Original subtitles

(dark rock music)

Downloaded from YTS.MX

Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX

♪ Tell me what to do ♪

♪ Tell me what to do ♪

♪ Tell me what to do ♪

♪ Tell me what to do ♪

♪ Never watched hands that moved so slow, ♪

♪ Matters of opinion need to know ♪

♪ Tell me what to do ♪

♪ Tell me what to do ♪

♪ waiting for the enemy, waiting for the go ♪

♪ Silent killer don't you know ♪

♪ In my head tonight ♪

♪ Panic done good gonna fight you right ♪

♪ In my head tonight ♪

♪ Panic done good gonna fright you right ♪

♪ Tell me what to do ♪

♪ Tell me what to do ♪

♪ Brain waves pave the path to truth, lose your mind in fear ♪

♪ Brain waves pave the path to truth, lose your mind in fear ♪

♪ What to do ♪ ♪ What to do ♪

♪ Tell me what to do ♪ ♪ Tell me what to do ♪

♪ Lose your mind in fear ♪

♪ Lose your mind, step up a gear ♪

♪ Tell me what to do ♪

♪ Lose your mind in fear ♪

♪ Lose your head when everyone's dead ♪

- I'm in trouble.

I've been running out of medication

For the past few weeks

and now I've got nothing left in my system at all

and I'm going to have a psychotic episode or pass out.

I don't know but I need an ambulance.

(air roaring)

(dark rock music)

♪ Tell me what to do ♪

♪ What else can you give ♪

♪ Tell me what to do ♪

♪ What else can you give ♪

♪ Tell me what to do ♪

- Set.

Roaring.

War. (laughs)

To th'dread rattlin' thunder.

(thunder rumbling)

It's Monday, a funday, maybe not a Sunday,

but one day, day 78 of the L-O down.

I frown and step back, 'cause I got a smile and a track.

So new.

So blue, so down and funky.

♪ Down ♪

♪ Down, down ♪

Got a beat, nice and neat, and a vocal that's local

to those in touch with the darker side of life.

Press play and watch the freshest old wax turn around

on the table before I mention my number one fan.

M-A-D-D-I-E, you're the light in these unhappy times.

Don't forget the timer.

That was your reminder.

(woman vocalising)

♪ See you at the ice storm at the end of the day ♪

♪ Dangerous conditions in which we can play ♪

♪ Cold heart breaking don't know what to say ♪

♪ Til the rain drops ice and it cuts my head ♪

♪ Better go inside case it makes me dead. ♪

♪ It's 10 below, I'm freezing now ♪

♪ Never thought I'd see it right ♪

♪ Eyes wide awake at night ♪

♪ Demons are, demons are ♪

♪ Demons are forever ♪

♪ Demons come whenever ♪

(gentle music)

(door rattling)

- I'm looking for Sarah Cher?

- I'd check a list, but, I don't have one to check.

- Oh, um, maybe I've got the wrong place.

- Oh, you can call Maisie and ask her.

She might be a bit difficult to get hold of,

but her mobile's on the wall.

- Okay, I'll give her a try her.

- Oh, and can you give her your details too.

- Why?

- [Ron] Contact tracing.

- I'm fine.

- COVID says no.

Sorry.

We've been in this routine for weeks now.

- Look, I know, it's me.

I think I've become a bit complacent.

- Just give Maisie a call and give her your details

so you can go into the log.

If you do it now and I come across Sarah,

I'll let you know.

- I've not actually met her,

but apparently she's very clever.

One of those girls, you know? (laughs)

Look, um, this may not actually be true,

but she may not be very well.

- (sighs) Now, I don't want to come across

that I have no compassion

but I really don't know who this person is.

Call Maisie, make her aware of the situation.

(dramatic music) (woman vocalising)

- [Marie] Hiya. I'm Marie.

- [Ron] I'm Ron.

Sorry, who are you exactly again?

So many faces in here today.

- I'm the ghost. (laughs)

In the show, I'm the ghost.

I'm Marie.

- Right, yeah.

You're with the focus group, right?

Yeah, I'm Ron, the theatre manager.

Your colleagues are just gone to the shop for a coffee.

- Oh, well, shall I just go through then?

- Oh no, the director left you some instructions.

- Oh, is that Maisie?

- Well, yeah, I think so.

- Cool.

Yean, I've really not been told much.

- Neither have I, I only run the place.

Hm, yeah, so the email here says,

questions and things to ask slash tell Marie.

Have you got into costume and make-up?

- Yes.

- Are you wearing it? No.

Tell her she can get changed in the ladies toilet

or on the stage.

- Okay, shall I'll just go and get organised

in the theatre then?

- Wait, hang on, there's more.

It says, "If you're in your corner,

it's marked with a sign that says Marie's corner

and people when arrive early,

just wait until you hear the script,

come out on cue when the director starts talking

about reincarnation.

- Yeah, I think I've got it.

You know, go out, scream, go back to my corner.

Wait until the show's over, go home.

- Yeah. Yeah, perfect.

Just text me if you've got any questions.

- Oh, where's your number?

- Laminated.

In the dressing room, so.

