A Scanner Darkly - Final Scene

Score by Graham Reynolds

[@travishess2298]

12 years ago I was addict sitting alone in my house at 3am watching this hadn't slept in days was feeling like death was creeping and this movie made me think in my screwed it was time to quit cold turkey and now I've been sober for 12 years

[@olsonbryce777]

Same situation for me. I'm glad you're still here

[@GameWriterGuy]

@@olsonbryce777 Wow. Good on you guys... that afterward from PK Dick is excellent and I'm so glad Linklater kept it and ran it.

[@queazy03]

Good job. Congratulations

[@TheFrugalVideoGamer]

The full text is slightly different: This has been a novel about some people who were punished entirely too much for what they did. They wanted to have a good time, but they were like children playing in the street; they could see one after another of them being killed - run over, maimed, destroyed - but they continued to play anyhow. We really all were very happy for a while, sitting around not toiling but just bullshitting and playing, but it was for such a terrible brief time, and then the punishment was beyond belief: even when we could see it, we could not believe it...

[@000xyz]

The movie shows an abridged version. Jerry's (book exclusive character) real-world counterpart died while the book was written, and luckman's counterpart died weeks before writing. Dick also goes into how he uses a greek science perspective going in, defining it as "causal law" and saying "i am not in the novel; i am the novel". The whole version made me cry. Having finally seen the film version, i was weirded out by how they took half of the barris' evidence scene and moved it towards the beginning of the film. I was shocked that the movie's version of hank is actually donna, and disappointed that donna and the orderly spoiled the twist ending at the diner when it would have worked better if they left it out and let bruce's blue flower scene speak for itself, and have the line "thats not your god anymore" put the 2's together. Imagine empire strikes back if palpatine said "hey vader, i think your son, luke is alive"....kinda kills the impact of "no...i am your father"

[@Apparat8]

​ @000xyz Actually, I appreciated the scene with Donna and the other agent at the diner, because it exposed the sheer brutality of what they just did. Out in the open, feeling guilty about what it took to get there, but it was still a truly evil act that they have to live with. To me, that was the true climax of the movie. It's not about winning over the bad guys. It's about how there aren't really any good guys in the War on (Some) Drugs, only victims in this brutal process.

[@jeetjerome]

Thank you Mr Graham Reynolds for such a good score. I am still listening to it in the present.

[@GrahamReynolds]

thanks for listening!

[@mikebasil4832]

Even after The Matrix, this is the performance that I will probably always remember Keanu Reeves most for. 💔

[@aimtriggerthebest2678]

This,John Wick,Neo and his performance in The Devil's Advocate are his best!

[@oujimandias6485]

Definitely. His Arctor image brings melancholy, like Sir Rutger's Roy Batty in Blade Runner.

[@mikebasil4832]

@@oujimandias6485 Quite true.

[@rickyray2794]

What kind of evil can sit there and laugh at somebody who is basically braindead from your product? Mocking him. This ending fills me with so much rage and sadness.

[@mygoodsir539]

Ricky Ray the idea is that they have trained him and kept telling him the poem and to get his girlfriend little blue flowers. The poem was made specifically for him in his brain dead state to remember the poem and pick a flower and bring it back to his girlfriend/boss when she visits at thanksgiving

[@Irrelevant402]

It should make you sad and angry but there is a little speck of hope. That he, the manchurian agent, will be the key point in making this evil undone.

[@jont2576]

It's a reflection on humanity itself,to most people when they see a homeless,or meth head or crack head on the streets,their immediate reaction is disgust, revulsion and maybe pity.....to the drug lords he is just another junkie,it may be cruel,merciless but it is a cruel world out there....it is like those African warlord movies,or weapons and war trade movies,u are just shielded from it all,it's like dystopian movies like bladerunner,mad Max or Westworld.......human beings are flawed, inherently cruel and selfish......it is not their fault because men are weak.....altruism is an aberration, unnatural,and more often then not motivated by ego or selfish needs or motives.... U weep for keeanu reeves only because u seen his life,u got to know him as a human being,u seen his life.

[@000xyz]

Unrhetorically? Religion, politics corporations, media...literally any large anonymous body that has the ability to manipulate your ability to perceive reality or think critically.

[@jamesalexanderjimenez-medi7667]

Drug lords

[@baddweather6362]

As a former hard drug abuser, and a PKD fan- this movie spoke to me on another level. Everything he had to say about drugs and addiction was so clear to me by the end, I wish I had found this story earlier in my life.

