(Originally from AIFF2021 Festival)

Dale lives a solitary life in a small town, his only outlet being conversations with the local pharmacist Mohammad. As time passes, Dale slowly begins to reveal more of his life and history to Mohammad.

Director’s Statement: Christopher Bell

Day-to-day life is alienating. What little community still exists is either in online spaces or in underfunded avenues that few have access to. I wanted to highlight a lonely, small town character (in every sense of that word) and show the tenuous connection he makes with a local pharmacist. This person’s only guaranteed interaction with a human being and it takes place in an area of business. I wanted to focus on these conversations—funny, weird, revealing, painful —and show not only their whirlwind-like nature but also the growing fondness and understanding that develops between two people during extended interactions, despite being surrounded by purposeless consumer goods. 

And what happens when one of those people, unceremoniously and for unspoken and ominous reasons, just disappears? What does this apparently highly affluent society provide for us? Is it anything more than disbelief?