Oh, and if you get bored you can sneak out

from the stage via the-

- [Marie] Right, okay,

I think I've got it from there, thank you.

(door squeaking)

(Marie huffs) (quiet eerie music)

- Oh, sorry.

- So you see the makeup I'm doing now?

- Mm-hmm. - Right.

So this is after like Mary Jane Kelly,

you know, Jack the Ripper's final victim.

She's my favourite.

They play her at the London dungeons.

What do you think?

- It's alright.

- Do I look dead?

Like, ghostly?

- Well, yeah, I suppose, yeah.

- More contour?

- More contour.

- Yeah.

- Yeah, not quite dead yet.

- Mm-hmm, good call. (laughs)

- So, help yourself to as much sweets or-

- Mm-hmm, I found them, thank you.

- Right, so you did.

The good stuff we keep backstage.

- Mm. - Yeah.

- This is good.

- Chocolate, yeah, yeah.

Anyway, well, I'll leave you to it.

So you know your way around and-

- Do you want some?

- [Ron] Well, now you've eaten my favourite one,

so, just. (groans)

- [Maddie] Why can't I stop watching that film?

I've seen it like a hundred times

and I can't stop coming back to it.

- [Shelby] What are you talking about?

- I don't know what's wrong with me.

There's just something about that film.

- Like what exactly?

Come on, I've been travelling for hours,

I'm nearly there and I don't want to be late.

Especially as I'm a gatecrasher.

- This film is telling me something.

- What? I watched it with you.

They go to the woods.

The girl gets drunk, she flashes back to who she was,

she realises she was born in Mediaeval times.

End of story.

- I know all that but there's something else.

- You drive me nuts when you build things up like this.

This better be worth it.

- I got sent a script.

There's a prequel.

- You're an actress.

You get sent scripts when you audition.

I'm not an actress, I don't.

- It's the original script of that film.

- [Shelby] And?

You probably signed up to some film forum

and it got sent out because it's cult-

- What we watched, was a no-budget nothing version.

That film is getting made properly as a trilogy

and they want me in it-

- Go back to sleep.

I'm on the way to your audition that's miles away

that you can't be bothered to attend, remember.

I'm pretending to be you, right?

- I know but this one that's come through,

it could be massive.

There's like a contract and everything.

I've gotta discuss with my agent.

This is so big!

It's gonna make me once this stupid lockdown is over.

- Have you read the script?

- I don't need to read the script, it's paid work.

Anyway, in the cover letter the producer says

that the script in the original film was just a decoy

to test the idea and get the money on board.

This version is gonna be amazing.

- What are you talking about?

It's so early.

I've come so far to do this for you.

- Shelby, that's a paid audition

for an advisory panel to government.

It's the best focus group you'll ever do.

And it's the best work out there at the moment.

You can thank me for the money later.

- Anyway. How can you be so excited?

You've only been sent a script.

- Yeah, by a courier at 7:00 a.m. this morning

that I had to sign for.

And then some flowers turned up.

It was just after you left.

- No flowers turned up because no one can distribute them.

No one is doing signatures at the moment.

- Okay, the courier knocked and left it at the door

but still it was FedEx

so it was basically like my movie experience is beginning.

It's happening.

- It's happening again.

- Don't Twin Peaks me, that freaks the shit out of me.

Anyway, look I've got to go.

I've got to talk online with these people for like 9:15 a.m.

Let me know how the focus group goes.

It did sound interesting but nowhere near as interesting

as my life is gonna be this time next year.

Don't die on me, all right,

you're supposed to be cooking dinner.

- Right. Don't miss the interview.

- See you when your famous.

Don't get too bored being Maddie Simpson government advisor.

- Just get some wine, bitch.

You're well enough to do that now, right?

- Yeah, bitch.

(knuckles rapping)

(door squeaking)

Hi there, I'm Maisie.

You're the first here.

Have you come far?

- Ealing, if I was driving,

it would just be what M25, M2

but I've tubed and I've trained.

So yeah, I've been on public transport all morning

and it's not even nine o'clock yet, right?

- I'm sorry, I haven't even asked your name.

- Melody Shelby-Night.

It's a mouthful.

Double barreled surname.

See, I changed names recently.

It was Maddie Simpson-Night

but that's the name I use as my stage name.

Melody Shelby-Night is my real name,

I just didn't want to use it.

- You've come in place of your friend

who couldn't make it and are winging it a little bit?

Is that what's happening here?

- Yeah, sorry.

I didn't know what to say.

- It's fine.

We're glad you've turned up.

We've had quite a few dropouts

and last minute replacements so.

Now, don't be offended, the director might call you Maddie

as he did try and learn everyone's names before we begin.

Can I be frank?

- [Shelby] Of course.

- You're really not an actress are you?

- You got me twice.

No, I'm awful.

Is it a problem?

- Far from it.

We're looking for people who can see through the facade.

- So this is more than just a focus group then?

- We're putting together a panel

who will advise the government

on how the arts community will react to the pandemic.

We're on topic and we know exactly what we're doing

but between me and you,

we have to put the sewage filter on at microscopic.

This is "Enemy of the People" stuff.

- Ibsen, huh?

