When We Leave

"Oh FUCK" at the ending, and the lovely piano music during the credits adds a real sense of importance. In fact, the music is good the whole time. I feel like some of the flow of the movie was wonky but great performances all around. Umay is a really compelling character. As someone on IMDB said, "a hero in the best sense of the word." Also: a great, realistic world about human rights and family. It's sickening watching some of these people, but then you know it's very true.

Despite its slightly didactic approach and several inconsistencies particularly in terms of character progression, Aladag still manages to create a powerful, emotionally stirring account of a woman's struggle against the patriarchal, misogynistic traditions deeply rooted in some of the most conservative communities. Kekilli's powerhouse of a performance gives the film soul and authenticity.

Rusya'da Kazan Film Festivali'nde izledim. Sibel Kekilli o festivalden en iyi kadin oyuncu odulunu almisti.

I don't find this film didactic, as others have mentioned. 'When We Leave' demonstrates exactly what often happens in traditional Turkish/Islamic families and does it well. In an almost documentary type story telling the story unfolds well and achieves what it actually wants to convey in a profound manner. What I particularly like is that the film doesn't hold back, not trying to paint a softer picture of these harsh realities. Well acted, well directed and well photographed. Good film!

Good, touching but somewhat overstretched. Almost no (especially well-off) Turkish family abandons their daughter because of an undesirable but inevitable divorce after an unhappy marriage; no matter how conservative they are. Divorce is not forbidden in religion and living as a single-parent family is not a life-and-death issue; unlike in a former century. This is not a violation of honour in most cases.

Wer kennt diese Charaktere: Den weichen und letztlich gebrochenen Vater, die verständnisvolle Mutter und den durchgeknallten Bruder? Sie alle treten auf in die Fremde. Ihre hervorragende Charaktereigenschaft: Türkisch zu sein(...)

"The clunky denouement reveals that When We Leave is far less than its socio-political relevance would suggest." - Joseph Jon Lanthier