Sexually abused by her stepfather who domains the family with his absolute authority, used and abandoned by her lover, exposed to psychological violence in her marriage, Uftade weaves herself a world of salvation fantasies and fears of destruction.
Directed by the late director Halit Refiğ and starring Müjde Ar, maybe the cult actress of Turkish cinema, My Aunt (Teyzem, 1986) is the story of a woman who loses her mind through disappointments and crumples, narrated by her nephew who has a naive affection for her. Besides, it functions as a harsh criticism towards Turkish middle-class morality. The film deals with frequency of sexual abuse and violence through the stepfather character appearing in the delusions of Üftade. On the other hand, passiveness of the society in front of the oppression is criticised through the paralyzed mother unable to talk and react, and through the brother afraid of being disgraced. The closeted gay husband in an unhealthy relationship with her mother, the contractor pausing to assault Üftade with the azan coming from the alarm clock are the indicators of the traumatic society with hypocritical conservatism.
The portrait of the father in soldier’s uniform does not only symbolize the head of a family, but also the dominant forces watching and ruling the society. The notes taken by Uftade through years are burned, on the eve of their tearing apart, by the family to find peace; and they are the simultaneous reports of a social collapse and her shaken identity. Finally, contrasting this shivering sad story, through the childhood memory of a declaration of love to the aunt, Uftade is eternalized as a happy young girl as she deserved.
–
Damla Okay / Originally published in Nisimazine Artvin #6
Cinema in Turkey 