Altered Skin (2018)

1
Mr. Rahim, it would appear that all
these people have been... abandoned.
First of all,
not a single day goes by
without the Mayor personally
asking me about Orangi Town.
I just got off the phone
with him.
Because of the Mayor
and Special Committee,
this isn't a citywide epidemic.
We do understand.
Mr. Craig Evans, his wife,
the most high profile survivor
of the first wave.
How would you describe your
wife's condition at this point?
She's stable,
she's out of intensive care.
Signs are positive,
and the doctors...
We are confident that
she's going to get better.
Well, I'm guessing
that the patch is no longer working
- at this stage in the disease.
- No.
She's been put into
an induced coma
in order to limit
her brain activity
to try to stop the virus
from spreading.
She's holding steady, Craig.
We're on track.
Her vitals are strong.
Scans are clear.
When we cut back on the drugs,
we see the difference.
She's fighting it, Craig.
We're still trying
to wrap this up,
but doesn't look like they
want to budge from that number.
They've got so much tied up
in that turbine deal.
We're sending Jenson over to the
UAE office to meet with them again.
Okay, keep me in the loop.
When did you
start drinking local?
Since my guy jacked up the prices.
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
Holy shit!
Hey, do you mind looking
at that?
- I think the connection's got cacked out or something.
- Sure.
What's this?
Wind energy.
It's the wave
of the future apparently.
Saw you on TV today.
Pretty good.
You know, if you could ever fix a
problem by denying it ever existed,
this place would be
a fucking utopia.
Craig.
What are you trying to say?
You know I can't
leave this place.
You know how much
my work means to me.
Maybe this place wouldn't
be such a hell hole
if you stop treating it like it
was some sort of endurance test.
This guy, Farhan...
uh, she would borrow his bike to drive
around in the parking lot sometimes.
So one day she decides she wants to
take it out in the city for a cruise.
I said, "There's no way
Farhan's letting you do that."
"There's no way he's
going to know," she says.
Goes around the first corner
and bang, straight into a car.
And not just any car.
It was a lab instructor.
Luckily, though,
no one got hurt.
But her father had to come in
and calm the whole situation down
and get her out
of some deep shit.
I feel like every day
I got to...
find a way to keep
her alive in my mind.
Seeing her...
lying in that bed...
a part of me...
wants to...
forget this place in
my life ever existed.
The cold reality, Vikas.
These are slums with people
living on daily wages.
I've been to this places...
So you just got out of the car?
Yeah.
How close did he come
to taking your head off?
Well, he got a piece.
That's his blood on your shirt.
You're very lucky, though.
The test came back clean.
Hello.
Am I
speaking to Mr. Craig Evans?
Who is this?
My name is Amina.
I'm the one who left
those papers.
Yeah. Are you sure
those are for me?
Yes, Mr. Evans.
Why? What is this about?
I need to see you
as soon as possible.
It's about the MN-2.
I apologize you having to come
all this way, Mr. Evans.
My husband's name
is Shehzad Ameen.
He's a reporter for Saiyaara.
Yes, I've seen him...
on television.
Three days ago he disappeared.
Shehzad thought he had found
something important.
Proof.
- Proof of what?
- I'm not sure.
Something about the patch,
the disease.
He's been warned
to keep his eyes closed.
Let this pass.
But there was no
talking sense into him.
Mrs. Ameen, why did you
send me those papers?
You have to help me.
My husband's life is in danger.
This story is tragic but...
This is no story, this is real!
This a matter for the police.
You're talking about kidnapping
and who knows what else.
You're American.
You can do anything you want.
I saw you on TV, and I said,
"This is the only man
who can help me."
You can talk to someone
in your country.
- Get to the bottom of all this...
- No!
The police won't help me.
Craig.
Craig.
He would go there to work sometimes.
This is the key.
Hello.
Uh, hello.
Craig.
I'm a friend of Shehzad's,
a friend of the family.
I, uh... They gave me the key.
I live across the hall.
Sometimes I would walk in
and it seemed like
he had done nothing
but smoke all night.
Other times...
I'd hear voices
from behind the door.
Loud voices.
Arguments.
That night
that he disappeared...
He wouldn't sit for a minute.
Kept walking around here.
Back and forth, back and forth.
Did he mention that he
was going to meet someone?
Maybe a name.
No.
But he did use my cell phone.
He said
he didn't want to use his.