And I'm Thomas Stockmann with microscope on the table,

telling everyone there's shit in the water

and no one is listening.

- For a non-actress, you are on the ball.

- My best friend is an actress.

I'll be honest, she's really is terrible

but I couldn't say that to her face.

- [Maisie] We know Maddie.

- Wow, she sounds important.

- [Maisie] No, lockdown has turned her into a prima donna.

- Thank God it wasn't just me who picked up on that.

(footsteps thudding)

You know she signed up for cam work?

- Interesting.

- It's ruined her.

All we can hear from her room are

the cash register sound effects

from her laptop and squealing.

She's made an absolute fortune these past few months

but she's absolutely addicted.

These guys send her gifts

from her Amazon wish list every day.

God, I shouldn't have said any of that.

- But you did.

Don't worry.

This has been weird for everyone.

Does she wear a mask?

- I don't know, I have not seen her perform.

- I hope she's been discrete.

The media have a way of digging up the past

and she was getting somewhere.

No Disney movies for her, right?

- She's done it for 77 days straight.

She's now got 49,000 followers.

I'll be honest.

I think she's given up on her proper acting career.

The things she does.

- [Maisie] Who are we to judge our peers in this industry?

- I couldn't do it.

I'm not very good when it comes to intimacy.

- Why are you telling me?

- Because, I haven't seen anyone for about three months.

I lost my job.

I split-up with my boyfriend

and you seem like a really nice person

who I'm pretty comfortable talking with

and these past few months I've realised

how I feel in certain situations.

I like scenarios like this.

Meeting new people.

Meeting intellectual equals.

- I can't give you a hug, dear.

Two metres, all that.

- I know, it's just, I've come like 200 miles

just so Maddie can save face

and not admit to the normal crowd of people

that she's probably never going to act again.

(sighs) I'm sorry, I'm insecure.

I talk a lot and I latch quickly

if you show me the slightest bit of interest.

- It's Monday, it's not even 9:00 a.m.

I get you, Shelby,

but the only reason you're getting my time is

because you're the first here

and you're probably the only person

I'm actually going to speak to in depth

because this morning will run like clockwork

and my webcam goes live at midday.

- [Shelby] You don't-

- [Maisie] No, I don't but I do get booked.

(eerie music)

- I'm genuinely weird.

You're just trying to be weird to make an impression

and to keep up with me

because you're swimming in the deep end.

And I'm a shark.

And I bite when I smell blood.

But don't worry, I don't want to eat you anymore.

You're just like the rest.

Mocking me because I'm different.

(dramatic music)

- Don't be alarmed,

I just has a sort of moment with that girl.

I didn't do a very good job

with inspiring confidence in her

so just build her up as best you can.

- Improvise with her a bit more, maybe?

- Yeah, play on her friend missing this.

I mean I could have just asked her to leave but-

- She's done something to you?

- I'm gonna be frank.

She's too smart for this.

She shouldn't be here

and I think in her Mensa IQ way that she's just told me

I was the best thing that's ever happened to her

but because I've so bluntly rejected her I'm now her prey.

- Why do we get weirdos?

This was so simple.

- You don't know the half of this fiasco.

This was never simple.

I'm just having to vent to you

because you needed to know what just went on.

I was not expecting that.

- And now we've just broken social distancing.

- Get through today and we can break it properly.

- (laughs) You've only just met me.

- I haven't seen a soul for 83 days.

You appear to have a pulse.

And I have no standards left to adhere to.

- What if I do?

- Then I'll send a message to Shelby,

saying her attraction should be in your direction.

- Ah. Can I retract that last sentence?

- Trust me, I've run group workshops

and corporate crap like this for a long time.

That girl is unique.

Your audience awaits.

(people chattering)

Because this morning will run like clockwork

and my webcam goes live at midday.

- You don't- - No, but I do get booked

on TV shows and news items to talk about the industry.

- What, like, as an assistant?

- Like as producer, casting director,

director, bitch who runs the show.

- Sorry.

- Don't tell me you're sorry.

I'm just being straight.

You have no idea who I am or what I do.

Time is money.

This is like a workshop.

We're looking for performers to participate

on our advisory panel and come in on our film.

- How did you get the contract?

- Government put it out for tender,

we knew where to look, we applied.

We're here.

We're just lowest of the low spads.

- What are spads?

- Specialist advisors.

We're Dominic Cummings with permission

to break lockdown rules

whilst we explore their limits of practicality.

- It all sounds sneaky.

- We just got lucky.

For running a few focus groups

we've got a budget to make our film.

We just have to prepare a localised report

considering where everyone involved

in the performing arts might be going next.

- Clever.

What else do I need to know?

Go upstairs and take a seat.

- Maddie said it was an all-day thing.

- Maddie didn't read.

Nothing is printed, everything is digital,

including signatures, and in the show

some documents only come through on cue.

Now, I can answer the most pressing questions.

Yes, this is legitimate.

No, this isn't sneaky.

This, as you put it, is clever.

- Can we be friends after this?

- [Maisie] Direct.

What sort of friends?

Why?

- I like you.

I like your attitude.

You're like a super nerd who dresses like a bimbo.

