**Title: Redemption in the Fog**

**Genre: Drama, Psychological, Mystery, Surreal**

**Duration: 2 Hours**

---

**Characters:**

- **Ali**: An introspective sculptor, struggling with addiction and haunted by memories.

- **Negar**: Ali’s lover, a symbol of purity and reality.

- **Marian**: An imaginary woman, embodying temptation, pain, and inner motivation for redemption.

- **Asad**: Ali’s old friend, a loyal companion.

- **Captain Jalal**: A symbol of oppressive power, responsible for Asad’s death.

- **Hesar**: Asad’s son, a resolute figure who pushes Ali toward salvation.

- **Old Man**: Ali’s spiritual guide along the journey.

---

### Scene 1: Ice City Station

*Sound of a train. Snowfall. Ali, alone and dazed, sits on a bench in an abandoned station. His eyes are heavy, his face lifeless.*

**Ali (inner monologue):** Winter always lingers too long...

*In the distance, the foggy glow of a café’s lights. A cat’s meow. Ali stands, his trembling steps leading toward the café.*

---

### Scene 2: Inside the Café

*An old man behind the counter. The café is warm but silent. Ali enters, sits, and orders a meal for three.*

**Old Man:** Three? It’s just you here.

**Ali:** The other two are in my mind. One’s called Marian.

---

### Flashback: Ali and Negar’s Meeting

*Bright days. Negar’s smile. Ali sculpts and falls for her. But his drunkenness ruins their bond.*

**Negar (tearful):** I can’t live with someone who’s always drunk.

---

### Scene 4: The Birth of Marian

*Marian takes shape in Ali’s mind—a mysterious, beautiful, serene woman. She promises freedom if he quits.*

**Marian:** I can tell you’re sober by the smell of your breath, Ali...

*Ali celebrates his sobriety. But that same night, he drinks again.*

---

### Scene 5: The Statue

*Ali sculpts a statue of Marian. It cracks. It crumbles.*

**Ali (choked up):** The idea was good... but the material wasn’t.

---

### Scene 6: Asad’s Death

*A confrontation with Captain Jalal. Asad is killed. Hesar, his son, silently broken, becomes Ali’s enemy.*

**Captain Jalal (to Ali):** I killed him to save myself.

---

### Scene 7: Ice City Station - Return

*Ali, sober but craving, cold, alone. A cat passes by. Train sounds. The old man appears.*

**Ali:** I have to go back... I’m dying.

**Old Man:** Sunset’s just a piece of the world, son.

**Ali:** But the world’s just a piece of sunset’s wound.

---

### Scene 1 (Detailed): Ice City Station

**Location**: A train platform in a frozen city. Dark, snowy air. Distant train whistle. A lit café glows in the darkness.

**Time**: Dusk turning to night. A cold wind blows. Ali stands in a long coat, collar up, his breath visible in the air.

*(A cat’s meow from afar. Silence and wind.)*

**Ali (inner monologue):**

*Some sunsets… are a piece of the world… but it feels like the world is a piece of a wound… a wound left open…*

*(A faint light falls on Ali’s face. His eyes are half-drunk but awake. He’s craving. He murmurs to himself.)*

**Ali (under his breath, from the song “Marian”):**

*In the darkness beside the moon, the stars are still alive…*

*(Sudden heavy footsteps. The old man enters. Leather coat, hooded, with eyes that have seen too much.)*

**Old Man:**

Are you leaving or coming back?

**Ali:**

I don’t know.

*(Pause)*

I’m out of alcohol. I have to go back…

**Old Man (laughs, raspy):**

Going back’s never easy… especially if the night’s soup is venison you can’t forgive yourself for…

**Ali (surprised):**

How do you know I hate venison?

**Old Man:**

You invited me to a three-person dinner… you said it yourself. I came. Just… the third hasn’t shown up yet.

**Ali (faint smile):**

Marian always comes. She’s always with me… even if she’s not here.

**Old Man (suspicious):**

No one named Marian’s been to the café, son…

*(Ali smiles. His gaze fixes on the café’s distant light.)*

**Ali (with certainty):**

She’s always there, even when no one believes in her…

*(Silence. The train whistle sounds again. The old man walks toward the café.)*

**Old Man (turning back):**

By the way… the venison soup’s still hot. Coming?

**Ali (smiling):**

I’ll come… but let me say something first…

*(He leans against the station railing, staring into the darkness.)*

**Ali:**

It’s true that sunset’s a piece of the world…

But the world… is a piece of sunset’s wound…

*(Cut. The camera pulls back from Ali’s face. A train approaches from the distance. The red glow of the sunset paints his face crimson.)*

---

### Scene 2: Ali and Marian’s Dialogue — Inside Ali’s Mind / Imaginary Realm

**Location**: A foggy, black-and-white landscape. The only light comes from a full moon. Ali stands in an endless plain. The sound of wind, occasionally a distant cat’s howl. Suddenly, Marian emerges from the fog in a white dress.

**Ali (exhausted but loving):**

You came…

**Marian (calm, smiling):**

I’m always here, Ali… you only see me when you’re sober…

**Ali (with regret):**

Negar left… because I couldn’t quit…

You said if I stayed sober one night, you’d know from the smell of my breath…

I threw a party, Marian… a sobriety party… but…

**Marian (steps closer, gently takes Ali’s hand):**

But to toast that party, you drank again…

Ali… you forgot yourself, not Negar…

**Ali (inner tears, silent):**

You know what’s worse than everything?

