A Fox Under a Pink Moon (2026) Movie Script
November 19th, 2019,
from Istanbuls Zeytun Burna Dormitory.
Hello, 'Uncle' Mehrdad.
I hope you're doing well.
It's been three days since
I last heard from you.
I miss you and I'm worried about you.
They say the internet
is completely down in Iran,
so I can't communicate with my friends.
I've sent you the films I took,
but they havent been marked seen yet.
I hope you can get back online very soon.
Tonight, a smuggler called us and said we
might have a game (aka sneak across the border)
tomorrow around 11am.
He told us to pack our things and be ready.
I can fit a few of them in my backpack.
I should wear my glasses.
I strapped them on to my pack
to not lose them in the water.
Its very crowded over there.
The damn cops are over there.
Theyve piled 40 of us into a van.
We're on top of each other.
There is no room.
Weve been driving for about 6 hours.
Look over by the bridge, its like heaven.
Look outside! Its paradise.
Be careful.
This thing youre kicking is my child.
Take care of the kid. You squished it.
Open your eyes.
Thats my kid under your feet.
Youre killing my child!
Huh? What are you saying?
Send praises. Lets finish this.
Enough!
Shush!
Security guards!!
It's cold!
We have to return.
We are turning back.
There was an argument in the van.
There isnt enough room.
One of the babies fell under our feet.
The driver ran away.
We had to abandon
the minivan because it had been spotted.
We are now getting taxis
to return to the dormitory.
All the smugglers do is take advantage of us.
We're young and don't know better.
But there'salimit!
I sometimes draw when I have free time.
We've been gaming for
three times now, and it's not happening.
We were out at sea for like
an hour and twenty minutes.
The Greek cops started chasing us halfway
and didnt stop till we reached the island.
They kept yelling at us to stop,
but we just didnt.
Finally, we made it.
If you have the money,
Thessalonica is dangerous but it's worth it.
God forbid they deport us,
Oh my God, that was so bad!
because if the police catch us,
they will deport us.
Happy birthday.
Happy birthday.
A bushel of roses, a gift for you
Happy birthday!
You had a home, for a brief time
You weren't a thorn, this much I know
Ah, Afghan child, oh, Afghan child
Oh, all your dreams are in turmoil
Be patient, God is just
A group of families who tried to cross
the water to Thessaloniki,
Greece,
failed and returned
to the dormitory exhausted.
The last game we played
was very dangerous.
We went all the way to the sea,
and got to the water.
- You made it to the water?
- Yes.
We hoped we had finally made it.
But, then the motor in our boat broke down.
We were floating in the sea for 90 minutes.
The motor wouldnt start,
and we realized our boat was leaking.
There was a small hole and
the boat was filling with water.
We started praying
for the police to catch us.
I have experienced drowning in my life.
My clown, like a life raft,
holds these people in herembrace.
She doesnt want even
one person to fall into the water.
I wonder what illegal emigrants think
about when they are drowning in the sea?
Do they ponder their wishes?
Or where their dreams and hopes will go?
While I was painting my clown here
my heart ached for
everyone she was embracing.
but what real help could I be?
We have a game tonight,
and have a new smuggler.
I hope we can make it this time,
because if we can't make it,
we'll have to return to Iran,
as there's no other choice.
The weather has gotten very cold,
and staying in Turkey
is really not good for us.
They say the van is overheating
and we might have to walk.
Hurry up!
- Do the ladies also have to get out?
- Yes, everyone has to go.
I don't know what to do.
Auntie, Hurry up.
I don't know where we are going!
My legs can't carry me.
Our van broke down on the way
and they said tonight
they'll send us another van,
but it's been
very cold since last night; freezing.
So cold, I couldn't sleep at all.
I don't know how
the others have managed to sleep.
My feet are completely numb and they hurt.
It's 3:42 pm.
We're still in the same forest.
Were waiting for night to fall.
-Chamran, how are you?
-Okay.
I froze last night.
What are you guys doing?
We're making a mouse house.
It's a beautiful house.
We don't have such
a nice house in this whole world.
Your house is beautiful.
-Which side is the door on?
-Here!
My phone is off.
We have no bread or water.
Where is your car?
Half of the others went to the highway
and are calling the police.
Half are left in the forest, soaked by rain.
The kids are freezing to death.
My phone is dying.
What the hell am I going to do?
The Turkish police have caught us.
