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The Turkish film "About the Mother" (Bir Anne Hakkinda) made its Türkiye premiere at the 63rd International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, where some audience members questioned the casting of lead actress Sevda Erginci despite the film's exploration of motherhood, moral dilemmas and personal sacrifice.
Speaking to Türkiye Today after the screening, several moviegoers suggested that a lesser-known actress might have been a better fit for Sibel, a woman struggling to keep her husband alive as he suffers from end-stage liver failure.
They argued that Erginci's appearance did not fully reflect their image of a traditional mother from Anatolia, Türkiye's central heartland, particularly in scenes where Sibel is looked down upon by people portrayed as belonging to a higher social class.
Some viewers also felt that dressing the character in a headscarf was not enough to bridge what they perceived as a gap between the actress' appearance and the character's social background.
The film, the feature-length fiction debut of director Busra Bulbul and a co-production with Turkish public broadcaster TRT, was screened at the Aspendos Hall of the Ataturk Cultural Center in Antalya.
Alongside Erginci, the cast includes Duygu Kose, Umran Sakir, Osman Dogan, Ecmel Is Ergur and Ahmet Celik.
During a discussion following the screening, Bulbul expressed her excitement about attending the festival and explained why she chose to portray Sibel's emotional conflicts through restraint rather than dramatic confrontations.
According to the director, Sibel's quiet and almost invisible existence contrasts with the intensity of her internal struggle, which she wanted to bring out through the character's calmer moments.
Bulbul said she intended to reflect how women facing difficult circumstances often feel powerful emotions internally without openly showing them.
Erginci, meanwhile, said playing Sibel led her to reconsider her understanding of morality, particularly how people's circumstances shape their decisions.
The actress explained that she had previously judged people who crossed what she considered moral boundaries without fully understanding the situations they were facing.
However, preparing for and portraying Sibel changed her perspective, leading her to conclude that moral boundaries are closely tied to circumstances rather than fixed judgments.
She also emphasized the exhausting nature of Sibel's daily struggle, describing it as something that continues even while the character sleeps, works, looks after her children, or finds moments to smile.
The screening formed part of the 63rd International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, hosted by Antalya Metropolitan Municipality, which continues to bring together filmmakers and audiences through screenings, discussions, and other festival events.
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