It’s that… I still don’t trust someone who doesn’t use…

**Marian (her eyes gleam):**

Because you still don’t believe you can quit…

*(Pause. The fog thickens. A distant train sound.)*

**Ali (trembling voice):**

Marian… I’m… dying of loneliness…

Negar’s gone, Asad’s gone, even that damn statue cracked…

**Marian (places Ali’s hand on her heart):**

But I’m here. I’m part of you… You can still create, you just need to carve yourself…

**Ali:**

Like a statue…

**Marian (soft smile):**

No, like a human… a real human…

*(The fog swirls around them. The train sound grows closer, as if the mind is exiting the dream.)*

**Marian:**

Go back, Ali. It’s not too late…

The stars are still alive… beside the moon… in the darkness…

*(Ali closes his eyes. Marian vanishes into the fog.)*

**Ali’s Voice (monologue):**

*Sunset’s a piece of the world… but I have to move past this piece…*

*(Cut. Train sound. The scene darkens.)*

---

### Scene 3: Flashback — Asad’s Death — Night / Old Port / Under Rain

**Location**: A foggy port. Dim streetlights, heavy rain, the sound of droplets hitting tin and wood. Asad, in a soaked leather coat, stands by a boat. Captain Jalal approaches with a lantern. Ali, hidden behind a wall, watches.

**Asad (deep, weary voice):**

I told you, I’m done this time, Jalal… I don’t want to be part of the smuggling anymore…

**Captain Jalal (cold, smirking):**

You were never a partner, Asad… just a pawn. You think you can quit the game, and we’ll applaud?

**Asad (steps forward):**

Ali deserves to know…

I won’t let this port drown in drunkenness and sin anymore…

**Captain Jalal:**

You always talked too much…

*(Reaches for the gun under his raincoat)*

**Asad (angry, shouting):**

Ali! If you survive, don’t leave Hesar alone…

*(Sound of a gunshot. Ali, frozen and shocked, tears in his eyes. Asad gasps and collapses. The lantern falls from Jalal’s hand. The flame dies in the rain.)*

*Cut to darkness. Ali’s ragged breathing.*

---

### Scene 4: Hesar’s House — Weeks Later

**Location**: A simple room with unfinished sculptures. Hesar, Asad’s son, sits on a table with a cold stare. Ali, exhausted and hollow-eyed, faces him.

**Ali:**

I couldn’t stop him… I just watched…

**Hesar (icy voice):**

My dad always said you had a good heart… but a good heart isn’t enough, Ali.

You need to move…

**Ali (stunned):**

Move? Where? Why?

**Hesar:**

Toward yourself… not toward illusions, not toward drunkenness…

**Ali:**

You think I can? After all this darkness?

**Hesar:**

If my dad died for this, you don’t get to stay stuck in the mud. Get up…

Carve yourself again…

*(Ali looks at a sculpture, a half-finished bust resembling Marian. He touches it. Cracks run through it.)*

---

*Cut. Ali’s monologue:*

*I still hate venison… but sometimes you have to eat what you’ve been running from… to finally understand who you are…*

---

### Scene 5: Ice City Station — Cold Night / Railway Tracks

**Location**: An old railway station, an empty yard. Snow falls, streets deserted. A distant train whistle. Ali sits on a bench, hat on, staring into the distance. Cat sounds and the smell of alcohol linger in the air.

**Ali (inner monologue):**

*Sometimes you hear the cats… You don’t always have to turn back, you don’t always have to stand still… There’s still time… You always have to go back because you’re out of alcohol…*

*(A shadow emerges from the distance. The old man, elderly, hatted, walks toward Ali. His face is wrinkled, his eyes full of wisdom and experience.)*

**Old Man (calm, deep voice):**

Sunset’s a piece of the world, Ali… but the world’s a piece of sunset’s wound.

**Ali (broken voice, head down):**

I’ve forgotten who I was so many times, old man… I’ve forgotten why I’m here.

**Old Man:**

Everyone has a place to stay. Look at time, at the piece you carry with you. Always remember, in the darkness, beside the moon, the stars are still alive…

**Ali (deep gaze at the old man):**

Can you tell me what that time wanted? What did it want from me?

Why do we always drift toward darkness?

**Old Man (deep breath, looks down, then up):**

You have to live for yourself again, not for someone else… No matter how much drunkenness there’s been, you can still come out of this darkness. Never say it’s impossible…

*(The old man pulls an old car key from his pocket and hands it to Ali.)*

**Old Man:**

It’s time to go back… Take this and leave this path.

**Ali (staring at the key, lips trembling):**

And what happens if… I let go of these things?

**Old Man (faint smile):**

We’ve got a three-person dinner, Ali… with venison soup…

*(Gesturing to Ali)*

Marian will be there. Do you want to stay as you’ve always been, or go where you can find yourself again?

*(Ali looks deeply at the old man, then lowers his head. The train whistle grows closer.)*

---

### Scene 6: Three-Person Dinner — Night / Old Man’s House

**Location**: A simple, old house with warm lights. Marian sits in a corner, in plain clothes, watching Ali. Ali sits beside the old man, holding a bowl of venison soup. His face still carries traces of intoxication.

**Ali (panting, staring at the bowl):**

I’ve always hated venison… hated facing something I despise, running from it…

**Marian (gentle smile):**

But you’re eating it now, Ali. What you’ve always run from… is now part of you.

**Ali (broken voice):**

Marian… you’re with me… even when everyone else leaves.

**Marian (deep breath):**

You’re not alone, Ali… I’m always here. Even in the darkness. Even when no one else is.

*(Ali leans back, something from the dark room stirs a memory. He looks at the old man.)*

**Ali:**

Sunset’s a piece of the world, but the world’s a piece of sunset’s wound…

*(The old man nods slowly, tapping the table.)*

**Old Man:**

Remember, Ali, sunset doesn’t mean the end. There’s always a beginning waiting for you.

*(A cat’s meow comes from outside. Ali listens intently.)*

---

### Scene 7: By the River — Early Morning

**Location**: Ali stands by a river. The sun rises slowly behind the mountains, the sky still cloaked in night’s darkness. The river flows gently, with only the sound of water and birds. Ali gazes at the river. Marian stands at a distance.

**Marian:**

You’ve always run, Ali… from everything. But now, for once, you need to face yourself.

**Ali (reaching toward the river):**

You know what?

*(Pauses)*

This water always flows, always moves from one side to another. But me… I’ve been stuck in the same spot. Like everything was telling me to go back, but I didn’t want to.