I could say something crude but I won't. (giggles)

- [Maisie] Why not?

- Sometimes I say things I shouldn't

and it gets me in trouble.

I tell people I have Tourette syndrome

but it's usually deliberate

because it buzzes me when I say it.

- Okay.

I'm being polite because I always think

of this cliched old phrase,

you attract more flies with honey than vinegar.

- I just think you're nice.

- I'm not nice.

- I'm not good with boundaries.

- Evidently.

(sighs) But it sounds as if you've been stuck

in a flat with Rampant Maddie for the past three months.

- Don't say it like that.

- Why not?

- You make it sound submissive.

Like I'm a little girl.

- I deal with people all the time, Shelby.

I'm a bitch.

You're exactly what I say you are.

And if you don't like that, we can't be friends. Ever.

You're a nice girl, Shelby,

but you really need to get out more.

- Like I've been able to go anywhere

in the past three months.

- My bad.

Lockdown hasn't really been a thing for me.

Look it up, people likely to break lockdown rules,

those with psychopathic traits.

- [Shelby] Do you have psychopathic traits?

- Depends.

Sadistic, maybe?

You see, I'm in the Dark Triad.

- You're pretty clever aren't you?

- I'm not clever, I just try and be smart.

- Narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy.

That's the Dark Triad, right.

- Not bad for a Monday morning.

- I just read the same article on the train.

- So, you don't know anything else about the Dark Triad?

- I did a Psychology degree.

I want to have faith in humanity, humanism.

I want to align with Kantianism

but I'm just not a light triad kinda girl.

- Clearly not.

- You can call me Melody if you want to?

I can be more submissive

if that makes it easier for you

to feel more dominant over me.

- Why don't you like being called Melody?

- I'm tone deaf.

- Genuinely?

- Yeah, congenital amusia.

It was all confirmed when I was little.

My parents are both music teachers.

- Ironic.

- [Shelby] Story of my life.

I've disappointed lots of people.

- What's been your biggest disappointment in life?

- Opening that door.

- Why is that disappointing?

- Because nothing else will match this moment for months.

- Sarcastic banter from a cynical cow like me.

Is that what you like?

- No.

I like simple things.

I can cope with simple things.

This seems complicated.

You're out of your depth

but it could be that your whole company is out

of it's respective depth.

- Yeah, maybe we are.

- No, there's more to it than that.

- Is there?

(very quiet gentle music)

(camera beeping)

(dramatic music)

(upbeat music)

(footsteps tapping)

(toy whirring)

(quiet dramatic music)

- Okay, good morning, everyone!

Tell you what, just gonna take us out of here like so.

Okay, well, thank you all for coming.

None of you know who I am.

Which is why you've been paid

to participate in this masterclass?

Here is how this works.

We have been contracted by the government

to prepare a localised report on the state

of the Performing Arts industry

as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ultimately, we need your feedback.

That is why we are in a theatre.

We are in the lifeblood

of where the economy of production will restart.

Now, is that pretentious enough, I wonder?

What we're also doing,

is using the money we've been paid to make a film.

You are focus group one

and you don't have to do much other than to watch

and answer some questions when I ask you.

Now, before we get in flow of things, these are the rules.

Do not break them.

We are under lockdown conditions across the country.

We are on day 78.

We've been, how should I put this?

Very naughty as a production outfit

and have got you all here

in a very clever and very legal fashion.

One, I hope none of you have coronavirus.

If you do, then there's no point in getting out,

you've already infected the room.

Two, respect social distancing.

Three, if you haven't got the credentials

we asked for you don't get paid.

Four, today you're working

as contributors to an advisory panel

on how we, acting as agents for government,

should move forward after the pandemic has peaked.

And by we meaning the performing arts industry at large.

And five, this is a relaxed atmosphere.

I want us to keep it that way.

Any questions?

- How much are we getting paid again?

- Whatever it said on the advert.

- It didn't.

- It did.

- I didn't see it.

- It's a Spotlight advert.

It costs money to place those.

We saw all the actors moaning and complaining

about how Spotlight wasn't helping them,

but why, if we weren't serious, would we use Spotlight

and advertise a fee alongside strict conditions.

- My agent told me to show up.

I genuinely didn't see the advert.

- If your agent told you to walk off a bridge,

would you do it?

- It depends if that was in the casting brief.

- Are you always this logical?

- I do what I'm told.

And yeah, I'm not good at reading between the lines

so I just react in a direct way.

- Because you're a little bit autistic?

- No, I just lack confidence.

So I make mistakes and ask dumb questions

then beat myself for the rest of the day.

- Ah, okay, a nicely introverted, extrovert. (laughs)

- I was in a few films when I was younger

but then I lost body confidence.

- Okay, well, step up, we need to move on.

- This of this as reality TV

which you're part of from the get go.

- What's part two?

- Listen and learn.

Today, I also want to give you something a little extra.

I want to talk to you about my new production.

It's called "The Mist."

It's about betrayal and treachery

within government and law enforcement.

But that isn't good entertainment for 60 million people

in a heatwave who just want to get out of the house.

No, we need escapist fantasy

but that is un-produceable without money.

