A Scanner Darkly

The war on drugs has been lost by the United States. A potent narcotic called substance D, which creates strange hallucinations, has taken over the nation. Addiction affects 20% of the population overall. In response, the government created a network of undercover agents and informants as well as an intrusive, high-tech surveillance system. One of these undercover officers, Bob Arctor, was tasked with infiltrating the drug trade's underbelly and moving up the supply chain. Arctor sees himself living in his Anaheim, California, home with a wife and two children; in reality, he shares it with Luckman and Barris, two drug addicts and slackers. The three spend a lot of time using D and conducting intricate, potentially paranoid analyses of their experiences. Arctor wears a "scramble suit" in the police station to maintain his anonymity; he is only known by the code name "Fred." This outfit constantly alters every part of his voice and look. All other undercover officers, including "Hank," Arctor's senior officer, also wear scramble suits to conceal their identities.