A ROUND OF APPLAUSE
["Boléro, M.81" by Orchestre De Paris and Daniel Barenboim playing]
[dog barking]
[music halts]
Go! Shh! Shh!
[shushing]
[foghorn blowing]
[indistinct PA announcement]
[rhythmic orchestral music resumes]
{an8}THE RETURN
[audience applauding]
[music and applause halts]
Mehmet.
Sh!
Mehmet.
[internally] Yeah, Zeynep?
You asleep still?
Yeah.
Are you dreaming?
I mean, I am, but...
But what?
Our old summer house is in Ancient Greece or something.
And I'm like, wait, that's weird.
Ancient Greece is Avşa?
This is all ridiculous, Zeynep.
Well, snap out of it.
And come here a second.
I've been wanting to talk about something.
Something important.
Go ahead.
I'm normally not able to say it.
It's much easier while you're sleeping.
Go for it.
- Am I interrupting your nap? - Come on, Zeynep!
I know you've wondered what we discussed on the phone that day.
What day?
[exhales] You know when Metin was born and then he decided to crawl back inside?
And we were surprised that you called.
And you wanted to know what we talked about. You always ask.
Okay, Zeynep.
This'll be good. Here we go.
That call was a big deal for me then.
The guy on that phone call that day,
he was brilliant and brutally honest, and it was so hot.
Thanks, honey. You're sweet too, but I mean...
God, every time you're obnoxious it's just infuriating, Mehmet!
You're not that man. Jeez!
What do you mean?
I mean, I've been just lying to myself for so many years.
"Mehmet's this man, Mehmet's that man, Mehmet can be very complicated."
And no more. Enough of this hiding my true feelings.
No more pretending to feel something.
That man outlined every important point.
That guy was open and honest with me in a way I've never felt before.
He also had the courage to admit where he'd been wrong.
The man also knew not to make a big deal
about a bit of my bra showing when we're out.
He wouldn't keep talking and blabbering just because he was nervous.
And that is not the man you are, Mehmet.
If that man from that day never called me again,
I'd still be in love with that man.
I want a divorce. I'm done.
Come on, Zeynep. It's almost over. We have one foot in the grave.
A divorce? Now? For God's sake. At our age?
Just look at yourself. This is what I've been saying.
You're dying already.
Don't you go thinking about passing before we get to have our divorce.
I mean it.
What are you going to do if we get a divorce, Zeynep?
Are you gonna get into pole dancing at your age?
I got all my own heavy baggage wrapped up in this relationship.
We dated because I was lonely and hopeless.
I couldn't bring myself to break up with you,
then we had a kid and suddenly thirty years have gone by.
Come on. Can we please get a divorce? I want it before we drop dead. Can we?
I'm telling you, it's too late. Let it go already.
- Oh, please. Just do it. - Nah.
- It would mean so much. - Let it go.
- Uh-uh. Not able to. - You can do it.
No I'm... No, it's impossible. No!
- Seems like you are. - I'm not letting go!
- Looks like you have. - Shut it!
- Just do it. Do it. - Impossible! Impossible!
- Come on. - Hush!
- You let it go. Jesus! - Stop talking.
Oh, for fuck's sake! I'm waking up.
Hey, I'm trying to tell you something that's really important here.
Don't be awake! Can you just let me do this? [grunts]
[Mehmet inhales deeply, exhales]
[groans contently]
Pretty good nap just now.
I was just resting my eyes, but it turned into a whole nap.
[groans, exhales]
[sighs]
[Zeynep] You could've slept a bit longer.
[Mehmet] Uh, yeah, right.
[distant sirens]
[loud thudding]
- [thudding] - [car alarm ringing]
- [thudding] - [panicked chatter]
- [repetitive shots] - [coughing]
- [shots approach] - [panicked shouting]
[indistinct shouting]
[shot firing]
[panicked chatter]
[coughs, sniffs]
[coughing continues]
[Kudret coughing]
[distant shouting]
[distant shot firing]
Oh God.
It's you, isn't it?
Do I know you?
You don't remember me?
You don't look too familiar, I'm sorry.
We shouldn't've had to leave, right, and come out?
Excuse me, what?
Yeah, you and I met right before they forced us out here.
Wait, you don't remember talking that day?
- At a book signing maybe? - No.
Did you and I meet at a bookfair?
- Did you read one of my books? - Whoa.
Holy shit, what? You wrote a book? Really?
You said I'd do that.
You told me I'd write novels that were too self-indulgent. You told me that.
When, at an event?
Yeah... [chuckles] ...kind of.
It was a major event. Yeah, your purpose was decided that day.
How's that going? Still got your cause? Um, how's it going?
- Your name is? - Kudret?
Well, my friend, Kudret, good to meet you.
No, man, you. Kudret's not my name. It's yours. Your name is Kudret.
[laughs] Okay, now it makes sense. Now I get it.
- Yeah. - You've got me confused with someone else.
My name is Sertaç.
Come on. Stop it, please.
What do you mean?