"The Mist" is about all the people who I know

who've worked against me

and who tried to sabotage my progress.

It's allegorical.

It's metaphorical.

It's a parallel.

Run with this and you will be rewarded.

Mock it and you will be immortalised for doing so.

Our relationships live and die

in this next two hour time frame.

The clock's ticking, folks, so be on your guard.

Scared?

Excited?

You've all been betrayed before, I presume?

Come on, wakey, wakey, hands up.

Who's been betrayed before

by someone they loved and trusted?

You, what's your name?

- Melody.

- Beautiful name.

How did you get here, Melody?

I'm casting "The Mist" right now

and I'm gonna give you a part

but the answer you give,

dictates the part you're going to get.

- I got the train.

- From where?

- London, Ealing, so tube then train.

I had to get up early to make it.

- Did I ask for detail?

- No.

- Then why did you give me detail?

- I thought that's what you wanted.

- What is this?

- An acting class.

A government advisory panel?

- Better.

- Thank you.

- You're here to work.

Don't thank me.

So, Melody, why did you give me detail?

- I was trying to indicate the effort I made to get here.

- Okay.

When I ask a question I'm looking for direct answers.

Yeah?

If I want detail I'll ask you to elaborate.

Understand?

Now, Melody, what was the last role you played.

- I was the narrator

in the Christmas play in primary school.

- Ah, thrown yourself in at the deep end here.

(Michael laughs)

- I'm here in place of a friend.

She had a big audition come up and couldn't make it.

She didn't want to see the train ticket to go to waste.

- What was the audition?

- Film.

- Film. How much for?

I'm sure she would've talked about it.

- I don't know how much.

- And she chose that over today

even though she was gonna get paid?

Now Melody, the role I'm giving you

in "The Mist," it pays 3,350 pounds.

It's a flat rate for a few weeks filming.

Do you want the job?

- I've not acted since primary school.

- You made the effort to take public transport

to get across London to get to the back of beyond

for 9:00 a.m. during lockdown.

You made the effort.

Do you want the job?

- Yeah, all right.

- What did your friend say?

- There's been a mix up.

They'd already cast the role

and then they didn't need to see anymore clients.

- Right, first rule of "The Mist," believe in it.

Your friend turned us down

for a video conference audition that got cancelled,

yet you've just landed yourself a bigger role

than she's ever had

and you've not acted since primary school.

- Believe it when I see it.

- Go and see Maisie next door, she'll give you an advance.

- I don't want to miss what you do next.

- Ah, so you trust me?

- Yeah.

- Good. All right, so, what's the first rule of "The Mist."

- Believe in it?

- Everybody, come on, what's the first rule of "The Mist?"

- [All] Believe in it.

- Right, thank you.

So, do you see, you're all here for a reason.

You're all cast.

Who's up for it?

- How do we know it's real?

- Ask Maisie or check your phones.

It's what you do during these workshops anyway, isn't it?

All of your agents have contacted you.

- Have you got free Wi-Fi?

- Do I look like the fucking IT department?

Yes, look for the cloud and use the mist, all lowercase.

If you look to the walls

you'll find the Wi-Fi password on the posters.

It is traitor, T-R-A-I-T-O-R.

- What time does this finish?

- Why are you asking me that question?

- It's a long day, man.

I'm supposed to be shooting a short film

about lockdown in our house this evening

and I need to leave by 4:00 p.m.

so I might have to skip on the last section.

- Hey, look, fine by me.

It's your career.

- Thanks man.

- Are you hungover?

- No.

- Stoned?

- I don't get it.

- Do you follow instructions?

- Yeah.

- Then why don't I care

if you've got to leave at four o'clock?

- Is this an exercise?

- Yeah, it's called was I paying attention?

- Was I?

- No. Work it out four o'clock.

I'm gonna move on now, if that's okay with you.

Right, so, now I need to tell you all about me

before I can bring you up to speed with "The Mist."

So do I have any volunteers?

Who wants to be me?

- I'll do it.

- Melody, are you sure?

You haven't acted since primary school.

All right, I'll give you a shot.

Sight read this.

Check your phone for the pdf.

- I've been misunderstood for as long as I can remember

but as I can brutally attest,

the ethos I've worked to hasn't reaped any benefits.

As I will detail, I've helped countless people

over the years but I've never had this faith repaid.

In my entire career,

I've never ever had

a reciprocated opportunity afforded me.

I honestly have no idea how I've kept producing but I have.

I've literally done everything on nothing

and this includes a crippling lack of emotional support.

In this life, if I do get somewhere in film

no one will be more shocked than me.

- Wow, is that me?

Yeah, of course it's me but that information is generic.

It could be a lot of people.

Don't ruin it.

This is an Oscar clip and that's personal.

- I believe firmly in reincarnation.

I'm not a Buddhist nor do I practise any

of the world's religions but I'm pretty confident

I've been in this world before.

I was gone before the Second World War

but definitely lived through the evolution

of the movie business in North America and had influence.

I'm pretty sure I was born close

to the sea near Malibu, California.

Presently, I've never felt at home in England

and I've been a fish out of water my whole life.