I don't know where they're taking us now.
Today is November 25th, 2019,
and we've been in
a refugee camp for three days,
and we've just been released.
I caught a bad cold
and had a fever for two days.
There were no doctors inside the camp.
I barely survived.
'Uncle' Mehrdad, it didn't happen!
We couldn't cross the border.
After three months
of hardship and struggling,
the Turkish police
wouldn't let us go to Greece.
4th floor
-Thank you
- Hello, How are you?
Good evening.
Im sorry,
this plastic garbage bag is leaking.
[Parking.]
[Welcome!]
This is my husband, Ali.
- Ali, why are you working like this?
- What?
Why are you working like that?
Dont do that.
Ali!
I drew this painting.
I have a painting on each floor.
The room we live in is in the parking lot.
It's in a really bad spot.
We constantly hear the sounds of
the garage doors and cars and the furnace.
That's why most of the time
I'm upstairs on the roof.
[Members of the United Nations
Security Council are considering issuing...]
[a statement demanding
an immediate halt to Taliban attacks.]
[In this statement,
the Security Council warns]
[gainst recognizing
the Taliban Islamic Emirate...]
[and supporting any government in
Afghanistan that has been imposed by force.]
I found this dove today.
I think one of her wings is broken.
He raised the price because
he has to sneak you into to Istanbul.
He said some Turks arent trustworthy
and demand a lot of money.
22 million ($1000) or more to let you pass.
He said, wherever you stay in Iran,
even in the mountains,
we will provide you with bread.
But he said Turkey has
become a place where they take money
but don't do the job
and no one cares if you starve.
- Ali, are you happy to be my husband?
- No.
Why not?
Why?
- I mean, are you happy?
- No
I want to go be with my mom.
I miss her a lot.
It's been eight years since I have seen her.
But she's far from me.
She's in Austria.
To get passport I need an ID.
I have to go to Afghanistan to get an ID.
But I need a passport to go to Afghanistan.
Ridiculous!
If I can't go to Austria,
I'll have stay here
forever and be a maid.
People ask me why I don't talk.
I express my pains in the form of a clown.
I talk to the moon
about my longing
and seek advice from the fox.
Clowns are strong.
Id like to be a clown.
I turn my fears into a demon sculpture.
The moon, the fox,
the clown, and the demon live inside me.
To me, we're a complete family.
My dearest love, dangerous is separation
Barren are the branches of separation
You and I should sit together in one place
For sudden death may come from separation
Let me introduce my new cat, Apricot.
If Ali finds out that I fed you on a plate,
he will bang our heads together.
Who are you?
Introduce yourself.
I haven't seen you here before.
I was asleep until eleven
when someone knocked on the door.
I opened the door.
It was someone
who lives on the second floor.
He brought a whole bunch of things
for me to cook and fry.
Ive been frying all day.
There's a bunch more
right here in front of me,
I'm really tired.
You came back, oh my dear,
My everything,
I would give my life for you,
I and a hundred others like me
would give our lives for you.
Stop filming.
I am not filming you.
My father died when I was five
and I lived with my mom
for two years.
Then my mom left and
I was raised by my uncle.
Ever since my father died,
I have gotten used to being beaten.
Ive been beaten since
I was seven years old.
The first time you get a beating,
it doesn't hurt, you just get shocked.
The last time you get beaten,
it hurts a lot.
But your soul has become numb.
The first time Ali beat me
was a week after our wedding.
I don't know how many times
I've been beaten.
I don't know what happened to my clown.
They told her you can go
and be independent and live alone.
But their idea of loneliness
was with another partner.
It was time for you to go,
even though you were a child.
One day my clown saw
that she had gotten married,
but didn't know that if
she was told to do something,
she had to say, Yes, sir!
At first, she didn't say Yes, sir
so they beat her.
All her expectations were shattered,
but it was too late.
She had to comply because
her mother wasn't there.
Her mother had left her when she was eight.
I have some real nice photos.
This is my mothers Afghanistan.
This is my mom.
These are my aunts.
My maternal grandmother.
This is my dad.
My dad used to trap quail
and put them in cages.
I miss him.
When guests came over,
my dad made me dance for them.
When I was five, I argued with my mom.
Our house was far from the city.
My dad wanted to live where
he could do gardening.
Then Id start playing around.
Suddenly I noticed he wasnt there.
It had gotten dark.
I shouted. Dad, where are you?
