"Hello Maryam, it's me, John." "Pick up the phone if you are in." "If not, listen to my message." "I turned 40 today and decided to revolt against myself." "decided to revolt against myself." "I celebrated my birthday in the street." "Alone and all by myself." "Alone and all by myself." "I lit 40 candles and for an hour I've been following" "an hour I've been following street musicians that reminds me of my parents." " Hello, how are you?" " Fine." " Fine." " I am celebrating today." " Congratulations." " Will you sing?" " With all my heart." " We'll go around the city." " Ok." " How much do you charge?" " Whatever you wish to pay." " Will you sing with all your heart?" " Of course." " Get in." "In yet?" " I am in." " I am in." "Let's go." "Can you hear the music, Maryam?" "Of course you will when you wake up." "By the way come to dance class at 2 o'clock." "at 2 o'clock." "Two hours before other girls do." "Don't forget to bring your red rose." "With your heavenly love." "The key to dance class is in the tree trunk as usual." "is in the tree trunk as usual." "Come, I have a surprise for you." "For now, listen to this music for your soft feeling." "for your soft feeling." "Hello Farzaneh." "It's me, John." "It's my birthday today." "Come to dance class at 2 o'clock." "Come to dance class at 2 o'clock." "Don't bring your dog please." "The key is in the tree trunk." "If not just come to the room." "Door is open." "I'll be waiting for you." "Come but with no sorrow or crying." "I want to see a happy Farzaneh." "Come, I have a surprise for you." "John!" "I'm here." "Hello, John I am here." "Hello, it's me, John." "Tahmineh, can you come to dance class at 2 o'clock?" "to dance class at 2 o'clock?" "Not at 4." "If you come at 2, I have a surprise for you." "I have a surprise for you." "No, our meeting has nothing to do with my birthday." "with my birthday." "It's something else." "Something ordinary but it will stun you." "Something ordinary but it will stun you." "I want you to see the truth with your own eyes." "with your own eyes." "I am revolting against myself." "John!" "Where are you?" "Hello Malahat, it's me, John." "How are you?" "Feeling better?" "Feeling better?" "I hope you are feeling better." "It would've been nice if you came to dance class at 2 o'clock." "to dance class at 2 o'clock." "Don't forget our favorite wine." "I have a surprise for you." "John." "Four girlfriends at the same time?" "Is this love?" "Is this love?" "It's a search, Maryam." "I found a piece of my heart with each one of you." "with each one of you." "I know this is the end for us but I want to talk to you all." "I want to talk to you all." "Let me start talking to my first love." "Go back to rehearsing." "I can't believe this will be the last time I'll dance with you." "last time I'll dance with you." "We were not meant to be together." "I'll quit you and dancing forever." "Do you remember the first time we saw each other?" "time we saw each other?" "You welcomed me, remember?" "You were laughing and waving your hands." "waving your hands." "Why?" "That was the first time our plane flew with one passenger." "plane flew with one passenger." "Dear passengers, fasten your seat belts." "If necessary, oxygen masks will drop over your head." "drop over your head." "Exit doors..." "Ladies and gentlemen, if an emergency arises" "there are 2 exit doors at the end and 2 in the middle of the aircraft." "and 2 in the middle of the aircraft." "Ladies and gentlemen," "if an emergency arises there are 2 exit doors at the end and 2 in the middle of the aircraft." "and 2 in the middle of the aircraft." "Ladies and gentlemen," "if an emergency arises there are 2 exit doors at the end and 2 in the middle of the aircraft." "and 2 in the middle of the aircraft." "Please get ready for take off." "Remember you said flight duration was one hour and passengers" "would be offered cold and hot drinks?" "Remember that?" "I did not say it." "It was a recording." "Ladies and gentlemen, flight duration is one hour." "We'll be offering cold and hot drinks." "Would you like some tea?" "Remember I offered you tea and you said no?" "Remember I said if I drank tea I would get heartbeats and" "I would get heartbeats and think I was falling in love again." "Remember I asked you what you wanted to drink?" "what you wanted to drink?" "Remember I said, your love and you took it as coffee." "you took it as coffee." "Hot coffee please." "You know what my mother taught me in my childhood?" "taught me in my childhood?" "She said to refuse two things." "A cold look and a cold coffee." "What do you think about that?" "Was your coffee cold?" "It was cold." "I brought you hot coffee." "John, when will you talk to me?" "I will, later." "Go back to dance." "I had a heartbeat." "I was breathless." "Remember that?" "How are you?" "Take air away from me but not your smile." "but not your smile." "Remember I asked you why I was the only passenger on the plane?" "the only passenger on the plane?" "And you said after the terrorist attacks passengers were afraid to fly." "Well, did you want me to find out you had three other girlfriends?" "you had three other girlfriends?" "Well I