The sum of the parts is the unexpected result for anyone with even the slightest streak of luck—ten days of long shoots just to reach the end of most of their scenes. At least, in some instances, what mattered was the little that was known, the relevance of those moments in which people may, or may not, turn opportunities into something worth remembering.
-I don't have room for missed opportunities. – Carrie said in a serious tone. Her voice was weighed down, as if diminished by the sheer amount of work she had to face.
-That's the line you want to add? – Billy asked. He had been immersed for some time now in a long and demanding performance, with a reason so faint it barely made sense, yet rooted in the work he was now doing with his stars—something he had grown used to.
An untimely, nearly forgotten line.
-I want to, but sometimes, when I slow down, when it all feels almost impossible, I think Trinity lives the life she wants—but it's far more complicated than I ever expected. It's only when I see her that I realize—she's obsessed. And the peace you find is nothing more than a fleeting line, always pursued. – Carrie replied. For months now, she had held Trinity in special regard. One of the reasons she ended up in bed with Billy was because of the intense desire that surged through her heart every time she embodied Trinity. Twelve months playing the same character, even when she was caught up in her own life and working on other productions—Trinity had been part of her for a long time.
-I see. I've gone through the same thing. For months I've been making my own considerations about every role I take, and I've found I develop a taste for it, or for what I'm trying to reach. It happened only once before, but it all started with The English Patient—one of the most intense films I ever worked on. – Billy replied, shuffling through his pages. – It may be confusing to understand, but… when the terms are set, it's like I'm carrying out the catharsis I never managed to face on my own. For months now, I've been able to do it. –
What can a person do—whether they want to or not?
-Well, I suppose we have to do what we have to do. – Carrie said at last.
…
-Scene 79, take 5.-
Architect: Hello, Neo.
Neo: Who are you?
Architect: I am the Architect. I created the Matrix. I've been waiting for you.
You have many questions, and though the process has altered your consciousness, you remain irrevocably human. Ergo, some of my answers you will understand, and some you will not. Accordingly, while your first question may be the most pertinent, you may realize—or not—that it is also the most irrelevant.
Neo: Why am I here?
Architect: Your life is the sum of the remainder of an unbalanced equation inherent in the programming of the Matrix. You are the eventuality of an anomaly that, despite my best efforts, I have been unable to eliminate from what would otherwise be a harmony of mathematical precision. While it remains a burden that is assiduously avoided, it is not unexpected and therefore not beyond a measure of control, which has led you, inexorably... here. Neo: You haven't answered my question. Architect: Very well. Interesting. That was quicker than the others.
TV Neos: Others? How many others? What others? Please answer my question! Architect: The Matrix is older than you think. I prefer to count from the appearance of one integral anomaly to the appearance of the next, in which case this is the 6th version.
TV Neos: 5 'One is before me? 4 3 2 What are you talking about?
Neo: There are only two possible explanations: either nobody told me, or nobody knows.
Architect: Precisely. As you are no doubt deducing, the anomaly is systemic, creating fluctuations even in the most simplistic equations. TV Neos: You can't control me! I'm going to tear you to pieces! I'm going to kill you!
Neo: Choice. The problem is choice.
Architect: The first Matrix I designed was naturally perfect, a work of art, flawless, sublime. A triumph matched only by its monumental failure. The inevitability of its fate is now clear to me as a consequence of the imperfection inherent in all human beings. Therefore, I redesigned it based on its history to more accurately reflect the various grotesqueries of its nature. However, I was once again frustrated by failure. Since then, I have come to understand that the answer eluded me because it required a lesser mind, or perhaps a mind less constrained by the parameters of perfection. Therefore, the answer was found by another: an intuitive program, initially created to investigate certain aspects of the human psyche. If I am the father of the matrix, she would undoubtedly be its mother.
Neo: The Oracle.
Architect: Please. As I was saying, I stumbled upon a solution whereby nearly 99% of all test subjects accepted the program, provided they were given a choice, even if they were only aware of the choice on a near-subconscious level. While this response worked, it was obviously fundamentally flawed, thus creating the contradictory systemic anomaly, which, if left unchecked, could threaten the system itself. Ergo, those who rejected the program, while a minority, if left unchecked, would constitute a growing probability of disaster.
Neo: It's about Zion.
Architect: You are here because Zion is about to be destroyed, all its living inhabitants terminated, its entire existence eradicated.
Neo: Shit.
TV Neos: Shit!
Architect: Denial is the most predictable of all human responses, but rest assured that this will be the sixth time we have destroyed it, and we have become extremely efficient at it.
Architect: The function of the One is now to return to the Source, allowing a temporary diffusion of the code you carry, reinserting the main program. After which, you will be asked to select 23 individuals from the Matrix, 16 women, 7 men, to rebuild Zion. Failure to comply with this process will result in a catastrophic collapse of the system, killing everyone connected to the Matrix, which, together with the extermination of Zion, will ultimately result in the extinction of the entire human race.
Neo: You won't let that happen. You can't. You need human beings to survive.
Architect: There are levels of survival we are willing to accept. However, the relevant question is whether or not you are ready to accept responsibility for the death of every human being in this world. It is interesting to read your reactions. Your five predecessors were based, by design, on a similar preaching, a contingent affirmation that was intended to create a deep attachment to the rest of your species, facilitating the function of the One. While the others experienced this in a very general way, your experience is much more specific, vis-à-vis love.
Neo: Trinity.
Architect: Incidentally, she entered the Matrix to save your life, at the cost of her own. Neo: No. Architect: Which brings us finally to the moment of truth, where the fundamental flaw is ultimately expressed, and the anomaly is revealed as beginning and end. There are two doors. The door on your right leads to the Source and the salvation of Zion. The door on your left leads back to the Matrix, to her, and to the end of your kind. As you say, the problem is choice. But we already know what you're going to do, don't we? I can already see the chain reaction, the chemical precursors that signal the onset of an emotion, designed specifically to overwhelm logic and reason, an emotion that is already blinding you to the simple and obvious truth. She is going to die, and there is nothing you can do to stop it.
Architect: Hope. It is the quintessential human illusion, simultaneously the source of your greatest strength and your greatest weakness.
Neo: If I were you, I hope we don't meet again. Architect: We won't.
...
-Then, - sighed Billy.
-Nothing you have to do,- said Andy.
-Nothing that was outstanding,- replied Billy, who now had a final fight against Mr. Smith. How rough and indiscreet fights are in the coming days.