Orbital (Dawar)

Based on a True Story Repeated

Are you back?

I missed you so much.

I was gradually forgetting you.

Hello, son.

Where are you?

Why's your cell off?

And you don't answer at home.

It'd be nice to give us a call sometimes.

We miss you.

I talked to Aida.

Don't bother her so much.

That house isn't ours any more.

Your father had to sell it. So forget about it.

You must vacate in 3 weeks. Pack up and move in with Aida.

Visit us when you get a chance. Take care, bye.

I only have two or three weeks.

Exactly as long as the life of a lucky fly!

They talk about parallel worlds. Right or wrong, I don't know.

But I think if there is a parallel world, I'm

definitely a fly with this much similarity.

Or maybe something like Kafka's Metamorphosis,

where the guy became like a very big insect and everybody left him in the end.

ORBITAL Writer and Director: Meisam Hasanzadeh

Enough!

Show the background.

Give that to me and come on up.

Attention, those who didn't come. Look what you missed.

So foolish of you not to come!

Careful, Milad!

We'll come together next week too.

Everything has been changed by a young adorable girl.

She loves me and I love her.

After two years, for the first time I'm enjoying moments of bliss again.

Nope!

I can't sleep tonight.

I'm having these thoughts again

I don't understand why I'm alone now.

I feel nothing is in its place.

I must review everything again, from the very beginning.

I don't remember well what we first told one another or where we met.

But I think everything began with a photo.

One day in the institute when her class had ended and as usual,

she was taking photos, she heard a sound upon leaving.

Either from behind the window or the corridor, or maybe from behind the door.

I think I was deep into playing and she heard the music,

and came until she reached behind my back.

Exactly behind me.

Mahsa!

She became the sole audience of my concerts very soon.

- What now? - I don't like it.

- What should I do? - Play something else.

- What? - I don't know.

- Say it. - Anything.

Do you want to sing along?

Your breaths know I'll become madly in love if you leave

Swear to your eyes that hold the whole world in them

Don't let me be lost in this corner

Take my cold hands that will wear your warm hands again

I fell for you, look! I love you, that's all

Nobody like you will come on earth again

Everything became different after Mahsa came into my life.

When I played and sang for her, I felt I

was on stage in the middle of a big concert.

Music, stage, Mahsa, sound of the audience cheering.

I was crazy about that mood.

I remember I'd played this song for her many times.

I even remember I'd heard this song somewhere else too.

Where had I heard it? Where was it?

I fell for you, look! I love you, that's all

It was in the car. Yes, I had heard it in the car.

No! It wasn't that.

What was it?

It was Queen. We were listening to Queen.

Where were we going?

I'm sure something important happened in the car that day.

Because that music and image of the car is vivid in my mind.

I have no doubt everything started here.

I must think more. I must go back to before.

- Milad! - What?

Let's take a picture with Shariati.

- Nice shot indeed! - Very pretty.

I can't stretch my arm more.

- You're looking for a good shot? - No.

Oh, I must get my book here. I didn't because I had no money on me.

- Did you bring your wallet? - I didn't bring my briefcase at all.

You forgot again!

- I didn't know. - You forgot!

I came by car. I'll go home and bring it quickly.

No need. I'll get it later, never mind.

Last days of college.

What are you recording? But you were to take photos.

Take a picture. It isn't proper.

She saw us.

It isn't proper.

Recite a poem.

“A poem gets close to and far away from me.”

“Close and far! Like you, like the sea.”

“The paper remains blank in front of me again.”

I swear she didn't understand even one word of it.

It was very nice.

Let me take a photo.

Take it.

Tuesday, the bookstore, Milad and I.

It wasn't like that.

It was what I liked.

Something I always liked to see in Mahsa.

It was only my mentality.

Mahsa didn't like poetry at all, far less wanting me to read it to her aloud.

Most probably, I read it to myself again.

“Still, the wind whistles in my ears”

“Still, the wind whistles in my ears”

“Still, fear flows in my veins”

“With a bandaged head, a deep wound in the wing I don't have”

“I'm standing before you, O distracted boy. Look well.”

“Giving in to dreams is a dangerous game Like skiing on pitched roofs”

We're taking photos now.

- Usual archives again? - Yes.

Tuesday, in the library.

We'd go to the cinema on Thursdays.

Yes, I think we did.

You're filming?

You're crazy! Go down.

We're late. The film's started.

Okay, go. Don't you want to watch it?

- Aren't you coming? - Yes.

It was always a question for me what exactly mattered to Mahsa.

I liked very much to be in her place. She didn't even have mercy on cinema.

Cut it! Okay.

We're going into the theater. Stop it!

We're not disturbing anyone.

Cut it! We want to watch a movie, stop it.

Okay.

It's started.

Cut it. I want to make a film of my life as a keepsake.

Smile.

Don't disturb people.

Just a little smile.

People are watching a movie.

Just a little smile.

It was good, thanks.

Say bye.

Milad?

Milad?

Milad?

Where are you?

It whistles. It's getting worse every day.

It's nothing.

- What is that? - A photo.

A photo?

- Everybody's watching. - It's only a photo.

It's improper, they're all looking

- That's because you're a celebrity. - Nonsense.

It's just a photo. Is that why you don't want me in the photo?

I said they are watching.

- Good? - Yes.

That is what I've always been afraid of. Others, staring off.

I think about it whenever I leave home

My biggest problem is that I don't know whether

or not to greet the people I see outside.

I don't know if I know them or not. If they know me or not.

I don't even know if they glance at me or not.

But others look at me.

It's scary when you don't know where you've seen that stranger before.

But they know you quite well.

Many times I think others are filming or photographing me.

As Mahsa says, I'm nobody but I feel they do that to me.

No!

None of the selfies had anything to do with that day in the car.

I must think more.

Where did I go that morning?

Oh, music class! My mobile alarm showed MUSIC CLASS.

Where are you, Milad?

It's Katyusha. We've practiced and played it together many times.

I've forgotten it.

Record it. I'll play it again for you.

Nope! It wasn't that day either.

It was Saturday morning if I'm not mistaken.

Where was I going on Saturday morning?

Oh, I wanted to run some errands for Mahsa's dissertation.

That's why I'd set up the alarm.

TYPING AND BINDING MAHSA'S THESIS

Mahsa's thesis!

SHARIATI AVE, CAFÉ FLAMANT

SHARIATI AVE, CAFÉ FLAMANT

SHARIATI AVE, CAFÉ FLAMANT

We went to Café Flamant on Saturdays

Hello.

Look at your watch.

When did you come?

- Where's your ring? - Oh, where's my ring?

- Stop being funny. - Let's go in.

- Were we to meet in the coffee shop? - You said to come here.

- I just asked you to come early once. - Yes, I'm 10 minutes late.

I don't want to talk about it. Did you bring it?

Yes.

Oh, thank you, darling.

Thank you, Milad.

- Is that right? - Yes.

My professor's notes.