got it." "But all the other girls know too." "A man and a woman alone in the sky." "Like Adam and Eve." "And their first meeting in heaven." "Until now all my loves were earthly but now I feel a divine love." "but now I feel a divine love." "Will you now say you love me?" "I am a stewardess and have to attend my duties." "have to attend my duties." "We have are told to be friendly to make" "our guests feel at home but no any intimate relationship." "I heard you." "A cold coffee and a cold look please." "What do you want?" "What do you mean?" "Was Maryam's coffee hot?" "Yes, I asked her out." "Whenever I fell in love I made a statue out of a dry tree." "I made a statue out of a dry tree." "Did you make this for me?" "I sculpted the other one for you." "You know every time I find my house key," "it feels like a mystery unraveled." "What's this?" "A watch?" "It's a chronometer." "What is it for?" "I record my life's happy moments with it." "How much have you recorded?" "I remember you said 19 hours and 21 more hours would add up" "to 40 hours of love." "I would have been happy for one hour every year." "for one hour every year." "You turned 40 today." "Happy birthday." "Happy birthday." "Thank you." "I am 40 years old but haven't lived for more than 40 hours." "lived for more than 40 hours." "I remember you asked me why I recorded time with the chronometer." "I remember saying I recorded my useful lifetime." "Did you find it?" "Not yet." "You know butterflies only live for one day." "live for one day." "They are born, fall in love and reproduce on the same day." "They don't think of anything." "They only fly and kiss their flowers." "Butterflies have more useful lifetime than we do." "In all these forty years I didn't even live a butterfly's life." "even live a butterfly's life." "What about you?" "Me?" "I mean how many romantic memories do you have?" "Did you find the chronometer?" "It was in your hand." "It was in your hand." "Not yet." "Have you ever been in love?" "Have you ever been in love?" "No." "Perhaps when you are a stewardess, according to regulations your heart must be made of stone." "In fact I fell in love once." "I didn't even realize that I did." "My mother knew it." "I remember as a child when I played outside I used to see a boy." "He always looked at me like a cat about to catch a dove." "I was scared of him and got heartbeats." "I was really afraid of him." "I told my mother I was scared of that boy." "That every time I saw him I got heartbeats." "I got heartbeats." "Mother said:" ""Heartbeats don't mean fear." "It means love." "You are in love, my dear."" "Do you have a heartbeat now?" "I want to hug you." "Why do men always want to capture a woman's body?" "Because I want to prove my love for you." "Does love mean capturing the body?" "I make love therefore, I am." "This is my philosophy." "I am loved therefore, I am." "This is my philosophy." "I wanted to embrace you but you..." "My body belongs to he who captures my soul." "Rehearse girls." "Hands up, 1,2, 3, 4..." "Turn." "Stand still like ice." "1, 2, 3, 4." "1, 2, 3, 4." "Maryam, every love is a result of some ordinary incidence." "If I hadn't flown on that airplane or if you weren't the stewardess there," "no love affair would have emerged." "Or maybe a different couple was at the verge of breaking up now." "Wait." "Listen." "I was searching the sky to find an earthly love." "But your love on earth is still a heavenly love." "You didn't even let me kiss you." "You know how much happy moment we've had together?" "2 hours and 20 minutes." "Listen, I am 40 years old but never even lived as much as a butterfly." "Wait, take this chronometer as keepsake." "Ask your mother how many minutes your heart beat for that boy in your childhood." "Then record it in this chronometer." "Record all your happy moments in it from now on." "See how many times you get a heartbeat for" "someone in your life." "Let your heart beat at least once a year otherwise this chronometer will die down." "Good luck." "John, why did you do this?" "I thought you only drank wine like this with me." "I know you treated every one equally." "Take this chronometer." "The 3 hours,13 minutes of my sweet memories are now bitter." "Go dance." "Girls, new dance." "Don't you teach me how to dance." "I know dancing better than you." "I was inspired by your walking for this dance." "That night my guest was a poet." "A famous poet." "Fill up the cup." "That this fiery water." "Has long since failed to make me feel good." "These cups lined up one after another." "Are seas of fire that I pour in my mouth." "The whirlpool steals me away but the water won't take me." "Thank you." "What kind of wine would you like?" "And the wine does nothing but make me fall asleep." "Fill up the cup." "Hello Sir, welcome to our city." "Thank you." " An autograph please." " Ok." " Ok." "Those young guys recognized the poet and wanted to stay with" "him but he was evading them." "What does the poet's case have to do with me?" "How is it not related to you?" "You have to know what happened to me before I saw you." "I asked that poet why he ignored his fans." "Sir, these guys are your fans." "Give them 