[@olsonbryce777]

Ryan Weatherford how are you doing now? I’m thinking of killing myself

[@carrot92]

Bryce Olson are you sill with us?

[@olsonbryce777]

@@carrot92 I am! And I'm much much better now. Some of the damage is permanent but I'm healing day by day

[@olsonbryce777]

How about you, OP?

[@mikek5948]

I thought about this before and after watching the movie (not too long ago). I think that you can clearly observe such an experience only if you have personally experienced and passed it. It's like the things that your parents told you in childhood: you would not listen to a word, no matter how good and true it was. I remember myself when I was a heavy user, remember my own thoughts and state of mind, and heck I know I wouldn't listen about changing paths or stopping even from myself. Therefore, I firmly believe that the only possible purpose of any external experience, such as this film, is to say, "You are not alone." And it really helps. But, in the end, only you can save yourself =). I hope you are doing well, my brother.

[@GeneralRELee]

a cool movie, a sad ending, and a sad true fate of millions of people.

[@conorryan3035]

Definately his most underrated movie. This is a classic.

[@vksasdgaming9472]

"I think it this is a masterpiece. I think it is the only masterpiece I have ever written. " It was also first book PKD wrote sober.

[@mikebasil4832]

I think that it most seriously helped to revitalize the dystopian future genre in this century.

[@renangoncalves8760]

Phillip K. Dick lives

[@gondwanaman9362]

Masterpiece.

[@anthonyduran4213]

100%

[@casperado666]

thi is one of my favourite novels. The movie left me somewhat underwhelmed. But isn't it always the case with the movie versions of books?

[@lummsmusik3219]

@@casperado666Yeah, also one of the best novels for me.

[@bicflair9604]

This scene and the memo get tearing everytime...

[@rickyray2794]

I just wrote a research paper on Phillip K Dick, about him and the themes of his stories. Dude is one of the deepest and most thought provoking writers I think I've ever had the pleasure of being exposed to, of course not everybody thinks so.. but I do.

[@aipkjbf]

what memo?

[@000xyz]

@@aipkjbf i think he means the author's notes at the end. The movie shows an abridged version. I highly recommend reading the full version. It's way more powerful, especially when Dick talks about the intent of the novel or uses the analogy of the children playing on the street in detail. It reads as follows: "This has been a novel about some people who were punished entirely too much for what they did. They wanted to have a good time, but they were like children playing in the street; they could see one after another of them being killed-run over, maimed, destroyed-but they continued to play anyhow. We really all were very happy for a while, sitting around not toiling but just bullshitting and playing, but it was for such a terrible brief time, and then the punishment was beyond belief: even when we could see it, we could not believe it. For example, while I was writing this I learned that the person on whom the character Jerry Fabin is based killed himself. My friend on whom I based the character Ernie Luckman died before I began the novel. For a while I myself was one of these children playing in the street; I was, like the rest of them, trying to play instead of being grown up, and I was punished. I am on the list below, which is a list of those to whom this novel is dedicated, and what became of each. Drug misuse is not a disease, it is a decision, like the decision to step out in front of a moving car. You would call that not a disease but an error in judgment. When a bunch of people begin to do it, it is a social error, a life-style. In this particular life-style the motto is “Be happy now because tomorrow you are dying,” but the dying begins almost at once, and the happiness is a memory. It is, then, only a speeding up, an intensifying, of the ordinary human existence. It is not different from your life-style, it is only faster. It all takes place in days or weeks or months instead of years. “Take the cash and let the credit go,” as Villon said in 1460. But that is a mistake if the cash is a penny and the credit a whole lifetime. There is no moral in this novel; it is not bourgeois; it does not say they were wrong to play when they should have toiled; it just tells what the consequences were. In Greek drama they were beginning, as a society, to discover science, which means causal law. Here in this novel there is Nemesis: not fate, because any one of us could have chosen to stop playing in the street, but, as I narrate from the deepest part of my life and heart, a dreadful Nemesis for those who kept on playing. I myself, I am not a character in this novel; I am the novel. So, though, was our entire nation at this time. This novel is about more people than I knew personally. Some we all read about in the newspapers. It was, this sitting around with our buddies and bullshitting while making tape recordings, the bad decision of the decade, the sixties, both in and out of the establishment. And nature cracked down on us. We were forced to stop by things dreadful. If there was any “sin,” it was that these people wanted to keep on having a good time forever, and were punished for that, but, as I say, I feel that, if so, the punishment was far too great, and I prefer to think of it only in a Greek or morally neutral way, as mere science, as deterministic impartial cause-and-effect. I loved them all. Here is the list, to whom I dedicate my love:" The rest of it is verbatim shown in the film starting with the list.

