The question is...
how do we get there?
So...
if I may start
by insulting your intelligence...
with what is called the most elementary lesson,
this lesson is quite simply this,
any experience that we have through our senses...
whether of sound...
or of light...
or of touch...
is a vibration.
And a vibration has two aspects,
one called "on"...
and the other called "off."
And so life is a system of "now you see it,
now you don't."
And these two aspects always go together.
Just as you don't encounter in life,
people with fronts but no backs.
And that's simply the way things are.
For example, sound... is not pure sound,
it is a rapid alternation of sound and...
This story...
is about...
a guy...
who...
grew up...
being...
inspired...
by heroes,
in books and movies...
who is then...
called by...
the Universe...
to be...
the hero...
of...
his own story.
Despite the fact...
that he has...
a job...
that...
provides...
for his wife...
and kids.
I'm sleeping' in today.
Not today, sweetheart.
It's Sunday.
Thanks.
Why do we have to do this?
Girls.
Stay where I can see you.
Where's mommy?
She's giving us a head-start.
And although the heads and the tails,
the fronts and the backs,
the positives and the negatives are different,
they are at the same time one.
We forget, you see,
that black and white are inseparable.
And that existence is constituted equivalently
by being and non-being.
Then we get scared.
And we have to play a game called...
uh oh, black might win.
And once we get into the fear
that black, the negative side, might win
we are compelled to play the game
but white must win.
And from that start all our troubles.
That Green Faery drink get you last night?
No, I stuck with the wine.
You Sure?
You're looking a little more hung-over than usual.
Actually, it's far worse than that,
don't you think?
Six, seven, eight, oh!
The places you go...
Amanda, a little?
Well we only have an hour
and then Maya has to get ready for her game and...
and Amanda has Girl Scouts.
Oh, I have to do food shopping for the week.
- Can you...? - Yeah, I can take her.
Just his, oh!
You were missing-in-action last night.
I, uh,
drifted off.
I'll see you up ahead if you don't get lost.
Lost?
How did we get here?
Man...
and Woman.
Opposites attract.
At least that much is clear.
Oh, excuse me!
Can you tell me which way to the garden?
It's not on the map.
It's all sort of a garden, really.
I mean the community garden, specifically.
Ah, well, you can take
any path you fancy for that.
They all end up by the farm
You'll find the garden next to that.
Daddy!
We need you!
I see you have a higher calling.
I do.
You see something.
What do you see?
Nothing real.
I hope.
What is it?
Active imagination.
Anyway, it's nothing real.
What did you see?
He's so easily distracted.
He is when he wants to be.
When I had journeyed half our life's way...
I found myself in a shadowed forest.
For I had lost the path...
that does not stray.
That's it.
That's beautiful.
Maybe in a tragic sort of way.
Then what happens?
Something... no...
- good or bad. - Daddy.
I only know the beginning.
I don't believe in good or bad.
How do you get there?
Girls?
Not funny!
This way!
This way.
Girls?
Maya?
You found us!
Amanda?
Daddy.
This way.
It's not funny, girls.
What is this?
Ambush, Daddy!
Your sword, Daddy.
Why, thank you! En garde!
Attack!
Ambush!
Help me, Ulfius!
Merlin!
Sorry, girls.
Daddy?
Daddy, you ok?
Mommy's going to get mad if we killed daddy.
Daddy?
Who sits on the throne? Briton or Saxon?
It's Obama time, Daddy!
You don't say!
That's not funny, Dad.
I'm sorry, honey. Were you scared?
Well, yeah.
You looked kinda dead there.
Well, it's not real.
You know?
It's make-believe.
Like a game?
Yeah, sort of like a game.
Or, more like a story.
So how do you play?
Well, first you draw the sword of power.
- We have a king! - Hooray!
And unite all the opposing forces.
And then you become King or Queen, or something, right?
Have you played this game before?
So...
are you a king?
No, you have to be a Knight first.
Come on, let's go find your mother.
You are a knight.
Right, Daddy?
It's just make-believe. Yeah?
Let's go.
If you build it
he will come.
Have I lost the path that does not stray?
Jesus.
What?
Where are you, Daddy?
Hey, aren't we taking the path?
Absolutely not.
I don't understand.
The path is like right over there.
That's not how it works.
The game?
A Knight finds his own way into the forest.
It's like going to Narnia!
You know, I didn't see that one.
And then the Knights come to a forest clearing,
like this one.
And joust!
For the right to draw the sword from the stone.
Faery wing!
You're Amanda La Fay now.
You keep it.
Ernesto La Fay just doesn't work.
Will you hold it for me?
Sure.
What are you guys doing?
Hi, Mommy!
Daddy was just telling us a story!
