Hardsub

Amir, an immigrant who has been living in Ukraine for a long time, works as a translator. After a complicated divorce, he tries to save his relationship with his young daughter. He finds himself in an identity crisis and loses himself in a whirlwind of one-night stands and parties. In anticipation of war, his ex-wife takes their daughter to Germany. Amir faces a difficult decision: should he stay, return to his home country, or become a migrant again?

AMIR (34) is an Azerbaijani migrant in Ukraine who works as a news editor and a freelance translator for local law enforcement agencies. He is struggling to maintain a relationship with his daughter while seeking lost meanings in parties and one-night stands with women just as the Russian invasion of Ukraine seems imminent. Afraid of the war, his ex-wife and daughter decide to move to Germany, but Amir is unable to make a quick decision - he moved from his homeland once, should he move again and start life anew for a second time? While translating an interrogation, he meets his compatriot, the young drug dealer SAHIB (20). Working on the case, Amir realizes that Sahib ended up in this situation by accident, and the police simply want to pin a serious crime on him. The desire to help Sahib forces Amir to embark on a journey through pre-war Kyiv. He finds himself among the members of Azerbaijani diaspora with whom he had severed all ties long ago. Simultaneously, Amir works on translating subtitles for Sergei Parajanov‘s latest film „Ashik-Kerib.“ This task becomes a challenge for him and a reflection on returning to the beginning of his migrant journey. His love for his daughter and his desire to preserve his identity lead him to inevitably accept his path and destiny as Ashik-Kerib, which translates to “foreigner” and “wanderer.”Bei der Übersetzung eines Verhörs begegnet er seinem Landsmann SAHIB (20), einem jungen mutmaßlichen Drogendealer. Im Verlauf der Arbeit an dem Fall wird Amir klar, dass Sahib nur durch Zufall in diese Lage geraten ist und die Polizei versucht, ihm ein schwerwiegendes Verbrechen anzulasten. Der Wunsch, Sahib zu helfen, führt Amir auf eine Reise durch das Kiew am Vorabend des Krieges. Dabei begegnet er Mitgliedern der aserbaidschanischen Diaspora, mit denen er längst alle Kontakte abgebrochen hatte. Parallel dazu übersetzt Amir die Untertitel zu Sergei Parajanovs letztem Film Ashik-Kerib. Diese Aufgabe wird zu einer intellektuellen und emotionalen Herausforderung und wirft ihn zurück an den Anfang seiner eigenen Migrationsgeschichte.
Getrieben von der Liebe zu seiner Tochter und dem Wunsch, seine Identität zu bewahren, beginnt Amir, seinen Weg und sein Schicksal anzunehmen – als Ashik-Kerib, was sowohl „Fremder“ als auch „Wanderer“ bedeutet.