''Clair Obscur'' () is a 2016 Turkish drama film directed by
Yeşim Ustaoğlu
Yeşim Ustaoğlu (born 18 November 1960) is a Turkish filmmaker and screenwriter.
Life and career
Ustaoğlu was born in Kars, Sarıkamış and grew up in Trabzon on the Black Sea. After studying architecture at Karadeniz Technical University sh ...
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Synopsis
Chehnaz, an attractive, modern woman and her husband Cem live in a hip neighbourhood in Istanbul. Chehnaz has been assigned to a public hospital in a small, remote seaside town to complete her mandatory 2-year duty as an aspiring psychiatrist. While treating her patients during the week, she's mostly looking forward to the weekend and their Istanbul lives. However, during this routine, Chehnaz' sexual problem with her husband becomes more evident - a problem that she is not able to face. After a stormy night the course of Chehnaz's life is changed forever when she meets Elmas, a young woman from the town, who was married-off to a distant relative. Elmas survives as best she can far away from her family in a hostile environment with an older man she doesn't love.
Reception
''The Film Stage'' gave the film "A−", while ''CineVue'' gave it 4/5. ''The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' praised the film, saying "Stunning newcomer Ecem Uzun electrifies an intimate women's drama." Similarly, ''Screen Daily
''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company which also owned '' Broadcast''.
The magazine is primarily aimed at those involv ...
'' wrote "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". ''Exclaim!
''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...
'' rated it 7/10.
Accolades
The film won several awards including best picture at the 53rd Antalya International Film Festival
The Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival (), known for a few years from 2015 as Antalya International Film Festival, is a film festival, held annually since 1963 in Antalya, and is the second most important film festival in Turkey. Since 2009, t ...
.
At the 2016 Haifa International Film Festival
The Haifa International Film Festival () is an annual film festival that takes place every autumn (between late September and late October), during the week-long holiday of Sukkot, in Haifa, Israel.
History
The festival was inaugurated in 1983 an ...
, ''Clair Obscur'' received a special mention in the Mediterranean Golden Anchor Competition.
References
External links
* (director's web site)
* (Beta Cinema, international sales agent)
*
Cineuropa
Films directed by Yeşim Ustaoğlu
2016 films
2016 drama films
Turkish drama films
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