- [Director] Not bored

but let's give the rest of the group a chance.

Next.

- Where's the speech?

- Delivered to your phone.

- Oh, those are the emails that have been coming through.

I've been deleting them.

- (scoffs) Someone else.

- I can't sight read from my phone.

- I think that girl is asleep already, fantastic.

Melody, I shouldn't have questioned your ability.

You're my go to reader.

You know, when we organised this

we thought this was gonna be simple.

Take it away, Melody.

- I can give you the finished article

but I can't show you my working.

It's caused incredible frustration

because there has been so much I've wanted

to articulate or create that I can't

because my body doesn't perform what my brain understands.

I get crippled with what I call logic blocks.

This isn't writer's block, or OCD,

it is the complete inability to get past a simple obstacle,

like a computer stuck constantly restarting,

leading to an entirely black thought process.

(quiet eerie music)

If you've ever felt what I'm describing you might relate

but two other odd things have stuck out

and presented themselves to me.

Jean Harlow has been something of a fascination

but I'm also sure I had ties to a French doctor,

Marie Curie, for a period.

I've crossed paths with her in this life

but it didn't end well.

- What's your full name, Melody?

- Melody Shelby-Night.

- Well read.

In "The Mist", you can be me.

- Is this story true?

- Did everyone get the story?

I think I've been here before.

- What do you mean?

For real? Like, can you elaborate?

- I believe in reincarnation.

In another life I was born near Malibu in America in 1900

but Malibu back then wasn't the place it is now.

It was like a private estate,

my mother was a Mexican peasant

and she was a master of pottery.

I was three and I had a little blue suit

and I remember looking out to sea

and watching as the waves crashed in and my feet got wet.

- What's the bit about Marie Curie?

- It's hazy.

I had a relationship with a French doctor

who was older than me.

And in a regression my mind told me

it was Marie Curie or one of her sisters.

I'm telling you I believe in reincarnation.

(eerie music)

(ghostly whispering)

- Are you all right?

What you're talking about is a bit surreal.

- It is surreal.

And it's my life.

(ghostly whispering)

- Okay.

- Look, would you all just follow the game here?

It's from the script, yeah?.

- So, you're not really reincarnated?

(eerie music)

- I've been here before.

I'm tuned in.

And you're all buried from the get-go.

Who you are

who each and everyone of you are,

is about 20 layers beneath the personality you present

to the rest of the world.

- Have you got proof of your reincarnation?

- My old friend behind me is standing

at the back of the stage.

(eerie music)

(footsteps shuffling)

(toy whirring)

She didn't much like the Marie Curie girl

and that's why she jumped in on her.

- What do you mean jumped in on her?

(toy whirring)

- Radio controlled, Maisie's idea.

Do you know what happens with naive people?

They have a glow, an aura that surrounds them.

They're just innocent because they haven't quite worked out

how hard this world is to navigate.

And everyone on the other side,

and this means you have to believe

in some kind of the other side, sees this.

They know they can jump in

and conduct through these people, so they do.

It doesn't happen for long, but it's long enough

and then these innocents, when they change,

and it happens instantly, they lose the glow.

They stop conducting and free fall out of your life.

- Wait, that is real for you, isn't it?

- This is "The Mist" I'm talking about.

And it's why I want to make a film about it.

You see in here, you're in my place of worship.

You're in my church.

And this is where all my ghosts live.

- People don't get you, do they?

- Ah no, they get me,

they just get out of their depth real quick.

- What about Marie Curie?

Who was she to you?

- She come to me again in a dream

and I've lost contact with her since.

So, really, she's just another ghost.

- And a character in "The Mist"?

- Yeah, maybe.

- What are we really supposed to learn from this workshop?

This is a bit weird.

- Trust me, folks, you're not going to like me for this.

But I'm gonna make you famous.

- How are you going to do that?

- By killing one of you to wrap up the event.

I digress.

Whose learnt something today?

- This whole thing is about creating make-believe, right?

- Go on. I'm hearing intelligent thought.

- It's about seeing if we can be naive enough

to be children again.

- And we're all going to paint rainbows.

(scoffs) You're astute.

But what if this experience isn't about being naive?

- Then you've kind of conned us

into a group therapy session?

- Another good stance but we've paid you all

to be here, remember?

This is a job and I haven't even begun

to explain what your responsibilities are

and most of you have forgotten that that is why you're here.

- What are the responsibilities then?

- [Director] Dig deep.

Ask questions of yourself.

Why are you here?

- Is that some ancient Greek tragedy method shit?

(all laughing)

- Fatal flaw, hamartia, all that?

- Foreign language man, I'm Meisner trained.

- So you can recite 80 pages of your script

to the fucking wall with the same dull inflexion?

Fantastic.

Remind me not to give you a big role,

'cause you're wooden as fuck.

- I'm not wooden.

You should see my reviews.

- Oh, I did.

Why did I choose you?

23 productions since graduating.

Consistently praised for his,

"articulation and diction,

"this person is truly a performer to watch."

Is that about right?

- They've all been fringe productions.

- Who's gonna go one better?

- I trolled a production I was in once

'cause I didn't like the director.