May I see it?
- Hello.
- My name is Craig Evans.
I'm a friend of Shehzad Ameen.
Now, how is that possible?
I'm gonna wait
for the perfect moment.
I'm gonna look him in the eye...
and I'm gonna tell him
I'm gonna marry his daughter.
How's work?
It's fine.
Hmm.
Garden's looking nice.
Hmm, thank you.
I wanna try to get her back.
What?
I wanna get her back
to the States.
Why?
I'll have her looked
at by another doctor.
Do more tests.
Get a second opinion.
Third.
Doctors here aren't white,
but that doesn't mean
they're no good.
Rias is our top man.
There's no one more qualified
than him to take care of her.
Maybe there's something
we're missing.
It's not convenient for you
to be here
with your work and travel.
But I don't see what that has
to do with my daughter.
What if we're getting locked
into something
without knowing
all the possibilities first?
What possibilities?
You think I haven't explored
all of them?
You think that I would
just leave her
in some hospital hoping
for the best?
If there is a chance,
if there is a fraction of a chance...
No one can give her the care and
attention she's getting here.
She's not going anywhere...
in case I wasn't clear.
Hello.
Who is this?
I've been trying to reach you.
How do you know Shehzad?
Who am I speaking to?
Shehzad, how do you know him?
Where did you get these papers?
I'm a friend.
His wife gave them to me.
You know where Shehzad is?
No.
Did you give him these papers?
I, I, I can't talk to you
on this phone.
Then where?
I was working at Ingenec
at that time.
I can't remember
who recommended him.
I remember
somebody that knew me,
called me up and...
wanted me to meet this guy
who was doing the story
on pharmaceuticals...
for some news channel.
He really knew
how to make somebody feel
like a piece of shit.
He had a real gift for it.
Farooq.
Don't you see
what's going on here?
Do the right thing.
The night he disappeared...
he talked to you, right?
Yeah, he called.
He knew they were on to him.
He knew he was over,
he had nowhere to go.
And do you know
what happened to him?
No.
But I can guess.
This is about the drug tests,
the clinical trials.
That's all in the early days.
That's irrelevant.
That's just the tip of the iceberg.
Shehzad had found out that...
that they had found the cure.
Please.
Hmm.
You're going to need a lot
more evidence
for a story like this.
Some time ago,
he came up with a story.
A corrupt government official,
very high ranking,
accepting a bribe in some
highway construction scandal.
It was a spicy story.
Made a big splash.
Put him on the map.
Except for one thing.
He made it all up.
You see, around here, everyone,
from the ministers
to the tea boy think that they
understand the root
of this country's problems.
Shit doesn't just happen
around here.
Everything is part of some
masterplan.
And Shehzad...
He just gives the viewers
what they want.
There is no conspiracy.
No cure.
And this sort of talk is...
dangerous.
Mr. Evans, Mr. Evans.
I'm Mariam.
I work on Waqas's show.
I'm the one who gave
Amina your contact information.
Those rigged trials...
that is what this is about,
right?
Did you find anything,
anything more?
You want Shehzad's story.
I'm just trying to help.
In exchange for whatever
I can find out.
I saw Shehzad.
Sultan, the head guy
from Ingenec was there.
Excuse me, excuse me.
I did catch this one name.
Jarvis.
Shehzad Ameen's body was found
in the early hours
of the morning.
Tests have confirmed the traces
of the virus in Amin's blood.
And the police have stated
there is little doubt
that Amin was also a victim
of such an attack.
The time of death
has been put at
approximately,
1:00 a.m. last night.
Sir, just one minute.
Sir, just one minute.
And I have every reason
to believe
that their results were accurate.
Thank you.
I have nothing to add.
I have nothing more to add.
Now get the hell out of here.
Damn it.
Sir, please, sir.
Just two minutes.
The hell.
Hello.
Craig.
Farooq?
Something's come up.
About Shehzad,
about this whole mess.
Come to my place right now.
I don't understand
what you're saying.
Can you help me?
Can you help me get out of here?
Please?
Rehan!
Good.
Hello?
- Fahad.
- Craig.
Holy shit,
where the hell are you?
I'm fine, I'm safe. Listen.
I need you to go to my place,
grab some of my things, then, come meet me
by the beach,
behind the train tracks.
Get me some clothes, too.
Done.
Fucking rat!
You'll never be like them.