Im afraid!
It was dark.
I started crying.
Then he appeared
and asked me why I was crying?
I said I was frightened
that you werent there.
Today,
neither my dad nor my mom are with me.
My fears are real.
I feel as if I have lost
my mom in that orchard...
at midnight and I am searching for her.
I hope I can reach her
one day and give her a hug.
Ive played all these games to reach her.
I'm playing games with my life.
"To play a game" is an idiom among
emigrants that means cross a border illegally.
There are no guarantees in this game.
Some just play this dangerous
and dirty game to live a better life.
Thats it.
I also want to play the game.
But Ali, you've gained a lot of weight.
We'll lose weight on this journey.
You all have to fit in there some way.
Go down there.
We've been on the road for nine hours.
and we've just now arrived in Tabriz
(NW Iran near Turkey).
Oh God, help us.
We were stuck in the middle of nowhere...
without any news from the world.
We weren't allowed
to go out of where we were.
We didn't have a place to bathe.
It was hot, very hot.
Our water was even hot.
Three, four,
five and six.
Are there seven single men?
Ali!
Today is our fourth day in this place.
Oh, it really burns.
- What's this?
- A bedbug!
Did you cut your hand?
I cut my finger.
-Do you like it Sara?
-Yes.
Why your hands bleeding?
I cut it.
The food they bring us is awful,
but I eat it because if I don't, my body
will weaken, and I won't be able to walk.
In most of my drawings there is a fox...
A number of our younger
men decided to play a game...
they get to the border.
but they returned
three days after they set off.
They were covered in cuts and bruises.
When we asked them who had beat them,
they said it was the Turkish police.
[...An uncertain destiny.]
[We were here for 11 days
and now we are returning to Tehran.]
[I dream of returning home one day.]
I ask the moon to light our path...
when we go to play a game.
We have little kids with us.
Ali, you've lost weight.
Are you tired?
My legs hurt.
-What?
- My legs hurt.
I found a little turtle here.
- Careful, it bites.
- It won't bite.
Wow!
The turtle's shell is broken.
Weve been walking
since six in the afternoon.
We gamed twice.
Our guides were with us
but at some point they disappeared.
We have no idea where they went.
The smuggler told us to turn back.
We have no strength left.
My shoes are falling apart.
The smuggler abandoned us.
We're navigating with GPS
and found the Turkish border.
We are on our own.
Each of us has picked up a stone
to throw at thieves if they approach us.
My backpack is so heavy that
I can't walk anymore.
What should we do now?
Send me your location.
Ill send you a location on WhatsApp.
Go to where it shows you.
Wait for me to send you the location.
We're waiting for night to fall.
We'll move when it gets dark.
Don't shoot.
Hurry up!
Didn't I tell you to come here!
Weve been caught.
It's not clear if they're thieves or Police.
'Uncle' Mehrdad, we couldn't make it.
It didnt work again.
We are returning to Tehran.
Once again, the same house, the same job.
Are you cold?
My clown had become exhausted.
She thought the world had come to an end.
She decided to break the rules.
At three in the morning,
my clown goes up to the roof
to look at the moon.
She looked down
at the courtyard from five floors up.
There was a blue pond down below.
She wanted to throw herself down,
but they stopped her.
Too bad they didn't let her.
My clown doesn't think
about these things anymore;
I think she has grown up.
I decided to exercise
because the last game,
I suffered a lot because
I hadn't exercised.
My leg muscles cramped.
It was all hiking through mountains
and it was very difficult.
[Some of the Afghans have left their homes
with or without their belongings.]
[Groups are moving towards Kabul,]
[These protesting students say
that with the spread of insecurity,]
[the presence of the Taliban
on the main roads has increased.]
[They are more threatened now than ever before.]
The Taliban are taking over Afghanistan.
Only a few cities haven't
been taken over by them yet.
Girls and women are very scared
and don't know what
disaster awaits them.
Let's go to the tomb of Mullah Mohammad Jan
To where the tulips flood
the land, my love.
I cried out from the mountain top
Ali, the lion of the God
Ali, the Lion of god, king of the people
bring joy to our/my joylessheart
Today, I skipped rope 1000 times and
promised myself to skip more each day.
Will you take money
like last year in Van?
Yes, we get paid, then we move.
If I bring thirty people with me,
do I get a discount?
Yes, you do.
I have maybe 30 or 20 people to bring with me.
