Ember

In his eleventh feature, Zeki Demirkubuz focuses on the oppressive bonds between three people in today’s Istanbul: a thoughtful mother with secrets, her husband and his boss. Emine has been coping alone since her husband, Cemal, disappeared abroad. But in the meantime their sick son vitally needs a heart operation that Emine can’t afford. That’s why Cemal's boss, Ziya, decides to pay all the medical costs. He also admits that he has feelings for her. She slowly opens up to him. But then Cemal returns unexpectedly. Emine decides to remain silent about everything that has happened in the meantime.
Festering secrets, suspicions and hurt pride result in tension, violence, introspection and difficult choices in a society on the cutting edge between feudal traditions and the modern era. By keeping the most dramatic events off screen, Demirkubuz ensures that any kind of melodrama is totally avoided.