Clair Obscur

Synopsis

“The contrasting lives of two women provide a stark insight into the turmoil of modern Turkey in Clair Obscur (Tereddut). Whether ostensibly liberated or emphatically oppressed, the women both inhabit a society where men dominate and women suffer. Differing perspectives on those big issues gradually bind together into a heartrending, politically charged human drama that is among the strongest films from veteran writer/director Yeşim Ustaoğlu. (…) Ustaoğlu constantly points up the differences between the women. (…) Ultimately, the fact that they are so different merely underlines the point that they still face the same limitations on their independence, sexuality and sense of self-worth. (…) The film’s emotional heartbeat comes from the performances of the two stars. Ecem Uzun is unnervingly convincing as a girl left traumatised by her marriage, catatonic in her silences and raging like a trapped animal in panic and terror at what fresh ordeal might lie ahead. Funda Eryigit has the less showy role but is no less impressive as a woman forced to take a fresh look at a life she thought she could call her own.” (Allan Hunter, Screen International)

Around The World in 14 Films 2017, presented by Pegah Ferydoni – in attendance of directress Yeşim Ustaoğlu