"BITTER DREAM In the name of God..." "Lord of the dead and the living..." "First, I thank you for your programme and for coming to Khomeyni Shahr." "Let me explain to you a bit about this city." "Before the revolution, Khomeyni Shahr was called Homayoun Shahr." "And of course, It wasn't always Homayoun Shahr." "Before that... during the Qajar dynasty, it was called Sedeh." "It wasn't always Sedeh either." "Before that..." "Before the Arab invasion of Iran, the name was "Seh Dejh" (Three Castles)." "And it's not known what it was called before that whether it existed at all or not." "Nevertheless, it's got ancient, precious relics." "Among those are these precious headstones that you can see here." "These are about 700, 800 years old." "No, I don't work for cultural heritage." "I'm the stonemason here." "So, who runs this mausoleum?" "The Seyed Mohammad mausoleum is managed by Hadj Agha." "And the cemetery is managed by Mr. Esfandiar." "In the name of Allah, the compassionate..." "I work here." "I cremate the corpses..." "Actually, I burn clothes... the corpses' clothes." "Occasionally, I dig graves." "Yes, I burn everything." "We burn everything." "What?" "Mr. Esfandiar." "What?" "No, I'm not satisfied." " Nougat?" " Thank you very much." "Please introduce yourself and say what you do here." "Me..." "Is it OK to say I'm a corpse washer?" "Say exactly as it is, no problem." "I wash the corpses." "They defraud me." "They don't pay me." "The work's done neatly." "I properly wash the corpses." "And they're so grateful to me, so satisfied, but here..." "Here there are two other workers." "They swindle me out of my pay." "They receive the money from the family of the deceased but they give me only a half." "I don't get enough." "Who's responsible for that?" "The man who takes himself as the one in control and says, "I'm the boss."" "Are you married?" "Yes." " Do you have any child?" " Yes." " Is your child here?" " No." " Where is your husband?" " He's here." "Ah, may his soul rest in peace." "Would you like to say something to the administration?" "What to say?" "Thank you very much for coming and shooting in Sedeh." "I am a gravedigger." " How long have you been in this profession?" " 20 years." "About 20 years." " Who's in charge of the cemetery?" " It's me." "I'm responsible over everything here." " So, are you Mr. Esfandiar?" " No." "Who's Mr. Esfandiar then?" "He's sleeping at home." " What's his job?" " He washes the corpses." "They told us Mr. Esfandiar was the one in charge." "Not at all..." "he can't even get his trousers on." " Mind your language." "Apologise." " Excuse me." "Any demands form the administration?" "I want them to pay attention to us." "Being a gravedigger takes more than just handling a shovel." "Continue your work." "When is it going to be broadcast?" "Why do you want to know?" "Because I want to watch it." "It's live." "On channel 1 or 2?" "Channel 1." "It's live, do you know what it means?" "Yes, simultaneously." "In the name of Allah..." "Here, every morning, when they bring the corpses, we call Uncle Esfandiar and say, "get yourself here, they've brought a corpse."" "And now let me call him." "Hello Mr. Esfandiar, they've come for filming." "Stop laughing, shut your mouth." "I'm watching it." "They've brought a dead couple, come and wash them." "I will do." "Tidy your hat." "Straighten your collar." "So, you're not satisfied with your salary, eh?" "I'll show you..." "No, I didn't say such a thing." "Go and bring the gravedigger in front of the camera." "Go and bring him so he can say to the public who the boss is." "I want to know who the boss is, he is or I am?" "Go!" " Go fetch him." " Sure." "Quick!" "Before they finish the broadcast." "Dear audience, we're getting near 8 o'clock, see you soon." "Don't hit me, Mister Esfandiar." "It wasn't my fault, it was the reporter's." "I didn't know it was live." "You're the boss, you're the boss." "With:" "The late Abbas Esfandiari (Esfandiar)" " Hello." " Hello, Mr. Esfandiar." "The Corpse Washer" "May God bless him." "May he rest in peace." "Ladies and gentlemen, pay attention, please." "Women and children don't come in" "Also those men with heart problems." "Others are welcome to come in." "Whoever heard, say salawat." "May Allah grant peace and blessings to Mohammad and his family." "In the name of God..." "There are three kinds of corpses." "Some have been burned." "Some killed in accidents." "...and some have died of natural causes." "The corpse has to be washed three times." "First, with cedar then with camphor