Essay: Doomed to Run (—)

A deeply intimate film woven between two opposing worlds—the Catholic soul of Venice and the Islamic heart of Dagestan. Drawing inspiration from Joseph Brodsky’s lyrical essay *Watermark* and Merab Mamardashvili’s reflections on those “condemned to flee,” I shape a cinematic essay on identity, the pain of belonging nowhere, and the relentless quest for home. Through scattered moments of everyday life and uncensored phone calls with my mother, I attempt to navigate life on the edge—caught between beliefs, generations, conflicts, and global crises.