Ivy

Tolga Karaçelik's film takes place on a cargo ship. The Sarmaşık is bound for Egypt when the owner goes bankrupt; the crew have gone months without wages, and on reaching port they learn a lien has been placed on the vessel. Nobody can berth, nobody can go ashore. Six men remain on a motionless ship for an indefinite period. From there it becomes a prison narrative without bars, as hierarchy, boredom and systems of belief slowly rot. Cenk, played by Nadir Sarıbacak, is the first to refuse the order aboard, and the film's balance comes apart around him. Karaçelik knows how to use the physical narrowness of the ship; the corridors and the engine room turn over time into the mental condition of the men. It had its world premiere at Sundance on 26 January 2015 and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. At Antalya it won Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Actor for Sarıbacak. Who it is for: viewers interested in confined-space psychological thrillers and in recent Turkish cinema. Who it is not for: anyone wanting a clear resolution, since the final section deliberately parts from realism.