He was all over this other actress in the rehearsal

and at the time I was going through

some weird religious thing

and I'd got ditched by my boyfriend.

So to be honest,

I was just jealous of any guy giving another girl attention.

And it just went down hill from there.

- Ah, and 'cause said director didn't love you,

you decided he was a piece of shit.

- Probably.

- You're doing this for the wrong reason.

Just like you thought religion was the answer.

That script was blasphemous wasn't it?

And you wouldn't blaspheme at all.

Not once in that rehearsal process

could you bring yourself to utter the words, Jesus Christ.

- Christ.

How would you know that?

- It's in the script.

I know the director, don't I?

Why are you all here?

Has none of you picked up on this yet?

You are all connected to me by a third party

yet you're so superficial and self-absorbed

that not one of you has bothered to work out the link.

(quiet eerie music)

(gentle music)

(woman vocalising)

- Hi, Shelby.

Why'd you do it?

Why did you tell everyone that I started doing webcam work?

You were the only one that knew I was doing it.

I wore a mask, had a persona.

Nobody knew it was me.

But suddenly the comments started sounding really familiar

but I didn't care 'cause the gifts kept turning up.

The money kept pouring in

and just like me it hasn't stopped coming

for the past three months.

But little by little,

people started treating me differently.

All the guys in my class started turning up to watch

and now everyone knows what I've done

just to get through this.

And no one's gonna want to hire me as a real actress

because apparently I'm not anymore.

I'm every name under the sun and thanks to you,

everyone I know has tuned in.

So I thought I'd pull some strings

and see if I can grab people's attention a different way.

Don't come back to the flat.

I've already sent your stuff to your parents.

And don't bother playing

that single white female shit on Maisie.

She's clever.

You just wanted to control me and I didn't even realise.

I was never ill.

You kept me indoors.

You locked me in my room for two weeks.

You wouldn't even let me use the toilet

and I didn't think anything of it.

It was you who put me onto the webcam work.

And you knew I'd go for it

because I'm vain and I like attention

and I can cope with knowing that people want me.

(dramatic music)

- I never did anything like that, Maddie.

- Shelby, yes, you did.

You're a freak.

I've been trying to get you out of my flat

for three months now.

You're a psycho.

You let me degrade myself because you could watch

from the room next door knowing

that I couldn't make a single move to get out.

For all that time you controlled me.

You put me in jail and I threw away the key

because that's what you told me to do.

You convinced me I was a thousand times worse

than I actually was.

You're the one who is ill.

You're the one who is sick, Shelby.

And you know what you're mistake was?

(laughs) You told me you couldn't sing and you couldn't act.

Oh, but I found you in Edinburgh.

What a little performer you were.

You've never stopped.

You just changed your name and dyed your hair.

- Stop it.

Who are all these people?

- Sorry, I'm actually just an actor hired by her.

I'm part of their show.

She was gonna tour with it

and do some topical bollocks on it.

- This is a show?

But, Maddie, they don't even know your real name.

You're MSN Hottie, right.

- [Maddie] Melody Shelby-Night Hottie.

MSN Hottie, right, bitch?

I let them know my real name.

Oh, and my private videos are free now.

- I never did what you do.

- Uh, you re-enacted it.

Pressing record on your laptop kinda proves that.

Well, sorry, if I went to an extreme

but you're twisted and you really fucked me up.

- I know I've got problems but Melody Shelby-Night.

That really is my name.

Whatever I used before, that was fake, but,

you've put my name out there like that,

that's my real name.

- It's only what you deserve.

- I did everything for you when you were ill.

- Well, then maybe, I'm just ungrateful.

- How did you get here?

- I've got a car. I can drive.

You can't play a Queen Bee, Shelby.

I know every trick in the book.

No one ever has to know that I did shit online.

No one even cares

and yeah, I made a fuckload so lick it, bitch.

(gentle music)

- You're Maddie's best friend from primary school.

(laughs) I recognised you as soon as you opened the door.

I can't believe you set me up.

- Wow.

This is dynamite.

It's like a full-on domestic

in the middle of an acting workshop.

- (laughs) You're just an actor then?

Do you know her?

- Not until she turned up.

- And that was all improv?

- Mostly.

(gentle music)

(all laughing)

♪ Take me to the underworld ♪

♪ Take me down below ♪

♪ Take me to the underworld ♪

♪ Take me down below ♪

♪ Take me to the underworld ♪

♪ Take me down below ♪

♪ Take me to the underworld ♪

♪ Take me down below ♪

♪ Ooh, ooh ♪

(woman humming)

♪ See you at the ice storm ♪

♪ The end of the day ♪

- I watched her walk away.

She's gone, Maddie.

Sorry, everyone.

The show really is over.

You can all go home now,

the money's already been sent out.

Any questions, sue us, we don't exist.

If you're lucky the press might call you.

They might not.

This was real.

Shelby has basically kept Maddie hostage

in her own flat for the past three months.

- We're actors.

We've done a million schlock workshops like this.

I mean, it's a great gimmick

but I want to see where you're going to take it.

"The Mist" is gonna be amazing.

- "The Mist" isn't real.

Do I have to say it again?