[@aipkjbf]

@@000xyz man ;_;

[@dlobelow760]

I've always wanted to see this movie when I was kid, thinking it was a trippy film! Thought it was gonna have some cool twists and turns. The only twist I found was that reality is much darker and more crueler than fiction.....let them play again....

[@videoactif]

I had read the book first, in my early 20s, and then seen the movie, high. At the middle of it, I realized it's was very close of the book, and that's turned even darker for me...

[@printezstroman]

Same here, My first time seeing it was as an adult a few years ago. Just like Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas, that movie's trailer made it seem funny, I wasn't ready for how dark it was.

[@thatguy6919]

If anyone is interested in the novel this is VERY closely based on, Paul Giamatti does an incredible reading where he really captures the characters. I definitely recommend the novel, disturbing and depressing but gives a lot more insight into the characters and the world and the real life experiences it was derived from.

[@elliotstacey1393]

For sure, but the film perfectly complements the book, I didnt quite understand the ending until I saw the film

[@joshbates9015]

Bladerunner might be the most renowned movie based off a Philip K. Dick novel; but A Scanner Darkly is definitely the most underrated. Richard Linklater did a fantastic job!

[@bmoores84]

The best and most sincere movie adaptation of PKD novels. An under rated movie and Keanu Reeves performance is perfect.

[@Stopthisrightnow560]

Viewing this from another lense... Even in the midst of addiction you are still there deep down. He knew enough to keep that flower hidden in his sock. He knew deep down what it meant. He knew how to get out- if not himself, but how others could.

[@johnkloosterman6277]

The moment where the man laughs feels significant to me. The teeth you see are very noticeably his real teeth, not rotoscoped. It makes him seem that much more inhuman, that much more sinister... but it also ties in with the speech just prior to this, where one of the undercover detectives mentions how he believes that there's a truth just under the form of things. He views that truth as hopeful, but if this is any indication--the truth is actually darker still.

[@lomanoneill7299]

clearly or darkly

[@matatosky]

The fact that this movie is a compelling ride into the dark underbrush of addiction that masquerades as a journey into experimentation and ends in the abyss of perdition. I love how Linklater managed to crack the script by making it a seductive and intriguing visualization with the bleak impact of the heart wrenching truth at the end. Exactly what one who wants to try to understand addiction should see. There is so much beauty in this movie. There is beauty in breakdown.

[@GranTruismo4head]

Those final words spoken at the end… are so heartbreaking especially with the music playing too. I literally just finished reading A Scanner Darkly recently and the music that plays at the end here was playing along side when I read the last of it. Honestly I have never felt so heartbroken after reading it all…

[@tvshowmemes-jt8eb]

I watch this film back in 2020 while in college, I’m out of college now, all my friends are gone away and mostly by myself now… this scene really relates to me..

[@musixforlife8727]

This has been a story about people who were punished entirely too much for what they did. .. Let the play again, in some other way, and let them be happy

[@DarkoRavens]

I want there to be more films exploring the rotoscopic format in time.

[@spikeitfool1]

Please explain the rotoscopic format?

[@DarkoRavens]

spikeitfool1 Pretty much what you see here, and in another film by director Richard Linklater, Waking Life.

[@spikeitfool1]

Thank you for the informative answer, Rouge Morrigan 14.

[@cloudsbelow9285]

spikeitfool1 animation blended with real life

[@vasilstanev4234]

@@spikeitfool1 Basically animation based on or tracing the actions of actors. Once it was classical animation, like the one you see in Fire and Ice (the one based on Frazetta's works). Nowadays it is done on a computer, frame by frame, like here. The director of the film gave an interview in which he said it was a nightmare, the staff were over their heads etc. Consider how many seconds a movie has, and each of these has perhaps 24 frames, and you will get an idea of what a mammoth task it is (and each of these people needs to paid accordingly, for shitloads of overtime). This kind of rotoscopy should not be confused with cutting parts of frames, which is a work I did for compositing in a movie center,and mocap (motion capture), which was pioneered with Avatar and Gollum and is a different technique too long to get into detail here. A 3D artist (team) models and rigs a 3D model of the head of, say, Thanos, the actor plays his part, and the human face serves as the base for the mimics and gesticulation of the character. Also a big chunk of work. Hope this was explanatory enough.

[@aimtriggerthebest2678]

One of the most depressing and sad endings of all time in my personal opinion!

[@vksasdgaming9472]

Yet there is hope. A connection happened and investigator resurfaced. Just what they hoped to happen.

