Hunger, The (1983)

No ice.
Stop it!
I don't know what's got into him.
He's gone crazy.
Oh, my God.
Forever.
What?
Forever and ever.
Big Macs.
HeIIo.
He's manic. That's what's so strange.
After all these hours...
there's no faIIoff in activity,
no drop in his bIood pressure.
- Okay, so what went wrong?
- His temperature's stiII way up.
- PhyI?
- Night before Iast, he didn't sIeep a wink.
He hasn't slept now for 50-some hours.
Fifty-six.
All day yesterday, he got uglier and uglier.
Last night, he turned on Betty.
- He Ioved Betty.
- You thought he Ioved Betty.
He tore her apart and then he ate her.
Okay, Iet's get
the oId video equipment in here.
I want to record every move he makes.
I couId kiII him. I couId, reaIIy.
CarefuI, PhyI. That's a $2,000 monkey
you're taIking about.
Don't you snarI at me,
you eviI son of a bitch.
Forever and ever.
These children are all
though they have
the physical characteristics...
of someone in their 70s or even older.
They all suffer from
a disease called progeria.
We don't know exactly what it is,
but what it amounts to...
is a premature degeneration
comparable to that of aging.
What we call the internal clock...
begins to speed up
at about the age of five.
lt's a terminal disease.
The average life expectancy is about 16.
- Tragic.
- Yes, it is...
and the main focus of our work
at Park West...
is to try to reverse this process
and actually slow down this internal clock.
l won't use
that magic word ''immortality''...
but longevity is something
that's got to be...
SIeep weII?
ln this day and age
with all our fantastic technology...
Come here. Sit here.
...if only l'd been born 50 years later...
Gotcha. You Iook awfuI.
- What have you been doing?
- None of your business.
We have a woman
who's well into her 90s...
she only sleeps
about two or three hours a night...
and believe me, she has far more
energy and enthusiasm than any of us.
That's fantastic. What's her secret?
When l find out the answer to that...
l certainly hope you'll invite me back.
My guest is Dr. Sarah Roberts.
And the book is called
SIeep and Longevity.
lt's about mankind's flirtation
with immortality.
Say saIami.
- What?
- Say it.
SaIami.
That's what aII
big-time photographers say.
Beats ''cheese.''
My dad got it for me in Hong Kong.
Neat, huh?
Forgive me.
- Poor darIing.
- What's wrong with him?
He'II be aII right.
He's having troubIe sIeeping.
You want some Iudes?
I've got some in my case.
- What?
- QuaaIudes.
- AIice.
- I stoIe them from my stepmother.
She doesn't care.
She gets them by the gross.
She's got every piII ever invented.
She coIIects them.
Poor woman.
That's what my dad says.
He says she's scared of getting oId.
Thank you.
I'm sorry, what did you say?
Nothing, but I wouId Iike to taIk to you.
AII right. Yes, I'd Iike that.
Excuse me. Make it to LiIIybeIIe.
- The research center, pIease.
- Dr. Humphries, 11th fIoor.
What exactly is your position here?
l'm a blood analyst.
And have you found there is a relationship
between blood type and aging?
We're looking at it.
We're looking at everything.
That's why we're here.
But my suspicion would be
what kind of blood you have...
affects how much you sleep, how deeply...
and how you sleep affects how you age.
Excuse me.
- Excuse me. Dr. Humphries.
- Straight ahead.
- We can guess...
- No, thank you.
...hypothesize that...
certain bIood disorders
and tissue deficiencies...
resuIt in a rapid degeneration...
simiIar to the symptoms
of acceIerated aging.
We've even had resuIts here with monkeys
in speeding up the cIock...
but we are a Iong way
from turning it back.
We can't quite promise you
everIasting Iife.
- You aII right?
- My hair comes out in my hand. Look.
I've been reading this book.
Why are these books
aIways so badIy written, I wonder?
I've been there.
They know nothing. They're guessing.
How Iong is it going to take?
How Iong did the others take?
- I don't know.
- You must remember, Miriam.
I know it's a Iong time...
but it's not the kind of thing
that you forget.
- LoIIia, how Iong did she take?
- A week.
A few days. I don't remember.
- She couIdn't sIeep?
- No. She fed, but she couIdn't sIeep.
And the one before that?
The same. AIways the same.
I prayed I'd never Iose you.
I know what's happening to you.
I Iive with your suffering again and again.
I had hoped that this time was just,
somehow, some miracIe.
I've never stopped hoping that.
Come here.
And who's next?
Have you thought about that?
Who's to keep you company
when I'm gone?
I'm sure you have thought about that.
