Winner, Crystal Bear, Berlin International Film Festival. Nominated, Best Director and Best Screenplay, Asia Pacific Screen Awards
In a remote Turkish village, an ancient blood feud between two families has finally been put to rest, and a marriage arranged to seal the union; a man (Ilyas Salman) just released from a life behind bars has been pledged to a teenage girl he has never met. It is their wedding night, and tradition demands their stained bedsheets be displayed by morning’s light but, fearful of their consummation, the bride distracts her broken husband with tales, like a modern-day Scheherazade, rounding out the hours as dawn draws ever nearer.
Written and edited by director Reis Çelik, this lyrical, compelling film trains an unhurried lens on its characters, trapped in a claustrophobic bridal chamber that neither chose. Sensitively shot and surprisingly intimate, this is a nuanced two-hander, driven by stellar performances.
Brisbane International Film Festival