[@fattymcfatso1083]

being denied pleasure is the greatest tragedy

[@mikebasil4832]

@@fattymcfatso1083 Indeed. It makes it most thought-compelling how such dystopian futures like A Scanner Darkly could ever possibly come about.

[@dwightwoodsentertainment7373]

Graham Reynolds score is perfect in this scene. It helps the emotion flow

[@poochyboi]

this movie and they ending...the music...the list of people that have fallen victim to drug abuse always leaves me with a crushing sensation in my chest.

[@mikebasil4832]

Drug addiction is sadly a vast tragedy and A Scanner Darkly, like most dystopian future stories, is more about the present than the future in that regard.

[@jbraxton147]

I like to hope Bob or “Bruce” saved the fucking world. He unknowingly paid a serious price and it just hurts me so much how there couldn't have been another way to take down New Path. I like to believe that Thanksgiving, after they nabbed New Path, he and Donna go and live the life they wanted to live. Donna can get to live happily while taking care of Bob, getting his mind back together as much as possible with ACTUAL rehab. Hell... Maybe with enough rehab, Bob will at least retain some of his mind and will be able to enjoy the rest of his life to spread awareness of D and its deathly effects to those still using or distributing. But who knows to what avail, knowing what D does and how quickly it destroys the brain. And you know what? This whole film was about Phil and his struggles with disassociation, drug abuse, and depression. The whole thing was basically a commentary on himself and a commentary on the life he, and sadly, all of us live in to this day with the current Fentanyl epidemic. Warner Bros should release this on Blu Ray, get Keanu to promote it heavily, because I believe it's what people need to see nowadays. Sorry for my cheese, I just really fucking love this movie. One of my favorites.

[@bmoores84]

I hope so too. In my mind this is how the story continues. Thank you.

[@edwardfetner2513]

it's one of my favorites too. i'm glad people appreciate it and are still so moved and invested to this day. Linklater's best

[@MrJakku26]

It is on bluray

[@queazy03]

Remember he was suggested to give his girlfriend BLUE flowers? The cops knew what would happen to him, but were risking it & planting the concepts in him to later expose it

[@jamma246]

I've never cried because of a movie before, but this had me in tears. And it's the fifth time I've seen it.

[@pabloop9891]

You should see requiem for a dream if you haven't.

[@Rapter57]

The reason this scene is so tragic to me, is that Bruce now has the evidence to prove New Path is evil literally in his hands, but his brain is too fried at this point to make the connection.

[@SN-hn9zi]

No he isn’t too far gone, that’s why he keeps the flower. To put it out there.

[@Chameleonardodavinci]

He unwittingly spells the end of New Path, so in a way the guys laughing at him are the real jackasses

[@dusty203]

@@SN-hn9zi I dont think he realizes though

[@j_riv_23]

@@dusty203 he doesn’t realize it yet but listen to what he said. “A present for my friends on Thanksgiving” New Path will let their guard down thinking he’s so baked they will allow him brief visits with old friends on that given time and we hopefully can conclude that present will be enough to shut them down.

[@dusty203]

@@j_riv_23 ahhhh yes ok I see

[@ItAllFeelsRight]

Amazing soundtrack. Beautiful and it weighs heavy on your heart. Thank you for this. One of my favorite soundtracks.

[@GrahamReynolds]

thank you for listening and for the kind words!

[@shakybeevessouls]

The novel was a tough read hopeless and dark, if not for that glimmer of light at retribution in this final scene. Amazing book though, particularly for anyone with some experience big or small with drug use or whom life may have been changed/damaged by drugs.

[@billytheripper4]

Tough as in dark content or tough as in its a slog to get through?

[@tyronejones4245]

@@billytheripper4 Dark content. It's not a slog at all, but if you've been through the drug thing it's very real.

[@Skellotronix]

@@tyronejones4245 This movie is funny but holds an extremely honest message about drugs. I wish more people watched it.

[@adambycina1817]

I watched this movie at a theatre with a friend from Brooklyn who was funny enough to be the next Carlin but instead died of a heroin overdose. This last scene haunts me.

[@Watcher4111]

Dude didnt understand the meaning of Scanner darkly

[@keithklassen5320]

@@Watcher4111 Philip K Dick wrote the book itself, and he still was addicted to meth until he died. Understanding does not equal being able to deal.

[@grauster423]

@@keithklassen5320 Well said.

