Luxor (2020) - full transcript

Welcome.

Please open it.

Open it. Please open it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Here is the bathroom.

Balcony.

The mini bar.

- What's your name?
- Mousa.

I'm gonna leave you a tip downstairs,
I don't have any change right now.

Thank you. Thank you.



Darling, this is Hamdy.

Now, Hamdy I would tell you
the name of this young lady,

but, uh, I forgot.
She's quite mysterious.

You make me feel like I'm in
that uh...

what's the... what's the Agatha
Christie film? Um, you know this...

The one with the Nile.

Death On The Nile.

Is that your only
Luxor reference?

That film had a huge impact
on my life.

Come on. Hamdy,
this round is on me.

Ladies, it's on me, y'all,
I got you covered.

Dunia Patunia!

Thank you.

Glad to see you're
having fun tonight.



Oh, come on. I can't have
fun without you here.

Of course you can't.

Have you met your new mysterious
guest Hana? She just checked in today.

I haven't had the pleasure.
Hi, I'm Dunia the manager.

Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you too. Have fun.

Thank you.

Hamdy, it's Hana,
I just remembered it's Hana.

Can you turn on the light
please?

Sorry I just haven't been able to sleep.
I just got back from a war zone.

Yeah, I figured.

Ali!

Hello!

- Hey!
- Welcome, Hana.

I'm sorry.

We missed you Hana.

Please,
can we stop here?

Thank you.

Hey.

Hana.

- Hi.
- What are doing here?

- Um...
- I can't believe you're here!

Yeah...

Um... I'm just on a dig.

You're on a dig?

No. I'm not
on a dig, sorry.

- I'm on a dig.
- No, you're on a dig.

I'm always on a dig.

Yeah, um... I'm on leave.
I'm on leave.

I didn't think you'd be here.

I'll come and find
you at your hotel.

Where are you staying?

At the Winter Palace.

Afternoon.

Good afternoon.

It's such a beautiful
garden, isn't it?

We've been coming here
for forty years.

I think one falls in love with the
place and has to keep on coming back.

Yeah, I think you
might be right.

Do go to Abydos if you
haven't been already.

- Hi.
- Hi.

Are there any messages for me?

Let me check.

No. I'm afraid there is no
messages for you, Ma'am.

- Are you sure?
- Yeah.

Now that we've arrived to this
mortuary temple of Ramses the Third,

I invite us to just take a moment
and breathe into our heart's centers.

Feeling the earth
below and the sky above.

And from this
place here on the wall behind us,

we see the great goddess Mut and
her consort and beloved Amon Ra.

You see that Mut is giving
Amon Ra life force, energy...

and in stark contrast I draw your
attention to the opposite wall.

And here we see Ramses the
Third conquering the sea people,

who came to try and take the land
away from the Egyptian people.

What this represents for
us is our own inner demons.

How do we conquer our own
inner demons?

Because we all can.
We all can find

that strength within us.
And for us, what that means

is once we conquer those
inner demons,

we offer it as a blessing
to the divine.

- Do you need a guide?
- No, thank you.

Can we have some help over here?

Can someone call an Ambulance
please? Quickly.

They'll be coming.
There'll be someone here.

Hello. I'm a doctor.

- What's her name?
- Her name is Sarah.

And what happened,
did she fall over?

She's fainted, she's fallen.

- Did she hit her head?
- No, I caught her on the way down.

This happens a lot.
The energy is too strong here.

They get overwhelmed
and collapse.

Right. Sarah... Sarah?

Yeah. Yeah, she is conscious.
Do you think you can sit up?

Yeah. Ok.

Ok. How are you feeling?

What exactly are these tours
that you're doing?

It's a spiritual tour.

Wow. How did you get into that?

I first came to Egypt with the
Grateful Dead in '78.

My husband managed the band. When I went to Luxor
I just got hooked and kept on coming back.

Hannoush.

I came to get you.

Hi. A lady named Angie left
an urgent message for you.

She wants you to go to Oasis
hotel and check on someone.

- Oh, thank you. Thank you.
- Thank you.

I know where that is.

- Yeah?
- Yeah, I'll take you.

- Hi.
- Hello. Thank you for coming.

- Is she all right?
- Yes.

The doctors have seen her, but I just thought
it would be better if you had another look.

Oh, yeah. Sure.

Come.

- I'll just be outside.
- Okay.

We are going to Abydos
in a few days' time.

It's a long drive. I hope Sarah
will be able to make it.

Have you been?

Er, maybe when I was a child.

It's a beautiful and holy place.

The ancient Egyptians made their
pilgrimage there. You should come with us.

- Hello!
- Hi! Hi, Sarah.

- Hi.
- Come on in.

- Thank you.
- I'll give you a minute.

- Hi, how are you feeling?
- Better.

- Good.
- Much better.

That's good to hear.

