- 3 weeks ago
A man gains super intelligence and changes his life drastically, action and comedy ensue.
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Short filmTranscript
00:00At the beginning of the film, we see the main character named Eddie Mora, a failed writer who
00:05dreams of that very book capable of making him famous and rich. He spends all his time writing
00:11it, and for several weeks now, he's been experiencing writer's block and can't write
00:15even a couple of pages because all his thoughts hit an invisible wall beyond which there's nothing
00:20but emptiness. Later, he meets with his girlfriend who says she wants to break up with him. She's
00:26tired of paying his bills and hopes for better. Eddie himself was sure everything was fine
00:31between them, and that one day they would get married.
00:33Cleaning lady, bank.
00:38But Lindy is adamant and believes everything is over between them. Devastated by this news,
00:43Eddie leaves the cafe and on the street runs into his ex-wife's brother named Vernon. He
00:48immediately notes that the guy looks homeless, and Eddie, trying to save face, assures him
00:52he has a contract and is completely immersed in work with no time for himself. Such an
00:58explanation doesn't convince his brother-in-law, and he suggests Eddie grab a drink. Vernon
01:03admits he hasn't been in touch with his sister for a long time because she moved out of state,
01:07and Eddie shares that during all this time, he hasn't written a single line and is falling
01:12further and further behind schedule. Then Vernon, who works at a pharmaceutical company, offers
01:18help in the form of a special pill capable of engaging the full potential of the human
01:23brain at 100%, since humans only use 30%. But Eddie refuses, especially since he has nothing
01:30to pay for the drug, which costs $800. But his former brother-in-law simply gives him the
01:36pill, leaves a business card, and leaves. He looks at the pill and realizes he has nothing
01:41left to lose, and he decides to take the drug. The pill works instantly, and encountering
01:47the landlord's wife on the landing demanding payment for rent, Eddie in a matter of seconds
01:52reads her condition and understands she has a problem at college. He sees uncertainty and
01:57confusion in her eyes. While she yells at him, he notices a book in her bag and realizes
02:02the girl is studying law. The stream of knowledge that had been stored in his subconscious for
02:12years begins to form into clear thoughts, and having calmed her down, he even helps compile
02:18the necessary notes. Returning to his apartment, Eddie realizes he's living in a real pigsty,
02:28and if he wants to bring order to his mind, he'll have to start with the surrounding chaos.
02:33Energy literally overwhelms him, and having finished cleaning, he decides not to stop,
02:39and immediately sits down to write his book. Words themselves line up into coherent, precise
02:44sentences, and having worked until late at night, Eddie falls asleep. But in the morning,
02:50he realizes the abilities have disappeared, and everything that yesterday seemed limitless has
02:55been reset. However, something remained. He shows the written text to his editor, and by the time he
03:01gets home, she's left several messages on the answering machine. She's amazed by his work. Eddie
03:07wants to call back, but realizes the text wasn't written by him, but by a different Eddie.
03:12Eddie, give me a call when you get in. It's a little grandiose, but I'm still reading.
03:18Realizing he needs the pill again, he heads to Vernon, who greets him with a beaten face. His brother-in
03:23-law
03:24doesn't say who did it, but admits that NZT hasn't been approved by the ministry yet,
03:29and its production is completely illegal. When Eddie confesses he needs another pill,
03:34Vernon agrees to discuss it, but asks him to pick up his suit from the dry cleaners and grab
03:38something for breakfast. But when he returns, Eddie discovers Vernon is dead, and immediately
03:44calls the police. Almost instantly, he guesses the killer was looking for the pills, and possibly
03:49didn't find them. Realizing the apartment is already turned upside down, Eddie doesn't stand
03:53on ceremony, and in search of the coveted package adds even more chaos, not thinking about the
03:59consequences. Finally, in the oven, he finds what he was looking for, as well as a stack of money.
04:04Having hidden the package, he opens the door to the arriving police. At the station, he claims he
04:10didn't know what Vernon was involved in, and met him completely by chance. The police release him,
04:15asking him to leave a phone number, and returning home, he immediately takes a pill. His consciousness
04:20clears again. The world becomes sharp and orderly, and Vernon's money, multiplied by a powerful surge
04:26of motivation, allows Eddie to finish the book in just four days. One pill a day, and his possibilities
04:33seem limitless. He rapidly changes, turning into a confident person who navigates absolutely everything.