You'll always be a sewer rat.
To be used and thrown away.
Ingenec is running a program
called Jarvis.
Uh-huh.
Would you mind telling me
what the hell's going on?
Here, here. You see this?
Right here. Look.
Jarvis is the code name
for the MN-2 research program.
It's where they
developed the patch
and the cure.
The what?
Did you just say "cure"?
I could save her.
Charming. Who lives here, man?
Oh. Okay.
Okay. Come on. Let's go.
Mariam, where are you right now?
This is off the record. Yes.
But let's start being
honest with each other.
So, when was this?
About four years ago.
There had been some cases
outside the city.
Some in the northern areas.
People dismissed it.
As if it was a hoax.
An aberration.
No one was keeping track...
until it exploded.
They finally hit upon
a formula where...
it would control the symptoms
for short periods of time.
The violence...
bursts of aggression.
I had already submitted
an internal report
which detailed the progress.
It was all very satisfactory.
But they did tell you
to stop, didn't they?
Not in those words, but yes.
I found out...
that the drug
would be held back.
For how long?
I don't know.
Maybe forever.
The cure was destroyed.
What do we do now?
I don't know.
I could have made that for you.
It's all right.
I've already made it.
Are you hungry?
You hardly ate
anything at dinner.
Just wanted some tea.
With more than
13,000 now dead in Pakistan
and cases emerging globally,
the price of Sedare
is sky-rocketing.
Ingenec's stock prices have risen
faster than any company in history
along with rumors swirling
of a massive U.S. takeover.
Mr. Sultan, the company is making
hundreds of millions in profit daily.
Is this not unethical?
We have doubled
the efforts to find a cure,
a permanent solution.
We're also doing our best to deal
with the high demand of Sedare.
Our factories are running
day and night.
Good night, dear.
I'll be up soon.
Neutral brain activity
was her only defense.
It's adapting to the treatment,
becoming active again.
We will lose her
in two or three weeks.
Her mother died of cancer.
I know.
The chemo stripped everything.
Her left side, you know, here...
they had to cut away.
Insiya, she would clean her...
feed her...
talk to her.
One day,
she said she's made up her mind.
She's going to be a doctor.
Everything that I built...
was for them.
Yet in the end...
I could save neither.
Time to leave it for Imtiaz.
Hello?
My name is Imtiaz.
You've been looking for me.
What is this place?
Our latest research facility.
A payoff for my loyalty.
It wasn't supposed
to get to this.
This virus...
it has these...
amazing properties.
Research that could lead
to unbelievable breakthroughs.
And they told me
I could do whatever I wanted.
All I had to do was
keep my mouth shut...
and my eyes closed.
Let a few people die.
The hubris of an old man...
I gave in...
for a chance at a legacy.
What about this cure?
Mmm.
Nasir.
Here.
All these specimens are
beyond phase three.
Kept alive so we can...
study the mutations.
Human Petri dishes.
This is it.
Yes.
This was the only batch
I could save.
Take it.
This way.
Go for God's sake.
Otherwise, we both die.
He's dead!
No!
Get him, dog.
- Hey, where are you?
- I'm at the hospital.
How's the arm?
I'll live. Listen, is everything
in place for tonight?
Uh, yes.
What?
Is this how you want to do it?
Do I have to walk you
through this again?
Okay, never mind.
Everything's good. Don't worry.
Wait for my word.
I think you should
go away for a while.
Stay with somebody.
Preferably, out of town.
I'm not going anywhere,
Mr. Evans.
This is my house,
my family home.
He died fighting
for what was right.
He just ran out of time.
And I saw him finally become
the man he wanted to be.
That's the gift he left for me.
For Sara.
Somebody help me!
Somebody help!
It's okay, come on.
Okay, okay, okay.
My lawyer will answer, okay?
And staying with our main story,
the follow continues at Ingenec.
In a secretly recorded interview,
the company's top scientist alleges.
Ingenec kept the MN-2 cure
off the market
in an effort to maximize sales
of the patch.
This comes just days after
the company was sold
to an American
pharmaceutical group.
There is now speculation that
this was somehow part of the deal.
If the drug was held back at
the behest of the new owners...
Meanwhile,
experts warn the drug still needs
to go through rigorous tests.
There's no evidence yet
that this is a complete cure.
The virus is highly resistant and
come back after a period of dormancy.
The World Health Organization
has advised extre...