The doctor gave
her something great.

Just make sure that she
is not alone. She'll be great.

You really should come
to Abydos.

I think you'd benefit greatly.

Oh, I'm really busy.
I can't, but thank you.

Oh, well, thank you for coming.

- No worries.
- Alright, take care. Goodbye.

What's in Abydos again?

We've been there together.

You know it's that
beautiful temple.

It's where the Egyptians used
to hold their annual pilgrimage.

You know? The holiest,
their holiest site.

I don't remember it.

I mean you'd remember, it's not
really a place you'd forget.

I don't know, I don't remember
much these days.

You used to have
the best memory.

Yeah, not anymore.

By And by the way,
it's not A-be-dos It's Abydos.

A-BY... DOS, Abydos.

I can't believe you forgot our trip to
Abydos. We had such a great time together.

I'll take your word for it.

For old times' sake.

Yeah, like that ever
got us anywhere.

How come you came?

I told you because I'm on leave.

Where were you?

I was on the Jordan
Syria Border.

I'm a surgeon now,
so I was working in a war trauma unit.

Are you going back?

They want me to go
to the Yemen next.

The Yemen?

Seriously?

Yeah.

Do you have someone?

Come on, someone, a lover,
a husband, a boyfriend.

No, do you?

No. Nobody serious.

Well, maybe she
thinks it's serious.

Trust me, she doesn't.

Did you have children?

You?

No.

That's a shame 'cause I always
thought you'd be a really good dad.

Don't write me off so soon.
There's still time.

Yeah, well, I suppose you
can have them whenever.

But I want to see them grow up.

So I'm working on this amazing
sort of feminist temple.

I think you'll love it.
Will you come tomorrow?

I know the old team
would love to see you.

The old team. They're still
alive! They haven't died?

Well, Professor Schumann died.

God, I'm sorry.
No, really, no I am sorry.

I know.

Though he was pushing
like, what, 100?

Trust you put it like that.

- Here.
- Oh, no, I'm not cold.

I just forgot how
pregnant this place is.

Pregnant with what?

You know with the history of
things being here with us.

Nothing to be scared of. Just
tell them to leave you alone.

Good night, Hannoush.

Good night.

See you tomorrow?

Ok.

Is it true that there is only
one way across the Nile?

Like there's a bridge but
it's 45 minutes away.

It's one bridge, 45 minutes.

One bridge, it's right there,
I mean surely there's gotta be a boat

that can take me over
there in like 5 minutes.

Boat would be fine.

So I can go see the Valley of
the Kings

if I go over there in a boat?
Much quicker, right?

- Hi.
- Hi.

How are you?

- Better than one of the hot air balloons, right?
- I think so, yeah.

Yeah, I don't know if I wanna
go up in a hot air balloon.

It's fucking scary, right?

Would she be able to help
me you think? Ok good.

I think he's gone now.

Why don't you take the staff exit?
It's down this way.

Thank you.

Oh, hi.

Hey!

- How are you?
- Fine, how are you?

- I'm good. It's really good to see you.
- Nice to see you.

Thanks for bringing her.

Having you here is
just like old times.

Yeah, I thought a lot about you when
I heard about looting in the news.

Yeah, during the revolution,
it was quite bad.

Our flimsy door
didn't hold back the looters

and they came in expecting gold,

but all they got were
bones and pottery.

But, um, thank God that doesn't
happen anymore with everything now.

Hi.

Good to see you.

Look, this is our latest find.
It's a Shabti.

It's supposed to help
you in the afterlife.

Wow. You know, I went to Freud's
house and I saw the collection there.

Oh ya? He was an avid
collector, you know.

He loved Egyptology,
and he loved archeology,

and he said, that looking at the mind
it was sort of like excavating the mind.

Just the way archaeologists
do the soil.

So, he had lots of these tchotchkes,
I know. And what was it on his desk?

- I think it was a cat.
- That's right.

Do you ever feel like...

like a... I just... I've been walking
around a lot on my own recently,

and I feel something.
I feel like I'm aware of something.

Well, yes, I think one does.

I mean you're walking in places that have thousands
of years of really intense human emotion.

And they imbued the space
with this power and presence.

And I think a lot of us do, at
one time or the other,

feel that sort of connection. And that's
what makes this work so intriguing.

Yeah.

She might cheer you up,
give you some inspiration.

See this?

It's the goddess Isis.

And she's suckling
the baby Horus.

This was really the prototype for
the virgin Mary and the baby Jesus.

And there is an amulet to be
worn for protection

to give you the idea of rebirth
and regeneration.

It's really a form
of hope and solace.

Thanks.

Should we take her in?

Why not?

See those hackings?

Yeah.

This tomb was built for
this insignificant King.

And then the two Royal ladies,
named Takhat and Baketwernel,

moved in, hacked out his decoration, and
painted their own faces all over the place.

