Rahman bin Bakar

Rahman bin Bakar, at 59 years old, is a shoe repairman who runs a modest stall under a sheet of corrugated iron in a remote village in Sarawak, Borneo. He engages in the repetitive ritual of shoemaking, timed by the rhythms of the local church bell and tractor shifts. Despite his devotion to work, his mind often wanders to the granular details, like the unsettling grit of sand in shoes, symbolizing journeys that remain unfinished. At night, he worries about the future of his trade, his gradually stiffening fingers, and whether his small business can weather the unpredictabilities of life.