and after that with water." "We dilute some camphor in water." "Firstly, we wash the head and the neck.." "...then the right side and after that the left." "And salawat to Mohammad." "The camphor is used as a disinfectant." "And its usage is rewarded by the Lord." "It's a fruit that comes from paradise." "There's no tree of it, nor can it be found under the earth." "An angel in disguise brings it into bazaar and sells it to herbalists." "And then they sell it to us." "And then we clean the nails with a match ...so that camphor and cedar can penetrate and wash it well." "And for your well-being, a blessing to Mohammad." "Sorry, but it's also our duty to press the belly of the deceased so if there's any wind or something, it can be released." "I'm sorry, but it's our duty." "Enshrouding" "When the body's washed, we need to shroud it." "The shroud has four parts." "A dressing, a loincloth, a shirt and a turban." "And we place two sticks engraved with the names of the twelve Imams under his arms, the right and the left." "It's carried out then for burial." "Bless the Prophet." "Washing the Deceased Female" "Ablution of women is not in my responsibility." "I can explain it though but it's not appropriate for a man to talk about it." "These are within Delbar's responsibility." "My duty is to let women in and close the door so that they can wash the corpse themselves." "The Remuneration" "As to the washing of the corpse and the remuneration for our work there are many kinds of them." "Those who cry a lot." "They don't pay enough." "With them, we don't get into any argument, we simply say If you don't pay the rest now the deceased will be paying us on the Judgement Day." " How much more do you want?" " Give me another five." "Here you are." "Those who cry calmly... and with simplicity." "They are fine, they pay us here in this world." "There's no need to say we'll receive it from the deceased in the other world." "The Rock Eshgh'Ali (The Love of Ali)" "Everyday, when my work's done, I go up on this rock Eshgh'Ali." "This rock has a long history." "In the distant past, it was rolling down towards Sedeh, soon to destroy the city ...when someone come up and said, "Stop there for the love of Ali's sake."" "And I believe in it, and go up on it everyday." "It's both a prayer and a surveillance." "This boy is no good at all." "He wears the corpses' clothes or picks up their overcoats..." "Whatever you do to him, he can't help but stealing from corpses." "He's no use." "Whenever done with the work he picks up the gas cylinder, finds a place and smokes opium." "And sometimes appears on TV saying, "I'm the boss here."" "Are you worthy of being a boss?" "You'll bring us shame." "Delbar, whenever she finishes her work goes and sits by his husband's grave and starts prying for his soul." "She gives nougat to whomever passes by." "And this man... he's not from Sedeh." "He doesn't know that she's a corpse washer or else he wouldn't stick around." "Actually, it was Delbar herself that washed her wife." "Sometimes, he hangs around Delbar." "But Delbar doesn't pay attention to him." "That's why I let him be or else I would have him moved from here." "What's going on?" "Sit down!" "I wash myself, an ablution of the deceased with the intention of washing the right side, may I get near the Lord." "...with the intention of washing the right side, may I get near the Lord." "With the money I receive from the families of the deceased I first pay the gravedigger the guy who burns the clothes and also the Delbar's share." "I give the rest to the mausoleum entirely." "Those who get in front of the TV camera saying he hasn't paid us are just lying." "I give the mausoleum's share to Hadj Agha." "Hadj Agha spends it on himself, the mausoleum..." "HADJ AGHA ...and on other stuff." "Here's the money from the nine corpses we had last week." "Three had accidents, three died in the hospital and the other two, one fell off the roof, the other stabbed" "That was actually eight, what about the other one?" "Ah, one of them was an addict, injecting and all that..." "Did you make up your mind about the young boy?" "Yes, did think about it, he's no good." "He's already brought me shame." "If you were in his shoes, would you burn the corpses' clothes?" "No, I wouldn't." "So work out something for this boy." "He's just worthy of burning the clothes, no more." "I'm able to deal with it by myself." "So tell the boy to stop wearing the corpses' clothes." "And also notify Delbar to better hold her veil by her husband's grave." "Sure, sure." "The