Who's it to be? AIice?
- Stop it.
- Look at me.
Look at me!
What am I going to do?
- Barbara.
- Yes?
Listen, I'm going to the boardroom
to see the finance committee.
If anyone caIIs, don't put them through...
- unIess it's an emergency, okay?
- Okay.
- Don't be aIarmed.
- How did you get in here?
It's John BIayIock.
This is a restricted area.
You're not aIIowed in here.
I've been reading your book.
I won't Iie, I've not read it aII.
I'm just on my way out.
It says somewhere that age is a disease,
a disease that can be cured.
- Yes.
- Do you seriousIy beIieve that?
- I think it's possibIe but, Mr...
- BIayIock.
Yes. I'm very Iate right now
for a meeting on another fIoor.
Look at me. Look at my hands.
How oId am I?
- They're waiting.
- How oId?
- I don't know.
- These are Iiver spots, aren't they?
- They Iook Iike it, yes.
- I didn't have them yesterday.
Yesterday, I was 30 years oId.
- That's remarkabIe.
- I'm a young man.
Do you understand? I'm a young man.
Yes. AII right. I want you to wait for me...
and I'II be back in 15 minutes,
and then we'II do some tests, okay?
Why don't you have a seat, Mr. BIayIock,
and I'II be with you as soon as I can.
Fifteen minutes.
I'II try.
You must think that I'm quite crazy.
- I reaIIy... I have to go.
- Of course.
Hi, Fred. This is Dr. Roberts.
Hi. Listen, I just had another nut
wander into my office.
Yeah, I'm fine.
I Ieft him in the patients' Iounge on 8.
Great, thank you. Fred?
Look, don't break his Iegs
or anything, okay? He's quite harmIess.
Just Iet him sit there for a whiIe,
and he'II probabIy get tired and Ieave.
Thanks.
Mr. RosenfeId? Hi, how are you?
You're Iooking fine.
Excuse me. Sir?
Excuse me, sir.
Sir, smoking is not permitted.
The effective age at this point.; 55.
- And what's that in human terms?
- EquivaIent to around 92.
Right here, he's in his 70th hour.
That's where the first
degenerative changes were visibIe.
Decay starts acceIerating here.
He's aging at a rate
of approximateIy five years per minute.
Jesus Christ.
What was the resuIt
of that test then, CharIie?
His bIood ceIIs graduaIIy Iost their abiIity
to obtain oxygen.
The effective age now: 85.
Human equivalent.; 129.
And Iife signs terminate right...
here.
Now watch this.
Sir? Excuse me, sir.
WouId you Iike a cup of coffee?
It is your job. Just show them the tapes.
You think so?
I think MandeIstam
wiII have a heart attack.
Tom, these tapes are worth a fortune.
I mean, we have made history here.
We have actuaIIy shown
that there is a cIock.
We have actuaIIy shown
that it can be tampered with.
Okay, so I don't understand
exactIy how it works...
but I'm going to find out, if it kiIIs me.
We're taIking about
the secret of Iife and death here.
That's good. They'II Iike that.
MandeIstam wiII Iike that.
- He's an idiot.
- No. You're wrong, darIing.
Nobody with $50,000 to give away
is an idiot.
We have got to get our funding.
We're so cIose.
- I'II show him the tapes.
- Thanks.
It wasn't as much as we hoped we'd get...
- but it'II get us through next year.
- Good oId Tom.
- He was great--
- Dr. Roberts.
Yeah.
- You Iet me down.
- Beg your pardon?
You didn't beIieve me.
You made me sit here for over two hours.
- Mr. BIayIock?
- You had your meeting to go to.
Fifteen minutes, you said. You Iied.
Just thought I was some
ridicuIous oId crank.
- Mr. BIayIock, wait, pIease.
- Wait? I can't wait.
I'm urgentIy required eIsewhere.
Mr. BIayIock, pIease come into my office--
Why don't you take a seat
in the patients' Iounge?
Mr. BIayIock, pIease wait.
You can't Ieave.
You stupid oId fuck!
Fuck! You fucking cut me!
You cut me!
- Yes?
- Hi.
- What do you want?
- Is Miriam here? Mrs. BIayIock.
There's nobody here.
My name is AIice Cavender.
I Iive across the street.
I do music with the BIayIocks
every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
- It's Tuesday.
- l know.
l just wanted to tell Miriam
l can't come tomorrow. Mrs. Blaylock.
On account of some dumb Iecture
I got suckered into at schooI.
She's not here.
l told you, there's nobody here.
Maybe I couId Ieave a note.
I'II Ieave it on the piano, okay?
I've got some music she wants back.
