Clean, Shaven

The film opens with abstract images and sounds reflecting the director's interpretation of schizophrenia. Peter Winter has just been released from a mental institution and must navigate a world that feels foreign to him. The opening hints at the fragility of his grip on reality as he begins his search for his daughter Nicole.

While searching for Nicole, Peter's car is struck by a soccer ball and a young girl appears at the windshield. When Peter exits, the audience hears screams of a young girl, creating the implication that he may have harmed her. He also carries a large orange bag into his trunk, a detail that foreshadows the mystery.

Peter returns home, and sounds invade his senses, never letting him feel completely at rest. He believes there is a transmitter under the skin on his head and goes to remove it. He becomes obsessed with mirrors, often covering them to block out reflections. The home itself becomes a battleground for his paranoia.

The car is encased in newspaper and Peter withdraws from the outside world, reinforcing his isolation. This act underscores the paranoia slowly taking hold of him. His mother, Mrs. Winter, remains troubled and tries to shield him from his daughter, treating him like a child.

Mrs. Winter's distress grows as she tries to protect Peter from the consequences of his past. She clings to the hope that he will not find Nicole and will remain within the boundaries she imposes. The tension between care and control adds pressure to Peter's fragile state.

Peter's travels pull him into the investigation of another young girl's murder. Detective Jack McNally is stymied because there is almost no evidence at the scene. Although nothing links Peter to the crime, he becomes a suspect in the eyes of the investigators.

The search intensifies as Peter abducts Nicole from her adoptive mother. The detective continues to shadow him, closing the distance between the father and daughter. Peter's act of taking Nicole pushes the conflict toward a direct confrontation with law enforcement.

Just as Peter begins to reconcile with his daughter, Detective McNally arrives to arrest him. Peter draws a gun to protect Nicole, signaling a desperate, protective impulse. The stakes escalate as the confrontation threatens both their lives and the girl's safety.

McNally shoots Peter, convinced that he is seeing the dead body of Nicole. The gunfire ends Peter's attempt to defend his daughter, turning the moment into a tragic climax of fear and misperception.

Nicole is found to be safe, and McNally fires Peter's gun into the air to avoid charges for killing a man unnecessarily. He then opens the orange bag and finds nothing but newspaper inside, underscoring the absence of concrete evidence and the eerie emptiness of the earlier clues.