Original subtitles

I was watching that TV show last night.

- That guy won a million dollars. - How?

Just general knowledge questions.

Maybe you should try it. You went to college and stuff.

You're not gonna need a million dollars when you're old.

Hey, Fan.

What would you do with a million dollars?

- I would build a community pool. - Oh.

Coffee?

No.

You're not managing to sleep anyway.

I don't want to encourage it.

Did you hear anything about the psychiatrist appointment?

Not yet, Salim.

They'll call soon. I'm sure they will.

Let's see.

Don't you feel like the stars always change here?

They don't stay in one place.

That's how they're supposed to be, aren't they?

I don't know.

In Kabul, they never changed.

I used to smoke every night from the same window.

They were always there, where you left them the night before.

I didn't see them change one single time.

I don't know how people feel safe in a place where stars change so much.

Hi, Mina.

Good morning, Donya.

- He's not sleeping? - No.

Salim left this outside my door this morning.

What is it?

His appointment card for the psychiatrist.

You've been waiting eight months. Aren't you tired of waiting?

Yes.

Then go!

I don't want to take his slot.

He doesn't care about shrinks. He already missed an appointment before.

He told my husband it's not even worth the train ticket.

He'd rather spend the money visiting National Parks instead.

Mina!

Where's my blue shirt?

I ironed it. It's hanging in the closet.

Good morning, Suleyman.

Can I leave earlier tomorrow?

- At what time? - 30 P.M.

- Why? - I have a doctor's appointment.

- Of course you can. - Thank you.

Want me to see if he has a friend he can bring?

We could go on a blind double date?

- No. - You sure?

I think I would hate a blind date.

You don't know anything about him, right?

Nothing.

Where is he taking you?

It's a blind date, so we agreed upon a specific location.

We're going to a Mexican restaurant.

If it all goes well, eventually we'll even move in together.

Then we can share the rent.

Where will you put your mom?

I don't know. I'll just get her an extra bed

and put it somewhere, I guess.

Do you have an extra bed?

No, I only have one single bed.

Hello?

Having a single bed is very wrong,

according to The Laws Of Attraction,

because it doesn't invite the possibility of company.

You should be sleeping in a double bed, even if you're sleeping alone.

I can't fit a double bed in my bedroom.

Okay, well, I'm gonna finish the chapter and then go to sleep.

- Good night, Donya. - Good night, Joanna.

I have an appointment with Dr. Anthony.

Your name?

Well, the appointment is not in my name.

It's in the name of Salim Dabiri.

He made the appointment for you?

No.

Do you have an appointment card?

Mm-hmm.

But this is an appointment specifically for Mr. Dabiri.

I know, but he couldn't make it, so he gave it to me.

I don't think that's possible.

Why?

Well, if someone can't make their appointment slot

they need to call us and cancel.

Then, we would allocate the appointment to another patient.

I'm another patient.

Yes, I understand, but there are other patients of Dr. Anthony's

that would be given the appointment if there's been a cancellation.

Give me a moment.

To be honest with you, this isn't really the way things work.

It's not like a movie ticket where if you can't get to the 3:15 showing,

you give the ticket to your friend.

Um...

It's not like that with a doctor's appointment,

and Salim knows that very well.

I'm here to ask for something to help me sleep.

Alright, well...

Um...

Are you... Do you live in Fremont?

And are you also from Afghanistan?

Yes, I am.

On the Special Immigration Visa?

Yes, I was a translator in Afghanistan.

Well... the way it works,

we have a certain number of appointments for, uh,

self-payers or, uh, the insured.

Basically, our paying customers.

And then I have a few slots that I do pro bono.

Those spots are at a premium,

and so we have to follow the protocol

to make sure that it's fair for everyone.

So, the people who have been waiting,

or the people that are already in the system,

- get to see... - I'm here now.

Well, I can see that I...

Yeah, I understand you're here now, but there is a protocol

that we need to follow to make this system work.

I'm not leaving.

Okay.

Um, well...

Let me just get some general information from you, then.

Um... name?

Donya Massoudi.

Uh, date and place of birth?

Thirteenth, June, 1996.

Kabul, Afghanistan.

And how long have you been here in the United States?

Eight months.

And, um, did you work as a translator for the government,

or was that private sector?

For the United States Army.

How long did you do that for?

I just want sleeping pills.

- How's your general health? - Good.

You have nightmares?

Not so much.

I can't sleep well.

Do you have a lot of thoughts when you go to bed?

Mm-mmm.

You should just go see my palm reader.