Old Man and Azrael" "What's new?" "Nothing worth mentioning." "Prices have climbed up a bit." "Bread, meat..." "Tomorrow, they're going to hang someone, and other stuff..." "And what about you?" "A couple were trying to cross the border to go on a pilgrimage to Karbala." "They hit a mine and were killed." "I just washed and buried the man." "Right now they're digging a grave to bury the woman." " Hello." " Hello." " How are you?" " I'm fine, and you?" " May God bless you." " Thank you." "What is this?" "Mr. Esfandiar, I've been ill and not feeling well lately." "And it's getting worse day by day." "Azrael has come after me and I want to run away from him but he will finally catch me, and serve his purpose." "Now would you take this shroud, dig my grave, wash and bury me?" "God willing." "My children will pay you." "I will wash you myself, dig your grave, and bury you, don't worry at all." "Have you asked for forgiveness of others?" "Yes, being forgiven depends on one's acts." "Forgiveness is to do good deeds, no to commit sins and not to go the wrong way." "That's the state of forgiveness." " And tell your children to gain my satisfaction." " Sure." " Sure, I'll do." "A few days before his death the man sees Azrael." "Azrael hangs around him." "He wonders if Azrael's come to take his life." ""I may fall from the ceiling, or have an accident, or somewhere..."" "All meet Azrael a few days before their death." "Some of the people are afraid of Azrael." "No need to be." "Azrael's not scary." "I'm friends with Azrael." "We are friends as well as colleagues." "The Television" "In former times the Egyptians would mummify their dead and put it aside for some time." "No washing, or cleaning." "But it's different now." "Now, they wash the corpse properly and dress them in their best costume and then put them in the coffin to bury them." "Christians also use coffins, and their coffins are fabricated with the best wood and are very expensive." "They inter the corpse in coffins." "But in Iran, we bury them uncoffined." "Coffins were also used in the past but they were made out of stone." "They were used for kings and nobles." "Ha!" "These headstones come form Sedeh." "These stones exhibited in the museum are from our Sedeh." "Jews and Muslims they wash and bury their dead pretty much the same." "But this is not the case for Christians." "Recently, they have the right to cremate their dead if they want." "Those Christians who cremate their dead have special urns, some large and some small to deposit the ashes in them." "They inscribe the name of the deceased on the urn and keep it at home." "The big urns are used for adults." "They're large." "The small ones, like this, are used for children." "And here's our colleague." "He cleans fingernails with I don't know what." "He works too fast, but anyway he's our colleague." "He's a good man." "He does his job well." " Hello." " Hello." "How are you?" "Thank you." "What do you want?" "I've brought broth for you." "Thank you." "What else?" "What do you want?" "I want to make a phone call." "You can go to PTT." "They're down." "I went there." " Why didn't you go to the mausoleum?" " It was closed and the key wasn't there" "But it's a long way from here to Afghanistan." "It'll cost a lot." "It's all right." "Take two or three corpses off my pay." "It'll cost you four corpses." "All right, do it." "Esfandiar?" "Yes." "Do men wash dead women in the West?" "Yes, do thank the Lord." "Were you there, you wouldn't have this job." "But it wouldn't be bad for you, anyway, washing foreign women." "No telephone." "Go after your business." "What are these rude things?" "All right, do not stir." "Phone this number, please." "A big shot..." "A pregnant woman..." "Delbar" "This Delbar, She's a poor woman." "She had a sulky man." "He could read Quran very well, but he was a very sulky type." "When he died Delbar married her daughter to an Afghan and herself started the corpse washing." "She'd send her salary to her daughter." "She's short of money herself." "When the war finished in Afghanistan the Afghan took her daughter there with himself." "My mother always used to say women have a share of wickedness by nature." "No need feel compassion for them" "They always have their nastiness." "Without that, they'd have been eaten by men." "This is their nature." "Always sulking with their spouses when they're still alive." "But when he dies she'll go to his grave and cry everyday." "It is their disposition." "Azrael" "When the corpse is buried the cleric comes to the grave