Maddie had been held hostage

by her psychotic flatmate for the past three months.

We came up with this ridiculous situation

to get Shelby out of her life.

- [Eleanor] I really want to be part of "The Mist"

but I've gotta go get my train

so I can email you for more details, right?

- Yeah, but in the meantime, please.

Fuck off.

Come on.

Off you fuck.

Fucking actors.

Are we not being genuinely distraught enough?

(Maddie sobbing) (gentle music)

- I'm not sure how to feel.

- How the fuck did you even get involved

with that girl, Maddie?

I mean, I kinda liked her

but I don't think she would've liked me.

- I wish you'd said that three months ago.

All she wanted was a boyfriend.

It was the night you moved back in with your parents.

A week and a half before lockdown?

- The argument?

- You moved out, she moved in.

Two years, Ben.

Why did we split up?

- (scoffs) Because I run out of money

and I made an idiot of myself.

Where'd you even meet her?

- Revolution.

Charlie vouched for her.

- Charlie? He vouches for everyone.

- She's done this same thing to a lot of other girls before.

- Just be honest, Maisie, she did it to you

but it never went further than the fucking computer screen.

- (laughs) Jesus.

You all pull me in on some shit.

- Wait, she, she's left her bag. (groans)

What the fuck is that?

No, come on, what the fuck is that?

She leave cakes in the oven?

See what else is in that bitches bag.

(woman vocalising)

- I'm in trouble.

I've been running out of medication for weeks

and now there's nothing left in my system at all.

I'm gonna have a psychotic episode.

Or pass out or, I don't know.

But I need an ambulance.

♪ Take me down below ♪

♪ Demons in my mind tonight ♪

♪ Pull them back inside the light ♪

♪ Watch the dark as I see snow ♪

♪ Watch the dark pull back the glow ♪

♪ Take me to the underworld ♪

♪ Take me down below ♪

♪ Take me to the underworld ♪

♪ Take me down below ♪

♪ See that sharpness coming soon ♪

♪ Take me down below ♪

♪ Take me down below ♪

♪ Take me down below ♪

♪ Oh, oh, down below ♪

♪ Down below, down below ♪

♪ Take me down below ♪

♪ Yeah, yeah ♪

♪ Down below ♪

- [Maisie] "Dear Maddie, thank you for giving me

this opportunity to get back into work.

Lots of love, Shelby.

Kiss, kiss."

"Dear Production Team,

thank you for letting me participate

in your workshop at short notice.

Kind regards, Shelby."

- Why the fuck is there a timer in her bag?

- She microdoses her medication

to stay stable through the day.

She told me she was either running out of her medication

or someone close to her was stealing it

because they she knew she would act up without it.

I'm sorry, Maddie.

I didn't do any of this for you.

I did it so that you would stop torturing that poor girl.

You're a bully.

You're not my friend

and I've mocked someone for a long time

who never deserved to be mocked.

It's over.

Finish drama school and don't put on this play.

Don't you dare.

Grow up.

(gentle music)

- Hiya, yeah, we've finished.

You can come and clean up.

Ah, yeah, all good thank you.

We were just missing one.

(woman vocalising)

♪ Ah, ah ♪

(Maddie sighs)

(ghostly whispering)

(dramatic music)

- It's warming up here on the 78.

78 days of fear and loathing in your couped up mind.

I'm doing my best to release the pressure.

Unwind, appreciate your leisure.

Drop a track that clicks your mind into gear.

Step up to your thoughts.

Admit you might be wrong.

Admit that maybe our situation has been running on too long.

Thoughts brewing insidious.

Rotation continuous.

The time has flown,

ready for me to play what I've previously been shown.

- [Man] Ready, ready, ready?

- Music to my ears.

Set.

Roaring.

War.

(gentle music)

♪ Take me to the underworld ♪

♪ Take me down below ♪

♪ Take me to the underworld ♪

♪ Take me down below ♪

♪ Take me to the underworld ♪

♪ Take me down below ♪

♪ Take me down below ♪

♪ Take me down below ♪

♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪

(woman humming)

♪ See you at the ice storm ♪

♪ At the end of the day ♪

♪ Dangerous conditions in which we can play ♪

♪ Cold heart breaking, don't know what to say ♪

♪ Til the rain drops ice and it cuts my head ♪

♪ Better go inside case it makes me dead ♪

♪ Take me to the underworld ♪

♪ Take me down below ♪

♪ Take me to the underworld ♪

♪ Take me down below ♪

♪ Take me down below ♪

♪ Take me down below ♪

♪ Demons in my mind tonight ♪

♪ Pull them back inside the light ♪

♪ Watch the dark as I see snow ♪

♪ Watch the dark pull back the glow ♪

♪ Take me to the underworld ♪

♪ Take me down below ♪

♪ Take me to the underworld ♪

♪ Take me down below ♪

♪ See that sharpness cut my soul ♪

♪ Take me down below ♪

♪ Take me down below ♪

♪ Take me down below ♪

♪ Down below ♪

♪ Below, down below ♪

♪ Take me down below ♪

♪ Oh, oh ♪

♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah ♪

♪ Down below ♪

(woman humming)