Ha! Your father is a story.
Is he seeing movies in his head again?
Did he get to my part yet?
Still working on the mystery.
Which one?
Why we're so different.
We are.
And...
Come on girls, a storm's coming.
Keep going, honey, we're all ears.
It all went pretty well, considering.
Housekeeping.
Where do we come from?
And why does it matter so much?
It's too late! Repent your sins now!
Okay, well the picture's pretty obvious.
Who was my true father?
Only Merlin can tell you that.
And who is Merlin?
But the dream doesn't go away.
That's it.
So what may the dream do to help?
Besides bugging me?
Huh?
Okay.
Go.
Between good and bad...
Between this world and the other...
Between you and me...
There is a place...
I'll meet you there.
How do I get there?
That's the story so far.
The question is...
is there some universal secret
for him to find
that turns dreams into reality?
Or...
does he wind up on a street corner somewhere
talking to himself?
We've seen this sort of thing a thousand times.
Right?
Here's a clue.
I'm a Knight.
On a special quest.
And I need help!
Quest.
What's so unique about this story?
What's the connection?
What's this driving force?
All I can tell you is that...
when he starts to realize...
that this story...
is not just his.
Things begin to happen.
- Ernesto? - Yes?
About our workstation launch?
I was gathering ideas.
Can we hear those ideas?
Are you sure?
Why not?
It's not about your product.
What's it about then?
Connecting.
Connecting to what?
Passion.
Purpose.
What you are meant to do.
- At work? - At anything.
How does that relate to our products?
If you really connect to create something,
it draws you in.
You don't notice time...
- or where you're at, or... - The tools you're using!
Exactly.
If they're good.
If the tools are good,
they simply facilitate what you're meant to do.
That's it.
I like it!
Ok. Great concept.
So what are we actually going to see on the screen?
So whoever you are,
if you understand all this
and have the means to help me tell this story...
and believe in miracles,
contact me.
I'm not a praying man, but,
if you're up there and can hear me,
show me the way.
Hey...
what's the finger painting all about?
For you? Fair notice.
I thought your artistic side was in remission.
So, all this corporate stability giving you an itch or something?
Corporate stability?
Do you see any corporate stability?
- I'm a contractor, buddy. - I know, I know.
But guess what?
That pitch you gave the Workstation Group?
Did they come back with a budget?
A lot more than a budget.
- Really? - Yep.
A whole campaign.
Financing, web series, the works.
Solid work for a year, if you...
if you get on it...
Start working. Putting in long hours.
And... hey!
Wake up! Wake up and smell the money!
I got to think about it.
Think about it?
Yeah.
There's things going on in my head and...
so I have a clear head
and think about it.
Think about if you want to be the guy
that gets his clients excited...
and then walks away from a million dollar contract.
Think about how your wife would answer that question.
I raised my rate today.
Ah, I'll drink to that.
- What happened? - Can we eat now?
Sure. Bon appétit.
William offered me a new contract.
Did you sign it?
He has to write it up.
Are you going to sign it?
Did you see my video pitch thingy?
I did.
So...
you're asking for money, right?
Was that the important part?
I'm just saying...
we can't make it on my salary alone.
Not if you're going to be doing something artistic.
We already tried that.
When?
When you were inside mommy.
- What happened? - I went back to work.
I can't do that again.
The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don't go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you want.
Don't go back to sleep.
People are crossing, back and forth...
People are crossing, back and forth.
Don't go back to sleep.
Jesus!
Amanda time to get up!
See if Daddy can take you guys.
Daddy's not here!
I have to go.
You scared me.
There's more of that coming.
What do you mean?
Did you get a response?
I'm to present myself to a bank in Lyon this Friday at 10AM.
Lyon?
Lyon is in France.
I know Lyon is in France! What did the message say?
It said sufficient funds would be provided.
Who sent the message?
I don't know it's anonymous.
That's crazy, Ernesto.
It was written in a way that showed
they understood what I was asking for.
Oh, you can tell all that from an email?
Well I'm sorry, that's just too weird.
- I don't care. - Jesus, don't tell me you quit!
I can't sign a contract to a million dollar campaign,
if all this is real!
Holy shit, Ernesto!
You can't just walk away!
You just can't do that!
They'll never let you back in.
I may not let you back in!
Oh, this is too crazy!
Where are you going, Daddy?
Sometimes a Knight is called.
To do what?
To find what has been lost.
What's lost?
I don't know.
But I'll let you know when I find it.
We must find what was lost.
Search the land...
to the edge of...
within.
Where do we look for it?
Portends.
Signs.
I will ride forth in the name of that quest.
We will find this grail or die.
Oui, Monsieur?