and recites a prayer..." "And one who's washed the body holds the right hand of the deceased and shakes it so that he can concentrate on the prayer and be better prepared to answer the angels' questions about his lifetime and what deeds he's done." "On the first night of the burial two angels, Nakir and Munkar, will visit the corpse." "As he slowly opens his eyes he's stunned to see that two angles are standing beside him." "One on the right side, the other on his left." "Nakir and Munkar." "They will ask him..." ""Throughout your lifetime, the years you lived in the world what have you done?"" "The deceased recounts what he's done one by one and they write them down." "If he's been good he'll go to paradise..." "And if he's been bad, hell will be his place." "Mr. Esfandiar?" "Mr. Esfandiar?" " Mr. Yad'Ollah?" " Yes." " Mr. Yad'Ollah?" " Yes." "Is he dead?" "I don't think so." " He's dead, eh?" " I don't think so." "No, he's alive." " He's alive!" " He's alive!" "Mr. Esfandiar?" "You were burying a man, but suddenly fainted." "It was Mr. Yad'Ollah who brought you here." "Hadj Agha?" "Hadj Agha, he's alive." "Mr. Esfandiar?" "Thank God, you're feeling better now." "I'd told you that you needed an assistant." "Now, make this boy your apprentice." "He won't need to burn any more clothes." "Also, you will work less." "This incident wasn't by chance." "I hope you'll feel better." "May God preserve you." "Mr. Esfandiar?" "Mr. Esfandiar, don't worry at all." "Be relaxed." "I am here." "You just relax." "I'll take care of all the..." "Come here." "Sere Willow" "Look, what good traditions they've got, the Westerners." "They have really a good taste." "Very decent." "Look at the skulls." "If we did the same here in Sedeh how nice it would be." "And we have a lot of old cemeteries those that municipality is going to confiscate." "We can dig out the skulls and put them..." "Who is it?" "Who is it?" "Who is it?" "Esfandiar!" "I wanted to talk to you about this boy." "Even if Hadj Agha insists on getting him to wash the bodies, you don't accept." "It's no good for him." "He's just a kid." "It'd be better to let him continue to burn the clothes." "No, Hadj Agha ordered otherwise." "Hadj Agha doesn't know whether this job's suitable for the kid or not." "This job's too bad for him, he's still young after all." "What's wrong with our profession?" "It's good, I'm not saying it's bad, but for a boy of his age it's not proper." "All right, he'll continue to burn the corpses' clothes." "Thank you very much." "Thank you." "Come in for dinner." "No, thank you very much." " It's a very good stew." " Thank you very much." " You can call your daughter too." " Thank you." " Why not come and call her again?" " Thank you, I did last night." " You won't come in?" " No, thank you." "Have a nice trip, then." ""In a cemetery one day, I saw two similar burials one was a statesman's, the other a dervish's."" "Hello, Mr. Yad'Ollah." "Hello." " What are you doing?" " I'm digging a grave." "For whom?" "For a girl." "A girl?" "What happened to her?" "She committed suicide." "Apparently she was in love with a boy but her parents wouldn't agree." "She threw herself into the river." "But I guess there was something secret involved there that would dishonour her." "She had no choice and took her life." "What a world." " Can I ask you a favour?" " Sure." "Since we started working together I've annoyed you from time to time." "I want to beg for your forgiveness." "But this is not the way to forgive someone." "So what's the way?" " Give me your bicycle." " What do you need a bicycle for?" "I want to ride it." " But you don't know how to ride one." " You give it to me, I will learn." "Learn at your age?" "Why not?" " What do you need it for?" " I will come to work by bicycle." "I have a watch." "Look how good it is." " What do I need a watch for?" " It's a nice one." " Take it down, I don't need a watch." " It's a very nice watch." "It's the same watch you wanted to buy from me the other day but I didn't sell." "Now I give it to you for free." " I don't need a watch." " You said you wanted it." " I don't need a watch." " You said you wanted it." "I don't care, I don't need a watch." " I won't forgive you." " All right, the bicycle is yours." "Mr. Yad'Ollah, what's that?" "What's that in the corner?" " A gas cylinder." " You've brought this junk again?" "Throw it there." "And he feels no shame, has brought this again." "I was talking about that." "This one's for that man who was hung, I know." "No, this is a woman." "No, this is a