[@mateusbidoiacavallari6423]

I'm sorry for your lost man

[@adambycina1817]

@@mateusbidoiacavallari6423 Thanks. The movie ends the same as the book, with PKD acknowledging all those whom he knew that had been destroyed by drugs, including the author himself. I think the film is extraordinary. It shows how emotional pain and suffering lead us to seek comfort from drugs because our society is unable or unwilling to solve the core issues it has like the automation of our feelings through rapid technological advancement. I remember spending a couple of hours talking about the film with my friend afterwards and we were both pretty blown away by it.

[@Chipiliro613]

_'This isn't your God anymore...although it once was...'_

[@AlexJEdits]

I remember watching this with my Dad in the theaters. We were the only ones there and it made the movie even more captivating. I was very much transported and impressed by this little film. An excellent film with a powerful message.

[@omargonzalez1098]

Let them play again, in some other way, and let them be happy ... So long old friend, I miss you dearly

[@frozenlake1215]

"Let them play again, in some other way, and let them be happy." Heartbreaking.

[@HectorSalamanca-m6m]

This scene is so tragic for me. Every time I see it, I cry. Oh my God, they whole dead!

[@demogog3449]

It is good that he figured out what he was there for.

[@mygoodsir539]

Demo Gog I don’t think he did. He was too fried in the head. He just remembered to bring his girlfriend the little blue flowers.

[@azmanabdula]

@@mygoodsir539 Were they even there

[@justice4all368]

@@mygoodsir539 I think he did realize because when he said I saw death rising from the field he knew it was substance d. Then continued his act when he said a present for my friends.

[@chico8707]

@@justice4all368 i’m pretty sure that’s just the last flicker of what’s left of him showing through due to the fact that the flowers had been implanted as a trigger in his mind

[@vksasdgaming9472]

For one instance detective Robert Arctor resurfaced. He was destroyed, because his pieces would be strong enough to hold knowledge of what he is and what he needs to do. So big and uncertain investment that will not yield great profits IF it works.

[@HoxMouse]

The ending cuts me up every single time without fail.

[@Chipiliro613]

_'You're seeing the flower of the future...'_

[@DonalLour]

7 wasted years with BATFE/FBI OCSD-JTTF & ASIO...This was me without the Sci-Fi elements...If anyone is out there and is currently living this life get out whilst you can. :(

[@scottmcgrath2594]

Donal Lour what?

[@mowglifromthejungle5614]

Donal Lour :-(

[@martymcfly2857]

Let's go brother, it's time to say goodbye.

[@VegasViking420]

@@scottmcgrath2594 undercover cops. nobody knows about it, for obvious reasons, but lots of undercover cops get addicted to drugs on the job, lose their job, get even more fucked up in rehab, and then get kicked out on the street on their ass. And nobody says a word about it because nobody knows because nobody is allowed to know cuz "national security".

[@Andre_Holmes]

Starwars Fan360 - right?? Fuckin horse shit

[@Xenixish]

Those ending credits... Christ, it's too real.

[@fattymcfatso1083]

You'd appreciate William Burroughs' "novel" Junky.

[@folktronic]

Graham your soundtrack to this film is one of my favorite of all time. Such a masterpiece!

[@rikovladimir8655]

One of the saddest endings I've ever seen. Right up there with The Big Short it just makes me so melancholic.

[@springbloom5940]

The correct ending of Blade Runner is devastating. Children of Men is such a fantastic film, but unwatchably depressing.

[@manictiger]

@@springbloom5940 Children of Men had a hopeful ending. I'd say "Nuevo Orden" is far worse, in terms of bleakness. Grave of the Fireflies and Plague Dogs are also tear-jerkers.

[@manictiger]

What I like about this film, is that, all it took was descending strings to get the feels. It's so simple, but effective. You can feel it in your heart.

[@springbloom5940]

@@manictiger You think that was hopeful?

[@manictiger]

@@springbloom5940 The woman and her baby live in the end. Presumably, they might be able to isolate the gene and administer gene-therapy to other women, allowing for more births.

[@TheTeaNinja]

The ending doesn’t spell it out for us like movies these days but he was subconsciously trained to notice the blue flowers. Donna was the mastermind and she’ll definitely get the flower at thanksgiving blowing New Path open.

[@PR-vo8pr]

Amazing score, gives me goosebumps everytime I hear it.

[@ShinjiIkariFTW]

God damn what a powerful character this bad guy in that suit conveys

[@nicholasryan7766]

By far one of the most underrated movies of all time

[@subsamadhi]

Except no. This movie is....OK. it's not that great at all. Calm down

[@BTBAM819]

@@subsamadhi You calm down. This movie is excellent

[@subsamadhi]

@@BTBAM819 no it isnt goofy richard linklater turned this stellar novel into a stoner movie.