Sorry about the stairs.

But we ran out of money.
Hold onto my arm.

Like that?

Slowly.

So those are the parts of
the granite sarcophagi we found.

We also found the jars that
hold their internal organs.

But not a trace of
Amenmesse the king.

Wow, who were these women?

What did they do here?

Don't you ever worry that you...

About what?

I'm just gonna get some air.

I was gonna say,
do you ever worry about

opening up places that
have been laid to rest?

What, you mean like, curses?

Yes.

What are you ten?

I just think the more
unstable the world is,

the more the supernatural
comes to the forefront.

I can't believe you still
stay at the Marsam.

I could never imagine
staying anywhere else.

I have the best memories here.

Do you want a drink?

Um, a glass of water.

Sorry about the mess.

Sultan. It's getting late,
and I should go.

Yeah?

Yeah.

Hi, can I get a Winter Palace
club sandwich please?

With fries.

Do you want anything?

No, thank you.

I heard they cut down
a lot of the trees,

but the garden
is still beautiful.

I love this garden.

Apparently, they're
gonna redo this hotel.

Which would be sad.

There's something lovely about
it being so faded and imperfect.

- Good morning.
- Good morning. How are you?

Good, yeah.

Did you sleep well?

I did, yeah. June this is
my old friend Sultan.

This is June and Harold.

What are you laughing about?

You've become such a granny.

Shut up, no I haven't I'm just
being polite, and besides,

I think it's really lovely
seeing a couple like that.

They've been together
since their twenties.

That's when we met.
You were 22, and I was 23.

Would you like to go swimming?

I don't have any trunks.

I think as long as you're not wearing
a thong, you'll be all right in boxers.

Excuse me, sir.
Sir, excuse me. Excuse me.

Sir. Excuse me, sir.
Sir, excuse me.

Excuse me, sir. Actually,
you are not allowed to swim

with underwear
in the swimming pool.

Sorry do you know where I can
get swimming trunks around here?

Yeah, for sure, sir.

You can find it at the entrance
of the hotel in the bazaars.

Can I please have five
more minutes?

You got five minutes. And then you'll
have to be outside of the pool.

Thank you for understanding.

This is the staff entrance here.

How did you find it?

Uh...

I just, umm,
came out here one day.

Why?

I can't remember.

It's really quiet down here.

Look, look, look.

Look what I found.

Oh my God, this reminds
me, this reminds me so much

of when we had a long
distance relationship

and I would call you from
Kathmandu on a crappy line.

Beirut was worse.

I hope they don't get rid
of it in the refurb.

Why are you so obsessed
with this refurb?

This carpet is just amazing.

Madam. May I interrupt you clawing
your feeling the walls for a second?

You received a fax
from Rio De Janeiro.

Apparently, your travelers
check was stolen,

and somebody has been caught
trying to purchase a Discman.

Hold.

Just hold.

Where are we going?

To the Marsam.

There's my first dig.

You remember how we used to
sneak in after dark?

It was so quiet. And we would
stand there in the moonlight.

Don't be so cheesy.

Hey, hey.

- Hey.
- Hey.

Glad you guys could make it.
Please take your place.

- Hi, I'm Hana.
- I'm Catherine, nice to meet you.

- Nice to meet you, Jared.
- Hi.

See that guy over there?

He's one of those nutters.

Someone who thinks that
the pyramids were made

by aliens or people
from Atlantis.

Hana ran into an interesting
group a few days ago.

So does that mean they thought
they had been reincarnated?

They didn't, no.
They seemed quite cool.

Ok. I mean, generally they think
that they have been reincarnated

and that they are Ramses the 2nd
or Nefertari or someone, Nefertiti.

It's never the beggar
or the cleaner.

Except for Omm Sety,
Omm Sety's story is legit.

Oh. Yeah.
Yeah, that was different.

What was Omm Sety's story?

She was really amazing.
So when she was a child,

like 4 or something,
she fell down the stairs, hit her head.

They thought she was dead.

And then, the doctor came,
and she came back to life.

And, she kept saying, I want
go home, I want to go home.

And they said no, no, my dear,
you are at home.

And then, a little while later,
she was opening the Life magazine,

and there was a big feature
on Egypt.

And so she came running around
saying, look, look this is my home.

So, they took her British museum,
and she was running around

embracing the statues and things,
and she finally came to Egypt.

She married an Egyptian.
She started working for the antiquities.

But her big thing was that
she had been a temple dancer

who'd fallen in love
with the King.

And it was a sort of story
of love and remembrance.

And she came and lived and worked in
the temple. It was really amazing.

The key thing is, she helped
archaeologists to find their digs.

She would tell them
where to dig,

and then they opened it up
and they find things

and tell them stories
about what's the ceremony

and events that taking
place in these digs.

Excuse me.

So, she was amazing, and yeah.

