Oray

A young man becomes radicalized after a prison stay, in a naturalistic divorce drama that won the debut prize at Berlin.

Oray is released from prison where he became radicalized. During a fight with his wife Burcu, he uses the word “talaq,” which means divorce. According to the provisions of the Quran, she should subsequently live separate from his wife for three months to then potentially reunite with her. Oray travels to Cologne, where he becomes joins a Muslim congregation. With the help of a documentary style, director Büyükatalay situates us among the young men of the congregation. And we take part in their internal problems and various interpretations of the Quran, in this naturalistic feature film that transports us to an environment we normally do not have access to.

• Freddy Olsson