My name is Ernesto Makinson. I believe I'm expected?
Yes.
Does everybody get through that door?
No.
Just people who have business here.
Mr. Makinson is here.
May I ask you for some ID, please?
Yes.
- Of course. - Thank you.
Do you prefer I speak French, Mr. Makinson?
Well I...
I understand it better than I speak it.
As you wish.
The person responsible for this account apologizes,
unfortunately he cannot be here today.
Who is the banker in charge of this account?
As the assistant, I am the one in charge of this account
Will the holder of the account be joining us?
You must understand
that our bank's system
takes our clients' privacy very seriously.
Yes, I've heard.
I am... authorized...
to give you...
this amount.
This is US dollars?
Euros.
Do you accept?
- Really? - Yes.
Do you accept?
Absolutely.
We will need about one hour to count the notes.
You mean cash?
Yes!
We all know what happens to the fool who takes cash.
- Are you refusing the offer? - No, no...
But can't a bank transfer be done
to my account in the United States?
Absolutely not.
As I have said,
it is the bank's responsibility to protect the identity...
Trust me, Mr. Schneider,
I understand identity issues all too well.
You didn't answer my question from before.
Who was the banker I was intended to meet?
Monsieur Bassinger.
Can you help arrange a meeting with Monsieur Bassinger?
Are you refusing the money?
No, I'm not refusing the money. I'm refusing to take cash.
It's going to take time.
I want to take that meeting with Monsieur Bassinger.
Well.
I wish you luck... with that.
They weren't good enough.
I have been thinking about taking the cash.
But the truth is I don't live here.
They won't open an account for me.
I thought about going in a bank,
holding up a gun and say, "Take my money, please!"
As your accountant I can't advise you to do that.
- I did go to the US Consulate. - Ernesto.
They said I could bring cash back into the US.
- Ernesto. - All I have to do is declare it.
Ernesto, under no circumstances
should you bring that much cash through customs.
- But... - Homeland Security will ask you
where it came from and you don't know!
They will take your money and hold it
until you give them a good answer.
And you don't have one!
I've got to get that meeting with Bassinger.
THE GREEN FAIRY
There are signs everywhere.
Why do we only look for them when we're lost?
Is it a test?
To be foolish and brave enough to act on them?
Show me the way.
Excuse me?
I'm sorry...
you looked like a Queen. You pulled me in.
What makes you say that?
A beauty and grace that I would...
fight to the death to defend.
In that case,
you may escort your Queen safely across the bridge.
I forgive you for addressing me directly.
Then I may keep my head?
If you make good use of it.
Then I humbly request the Queen's counsel.
I am new to your kingdom.
What be your business here?
A quest.
To what end?
To unlock magic.
And, where, pray,
does this magic reside in my kingdom?
That's part of the mystery, your Highness.
It seems I am to meet a banker by the name of Bassinger.
Do you know something about that?
About magic?
You think...
it's here.
But it isn't.
It's here.
Your escort was a pleasure. Sir...?
I'm afraid I am not a Knight, your Highness.
The business of questing...
Is no work for squires.
You're quite right.
Of course I'm right, I'm the Queen!
Now what is your name?
Ernesto Makinson, your Majesty. At your service.
Unlock the magic in your heart...
and you will prove yourself worthy,
Ernesto Makinson.
Your Highness.
I may need some help with that.
You know something.
Do you consider yourself...
lucky?
I do, why?
Because you should.
Jean Merlin?
Would you be kind enough to help...
a certain gentleman,
for me?
Thank you so much.
You're welcome.
Do you know the person who you were talking to?
No, we just crossed the bridge together.
Who was she?
If she chose not to tell you it's not for me to say.
One thing is for sure. You haven't been here for long.
What can I do for you exactly?
An anonymous donor with an account at this bank,
is willing to give me the means I need to realize my dream.
The banker there...
is only willing to give me cash.
I'd much rather have a wire transfer.
I'm looking for help for it.
What is your dream?
You don't know.
I've got to tell you, your story is too surreal.
An anonymous donation. Really?
Yes.
I'm sorry, but...
because of you I am wasting precious time
away from my family.
It has been...
very entertaining to listen to you, Monsieur.
But now it's enough.
I'm away from my family too.
Do you play an instrument?
- Badly. - Which one?
Piano.
I once heard a master pianist, who plays Mozart,
says that physically it's only possible to play
up to a certain point, before perfection
Where are you going with this?
Monsieur Jean Merlin,
my dream,
is about connecting
from the harsh reality of this world
to the one that's beyond.
To what end?
I'm not sure yet.
Do you know Monsieur Bassinger.
Monsieur Bassinger...
I don't think I ever had
the opportunity of really knowing him.