And she said "Oh there
is a garden here,"

and it was just sand.
They dug down

and they found this garden.

And they could even see the pits
where the trees had been placed.

Hello there.

Hi.

How are you?
What are you drinking?

Lemonade.

Don't you want
something stronger?

No, I'm not very good
on drinks at the moment.

I've been there.
You should definitely avoid it.

Mmm. Yeah, that's
what I thought.

So how long are you staying?

I don't know, maybe a week.

Oh, wow, great.

Ok, I have to take you to this
lady. She knows things.

She's sort of holy.

What, you don't believe me?

Um... you know, now people just seem
to have a Shaman and a Pomeranian.

What's a Pomeranian?

This guy.

Oh. I like Dobermans.

I get a sense you're
going to enjoy it there.

It might be even good for you.

So, have you been to Abydos yet?

I've wanted to show you this
place since it opened.

I even thought of
contacting you.

How were you gonna contact me?

Facebook.

Are we friends on Facebook?

Yeah.

I can't imagine
how I let that happen?

Why?

Because the last thing
I wanna do

is see you happy on a beach
in Dubai with kids.

That's harsh.

Good morning.

Hi.

We're going to see
Sekhmet's sanctuary.

She's the patron saint
of physicians and healers.

I'm glad we did this.

The 45-minute journey
across the Nile

three times a day was
beginning to take its toll.

Come and move in with me
at the Marsam.

Just at the Marsam?

Well, that's where I'll be
for the next two months.

And then where will you be?

Back to New Haven.

Hmm...

And what will I do all day
when you're... at the dig?

You can sleep,

read, sit in the courtyard.

There's a pool here.

Don't you miss how
hopeful we were?

About us?

Yeah, about the world,
about us, about everything.

Yes.

Do you remember what
it was like 20 years ago?

I wish it could be like that.

I heard this thing,
the old world is dying

and the new world
struggles to be born.

Now is the time of monsters.

Who said that?

You know,
I've actually forgotten.

Where are you going?

To pee.

Did you ever think that you'd
spend most of your adult life here?

Yeah, I think I did
when I chose to do this.

Yeah?

But I didn't really think
of it in terms of time.

I don't think we knew what
time was when we were young.

Where did you
think you would be?

I don't think I thought
about it, I just...

I just assumed everything would
just come together, you know.

That's the really weird
thing about being this age

is that there's just
not time for things to...

What are you, 90?

...come together. Yes!

But in your twenties
you know you feel like...

Sultan!

- Oh, Maria, hi.
- Hi.

Hey, God, you're here.

Yeah. I'm visiting my dad.

How long are you here for?

For a few weeks.

This is my old friend Hana.

Hi, Hana. Nice to meet you.

- Hi, I'm his old friend.
- What are you up to?

Oh, I'm going to visit
a friend on the other side.

Are you headed that way?

Yeah.

Ok, do you want to share a boat?

Hi.

So why is your boat
called Bob Marley?

I don't know.
Not my boat, it's you.

Hi.

Well, I'm going this way.

So, um, it was so nice
to see you, Sultan.

And really nice
meeting you, Hana.

Really nice meeting you.
See you. Bye.

Bye. So nice to meet you.
So nice to meet you.

It's about the divine.

And... how we project
ourselves onto it.

Pretty much the basis
for anthropomorphic religion.

We like to see ourselves
in everything.

My favorite is Nut.

She swallows the sun.

She swallows the sun?

She swallows the sun.

Painful.

Oh no.

It's like dancing lessons
when you are little.

I once saw someone do that.

Skating move.
Oh, my God, look!

Have I ever shown you that?
That fucking hurt. Ow!

Dance with me. Dance with me.
That's awkward.

Morning.

Hi.

Hana this is Alia.

- Hi.
- Hi.

It's so nice and cool in here.

Is this part of the same group
that Chloe told me about?

Yeah. It's uh...
it's this one right here.

Do you have the other file?

Ok.

Do you want a coffee?

Is Chloe still an archaeologist?

Yes, she teaches at Brown.

Are you still in touch with her?

I mean she works on
the digs sometimes.

She's happily married,
with children.

Cool.

They fell in love,
and they got married.

Yeah, she's so clever.

You don't need to be clever.
When it's right it just happens.

Hana!

Hamoush.
Don't live in the past.

Don't live in the past?

You're an archaeologist.
Your entire life's work

is about living in the past.
You live in the past.

But we have another chance now.

I'm just tired.
I'm really tired.

I've been in a dark place.

I saw things that nobody
should see.

And I'm broken.

I can't take anymore pain.
Don't follow me.

Yeah. Give her your hat.

How long is she going
to sleep on it?

Oh, I don't know.
It could take all night.

I have a flat tire.

Hi.

Can I come in?

Let's go to Abydos.

That's just what
I was thinking.