An invitation brings Rana and Samer back to an unfinished film. Watching two neglected interviews changes their question from how to portray the neighbourhood to whose voices it can contain.
01Read the Arabic story
أَحَادِيثُ فِي الْفِنَاءِ
كَانَ اسْمُ الْمِلَفِّ «النُّسْخَةَ الْأَخِيرَةَ»، مَعَ أَنَّ الْفِيلْمَ لَمْ يَكُنْ مُكْتَمِلًا. ضَحِكَتْ رَنَا عِنْدَمَا فَتَحَتْهُ بَعْدَ عَامٍ مِنَ التَّوَقُّفِ. صَوَّرَتْ مَعَ سَامِرٍ أَحَادِيثَ سُكَّانِ الْحَيِّ فِي فِنَاءٍ قَدِيمٍ، ثُمَّ اخْتَلَفَا عَلَى مَا يَنْبَغِي إِظْهَارُهُ. الْآنَ، طَلَبَ مِنْهُمَا النَّادِي عَرْضَ الْفِيلْمِ فِي أُمْسِيَةٍ قَرِيبَةٍ. كَادَتْ تَعْتَذِرُ، لَكِنَّهَا اتَّصَلَتْ بِسَامِرٍ أَوَّلًا.
حَضَرَ سَامِرٌ وَمَعَهُ سَمَّاعَاتُهُ، دُونَ أَنْ يُحْضِرَ الْكَامِيرَا. قَالَ إِنَّ وَقْتَهُ يَسْمَحُ بِمُرَاجَعَةِ الْمَوَادِّ الْقَدِيمَةِ فَقَطْ. كَانَ سَبَبُ خِلَافِهِمَا مَقْطَعًا تَشْكُو فِيهِ سَاكِنَةٌ مِنْ ضَجِيجِ الْوِرَشِ. أَرَادَتْ رَنَا حَذْفَهُ لِكَيْلَا يَبْدُوَ الْحَيُّ مَكَانًا كَرِيهًا، بَيْنَمَا رَأَى سَامِرٌ أَنَّ الْحَذْفَ يُحَوِّلُ الْفِيلْمَ إِلَى إِعْلَانٍ. هَذِهِ الْمَرَّةَ، تَرَكَتِ الْمَقْطَعَ يَصِلُ إِلَى نِهَايَتِهِ.
بَعْدَهُ مُبَاشَرَةً، ظَهَرَ نَجَّارٌ يَتَحَدَّثُ عَنِ الْوِرَشِ الْمُغْلَقَةِ وَقِلَّةِ الْعَمَلِ. كَانَتْ رَنَا قَدْ نَسِيَتْ هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ، لِأَنَّهُ لَمْ يُنَاسِبْ مُقَدِّمَتَهَا عَنْ حَيٍّ سَعِيدٍ. سَأَلَتْ: «هَلْ يَجِبُ أَنْ يَكُونَ لِكُلِّ هَؤُلَاءِ رَأْيٌ وَاحِدٌ؟» لَمْ يُجِبْ سَامِرٌ فَوْرًا. أَعَادَ الْمَقْطَعَيْنِ، وَاقْتَرَحَ إِبْقَاءَهُمَا مُتَتَالِيَيْنِ، بِحَيْثُ يَسْمَعُ الْمُشَاهِدُ ثَمَنَ الضَّجِيجِ وَثَمَنَ الصَّمْتِ أَيْضًا.
حَذَفَتْ رَنَا الْمُقَدِّمَةَ الَّتِي سَجَّلَتْهَا مَرَّاتٍ كَثِيرَةً، وَغَيَّرَتِ الْعُنْوَانَ إِلَى «أَحَادِيثَ فِي الْفِنَاءِ». أَبْقَتْ مُوسِيقَى الْبِدَايَةِ رَغْمَ تَحَفُّظِ سَامِرٍ، لَكِنَّهُمَا أَزَالَاهَا مِنْ خَلْفِ الْمُقَابَلَاتِ. لَمْ يُضِيفَا مَشَاهِدَ جَدِيدَةً، وَكَتَبَا تَارِيخَ التَّصْوِيرِ عَلَى الشَّاشَةِ. فِي النِّهَايَةِ، ظَهَرَ الْفِنَاءُ فَارِغًا لِثَوَانٍ قَلِيلَةٍ، دُونَ صَوْتٍ يَشْرَحُ لِلْمُشَاهِدِ مَا يَجِبُ أَنْ يَشْعُرَ بِهِ.
