Mirage

At the edge of a city growing from the desert, a man plays alone on a golf course. Another, sleepless one, sends a letter from a labour camp to his wife in Kenya. A sand storm hits the construction site, and the locals hold a strange dance ceremony. Dubai, usually seen either as a development miracle or a failed gimmick, here becomes a set for a visual exploration of displacement, longing and desire. In three film chapters the city, the surrounding desert and their inhabitants slowly uncover some of the darker aspects of contemporary society, while the ongoing economic meltdown spells the end of an era.