5 minutes of your time." "John, they are my fans but also murderers of my time." "My whole life was wasted over these 5-minute times." "Minutes are called time but in essence they are lifetime and" "to preserve a lifetime, one shouldn't compromise." "Excus me, Sir." "John, don't leave." "It's a warning." "Minutes are called time..." "What is your best poem ever, Sir?" "Best poem?" "The one I'll be composing now." "In the name of love." "In the name of lovers." "Wait." "Will you let me speak in Russian?" "There is a tradition for romantic drinking." "Not only glasses touch but whoever is more in love has to hold his glass lower." ".00:51:17:02" "I want to teach you something." "Sweet dreams." "Why don't you sleep?" "I don't know." "Do you have a heart?" "Yes I do." "It's easier for me to speak in Russian." "Can you speak Russian?" "Yes." "Where is your heart?" "I want to hear it beat." "It's here." "Come listen." "How come it is not beating?" "Is it dead?" "No." "Listen to my heart;" "how it's beating for your love." "Listen." "This is not a heartbeat." "It's the chronometer ticking." "Why do you carry a chronometer?" "I record my happy times." "Have you ever been in love?" "No, others fell in love with me." "How did you know they loved you?" "I used to hear their heartbeats from behind this curtain." "Then?" "When they came to this side their hearts stopped beating." "Can you hear?" "Your heart is beating hard." "I can hear it." "I can hear it." "Come to this side." "Where is here?" "Dance class." "And I am a dance teacher." "And I am a dance teacher." "Do you know how to dance?" "I am too shy." "This is not dancing." "Your walking is like a dance." "Go sit and watch." "This is how you dance." "Did you come after this color or this?" "Your walking seduced me." "01:01:30:" "Your mad walking." "This drew me towards you." "Walk." "What's behind this door?" "A secret." "What secret?" "If you tell me your secret I'll tell you mine." "I don't have any secrets." "Why are your shoes colorful?" "Smell the red one." "Do you like crying?" "No,because my make-up starts running." "I look ugly." "Your heart is really beating." "You are in love at once." "No, I don't like love." "When men are with me, I don't like them." "When they leave I start loving them." "So I'll leave." "You can't walk with these shoes." "Did you forget that you loved my walking" "especially with these shoes?" "Not only these shoes." "Every love starts with ordinary encounters." "If I hadn't been touched by that poet that life wasn't to be wasted perhaps, your shoes wouldn't have lured me." "If you hadn't broken up with your boyfriend maybe you" "wouldn't even notice me." "So this was not love." "It was just a romantic circumstance and it will only" "last until the next romantic situation." "Don't forget you fell in love with me because of these shoes." "You told me you loved my shoes." "I love you." "Say it in Tajiki." "I love you." "It can't be translated." "I like the Tajiki word for love." "I can't feel the Russian word for love." "I love you till eternity." "For how long?" "Only one month." "Only one month." "Till eternity." "Every man who told me until eternity, only stayed" "with me one month." "Wait, John." "Take the umbrella." "You'll get wet." "Stop." "Thanks." "You were right." "Nothing is eternal." "Even the madly in love man's heartbeat for the most beautiful woman." "Where are you going?" "Wait." "You loved me because I loved you." "So this was not love." "It was a trade off." "Wait." "I'll take you, sit." "No, our love is over." "I'll take you not as a lover but as a cab driver." "Where are you going, Ma'am?" "To the past." "To a year ago." "When I was happy." "Do you remember my birthday?" "When you brought 39 candles" "for my 39th birthday?" "Sale, sale." "Lenin's portrait." "How are you Mr. Vladimir?" "Fine." "What do you have?" "Lenin's portrait drawn when he was alive." "I sold my own portrait of Lenin and bought one of Jesus from you." "Remember I returned Jesus' portrait and got a chronometer instead?" "I remember." "Come in." "You can find everything in this store." "Want a chronometer?" "Here's one." "It belongs to Tolstoy's grandchild." "See." "This one is Chekhov's." "Is that right?" "The Chekhov?" "!" "Do you like Chekhov's or Tolstoy's?" "Tolstoy's?" "This one." "Whose is this?" "It belongs to the grandchild of No!" "it's Stalin's son's." "Stalin's son's?" "Tolstoy's grandchild," "Chekhov himself." "Like that?" " Yes." " Well" " Well" " Want to buy it?" " Yes I do." "Do you know how much happy times we have had?" "Do you know how much happy times we have had?" "Hello." "Hello it's me, John." "This is Tahmineh." "Do you know how much our happy times have been?" "No I don't." "I erased it." "Can you hear me?" "Every love is the result of a few ordinary incidences." "a few ordinary incidences." "If I hadn't come up with a diarrhea to end up in the a diarrhea to end up in the hospital and if you hadn't asked" "what my profession was and if I hadn't told you" "I was a poet and if you hadn't told me you liked poetry we wouldn't have been breaking up now." "You said that love has no meaning except that it happens." "Neither