Are they all families?
Yes, all families. No single people.
- Are there any elderly with them?
- No, they are all young.
Where are you traveling to, my brothers?
- Are you satisfied?
- Yes.
- Have you received plenty of food and drink?
- Yes.
- Are you in Iranshahr?
- Yes.
- Bread, fruits, chickens?
- Yes.
Long life!
Thank you, Ali
Eat! bon appetit!
See how he plays people
with his propaganda.
Keep going. Were almost there.
[A motorcycle armed with a bomb exploded on BarchiPlain.]
[Over 50 students lost their lives.]
[More than 100 people were injured.]
I remember when I was a child, my uncle
was watching a video on his mobile phone...
of a few men with long black
beards who had cut off someone's head
and were playing football with it.
I never forgot it.
The deaths of children also never fades.
The memories of women being
whipped and stoned to death never fade.
Today, I turned seventeen.
This is the clown who
has just passed through puberty.
She wants to polish her nails,
put on makeup,
wear colorful clothes.
But after applying lipstick,
she gets scolded.
Raise the goblet,
Raise the goblet,
Make the night into dawn,
Sweep away the world's sorrow
from your head.
Sweep away the world's sorrow
from your head.
This air rifle belongs to my landlord.
[Family members of Khasha
(Afghanstan comedian) told us,]
[on the day he was captured by the Taliban,]
[his body was handed over
to one of the elders in Kandahar.]
[He kept his neighbors smiling
and laughing during the war...]
Khashe, where have you been?
- I was at home.
- What were you doing at home, old man?
It was New year, we were hanging out,
some idiots were dancing with
their heads up their asses.
Shut up!
You evil person.
Khashe is an evil man. We will execute him.
Just dont let this devil go free.
Give me my gun.
The safety is on.
They killed the Afghan comedian named Khashe.
He tried to make people happy.
Just like my clown.
He had a smile on his lips
until the moment he died.
He didnt know it was the end of the line.
[The Taliban have entered Kabul.]
[There is an air of horror and
anxiety ruling over the Afghan capital.]
[Many consider America's
withdrawal from Afghanistan]
[to be the main factor
in the rise of the Taliban.]
[Five thousand soldiers have been
sent here to evacuate its embassy,]
[but reliable sources say
these soldiers are here]
[ensure a peaceful transfer
of power to the Taliban.]
Afghanistan.
They say it's my country,
but I've never been there.
I wasn't born there.
I didn't grow up there.
I didn't go to school there.
So, how is it that I love it so much?
Death to the Taliban!
Death to the Taliban!
I wished to go to Afghanistan but
I don't think I can see my country anymore.
They've taken down our flag.
Now, I have no homeland.
I have to find another place to call home,
where I can achieve my dreams and progress.
Between Iran and Turkey,
they've built a concrete wall.
Between Turkey and Greece, a metal wall.
Sometimes I think we don't have
a place anywhere on this earth,
because we really don't.
[On tv: Afghanis attempting
to board US aircraft to escape]
I wish that airplane was as big as
the wishes of all the Afghan people.
I wish all the Afghan people were celebrities,
like all those who were well-known and
cheered and allowed to board the plane.
But ordinary people have
no place in this world.
No plane is waiting for them.
I wonder why people were so surprised
about a few Afghans falling from the plane,
but have said nothing about
the deaths of so many others.
That scene was like a Hollywood movie,
maybe that's why people liked it.
But it was a game.
I put myself in their place
because I can understand them
and feel their fears.
I'm a gamer.
I won't fall off the edge of life.
No atmospheric pressure can toss me down.
God.
For religions sake you put one the cross
you called one evil and the other good
They were all cities
There was one like you
To the battles of sorrow
You dragged him over flames
I want my last drawing of
the clown to havemyface.
I wanted to paint
this painting with my blood...
because I might not be here afterward.
This is my last painting before going to Turkey.
Maybe on this journey,
I'll get injured...
or even killed.
I feel strange.
Will I see my mother before I die?
How many different ghosts
have I seen on the way.
How scared have I been.
How much have I suffered.
How far have I come...
and how alone have I been.
In Turkey, before a game
to Greece, Ali beat me again.
I couldnt take it anymore,
so I ran away from him and
decided to go on my own.
Help.
They are trying to drown us.
God, help us.
Keep the kids in the center of theboat.
Call upon God!
'Uncle' Mehrdad, I told you!