*(Marian steps closer, her gaze full of emotion and solace.)*

**Marian:**

But you know, Ali… there’s always something inside that holds you back. You need to break that dam, come out of the darkness.

*(Ali looks at the river, then whispers to himself.)*

**Ali (recalling Marian’s poem):**

*In the darkness beside the moon, the stars are still alive…*

*(His eyes fix on the first star rising in the sky.)*

---

### Scene 8: Night — Trees Reminding of the Past

**Location**: Night. Ali heads to a forest he used to visit often. The trees look dry and mournful, but in this cold space, Ali decides to confront his past.

*(Marian walks beside Ali, her gaze full of questions.)*

**Marian (soft voice):**

Why did you come here? This is where you forgot so much, isn’t it?

**Ali (fragile voice):**

You know… this place… I always thought I’d find something here. But now I realize I need to let something go to be free.

*(Sudden sound of quick footsteps. Ali and Marian turn toward the sound. A shadow moves among the trees. The old man enters.)*

**Old Man:**

Are you ready for the final step, Ali?

**Ali:**

I don’t know… I know I have to walk this path, but… I’ve always been afraid of losing what I’ve left behind.

**Old Man:**

We’re always afraid of what we leave behind. But that fear is the gateway to the future. Think about this: if you keep running from it, you’ll never find what you’re searching for.

**Ali (weak voice):**

And what I’m searching for… what is it?

**Old Man:**

Freedom. Understanding who you are, without losing anything.

*(Ali’s eyes catch a glimmer of light in the night. He looks at the old man, feeling a sense of calm.)*

---

### Scene 9: Old Man’s House — Early Morning

**Location**: Early morning. The old man’s house in the forest, calm and filled with light. Ali and Marian enter. The house is warm and inviting. The old man has set the table for breakfast.

*(Marian looks at Ali, as if something inside her is shifting.)*

**Marian (deep gaze):**

You don’t want to run anymore, do you?

**Ali (calm voice):**

No, I don’t. Maybe this is the only way to be free.

*(His eyes meet the old man’s, knowing that letting go of himself is the new beginning.)*

**Old Man:**

The best moments come when you stop fighting yourself.

*(A cat enters through the window. It heads to the table, looking at the old man. He smiles at it.)*

**Old Man (quietly):**

Like this cat, Ali. Whatever you lose wasn’t truly yours.

*(Ali looks at the cat, then at the old man and Marian with a new perspective. A sense of freedom grows within him.)*

---

### Final Scene: A New Day — Distant Mountains

**Location**: Ali stands, gazing at distant mountains. A golden light shines from the sky. Nothing can stop him.

**Ali (calm, certain):**

I have to cross these mountains… to reach a place where nothing can hold me back.

*(Marian stands beside him, her eyes calm and bright. The old man watches from afar. A gentle breeze hums.)*

**Old Man (from a distance):**

Don’t forget, Ali. No one can run from the past forever… but one day, you can reach a place where everything starts anew.

*(Ali looks at the old man, then steps toward the mountains. Marian moves with him. They fade into the distance.)*

---

**Ali (calm, certain):**

I have to cross these mountains… to reach a place where nothing can hold me back.

**Marian (deep, calm gaze):**

Ali… maybe there’s nothing behind these mountains. Maybe what you’re searching for is right here… where you stand.

*(Ali looks at Marian. A moment of silence, as her words sink into his heart.)*

**Ali (from the depths of his soul):**

I’ve never been able to face myself… I was always running toward something. But maybe I need to be here, in this moment. Maybe that’s the beginning…

*(Marian takes Ali’s hand, her gaze falling on the horizon with trust and calm.)*

**Marian:**

Sometimes you need to be in the moment to move past everything. Even if there’s nothing behind the mountains…

---

### Scene: The Long Road

**Location**: A long road at night. Mountains on the horizon, thick darkness. Only the sound of Ali and Marian’s footsteps.

**Marian (watching Ali from behind):**

Ali… sometimes, even when you run from something, it follows you.

*(As Ali doesn’t notice, she looks ahead.)*

**Ali (staring at the path):**

We have to cross these mountains…

*(Pauses, then looks at Marian)* You know… everything behind these mountains might not be worth it.

*(Deep breath)*

**Marian (infinitely calm gaze):**

Ali… maybe there’s nothing behind the mountains. Maybe all you seek is this moment you’re standing in.

*(Long silence)*

**Ali (stares at her, then a small smile):**

Maybe…

*(Pulls a cigarette from his pocket, lights it carefully, and blows the smoke skyward.)*

**Marian (staring at the smoke):**

I always think smoke, as it rises to the sky, can erase anything…

*(Pauses)*

But maybe smoke always leaves something behind… for those who want to see.

**Ali (gazing at the mountains, drops the cigarette):**

I never looked at the sky, even when the smoke took everything… I thought I’d look down. To where I didn’t fall…

*(Heavy silence)*

**Marian (hand on Ali’s shoulder):**

Ali… you haven’t lost yourself. You’re on the right path.

**Ali (eyes widen slightly):**

This road, these mountains, they’ve become so heavy… So many times I thought I had to leave them behind. But I don’t want to run anymore. I need to face the truth.

**Marian (watching closely):**

Ali… you never ran. The only thing holding you back was doubt.

*(Pauses)* But now, you need to believe the truth, like this path, is never smooth. But in the end, you’ll be where you were always meant to be.

**Ali (to himself):**

You’re right… maybe the truth is this moment…

*(Pauses, steps forward)*

**Marian (calmly):**

Keep moving, Ali. This road will take you where you want to be.

---

### Scene: Train Station at Night

**Location**: A small train station at night. A distant train approaches.

**Ali (standing at the station, staring at the tracks):**

This train, like always, comes and goes… Maybe one day, I’ll go too…

**Marian (calmly beside Ali):**

This train always has a destination.

*(Her gaze falls on the train)* It doesn’t matter where it goes… what matters is which train you choose to board.

**Ali (thoughtful, looking at the train):**

Maybe every day I need to find a new train… Maybe this train is a new journey… to where I need to go.

