Brainstorm

The brain–computer interface is unveiled as a working prototype when the team demonstrates it to investors, following CEO Alex’s instruction. They reveal that the device can record sensations from a person’s brain on tape for others to experience. The demonstration sets the stage for funding and future development.

Karen dons the recorder while collaborating with Michael and Lillian in the lab, beginning the first actual recording session. They discover that the device captures emotional states along with physical sensations. This realization foreshadows ethical and personal consequences to come.

Michael tapes memories of times with Karen and plays them back for her. Watching the memories brings them closer, sparking a long-awaited reconciliation between the estranged spouses. The recording demonstrates the potential of shared memories to repair relationships.

Alex and the investors push to recruit Landan, a government contact with military ties, to accelerate the project’s development. Karen vehemently opposes turning the invention toward warfare or coercive use. The debate heightens tensions over the project’s direction.

Gordy uses the recorder during intimate contact and shares the tape with colleagues. Hal takes a segment and splices it into a continuous orgasm, creating sensory overload that forces Hal into retirement. The incident reveals how easily the technology can be misused and abused.

Lillian, a chain smoker with heart problems, suffers a heart attack while working alone. Realizing she may die, she records her experience so others can feel what she endures. The moment underscores the severe risks of broadcasting intimate physiological states.

Michael decides to play Lillian’s recording and nearly dies as his body relives the heart attack. He reconfigures his console to filter the physical output and replays the tape instead. As he watches, he sees memory bubbles—moments from Lillian’s life, including a humorous exchange with Michael, a surprise birthday party, and the disappointment when a project is canceled.

Landan’s men monitor the playback while Gordy plugs in, ignoring warnings that Michael has modified the terminal. Gordy dies from experiencing Lillian’s heart attack, a stark reminder of the price paid for raw access to memories. The event pushes the project toward a dangerous brink.

Hal cuts the playback short, intensifying Michael’s urge to see the full tape. Michael’s son Chris inadvertently views the memory and suffers a psychotic break that lands him in the hospital. The incident demonstrates the devastating, unintended consequences of exposing intimate memories to the vulnerable.

Michael confronts Alex about Project Brainstorm, accusing the project of enabling abuses and deaths. Alex denies knowledge of the program and informs him of Gordy’s death, further fueling Michael’s fury. Michael vows to destroy his work and enlists Karen and Hal to help.

Michael and Karen go to Pinehurst Resort, aware they are under surveillance, and stage a pretend reconciliation while Hal’s team tries to hack the Brainstorm system. Karen sabotages the robots manufacturing the interface terminals, triggering a cascading failure. The plan throws the plant into chaos as security collapses.

Karen disables security to allow the sabotage to proceed as Michael loads Lillian’s tape into the facility’s systems. The plant erupts into chaos and Robert orders Michael’s arrest. The escalation marks a turning point from corporate intrigue to outright crisis.

Karen follows Michael to a phone booth at the Wright Brothers memorial, where the tape finally plays. Michael experiences an afterlife vision—hell, a journey through the universe, and a cosmic light—before collapsing. He awakens to Karen’s frantic pleas and, amid memory bubbles, whispers, 'Look at the stars' as their embrace carries them into the night.