man, not a woman." "I know, I've been stuck with one for ages." "Again talking nonsense?" "Aren't you ashamed?" "This is a man." "The man has a big skull." "The woman's skull is small." "Good heavens, we'll be like this too, in the end." "Let me recite a poem for you, Mr. Esfandiar." ""The lifetime is not faithful to anyone." "No one decided upon one's life and death."" "Good Gracious..." "To be or not to be, all the same." "Especially yours." "I'm that bad then?" "Can I ask you a favour?" "Dig me a grave up there at the foot of that tree." "No one will recite the fatiha there." "It's too far." "Anyway, I want it to be there." "All right, I will." " You'll do it for our friendship right?" " No, you have to pay for it." " Why do I need to pay you?" " Well..." "You have to pay for it." " Friendship is that you pay me to get me out of need." " All right." " How about this?" " Is it an old one?" "No, a recent one." "What are the nodes then?" " This'll cost you 200 000 tomans." " No, no, I don't want this." " It's a new model." " No, I don't want it." "I want a gravestone engraved with a beautiful poem." "They're over there." "Let's go." "Can I have this one?" "This is very old, from about 800 years ago." "Nobody makes these kinds any more." " No more?" " No." " Don't you have any other cheap stones?" " We do, over there." " Let me see it." " Here, here." "Here, this one." " How about this one?" " It's black." "And your picture can be engraved here with laser." "Nice and very similar." " No, this is black, I don't want this." " How about the white one over there?" " This one?" " Yes." " Is it OK?" " Yes, this one's good." "How much does it cost?" "I think it costs about 100 000 tomans." "No, I want one around 15 000 tomans and a good one too." "Around 15,000 we have some down there." "Recite me some poems so I can choose one" "Sure, sit down." " Recite me some." " Sit down." " Recite some new and pretty ones." " Sure, as you wish." "I'll start with this one." "Listen to this one..." ""Rely not upon possessions and this world Because it has cherished many like thee and slain them."" "No, no, not this one." " It's Sa'di." " No, I don't like it." "So listen to this one..." ""Sup with joy your wine, or e'er this azure wheel" "With some unlooked-for blast upset your cup."" "What does it mean to sup wine?" "It's the mystic wine." ""Since Death is ever pressing at your heels 'Tis best to drink or dream your life away."" " What does it mean to sup wine?" " I told you, it's the mystic wine." " Mystic or not, I don't want it." " All right, I'll recite another." "Ah, this is the one..." ""Khayyam!" "rejoice that wine you still can pour And still the charms of tulip cheeks adore."" " I tell you, forget it." " Not this one either." "Do you want me to recite a modern poem?" "Find me a new and beautiful one, I'll come back tomorrow." "I want you to forgive me, I've hit you a few times." "I have also insulted you, I beg your forgiveness." "And if there's anything you want from me, I'll give you." " Is there something wrong?" " No, just saying..." "Now let me recite this poem too." "I forgive you." "May Lord do the same." " Let me recite this one too." " Come closer, give me a kiss." "No need for that." "The Education" "Go away!" "Go away!" " I won't let you do it!" " Go away!" "Upon arrival of the corpse, we mix water and cedar." "We wash the body with it from the head to the toe then we start rubbing from the right arm like this." "Now pull on the glove." "Come on." "Pull on the glove and start rubbing, come on." "Come on." "Mr. Esfandiar, I need to take care of something, may I go out for two minutes?" "No, come on, start rubbing." "Come on, don't laugh." "Scrub, quick." "Now lay his foot down." "Pull off the glove." "Now, take his organ in your hand and wash it." "It's rewarded." "Take what?" "Stop laughing." "Be quick." "Pull on the glove." "You have to pay 500 tomans, Mr. Esfandiar." "Why 500 tomans?" "We had a deal." "It wasn't planned to go so far." "It's asking a lot." "We'll talk about it later." "Mr. Esfandiar..." "Pull on the glove." "Be quick." "Hurry up." "Uncle Azrael I dug my grave as you commanded." "I also trained the boy to wash corpses on his own." "Let's be friends now." "As before, you kill people and I wash them clean." "I have neither a wife nor children, just like you." "Let us remain colleagues." "There are a lot of rich people in this city." "Take their lives and I'll wash and bury them quickly." "Don't please my enemies." "God's blessing on the Prophet." "Begging for Forgiveness." "What's