What' do you say we open the phone lines so some people can call?
Anybody blind out there who wants to sue us?
Anybody-- What? No, no, please.
No- None of that
I challenge you
You'll leave us with no aim in life!
Bring it on... bring...
Fuck!
What?
Okay, okay, Okay-
Come on!
Come on.
Oh, fuck!
I'm sor--
I'm sorry.
J” In the summertime, When the weather is hot J"
J' You can touch right up And touch the--J'./'
Ah, fuck!
Fuck.
Okay.
Do you have an appointment, sir?
Can I help you?
I was--
I was just looking for the way out.
Excuse me.
Right.
Tom.
Open your eyes.
- Hey, what's the matter? - Aw!
Fuck!
Wait, are you okay? What happened?
Hey, hey.
Shh!
Tom... Tom...
Shh!
Tom...
Tom.
Shh. It's okay.
- Will you tell me what's going on? - It's okay. It's okay!
Silver?
Silver!
Tom, what's going on?
Come on.
Don't leave me here.
Don't leave me here!
Silver!
You left me on my own.
I told you not to leave me on my own.
You need to leave here.
What's going on?
Jesus, Tom, you're bleeding.
You need to get that cleaned up.
What's going on?
University sources confirm that Simon Silver
has accepted the invitation
of Paul Shackleton,
head of the Scientific Paranormal Research Center
to be submitted to an exhaustive scientific study
of his extrasensory abilities. Isn/sn't that right, Dick?
Yes, that's the way it is, Dana
For two weeks, Simon Silver,
who had been called into question in this university
by the late Margaret's son
will put' himself through all kinds of tests
designed by a committee of experts from the SPRC.
University sources confirm that Dr. Matheson had been suffering
from a rare and long-standing vascular condition
which could be the cause
of her unexpected illness and sudden death-
Why didn't you tell me?
I don't understand what you're talking--
- Why didn't you tell me? - Why don't you step into my office?
I want to be on that committee, Shackleton.
Whatever it takes,
I don't care what, I wanna be there.
It's impossible. The team has already been presented.
There's nothing I can do.
Don't give me your excuses, Shackleton. Just do it.
The committee was approved by Silver!
You know what that means?
It's a once in a lifetime opportunity!
Whatever it takes, Shackleton!
No more whining. No more moaning.
Ask for more observers. Make up whatever story you want.
Get that over-subsidized brain of yours working.
I wanna be there.
I'll be waiting for your call.
Don't leave me here.
Let me at least try and help you.
I'm going to be fine.
It's just for a little while, okay?
Look at you, Tom.
Margaret was right. Can't you see it? Just let it go.
- I need to know how he does it. - What difference does it make how he does it?
Forget about Silver, Tom.
There are certain things it's better not to know.
Sally, I just need to know.
Meters have been installed
to defect the exertion of any physical force
or the use of irregular chemical compounds
such as mercuric chloride,
known to alter the resistance level of metals
Each piece has been specially marked
to prevent the possibility of any swap during the tests.
Thermoelectric heat meters, radiation monitors,
everything in the Scientific Paranormal Research Center /ab
is in place to test Simon Silver,
who this morning may have just canceled
a number of his public appearances.
This just isn't fair.
We've been waiting in line for two days.
Eating and sleeping here.
Who's standing up for our rights?
It wasn't just a show, for me.
For me it was more important. And now--
I don't care. Hell, I really don't.
If he thinks it's cool, I think it's cool.
I just hope he shows those smart-ass college know-it-alls.
Shit, what the hell are all these people doing here anyway?
Like, they put on the TV for 15 minutes and obey like sheep.
What's this guy done that's so incredible?
Like, has nobody heard of Criss Angel?
It's a matter of absolute priority
that science begins to learn all it can about these forces.
We can't wait any longer.
The aim of my public appearances
is just to generate the necessary conditions
so that our blind society will open
its eyes to the existence of other forms of energy.
These forces can't be ignored any longer.
They have to be verified and accepted once and for all. Thank you.
Is it true that you canceled some of your shows?
Nothing's been canceled. We're just re-scheduling.
Mr. Silver. One more question.
More than 100 journalists have requested accreditation
to cover the SPRC experiments,
more like the numbers we expect at a political summit
than scientific research.
