life? something happened. what did you erase?
tell me everything.
i didn't kill sofia.
tommy. but then.  somebody died.
i found you on the internet. i signed the contract with you. and then.
i remember.  it comes back to him, powerfully.
somebody died. it was me.
the little things. there's nothing bigger, is there?
so all i have to do is imagine something? if i wanted mccabe to come back, right now - mccabe comes flying out of the door.
the world out. there. and you can bring me back, just. like benny the dog.
how do i wake up?
and i chose this scenario, didn't
i want to live a real life. i don't want to dream any longer.
let them out there read my mind.
look at us. i'm frozen, and you're dead. and i love you.
i lost you when i got in that car. i'm sorry. she looks at him, beguiling and understanding.
but remember what you told me once? every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around. she kisses him.
i'll see you in another life when we are both cats. david backs up and begins to run. he arrives at the edge, looking down at the distance to the ground, stopping himself at the precipice. he looks back to sofia one last time, and then leaps out into the celestial future. for a fraction of a moment, he is suspended in mid-air. and he hurtles to the ground. and the ground hurtles to meet him.