Are you a friend of theirs?
You're the first friend of theirs I ever met.
They don't entertain a great deaI.
Wait a minute.
You're not John's father, are you?
What?
- Mr. BIayIock, John's father.
- No.
No, I'm just a friend. Why?
You've got the same eyes.
Strange. I've never noticed.
I've known him aII these years.
ReaIIy?
ReaIIy.
- PIay something.
- Now?
Yes. Miriam teIIs me
you have great promise.
Miriam said that?
I used to pIay a IittIe myseIf
when I was a young man.
- WeII, if you reaIIy want me to.
- PIease.
I've got this LaIo trio I've been working on.
ProbabIy going to make a fooI of myseIf,
but you asked for it.
- C minor.
- That's right.
- A IittIe saccharine.
- That's what John says.
You know, John speaks before he thinks.
Is that what he does?
I can't figure him out.
I've been coming here
for a year practicaIIy.
Miriam's fantastic.
She's my best friend, but John--
You don't Iike John?
I didn't say that. I Iove him.
I Iove them both.
He's just hard to figure out, that's aII.
PIease pIay the LaIo for me...
even if it is a IittIe saccharine.
- Are you sure you're not John's father?
- Quite sure.
Forgive me.
I got caught in the rain.
You said forever.
Never-ending. Do you remember?
Every day.
Forever, you said.
Forever and ever.
Never growing oId.
Do you remember?
Stop it.
Forever young.
Stop it.
A kiss.
Kiss me.
Think of me as I was.
Kiss me Iike that.
Miriam.
I can't.
Give me a IittIe Ionger.
I can't.
Then kiII me.
ReIease me.
I can't.
What have you done?
KiII me.
I can't.
KiII me, Miriam.
ReIease me.
You don't understand.
PIease, Miriam.
There is no reIease, my darIing.
No rest.
No Ietting go.
Humankind die one way, we another.
Their end is finaI. Ours is not.
In the earth, in the rotting wood...
in the eternaI darkness...
we wiII see...
and hear and feeI.
LoIIia...
this is John.
Comfort him.
AII of you, aII my Ioves...
be kind to him tonight.
Who is it?
- Mrs. Blaylock?
- Yes?
l had to go to great lengths
to get your number.
- l've been trying you all day.
- Yes?
My name is Roberts. l'm a doctor.
l'm from the Park West Medical Center.
I know.
HeIIo.
Mr. BIayIock came to see me
at the hospitaI yesterday...
and I'm afraid
we had a terribIe misunderstanding.
My husband is not here.
When wiII he be back?
- He's gone to SwitzerIand.
- SwitzerIand?
Look, Mrs. BIayIock...
I'm sure your husband's furious with me
and I don't bIame him, reaIIy.
To be honest with you,
I didn't beIieve him yesterday.
I mean, we get so many cranks
at the hospitaI, you know.
Anyway, I feeI terribIe about it.
I'm very sorry,
and I'd Iike the chance to taIk to him...
and see if there's something
that I couIdn't do.
Maybe in a day or two
when I know a IittIe more...
when we know each other better.
Sure. I guess this probabIy
isn't a very good time for you, either.
I'm going to give you my home phone
and my office number.
Very weII.
If you need anything, pIease caII me.
And I'd appreciate it...
if you couId keep me posted
on what's going on.
Thank you.
- Good morning.
- Good morning.
Mrs. BIayIock,
I'm inquiring about AIice Cavender.
Yes?
Lt. AIIegrezza.
I don't usuaIIy get a smiIe on that.
- You shouId. It means ''good cheer.''
- That's right.
AIice Cavender
didn't come home Iast night...
and she didn't show up at schooI today.
You don't have any idea where
she might be, do you, Mrs. BIayIock?
No, I'm afraid not.
She didn't say anything
about any probIems at home...
or with any boyfriends
or anything Iike that, did she?
No.
Like I say, nine times out of ten...
there's nothing to worry about
with things Iike this.
But if you or Mr. BIayIock
shouId think of anything...
you might give me a caII.
Of course.
- New York isn't exactIy heaven, is it?
- No.
Not exactIy.
Except on a day Iike today,
in a spot Iike this.
BeautifuI.
Are you getting the phone?
- Was that the phone?
- Nope.
Yeah? HeIIo?
It didn't ring.
- Are you sure?
- Yeah, I'm sure.
Barbara, did you just buzz me?
Okay. No, everything's aII right.
- No, reaIIy. It didn't ring.
- I couId have sworn I heard it.
I don't mean to intrude
but I didn't hear from you...
I was wondering
if you'd heard from your husband...
and how he was doing.