However, only a handful of media outlets
have been granted passes to the inside of the building
and none are allowed to remain there
while the tests are faking place.
We're trying to guarantee control conditions. We're scientists,
and for the first time we could just obtain conclusive results
about the reality of extrasensory perception,
the power of the mind over matter.
Our priority has to be to ensure the veracity of those results.
Today's a great day, ladies and gentlemen.
We could just be about to go beyond...
beyond a point of no return.
And... cut!
Great, we got it.
Thank you. Thank you, everyone.
Thank you for coming.
From now on, no cameras except the university's
will be allowed in the lab. Thank you again for your cooperation.
Remember, Buckley,
you don't form a part of this committee.
You're just an observer.
You'll make no contribution to the design of the tests
or the control protocols.
You can look, you can listen and you can shut your goddamn mouth.
Don't think I'm scared of you.
If I'm putting up with you, it's out of respect for Margaret.
You try to honor her in the same way.
Mr. Silver!
Mr. Silver, allow me to say
thank you for agreeing to do this.
And let me apologize in advance
for any inconvenience we might cause.
Science will be very grateful to you.
Well, that is my sole objective.
It's me who should be grateful to you.
Oh, you already know Dr. Haynes.
Doctor.
Dr. Campbell.
- Doctor. - Hello, sir.
Dr. Conrad Jennings, professor of Biomedical Engineering,
University of Leeds,
- has been kind enough to join us. - Doctor.
And Professor Franklin, Professor of Physics,
Case Western University of Ohio.
Doctor.
Now, if you don't mind--
There's another guest here, isn't that right?
Yes, that--that is right.
Excuse me, I--I didn't introduce you formally.
Have you met before?
I don't know. Have we?
Dr. Buckley, of the University's Psychology Department.
He worked very closely with Doctor--
I have a great interest in the figure of Doctor Buckley.
I follow his progress very closely.
It's been a difficult time for all of us, Tom.
How are you getting along?
I was so sorry to hear about Dr. Matheson.
Of course, uh--
we can begin whenever you feel ready.
If you'd like to come this way.
We know this isn't an exact science.
Take your time, whatever you need.
We'll start with something straightforward,
you know, like an icebreaker.
Oh, oh, sure. Psy-- Psychic photography?
Thoughtography. How--How did you know?
Oh, it's been a long time since I did this,
a very long time indeed.
Digital, isn't it?
Yeah, it is. Exactly. Do you need...?
I just need a simple piece of cardboard.
I don't want my fingers smudging the lens.
We opted to prepare a plastic cylinder.
I hope you don't mind. It's a half inch in diameter.
Is it okay, will it do?
One never knows, Dr. Shackleton.
As you just said yourself, this isn't an exact science.
Do you mind?
Go ahead.
Please, be careful with my watch.
The glass top flips up.
I don't want the hands moved by mistake.
From now on you'll not be allowed
to withdraw your hands from the table,
unless it is for the purpose of another inspection.
You understand that, don't you?
Yes.
If you do so,
the test will be declared invalid.
Okay, thank you.
Ready when you are.
This film shows the first six days
of investigation carried out
in the Scientific Paranormal Research Center
with Mr. Simon Silver.
All the images correspond to the filming of real experiments.
No scene has been recreated.
This is Simon Silver.
For the following experiment,
Silver received three different models of still camera:
a middle range digital camera
with a fixed /ens focused on infinity,
a conventional analogical camera
with a 50 mm /ens focused on infinity
and an instant Polaroid camera, also focused on infinity.
Silver's attempts with the digital camera
did not produce any positive result'
The second camera registered only partial results,
insufficient' for a positive evaluation
Only the Polaroid camera allowed the apparent projection
of Silver's thoughts onto the photographic plate.
There is no scientific explanation for these results.
The cylinder or gizmo which Silver was provided with
in order to concentrate the flow of his thoughts
was carefully checked before and after each experiment
in order to rule out any possible manipulation.
Silver claims to be capable of bending metal at a distance
without needing to touch it'.
However, during the course of these tests,
this could not be experimental! y confirmed.
Following a more relaxed protocol,
Silver was allowed to touch the metal
which, as can be seen in the film, was indeed bent.
