Phygē

Jean Benner, Brieses weeping over the body of Patroclus (1878)

Synopsis.

Phygē (“Exile” in Greek) unfolds over the course of a single, relentless day in Berlin, where the echoes of past wars, fractured relationships, and unspoken losses collide. At the heart of the story is OLEES, a Palestinian-Syrian theater director whose past is marked by the brutality of wars back home. Now, living in exile, he is caught in the storm of a new conflict—the war in neighboring Ukraine—as he crosses paths with YOSYP, a Ukrainian actor who has fled to Berlin, seeking refuge from the ravages of his homeland.

The narrative begins in the bombed-out ruins of Mariupol, where Yosyp, 30, haunted by the memories of his role as Hamlet, drifts through the charred remnants of a theater he once called home. The surreal vision of his performance in a war-torn space collapses into the reality of morning in Berlin. He wakes up in a quiet apartment, a stark contrast to the chaos of his mind.

In another part of the city, Olees and his wife, MARTHA, an American soprano of Jewish-German heritage, face the aftermath of a love undone by grief. The loss of their son has left a fracture that neither can bridge. As Olees prepares to attend a funeral, he learns of Martha’s affair with her manager, a loveless liaison that echoes the emptiness of their marriage.

The city of Berlin becomes a labyrinth, a place where memories collide with the present. Olees, wandering through its streets, finds himself moving from place to place: the funeral, a Hamlet rehearsal, cafés, restaurants, and religious monuments. He visits a friend at a maternity hospital, each encounter pulling him further into the web of a world at once alien and familiar.

Meanwhile, Yosyp’s search for his missing fiancée spirals into futility. His day is spent auditioning for the role of Hamlet—a cruel irony—and he crosses paths with Olees at the theater. The two men, both lost in different forms of exile, find temporary solace in each other’s company. The day darkens as they venture to a brothel, a fleeting escape from their pain. But as the night deepens, Olees loses track of Yosyp, only to find him later, unconscious and abandoned outside.

He brings Yosyp back to his apartment, but the young actor refuses to stay, turning away from the brief comfort of hospitality. Olees, exhausted, returns home to Martha, recounting his day. In a moment of quiet vulnerability, he asks for breakfast in bed, a simple gesture that speaks volumes about the distance between them.

As Martha lies awake, reflecting on her own choices, lovers past, and memories of a time when she and Olees were still whole, the story lingers on the spaces between them. In this fractured city, amidst the ruins of their lives, the ghosts of war and love remain ever present, never truly letting go.