Les Enfants Terribles

In a village in the south east of Turkey, Mahmut wants to divorce his newly-wed wife. At the same time, his sister Zeynep enrolls in an open high school and takes on a job in a factory. Against her father’s wishes, she wants to leave the village and ultimately go to university. The siblings’ demands become the center of conflict in their conservative family and community, who are not used to what Mahmut and Zeynep strive for. Intimately captured by their elder brother Ahmet Necdet Cupur, who left the village twenty years ago to pursue his studies, LES ENFANTS TERRIBLES is a story of clashes between generations, between the past and the present. "Benefiting greatly from the unique access Ahmet’s position affords him, LES ENFANTS TERRIBLES is a fascinating portrait of family life in rural Turkey. The movie illustrates the complexities of families through witnessing dialogue and inter-relationships we would not normally be party to. Nothing is haram. Nothing is sugar-coated. It’s spellbinding." (backseatmafia)

Keywords

  • Exclusive Docs: New Perspectives
  • Gender
  • Politics: Human Rights
  • Screen: Turkey
  • Sooner Exclusives
  • Storyline: Global Village
  • toxic relationship
  • divorce
  • family
  • small town

Director

  • Ahmet Necdet Cupur

Documentary, Independent


1h 33min


16+

TR


FR

DE

France
Germany
Turkey
2021
Incredibly close and emotional, the film tells the stories of emancipation, love and struggle within a Turkish family.

Incredibly close and emotional, the film tells the stories of emancipation, love and struggle within a Turkish family.


In a village in the south east of Turkey, Mahmut wants to divorce his newly-wed wife. At the same time, his sister Zeynep enrolls in an open high school and takes on a job in a factory. Against her father’s wishes, she wants to leave the village and ultimately go to university.


The siblings’ demands become the center of conflict in their conservative family and community, who are not used to what Mahmut and Zeynep strive for. Intimately captured by their elder brother Ahmet Necdet Cupur, who left the village twenty years ago to pursue his studies, LES ENFANTS TERRIBLES is a story of clashes between generations, between the past and the present.


"Benefiting greatly from the unique access Ahmet’s position affords him, LES ENFANTS TERRIBLES is a fascinating portrait of family life in rural Turkey. The movie illustrates the complexities of families through witnessing dialogue and inter-relationships we would not normally be party to. Nothing is haram. Nothing is sugar-coated. It’s spellbinding." (backseatmafia)

Festivals

Cast & Crew