She never has a waiting list.

She reads and understands people better than any psychiatrist.

You know what she told me?

She said that the reason I overeat

is because I don't wanna be like my mom, who's skinny.

If that's not pure psychology,

I don't know what is.

She can also clean karmas.

I'm gonna go and get some coffee.

I think a fun working environment is essential.

I love coming in to work.

You know...

My father opened this factory many years ago.

And I used to come with him when I was a little kid.

But then he stopped bringing me

because I ate all the cookies all the time.

I love the cookies.

I ate so many.

It was so much fun.

Okay. I'll see you later.

Thank you.

Don't worry about everything so much.

It's always been like this.

Everyone has been coming in, burning our country

and leaving without accountability for ever.

This here is the best distraction.

Watch!

Go ahead, take a seat.

Okay, let's see what we have here.

Tell me a bit about the situation in Afghanistan before you left to come here.

Did you live with your parents, for instance?

Mm-hmm.

Do you have, uh, pictures of your family you can show me?

Do you have any family members in America?

No.

They're all in Afghanistan?

Mm-hmm.

You must miss them very much, I'm sure.

Was your family ever threatened?

They told them they would come after my little brother if I don't come back.

Has any harm been done to your family,

by that I mean physical harm?

No.

When you were there, was your family unhappy about what you were doing?

I only did the work for the money and getting a visa to come here.

Nothing else.

Do you feel guilty?

How do you, uh, like it here?

Is America what you thought it would be?

I didn't think how it would be.

I didn't even think about America.

I just wanted to get out of there.

I would have gone to

Germany, France, England,

El Salvador, or anywhere.

There weren't many women that were doing translation work like you were doing.

In that sense, uh, you're sort of a pioneer,

so your family must be proud of that.

I left, but they are still there.

They have to hear people talk to them

about raising a daughter who was a traitor.

Do you think you are a traitor?

I don't spend much time thinking.

Why?

Too busy with my social life.

Hi, Suleyman.

Thank you, but I don't think I can use this.

Do you know how mouse poison works?

It's horrendous.

It's takes three full days for the mouse to die.

I know.

First, it causes shock and then, painful internal bleeding.

I didn't use it. I couldn't.

Besides, the mouse is very small anyway.

Hmm.

OK. I'm off to work. I'll see you later.

Enjoy.

I think I'm gonna stop with the blind dates.

Why?

It's not... working out.

I'm not meeting anybody.

You don't need anybody.

You need someone special.

Next time you answer like a fortune cookie, I'll eat you.

It happened once.

No, it's happened a lot of times.

It hurts.

You have to keep meeting people.

There is this other guy, a son of my mom's friend.

He's recently divorced and she wants to set me up with him.

Maybe I'll go.

Did you accompany the Army on missions?

No, I translated in U.S. Army bases

when instruction were being given to the Afghan soldiers

on how to use new equipment and arms.

Did you see much fighting, Donya?

Several bases I worked with

were attacked in different times...

and that's fighting I saw.

How did you leave Afghanistan?

On one of the evacuation flights

after Taliban return.

But I know I'm very lucky.

How do you mean?

One translator I worked with

was killed almost immediately after he stopped working

for the U.S. Army.

He was waiting for his paper to come over here.

One of my friends,

Pa yam, he was also translator.

He couldn't make it to the evacuation flights.

I know I'm lucky, and I know they're unlucky.

I've met with many former translators

and they have different reasons for doing what they did.

But in most cases,

they suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

They're left feeling like maybe in some way they're responsible.

And so, they're haunted

by bad thoughts, nightmares.

And they feel that they can't trust others,

so they... isolate themselves.

Maybe it's just a sense of guilt

that prevents them from talking to others and getting the help

that they really desperately need.

Do you know what Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is?

I don't suffer from it.

I just have problem with sleep.

If I had some sleeping pills,

my problems would go away.

I... I chose my specialization for a reason.

I admire people like you

who have stories to tell of courage and displacement.

Guess which immigrant hero I love the most?

White Fang.

The dog?

No, he's not a dog. He's-he's one-quarter dog.

He's three-quarters wolf.

I will give you a prescription for the sleeping pills,

but I think it's important that we use these sessions

to talk about some of these issues.

"Your genuine talent will find its way to success."

"Your financial outlook is great at this time."

That's nonsense.

She's dead.

But she was also getting too old to write about the future.

We are looking for someone else to replace her.

- Wouldn't you be interested? - Mm-hmm.

Fortune messages are a responsibility.

Consciously, or unconsciously,

they are going to act on the flux of things.