[@killboi207]

This was an exceptionally good movie, very underrated.

[@BenHopkins1000]

1:17 Your overconfidence is your weakness...

[@RFEM520]

BenHopkins1000 your faith in your friends is yours.

[@jasontaylor670]

Amazing and sad

[@markdavis1441]

I cant h3lp but cry everytime i watch this movie.

[@jkaygoulet]

As a drug addict who is in recovery & 3 years sober, would i be able to handle reading this novel? Even watching the movie?

[@TheDeliverator]

Read the novel. It won’t be an easy read but it’s very cathartic

[@billytheripper4]

@@TheDeliverator I've seen the movie, in your opinion would the novel still be enjoyable and worth reading? Also is it well written, wouldn't want a slog of a book when I know the gist of it via the movie

[@questtttttttt]

@@billytheripper4 If you like the movie, think of the novel as more content. The novel lets you delve deeper into this world. It's incredibly moving and haunting and brilliantly written. It's a masterpiece. My all time favorite book.

[@billytheripper4]

@@questtttttttt thanks I'll check it out

[@theseus0767]

Its a damn good book, but the last few chapters are really hard to read. Its sad to see what Arctor has become; what he's unwittingly done to himself, and its sad to think of all the others who've been and are going down that same road outside of those pages and in our world.

[@theseus0767]

This novel is soul-crushing. What a dismal and tragic ending; Dick really was a genius.

[@crnocommentary]

This part of the movie was so powerful and striking almost broke me into tears incredible underrated film

[@stevenbeckwith6307]

It seems silly but this kind of thing always gets to me, to anyone out there struggling... I sincerely hope that things improve soon. The list of deceased and the decimated is too damn long.

[@zazenbo]

I miss my friend.

[@russellpaloor8225]

So new path is actually growing the blue flowers under the guise of corn. And who is the old man who just happens to be there and is so sure fred/bob/ bruce is so ignorant to the fact that he sees the flowers and even tells him you've had to much of a good thing already ::smug smile::

[@spikeitfool1]

Doesn't he do a great job embodying human evil in just a few moments? I'll always remember his performance.

[@-Trauma.]

He's in all of Richard Linklaters films

[@Jessymandias]

I had the misfortune to meet Foster Friess when Rick Santorum came to town. He immediately made me think of this guy.

[@generalreign3483]

He always reminded me of Bill Clinton

[@davmpls]

@@generalreign3483 Cuz he was so evil?

[@MoralesAlex805]

I feel like this isn’t the ending but only the beginning. Then the movie repeats. Like a loop.

[@davidedelman4536]

This movie gives me chills.

[@rs72098]

“Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it. All the days of your life. *Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,* and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.”

[@germpore]

"To Phil, permanent pancreatic damage"

[@silversnail1413]

I wonder if all the amphetamines contributed to the stroke that eventually killed him as well. He was only in his fifties when he died. Perhaps the damage was greater than even he knew.

[@BuxtonsWater]

@@silversnail1413 Almost certainly did. He definitely did some serious vascular damage.

[@alecaquino4306]

Truly a tragic and poignant scene.

[@CursedCommentaries]

I cried at the end :(

[@83j049733rfe4]

So, I didn't catch this on my own, before... But there is a poem that was repeatedly quoted by Donna, Audrey to internalize. Some vague thing to remember as significant. Robert, now Bruce, is looking at the very thing he had given so many speeches about, the very plant his whole career and immediate world is revolving around. The news never ceases to report on it, it's gripped society, america is waging wars around the globe over the cultivation, refining, and distributing of this plant and the drug from it that's taken over everything. It's as omnipresent as Bin Laden, ISIS, Trump, Biden, you're never not aware of this. And Bruce is so far from who he used to be, there is nothing left of Robert, no recognition. He doesn't see Substance D in this scene. He sees a Blue Field. It took just the right exchange between him and the Suit, but the words were enough to remember a Poem. He's not collecting evidence. He's picking a flower for his friends. And he may never realize what the act truly means.

[@jbraxton147]

I like to believe that a piece of Bob snapped back into place. He didn't just remember the poem Donna/Audrey told him, I think he also remembered the speeches he gave throughout his career. Maybe he remembered seeing the flower, or hell, remembered Donna on the night where he had his withdrawal. His mind started recovering from the moment he saw the little blue flowers.

[@aestheticbeatz5700]

Dude I'm crying...

