Black Metallic

Listen, I'm going to tell you my weird little idea. This is a story that'll never get written, and a movie that'll never get made. But I'd like to be able to remember it someday, so I'm writing it down now.

This came to me, ohhh, a little over a year ago, I think. It's tied in with crossfade version of Black Metallic by Catherine Wheel that I made by mixing the acoustic version of the song with the regular version.

The movie opens on a rainy day, to the strains of the acoustic version of the song. A young man of about thirty is driving on a dirt road with his wife, and two or three of their friends in the back. I imagined they were on their way to a bush party somewhere or something. Anyway, they turn off the road and head into the forest. There's a lot of banter, some of it friendly, some of it a little edgy. It becomes clear there are some issues between our hero and his wife, and that they may have something to do with one of the fellows in the back (at this point, The Circle Is Small by Gordon Lightfoot might be appropriate...).

After a while, it starts to become obvious they're lost. Lots of recriminations, snarlings over maps, that sort of thing, as they pause in a clearing. In the course of things, they come to realize they've entered some other world. They're set upon by strange, vaguely humanoid robots, and one of them is killed. They abandon the car and hide in the forest. There they're met by what look like human beings, except that they're furry and naked and behave like cats... suspicious and nasty, self-interested. Probably non-verbal, but I haven't decided. Very sensual, though.

Now think along the lines of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. This is a world that claims human souls. Unless you are diligent in resisting, you will fall into one of these two camps, and either transform into a cold, logical, powerful, but sexless machine, or else a bestial, consciousless animal person. The other chap our hero's wife is interested in eventually gives in and loses the struggle, and before their eyes, he is transformed. Apparently liberated from all that held him back, he runs off with a pack of others like him, pausing only to look back at our hero's wife. She shakes her head and he disappears.

The other friend eventually goes the other way. Always the sort who was afraid of life, always backing away from risk and pleasure for fear of ridicule, he surrenders to the machines and becomes one of them. This leaves our hero and his wife, clinging to their humanity.

The machines are out to destroy the bestial ones, but they seem to be in a truce with "regular" humans, whom they call "logic beasts". They even let our hero and his wife wander through their facilities and even access their data banks. Our hero discovers there may be a way back, but it will require some help.

Meanwhile, the wife's paramour is never far away, always at the edge of things. Finally, after putting up the good fight, she surrenders in a tearful scene. Her last words are an apology to our hero, before she changes, and rushes into the arms of their friend. Our hero is along, the only one who has not lost his soul.

He sets about trying to create the portal to take himself home. He is stymied and can't quite manage it. Help comes from the friend who became a machine. There's just enough of who he was left to want to help. He gives our hero the last item or information he needs to get home. Our hero makes one last appeal to his wife and two friends to join him. In returning, they would be changed back, he reasons. The machine simply turns and goes. Our hero calls into the forest from the edge of the clearing. His wife and friend are watching from the darkness. She moves, takes a step, but he takes her by the hand, and she nuzzles into his shoulder. They've made their choice. Receiving no reply, our hero can do nothing but tell her he loves her, and he gets into the car.

She emerges from the forest, but stands at the edge.

He gazes at her out the driver's side window, and then, to the opening glides of the regular version of Black Metallic, he starts the car, and heads for the portal. Seen from his perspective, the car is engulfed in darkness. Light appears, and suddenly he emerges from an underpass, in one of the centre lanes of a superhighway, surrounded by other cars on a blazingly bright summer day.

Cut to a shot of his ring finger. No wedding band.

The photo of his wife tucked under the strap of the sun shade is also gone.

The look on his face is unconcerned. Those he has left behind no longer exist. Not even for him.

Cut to the exterior of the car. The wheel, racing. The gleam of chrome. A bridge abuttment. A dump truck. Back to our hero, seen from outside. The camera pulls back, other cars are seen around him. Cut to an aerial shot of his car in amidst dozens of others. Then hundreds. Various shots of the things around him. Back to the shot of traffic from above. The car is utterly lost in the sea of traffic; it is impossible to even say with certainty which flow of traffic he was part of. He has simply vanished back into an ocean of humanity, souls carefully balanced on the razor's edge between animal and machine. The scene fades to black while the song contiues to play. The credits fade up, then roll. The end.

I've never seen you when you're smiling
It really gets under my skin
You say it's easy when it's faster
I still can't guess what you're after

It's the colour of your skin
Your skin is black metallic
It's the colour of your skin
Your skin is black metallic
Your skin is black metallic
Your skin is black metallic

I think of you when you're sleeping
Of all the secrets that you're keeping
You can't stay all day under the covers
'Cause under there you'll discover

It's the colour of your skin
Your skin is black metallic
It's the colour of your skin
Your skin is black metallic
Your skin is black metallic
You're turning black metallic

It's the colour of your skin
It's the colour of your skin

Your skin is black metallic
Your skin is black metallic
Your skin is black metallic
You're turning black metallic

It's the colour of your skin
Your skin is black metallic
Your skin is black metallic
Your skin is black metallic
Your skin is black metallic
Your skin is black metallic
Your skin is black metallic