I told you I could do it!
from Istanbuls Zeytun Burna Dormitory.
Hello, 'Uncle' Mehrdad.
I hope you're doing well.
It's been three days since
I last heard from you.
I miss you and I'm worried about you.
They say the internet
is completely down in Iran,
so I can't communicate with my friends.
I've sent you the films I took,
but they havent been marked seen yet.
I hope you can get back online very soon.
Tonight, a smuggler called us and said we
might have a game (aka sneak across the border)
tomorrow around 11am.
He told us to pack our things and be ready.
I can fit a few of them in my backpack.
I should wear my glasses.
I strapped them on to my pack
to not lose them in the water.
Its very crowded over there.
The damn cops are over there.
Theyve piled 40 of us into a van.
We're on top of each other.
There is no room.
Weve been driving for about 6 hours.
Look over by the bridge, its like heaven.
Look outside! Its paradise.
Be careful.
This thing youre kicking is my child.
Take care of the kid. You squished it.
Open your eyes.
Thats my kid under your feet.
Youre killing my child!
Huh? What are you saying?
Send praises. Lets finish this.
Enough!
Shush!
Security guards!!
It's cold!
We have to return.
We are turning back.
There was an argument in the van.
There isnt enough room.
One of the babies fell under our feet.
The driver ran away.
We had to abandon
the minivan because it had been spotted.
We are now getting taxis
to return to the dormitory.
All the smugglers do is take advantage of us.
We're young and don't know better.
But there'salimit!
I sometimes draw when I have free time.
We've been gaming for
three times now, and it's not happening.
We were out at sea for like
an hour and twenty minutes.
The Greek cops started chasing us halfway
and didnt stop till we reached the island.
They kept yelling at us to stop,
but we just didnt.
Finally, we made it.
If you have the money,
Thessalonica is dangerous but it's worth it.
God forbid they deport us,
Oh my God, that was so bad!
because if the police catch us,
they will deport us.
Happy birthday.
Happy birthday.
A bushel of roses, a gift for you
Happy birthday!
You had a home, for a brief time
You weren't a thorn, this much I know
Ah, Afghan child, oh, Afghan child
Oh, all your dreams are in turmoil
Be patient, God is just
A group of families who tried to cross
the water to Thessaloniki,
Greece,
failed and returned
to the dormitory exhausted.
The last game we played
was very dangerous.
We went all the way to the sea,
and got to the water.
- You made it to the water?
- Yes.
We hoped we had finally made it.
But, then the motor in our boat broke down.
We were floating in the sea for 90 minutes.
The motor wouldnt start,
and we realized our boat was leaking.
There was a small hole and
the boat was filling with water.
We started praying
for the police to catch us.
I have experienced drowning in my life.
My clown, like a life raft,
holds these people in herembrace.
She doesnt want even
one person to fall into the water.
I wonder what illegal emigrants think
about when they are drowning in the sea?
Do they ponder their wishes?
Or where their dreams and hopes will go?
While I was painting my clown here
my heart ached for
everyone she was embracing.
but what real help could I be?
We have a game tonight,
and have a new smuggler.
I hope we can make it this time,
because if we can't make it,
we'll have to return to Iran,
as there's no other choice.
The weather has gotten very cold,
and staying in Turkey
is really not good for us.
They say the van is overheating
and we might have to walk.
Hurry up!
- Do the ladies also have to get out?
- Yes, everyone has to go.
I don't know what to do.
Auntie, Hurry up.
I don't know where we are going!
My legs can't carry me.
Our van broke down on the way
and they said tonight
they'll send us another van,
but it's been
very cold since last night; freezing.
So cold, I couldn't sleep at all.
I don't know how
the others have managed to sleep.
My feet are completely numb and they hurt.
It's 3:42 pm.
We're still in the same forest.
Were waiting for night to fall.
-Chamran, how are you?
-Okay.
I froze last night.
What are you guys doing?
We're making a mouse house.
It's a beautiful house.
We don't have such
a nice house in this whole world.
Your house is beautiful.
-Which side is the door on?
-Here!
My phone is off.
We have no bread or water.
Where is your car?
Half of the others went to the highway
and are calling the police.
Half are left in the forest, soaked by rain.
The kids are freezing to death.
My phone is dying.
What the hell am I going to do?
The Turkish police have caught us.
I don't know where they're taking us now.