They shouldn't be too lucky.

They shouldn't be too unlucky.

They shouldn't be too original.

They shouldn't be too obvious.

They shouldn't be too short.

They shouldn't be too long and so on.

You get the point?

I think so.

The point is, my father and I built our factory

according to a very ancient quote,

"Virtue stands in the middle."

You know?

I love quotes very much.

This is a small gift that I personally prepared

to welcome you to your new adventure.

Thank you.

Open it.

It is a head massager.

I use it, too.

It helps me to gather creative ideas.

Try it.

You run it through your head, down to your scalp.

It's a lot more fun if someone else does it for you.

I would offer to do it,

but it is inappropriate.

Thank you.

I've been in this business for ages.

I've seen message writers come and go,

and I learned one thing.

The ones who stay

are the ones who know how to talk about love.

And the ones who are best at talking about love

are the ones who love themselves.

Do you love yourself?

Yes.

Then you should say it out loud.

- Okay. - Now.

- I love myself. - Good.

"The fortune you seek is in another cookie."

Wise, right?

Yes, very.

Does somebody check what you write or can you write whatever you want?

I can write what I want.

Then maybe you can use this, uh, opportunity

as an exercise of sorts.

Say, if there's something that's making you happy or sad,

you can unburden yourself by jotting it down on paper.

Of course, obviously, there's, uh,

there's the fact that you gotta make it fortune-cookie-friendly

when you condense it down to one line, but, um,

that can certainly be done.

Perhaps it would make the whole thing more fulfilling for you.

You're distracted again.

I can't just start watching it now!

I've no idea what's going on.

This is like the 600th episode.

If you tell anyone I watch this kind of stuff,

I'll poison your food.

Don't worry, I'm good with secrets.

Who is sending you messages?

My friend, Joanna. You don't know her.

Why don't you find yourself a nice husband?

There's no reason for a young girl like you

to spend evenings watching television with an old man.

An old man like me.

When did your heart last skip a beat for someone?

A heart can also skip a beat for people of other nationalities.

I know.

It doesn't have to be for an Afghan.

I know.

It's a huge place here. Full of different types of people.

Don't tell me you don't feel lonely.

Of course I do.

Of course you do.

Where did you go? Why aren't you watching the rest of this?

You filled me with doubt. I feel like I'm losing time now.

I can't tell if this series is interesting or if my own life is uninteresting.

How's your literary production going?

Well.

Bad.

It's time to go, anyway.

I'm coming.

Where's your mom?

She's off taking photographs in the wilderness somewhere.

She'll be back in a couple of days.

♪ Just another diamond day ♪

♪ Just a blade of grass ♪

♪ Just another bale of hay ♪

♪ In the horses path ♪

♪ Just another field to plough ♪

♪ Just a grain of wheat ♪

♪ Just a sack of seed to sow ♪

♪ And the children eat ♪

♪ Just another life to live ♪

♪ Just a word to say ♪

♪ Just another love to give ♪

♪ And a diamond day ♪

I've been working on a little project.

I wrote some, uh, messages

of the type that you might find in a cookie.

Fortunes.

Of course, I don't have the technology or the know-how to do this on a computer,

so what I had to do was get a sheet of paper and a ruler and a pen

and write these all by hand, and then, uh,

using a pair of scissors, cut them into strips.

It was a very satisfying arts and crafts project.

Calming.

They're all original.

Have a look.

"A ship in harbor is safe,

but that's not why ships are built."

"A ship in harbor is safe,

but that's not why ships are built."

- You see what it means, right? - Yes.

What a joy this exercise was.

What happened to the television series?

I don't want to talk about it.

Daddy, I'm done.

- Can I have the fortune cookies now? - Hmm?

I'm done. Can I have the fortune cookies?

All right.

"You will travel to many exotic-exotic places

in your lifetime." Cool.

- You better take me, too. - Okay.

Let me see what mine says.

I'm just a kid, so how could I not take you?

Well, it's been done.

"Some pursue happiness, you create it."

"A cheerful letter or message is on its way to you."

- Oh. - Wow.

Good news!

Mine. Let's see.

- Do you want to guess? - How am I supposed to guess?

"No obstacles will stand in the way of your success this month."

- Perfect. - Me.

Pretty lucky it's the beginning of the month!

"You deserve to have a good time after a hard day's work."

- Like this. - Damn right, yeah.

"Your friends will be truly helpful in your next month's endeavor."

You took one of the boxes by mistake.

I'm meant to take the one with no address for my grandson's birthday party.