04:40Poker, piano, medicine, the stock market. There are no longer any closed topics for him,
04:47and in any company he finds himself at the center of attention. Fear and shyness disappear, and he can
04:53no longer stop, because the feeling of omnipotence literally overwhelms him. And soon, an idea begins
05:00to form in his head that should take him to a completely new level. He starts studying the stock
05:05market, and with the help of Vernon's last $800, in just a couple of days he earns $7,000. However,
05:12such growth seems too slow to Eddie, and banks refuse to give loans to a person without a stable past.
05:18So, he turns to a Russian criminal authority named Gennady, who agrees to give him $100,000 at high
05:25interest. With the support of Kevin, his new acquaintance, he gets a job from where he begins
05:30seriously trading on the stock exchange. Under the influence of the pill, Eddie turns into a
05:36flawless machine for analyzing markets. And by the end of the week, there's more than $2 million in
05:41his brokerage account. Rumors about the successful trader spread quickly, and soon Kevin reports that
05:47a very serious financier named Carl Van Loon has scheduled a meeting with Eddie. Such a change can't
05:54help but affect his personal life as well. Lindy agrees to have dinner with him, and the new Eddie
05:59impresses her with his impeccable Italian and amazing ability to guess her emotions.
06:05Very soon, they're together again. However, against the backdrop of this success, two things begin to
06:10trouble Eddie. He increasingly notices that an unknown man is following him, and he himself
06:16encounters bouts of disorientation, as if the reality around him is beginning to lose stability.
06:22Finally, the day of the meeting with Carl Van Loon arrives. He says little, and prefers to listen to
06:27the story of how in just 10 days, Eddie managed to multiply his fortune many times over. The simplicity
06:34and simultaneous brilliance of his approach attract the attention of Van Loon's assistant, although he
06:39senses in the young broker a dangerous self-confidence bordering on megalomania. Already in the car, Van
06:46Loon offers Eddie to look at a list of companies, and in just a few minutes, he understands that the
06:51magnate is preparing a major merger deal with Hank Atwood's business. Carl barely hides his surprise
06:57at how quickly the newcomer calculates the situation, and when Eddie points out the risk of the deal
07:03falling through, the magnate schedules another meeting with him. Inspired by Van Loon's interest in his
07:09abilities, Eddie decides to take a walk. He doesn't understand how he walks 20 blocks and suddenly finds
07:16himself at a subway station, where he unexpectedly gets into a fight with four men and emerges victorious,
07:22despite never having known how to fight before. The pill seemingly extracts from the depths of his
07:27memory martial arts techniques once seen in movies, and this proves sufficient to handle opponents
07:33without much effort. Another jump takes him to one of the suburban bars, and then he finds himself
07:38already at some party, where he again notices that same man and goes off with an unfamiliar girl to a
07:44hotel,
07:45and when the pill's effect wore off, he couldn't remember the last 18 hours of his life. The night
07:50fight makes itself known, and with an injured leg, Eddie barely makes it home. Waking up the next day,
07:56he begins to understand that the drug is negatively affecting his condition, and having refused the
08:00pill, he decides to work on Van Loon's documents. However, for ordinary Eddie, these papers look like a
08:07set of hieroglyphics. Due to refusing the drug, he feels bad and asks Kevin to reschedule the meeting with
08:13Van Loon, but he insists, being confident that such a person won't give a second chance. At the
08:18appointed time, Eddie still comes to the meeting, but without the pill, he feels vulnerable and
08:23constrained. From Carl, he learns that two years ago, no one had heard of Hank Atwood, and now he heads
08:29one of the largest energy companies. However, Eddie's thoughts are occupied with something completely
08:35different. The news reports the body of Maria Winter has been found, and Eddie realizes with horror that
08:41this is the very girl with whom he secluded himself in a hotel room the day before. Witnesses saw an
08:47unknown man near her, and this information makes Eddie nauseous, and in panic, having fled from the
08:53meeting, he returns home. Melissa's call puts everything in its place. She warns him about the
08:59danger of the pills, and Eddie asks her for a meeting. Sitting in the park, Eddie decides to call
09:04Vernon's clients, but very quickly realizes that most of them have either died or ended up in the hospital.