Today is November 25th, 2019,
and we've been in
a refugee camp for three days,
and we've just been released.
I caught a bad cold
and had a fever for two days.
There were no doctors inside the camp.
I barely survived.
'Uncle' Mehrdad, it didn't happen!
We couldn't cross the border.
After three months
of hardship and struggling,
the Turkish police
wouldn't let us go to Greece.
4th floor
-Thank you
- Hello, How are you?
Good evening.
Im sorry,
this plastic garbage bag is leaking.
[Parking.]
[Welcome!]
This is my husband, Ali.
- Ali, why are you working like this?
- What?
Why are you working like that?
Dont do that.
Ali!
I drew this painting.
I have a painting on each floor.
The room we live in is in the parking lot.
It's in a really bad spot.
We constantly hear the sounds of
the garage doors and cars and the furnace.
That's why most of the time
I'm upstairs on the roof.
[Members of the United Nations
Security Council are considering issuing...]
[a statement demanding
an immediate halt to Taliban attacks.]
[In this statement,
the Security Council warns]
[gainst recognizing
the Taliban Islamic Emirate...]
[and supporting any government in
Afghanistan that has been imposed by force.]
I found this dove today.
I think one of her wings is broken.
He raised the price because
he has to sneak you into to Istanbul.
He said some Turks arent trustworthy
and demand a lot of money.
22 million ($1000) or more to let you pass.
He said, wherever you stay in Iran,
even in the mountains,
we will provide you with bread.
But he said Turkey has
become a place where they take money
but don't do the job
and no one cares if you starve.
- Ali, are you happy to be my husband?
- No.
Why not?
Why?
- I mean, are you happy?
- No
I want to go be with my mom.
I miss her a lot.
It's been eight years since I have seen her.
But she's far from me.
She's in Austria.
To get passport I need an ID.
I have to go to Afghanistan to get an ID.
But I need a passport to go to Afghanistan.
Ridiculous!
If I can't go to Austria,
I'll have stay here
forever and be a maid.
People ask me why I don't talk.
I express my pains in the form of a clown.
I talk to the moon
about my longing
and seek advice from the fox.
Clowns are strong.
Id like to be a clown.
I turn my fears into a demon sculpture.
The moon, the fox,
the clown, and the demon live inside me.
To me, we're a complete family.
My dearest love, dangerous is separation
Barren are the branches of separation
You and I should sit together in one place
For sudden death may come from separation
Let me introduce my new cat, Apricot.
If Ali finds out that I fed you on a plate,
he will bang our heads together.
Who are you?
Introduce yourself.
I haven't seen you here before.
I was asleep until eleven
when someone knocked on the door.
I opened the door.
It was someone
who lives on the second floor.
He brought a whole bunch of things
for me to cook and fry.
Ive been frying all day.
There's a bunch more
right here in front of me,
I'm really tired.
You came back, oh my dear,
My everything,
I would give my life for you,
I and a hundred others like me
would give our lives for you.
Stop filming.
I am not filming you.
My father died when I was five
and I lived with my mom
for two years.
Then my mom left and
I was raised by my uncle.
Ever since my father died,
I have gotten used to being beaten.
Ive been beaten since
I was seven years old.
The first time you get a beating,
it doesn't hurt, you just get shocked.
The last time you get beaten,
it hurts a lot.
But your soul has become numb.
The first time Ali beat me
was a week after our wedding.
I don't know how many times
I've been beaten.
I don't know what happened to my clown.
They told her you can go
and be independent and live alone.
But their idea of loneliness
was with another partner.
It was time for you to go,
even though you were a child.
One day my clown saw
that she had gotten married,
but didn't know that if
she was told to do something,
she had to say, Yes, sir!
At first, she didn't say Yes, sir
so they beat her.
All her expectations were shattered,
but it was too late.
She had to comply because
her mother wasn't there.
Her mother had left her when she was eight.
I have some real nice photos.
This is my mothers Afghanistan.
This is my mom.
These are my aunts.
My maternal grandmother.
This is my dad.
My dad used to trap quail
and put them in cages.
I miss him.
When guests came over,
my dad made me dance for them.
When I was five, I argued with my mom.
Our house was far from the city.
My dad wanted to live where
he could do gardening.
Then Id start playing around.
Suddenly I noticed he wasnt there.
It had gotten dark.
I shouted. Dad, where are you?
Im afraid!
It was dark.
