Limitless

Edmond Morrell, an uninspired and struggling writer, trudges through life with a sense of restlessness, feeling like he is sleepwalking through his days. Despite his best efforts, his writing is met with rejection and criticism from his doubting family, as well as his inability to secure a big publishing deal. The words he writes feel empty, lacking the depth and passion that he so desperately desires to convey. Edmond spends most of his free time at a tavern, nursing a drink and trying to muster the courage to take a chance on himself. That's when Eddie Morra, the writer's slightly more confident and adventurous alter ego, steps in, albeit briefly, allowing Edmond glimpses of a better life. A flashback to his college days shows Edmond's immense potential as a writer, with a professor commending his work. However, the flashback ends abruptly as Edmond fails to take the chance to pursue a master's degree in writing, disillusioned by his own perceived lack of talent. Years later, circumstances change dramatically when Edmond meets Vernon (played by a smooth-talking investment banker type) in the tavern. Vernon takes an instant shine to Edmond and invites him back to his apartment, where a sleekly-packaged pill awaits. Titled NZT-48, this cleverly disguised 'smart drug' promises unparalleled cognitive enhancement, granting users access to a whopping 100% of their brain's resources. Promising Edmond that his life will change if only he takes this pill, Vernon convinces him to skip breakfast and take the NZT-48, which tastes surprisingly like sweet vanilla wafers. Edmond goes against his better judgment and swallows the pill, resulting in him waking up later with his vision and insight transformed. Words pour effortlessly onto his blank sheet of paper, conveying feelings, insights, and depth like never before. His prose sings, crafting characters that exist dynamically as real people. Inspired by this newfound capacity for creative expression, Edmond goes to the library and reads one book in just one sitting. On his walk home that evening, he observes everyone with renewed curiosity, perceiving connections that before seemed nonexistent. Throughout the series of experiments and novel drafts, the increased accessibility of his intellect only serves to broaden Edmond's vision for the vast potential behind NZT-48. Meanwhile, dark forces led by Carl van Loon, a finance mogul who is shaken by Edmond's swift completion of complex financial trades, surface. The relentless businessman becomes fixated on securing the rights to NZT-48 as his company eyes immense profits. Concurrently, upon evaluating the unpredictable and powerful effects of the NZT-48, a combination of experts speculates on the ingredients of the formula, while scientists ascribe a potent anxiolytic effect to tranquilized alpha helices. Despite questioning NZT-48's legitimacy, this collaboration between organizations reaches a breaking point when they seek to exploit the limitless effects of the brain-enhancing drug. Edmond initially uses his newfound abilities for personal gain and success, connecting with both Vernon and Carl, only to realize that relying solely on the NZT-48 has disrupted the lives of those closest to him. As danger comes closer, driven by dark force of human desire, Edmond becomes the target of these pursuing adversaries. Wounded and battered, he ends up finding the limits to his intellect and capabilities with respect to the pursuit of a safe and moral life. To extricate himself, Edmond uses NZT-48 to think through and navigate the web of sinister individuals attempting to dominate and control his abilities. While desperate and terrified, he confronts these adversaries, reaching a key confrontation with Carl van Loon, where a merciless and paranoid assassin injects himself with the potent neuroactive to become a viable bodyguard to van Loon. Tangled, complex, and on the run from a plot woven around addictive NZT-48, Edmond scrambles to outmaneuver and outsmart the network of shadowy figures that appears to multiply as quickly as his talent. For once grasping NZT-48 represents an exhilarating whirlwind that disrupts the usual progression of his routine life, transforming his mind but also imposing him into the orbit of a potent curse of addictive self-reinvention. After suffering countless ordeals and trying situations, Edmond strips down to a pure version of himself - not relying on the intoxicating energy or mental superiority enabled by NZT-48. Relating to individuals amidst a series of grueling decisions brings sense of redemption to this increasingly complex journey, not forgetting that limits certainly apply and becoming who you want to be is dependent on understanding what remains.