This film tries to squeeze a lot in. It ruminates on the nature of family, conservative cultures and life as a migrant. Like many first-time directors, Umat Dag seems determined to tackle more Big Emotional Issues than a Grey’s Anatomy season finale. However, thanks to sure-handed direction and striking performances, the movie is well worth watching.
Innocent village girl Ayse (Begum Akkaya) is uprooted from her home in Turkey to live in Vienna with her new husband Hasan (Murathan Muslu.) But we learn this was merely a ruse. Ayse has been secretly wed to Hasan’s father, becoming his second wife and substitute for matriarch Fatma (Nihal Koldas), who has cancer.
Akkaya is incredible, radiating a sweetness that attracts attention – to her character’s detriment. Koldas is also formidable as the complex Fatma. The generational divide between her traditional beliefs and her children’s modern worldviews is beautifully handled. At the very least, Kuma marks Dag as a director to watch.