I started crying.
Then he appeared
and asked me why I was crying?
I said I was frightened
that you werent there.
Today,
neither my dad nor my mom are with me.
My fears are real.
I feel as if I have lost
my mom in that orchard...
at midnight and I am searching for her.
I hope I can reach her
one day and give her a hug.
Ive played all these games to reach her.
I'm playing games with my life.
"To play a game" is an idiom among
emigrants that means cross a border illegally.
There are no guarantees in this game.
Some just play this dangerous
and dirty game to live a better life.
Thats it.
I also want to play the game.
But Ali, you've gained a lot of weight.
We'll lose weight on this journey.
You all have to fit in there some way.
Go down there.
We've been on the road for nine hours.
and we've just now arrived in Tabriz
(NW Iran near Turkey).
Oh God, help us.
We were stuck in the middle of nowhere...
without any news from the world.
We weren't allowed
to go out of where we were.
We didn't have a place to bathe.
It was hot, very hot.
Our water was even hot.
Three, four,
five and six.
Are there seven single men?
Ali!
Today is our fourth day in this place.
Oh, it really burns.
- What's this?
- A bedbug!
Did you cut your hand?
I cut my finger.
-Do you like it Sara?
-Yes.
Why your hands bleeding?
I cut it.
The food they bring us is awful,
but I eat it because if I don't, my body
will weaken, and I won't be able to walk.
In most of my drawings there is a fox...
A number of our younger
men decided to play a game...
they get to the border.
but they returned
three days after they set off.
They were covered in cuts and bruises.
When we asked them who had beat them,
they said it was the Turkish police.
[...An uncertain destiny.]
[We were here for 11 days
and now we are returning to Tehran.]
[I dream of returning home one day.]
I ask the moon to light our path...
when we go to play a game.
We have little kids with us.
Ali, you've lost weight.
Are you tired?
My legs hurt.
-What?
- My legs hurt.
I found a little turtle here.
- Careful, it bites.
- It won't bite.
Wow!
The turtle's shell is broken.
Weve been walking
since six in the afternoon.
We gamed twice.
Our guides were with us
but at some point they disappeared.
We have no idea where they went.
The smuggler told us to turn back.
We have no strength left.
My shoes are falling apart.
The smuggler abandoned us.
We're navigating with GPS
and found the Turkish border.
We are on our own.
Each of us has picked up a stone
to throw at thieves if they approach us.
My backpack is so heavy that
I can't walk anymore.
What should we do now?
Send me your location.
Ill send you a location on WhatsApp.
Go to where it shows you.
Wait for me to send you the location.
We're waiting for night to fall.
We'll move when it gets dark.
Don't shoot.
Hurry up!
Didn't I tell you to come here!
Weve been caught.
It's not clear if they're thieves or Police.
'Uncle' Mehrdad, we couldn't make it.
It didnt work again.
We are returning to Tehran.
Once again, the same house, the same job.
Are you cold?
My clown had become exhausted.
She thought the world had come to an end.
She decided to break the rules.
At three in the morning,
my clown goes up to the roof
to look at the moon.
She looked down
at the courtyard from five floors up.
There was a blue pond down below.
She wanted to throw herself down,
but they stopped her.
Too bad they didn't let her.
My clown doesn't think
about these things anymore;
I think she has grown up.
I decided to exercise
because the last game,
I suffered a lot because
I hadn't exercised.
My leg muscles cramped.
It was all hiking through mountains
and it was very difficult.
[Some of the Afghans have left their homes
with or without their belongings.]
[Groups are moving towards Kabul,]
[These protesting students say
that with the spread of insecurity,]
[the presence of the Taliban
on the main roads has increased.]
[They are more threatened now than ever before.]
The Taliban are taking over Afghanistan.
Only a few cities haven't
been taken over by them yet.
Girls and women are very scared
and don't know what
disaster awaits them.
Let's go to the tomb of Mullah Mohammad Jan
To where the tulips flood
the land, my love.
I cried out from the mountain top
Ali, the lion of the God
Ali, the Lion of god, king of the people
bring joy to our/my joylessheart
Today, I skipped rope 1000 times and
promised myself to skip more each day.
Will you take money
like last year in Van?
Yes, we get paid, then we move.
If I bring thirty people with me,
do I get a discount?
Yes, you do.
I have maybe 30 or 20 people to bring with me.
Are they all families?
