North American Premiere
A woman in her 40s, Reyhan has lost something monumental. Her sense of smell is entirely gone, without explanation. Rather than seeking further treatment, she decides to vanish from her life to find a new one. To others, she is missing. To herself, she has discovered a newfound freedom. In Istanbul, she takes a job at a cheap hotel, despite being overqualified, and volunteers at a school for blind children. Her body is at war with itself, her loss of smell keeps her at a distance from the world around her, while a childhood injury has left her with a limp that she can’t overcome. Lead actress Defne Kayalar delivers a masterfully subtle performance as a woman aiming to circumvent the limitations we face as members of the human race. She wants no possessions, no obligations, no career aspirations, and no relationships. As she tries to remove herself from the boundaries of her body, she uncovers a greater understanding about her desires and where her happiness truly lies.
October 3 & 5: Q&A with director Melisa Önel
Community Partner
Defne Kayalar, Öner Erkan, Şerif Erol, Ayşenil Şamlioğlu, Dilan Çiçek Deniz
Turkey
2022
Panorama
In German and Turkish with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits
Executive Producer
Sinan Eczacibasi, Firat Isbecer
Producer
Alara Hamamcioglu, Melisa Önel, Paul Zischler, Jelena Angelovski
Screenwriter
Feride Çiçekoğlu, Melisa Onel
Cinematography
Meryem Yavuz
Editor
Ozcan Vardar
Original Music
Branislav Jovancevic
Director
Melisa Önel
Melisa Önel is a filmmaker and photographer. After studying International Relations at Tufts University, Melisa continued with Film Studies at Istanbul Bilgi University. Her photography work has been presented in many international exhibitions and she collaborates in theater, making video installations. She has been writing and directing shorts, fiction films and documentaries since 2007, including Me and Nuri Bala (Best First Documentary at Antalya Film Festival 2009), Seaburners and Coastliners.
Filmography: Me and Nuri Bala (2009); Seaburners (2014); Coastliners (2016)
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
The Secret in Their Eyes
This month's Talking Pictures screening is a multi-layered, poignant thriller interweaving the personal lives of a prosecution investigator (Ricardo Darin) and a judge, with a manhunt spanning twenty-five years. Stay for cookies, coffee and a chat after!
American Doctor
One of the most powerful documentaries of the year, this puts us smack in the open wound that is Gaza, filtered through the eyes of three American surgeons (of Palestinian, Jewish and Zoroastrian backgrounds) compelled to do their utmost to alleviate harm.