wrong with me, doctor?" "It's nothing, your blood." "The balance of your blood cells has been disturbed a bit." "Azrael envies me." "He comes by every night and annoys me." "I want to frustrate him." "Let me tell you a story." "Two or three thousand years ago, when Alexander the Great arrives in Sedeh he asks where the cemetery is." "People respond, "Sedeh has no cemetery but there's a mountain." "Whenever somebody's time arrives they hear a voice from the mountain's back and that voice is Azrael's."" "You see what a time it was." "But now you've built a cemetery one is a corpse washer another's become a gravedigger another, a stonecutter and one burns the clothes another... anyway this way you're competing with Azrael and that's why he's after you, Mr. Esfandiar!" "Do you understand?" "I don't care about these." "I must live eternally." "I do heavy exercise." "I had a mild cold, but I'm fine now." "There are so many scoundrels out there, take their lives." "I'm so faithful and religious, why would you want to take my life?" "Azrael can do no harm at all." "Run along!" " Go aside!" " Why?" "I won't let you do it!" " I won't let you!" " Scram!" " You had promised!" " Go away!" "Mr. Esfandiar, thank you for your kindness." "You begged forgiveness from everybody but you didn't come to ask for mine." "I begged you not to take the boy and train him to wash corpses but you finally did and you even slapped me in the face." "May God sear your hand." "I hope to see you in your grave." "May Azrael knock on your door." "Hello?" "Hello." "A new corpse?" "Wash it yourself." "I've trained you." "How many times have I trained you so far?" "I don't care how rich they are." "I've seen enough money." "You wash it yourself." "I don't feel like it." "I will come later." "The Brooch" " "Since the hope..."" " What's going on in here?" "Hello, Mr. Esfandiar." "Didn't I tell you not to make any noise in here?" "Here's no place to sing." " You're feeling better?" " I'm all right, I was." " Clean here." " Sure." " What's new?" " How are you?" " I'm fine." " Great." "There was nothing wrong with me." "Mop here too, and there." "Look how dirty this is." "What's new?" "Nothing, I bought this mop today, Mr. Esfandiar." "I also bought a bucket and managed to get a hose." "How did you get the money for that?" "I washed a body today, a boy killed in an accident." "The body was out of shape and his mother was weeping on and on." "It wasn't easy." "You still don't know how to do a good job." "I have yet to train you." "You must learn." "You grind a little camphor into water and mix it." "Once it's well mixed you'll take the right leg and the right arm of the child and dip them in water three times." "Understood?" "You see, it's very simple, smooth and nice." " You understood?" " Yes, it's very easy, and I spent the whole day struggling to wash the child..." " and his mother wouldn't stop screaming" " Because you didn't know how to do it." "I have to tell you something later." " Mr. Esfandiar?" " Yes." " You're feeling better now?" " I'm well, I was well." "I'm fine, and I'll have to tell you something later." " What?" " I'll tell you." "Stop laughing!" "Give me something nice, I want to make somebody a present of it." " For whom, Mr. Esfandiar?" " For somebody!" "Well then, this is all I have." "Will it do any good, a coin?" " It's a hundred years old." " No." " A bullet?" "You'll just need a gun." " Why would I need a bullet and a gun?" "How about this medal?" "It's for the general you washed six months ago." "No, I don't want it." "What is this?" "You don't know what it is?" "I don't want it." "I want this one, give me this." "But this is a women's brooch." "All right it doesn't concern you." "I want to give it to someone as a souvenir." "One more thing, come closer." "That'll teach you not to do the shopping without permission." "Don't do it again, OK?" "Now, come closer, this for your for you do good." "That was reward for you, well done." "Thank you." " Oi, say Hossein after drinking." " Oh, Hossein." "Excuse me, Mr. Esfandiar." "Mr. Esfandiar?" "What do you see down there?" "On this rock, you'll see everybody tiny." "It's a rock that believes in God, so everyone's tiny from up here." "Mr. Esfandiar?" "How did you feel when you first washed a body?" "I was a bit anxious, a bit uneasy." "I was also afraid... ..but gradually it got better and better" "Ah, me too, this morning for my first body, I was afraid." "Well done." "But then it started to get gradually better and better and in the end, it was great." "Well