‘Cracks in Concrete’ exposes cracks in family
Austrian-Turkish director Umut DaÄâs sophomore features âCracks in Concreteâ (Risse im Beton) delves into familiar territory of families in dysfunction like his debut feature, âKumaâ (Second
Wife), while taking to a new setting: the brutal and mean streets where tough men rule and fall Newcomer Austrian-Turkish filmmaker Umut DaÄ had wowed the audience and critics alike in 2012 when his debut feature âKumaâ (Second Wife) opened the Panorama section in 2012 Berlin International Film Festival. The film was nominated for an Audience Award and Best Debut Film in Berlin, and later garnered nine awards and as many nominations in the festival circuit.
âKumaâ takes a look at arranged marriages, culturally accepted polygamy, and the culture clash faced by Turks residing in Europe through the eyes of women, or more specifically, through the eyes of its 19-year-old, fresh-faced protagonist AyÅe, played to haunting effect by Begüm Akkaya. When AyÅe is taken from her village in rural Turkey to be shipped off to Vienna and married to a man a few years her senior, all seems well.
In reality, their marriage is a ruse where AyÅe is taken to be the second wife of her husbandâs father. The old manâs wife, Fatma (Nihal KoldaÅ), is fighting cancer, and ready to welcome a successor to her marriage. âKumaâ is a layered, mature drama that tackles its sensitive subject matter with ease and sophistication reserved for seasoned directors. Following its original release in Austria and France, the film found a release date in Turkey a year later, in 2013.
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