The CTR Anthology
Page 75
François: No.
David: Is it nineteen eight-two?
Franqçois: Yes.
David: Are we in the month of August?
François: No.
David: Are we in the month of July?
François: Yes.
David: Are you responsible for the death of Marie-Claude Légaré?
François: No.
David: Now, the result of this polygraph test gave evidence that this witness was actually telling the truth. But the person conducting the test told him afterwards that they “did not believe he was actually lying, but that he was not telling the whole truth” – in order to use the spontaneous emotional reaction of the witness as the ultimate proof of his innocence.
(François leaps to his feet, tearing off the electrodes, beside himself with rage and panic. He is screaming and crying that he has told the truth, again and again and again, he has told the truth, and that the truth will never be enough for them but it’s all that he has … he breaks down and stumbles out of view.)
David: Should this latter subterfuge be brought into play, great care and compassion must be exercised. By inducing such stress one could easily trigger a damaging psychological reaction, even – possibly – a mental disorder, in the mind of a totally innocent subject. For example, I happened to come across the subject from this demonstration years after the inquiry was closed, to discover that he had started to doubt his own innocence.
However, I’m sure you will agree that this eventuality is the exception and not the rule; it certainly does not suffice to cast the shadow of doubt upon the immense possibilities offered by North-American technology for the prevention and detection of crime.
Danke, und Aufwiedersehen.
(Lights black out on David.)
Projection
THE AUTOPSY: INTERIOR, NIGHT
(The large mirror above the wall has flipped over so as to hang like a platform over a hospital gurney.
François’ naked corpse lies on the gurney. Lucie enters, to identify the body. She looks up at her reflection next to his in the mirror, and recites the Cocteau which David taught her:)
Lucie: “Beware death. She comes and goes through mirrors.”
(A soundscape of noises from the Metro begins, and develops into a musical score. David enters, as if to perform an autopsy on François, and the scene immediately becomes choreographic, expressing the relationships between David, François and Lucie which have begun and now are ending. The wheeled gurney acts as a mechanical train which cuts through each relationship before it can develop; it separates, and traps, each of them.
The closing sequence begins with a light change; as François lies on the gurney, a skeleton is seen through the mirror above him, in the place of his reflection. Lucie crouches over him, as though she has just finishes making love with him. She draws a flame out of his heart, which she holds aloft, as she stands and steps backwards off the gurney, seemingly into darkness. Balanced on the pedestal of the camera dolly, she flies backwards offstage, still holding the flame high, towards François’ corpse, as the lights and music slowly fade.)
THE END