---

### Scene: Three-Person Dinner

**Location**: A wooden cabin in the cold mountains. Breath turns to vapor, the interior lit by a fireplace. Occasional howling wind.

**Present**: Ali, Old Man, Marian (visible only to Ali).

*(Ali, wrapped in a blanket, sits by the fireplace, steam rising from a teacup. The old man stirs a pot on a wooden stove.)*

**Old Man (faint smile):**

There’s something in your eyes… like someone who lost long ago but is still searching for a reason to keep going.

**Ali (eyes on the fire):**

Maybe… Maybe I lost. But I’m still playing.

*(Deep breath)*

You know… sunset’s a piece of the world… but the world’s a piece of sunset’s wound.

**Old Man (pauses, feeling the weight of the words):**

Your words are heavy, son… heavier than these mountains.

**Marian (appears quietly by the fireplace, visible only to Ali, soft smile):**

That you’re still talking means you’re still alive. Even if wounded…

**Ali (bitter smile to Marian, to the old man):**

Can we… have dinner for three tonight?

*(His gaze lingers where Marian sits)*

**Old Man (surprised but silent, nods):**

Of course… but what do you mean by three?

**Ali (faint smile):**

I’m never alone, old man… even if only I see her.

*(The old man, surprised but respectful, says nothing. He places the pot on the table. Steam rises.)*

**Old Man:**

Venison soup… food to survive the cold of these mountains.

**Ali (picks up the spoon, pauses, face contorts):**

I hate venison… I’ve always hated it.

But tonight, my hunger’s stronger than my hatred.

**Marian (soft smile, reaching for Ali’s hand but unable to touch):**

Sometimes you have to eat what you don’t want… to survive for what you do want.

**Old Man (heavy gaze at Ali):**

You want to survive… but you still don’t know why.

What are you searching for, Ali?

**Ali (gaze lost in the fire):**

Maybe just a moment… a moment without craving, without the shadow of pain…

Maybe I’m searching for myself, in a world that’s forgotten me.

**Old Man:**

You’re not forgotten, son… you’ve just been asleep for a while.

*(A faint train whistle sounds in the distance.)*

**Marian (softly to Ali):**

Ali… you can still wake up. There’s still time.

---

### Scene: Movement

**Location**: Morning, a snowy, empty road. Mountains fade behind Ali. The sky is gray, but a soft light peeks through the clouds. Ali, backpack on, walks alone.

*(Ali’s inner voice in the background, fragments of the song “Movement”.)*

**Ali (inner voice):**

*If you want to escape these thoughts, you have to surpass yourself…

Three halls stood before you, Ali… one full of shadows, one full of fear, one full of words you never spoke…

But you chose the path… now you just have to walk.*

*(Cut to flashback: Three large doors in Ali’s mind—one blurry, one shrouded in smoke, one silent and white. Ali passes through the third.)*

*(Back to present. Ali climbs a hill with effort. Marian’s voice, as if from his mind.)*

**Marian (inner voice):**

*Ali… maybe there’s nothing behind these mountains…*

**Ali (under his breath, in response):**

*But maybe everything’s there… maybe I’m there.*

*(Ali reaches a wooden bench in the snow. He sits, hands in pockets. Wind howls. Then, footsteps in the snow.)*

*(Hesar approaches from the distance. His face is more mature. His dialogue is simple but profound.)*

**Hesar:**

Hello, Ali… you finally made it to this point.

**Ali:**

It was farther than I thought.

*(Pause, gazing into the distance)*

If Asad were alive, he’d say this path wasn’t ours.

**Hesar (bitter smile):**

But now, this path is yours alone.

My father, Asad… whatever he was, he was a good man.

But you… you still have a choice.

*(Silence. Ali pulls out a flask, about to drink. He pauses. Throws it hard into the snow.)*

**Ali (trembling voice):**

No more… I don’t want to run anymore.

*(To himself, under his breath)*

Marian… I’m still suspicious of the one who doesn’t use…

*(Sunlight breaks through the clouds. Hesar extends his hand to Ali.)*

**Hesar:**

Come… there’s still a path. But this time, walk with your eyes open.

---

### Final Scene: Return

**Location**: A hospital room. Sunlight streams through a half-open window. The soft sound of a heart monitor.

*(Close-up on Ali’s face. Eyes closed. The heart monitor’s rhythm shifts. Light dances on his face. Slowly, he opens his eyes.)*

**Ali (whispering):**

Marian…?

*(He looks around. The room is empty. Only the sound of a breeze through the window.)*

*(The camera pans the room: On a table by the bed, an unfinished sculpture, faintly resembling Marian’s face.)*

*Ali sits up. Holds his head in his hands. Then, with a deep breath, looks at the light outside. He whispers:*

**Ali:**

It’s true that sunset’s a piece of the world…

*(Pause, deep breath)*

But the world’s a piece of sunset’s wound…

*(Sound of a door. It opens. Negar enters, calm. Their eyes meet.)*

**Negar (voice trembling with emotion):**

You finally came back, Ali…

**Ali (faint smile):**

I’m back… but someone stayed behind…

**Negar:**

Who…?

**Ali (gaze on the sculpture):**

Marian…

**Negar (steps closer, surprised):**

Who’s Marian…?

**Ali:**

A star… in my dark night.

---

*(Flashback: Ali, the old man, and Marian sit together. Steam rises from a bowl of venison soup. Ali smiles at the old man.)*

**Ali (in flashback):***Title: Redemption in the Fog**

**Genre: Drama, Psychological, Mystery, Surreal**

**Duration: 2 Hours**

---

**Characters:**

- **Ali**: An introspective sculptor, struggling with addiction and haunted by memories.

- **Negar**: Ali’s lover, a symbol of purity and reality.

- **Marian**: An imaginary woman, embodying temptation, pain, and inner motivation for redemption.

- **Asad**: Ali’s old friend, a loyal companion.

- **Captain Jalal**: A symbol of oppressive power, responsible for Asad’s death.

- **Hesar**: Asad’s son, a resolute figure who pushes Ali toward salvation.

