The Voorman Problem

Dr. Williams is brought in to the prison hospital to assess a troubling case amid a shortage of doctors after the War in the East. He reports to Governor Bentley and is tasked with evaluating Voorman, a prisoner who has convinced others to worship him. The case is complicated by a mysterious computer malfunction that seems to wipe critical records.

In a stark, locked room, Voorman, in a straitjacket, calmly asserts that he is a god who created the world nine days ago. He claims he planted memories of an older reality to make everyone’s recollections a fabrication. His unsettling certainty challenges Williams’ scientific skepticism from the start.

Voorman proposes a dramatic test of his power by claiming he can erase Belgium from existence. Williams initially treats the boast as a parlor trick, but the threat unsettles him as the interview grows more intense. The stakes reveal a godlike manipulation that Williams can neither confirm nor deny.

Williams goes home and tries to show Belgium in an atlas to Mrs. Williams, only to discover the country has vanished and an inland sea named Walloon Lagoon sits in its place. The miraculous disappearance forces Williams to confront the possibility that reality itself can be rewritten. He begins to doubt his own perceptions as the supernatural claim presses on him.

Back at the prison, Williams finds there is no tangible proof that Belgium ever existed, deepening his doubt. Voorman’s calm confidence spreads through the inmates as he explains his expanding influence. Williams wrestles with the idea that a god might exist only to toy with human memory and perception.

Voorman confesses that he enjoys the confinement of the prison and the captive audience more than a devoted following of believers. He also lays out a chilling philosophy: he created humans to entertain himself, finding wars to be “comedy gold.” Williams is left offended and unsettled by this cold pragmatism.

Voorman explains why he chose Williams for this experiment: a nonreligious man would be more susceptible to tricks. Their conversation builds toward a proposed switch of places. The revelation adds a new layer of danger, blurring the line between patient and doctor.

Voorman abruptly whistles and, in a flash, the roles are swapped: Voorman stands in the real world as a poised doctor, while Williams is left in the straitjacket as a patient. The transformation disorients both men and unsettles the prison staff. The immediate power dynamic shifts dramatically toward the “deity.”

Voorman adopts a clinical psychiatrist’s tone to mock Williams, who can no longer engage normally in the interview. Williams shouts for help but is ignored as Voorman exits. Before leaving, Voorman warns Williams to “watch North Korea,” hinting at larger implications beyond the cell.

Williams struggles to maintain a grip on reality as the room’s authority flips. He is overwhelmed by the idea that the world may be a staged illusion. The unsettling switch leaves him with a lingering sense of vulnerability and existential doubt.

The inmates’ chants swell in the background, signaling mounting tension as Voorman’s power holds sway. Williams sits restrained while the new doctor navigates the interview with eerie calm. The entire facility seems to be holding its breath.

The exchange ends with Voorman's final ominous remark and the suggestion that Belgium’s disappearance is only the beginning. The boundary between god and man remains blurred, leaving Williams to confront the fragility of reality. The scene closes on a note of unsettling suspense as the camera lingers on the prison’s corridors and the unknown outside.