Moscow Hotel is Sick of Your Tears

Drawing on influences from Abbasid astronomer Thābit Ibn Qurra in “On Talismans” and French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s theory of embodiment and the hand, the film brings together a cast of media personalities to shed light on voices from the subaltern [the internet], following a fictional palm reading session taking place in Dubai’s rococo vintage hotels of the Deira district [old town]. Hotels in the region are associated with the privilege of anonymity. Patrons often take solace in occupying this neutral space to perform illicit or secretive conduct: from romantic rendezvous to transactions often too esoteric to be recognized within the structures of commerce today. Characters in the film include TikTok fortune-tellers, female islamic scholars and current US presidential candidate Marriane Williamson — Williamson’s interest in wellness has landed her in unpredictable cyber spaces, where she gained popularity amongst a new generation of e-girls and podcast dwellers.