My Sister (2019)

"My Sister" is like a recollection of instances and feelings from a sticky summer in Istanbul, in the 1980's. Elif feels she is losing her sister to adulthood. She is 10, her sister's 13. There seems to be an unseen barrier between them and Elif cannot grasp what is beyond it. She observes other women in the family and around, talks to her friend, is able to sense that there is a whole new world that awaits her, a big sea of unknown. Still relying on the comfort her mother provides, looking up to and being jealous of her older sister, she feels deeply insecure and confident at the same time. Her mixed emotions heighten as she's faced with a possibility of loss. Small details of the everyday, things that go unnoticed or rarely anyone dares or cares to talk about are where the gems of life lie for me. Being interested more in psychological states and the internal world, this is a sensual, subtle atmosphere film, trying to capture the depth of the moment and Elif's subjective reality shaped by her emotions. The 4:3 ratio, in line with its 1980's spirit, is meant to highlight the claustrophobia. The camera moves with Elif, trying to capture her psychological states, as she grows and changes a little by each step.