- **Old Man**: Ali’s spiritual guide along the journey.

---

### Scene 1: Ice City Station

*Sound of a train. Snowfall. Ali, alone and dazed, sits on a bench in an abandoned station. His eyes are heavy, his face lifeless.*

**Ali (inner monologue):** Winter always lingers too long...

*In the distance, the foggy glow of a café’s lights. A cat’s meow. Ali stands, his trembling steps leading toward the café.*

---

### Scene 2: Inside the Café

*An old man behind the counter. The café is warm but silent. Ali enters, sits, and orders a meal for three.*

**Old Man:** Three? It’s just you here.

**Ali:** The other two are in my mind. One’s called Marian.

---

### Flashback: Ali and Negar’s Meeting

*Bright days. Negar’s smile. Ali sculpts and falls for her. But his drunkenness ruins their bond.*

**Negar (tearful):** I can’t live with someone who’s always drunk.

---

### Scene 4: The Birth of Marian

*Marian takes shape in Ali’s mind—a mysterious, beautiful, serene woman. She promises freedom if he quits.*

**Marian:** I can tell you’re sober by the smell of your breath, Ali...

*Ali celebrates his sobriety. But that same night, he drinks again.*

---

### Scene 5: The Statue

*Ali sculpts a statue of Marian. It cracks. It crumbles.*

**Ali (choked up):** The idea was good... but the material wasn’t.

---

### Scene 6: Asad’s Death

*A confrontation with Captain Jalal. Asad is killed. Hesar, his son, silently broken, becomes Ali’s enemy.*

**Captain Jalal (to Ali):** I killed him to save myself.

---

### Scene 7: Ice City Station - Return

*Ali, sober but craving, cold, alone. A cat passes by. Train sounds. The old man appears.*

**Ali:** I have to go back... I’m dying.

**Old Man:** Sunset’s just a piece of the world, son.

**Ali:** But the world’s just a piece of sunset’s wound.

---

### Scene 1 (Detailed): Ice City Station

**Location**: A train platform in a frozen city. Dark, snowy air. Distant train whistle. A lit café glows in the darkness.

**Time**: Dusk turning to night. A cold wind blows. Ali stands in a long coat, collar up, his breath visible in the air.

*(A cat’s meow from afar. Silence and wind.)*

**Ali (inner monologue):**

*Some sunsets… are a piece of the world… but it feels like the world is a piece of a wound… a wound left open…*

*(A faint light falls on Ali’s face. His eyes are half-drunk but awake. He’s craving. He murmurs to himself.)*

**Ali (under his breath, from the song “Marian”):**

*In the darkness beside the moon, the stars are still alive…*

*(Sudden heavy footsteps. The old man enters. Leather coat, hooded, with eyes that have seen too much.)*

**Old Man:**

Are you leaving or coming back?

**Ali:**

I don’t know.

*(Pause)*

I’m out of alcohol. I have to go back…

**Old Man (laughs, raspy):**

Going back’s never easy… especially if the night’s soup is venison you can’t forgive yourself for…

**Ali (surprised):**

How do you know I hate venison?

**Old Man:**

You invited me to a three-person dinner… you said it yourself. I came. Just… the third hasn’t shown up yet.

**Ali (faint smile):**

Marian always comes. She’s always with me… even if she’s not here.

**Old Man (suspicious):**

No one named Marian’s been to the café, son…

*(Ali smiles. His gaze fixes on the café’s distant light.)*

**Ali (with certainty):**

She’s always there, even when no one believes in her…

*(Silence. The train whistle sounds again. The old man walks toward the café.)*

**Old Man (turning back):**

By the way… the venison soup’s still hot. Coming?

**Ali (smiling):**

I’ll come… but let me say something first…

*(He leans against the station railing, staring into the darkness.)*

**Ali:**

It’s true that sunset’s a piece of the world…

But the world… is a piece of sunset’s wound…

*(Cut. The camera pulls back from Ali’s face. A train approaches from the distance. The red glow of the sunset paints his face crimson.)*

---

### Scene 2: Ali and Marian’s Dialogue — Inside Ali’s Mind / Imaginary Realm

**Location**: A foggy, black-and-white landscape. The only light comes from a full moon. Ali stands in an endless plain. The sound of wind, occasionally a distant cat’s howl. Suddenly, Marian emerges from the fog in a white dress.

**Ali (exhausted but loving):**

You came…

**Marian (calm, smiling):**

I’m always here, Ali… you only see me when you’re sober…

**Ali (with regret):**

Negar left… because I couldn’t quit…

You said if I stayed sober one night, you’d know from the smell of my breath…

I threw a party, Marian… a sobriety party… but…

**Marian (steps closer, gently takes Ali’s hand):**

But to toast that party, you drank again…

Ali… you forgot yourself, not Negar…

**Ali (inner tears, silent):**

You know what’s worse than everything?

It’s that… I still don’t trust someone who doesn’t use…

**Marian (her eyes gleam):**

Because you still don’t believe you can quit…

*(Pause. The fog thickens. A distant train sound.)*

**Ali (trembling voice):**

Marian… I’m… dying of loneliness…

Negar’s gone, Asad’s gone, even that damn statue cracked…

**Marian (places Ali’s hand on her heart):**

But I’m here. I’m part of you… You can still create, you just need to carve yourself…

**Ali:**

Like a statue…

**Marian (soft smile):**

No, like a human… a real human…

*(The fog swirls around them. The train sound grows closer, as if the mind is exiting the dream.)*

**Marian:**

Go back, Ali. It’s not too late…

The stars are still alive… beside the moon… in the darkness…

*(Ali closes his eyes. Marian vanishes into the fog.)*

**Ali’s Voice (monologue):**

*Sunset’s a piece of the world… but I have to move past this piece…*

*(Cut. Train sound. The scene darkens.)*

---

### Scene 3: Flashback — Asad’s Death — Night / Old Port / Under Rain

**Location**: A foggy port. Dim streetlights, heavy rain, the sound of droplets hitting tin and wood. Asad, in a soaked leather coat, stands by a boat. Captain Jalal approaches with a lantern. Ali, hidden behind a wall, watches.