[@ayushxettri7070]

The beauty of this scene is he unknowingly doing what the narcs wanted him too he took the flower for his friends

[@GeneralRELee]

the government and powers that be control a vicious circle,,,,,

[@oujimandias6485]

Thank you for doing a very heartfelt soundtrack. PKD would love it, too.

[@patrickm5217]

If anyone else is a fan of the rotoscoped / altered look of this movie you should consider checking out "waking life" and "pleasantville" movies. Pleasantville isnt the best written movie but the black & white / color look is cool

[@brettzforeman]

I'm seeing a lot of comments here that suggest either (1) that Bob is still lucid, and knows what he is doing when he recognizes and takes a blue flower, or (2) that Bob is completely gone and will fail his mission because he no longer remembers why he's in that field or the significance of the blue flowers at his feet. Neither of these two viewpoints are correct. I saw this in theatres when it first came out and many times since, loved it very much and have seen it many times through, and I wanted to clarify this very important plot point. It is not explicitly stated how together Bob is, but it is very heavily implied through subtext and in conversations other characters have about him. To clarify the very straightforward question of whether Bob is still undertaking his mission, the answer is almost certainly that Bob IS still hunting for evidence, but that he no longer knows what he's doing. He is simply following instructions he no longer understands, like a zombie or a trained dog. His agency is gone, but his training runs so deep that it still guides his actions even though he no longer remembers who he is, and his prospect of ever recovering is a hard maybe-partially. Bob is permanently severely damaged, but this is why he has gained access to those fields. They no longer see him as a threat. This was always part of his handlers' plan, which is why they have been monitoring his continuing brain damage while training him to remember simple instructions like "bring your girlfriend some blue flowers, she will like that." This is foreshadowed much earlier on, in the infamous "Scanner Darkly," monologue, when he mourns that he can no longer see inside his own mind or heart, and hopes that the machines surveilling him can understand his humanity better than he can anymore. Bob's mind is so fried by hard drugs and prolonged deep cover that he no longer remembers his mission in conscious terms. When his handler/girlfriend expresses her guilt at what they've done to his brain, they also discuss how this was always going to be necessary, and that he could only infiltrate their facilities after being damaged beyond recognition. Bob was never a failure in his intended role. Rather, his corruption and degradation were a necessary and planned aspect of his team's designs. Finally, the closing memoriams by Philip K. Dick refer to his dead and brain-damaged friends, by their real-life names, as casualties in a senseless and unjustified war, who experienced harm and punishment far exceeding what anybody deserved for what they had done wrong. This metaphor and its timing are not accidental. The character of Bob Arctor is the character most like a younger PKD, and he will most likely never fully recover from his profound damage from drug use. Bob is still alive, and for the immediate term reasonably physically healthy, but he will never be what he was again. However, his mission continues: He no longer remembers Bob Arctor, or New Path, or the drug D, or his investigation, but he DOES remember that he should bring his girlfriend some blue flowers like the ones he saw under his feet. He mostly only does what he is told, but he had enough presence of mind to keep some blue flowers when he saw them. His handlers laugh at him, and tell him to get back to work. It is not suggested that they are at all suspicious of him. To me, this heavily foreshadows that Bob's mission will succeed. He will be allowed visitors for Thanksgiving, and they will probably be saddened to see his pathetic state, wondering if he's still in there. When all hope feels lost, he will hand them a blue flower he plucked - a flower whose source and origin are not known. Given his infirm state, and his long-term confinement in the New Path facility, this will make it obvious that the acquired this plant where it was growing inside the facility during his confinement. He won't be a suitable witness, other than to demonstrate his shattered mental state, but the chain of custody will still be good, since an undercover agent, however damaged, went into a New Path facility and gave a harvested D plant to his team when visited. This will provide evidence and probable cause that will, hopefully, bring the hammer down on New Path. Best case scenario, Bob may be able to retire on disability and regain some shaky acquaintance with reality if he gets badly needed, well-intentioned medical help. Worst case scenario, perhaps he spends his last days in a sanitarium. Either way, Bob's destruction is not fruitless and his story is ultimately hopeful, albeit in an incredibly bleak and dystopian environment. Bob won't ever recover from what's been done to him, but his work will incriminate New Path, and create some opportunity for justice for all the people they've killed and destroyed.

[@HELL_Media]

Such an important movie

[@marisolgreen]

Amazing scene I watched the first part brilliant. X

[@RedDuke777]

Notice in the list “To Phil: Permanent pancreatic damage.” The author, Philip K. Dick, included himself in the list. Instant shivers down the spine.