Visual analysis of the film is insufficient to determine
whether Silver possesses extremely strong fingers
and great' control of micro-manipulation movements
or whether the distortion is in fact caused
by a paranormal ability, as he claims.
Later, Simon Silver held his hand out
in the continuous flow of a running tap.
As the images show, the flow of water was notably deviated
by some kind of external stimulus around Silver's hand.
The difficulty in measuring this distortion
in a conclusive manner,
means this demonstration
has been excluded from any experimental e valuation.
I think I've got it, Doctor.
I was trying with the second adapter
but if I could just join--
Concentrate, Ben.
I appreciate your help. No more mistakes, okay?
I'm sorry, Doctor, I promise--
Don't promise anything. Just plug it in. Good.
What, black and white?
It's fine. It doesn't matter. Okay.
Keep going keep going keep going...
Stop! Stop there.
Okay, this was the last test. Telepathy booths.
During the whole two weeks,
I wasn't able to get within six feet of Silver,
but you and I both know the whole thing is a farce.
- Actually, Dr. Buckley, I-- - A total fucking farce. Okay, rewind.
Keep going, keep going.
Okay, go over to the other side of the gym.
Stop, Ben! Stop there! Stop!
You know, right now, Shackleton is analyzing the data,
getting ready to publish his positive findings tonight.,
which just happens to coincide with Silver's last show,
which by some strange coincidence,
just happens to be taking place
in this very city.
It's the finale he's been after all along.
Well, why all this pressure?
If we find out something afterwards,
they'll have to change the findings.
Ben, nothing that happens afterwards will matter.
Listen to me. You are the only guy
separating the world from stupidity at this point in time. Okay?
Okay? Now, you see this button?
I've spent two days loading all the images from all the cameras
then synching them frame by frame,
with all the angles in here, okay?
Okay? Okay, Ben?
This is the reception booth. Silver is the receiver.
That's the instrument panel. It's got ten luminous buttons.
Normally they put a playing card in each one,
but given that Silver is blind
they've just numbered them one through ten.
Okay, and what's supposed to...?
Quiet. Now, second booth.
It doesn't matter. It's just a dead bird.
This is the transmission booth.
Now, you see the monitor? It's a closed circuit.
Is he seeing his own panel?
No. No, no, no. He's seeing Silver's panel.
It's supposed to help him concentrate.
So the computer randomly turns on a light.
Then the guy concentrates
on the number he's been given. Okay?
When he thinks he knows the number,
he presses the red button,
which sets off a signal in Silver's booth.
When Silver hears the signal,
he clears his mind, he concentrates, whatever the fuck,
when he thinks he knows the answer,
he presses the corresponding number
he think the guy has sent.
Is that clear?
Okay.The experiment lasted
a total of seven hours, including breaks.
It was repeated a total of nine times, in blocks of ten.
The results were spectacular, with a deviation rate
eight times higher than can be explained by chance.
Now, what does this mean?
That Silver's powers--?
No! It means that Silver is pulling a fast one!
Do you know how I know this? Because telepathy does not exist!
Because nobody has special powers!
No. The protocol, in theory, is sound.
It's just that Silver has found a way of breaching it.
Okay, don't look for radio transmitters,
because the booths work as Faraday chambers. I've checked them.
They're isolated.
What if he's not pulling a fast one?
Ben, you've got 4 1/2 hours
of footage there from seven cameras.
- That's 30 hours. - What am I looking for?
An explanation, Ben, just an explanation.
Try to make it rational.
Hey.
Is everything okay, sweetie?
It's raining.
Sit down, please.
I'll be with you in just a minute.
I'm not a very accessible person.
I suppose you've realized that by now.
Only somebody who really wants to get to me can do so.
I won't talk to anybody else today.
Maybe I'll do so tomorrow, in some other city.
Maybe I won't ever again.
As for me, I live each day as if it were my last.
And I'm starting to feel tired.
Very tired indeed.
I don't always demand payment for my services, did you know that?
At least, not in money. There's other ways of paying for things.
But you know that already.
You do know that, don't you?
To be or to appear to be,
that is the question. It always is.
We all try to be something we're not.
We dream 27 times a night.
An intricate neurological protection mechanism
which makes us forget.
What protects you?
Aline of salt?
