A tribal son becomes stateless in a world that weaponizes his very existence.
Sivan, at around the age of 20, is a native of the Southeastern region of Anatolia. His father Saho is the leader of the Givdanli tribe who stays distant both to the state and to the insurgents who are influent in the region, in order to secure its existence. One day, Sivan meets with the girl he loves, Berfin in a field around the village. The same day the field is burnt by saboteurs and the whole harvest of the village is wasted. The investigation initiated after the incident, changes Sivan's life drastically. Taken in for an interrogation, Sivan is caught between the police and the insurgents. Thinking his son's life is in peril, Saho assures Sivan's fleeing out of the country. Taken to Germany by the help of a illegal network, Sivan is located in a refugee camp. However, in this new land whose language is alien to him, Sivan will go through an ordeal which will add a new dimension to the residue of his experiences in Turkey.
Acting
Haluk Piyes carries wordless alienation with devastating precision.
Direction
Çelik's patient observation lets horror accumulate in bureaucratic silence.
Cinematography
Anatolia's burning fields vs. Germany's sterile corridors—exile made visual.
Director
Reis Çelik
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shot during peak Kurdish-Turkish tensions; Çelik faced distribution blacklisting for refusing state narrative compliance.
The refugee camp sequences were filmed in actual Bundeswehr barracks with real asylum-seekers as extras—Sivan's confusion is partly documentary.
No ratings yet
Sign in to join the discussion — comments are spoiler-gated to your watch progress.
Discussion starters
TR
