Running head: DIE FREMDE/WHEN WE LEAVE

Common Assessment

Die Fremde

201733895
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Introduction

When is an influential movie about a women who is stuck in the stigma of cultural/social

expectations while living in-between two worlds. A Lux prized movie from the European

parliament and also chosen film representative in the united nations arts section. The director by

Feo Aladag , a Vienna born married to a German Turkish husband named Zuli Aladag. She was

curious about his part of cultural history in the German Turkish community. She wants to know the

growing problem of honor killing crimes in German Turkish communities and the class of cultures.

Aladag researched the actual issue when making the movie to further learn about how such issues

rises within the family members. The important quote of making her movie is “"you realize how

parallel they are. Young women flee their families, try to get some help, but come back after a

couple of weeks. I talked to someone in Washington who works with women in shelters; the

average number of times a woman here goes back to the family is seven. Before they are actually

able to cut that bond. It's quite natural, because it's the strongest bond we have." (Feo , 2011).
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What is the thesis statement of the movie?

The movie contains lots of violence against women or the treatment of women. Females

are seemed to be treated like assists. Married women are owned by the husbands , and family

members seems to not have any proper respect when the freedom choices of a female choose.

Women rights is the theme and the explanation of the abundance of women freedom , social

stigmas and cultural expectations. We should know first the meaning of the name of the movie

which is “When we leave”. When we leave what ? The story revolves in leaving an identity going

for another , leaving family , leaving your past identity and leaving the cultural expectations of a

specific society. The movie reflects on leaving the identity that the viewer or the character cannot

grasp in and continues to proceed into freedom. When we leave is a connotation that is heavy and

adding the movies meaning gives it a stronger meaning of leaving an identity that you or the main

character revolves around. The aim of the movie is to be as realistic as the director tries to be and a

story telling visuals to reel in the views connecting the dots of the events , and the meanings that

has a broader explanation when perceiving in your head. Another thesis is the “honor” and the

“family name” is thrown around a lot in specific scenes and will be explained further in the

writing. When a family member falling out the societal and cultural rules , honor is being thrown

around and harmed to one’s family causing a distress and conflict within the family , sometimes

cultural norms are favored more than the authenticity of the family members.

The movie analysis and meanings:

The opening of the movie connects with the ending of the movie , showing different

versions point of views. The opening is intense and frantic leaving the viewer to dwell

what’s going on . The movie comes in hard with the harsh doings of husband treating the

wife and son harshly . Second opening scene highlights the relationships between the
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family members , they are dining on the table as the father bursts on the son for

misbehaving , it leaded to him being dragged to the other room and abused. Wife doesn’t

have a saying in this as she was thrown away to the side. The important highlight is that the

rest of the family members do not comment and have a saying in it which shows this toxic

relationship is accepted or perhaps normal due to the authorial theme of the culture they are

living in.

The third segment of the movie is when the Umai (wife) returns home to her family as

she had to mask the fact she ran away from her husband. Its an important scene of how culturally

its not accepted to move to places without the husband’s permission. The tensions increased when

the family members of the Umai find out she ran away back with the sun. There is a cultural stima

when the son is left with the wife , it considered a bastard. There is a highlight that is important to

pick up proving the point of female rights and the abundance respect that the female has , a

patriarchal system that the culture follows. Furthermore , there are two important the idealistic

male attributes of the family tree , the administrative father and authoritative brothers that controls

the sisters ( Females) in the family. This also shines again on female rights , being surveillance and

followed by her brothers. ( It is important to note that there are two segments of the brothers , the

kind loving one who cares about her sister but pressured being authoritative against the rights of

her sister and the stern serious brother who strictly follows the cultural rules of the society values).

The fourth segment is an important segment on how cultural societies view their members ,

there are scenes of other German Turkish people gossiping around their society circle. Such as the

father’s daughter overhearing gossip about the Umai running away from her husband. The dispute

of her husband rejecting her and spreading the gossip furthermore. It even reached to people
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mouths that the Umai (wife) is being called a “German whore” due to running away from the

husband and avoiding him.

The fifth segment is family values Vs Culture. The movie shows the complications

between two clashing problems between favoring culture over family. The movie shines light of

the double standards of family love. For example, father neglecting the daughter due to her being

abused (with evidence) is shunned away saying that “ The husbands own you and I have nothing to

do with you”. When furthermore the family “disowning” Umai, not inviting her to the wedding

party her sister has. The Umai seems tainted and disowned by her family and her community all

together. The rules go by abiding the rules of the societal culture , then you will be accepted by

family and the identity of being a Muslim Turkish. The other scene to connect with the segment is

the father visiting the grandfather in a rural area in turkey the scene is strong because of how

Islamic the house looks and knowing that it will give extreme solutions to the father to get rid the

problem of Umai. Favoring people’s thinking than their family members.

The sixth segment of the movie family conflict . The scenes go by the family plotting

against the Umai shows her rights are being stripped away , trying to kidnap her son to her husband

that she doesn’t want her. The conflict that mixes between the family shows that growing problem

is more burden of carrying it then accepting their own blood daughter. This shows inner conflict of

the family is more than problem wanting to be solved. The second conflict of the family finding

out that the other daughter is pregnant and unmarried. A big taboo in terms of their culture wants to

be dealt with quickly. This segment shows that the daughters are being used as accessories rather

than human beings of their own rights , freedom and choices. Their parents force their way to get
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her daughter married even paying money for the other family just to accept the marriage , to save

their family honor.

The seventh segment of the movie is honor , and the importance over it all. The has many scenes of

favoring family honor over the members of the family. Like rushing to get rid of Umai and

disowning her from the family to not shame her family

Th eight segment shows the difference between two cultures , western culture and the

Muslim Turkish culture within Germany. We can see the scenes of how Turkish society is harsh ,

hard , violent and social expectations of people. To support , there are scenes of the husband

abusing the child , the father spitting at Umai due to save herself from the family , the brother

abusing his smaller brother due to not abide his orders , bad words being tossed along and the

dominance of Islamic values that is altered due into their cultural norms. While the other scenes of

the western culture show women freedom , Umai being respected for who she is , women free to

do what they want like party and have their own time. Umai meeting up her co-worker treating her

like family and a lover due to knowing she has a son with her , the co-worker playing with the son

being passionate and playful showing his gratitude. This segment shows how different the cultures

are and how it is different their values are. The director sends a message of how people look at

different cultures and the double standards that they have.

The final segment , honor killing. The male part of the families are plotting against Umai

by killing her and ending the “madness” they go through. Trying to win the German Turkish
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people trust to restore their honor too be accepted again. The brother truly hesitant killing her own

sister was taken over by the more authoritative brother ending up killing the son Cem. Cem dies in

the ending and closing with the beginning of the opening of the movie a plot twist that makes sense

when perceiving the whole systematic story.

Conclusion

My reflection of the story is the suffering and problems got reflected on son (Cem). This

shows that the social and cultural stigmas kill the future of the German Turkish society , and it is

toxic enough that it caused innocence to die. The movie reflects the values of disrespecting

women’s right , female life choices , social expectations and the mentality of values over families

humanity. When we leave means when we leave our cultural identity , or leaving the identity that

people want us to be. The culture that forces us to abide other wise discarded and shamed when not

followed.
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References

Jenkins, Mark. “Feo Aladag, Exploring Honor Crimes Close To Home.” NPR, NPR, 29

Jan. 2011, www.npr.org/2011/01/28/133247303/feo-aladag-exploring-honor-crimes-close-to-

home.