- When a retired old man in Cairo begins to learn about the extinction of dinosaurs, it sets off a series of events that will give his life renewed meaning.
- Where do you see yourself in five years? A standard question Mahmoud is asked in a job interview, only to open up deeper questions within him about his life's purpose. A former manual worker in a printing press whose job has become obsolete due to the growing use of computers, Mahmoud is at point in his life where he begins to relate to the extinction of dinosaurs. He leads a routine life that revolves around the photocopy shop he owns, his pension, always late, and his neighbors and customers who, like him, are warm and affectionate. Nothing clouds this pretty picture except for the greedy landlord, who harbours no compassion for Mahmoud's financial difficulties, and is constantly nagging him about his late rent. Meanwhile, Mahmoud grapples with developing feelings for his neighbor, Safeya, a widow, who in turn grapples with loneliness. Their budding romance hits many roadblocks, from their advancing years, to Safeya's son's disapproval of the relationship, to Safeya's own troubled feelings towards her femininity after undergoing a mastectomy. We enter the world of these lonely characters, as they approach extinction. And with them, we come to realize that one cannot face the dangers of extinction alone; but only through binding with fellow humans in the face of this metaphorical ice age that threatens to wipe out our humanity, even if humans remain.—Amir Ramses
- In a way, Mahmoud's life is a 'photocopy' of millions of others: He has worked for 30 years in the same government job, as a data-entry typist for the State-owned newspaper. He never married, and he's never been with a woman; the opportunity just never seemed to present itself. When he settles for early retirement, he buys a nearby storefront and sets up shop: "Mahmoud's Photocopy." Here, he makes photocopies for pennies and types up documents on his old computer for the occasional customers. Mostly, he sits on his plastic chair out front, and watches the life of the street drift by. One day, a school boy comes in and asks him to type up a report on the extinction of dinosaurs. Mahmoud can't help but begin to see some strange parallels with the state of his own life.
Driven by a desire to change the depressing reality that his own lifestyle is becoming extinct, he starts a journey that leads him to revolt against everything he is accustomed to: routine, tidiness, predictability- he abandons his comfort zone. Fate meets his suddenly-found courage with challenges, fights, struggles that he was never accustomed to, till he meets his biggest fear: falling in love. The moment he laid eyes on Ashgan, his heart started beating again. The Fifty-something widow is hiding in shame of mastectomy, and an unwritten societal law that confined her to a life of solitude and celibacy. Since her husband died, she dedicated her life to raising her child, and never thought of her own needs- a son who never considered his wife as a woman that has the right to live and love.
This is the moment where Ashgan and Mahmoud will have to go through their final test: is it worth it to sacrifice comfort and social acceptance for a few remaining years of happiness, or is it already too late?
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