[@ahabduennschitz7670]

This Movie is something else when you're actually tripping on acid while watching 🥳🤯

[@jflores85]

This reminded me of the rumors of the poppy fields in Iraq

[@lordhung7013]

Beautiful.

[@Premiumjack_]

I always wished this movie ended on a good note, but this ending is just so sad and realistic, that’s what makes it so good. But that’s life you know

[@jayfisher3359]

It ended on a hopeful note.

[@dormin2749]

The memo is so damn powerful...specially when you know PKD biography

[@starwarsroo2448]

I watched this when it came out and was excited as obviously its PKD and Keanu was smashing sci fi, the result isn't as big or conceptual as other outings but becomes very profound in its belief and this ending, particularly when you see the name's of PKD's friends is very sad

[@drunkweebmarine3728]

My friend died from too much of a good thing. Heroin was out god and I lived thanks to him

[@Watcher4111]

Guess your friend thought drugs are cool and nothing wrong will happen. Thank god he only killed himself not other innocent person. My uncle was drug user and he killed his wife while on drugs.

[@olsonbryce777]

@@Watcher4111 ok

[@latenightlogic]

Cue Black Swan. I like this ending… it hints through the bleakness that what they were trying to do will possibly bring down New Path.

[@kevinlevin5088]

it’s when the names start showing up is when it gets me.

[@johndough7160]

man, this is so cool.

[@stefanmovieflixtomasi]

Such a sad ending to a science fiction dark comedy

[@renangoncalves8760]

Absolut cinema

[@Curien247]

Tragically hopeful.

[@CarlosGarcia-x9f]

sometimes there is nothing to bring back

[@tangerinesarebetterthanora7060]

This is Keanu Reeves best performance

[@joosiekawk]

One of many

[@clubdredd1337]

THIS SCENE CHANGED EVERYTHING FOR ME! IN RETROSPECT THIS IS REAL! WHY WE ARE OVERSEAS! HOW THE BIG PHARMA AFLOAT!!

[@michellegiampaoli40]

This is a sad story of Bruce and his mind.

[@aldosanchez3300]

Did not expect this ending

[@johnnyscifi]

I thought rehab was legit going to be like this. That's how afraid of it I was...

[@fattymcfatso1083]

How is this NOT like rehab, friend?

[@BuxtonsWater]

@@fattymcfatso1083 This is a lot worse than rehab, rehab you at least are not forced into working to produce more drugs, nor are you left to have endless seizures while you withdraw. We don't live in the 1970's like PKD did, drug addiction services and rehab facilities are *singnificantly* better than they were back then. X-Kalay (the rehab PKD based New Path on was shut down for being a cult) so it shouldn't be used as a measure for other rehabs.

[@aRYANz88]

You do the bad brain you get the bad thing.

[@pauloffer5652]

This is not a conspiracy, its actually true.

[@dusty203]

this happened in real life?

[@user-nl4ir7cx5r]

@@dusty203 Happens in real life yea. There’s a system to get people to end up tending to the very drug production used to ruin their minds. It shows up in many places, the pharmaceutical companies have near total control of society. You might be under their spell right now.

[@freedom_rock18]

Now I have to go back too work….

[@brightoneasterling9304]

dont... dont watch this on shrooms

[@freedom_rock18]

Watch it on acid instead x)

[@subsamadhi]

Yeah why waste a good shroom trip on a mediocre movie

[@newguy3588]

@ the flowers disappear, never saw that before. The closer you get to them, they then reappear. Insight on how damaging things really are when you look closer? Donno, just tossing it out for discussion.

[@BuxtonsWater]

It's his damaged brain and eye that gets mentioned by Barris, he has trouble identifying things that aren't seen by both of his eyes due to his split brain, and his fucked up eyes make it hard to see objects clearly until he's very close.

[@newguy3588]

@@BuxtonsWater Neat, thanks for the info.

[@timbrickner8129]

There is hope though a present for his friends. Proof they are growing the blue flower cause deep down he is still conducting an investigation

[@nox5870]

0:43 I always wondered who this guy was? But I always got a sinister vibe from him. I also never read the book maybe if I do I will get more answers. Unless I missed something while watching the movie.

[@fattymcfatso1083]

"Not for you . . . You've had too much of a good thing already . . . This isn't your god anymore, although it once was." Life after addiction . . . It's a life - but not as good as the one before. Disagree, if you like . .but you won't be right.

[@gabegonzalez7539]

somebody commented if the flowers where even there and now i cant fucking sleep.

[@krtlkid]

th3y are there