1
THE SILENCE
A film by Mohsen Makhmalbaf
O, my God,
while this bee is going home,
may nothing happen to it.
Don't let it get lost.
- Khorshid, dear!
- Yes?
The landlord just came by.
He says we have to pay the rent
or he'll throw
our things in the street.
How many days
till the end of the month?
5 days.
Come buy some bread.
Buy my bread.
It's cheap.
It's not expensive.
I have warm bread.
How much?
80 soum.
How much is yours?
And yours?
How much is it?
It's dry.
- How much is yours?
- 70 soum.
It's too soft.
How much?
How much is yours?
Buy my fresh bread.
It's very cheap.
How much?
120, but 100 to you.
Mother, she has a pretty voice.
My bread is good.
The girl with the pretty voice
has good bread.
Madam, my bread is good.
- See for yourself.
- Her bread's good.
Come back and buy my bread.
Mother, her bread's dry,
but she had a pretty voice.
Buy my pomegranates.
Buy my apples.
Mother, they're too sharp.
You're Saadat!
How did you know?
Your skin is peachy.
- Hello, ma'am.
- Hello, Saadat.
If I buy your cherries,
will you take Khorshid
to the bus stop?
All right.
Let's go.
- Saadat?
- Yes.
Take Khorshid to the bus.
Hand him over to the driver.
- All right.
- Mother, I'm hot.
Khorshid?
I'll pick some cotton.
Put it in your ears.
- Khorshid?
- Yes?
On the bus,
put your fingers in your ears
or you'll follow a pretty voice
and get lost.
- OK.
- So, what did I say?
On the bus, I must put
my fingers in my ears
or I'll follow a pretty voice
and get lost.
And if you get lost?
The boss
will fire me.
Khorshid, the bus is coming.
Hello.
Hello there.
Can you take this boy?
- Where to?
- To the terminus.
All right.
The boy's blind.
If he gets off too soon,
he'll get lost.
- I'll watch him, don't worry.
- Here.
- So long!
- Bye.
"Speak no more
of what happened yesterday.
Don't worry
about what happens tomorrow.
Do not rely
on the future or the past.
Seize the moment,
do not waste time."
I know it by heart.
"Speak no more
of what happened yesterday.
Don't worry
about what happens tomorrow.
Do not rely...
...on the future
or the past.
Seize the moment,
do not waste time.
Speak no more
of what happened yesterday..."
"Speak no more
of what happened yesterday.
Don't worry
about what happens tomorrow.
Do not rely
on the future or the past.
Seize the moment,
do not waste time."
Did you understand?
"Seize the moment,
do not waste time."
But you're blind.
How did you learn it?
Your eyes distract you.
If you close your eyes,
you'll learn better.
Close your eyes
and repeat after me.
"Speak no more
of what happened yesterday.
Don't worry
about what happens tomorrow.
Do not rely
on the future
or the past.
Seize the moment,
do not waste time."
we've gone past our school!
Hey, stop!
we've missed our school!
Stop, stop the bus!
Stop the bus!
we've missed our stop!
It's your fault
we missed our stop.
Stop, stop!
Khorshid?
Out you get.
You're on time.
You didn't hear any pretty voices?
I did. Girls with pretty voices.
what do you have for lunch?
- Bread.
- What else?
Cherries.
Are they good?
Yes.
You never ask me...
how I'm feeling...
Khorshid?
Khorshid?
Nadereh?
Don't go astray, don't go astray...
The pilgrim and the dwelling
are both me...
The trap and the bait...
are also me...
The wise man and the fool
are both me...
The master is me...
The enchained man is also me...
The master of destiny is me...
Don't go astray, don't go astray...
Khorshid?
- Were you lost?
- Yes.
- We're late.
- Let's go.
Khorshid?
- We're here.
- I'm scared of the boss.
If he yells at you,
we'll tell him you got lost.
Block up your ears.
Don't be afraid.
Yes, at this number.
31...
54...
Bye for now.
why are you late?
- The bus was late.
- It's always late!
what can you hear?
what can he hear?
what can you hear?
A bee.
He can hear a bee.
One that gathers pollen
or that lands on dung?
what kind of bee is it?
It lands on dung!
A bee that lands on dung.
How does he know?
It makes a bad noise.
why is it bad?
why is the noise bad?
It lands on bad flowers.
Because it lands on bad flowers.
Like you.
Like you.
what happens
if it lands on bad flowers?
The honey won't be any good.
what if it isn't any good?
we send it back.
Here you are.
Go help him tune the instruments.
All right.
How many robab do you want?
20? OK.
And the delroba?
10? OK.
Khorshid, that's not in tune.
Don't talk to the bees
that land on dung.
Your voice will go bad.
Yesterday, you went "Vzzzo".
Now you go "Vzzz".
I'll put you outside.
During the war,
900 soum were worth 30 dollars.
Now 900 soum are worth 1 dollar.
The landlord wants to raise the rent.
what can I do?
Ask your boss for an advance
to pay the landlord.
Brother...
Brother?
Did you see a musician?
what?
Have you seen a musician?
- He went that way.
- Which way?
That way.
Stop!
Come here!
Hey, kid!
You work in the old man's workshop?
Tell your boss
his instruments are so bad,
I won't buy any more.
Bring your instrument here.
They're all in bad condition
and out of tune.
If he carries on like that,
we'll buy them elsewhere.
You tell him that.
Take this one back to him.
Ready?
Khorshid?
The old man wants to fire you.
He won't pay you.
Let's get the bus home.
- No.
- Why?
The landlord comes every day
and knocks at our door.
