EMBER

Turkey, 2016, 110 minutes, Colour.
Aslihan Gurbuz, Caner Cindoruk, Taner Birsel.
Directed by Zeki Demirkubuz.

This is quite a grim film from Turkey.

The focus is on a woman surviving in Turkey while her husband has disappeared to Romania. She is uncertain as to when he will return. And their son is very ill and needs hospital treatment. She relies on her husband’s partner, going to work for him, his paying the bill for the medication and surgery, and her becoming part of a relationship with him.

When the husband returns, there is tension between the three people, the husband working for his friend, the wife in difficult circumstances in her relationship with each of the men, then an accident in which the owner of the business is killed.

The impact of the film is in the performance and body language of the trio as well is a great deal of dialogue as well as silences which give the audience enough time to ponder their response to each of the characters and situations.

1. A story from Turkey? Universal? Men and women, relationships, jealousy and violence?

2. The Turkish city, suburbs, highways, hills? Home? Factory? The musical score?

3. The prevalence in the screenplay of questions and questions and answering questions? The effect of revealing characters through questions?

4. The title, the relationship, remnants?

5. Introduction, Emine, her needlework, payments, the boss? Ziya and Ramzi arriving, asking her about Cemal, his absence, her reticence?

6. Her story, her marriage, work, the birth of her son, concerned about the hole in his heart? The phone call and a visit from Ziya, her explanations, Romania, absent, no news? The dinner, the long explanations about Ziya what had happened, Ziya and the lies and his reasons? His love for Emine?

7. His willingness to pay for the surgery, the success of the operation?

8. Phone calls, visits, the sexual encounter, Emine saying no, then yes, love?

9. Possibilities for the future, Ziya and his divorce, his wife, three children? The possibility of marrying The Emine? The affair, secret, dropping her off before her home?

10. Cemal, his arrival, no explanation, the effect? His age, appearance, rough? Staying at home, talking, watching the TV? Finding the hospital documents? Seeing the boy’s scar? Interrogating Emine, the brutal bashing? Her accepting this? The sexual aftermath?

11. Ziya, interview with Cemal, offering him the job foreman, closing his debts? Cemal accepting, his work, the factory prospering, the details of the work?

12. Emine, with Cemal, his remark that she was beautiful, and non-reaction, saying she was shy? His interpreting this as cold, the violence? His decision to stay and work continuously at the factory?

13. Emine, arriving, asking for the divorce, his easy agreement? Picked up by Ziya, speculation about his motives? Ziya asking Cemal to dinner, the accident, his warnings, dropping him off at home?

14. The phone call, Ziya and the accident, possibly dead? The effect on the Emine?

15. The club, his friends from Romania? Emine’s collapse, the hospital, her pregnancy?

16. His shower, asking for his underwear and pyjamas, Emine, his demanding her submission – and the darkness and the future?