the falling in love of two people changes anything two people changes anything" "in the world nor does it take anything away from it." "anything away from it." "These are ordinary human accidents." "All of the world's loves have not affected the earth as much as the ozone layer has." "So don't turn love into an ideology." "Love lasts with love not with loyalty." "What would you like to eat?" "Milk." "How many bowl movements have you had?" "have you had?" "Once." "Once?" "That's natural." "That's natural." "Once but all day." "Where do you feel pain?" "In my stomach." "Is it severe?" "What's your job?" " I'm a poet." " Poet?" "Is poetry a profession?" "I like poetry too and write poems sometimes." "write poems sometimes." "But I am a doctor." "What is your profession?" "For now I am sick but usually when I am healthy usually when I am healthy" "my job is love." "Love?" "Is love a profession?" "It's the best job in the world but not a good business." "but not a good business." "Have you ever been loved by a man?" "loved by a man?" "Many times." "Some of my patients still love me." "They say this hospital has love viruses." "Then let a lovesick patient invite you to a poet's balcony that gathers all lovers and makes love auguries with his poems." "makes love auguries with his poems." "Do you have time now?" "Get well first." "Nobody thought about love anymore." "And nobody thought about anything any more." "anything any more." "In the cold streets of the city there's no echo except there's no echo except farewell, farewell" "Nobody thought about love anymore." "And nobody thought about anything any more." "anything any more." "In the cold streets of the city there's no echo except there's no echo except" "farewell, farewell" "Hello." "John, it's me." "Why did you leave?" "I wanted to talk to you." "Staying in dance class didn't mean anything anymore. .01:22:36:13 mean anything anymore." ".01:22:36:13" " No, come at 12 o'clock at night, ok?" " Ok." " Ok." "Thank you." "Let me introduce John." "It's his birthday today." "He turned 40." "He turned 40." "Sit down." "I didn't introduce anyone yet." "I didn't introduce anyone yet." "I was waiting for you." "This is Safar, Lotfollah, Nik." "We owe our meeting tonight to John's honesty." "tonight to John's honesty." "I have learned a lot from him." "And I want..." "Would you like a drink?" "I must say...take this and light your own candles." "light your own candles." "Excuse me..." "I announce that" "I have revolted against myself." "Our meeting owes it to John's honesty" "How should I put it..." "I'll say it now." "I...have decided to revolt against myself and" "I'll tell you something you have no clue of." "you have no clue of." "To cut it short..." "all four of you were my boyfriends." "all four of you were my boyfriends." "I love you Safar." "I love you John." "I love you Lotfollah and I love you Nik." "I love you Nik." "Whore!" "Safar..." "Safar." " What do you think about this?" " About what?" "About love." "Loyalty." "I think when love ends it gets boring." "I am afraid of constant presence of women and love." "of women and love." "Once a friend asked me what loyalty was?" "what loyalty was?" "You know what I said?" "I said love is hot at first and cold at last." "and cold at last." "Love is the miracle of one moment." "If a miracle does not last on its own, last on its own," "it won't last with any contracts." "Why are you so quiet?" "What can I say?" "You look too serious." "Many I speak in Russian?" "Please." "All of the world's serious stuff seem ridiculous to me." "seem ridiculous to me." "All important philosophies are fallacious." "We are alone and loneliness is our fate." "loneliness is our fate." "We are lonely." "But you did not mention anything about loyalty." "We are incapable of eternal love Love is only a short" "Love is only a short passion that yields from ordinary incidences." "ordinary incidences." "In fact, there is no eternal love." "What is love?" "To be with someone?" "Or to be with someone until death?" "I don't know." "But every lover has revealed to me a part of love's mystery." "a part of love's mystery." "Although I feel love is endangered in the contemporary world." "in the contemporary world." "What do we know?" "May be true love is dying on earth." "I sought love all my life but found loneliness." "So let everyone light their own candle of loneliness." "own candle of loneliness." "Hello." "Hello, it's me." "Where are you?" "Near you." "Very close." "John, I learned a lot from you." "I learned that lovemaking" "is for forgetting the sufferings of being." "the sufferings of being." "John, can I kiss you?" "You know what I was just thinking?" "I thought if I had lived a 1000 years instead of 40," "1000 years instead of 40," "what would our kiss taste like at 1000?" "The story of Romeo and Juliet belongs to the past." "We can't rely on these stories again." "We have arrived at liberty." "Sexual liberty." "Sexual liberty." "But the scary thing is we are deprived of love." "Hello." "So we see each other again." "So we see each other again." "Sit, sit." "Today is my lonely birthday." "Will you sing a song?" "Of course." "Let's go then."