Wenn der Schnee ans Fenster fällt,
Lang die Abendglocke läutet, Vielen ist der Tisch bereitet
Und das Haus ist wohl bestellt.
— from Ein Winterabend by Georg Trakl (1887–1914)
| girls aren’t going to school
In Afghanistan, a young girl wants to go to school and learn to read and write, but is met with hostility or indifference.
| I wish the best for you
Leila and Reza meet in a kind of celebration and fall for each other. Having discovered their love, they get married soon only to find out the infertility of Leila. That’s when Reza’s authoritative mother starts wheedling Leila to persuade Reza into second marriage for the sake of having a grandchild. Leila accepts at first but is unaware of her own strain threshold.
| waitress
Fictional character played by 24 different actresses, Françoise Durocher is altogether small time waitress, hostess and barmaid. Together, according to the author, they represent the archetypical Québec waitress that everyday waits on us with a smile, despite whatever problems she faces in her personal life.
| intermission
The death of Marcus Aurelius leads to a succession crisis, in which the deceased emperor’s son, Commodus, demonstrates that he is unwilling to let anything undermine his claim to the Roman Empire.
| monarch
| puppet
During the Cold War, an American industrial-designer living in London is used by the MI-6 as an unwilling pawn in the spy game during a trip to a trade show in East Germany.