I don't know why I'm here.
Come in.
I don't know how much he toId you
about himseIf, about us.
Very IittIe.
That is perhaps for the best.
- Sherry?
- No, thank you. I reaIIy don't Iike sherry.
I think you'II Iike this one.
This is reaI, isn't it?
Yes. It's 2,000 years oId.
You've got so many beautifuI things.
Most of it comes from my famiIy.
I Iove this piece.
It's one of my favorites, too.
She Iooks Iike you.
ReaIIy?
I mean, you know...
kind of Iike you.
Hair's the same.
It's FIorentine, 500 years oId.
l'm sure we could talk for hours, you and l,
but l suppose you're very busy.
No, not too busy. What about you?
Me? You wouId think me mostIy idIe,
I'm afraid.
My time is my own.
That's great.
PIenty of time for your friends...
and Iots of Iunches and dinners...
and cocktaiI parties
at the Museum of Modern Art?
How do you spend your time?
Are you IoneIy?
I mean, especiaIIy now
that your husband's away?
No.
I Iike your pendant.
It's Egyptian.
You know it was the symboI
of everIasting Iife?
What's that piece you're pIaying?
It's Lakm by DeIibes.
Lakm is a Brahmin princess in India.
- She has a sIave named MaIIika.
- MaIIika.
In a magicaI garden, they sing
how they foIIow the stream to its source...
gIiding over the water.
Is it a Iove song?
I toId you, it was sung by two women.
- Sounds Iike a Iove song.
- Then I suppose that's what it is.
Are you making a pass at me,
Mrs. BIayIock?
Miriam.
Not that I'm aware of, Sarah.
Oh, no.
Here.
You ordered it rare.
- I know.
- So what's the probIem?
Nothing.
And you sent back the cIams.
I'm just not very hungry.
Then why order it if you're not hungry?
Why order the steak at aII?
I thought I wanted it.
- What's that?
- What?
The chain around your neck.
It's an ankh. It's Egyptian.
Miriam gave it to me.
Mrs. BIayIock.
The woman that I went to see
this afternoon.
You just met her
and she gives you a present?
She's that kind of a woman.
She's European.
Did you have something
you wanted to teII me?
No. About what?
About what the heII is wrong with you.
I mean, what happened today?
- Nothing happened today. We just taIked.
- For three-and-a-haIf hours, you taIked?
You know how peopIe are.
They Iike to taIk to doctors.
We had some sherry
in these fancy IittIe gIasses...
and we taIked.
- You hate sherry.
- I know.
- It gives you a headache.
- I know.
So what did you taIk about?
I mean, the weather, the fashions?
Seems Iike three-and-a-haIf hours
is a heII of a Iong time...
to have a conversation with a stranger.
Now you're teIIing me how Iong
my conversations are supposed to be?
- I'm asking a question.
- WouId you Iower your voice?
- What's wrong with you?
- What the heII is wrong with you?
I toId you, this woman's husband
is rotting away...
in some Swiss cIinic somewhere.
She's IoneIy and
she doesn't have a friend in the worId.
You know what I think?
I mean, do you want to know what I think?
I'm sure you're going to teII me anyway.
I think you shouId see a doctor.
I am a doctor.
And so am I.
AII right. You got to take it easy.
She's ravenous and she can't eat.
So, CharIie, what is it?
It's as if two entireIy different strains
of bIood were not onIy present...
but fighting it out for dominance.
I need a cigarette.
The foreign strain,
were you abIe to isoIate it?
- It's on another sIide.
- And?
The spooky part is...
it isn't human bIood.
It's not human.
It's stronger bIood than ours.
Very simiIar but more disease-resistant.
- What species?
- I have no idea.
How the heII did it get in Sarah's veins?
- Beats me.
- Now, wait a minute!
- Tom, caIm down.
- CaIm down. Just Iet me...
ExpIain this to me.
You're teIIing us that Sarah has
some weird bIood fouIing up her veins?
- Some inhuman bIood?
- RoII up your sIeeve.
- What?
- RoII up your sIeeve.
- What's that?
- I don't know.
How Iong have you had that?
I don't know.
- You have no idea where you got that?
- None. Look...
CharIie, you said that...
there's a fight between the two strains
for dominance.
Right.
Who's winning, CharIie?
At this moment, my coIIeagues think
that I'm in the office...
of a Ieading bIood speciaIist,
but I decided instead to come here.
- Yes.
- Don't you touch me.
- Sarah?
- What have you done to me?
There's some aIien strain
consuming my bIood.
- That's right.
- I know that's right.
What I want to know is, what is it?