Thanks.

I don't understand what this means.

Is this number a Chinese omen or something?

I can't trust you anymore.

You can't trust me? Why that now?

Because you trust people I can't trust.

She's young, you know how it works.

No, I don't know.

At her age, I was married and had just had a baby.

- What do you want me to do? - I want you to fire her.

- That is not an option. - Not an option?

She made a mistake.

I will talk to her.

You know, many brilliant writers have behavioral problems.

You're not being serious, are you?

I think you're being too serious, actually.

How do you even know she's a brilliant writer?

I know these things. She is a girl with memories.

Have you gone insane?

People with memories write beautifully.

Enough of this nonsense now. Give that thing to me.

- How's it going? - Well.

What city in Afghanistan were you born in?

Kabul.

I was born in Shenzhen.

I was just looking at the world.

In Afghanistan,

you have many different people, right?

Yes.

In China, too.

Did you know

China and Afghanistan share a border?

Did you know?

Yes, I did.

I think people who share borders share many similarities.

Us, we share a border,

so we have similarities.

It's okay to feel lonely sometimes.

It would be very strange

if people did not feel lonely.

If they did not think about other possibilities...

about other people.

- You're still awake? - Yes, I'm awake.

I thought you got sleeping pills.

Yes, but I still can't sleep.

Do you ever feel guilty when you think of beautiful things?

I feel guilty even when I don't think about beautiful things.

Do you think about stupid things sometimes?

How do you mean?

Do you think it's normal to think about love

when there are people still in Kabul risking their lives?

Have you fallen in love?

That's not the issue.

As long as your heart bears the burden of suffering

and as long as you don't forget the past

and you don't become an asshole,

falling in love is your right.

But you shouldn't fall in love with an asshole either.

It's late, Donya.

Fall in love first and worry about the rest later.

- Have a good evening. - Good night.

Most Afghans I know who live in Fremont work in Fremont.

Why do you have a job in San Francisco?

I thought it would be good to be out of Fremont half of the day.

I wake up, I see Afghans.

I go to sleep, the last people I see, they're Afghans.

And I thought it would be lovely

to see Chinese people sometimes.

You don't enjoy being with Afghans?

Some of them, yes.

Some of them, no.

Let me tell you a little of the story of White Fang.

White Fang is the sole survivor of his family

who were decimated by famine.

And so, he has to learn to navigate the harsh reality of the north,

which is kill, or be killed.

None of his experiences prepare him

for his owner, who turns him into a vicious killer.

This cruel man has him fighting other dogs to the death.

And it's during one of these fights

that White Fang meets his match in a bulldog who nearly kills him.

Fortunately, he's rescued by a man named Scott,

who takes White Fang in and tames him.

Brings him back to California

where White Fang learns to love Scott and Scott's family.

Now, eventually,

White Fang has puppies with Collie,

Scott's other dog,

and they live happily ever after.

He didn't think these things, Donya, he merely did them.

He wasn't directed by abstract reasoning,

but by instinct, sensation,

and emotion.

What's the meaning of "decimated"?

Wiped out.

Killed.

Destroyed.

This child doesn't sleep.

He's like me.

But you don't keep me up at night.

I feel I'm not strong enough for this.

For what?

For being a mother in this place. What can I teach him?

I'm far from everything I know...

Don't isolate yourself. That's the most important advice I can give you.

Do you think sad mothers bring up sad children?

I don't know. I know nothing about motherhood.

Let's go!

Hey!

Hey!

Suleyman!

I worked with the enemy to ensure your security!

Asshole!

I can sell you coffee if you like.

Okay.

- Milk? - No, thanks.

- Sugar? - Black is fine.

- Are you happy working here? - Yes, thanks.

That'll be $2.50.

Okay.

Hello?

I think I have a blind date.

I got a text message.

When did this come about?

It's a long story.

Well, this is very unexpected. Wait, read me the message.

I'll tell you if he's legit. It's a man, right?

Sounds like he is.

And you're into men, right?

I think so, yes.

Read me the message.

Okay, he says,

"I don't know if you are still available."

Good, he's polite.

"I would love to see you at the Asia Blue Pottery shop,

which is on 70 Avenue, Bakersfield, on Saturday afternoon."

Okay, this is getting better.

If he wants to meet somewhere public, he's not a creep.

And it sounds like maybe he works at that pottery place,

which is great, too, because it means he has a job.

So, maybe he's a potter.

He says, "Ask for the deer."

What?

He says, "Ask for the deer."