لَيْلَةَ الْعَرْضِ، قَالَتْ زَائِرَةٌ إِنَّ الْفِيلْمَ أَنْصَفَ السُّكَّانَ، وَقَالَ صَاحِبُ وَرْشَةٍ إِنَّهُ تَرَكَ أَسْئِلَةً كَثِيرَةً بِلَا جَوَابٍ. فَتَحَتْ رَنَا فَمَهَا لِلدِّفَاعِ عَنْ اخْتِيَارَاتِهَا، ثُمَّ سَأَلَتْهُ عَنِ السُّؤَالِ الَّذِي يَهُمُّهُ أَكْثَرَ. رَفَعَ زُوَّارٌ آخَرُونَ أَيْدِيَهُمْ. أَطْفَأَ سَامِرٌ جِهَازَ الْعَرْضِ وَأَضَاءَ الْقَاعَةَ. بَقِيَ الْفِنَاءُ عَلَى الشَّاشَةِ الْمُظْلِمَةِ فِي ذَاكِرَةِ رَنَا، بَيْنَمَا اسْتَمَرَّ الْحَدِيثُ أَمَامَهَا.
Show English translationHide English translation
The file was called “The Final Version,” although the film was incomplete. Rana laughed when she opened it after a year’s pause. She and Samer had filmed conversations with neighbourhood residents in an old courtyard, then disagreed about what should be shown. Now the club had asked them to screen the film at an upcoming evening event. She almost declined, but called Samer first.
Samer arrived with his headphones but without the camera. He said he only had time to review the old material. Their disagreement had centred on a clip in which a resident complained about workshop noise. Rana had wanted to remove it so that the neighbourhood would not seem unpleasant, while Samer thought removing it would turn the film into an advertisement. This time, she let the clip reach its end.
Immediately afterwards, a carpenter appeared, speaking about closed workshops and the shortage of work. Rana had forgotten this conversation because it did not fit her introduction about a happy neighbourhood. She asked, “Must all these people have one opinion?” Samer did not answer immediately. He replayed both clips and suggested keeping them consecutive so that the viewer would hear the cost of noise and the cost of silence too.
Rana deleted the introduction she had recorded many times and changed the title to “Conversations in the Courtyard.” She kept the opening music despite Samer’s reservations, but they removed it from behind the interviews. They added no new scenes and put the filming date on screen. At the end, the courtyard appeared empty for a few seconds, without a voice explaining to viewers what they should feel.
On the screening night, one visitor said the film had treated residents fairly, while a workshop owner said it had left many questions unanswered. Rana opened her mouth to defend her choices, then asked him which question mattered most to him. Other visitors raised their hands. Samer switched off the projector and turned on the hall lights. In Rana’s memory, the courtyard remained on the darkened screen while the conversation continued in front of her.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| التَّوَقُّفِ | the pause |
| سَمَّاعَاتُهُ | his headphones |
| ضَجِيجِ الْوِرَشِ | the noise of the workshops |
| حَذْفَهُ | removing it |
| مُتَتَالِيَيْنِ | consecutive |
| تَحَفُّظِ | the reservations of |
| الْمُقَابَلَاتِ | the interviews |
| أَنْصَفَ | treated fairly |
| بِلَا جَوَابٍ | without an answer |
| جِهَازَ الْعَرْضِ | the projector |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Follow the differing perspectives and use the story as evidence. Open the English support when needed.
What to remember
- The noise complaint and the carpenter’s account express different costs of life in the same neighbourhood.
- Completing the film requires a changed framing; the audience’s questions suggest that completion need not end the conversation.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Arabic Relative Pronouns: Joining Ideas with Alladhi and Allati
الْمُقَدِّمَةَ الَّتِي سَجَّلَتْهَا مَرَّاتٍ كَثِيرَةً
Use allati to connect the feminine noun for the introduction to its description.
Lam in Arabic: How to Say “Did Not”
لَمْ يُجِبْ سَامِرٌ فَوْرًا
Notice the jussive after lam when Samer pauses before answering.