From the time of ancient Greece to the present day,
philosophers and scholars have argued
man is essentially rational.
I don't happen to agree.
If one observes and studies another person
without having first studied oneself,
how do we know whether our instruments are appropriately set?
How do we know we are reliable? We have no proof.
There's only one way
of gaining access to the truth,
and that's not to expect anything.
If our intentions aren't pure,
we might end up creating monsters.
Hm. Please excuse me. It's getting late.
For you too.
Don't worry, we'll see each other again.
Oh, yes. We'll see each other again.
Silver is in the final stages of his countdown,
only 12 hours after the announcement of his most recent retirement.
This unexpected news has caused commotion...
...all kinds of contradictory reactions.
Those that predicted that Silver had come back to stay
have had no option but to accept...
...estimate that Silver may well have pocketed
more than four million dollars in less than a month,
a figure that would confirm...
--most immediate consequences,
with prices of up to 2,000 dollars
being asked by scalpers for seats,
a more than dubious record being held today...
...packed out an hour and a half before the start
of what will be his last appearance.
It is impossible to predict an outcome for this...
...and it's with great expectation
the verdict from the Scientific Paranormal Research Center,
to be announced officially tonight.
If the leaks get out...
...maybe thereby silencing more than one skeptical voice,
and transcending once and for all
the area of mystification
and the study of frontier sciences.
Science has rarely had the chance to study at close hand
such controversial manifestations
as those which have made Simon Silver famous.
We really have to wonder if the spectators presently witnessing
the final chance to see Simon Silver will get' what' they paid-
Why have you come here tonight?
What are you hoping to see?
Do you think I should surprise you?
Do you think I should entertain you?
What are you looking at so closely?
What do you know about me? How much do you believe?
How much do you want to believe?
I can feel your longings, your desires...
I can feel your demands.
It is a deep, painful urgency of the animal
forced to live in darkness
which finally opens his eyes and voraciously demands light
with a howl of rage!
What is it you've come to see?
This?
Have you come to see this?
I feel my veins burning
with the fire of a new understanding!
We called Ptolemy insane,
we spat in the face of Galileo,
we burned Giordano Bruno...
What did we need?
What do we need in order to learn?
What makes us be what we are?
What finally makes us come to accept?
What makes us believe?
Why did you come here...
today?
Are you crazy? I shouldn't even be talking to you.
Wait, wait, Ben, I'm not against you.
I--I just need to know what you've got.
You're my student too, remember?
Dr. Shackleton, you know I can't talk.
Listen, Ben, I've always respected
Dr. Buckley's work, and Dr. Matheson's.
I'm not the enemy.
I'm sorry, Doctor. I'm going to hang up.
Ben, I've got the results of nine days of experiments
sitting right here in front of me.
Definitive results.
The only thing missing is my signature.
I'm talking about the scientific verification of extrasensory perception
and forces which until today have only been seen as para-science...
I can imagine.
Do you have any idea what the publication of these results
will mean to Dr. Buckley and his department?
Yeah, I--I guess.
Ben, if we've got anything wrong, anything,
I need to know.
What have you got?
Nothing.
What?
- What do you mean? - We got...
nothing.
Final call, we'd better get going.
I hope the second half is better than the first.
I didn't spend 300 bucks to see Hamlet.
- Sally! - Ben? What are you doing here?
Shit, Sally, you don't know how pleased I am to see you.
Tom told me you'd be here.
You should be doing this, not me.
What are you doing here? Where is Tom? He's not home
and he's not answering his phone. Did something happen to him?
Is that SPCR?
Telepathy booths. I've been watching the same images.
- If you want my opinion... - Ben, I don't. Where is Tom?
With Silver, I think.
- What do you mean with Silver? - At the theater.
It's nothing out of the ordinary.
He wants you to wait for him here, so take a seat.
He's perfectly all right.
What's that?
- What's what? - That. There.
His watch?
Why would Silver wear a watch?
Blind people wear watches too.
They tell the time by touching the hands.
They checked it. It's clean.
Can you split the image in two?
- What are you looking for? - I don't know yet.
Put the sender on the left and Silver on the right.
That's it.
Move in on the watches.
- Can you do that? - On the watches? Sure. Give me a sec.
I can't get an angle.
