Not Knowing

Leyla Yilmaz's 2019 film is about a marriage that can barely hold itself together and the young man at the centre of it. In his final year of high school, rumours begin circulating that their son Umut is gay. Shortly afterwards Umut disappears. The film sets up a search, but what it is searching for is the parents rather than the son. Selma and Sinan realise they know almost nothing about who their son is, and that ignorance becomes the accusation in the title. The telling is measured; there are no grand confrontation scenes and the tension gathers in the silences. It is among the few films in Turkish cinema to treat homosexuality as a family matter without leaning on the child's point of view. Who it's for: those who like contemporary Turkish cinema and family drama. Who it's not for: viewers expecting a clear resolution; the film leaves the responsibility with the parents and closes without answering.