What follows is the result of an idea to connect the field of philosophy and thought with the world of drama. Let us choose sentences to ponder from the statements of the members of the philosophical group, which are archived in the “Chistiha Blog” (http://chistiha.blogfa.com); and after manipulating the concepts of those statements, and doing a brief exercise and editing, let us create a dramatic idea that will continue to form another dialogue, another concept, and another thought.
In the principles of drama writing, “ideation” and “drafting” have a specific method; but we tried to be one step before the idea and the plot. At the same stage of mental spark or, in our own words, the “study” stage, where the writer’s hand is open to writing down any image, concept, or point. Here, we have not limited ourselves to not mentioning the technical instructions, performance arrangements, dialogue, staging, and other matters, and left them for more detailed plans; on the contrary, we have completely written down whatever came to mind at the moment.
During our group meetings, we came to the conclusion that it was not necessary to obtain refined and precise plans from our conversations. It was only necessary to immediately edit and record everything that came to mind in an instant as a “study.”
And now we share the same with you. May these exercises and sketches be the beginning of a path to step on a bridge between philosophy and drama.
Ideas on the Bridge from Philosophy to Drama: Etude 113
Note: These sketches have been registered with the Islamic Culture and Guidance Department. And the intellectual property belongs to the author.
These sketches are only allowed to be republished on the “Chistiha” site.
Idea number one hundred and thirteen
Etude 113
Semi-length Short Film
Title: Candle Flame
The space of this film should be such that, while being realistic, the mise-en-scène and the arrangement of the house are completely controllable, meaningful, and conceptualized. That is, we should not have any extra objects. Because in the second part of the film, when the walls are removed and the objects of the house are placed in a vacuum and absolute darkness, each and every one of those objects should be related to our character. So they must be carefully selected and placed. Parts of the surreal scenes of the film “Maybe Another Time” can help us know what arrangement we should have.
There is a party in this house tonight. The film starts on my father’s monitor screen. The computer sound is muted and on the monitor is an online game (for example, Smite or one of the MMO, MOBA, World of Warcraft, Diablo, Dota 2 or any other game that is online and has non-Iranian sides on the other side of the line that change all the time. And it also shows the scoring.)
In this image, the voice of my father’s mother is heard; Fereshte. We only see my father from behind, who is immersed in the game. We can clearly hear Fereshte’s voice from across the room. What she is saying is that she is explaining to Rana: “Put these three candlesticks on the dining table. This one on that side table. Put these wide candles on the center table. I will light them myself. When the guests arrive.” It is along these lines that Fereshteh opens the door to my father’s room and comes with a comb and a damp handkerchief, combing my father’s hair as well, ordering: “The guests have arrived, come and say hello, sit for a minute, make introductions. Then you can go back and play the rest of your game.” And he leaves. The door to the room that he closes behind him does not close properly. And from this moment, the camera moves and slowly passes through the half-open door and the hall is seen and we realize how meticulously and quickly Fereshteh is doing various tasks in preparing for this occasion.
The bell above the door rings and Amir Ali, Fereshteh’s husband, enters with his hands full. He has also bought Fereshteh’s latest orders. And the rest of the preparations for the party.
Amir Ali is helping behind the kitchen counter. He opens a bag of fresh vegetables. He accidentally drops them from his hand and all the vegetables fall to the ground. Fereshte quickly turns back and goes for it. And tidys up. She wants to curse. She holds her tongue. At this moment, as she is busy gathering vegetables, for the first time we hear the sound of her mind flowing over the image. This dramatic convention will be repeated until the end. At this moment, the camera also follows Amir Ali’s movement, who is sad and embarrassed, but in Fereshte’s silence, he has no choice but to go into the kitchen and wash his hands. And we hear his inner voice.
This dramatic convention also applies to Rana, the woman who has come tonight to wash and clean the dishes. And to Fereshte’s parents. We have nothing to do with the rest of the guests. And we do not enter their minds. These people’s thoughts do not have to be related to the current topic. Absolutely. No. They can think about anything at any time. For example, what the shopkeeper down the street was saying today. Or what the boss was saying in the office today. Or some social or political incident from years ago. Or a memory from childhood. When these people think, they are completely distant or completely close to this party. And their thoughts are in flux.
The guests enter one by one. Maybe about thirty guests come in turn. Most of them are close to Amir Ali. And Fereshte’s mother and father have also come in between.
The camera is rotating at this party. Each time it moves with one person and under the pretext of a tray of syrup in Fereshte’s hand, and at another place it follows another person. Just like the camera of Fellini’s 8.5 film, the camera must cover the entire party and we get to know the thoughts and behavior of the guests. The sentences that these guests utter must each be such that we can rely on these sentences in the second part. Therefore, the dialogues must be refined and thought-provoking. The images of eating, laughing, private and semi-secret conversations, playing games [if there are games like backgammon] and other actions of the guests are depicted in a unique way so that they stand out. Of course, the people playing should not be exaggerating in any way. Completely realistic. But the camera’s representation itself should be very emphatic.
In the thoughts of Fereshte’s mother, we will witness the absolute compassion of this mother burning her heart: why did she give birth to a daughter who is so hardworking. Both outside and at home. She has to spin and work like a top, and then this son-in-law – Amir Ali – will not move from his chair. Why does Fereshte have to work so hard in this house. And in our time, women only did housework and had children. Everything was provided. But what now? How times have changed. And other regrets.
In the thoughts of Fereshte’s father, on the contrary, we witness the utmost satisfaction. He is very happy with this union. And tonight, he has been very well received. And he has been busy with his friend, Amir Ali’s father, for an hour. Talking about politics and business and the price of the dollar, etc. And maybe they have played a game of backgammon. And so on.
