Geriye Kalan – What Remains (2011)

Directed by: Çigdem Vitrinel | 101 minutes | drama | Actors: Erkan Bektas, Devin Özgür Cinar, Sebnem Hassanisoughi, Burak Tamdogan

‘Geriye Kalan’ (‘What Remains’) is a film full of contradictions. While the plot never rises above the level of an average soap opera (wife discovers her husband is cheating on a colleague, decides not to say anything but spies on the two lovers), the acting is more than decent. The director, born in 1973, who also wrote the story for this film, focuses on the feelings of the two women in her debut, with the viewer’s sympathy quickly turning to the ‘other’. The ladies involved couldn’t be more different from each other.

Sevda (Sebnem Hassanisoughi) is happily married. Her husband Cezmi (Erkan Bektas) has a well-paid job as a doctor and they have a beautiful daughter. Sevda spends her days taking masks, painting her nails and pointing out mistakes to her maid. Life is good, she has her sheep on dry land. Her dependence on Cezmi is great: she is dependent on him both financially and emotionally. Meanwhile, at first glance, Cezmi has no reason to desire another woman. But at a meeting, his eyes meet those of Zuhal (Devin Özgür Cinar), an administrative assistant at the hospital. The spark is flying. Zuhal is just as attractive as Sevda in another way. During the lunch break, Zuhal says she needs a computer help, and Cezmi jumps at this opportunity with both hands to visit Zuhal’s house. Zuhal got divorced a few years ago and lives in a sober apartment. While Arda, Zuhal’s ailing ten-year-old son, Skypes with his father using the newly installed webcam, his mother is engaged in a passionate kiss with her married colleague.

It doesn’t take long before Sevda begins to suspect that her husband is having an affair. When she investigates, her assumption is confirmed. Instead of confronting Cezmi, she decides to find out where Zuhal lives in order to keep an eye on the duo. When the opportunity arises to invade Zuhal’s apartment, and thus more or less her life, Sevda does not let it grow.

Despite the fact that ‘Geriye Kalan’ never feels original, Çigdem Vitrinel knows how to captivate the viewer. The three protagonists are well cast, the emotions of the two women are presented in a convincing way. Most captivating, however, is the subtle way in which Vitrinel shows the contrasts between Sevda and Zuhal. From the shabby interior of Zuhal’s house compared to the luxurious house that Sevda looks at with a real estate agent; from the toiletries bought at the corner drugstore in Zuhal’s bathroom and Sevda’s expensive creams. Perhaps that is why it is all the more shocking that not only Zuhal but also Sevda is able to keep control of her life in her own hands.