09:10When he dials the next number, the call rings very close by, and he recognizes the man who's been
09:16following him all this time. Realizing who's calling him, the man rushes after Eddie, but he manages to
09:22escape. Having gotten rid of his pursuer, Eddie meets with Melissa and barely recognizes in her
09:27the woman who once attracted the envious glances of surrounding men. She immediately understands that
09:33Eddie has been taking the pills for a long time, and confesses that she herself was once her brother's
09:38client. At first, the drug made her life perfect, giving a feeling of omnipotence. But learning that
09:44people die from it because no brain is capable of withstanding such a load for long, she decided to
09:49quit. Now she suffers from headaches and nausea that deprive her of the ability to concentrate.
09:55Melissa advises Eddie to gradually reduce the dose, and then refuse the drug. Immersed in his own
10:01problems, he forgets about Gennady's interest, and he decides to remind him about it. Seeing a pill in
10:07Eddie's hands, the authority figure, without hesitation, takes it and goes with him to the bank.
10:12Eddie can't remember if there are any pills left at his place, but knows he made a stash in Lindy's
10:16apartment. Going to her workplace, he confesses everything, and now she understands where this
10:22energy came from. And Eddie asks her to bring the pill that should get him back on his feet.
10:26He receives a call from Lindy, who in panic reports that an unknown man is following her.
10:32When he gets out of the car, she also leaves the vehicle and tries to hide. Lindy turns to
10:37passersby for help, but this doesn't stop the pursuer, and without the slightest hesitation,
10:42he kills two men. But this is enough for Lindy to manage to hide. Finding herself in relative safety,
10:48she tells Eddie that the man is still looking for her. Realizing this is the only chance,
10:53Lindy decides to take the pill, and in the next moment, her consciousness clears. Her brain
10:59seemingly begins to read the surrounding space on its own, analyzing details and choosing the
11:04most optimal path. Almost without thinking, she rushes toward the ice rink, knowing in advance
11:09what her next action will be. She wounds the pursuer, and escapes the chase. Finally, Lindy reaches Eddie,
11:16and he receives the life-saving pill. They rent a hotel room, and in the morning, Lindy admits that
11:22only now does she truly understand how much the pill changes a person, and Eddie assures her that
11:27he'll stop taking the drug as soon as he can provide them with a carefree life. However, a new
11:33problem appears. The effect of the pills made a strong impression on Gennady, and Eddie gives him
11:38several pills, trying to buy time. Realizing the danger, he hires bodyguards and asks them to keep
11:44their distance, not attracting unnecessary attention. Don't wear the same color suit, this isn't the
11:50matrix. Eddie finally meets with Von Loon, who admits that after studying the prepared report,
11:58he fired several employees who couldn't do what one person did. So, two months after starting to take
12:04the pills, Eddie becomes a key intermediary in the largest corporate merger in history. Understanding that
12:10sooner or later, the pills will run out, Eddie offers a chemist two million dollars to create a
12:14new batch of the drug, and he agrees. To always have pills at hand, he asks his tailor to make
12:20hidden
12:20pockets in all his suits. However, the situation soon becomes complicated, when Eddie learns that a
12:26witness in the Maria Winter case has identified him as the man seen near her on the evening of the
12:32murder. He hires the best lawyer in New York, and finds out that all traces of the crime scene were
12:37carefully destroyed. Despite the looming threat of arrest, Eddie continues to participate in
12:42negotiations with Hank Atwood, and after their completion, demands payment for his contribution.
12:48For Van Loon, Eddie has long ceased to be just a valuable employee. He has become a strategic
12:54advantage that cannot be released, since he's capable of seeing the market years ahead,
12:59finding vulnerabilities in the largest corporations, and if desired, easily moving to competitors.
13:05That's why the request for 40 million dollars in freedom sounds to Van Loon not like a business
13:10proposal, but like a loss of control over an overly dangerous asset.
13:15You don't know how to assess your competition because you haven't competed. Don't make me your
13:19competition. And to keep Eddie close, Carl opens unlimited credit for him, ready to cover any expenses.