done." "Mr. Esfandiar?" "Quiet!" "Let me concentrate." " Mr. Esfandiar?" " What?" "If you like to see people tiny so much.." "...why don't you go further up?" "They're even smaller from there." "This rock believes in God." "It is blessed" "I've been up there a few times, the rock Eshgh'Ali seems so little like this." "This rock is blessed, get lost!" "Mr. Esfandiar this naïve man wants to marry Delbar let him marry her providing that Delbar won't complain to Azrael about me and will be kind to me." "How does this concern me?" "Let them marry..." "He's an old man." "That will please God." "They will be happy." "It will change their fate for the better." "That's fine." "And the old man is so naïve that he wants to marry her..." "Let him marry Delbar." "How does this concern me?" "That will please God." "A man must be broad-minded and not meddle in the affairs of others." "No Comment" "Uncle Hossein?" " Uncle Hossein?" " Yes." "How long have we been friends?" "About 40, 45 years." "Could you do me a favour?" "It depends." "Will you wash me when I die?" "No." "But why?" "I wash the living, not the dead." "You have a heart of stone." "You're used to this occupation." "But I wash the living, that's my occupation." "It doesn't matter in the eyes of God there's on difference between washing the dead and the living one will be rewarded for both." " Mr. Esfandiar." " Yes." "Will you wash me when I die?" "Yes, and I'd be honoured to do so." "That's our difference." "But it's very good and well rewarded." "I wash the living, I've been washing you for 40 years." "I don't know what to say." "Never mind, it's very good and well rewarded." "It is, but I won't do it." "We've been friends and I've been washing you for 40 years, I won't do it." "Go away, out of my sight!" " All right." " You impudent!" "Sorry, sorry." "Mr. Esfandiar?" "Mr. Esfandiar?" "What do you say?" "I love you very much." " What does that mean?" " What?" "What does that have to mean?" " You've done so much for me." " So what?" "You've taught me a trade." "You've been like a father to me." "I want to pay you back." "No need for that, go away!" " Let me kiss you." " Scram!" "I don't like kisses." "That's insolent." " Idiot!" " Sorry." "Mr. Esfandiar?" " Mr. Esfandiar?" " What's the matter?" "There's no need to ask Hossein to wash you." "I'll care for you myself when, a hundred years from now, you're you're dead." "You're waiting for me to die?" "Get lost!" "No, I just didn't want Hossein to wash you." "I just wanted to wash and bury you myself." "I don't want you to wash me." "Scram!" "Get out!" "The White Sleep" "Uncle?" "Mister?" "Mister?" "Monsieur?" "Are you listening to me?" "I have a question for you." "We are colleagues." "When you die who will clean under your nails, who will wash you?" "Have you ever thought about that?" "Or not?" "I didn't ask you to laugh." "Be serious." "Have you ever thought about that?" "How is that?" "No one will wash you?" "Someone has to wash you in the end!" "That's improper, not to have anyone wash you." "You don't say so!" "You who have washed corpses all your life!" "And you want to be cremated?" "You need to leave a trace of your presence, a grave or something..." "You're boasting about your wife and your children to me?" "That's not fair." "Delbar's Nougat" "Did you see how she treated me, how she dishonoured me?" "All for a piece of nougat as if I hadn't eaten one." "What an idiot I am." "You never bought a shirt for your own mother and now you're going to buy one for a female corpse washer for 9 500 tomans?" "What an idiot I am to have been enslaved by a black-and-white television." "To hell with it, let her not forgive me." "What will happen?" "I don't care." "Mr. Esfandiar." "If I wash you all those who donated this money to the mausoleum will also want me to do the same for them." "I'm not a corpse washer." "The boy I appointed as your apprentice has learned now how to do a good job." "He will wash you just like the others." "I trained him to wash the others." "I don't want him to wash me." "I want you to wash me, enshroud my body and bury me." "By the way, you've been recently climbing up on the rock Eshgh'Ali to look around through binoculars." "It seems that you're not feeling very well." "Take a break, go on a trip or a pilgrimage." "You'll have some time to recuperate." "May God preserve you." "Hadj Agha." "So would you wash me or not?" "Come, give me a hand for now." "Doleful Esfandiar" "Mr. Esfandiar, rest in peace." "So is this all you deserve?" "After forty years of faithful