‘Cracks in Concrete’ exposes cracks in family

Austrian-Turkish director Umut Dağ’s sophomore features ‘Cracks in Concrete’ (Risse im Beton) delves into familiar territory of families in dysfunction like his debut feature, ‘Kuma’ (Second
Wife), while taking to a new setting: the brutal and mean streets where tough men rule and fall Newcomer Austrian-Turkish filmmaker Umut Dağ had wowed the audience and critics alike in 2012 when his debut feature “Kuma” (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.

“Kuma” 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 Ayşe, played to haunting effect by Begüm Akkaya. When Ayşe 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 Ayşe is taken to be the second wife of her husband’s father. The old man’s wife, Fatma (Nihal Koldaş), is fighting cancer, and ready to welcome a successor to her marriage. “Kuma” 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.

Thanks to Başka Sinema, the alternative cinema platform enabling independent films to find...

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