That's your name. "I'm sure they'll call me some other silly thing,
but deep in my soul, I will be Kudret. I always will be."
About "who"?
Everyone around us.
Society, the system, you went off on all these guys.
You were born and you forgot.
Did you forget about everything in there, man?
Your cause, dude?
I mean, you forgot your name.
They made you forget your name the moment you got out here.
- Did you smoke something earlier, brother? - [chuckles] Little bit, yeah.
Cool.
Go breathe some tear gas, huh? Yeah, go take a big whiff then come back.
You're being pretty weird right now, you know that?
You're obviously super high on something, so...
We're already stressed. Don't make us deal with you too, man.
"I don't wanna find out one day you jumped off a bridge somewhere."
"Don't stop traffic. We all have places to go."
Are you joking right now?
You don't remember saying that? You said that to me.
Are you imitating me?
Yeah, do you recognize that?
[Metin chuckles]
[both chuckling]
I swear to you, dude, I will smash your damn face.
Oh yeah, do that!
- Do it. Do it, do it, yeah. - Leave before I punch your face in.
Let's leave together. Come on.
Hmm? Let's leave and go back in together.
Your apple and my orange. Let's do it.
[exhales]
[rustling]
I'll pay in a minute.
Here.
Here, brother. Here's yours. Evenly split.
Go ahead and smell that one, brother.
[sniffs]
The roses don't have any scent. Do you notice that?
How much is that, ma'am?
Fifty and that's a discount.
Brother...
Here, ma'am. Thanks.
See, man?
She's selling the roses that you so wanted to divide equally.
Yeah? For fifty lira.
At a discount.
No change and no smell on these.
Yeah, have fun getting all this, huh? Yeah, just film it all, all right? Here.
Yeah? Here! Why don't you get this? Don't miss this, huh?
All of you are reflections and that's it.
All of you are just mirrors in the street and you know that.
You're all a bunch of reflections. That's all you are.
Every single damn one of you is a reflection, you hear that?
You're just mirrors. Just stupid reflections.
Damn you all! You're all the same!
Same clothes, same thoughts!
You're just reflections! [grunts]
God damn you all!
Even if he's there or not, God damn you all!
[door squeaks closed]
[indistinct chatter]
- [woman] Do you know him? - [sighs]
Fan, I guess.
[melancholy music playing]
[birds cawing]
[music fades]
[Zeynep] Metin? Sweetie?
It's me, sweetie.
Just keep your eyes closed.
Don't let me interrupt you.
I don't want to disturb you.
Don't let me keep you from your work.
I'm just here for a little visit with my handsome son.
I wanted your help picking out a color, sweetie.
Here.
I brought you some homemade kefir, sweetie.
Here you go.
It's apparently really good for you.
Lots of probiotics.
Have some, honey.
[strains]
They say the gut is the real brain of the body.
Oh my, what a pretty little snake my dear boy has here.
Oh my goodness. I'm sure he's good company.
Huh?
Yeah.
Mm.
All right. I'm just gonna go around.
There.
- Let me just squeeze in here. - [foghorn blows]
Shame on you, Metin.
You'll take pictures with strangers,
but you won't give your mother a kiss, sweetie?
[birds cawing]
[sighs]
The way it goes, I guess.
It's the way of the world, huh?
I guess that's motherhood.
You raise them, love them, you do everything you can do,
and then they act like they don't know you.
And to think I came all the way down here
to ask my son what color he would like on the sweater I was knitting for him,
just so he could turn his cheek when I try to kiss him.
Won't even greet me, say hi or anything.
Shame on you.
I'd be thankful even if you spat on my face.
I hope that I'm not bothering you.
If you had children, I think you might understand, but...
this is what you chose.
This is the path that my son wanted.
[Metin scoffs]
[Zeynep] You always had a way with words, Metin.
I was looking at the stuff on the fridge the other day,
and I remembered your rapping years.
You looked so cute, Metin.
I started laughing just thinking about it.
[laughs]
[cries]
[laughs]
I laughed and giggled. So precious, that's for sure.
Such a handsome boy you were.
[sniffs]
[Zeynep] Do you realize how far away you are
from your true potential, my beautiful child?
[inhales] You figured out polarization at five years old, Metin.
All so you could end up with paint all over your face just panhandling?
Hmm? [sobs]
[sniffs]
I'm gonna go with orange, then, sweetheart.
It'll match your outfit so you can wear it to work.
What do you say, huh?
You've loved the color orange since you were a kid, haven't you?
Huh?
[sighs]
No answer for Mommy?
[sniffs]
[rustling]
[Zeynep sniffs]
[mysterious music playing]
[sniffs]
He's my son.
[music fades]
[sobs]
[cries]
[tense music playing]
[gasps, groans]
[hissing]
- [hisses, bites] - [Metin gasps]
[groans]
- [gasps] - [glass shatters]
[moans painfully]
[breathing heavily]
[breathes excitedly]
[cries]
[giggles, breathes heavily]
[cries]
["Sizi" by Sezen Aksu playing]
[crying turns to laughter]
[woman singing in Turkish]
[music fades]