Underplayed Gems

When We Leave (2010)

When We Leave poster
Original title
Die Fremde
Directed by
Feo Aladag
Genre
drama film
Country
Germany
Runtime
1h 59m
Rated
16
Rating
6.9 of 10 from 74 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
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How it feels

A young German-Turkish mother struggles to live independently after leaving her husband. Her family and community pressure her to conform to traditional values, leading to conflict.

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What happens

When We Leave (German: Die Fremde, Turkish: Ayrılık) is a 2010 German-Turkish drama film, produced, written and directed by Austrian filmmaker Feo Aladag. The film received worldwide acclaim and represented Aladag's debut as a producer, writer, and director. When We Leave tells the story of a young German/Turkish mother's struggle for self-determination between two systems of values. It is a multi-layered story about honour, intolerance, and the unshakeable belief in a harmonious coexistence. The film stars Sibel Kekilli, Florian Lukas, Alwara Höfels, Nursel Köse, and Turkish actors Settar Tanrıöğen and Derya Alabora. It was produced by Independent Artists, a company founded by Aladag in 2005. When We Leave had its world premiere on 13 February 2010 at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival. It screened in the special Panorama section and was awarded the Europa Cinemas Label Prize. It began its German release on 11 March 2010. Reviewers called When We Leave "the strongest debut film in years" and gave special notice to the sensitive direction of the actors as well as the courage the film showed in addressing such heated subject matter. The film was awarded numerous national and international prizes, including seven nominations for the 2010 German Film Awards, in the categories Best Film, Best Debut Film, Best Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Best Score. It went on to win in two categories, Best Film (Bronze) and Best Actress. The film also won the LUX Film Prize for Best European Film 2010, the New Faces Award (Best First Feature), the DEFA Board's Emerging Artists Prize (Best First Feature 2010), the Grand Prize for Best Film at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival as well as many others from film festivals including Ghent, São Paulo, and Calgary. When We Leave played at more than 100 film festivals worldwide, in 73 countries, and on 6 continents. On 17 September 2010 the German selection committee chose the film as its official entry in the competition for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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