If we don't pay the rent,
he'll throw our things out.
we only have 4 days left.
How did you say he knocked?
No, more like this.
Khorshid dear...
There's only 3 days left.
Go away from your loved ones
And destroy your dwelling...
Stop!
- Where are you going?
- To follow the music.
That's 10 soum.
You don't have a bus!
One stop, 1 soum.
- 3 soum per stop.
- No, 2.
OK, get on.
Here's the first stop. 2 soum.
8 soum.
That's 10 soum.
I'm exhausted.
Hello.
Bang like this, not like that:
Ba... Ba... Ba... Bam.
How's that?
It doesn't sound good.
Hammer like this...
Go away!
Not like that. It sounds horrid.
I don't want money.
I just like it to sound good.
Hey, he's not a beggar.
He wants you to bang like this.
Understand?
Come back, kid.
Listen. Is this tambourine in tune?
No.
And this one?
It's out of tune.
The old man says
Khorshid arrives late
and his instruments aren't tuned.
Customers are sending them back.
The old man says
you've done him wrong.
He wants to fire you.
Khorshid?
Follow me.
No, the old man's mean,
he upset me.
Don't be sad.
He's just feeling down.
He's thinking about his son
who died in the war.
Let's go to the spring.
Come on, let's go to the spring.
Khorshid...
I'm frightened.
why?
There's a man over there with a gun.
He's scolding all the girls
without head scarves.
- Let's go the other side.
- All right.
Khorshid...
we went the wrong way.
The man with the gun's sitting there.
what'll we do?
Go by quickly without looking.
Khorshid...
- Hold this.
- What is it?
A mirror.
- What's it for?
- To see yourself in.
I can see myself in it.
Am I in it, too?
Yes.
where am I?
That's your face.
Those are your eyebrows.
There's your nose.
That's your mouth.
That's you, Khorshid.
You broke it!
I'm sorry. Forgive me.
Khorshid...
I'm going.
The old man's sad now.
when he's feeling better,
I'll fetch you.
All right.
Khorshid...
Only one day left.
Did you see a musician?
- No.
- What?
Someone who could play well.
No.
Someone who played really well.
- A boy or a man?
- A man.
- He played well?
- Yes.
I saw someone playing for money.
He got off 2 stops ago.
- He played really well?
- Yes.
Stop! I want to get off.
Did you see a musician
who played really well?
No, I didn't.
Did you see a musician
who played really well?
No. Come sit down.
How can I find him?
what for?
Yesterday, I followed him,
but I got lost.
Then my boss fired me.
I said it wasn't my fault,
that it was
because of his music.
My boss wants him to apologize
and maybe he'll hire me again.
I've not seen him.
Stop! Let me off.
He wants to get off.
- Where are you going?
- Is there a musician on board?
No, there isn't.
what will you do now?
My husband went to Russia
and never came back.
I have no one
to take care of me.
I'm all alone.
That's why I'm here.
I can't help you, either.
I want to go to Russia.
I can't put any money aside,
so I can't go.
I have no one there,
so I stay here.
I'm afraid I can't help you.
My landlord wants his rent.
He's going to evict me.
I have no money to pay him.
Can't you give me any?
Give you money? I'm retired, dear.
I have no money.
I can't even buy bread.
I don't know how I can help you.
Yesterday, I didn't catch
a single fish.
There aren't many fish here.
I've been here a few days
and I'd be pleased
to catch just one.
There are very few fish.
Tell the old man
it was the driver's fault I got lost.
I won't be late again.
Khorshid!
The old man has locked
the workshop door.
He's gone to get a new apprentice.
If he doesn't pay
the rent tomorrow morning,
the landlord will throw them out.
Didn't you speak to your dad
about his problem?
The old man looks after me.
He's not my dad.
If I was late,
it was because of your music.
I always blocked my ears.
Your music was so pretty
and I got lost.
Can I come with you?
Of course you can.
we'll ask my friends
what we can do.
well, Khorshid...
we'll come tomorrow morning
and play for your landlord
so he doesn't throw you out.
OK?
No.
why not?
Our landlord doesn't like music.
why doesn't he?
He only likes money.
Everyone likes music.
we'll try just the same.
Maybe he'll take pity
and give you more time. OK?
If you give him the money,
he won't evict them.
Little girl, if we had money,
we wouldn't be roaming around.
Khorshid...
A boat's going toward your house.
who's on board?
A big man.
Khorshid...
It's stopped in front of your house.
The man's talking to your mother.
- What's he saying?
- I don't know.
Khorshid...
He's bothering your mother.
He's throwing
your things into the boat.
Your mother's coming this way
with your things.
I'm going far away.
Play the horse's gallop.
Khorshid!
Hey, boy!
The big cooking pot, once.
The little pot, three times.
The big cooking pot, once.
The little pot, three times.
Got that?
Cast:
Khorshid Normatava
Nadereh Abdelah Yeva
Araz M. Shirmohamadi
Golbibi Ziadalah Yeva
Director of Photography:
Ebrahim Ghafouri
Sound Engineer:
Behrouz Shahamat
Executive Producer:
Mohamad Ahmadi
Set Photographer and Assistant Editor:
Meysam Makhmalbaf
Assistant Directors:
Mostafa Mirzakhani
Samira Makhmalbaf
Script Supervisor:
Hana Makhmalbaf
Laboratories:
Filmsaz (Iran) - Eclair (France)
Special thanks to
Tadjik Film
Screenplay and Editing:
Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Copyright: MK2 Productions
and Makhmalbaf Productions 1998