The Secret of Life

Ali, a young man disillusioned with modern life, leaves for a remote mountain school that claims to teach the Secret of Life. Along the way, he’s injured and encounters a mysterious Darwish at a desolate shrine. After helping him, Ali experiences a strange event that sets him on a transformative journey. The Darwish sends an old man with a donkey to take Ali to the school, but Ali finds the place rigid and uninspiring. Disillusioned, he leaves and stays with the old man and his wife, before returning to the Darwish and begging to be taught. The Darwish reluctantly agrees and begins guiding him. Ali’s journey unfolds in several parallel paths. He teaches local children, sparking excitement with a fictional legend that turns into a media spectacle but backfires. He follows a myth, eating a leaf from a girl’s grave and meeting a mysterious spirit, only for her to disappear. Ali also learns that the Darwish is a fugitive for killing his wife’s friend. When Ali visits the Darwish’s wife, she refuses to see him, leading the Darwish to leave, where he is captured and executed. Ali stays with the old couple but struggles to understand the village’s peaceful coexistence with enemies, leading him to kill a snake that symbolizes this uneasy peace. Before leaving, he witnesses an unexpected act of kindness, renewing his faith in humanity. In the end, the old man tells the story of Ali’s journey and how he uncovered the true Secret of Life before mysteriously disappearing.