Wrong Rosary

Colour, 35 mm
Turkey, 2009, 90 min
Section: Another View

Synopsis

The bashful Musa, a muezzin, feels a bit out of place in Istanbul, even more so when he lays eyes on his reticent neighbour Clara, whom he begins discreetly observing and silently following. Can the proximity of the hesitant man and introverted woman raised by nuns develop into a relationship? And will there be a happy ending to this benevolent tale or will an empty space remain in the characters’ hearts, the opportunity to fill it now passed? This film full of subtle details shows the beauty of human solidarity, but it also points to the mistakes we make. Not a lot has to happen to give us an idea of a small but compact circle of characters. Every detail has its place and also demonstrates that, without the minor uncertainties that come from unexpressed mysteries, the protagonists’ coexistence could be ideal. Though both characters are united by their religious upbringing, the film returns faith its ceremoniousness, which it shows as being important for the individual and not bound directly to religious dogmas.

About the director

Mahmut Fazil Coşkun (b. 1973, Turkey) studied film in Istanbul and Los Angeles. He has been directing documentary films and commercials since 2000. His debut Wrong Rosary competed at the Rotterdam IFF where it won one of the main awards and was hailed by the jury as "a uniquely creative film of the most eloquent simplicity, a film built from a feeling of immediacy […] a film that builds an absolutely unique form of suspense”.