When We Leave (2010)

Umay is a young woman of Turkish descent, fighting for an independent and self-determined life in Germany against the resistance of her family. Her struggle initiates a dynamic, which results in a life-threatening situation.

Director:

Feo Aladag

Writer:

Feo Aladag

Stars:

Sibel Kekilli, Nizam Schiller, Derya Alabora

30 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sibel Kekilli	...	Umay
Nizam Schiller	...	Cem
Derya Alabora	...	Halime
Settar Tanriögen	...	Kader
Tamer Yigit	...	Mehmet
Serhad Can	...	Acar
Almila Bagriacik	...	Rana
Florian Lukas	...	Stipe
Nursel Köse	...	Gül
Alwara Höfels	...	Atife
Ufuk Bayraktar	...	Kemal
Blanca Apilánez	...	Carmen
Rosa Enskat	...	Manuela
Gümeç Alpay Aslan	...	Zeynep (as Gümec Alpay)
Ayla Arslancan	...	Ayten

Storyline

German-born Umay flees her oppressive marriage in Istanbul, taking her young son Cem with her. She hopes to find a better life with her family in Berlin, but her unexpected arrival creates intense conflict. Her family is trapped in their conventions, torn between their love for her and the traditional values of their community. Ultimately they decide to return Cem to his father in Turkey. To keep her son, Umay is forced to move again. She finds the inner strength to build a new life for herself and Cem, but her need for her family's love drives her to a series of ill-fated attempts at reconciliation. What Umay doesn't realize is just how deep the wounds have gone and how dangerous her struggle for self-determination has become...

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Plot Keywords:

honor crime | turkish immigrant | traditions | turkish family | turkish german | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site / [tr] [Germany] Official site [United States]

Country:

Germany

Language:

German Turkish

Release Date:

28 January 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Estrangeira

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,018, 30 January 2011

Gross USA:

$19,631

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,196,469

Company Credits

Production Co:

Independent Artists Filmproduktion, Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Feo Aladag wrote and directed this movie after participating in Amnesty International's "Violence Against Women" campaign, and feeling like she had more to explore in the subject of honor killings.

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Connections

Features Biçak sirti (2007)

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Soundtracks

Solitude
Composed by Max Richter
(P) 2010 Colosseum Music Entertainment GmbH

User Reviews

Examination of a primitive sociological issue

The basic plot is simple: a young lady with a crazy in-laws feds up and leaves making her a total outcast. The acting seemed a bit too dramatic and overly polished. The actors are obviously talented and have done their best, but it showed that they were trying too hard, which took away the realism I was anticipating. More than a few scenes were simply yelling and slapping which I've found quite raw. The close-ups were nice generally with beautiful faces, occasionally with oblique views. At times, when we were shown a scene with people staring at each other silently which meant that the discussion was over, I wondered if that was really the case and not if we were witnessing a zen moment. As a side note, I just have to point out that the subject of film has little to do with religion or being a "muslim". The problem is far too deep which is really a sociological phenomena rooted in dogmatic cultural upbringings and a feudal life style (mostly) of the eastern part of country where people are just a dot in the family picture rather than individuals with autonomy. You could see that nobody in the family wanted to be a part of what was going on but they could not behave otherwise -- they were slaves of their communities even thousands of miles away.