**Asad (deep, weary voice):**

I told you, I’m done this time, Jalal… I don’t want to be part of the smuggling anymore…

**Captain Jalal (cold, smirking):**

You were never a partner, Asad… just a pawn. You think you can quit the game, and we’ll applaud?

**Asad (steps forward):**

Ali deserves to know…

I won’t let this port drown in drunkenness and sin anymore…

**Captain Jalal:**

You always talked too much…

*(Reaches for the gun under his raincoat)*

**Asad (angry, shouting):**

Ali! If you survive, don’t leave Hesar alone…

*(Sound of a gunshot. Ali, frozen and shocked, tears in his eyes. Asad gasps and collapses. The lantern falls from Jalal’s hand. The flame dies in the rain.)*

*Cut to darkness. Ali’s ragged breathing.*

---

### Scene 4: Hesar’s House — Weeks Later

**Location**: A simple room with unfinished sculptures. Hesar, Asad’s son, sits on a table with a cold stare. Ali, exhausted and hollow-eyed, faces him.

**Ali:**

I couldn’t stop him… I just watched…

**Hesar (icy voice):**

My dad always said you had a good heart… but a good heart isn’t enough, Ali.

You need to move…

**Ali (stunned):**

Move? Where? Why?

**Hesar:**

Toward yourself… not toward illusions, not toward drunkenness…

**Ali:**

You think I can? After all this darkness?

**Hesar:**

If my dad died for this, you don’t get to stay stuck in the mud. Get up…

Carve yourself again…

*(Ali looks at a sculpture, a half-finished bust resembling Marian. He touches it. Cracks run through it.)*

---

*Cut. Ali’s monologue:*

*I still hate venison… but sometimes you have to eat what you’ve been running from… to finally understand who you are…*

---

### Scene 5: Ice City Station — Cold Night / Railway Tracks

**Location**: An old railway station, an empty yard. Snow falls, streets deserted. A distant train whistle. Ali sits on a bench, hat on, staring into the distance. Cat sounds and the smell of alcohol linger in the air.

**Ali (inner monologue):**

*Sometimes you hear the cats… You don’t always have to turn back, you don’t always have to stand still… There’s still time… You always have to go back because you’re out of alcohol…*

*(A shadow emerges from the distance. The old man, elderly, hatted, walks toward Ali. His face is wrinkled, his eyes full of wisdom and experience.)*

**Old Man (calm, deep voice):**

Sunset’s a piece of the world, Ali… but the world’s a piece of sunset’s wound.

**Ali (broken voice, head down):**

I’ve forgotten who I was so many times, old man… I’ve forgotten why I’m here.

**Old Man:**

Everyone has a place to stay. Look at time, at the piece you carry with you. Always remember, in the darkness, beside the moon, the stars are still alive…

**Ali (deep gaze at the old man):**

Can you tell me what that time wanted? What did it want from me?

Why do we always drift toward darkness?

**Old Man (deep breath, looks down, then up):**

You have to live for yourself again, not for someone else… No matter how much drunkenness there’s been, you can still come out of this darkness. Never say it’s impossible…

*(The old man pulls an old car key from his pocket and hands it to Ali.)*

**Old Man:**

It’s time to go back… Take this and leave this path.

**Ali (staring at the key, lips trembling):**

And what happens if… I let go of these things?

**Old Man (faint smile):**

We’ve got a three-person dinner, Ali… with venison soup…

*(Gesturing to Ali)*

Marian will be there. Do you want to stay as you’ve always been, or go where you can find yourself again?

*(Ali looks deeply at the old man, then lowers his head. The train whistle grows closer.)*

---

### Scene 6: Three-Person Dinner — Night / Old Man’s House

**Location**: A simple, old house with warm lights. Marian sits in a corner, in plain clothes, watching Ali. Ali sits beside the old man, holding a bowl of venison soup. His face still carries traces of intoxication.

**Ali (panting, staring at the bowl):**

I’ve always hated venison… hated facing something I despise, running from it…

**Marian (gentle smile):**

But you’re eating it now, Ali. What you’ve always run from… is now part of you.

**Ali (broken voice):**

Marian… you’re with me… even when everyone else leaves.

**Marian (deep breath):**

You’re not alone, Ali… I’m always here. Even in the darkness. Even when no one else is.

*(Ali leans back, something from the dark room stirs a memory. He looks at the old man.)*

**Ali:**

Sunset’s a piece of the world, but the world’s a piece of sunset’s wound…

*(The old man nods slowly, tapping the table.)*

**Old Man:**

Remember, Ali, sunset doesn’t mean the end. There’s always a beginning waiting for you.

*(A cat’s meow comes from outside. Ali listens intently.)*

---

### Scene 7: By the River — Early Morning

**Location**: Ali stands by a river. The sun rises slowly behind the mountains, the sky still cloaked in night’s darkness. The river flows gently, with only the sound of water and birds. Ali gazes at the river. Marian stands at a distance.

**Marian:**

You’ve always run, Ali… from everything. But now, for once, you need to face yourself.

**Ali (reaching toward the river):**

You know what?

*(Pauses)*

This water always flows, always moves from one side to another. But me… I’ve been stuck in the same spot. Like everything was telling me to go back, but I didn’t want to.

*(Marian steps closer, her gaze full of emotion and solace.)*

**Marian:**

But you know, Ali… there’s always something inside that holds you back. You need to break that dam, come out of the darkness.

*(Ali looks at the river, then whispers to himself.)*

**Ali (recalling Marian’s poem):**

*In the darkness beside the moon, the stars are still alive…*

*(His eyes fix on the first star rising in the sky.)*

---

### Scene 8: Night — Trees Reminding of the Past

**Location**: Night. Ali heads to a forest he used to visit often. The trees look dry and mournful, but in this cold space, Ali decides to confront his past.

*(Marian walks beside Ali, her gaze full of questions.)*

**Marian (soft voice):**

Why did you come here? This is where you forgot so much, isn’t it?

