Egg

Colour, 35 mm
Turkey, Greece, 2007, 97 min
Section: Another View

Synopsis

The poet Yusuf returns to his hometown for the first time in many years to attend his mother’s funeral. He is expected in the dilapidated house by the winsome Ayla, whom he did not even know existed. The girl, who has been taking care of his mother for the last five years, asks Yusuf to fulfil her dying wishes and have a holy animal sacrificed in her honour after her death. Hating the passive rhythm of life in the countryside, the man stumbles upon long-lost memories, old friends with whom he has nothing in common, and love that died long ago. He feels guilt, and would rather leave immediately, but he is bound to carry out his mother’s last wishes. And it is only on the journey to the place where the sacrifice is to be made that he begins to understand that his roots mean more than he was willing to admit, and that there is even a certain good sense in returning home, where his mother’s love still watches over him.

About the director

Semih Kaplanoðlu (b. 1963 Izmir, Turkey). He graduated from his hometown Dokuz Eylül University in the film and television department. After making several short films, his feature film debut was Away from Home (Herkes kendi evinde, 2000), which won several awards and was shown at a number of festivals. His second feature film, Angel’s Fall (Melegin dususu, 2004), which also received the attention of both audiences and critics, had its world premiere at the 55th Berlin IFF. The director also involves himself in other activities – he has written a number of articles about fine art and cinema, and prepared a catalogue for an exhibition of icons in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg called Iconoclasm.