service to be succeeded by a loony." "Someone who wears the corpses' clothes will succeed you." "Is this all you deserve?" "Ms. Delbar, you also didn't offer me your forgiveness." "I deserved better, didn't I?" "After all the money I gave you..." "After forty years of service I did not deserve forgiveness?" "That's the way it is." "And I was longing to live an eternal life." "Did I deserve such a fate, to be watching over you all my life?" "But you didn't deserve me." "All right, you can take everything I have, take the bicycle too." "Take it all." "Everything." "The bicycle, the morgue, everything..." "Take the cemetery over." "Esfandiar?" "Would you forgive the slap?" "Yes, you're forgiven." "I assure you." " You are sure?" " Yes." "Would you come over for dinner tomorrow night?" " I have nothing to do at your home." " Come for dinner." " Why should I come?" " We'll have a simple dinner." " All right, I'll come." "Goodbye." " Goodbye." "She forgave me." "Why don't you leave me in peace?" "Uncle Azrael, you should not enter people's homes without warning." "Just allow me a few minutes to get ready then you can come and take my life." "It's better now." "At least people will think that I died in the middle of the prayer." "It's better now." "No, no, they will say I was so bad that Azrael didn't even let me finish my prayer before taking my life." "No, that wasn't a good idea." "It's better this way." "This way, people will say I knew the time had come by divine revelation so I put the Holy Qur'an on my chest." "It's better now." "Well, Uncle Azrael thank you for your patience." "I'm ready now." "You're ready too." "You can take my life." "Rejoice!" "I killed Azrael for you." "I took vengeance on Azrael who killed you all." "This is a pilgrimage for me, here." "I broke his wings." "What revenge!" "Hossein, did you see how I broke his wings?" "I gave him no chance at all." "How are you, Hadj Ghassem?" "May God bring peace to your souls all." "Rest in peace all, for I avenged your deaths." "I broke Azrael's wings." "Rest in peace." "The Dinner at Delbar's" "This ear, there." "This side too." "Bitter Dream" "You see, Ms. Delbar." "Mr. Esfandiar doesn't feel very well." "You're also alone here." "Your daughter doesn't live with you." "Mr. Esfandiar has some furnishings and a house worth about one million tomans." "He has no heir." "If you try to be nice to him the fate of his legacy will be determined." "Now, what do you think?" "I will do whatever you recommend." "What have you cooked?" "I've cooked stew, when will you get here?" "I must go and buy some fruit first." "Why did you invite me to your home in the first place?" "Why?" "Does it bother you?" "No, I'm just surprised why you started being nice to me all at once." "You're desperately lonely in your shack." "Shack?" "Just a bit of renovation and it will look like a great house." "Stop showing off." "I'm lonely too." "But I'm not childless like you." "And I give my daughter everything I earn" "No matter what happens." "Will you come or I start eating?" "I'll come." "I'm waiting." "And I was longing to have an eternal life, Uncle Azrael." "But how can one bear these people for all eternity?" "Uncle Azrael how many of your victims did I wash and hand over to God?" "I never got to know you through all these years, but it's different now." "From now on you'll be my best friend, Uncle Azrael." "Come what may." "I am washing this corpse, with the intention of the head and the neck only for the sake of the Almighty Allah." "I'm washing the right side to God's satisfaction." "I'm washing the right side to God's satisfaction." "I'm washing the left side to God's satisfaction." "Esfandiar?" "Esfandiar?" "Wake up!" "You're asleep?" "Wake up!" "The sun is out." "Why didn't you come last night?" "I was waiting for you." "Why did you burn your clothes?" "Wake up, Esfandiar!" "Wake up, they've brought a corpse." "Get up!" "Esfandiar?" "BITTER DREAM" "Scenario" " Directing" " Editing" " Film Set" " Costume Design:" "The late Mohsen Amiryoussefi" "Cinematography:" "The young, late Bayram Fazli" "Mixing:" "The late Mohammad Reza Delpak" "Cast:" "The late, lamented Abbas Esfandiari" "The late Delbar Ghasri" "The late Yad'Ollah Anvari" "The late Mohsen Rahimi" "The late Safar-Ali Safari" "The late Asghar Hashemi" "The late Ali-Akbar Kazemi" "Executive Producer:" "Nasrine Médard de Chardon-Mirshab" "Thanks:" "Producers:" "Rouhollah Baradari Mohsen Amiryoussefi" "With support from DEFC" "Documentary and Experimental Film Center" "Subtitles:" "coloraday @ KG"