BERDEL Cinema From Other Countries

A sensitively told tale of a family tragedy, Berdel is also a bitter polemic against the inhuman practice of bartering women which still takes place in Anatolia today. Omer’s obsessive desire for a male child, backed up by custom, blights the lives of all the women around him. When his wife Hanim gives birth to a sixth daughter, he forgets their years of happiness together and decides to take a second wife. Unable to pay the dowry, he gives his 14-year-old daughter to his new wife’s brother. Director Ali! Yilmaz achieves a remarkable glimpse into the tradition- bound life of an Anatolian family, distinguished by sensitive camera work and fine acting.