Yes, all families. No single people.
- Are there any elderly with them?
- No, they are all young.
Where are you traveling to, my brothers?
- Are you satisfied?
- Yes.
- Have you received plenty of food and drink?
- Yes.
- Are you in Iranshahr?
- Yes.
- Bread, fruits, chickens?
- Yes.
Long life!
Thank you, Ali
Eat! bon appetit!
See how he plays people
with his propaganda.
Keep going. Were almost there.
[A motorcycle armed with a bomb exploded on BarchiPlain.]
[Over 50 students lost their lives.]
[More than 100 people were injured.]
I remember when I was a child, my uncle
was watching a video on his mobile phone...
of a few men with long black
beards who had cut off someone's head
and were playing football with it.
I never forgot it.
The deaths of children also never fades.
The memories of women being
whipped and stoned to death never fade.
Today, I turned seventeen.
This is the clown who
has just passed through puberty.
She wants to polish her nails,
put on makeup,
wear colorful clothes.
But after applying lipstick,
she gets scolded.
Raise the goblet,
Raise the goblet,
Make the night into dawn,
Sweep away the world's sorrow
from your head.
Sweep away the world's sorrow
from your head.
This air rifle belongs to my landlord.
[Family members of Khasha
(Afghanstan comedian) told us,]
[on the day he was captured by the Taliban,]
[his body was handed over
to one of the elders in Kandahar.]
[He kept his neighbors smiling
and laughing during the war...]
Khashe, where have you been?
- I was at home.
- What were you doing at home, old man?
It was New year, we were hanging out,
some idiots were dancing with
their heads up their asses.
Shut up!
You evil person.
Khashe is an evil man. We will execute him.
Just dont let this devil go free.
Give me my gun.
The safety is on.
They killed the Afghan comedian named Khashe.
He tried to make people happy.
Just like my clown.
He had a smile on his lips
until the moment he died.
He didnt know it was the end of the line.
[The Taliban have entered Kabul.]
[There is an air of horror and
anxiety ruling over the Afghan capital.]
[Many consider America's
withdrawal from Afghanistan]
[to be the main factor
in the rise of the Taliban.]
[Five thousand soldiers have been
sent here to evacuate its embassy,]
[but reliable sources say
these soldiers are here]
[ensure a peaceful transfer
of power to the Taliban.]
Afghanistan.
They say it's my country,
but I've never been there.
I wasn't born there.
I didn't grow up there.
I didn't go to school there.
So, how is it that I love it so much?
Death to the Taliban!
Death to the Taliban!
I wished to go to Afghanistan but
I don't think I can see my country anymore.
They've taken down our flag.
Now, I have no homeland.
I have to find another place to call home,
where I can achieve my dreams and progress.
Between Iran and Turkey,
they've built a concrete wall.
Between Turkey and Greece, a metal wall.
Sometimes I think we don't have
a place anywhere on this earth,
because we really don't.
[On tv: Afghanis attempting
to board US aircraft to escape]
I wish that airplane was as big as
the wishes of all the Afghan people.
I wish all the Afghan people were celebrities,
like all those who were well-known and
cheered and allowed to board the plane.
But ordinary people have
no place in this world.
No plane is waiting for them.
I wonder why people were so surprised
about a few Afghans falling from the plane,
but have said nothing about
the deaths of so many others.
That scene was like a Hollywood movie,
maybe that's why people liked it.
But it was a game.
I put myself in their place
because I can understand them
and feel their fears.
I'm a gamer.
I won't fall off the edge of life.
No atmospheric pressure can toss me down.
God.
For religions sake you put one the cross
you called one evil and the other good
They were all cities
There was one like you
To the battles of sorrow
You dragged him over flames
I want my last drawing of
the clown to havemyface.
I wanted to paint
this painting with my blood...
because I might not be here afterward.
This is my last painting before going to Turkey.
Maybe on this journey,
I'll get injured...
or even killed.
I feel strange.
Will I see my mother before I die?
How many different ghosts
have I seen on the way.
How scared have I been.
How much have I suffered.
How far have I come...
and how alone have I been.
In Turkey, before a game
to Greece, Ali beat me again.
I couldnt take it anymore,
so I ran away from him and
decided to go on my own.
Help.
They are trying to drown us.
God, help us.
Keep the kids in the center of theboat.
Call upon God!
'Uncle' Mehrdad, I told you!
I told you I could do it!