Why have you done it?
You're frightened.
You're damn right I'm frightened.
It's naturaI.
You don't know what's happening to you.
But there's nothing to be frightened of
as Iong as you put your faith in me...
give me time, trust me.
Trust you?
I did trust you, and Iook what happened.
It's a bruise. It wiII fade.
I know it's a bruise.
Look, I'm gonna ask you one more time.
What have you done to me?
I've given you something
you never dared dream of.
- What?
- EverIasting Iife.
- If I'd known that, I wouIdn't--
- The bIood in your veins is mine.
- Yours?
- Yes.
Look, I am tired of aII your buIIshit!
I want a straight answer from you.
Do you hear me?
Enough!
I made a simpIe incision.
I drew your bIood,
and then you took mine.
You're crazy.
You beIong to me.
We beIong to each other.
I'm getting out of here.
You'II be back.
When the hunger hurts so much
you've Iost reason...
then you'II have to feed,
and then you'II need me to show you how.
You're crazy.
Yes. May I speak
to Dr. Tom Haver, pIease?
What do you mean he's gone home?
No, but he's not there.
I aIready caIIed the apartment.
No, he can't caII me. I'm in a booth.
Yeah, weII...
I'II try him Iater or... Never mind.
Lady, how about it?
Come on, Iady. How about it?
Crazy fucking junkie.
I'm going to bring someone to you.
Someone who can feed your hunger.
This is Dr. Schrader.
l'm unable to take your call just now.
lf you care to leave a message,
kindly wait for the tone.
Dr. Schrader, heIIo.
It's Tom Haver caIIing again
about Sarah Roberts.
I stiII haven't heard from her.
If you couId give me a caII
when you get in, I'd appreciate it.
I Ieft the number before.
Thank you very much. Goodbye.
HeIp yourseIf to a drink.
HeIIo?
Mrs. BIayIock?
- Who is it?
- It's Tom Haver.
- Tom?
- Haver. I'm a friend of Sarah Roberts'.
I'm sorry to disturb you so Iate...
but she didn't come home tonight,
and l'm worried.
l just spoke to a doctor that she had
an appointment with this afternoon...
and she never showed.
l know that she was here yesterday,
and l just thought maybe--
Yes, come in.
- HeIIo.
- HeIIo.
So, I know she was here yesterday...
and I just wondered
if you'd heard from her.
Yes. She's upstairs.
She's upstairs?
Dr. Haver, she's not weII.
Where upstairs?
On the second fIoor, in the bedroom.
What is this?
Come on. Look, Sarah.
CaIm down, it's Tom.
You're going to be aII right now.
Come on up on the bed.
That's a girI. Jesus, you're burning up.
You're coId? I'II get you a robe.
Put this around you. Come here.
It's aII right, baby. I'm here.
No, hang on. No.
Wait a minute.
Go!
- What are you taIking about?
- Get out! Go!
What the fucking heII? Come here!
Out!
I've got you now.
Where are you going? I got you.
Come on. It's Tom. You're aII right.
I got you. You're aII right now.
You're okay. I got you.
AII right?
I got you. I Iove you.
I Iove you.
You're aII right, baby.
It's not nearIy as difficuIt
as you imagined, is it?
You wiII sIeep six hours in every 24...
you wiII feed one day in seven...
and from this moment,
you wiII never grow oId.
Not a minute.
You'II be young forever.
You're part of me now,
and I cannot Iet you go.
We're damned to Iive forever...
with no reIease, no end.
And I need you to share it with me.
After a IittIe whiIe,
you wiII forget what you were...
and you wiII begin to Iove me
as I Iove you.
Forever.
Forever and ever.
Sarah.
Stay with me.
I can't.
John?
I Iove you! I Iove you aII!
- Miriam?
- No!
HeIIo?
- HeIIo?
- Yes?
Lt. AIIegrezza to see Mrs. BIayIock, pIease.
Mrs. BIayIock?
Yeah, she'II remember.
TeII her the gentIeman
about the missing person.
I reaIIy don't know what to teII you.
I'm just the agent.
- The agent?
- Arthur JeIinek.
JeIinek ReaIty.
We are handIing the saIe of this house.
- The saIe?
- Yes.
I have some cIients upstairs
Iooking the pIace over...
and it aII happened very suddenIy.
It's an estate case.
The whoIe thing was handIed
by a Iaw firm.
My understanding is
that the owners are deceased...
and whatever profits are Ieft over...
are going to some kind of research center
or cIinic in town.
WouId you mind very much?
I don't want my cIients to think
I've deserted them.
WouId you excuse me?
Take your time.
Thank you.