Someone who has the nickname "Deer"

can either be very arrogant or very hot,

- or both of them. - Or none of them.

I'm gonna lend you my mom's car to go to Bakersfield. It's a few hours away.

I don't know if I'm going to go.

Yes. Yes, you are definitely going to go.

"White Fang, uncompanionable, solitary, morose,

scarcely looking to right or left,

redoubtable, forbidding of aspect, remote and alien,

was accepted as an equal by his puzzled elders.

They quickly learned to leave him alone, neither venturing hostile acts,

nor making overtures of friendliness.

If they left him alone, he left them alone.

A state of affairs that they found,

after a few encounters,

to be pre-eminently desirable.

In mid-summer, White Fang had an experience.

Trotting along in his silent way to investigate a new tepee,

which had been erected on the edge of the village

while he was away with the hunters after moose,

he came full upon his mother.

He paused and looked at her.

He remembered her vaguely, but he remembered her,

and that was more than could be said for her.

She lifted her lip at him in the old snarl of menace,

and his memory became clear.

His forgotten cubhood...

all that was associated with that familiar snarl, rushed back to him.

Before he had known the gods,

she'd been to him the center pin of the universe."

White Fang is a very brave dog.

He's a wolf.

I relate to him

just like he wasn't accepted by the other pups...

...because he was a wolf.

I was never accepted by the other translators

because I'm a woman.

I was separated from my mother, too,

when I was forced to come here.

It's a very touching story.

I'm glad you love the story as much as I do.

Motel.

Gas.

Food.

I'm Donya.

You're so kind.

Thank you.

I'm happy to be here.

I'm good with anything. You can order for the both of us.

Motherfucker.

Hi.

Uh, you need a hand?

No, just checking the oil.

- You can manage? - Yes.

All right.

Uh, you sell oil here?

No need to buy it.

Here.

- Can you help me? - Yeah.

Okay. Thanks.

You know how to use that dipstick, though, right?

- Dipstick? - Dipstick, yeah, it's...

that right there.

My brother taught me how to check the oil,

but I never had to change it.

Well... it's all done.

- There's some oil left in there. - Thank you.

Dipstick's also an idiot.

It's, uh...

I mean, the...

the word "dipstick" means "idiot."

Here.

Uh, can I leave the car here?

I'm gonna get something to eat.

Sure, I was about to go get something to eat myself, too, so...

Where are you from?

Fremont.

Where are you headed?

I'm going to Bakersfield.

Your accent doesn't sound very Fremont.

- I'm from Afghanistan. - You studying?

I'm a writer.

I've never met an Afghanistani before.

- Afghan. - An Afghan.

You... you're the first Afghan I've met.

You seem like a friendly people.

We are.

I'm just not a good example.

I'm, um, I'm alone all day,

so that's why I talk so much during my lunch break.

Actually, thinking I should hire someone so I can have someone to talk to.

I am actually thinking I should hire someone.

I never understood how a single mechanic

can bear the responsibility on his shoulders.

You know, deciding if a car is good to go.

All responsible jobs, they're performed in twos.

Right? You think of airline pilots or surgeons.

Cars carry lives.

What if one day I'm a bit distracted or in a very bad mood?

True.

And sometimes, you just wanna be alone and eat your sandwich, right?

I have something I have to do anyway.

Um... can I offer you a cup of coffee?

I don't drink coffee. Thank you.

I'm not really a writer.

I just write fortune cookie messages,

and usually for a Chinese restaurant.

I don't eat at Chinese restaurants very often.

I'll usually eat my lunch here and, uh...

well, for dinner, I'll-I'll eat here too.

How much do I owe you?

No, it's on the house.

If you ever come back, it'll be on the house, too.

Thank you.

It was nice to meet you.

And you.

Welcome to Asia Blue, may I help you?

I'm looking for the deer.

One second.

You work at the cookie factory, right?

The owner of the factory is a friend of my boss.

She told me you would've came today but...

she's been postponing for one month and didn't want us to deliver it.

She didn't wanna pay delivery fees.

Do you want me to wrap it up?

I brought you a deer.

I really wanted one.

Coffee?

♪ Just another diamond day ♪

♪ Just a blade of grass ♪

♪ Just another bale of hay ♪

♪ On the horses path ♪

♪ Just another field to plough ♪

♪ Just a grain of wheat ♪

♪ Just a sack of seed to sow ♪

♪ And the children eat ♪

♪ Just another life to live ♪

♪ Just a word to say ♪

♪ Just another love to give ♪

♪ And a diamond day ♪