Who is he, exactly?
May I ask you a personal question?
What are you afraid of, Monsieur Makinson?
What do you mean?
What do you fear the most, Monsieur Makinson?
Is that somehow related
to getting a meeting with Monsieur Bassinger?
Well...
if it is the case, it seems the job of banker
has become interesting again.
Have you had absinthe before?
So, you,
or who or whatever that's out there...
wants to know if I'm strong enough, right?
Genuinely worthy. Right?
Or I will not return from this.
Okay.
When I was a kid,
I had a genuine fear of the dark.
Ghosts...
Werewolves...
Vampires.
They were all terrifying to me.
Because I knew something was there.
I knew this something was real.
Not just figments of my imagination.
This, here, now, is very real.
Right on cue.
I know the drill.
I can disperse them into dust
or transform them back into what they once were.
Until?
Until they come back!
They always come back!
Who?
I know they're parts of me.
Shame. Fear. Criticism. Doubt.
What do they want?
To destroy me.
It's what they do!
We fight with shadows.
It slays us. We slay it.
Until the end.
In the end we all die.
They always kill the shadow in the end.
One way, or another.
But that's not it.
What did these shadows do...
to me?
No!
It's what did these shadows do...
for me!
That's it!
Monsieur Makinson.
Monsieur Bassinger.
Follow me.
Daddy!
- We missed you so much! - I missed you!
Missed you, Daddy!
What do you fear the most, Monsieur Makinson?
If you have something you need to say...
then say it.
It doesn't have to be perfect.
It can't be.
Daddy?
Where are you?
Is it crazy hair day or something?
Yeah, for you too?
Maybe so.
You didn't answer the question, Dad.
Why do you ask?
Well, it's like we never see you anymore.
Mommy's worried.
She says you're up half the night
and sleep half the day.
I wouldn't say it's entirely by choice.
Did you find it?
What?
What was lost.
You said that's what Knights do.
You said you would tell us when you found it.
Yeah.
Did they find it.
In their own way.
What is it then?
Being the hero of your own story.
The same story.
Told a thousand different ways.
But why would everybody tell the same story?
Well, maybe...
if everybody tells the same story,
it's not just their story.
It's everybody's.
How do you know?
I didn't,
until I told you guys.
I hear you.
Where's mommy?
We are rarely grateful...
She's giving us a head start.
For the ordeals that beset us.
But what is clear,
is that if we survive them,
we have a purpose.
Daddy?
A story to tell.
C'mon, Dad.
Just a moment.
You said that like two hours ago.
I know, just one minute.
You go, Daddy.
Okay.
- We'll find a spot, okay? - Go for it.
So you picnic from reality is just about up, right?
I wouldn't call it that.
Hasn't always been a picnic.
No. It hasn't.
You, um...
you had the house appraised.
How did you know?
I saw the vultures circling.
How much time do you have left?
You mean how much money, and...
how much time
before I can no longer afford to pay the mortgage.
You know what I mean.
Three months.
Something's going to work out.
And you aren't going to look for a job, are you?
I feel like I have a job.
We are so different.
We are.
I have a book about
how we can talk to the girls together.
And some documents for you to look over.
I don't want to sell the house.
Then you'll have to buy me out.
Okay, fine.
- With what? - I don't know yet.
That's right.
You're the one who believes in miracles.
I'm done.
That's it.
When everything changes,
inside and out,
what do you hang on to?
What is the one thing,
that you know,
in your heart,
will never, never change.
Hey, girls.
Hey, Daddy.
How you doing?
Good.
What are you thinking about?
Oh...
Stuff.
Like what?
Like...
how do you know when something really makes you feel alive?
Breathing...
usually.
Okay. Maya.
Good.
Amanda?
Chunky-Monkey with whip-cream and strawberries
and hot fudge! And caramel, too!
Good.
I'm thinking about something deeper inside though.
Look deeper inside.
Whenever I finish a paper that
I really like and am proud of...
I sometimes do a happy dance.
Cool.
When I sing I feel happy and alive.
'Kay.
What I was thinking was,
is how that can help you get through tough times.
And stay connected to something that's really important.
So what's really important?
You are.
Where are you, Daddy?
With you, Sweetheart.
Whatever our dream, or nightmare,
whatever our calling,
it's when we look within...
that we find our way...
where we find our balance,
the sense of being whole,
the beauty,
the strength...
in a unity of opposites.
Rolling, OK?
Everybody settle.
- Amanda... - Yes.
Set, OK.
Yeah, bright eyes. Ninety elegant, take four.
Hi...
I'll call you Kevin.
I named all my sea monkeys Kevin.
- I'll call you Kevin. - And... action!
OK, and... cut.