**Ali (fragile voice):**

You know… this place… I always thought I’d find something here. But now I realize I need to let something go to be free.

*(Sudden sound of quick footsteps. Ali and Marian turn toward the sound. A shadow moves among the trees. The old man enters.)*

**Old Man:**

Are you ready for the final step, Ali?

**Ali:**

I don’t know… I know I have to walk this path, but… I’ve always been afraid of losing what I’ve left behind.

**Old Man:**

We’re always afraid of what we leave behind. But that fear is the gateway to the future. Think about this: if you keep running from it, you’ll never find what you’re searching for.

**Ali (weak voice):**

And what I’m searching for… what is it?

**Old Man:**

Freedom. Understanding who you are, without losing anything.

*(Ali’s eyes catch a glimmer of light in the night. He looks at the old man, feeling a sense of calm.)*

---

### Scene 9: Old Man’s House — Early Morning

**Location**: Early morning. The old man’s house in the forest, calm and filled with light. Ali and Marian enter. The house is warm and inviting. The old man has set the table for breakfast.

*(Marian looks at Ali, as if something inside her is shifting.)*

**Marian (deep gaze):**

You don’t want to run anymore, do you?

**Ali (calm voice):**

No, I don’t. Maybe this is the only way to be free.

*(His eyes meet the old man’s, knowing that letting go of himself is the new beginning.)*

**Old Man:**

The best moments come when you stop fighting yourself.

*(A cat enters through the window. It heads to the table, looking at the old man. He smiles at it.)*

**Old Man (quietly):**

Like this cat, Ali. Whatever you lose wasn’t truly yours.

*(Ali looks at the cat, then at the old man and Marian with a new perspective. A sense of freedom grows within him.)*

---

### Final Scene: A New Day — Distant Mountains

**Location**: Ali stands, gazing at distant mountains. A golden light shines from the sky. Nothing can stop him.

**Ali (calm, certain):**

I have to cross these mountains… to reach a place where nothing can hold me back.

*(Marian stands beside him, her eyes calm and bright. The old man watches from afar. A gentle breeze hums.)*

**Old Man (from a distance):**

Don’t forget, Ali. No one can run from the past forever… but one day, you can reach a place where everything starts anew.

*(Ali looks at the old man, then steps toward the mountains. Marian moves with him. They fade into the distance.)*

---

**Ali (calm, certain):**

I have to cross these mountains… to reach a place where nothing can hold me back.

**Marian (deep, calm gaze):**

Ali… maybe there’s nothing behind these mountains. Maybe what you’re searching for is right here… where you stand.

*(Ali looks at Marian. A moment of silence, as her words sink into his heart.)*

**Ali (from the depths of his soul):**

I’ve never been able to face myself… I was always running toward something. But maybe I need to be here, in this moment. Maybe that’s the beginning…

*(Marian takes Ali’s hand, her gaze falling on the horizon with trust and calm.)*

**Marian:**

Sometimes you need to be in the moment to move past everything. Even if there’s nothing behind the mountains…

---

### Scene: The Long Road

**Location**: A long road at night. Mountains on the horizon, thick darkness. Only the sound of Ali and Marian’s footsteps.

**Marian (watching Ali from behind):**

Ali… sometimes, even when you run from something, it follows you.

*(As Ali doesn’t notice, she looks ahead.)*

**Ali (staring at the path):**

We have to cross these mountains…

*(Pauses, then looks at Marian)* You know… everything behind these mountains might not be worth it.

*(Deep breath)*

**Marian (infinitely calm gaze):**

Ali… maybe there’s nothing behind the mountains. Maybe all you seek is this moment you’re standing in.

*(Long silence)*

**Ali (stares at her, then a small smile):**

Maybe…

*(Pulls a cigarette from his pocket, lights it carefully, and blows the smoke skyward.)*

**Marian (staring at the smoke):**

I always think smoke, as it rises to the sky, can erase anything…

*(Pauses)*

But maybe smoke always leaves something behind… for those who want to see.

**Ali (gazing at the mountains, drops the cigarette):**

I never looked at the sky, even when the smoke took everything… I thought I’d look down. To where I didn’t fall…

*(Heavy silence)*

**Marian (hand on Ali’s shoulder):**

Ali… you haven’t lost yourself. You’re on the right path.

**Ali (eyes widen slightly):**

This road, these mountains, they’ve become so heavy… So many times I thought I had to leave them behind. But I don’t want to run anymore. I need to face the truth.

**Marian (watching closely):**

Ali… you never ran. The only thing holding you back was doubt.

*(Pauses)* But now, you need to believe the truth, like this path, is never smooth. But in the end, you’ll be where you were always meant to be.

**Ali (to himself):**

You’re right… maybe the truth is this moment…

*(Pauses, steps forward)*

**Marian (calmly):**

Keep moving, Ali. This road will take you where you want to be.

---

### Scene: Train Station at Night

**Location**: A small train station at night. A distant train approaches.

**Ali (standing at the station, staring at the tracks):**

This train, like always, comes and goes… Maybe one day, I’ll go too…

**Marian (calmly beside Ali):**

This train always has a destination.

*(Her gaze falls on the train)* It doesn’t matter where it goes… what matters is which train you choose to board.

**Ali (thoughtful, looking at the train):**

Maybe every day I need to find a new train… Maybe this train is a new journey… to where I need to go.

---

### Scene: Three-Person Dinner

**Location**: A wooden cabin in the cold mountains. Breath turns to vapor, the interior lit by a fireplace. Occasional howling wind.

**Present**: Ali, Old Man, Marian (visible only to Ali).

*(Ali, wrapped in a blanket, sits by the fireplace, steam rising from a teacup. The old man stirs a pot on a wooden stove.)*

**Old Man (faint smile):**

There’s something in your eyes… like someone who lost long ago but is still searching for a reason to keep going.

**Ali (eyes on the fire):**

Maybe… Maybe I lost. But I’m still playing.

*(Deep breath)*

You know… sunset’s a piece of the world… but the world’s a piece of sunset’s wound.