Let me try with another camera.
Can you improve the quality?
Mm-hm. Sure. I can amplify a single pixel,
click it up with my magic
and make it so bright and shiny
you need sunglasses to look at it.
This ain't a movie.
We're in the psychology department.
All right. Go to the other camera.
I'd like to know what the hell is--
There! Stop!
Shit, Sally. It's a recording, you know?
We can go back and forth as much as we want.
We can chill out.
- Are you sure they're synchronized? - Yes.
- Completely? - Completely.
What are you looking for? They don't have the same time.
What are the chances that Silver and the sender
are both wearing analogical watches
and that both are synchronized second by second
in millimetric precision?
Synchronized? Didn't you hear what I just said?
The watches don't tell the same time.
Second by second.
Shit. It's a code.
They divide.
They just have to divide the dial of the watch into ten sections,
one for each number.
When the second hand reaches the corresponding section--
--the sender presses the button.
Silver just has to know where the second hand is
when he hears the signal
and translate it to the position.
They're in it together.
Dr. Buckley was right. It's a fraud.
Silver never touched the hands.
The simpler, the better.
Okay, it's right here in front of us.
What was it Matheson used to say?
Results appear when there is defective methodology,
important data is inadvertently included...
...or improper controls are in place.
They've taken something for granted.
Oh, shit.
Silver can see.
Simon Silver!
Simon Silver.
Did you really need to go this far?
You will know the truth,
but the truth will make you furious.
Ladies and gentlemen, and I don't think I'm wrong
when I say
we have a distinguished guest amongst us.
It's okay.
The young and persistent Thomas Buckley,
as many of you may know,
decided some time ago to devote part of his life
to making mine as difficult as possible.
Am I going too far
if I say he seems somewhat out of sorts?
I wasn't able.
In the end I just wasn't able.
But you know that, don't you?
You can't deny yourself.
You can't live in denial forever!
I tried with all my strength.
Today it will be over.
For you and for me.
- I just hope we're both ready. - You're a fool, Buckley.
Are you threatening me in front of everyone?
I'm not like you. You can't hurt me. I am the life force!
I come with the wind and I go with the wind.
Do you want me to hurt you?
Get out of here now while you can.
I don't want to interrupt anything
but I'd really like to sit down.
My arm is hurting.
Then put it down. There's nothing stopping you.
I just--just I-- I simply can't.
Don't believe everything they tell you.
You'd be better off sitting down.
Buckley, how dare you?
Are you challenging me? Are you questioning my power?
We fill our heads with noise.
Stay where you are. Do you want me to hurt you?
We renounce ever knowing ourselves.
But you can't deny yourself forever.
Isn't that right?
Buckley!
Don't you dare ignore me!
Time goes on.
And you think you have all the time in the world,
that nothing is final...
But time goes on.
Stay where you are. Don't take another step.
You're playing with fire, I'm telling you.
You're playing with fire!
But in the end, so much time has gone by--
And you know you should have done something,
and then you wake up.
Don't you know the kind of force you're up against?
It's already over.
- Stay where you are! - Margaret never knew.
I don't think you don't know what you're up against.
I never told her. She never knew.
Don't come any closer.
And now everything is a lie!
Don't come any closer! I'm warning you!
Did you know all along, Simon Silver? Did you know?
Buckley! Buckley!
That's all I want to know. Did you know all along?
Buckley!
How did you do that?
Phoney.
How did you do that?
Simon, come with me.
How did you do that?
Dear Margaret,
Even today / 'm not exactly sure when everything ended.
I wanted to cry, to feel anger, grief I
to feel,
just' like I used to
A whole life denying myself,
searching in silence for someone like me.
A whole life looking for an answer,
without finding it
I /earned so many things from you-
But' I forgot' the most' essential thing
How did you know that?
Because I'm psychic.
Silver?
It was me all along,
wasn't it, Margaret?
Where did you spring from?
Why are you with me?
It was me...
all along.
You can't deny yourself forever.
You did most of the magic by looking in the wrong place.
I did what you'd have wanted.
But I'll never forgive myself for not revealing myself,
for not at least giving you the consolation
of knowing...
there is something else.
But you deserve more.
Today you deserve everything.
You can't deny yourself.
You can't deny yourself forever.