13:26Realizing that he's getting deeper into a dangerous game, Eddie decides to buy an apartment in one of the
13:31cities' elite buildings, calculating that a dwelling with a multi-level security system will become a
13:37real bunker for him. Meanwhile, Gennady reappears on the horizon, demanding new pills and blackmailing
13:44Eddie with threats to tell the press about the Maria Winter case. On the appointed day, instead of Hank
13:50Atwood, his wife comes to the meeting and reports that he suddenly became ill and ended up in the hospital.
13:55Escorting her to the car, Eddie recognizes in the driver the very man who had previously pursued him,
14:01and at this moment, it dawns on him that Atwood was also taking the pills. During the identification
14:06procedure, Morris Brandt selects people who look as similar to Eddie as possible, and the witness
14:12behind the glass gets confused in his testimony, never managing to point to the person he saw on the
14:18evening of the murder. For Eddie, everything ends well, and having taken his jacket from Morris,
14:22he goes to Carl, from whom he learns that Atwood has fallen into a coma. This news makes Eddie
14:27remember that he himself missed taking a pill, and secluding himself in the restroom, he discovers
14:32that his stash is empty. Returning to Van Loon's office, Eddie receives a package from the secretary
14:38addressed personally to him, and inside finds a message from Gennady, the severed hands of his bodyguards.
14:45Ignoring Van Loon, he leaves him, and already in his apartment, seeing Morris Brandt in the news next
14:50to Atwood's wife, he understands who exactly robbed him. A knock on the door pulls him from his thoughts,
14:56and he hears Gennady's voice demanding he open immediately. Realizing that he has no pills,
15:02and won't be able to buy off the authority figure, Eddie decides to settle accounts with life. But
15:07standing on the edge, and preparing to take the fatal step, he suddenly remembers the last pill that
15:12should be hidden in one of the boxes. Eddie frantically starts searching, while the bandits are breaking down the
15:18door. But, having found the coveted pill, he stumbles and doesn't have time to take it.
15:23Finding himself in Gennady's hands, Eddie sees that he has changed the method of taking the drug,
15:28explaining that this way, the drug enters the bloodstream faster and acts longer.
15:33Learning that Eddie has nothing more, Gennady orders the apartment searched, and doesn't notice how he
15:38hides a knife behind his back. While his men break open the safe, the authority figure declares that he'll
15:44find out the truth anyway, even if he has to torture Eddie to death. But Gennady's overconfidence fails
15:50him, and when he comes too close, Eddie strikes, mortally wounding the authority figure.
15:59This last push takes too much strength from him, but suddenly he realizes that the drug is in Gennady's
16:05blood, and pressing to the floor, he begins greedily drinking it. The drug immediately begins to work,
16:11producing the already familiar effect. Consciousness clears, thoughts again line up in perfect sequence,
16:18and a clear plan forms in Eddie's head. Calculating his opponent's actions several steps ahead, he deals
16:24with them, and once again, avoids imminent death. That same evening, Hank Atwood dies, and Eddie informs
16:31his guard that the medicine that could have saved his boss was with Morris Brandt, but he preferred to
16:36keep it for himself. The killer doesn't like this, and he decides to punish the lawyer, while Eddie
16:42finally gets to the drug. A year passes, Edward Mora is running for senator, and he's informed that one
16:48of the largest sponsors wants to meet with him. Van Loon quickly understands how high Eddie is aiming,
16:54and makes it clear that he knows about the drug. He found out which lab was producing the drug for
16:59Eddie,
16:59bought the company, and closed it, thereby becoming the only person capable of resuming production.
17:05In return, Van Loon wants only one thing, that when Eddie reaches the presidency,
17:10he'll promote the interests of a certain circle of people. However, the future senator is not satisfied
17:16with such an arrangement. Eddie calmly explains that he foresaw this scenario, and long ago set up
17:22several labs working simultaneously. Moreover, throughout the entire year, he collected information about Van
17:28Loon himself, and prepared countermeasures in case he decided to attack. No matter how hard Karl tries
17:35to outsmart him, Eddie still sees the situation several steps ahead. And to prove this, in a matter
17:42of seconds making a calculation, he predicts an accident. By Van Loon's changed heartbeat, he understands
17:48that the magnate's heart is working at only half capacity, and he'll soon need surgery. Karl fails to
17:54persuade him to cooperate. And having gotten rid of Van Loon, Eddie goes to lunch, where, having placed
18:00an order in Chinese, he no longer surprises Lindy.
18:03...
18:03...
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