**Old Man (pauses, feeling the weight of the words):**

Your words are heavy, son… heavier than these mountains.

**Marian (appears quietly by the fireplace, visible only to Ali, soft smile):**

That you’re still talking means you’re still alive. Even if wounded…

**Ali (bitter smile to Marian, to the old man):**

Can we… have dinner for three tonight?

*(His gaze lingers where Marian sits)*

**Old Man (surprised but silent, nods):**

Of course… but what do you mean by three?

**Ali (faint smile):**

I’m never alone, old man… even if only I see her.

*(The old man, surprised but respectful, says nothing. He places the pot on the table. Steam rises.)*

**Old Man:**

Venison soup… food to survive the cold of these mountains.

**Ali (picks up the spoon, pauses, face contorts):**

I hate venison… I’ve always hated it.

But tonight, my hunger’s stronger than my hatred.

**Marian (soft smile, reaching for Ali’s hand but unable to touch):**

Sometimes you have to eat what you don’t want… to survive for what you do want.

**Old Man (heavy gaze at Ali):**

You want to survive… but you still don’t know why.

What are you searching for, Ali?

**Ali (gaze lost in the fire):**

Maybe just a moment… a moment without craving, without the shadow of pain…

Maybe I’m searching for myself, in a world that’s forgotten me.

**Old Man:**

You’re not forgotten, son… you’ve just been asleep for a while.

*(A faint train whistle sounds in the distance.)*

**Marian (softly to Ali):**

Ali… you can still wake up. There’s still time.

---

### Scene: Movement

**Location**: Morning, a snowy, empty road. Mountains fade behind Ali. The sky is gray, but a soft light peeks through the clouds. Ali, backpack on, walks alone.

*(Ali’s inner voice in the background, fragments of the song “Movement”.)*

**Ali (inner voice):**

*If you want to escape these thoughts, you have to surpass yourself…

Three halls stood before you, Ali… one full of shadows, one full of fear, one full of words you never spoke…

But you chose the path… now you just have to walk.*

*(Cut to flashback: Three large doors in Ali’s mind—one blurry, one shrouded in smoke, one silent and white. Ali passes through the third.)*

*(Back to present. Ali climbs a hill with effort. Marian’s voice, as if from his mind.)*

**Marian (inner voice):**

*Ali… maybe there’s nothing behind these mountains…*

**Ali (under his breath, in response):**

*But maybe everything’s there… maybe I’m there.*

*(Ali reaches a wooden bench in the snow. He sits, hands in pockets. Wind howls. Then, footsteps in the snow.)*

*(Hesar approaches from the distance. His face is more mature. His dialogue is simple but profound.)*

**Hesar:**

Hello, Ali… you finally made it to this point.

**Ali:**

It was farther than I thought.

*(Pause, gazing into the distance)*

If Asad were alive, he’d say this path wasn’t ours.

**Hesar (bitter smile):**

But now, this path is yours alone.

My father, Asad… whatever he was, he was a good man.

But you… you still have a choice.

*(Silence. Ali pulls out a flask, about to drink. He pauses. Throws it hard into the snow.)*

**Ali (trembling voice):**

No more… I don’t want to run anymore.

*(To himself, under his breath)*

Marian… I’m still suspicious of the one who doesn’t use…

*(Sunlight breaks through the clouds. Hesar extends his hand to Ali.)*

**Hesar:**

Come… there’s still a path. But this time, walk with your eyes open.

---

### Final Scene: Return

**Location**: A hospital room. Sunlight streams through a half-open window. The soft sound of a heart monitor.

*(Close-up on Ali’s face. Eyes closed. The heart monitor’s rhythm shifts. Light dances on his face. Slowly, he opens his eyes.)*

**Ali (whispering):**

Marian…?

*(He looks around. The room is empty. Only the sound of a breeze through the window.)*

*(The camera pans the room: On a table by the bed, an unfinished sculpture, faintly resembling Marian’s face.)*

*Ali sits up. Holds his head in his hands. Then, with a deep breath, looks at the light outside. He whispers:*

**Ali:**

It’s true that sunset’s a piece of the world…

*(Pause, deep breath)*

But the world’s a piece of sunset’s wound…

*(Sound of a door. It opens. Negar enters, calm. Their eyes meet.)*

**Negar (voice trembling with emotion):**

You finally came back, Ali…

**Ali (faint smile):**

I’m back… but someone stayed behind…

**Negar:**

Who…?

**Ali (gaze on the sculpture):**

Marian…

**Negar (steps closer, surprised):**

Who’s Marian…?

**Ali:**

A star… in my dark night.

---

*(Flashback: Ali, the old man, and Marian sit together. Steam rises from a bowl of venison soup. Ali smiles at the old man.)*

**Ali (in flashback):**

A three-person dinner… but maybe only I knew there were three of us.

**Old Man:**

You don’t like venison, do you, son?

**Ali:**

No. Because you shouldn’t eat what runs.

---

*(Back to present. Negar sits beside Ali. He takes her hand.)*

**Ali:**

I’m still suspicious of the one who doesn’t use…

But I don’t want to use anymore.

**Negar (smiling, tears in her eyes):**

Then let’s start, from right here…

*(Full sunlight floods the room. The camera pulls back from above. Ali and Negar sit together on the bed. The unfinished sculpture glimmers in the light.)*

*(The sound of a train, but this time not of departure… but of return.)*

---

**End of Film***

A three-person dinner… but maybe only I knew there were three of us.

**Old Man:**

You don’t like venison, do you, son?

**Ali:**

No. Because you shouldn’t eat what runs.

---

*(Back to present. Negar sits beside Ali. He takes her hand.)*

**Ali:**

I’m still suspicious of the one who doesn’t use…

But I don’t want to use anymore.

**Negar (smiling, tears in her eyes):**

Then let’s start, from right here…

*(Full sunlight floods the room. The camera pulls back from above. Ali and Negar sit together on the bed. The unfinished sculpture glimmers in the light.)*

*(The sound of a train, but this time not of departure… but of return.)*

---

**End of Film**