The party is over. And we have come to my father’s room many times and followed his scores. And of course, the sides of my father’s online game have also changed. Each one was marked with the flag of their own country at the top of the screen. My father is so engrossed in the game that he has not even had a proper dinner tonight. And he has been in his room most of the time, and when the aunts came to say goodbye, he barely turned his head at the door of his room and gave them his face to kiss, without paying any attention. And all his attention is on the progress of the game. And they have also passed by him with a smile. As if this game is very normal and very necessary for them.
The party is over and Amir Ali, with his fat body, is rocking on the rocking chair. And we hear his mind thinking that he should go to bed early. And be ready to work overtime for a week and fight for a raise to cover the expenses of this party. In the meantime, Fereshte is cleaning all the crystals and blowing out half-burned candles. Nothing should be left on the tables. Rana is also a good help. She is drying and moving the last dishes. And we hear his thoughts that he should get his money early and that he should go to the other side of the city with the agency in the middle of the night and that he has promised somewhere else tomorrow. And that he should pay the total amount of money he made tonight and will get tomorrow for the overdue rent for his room. And his children expect him to perform a miracle. They don’t know that money is not in everyone’s hands. And when there is nothing, there is nothing. Rana is also thinking quite philosophically.
Pedram has fallen asleep. Fereshte picks him up and carries him to his bed. And when he wants to turn off the computer, he focuses on the game that shows the score and the awards and stars that Pedram has earned for a while. His hand remains on the mouse and thinks about how real the games are. And we hear the sound of his thoughts. Fereshte kisses Pedram’s cheek and comes and turns off the light in his room.
But after Amir Ali has gone to sleep, and after Rana leaves the house, and we hear that doorbell ring for the umpteenth time, the house becomes quiet. Fereshte comes and does the last moving. Her tired eyes and puffy eyelids have a different look. She bends down to pick up the last candle from the table. A beautiful wide candle. The same candle that, according to her, was a beautiful candle. And we had seen it before. And she had zoomed in on it several times. At this moment, the candle, without being lit, spontaneously catches fire. This strange candle, which seems to have never been extinguished, now completely flares up in the angel’s hand. The house has little light and this candle has a special light. The dance of its flame is expressive and has transformed the angel. Soft music flows on the stage and slowly, as we approach the angel’s face in several cuts, the house also changes. The furniture remains in place. But in a complete darkness, the walls are removed. The angel kneels on the floor and leans on the table. As if he has believed in the candle.
The angel’s inner voice speaks of his philosophical thoughts. And the questions he has. His inquiries are about ordinary life issues. And he also uses his memories. How he got here and to this point in life. What structures have done to his mind. And what he himself has done to others. And tonight. How much the angel has laid down rules tonight. For each and every guest: that you must definitely take this cake. It is very delicious. And other musts. At this moment, scenes from the party are repeated, in a vacuum and without walls. The guests, their laughter and words are the same, repetitive. But this empty space and absolute darkness, with a special light that shines only on their faces and torsos, change the meaning and meaning of their words.
Our emphasis is on the relationship between this candle flame and Fereshte’s thoughts and the relationship between her behaviors with others. How much others follow Fereshte’s thoughts and mental structures. For example, the sisters-in-law’s concern that the candlestick should have three or five. And it should not have four. Or which direction the napkin should be spread out and Rana must observe. And that the clocks should be adjusted to change at midnight on the 1st of Mehr and the 1st of Farvardin. And other musts.
The filmmaker’s precision is essential here. Especially the moments when the camera takes height. And shows Fereshte and the furniture around him high up. The surreal nature of this episode should not in any way negate the truth of these people’s words. That is, we, the audience, should have a deep sense of identification with these thoughts of Fereshteh and the sentences of these people. Philosophical and profound words should not be taken for granted. The content of philosophical thought should be included in the core of ordinary sentences. The magnification of philosophical thought will taint the work. Perhaps in our film, there has been a desire for favoritism, in some places these magnifications are aimed at criticizing the intellectual and dreamer. But our role model is Yasmina Reza, who can express the deepest philosophical questions in the simplest possible way.
Anyway, that music under the sound of the stage, which was very soft and quiet on the stage, ends. And in the end, after the laughter of the guests, we suddenly witness that this candle flame has brought sleep to Fereshteh’s eyelids. And the voice of Rana and her bookkeeping when receiving money are the last words we have heard in Fereshteh’s thoughts. The candle goes out by itself. The angel has risen, barely rising. The space becomes the same reality. The walls are in place. The dim light and semi-darkness of the room are the same as before. The candle remains on the table. And we see that in the background the angel has gone and turned off the last light and walks down a corridor that has little light. And then the light in that corridor also goes out. A moment later this candle in the foreground spontaneously ignites. And that’s it.
In this film, we can benefit from Gaston Bachelard’s words in the book “The Flame of the Candle”. And we can even have this book in the angel’s house, provided that it does not appear artificial. And that it does not seem artificial or imposed. If this is the case, it is better to remove it. The title of the work itself speaks for itself.
Structuralist theories should be expressed in this film in such a way that we realize that we are constantly exposed to the predetermined thoughts and structures of society and the language of people before us.
And we cannot escape being a role.
And we ourselves are constantly constructing for the society around us.
And man basically cannot escape these constructions.
And it is enough to think a little sometimes. And be careful. And think that as a thinking, knowing subject, it is not bad to think about these issues.
And issues like this. For example, the opinion that: John Rawls believes that man is an end in himself and therefore we should seek to realize human virtue, not to seek to obtain benefit.
Author: B. Khosravani
It is recalled that any copying and extraction of these ideas, from an ethical and legal perspective, is only possible by mentioning the address, and use for performance will only be possible if the author’s written consent is obtained.