In 2022, Ozan Akıktan directed “Don’t Leave”, a Turkish romantic drama listed as a Netflix original. The movie centers around an architect, Semih, and his emotional turmoil stemming from an unanticipated breakup, featuring famous actors Burak Deniz and Dilan Çiçek Deniz. The film is a poignant journey that is marked by self-reflection, memory, regret, and the enduring process of healing. While the movie is recognized for its minimalist portrayal of emotion, it is equally powerful when focusing on the character depth rather than plot twists.
Semih is a well-recognized architect who appears to lead a desirable life and cater to the ideal fantasy of finding true love. In the first story Semih is shown in, we meet his long term girlfriend, Defne, who shares the same values as Semih. Semih learns of his profound attachment to Defne when he wakes up one morning to an empty house. She leaves without a hint, fight, or notification, utterly baffling Semih.
This core moment in the movie marks where his inner thoughts embark on a strenuous yet necessary journey of reckoning not only with the relationship he cherishes but with himself.
As Semih attempts to make sense of his lapse, the film alternates between past and current events. Through flashbacks, viewers get a glimpse into Semih and Defne’s relationship, spanning from its fervent phases to its more subdued stages of decline. The film’s pacing and structure correspond to the fragmented and circular ways in which most people recall love that has faded: tender moments are countered by increasing emotional distance and growing strife.
Defne is presented not as a straightforward villain, but rather as a character who has run out of emotional reserves. Her departure is not grand — it is soft and intimate, reflective of how true heartbreak often is. Semih, on the other hand, begins to understand how he could be so self-absorbed in pursuing his ambitions and career that he became emotionally unavailable, overlooking her profound need for communication.
The storyline does not approach causal relationships through a simplistic lens favoring “hero vs. villain.” Rather, it provides insight into the ways that relationships are eroded by neglect, emotional unavailability, and miscommunication. His unfulfilling love renders him unsupportive, but he does not emerge a villain. Semih is painted, instead, as emotionally oblivious and lacking awareness of how to show care.
In the course of the film, Semih engages with friends, family, and acquaintances who gently provoke him to consider his actions and assumptions. These interactions give glimpses into his character arc and the internal struggle of accepting responsibility for his actions. While Defne is mostly absent on the screen in the present timeline, her character is omnipresent, which paradoxically renders her absence, all the more powerful.
Unlike reconciliations in most films, here the filmmakers do not offer a clear resolution, neither do they try to provide a dramatic reconciliation. They let it end on a “real note”, which in this case is quiet acceptance. Semih starts confronting the fact that he indeed played a part in his own miserable existence, and in the choice Defne made to leave. The filmmakers show that healing does not have to happen through a new relationship or a dramatic life-altering event, rather, it can be achieved through self-awareness and emotional maturity which is clearly suggested by the ending.
Cast & Crew
Burak Deniz as Semih: Deniz captures the inner conflict of a man struggling with ego and vulnerability through a nuanced performance. His Semih is both stiff and emotionally vulnerable, bewildered and pained by the devastation of loss.
Dilan Çiçek Deniz as Defne: While her appearance is less frequent in comparison to others in the timeline, the weight of her character is heavily felt. In flashbacks, Dilan shows Defne to be loving and intelligent but also quietly suffering with emotional neglect.
Ceyda Düvenci as Semih’s Mother: She plays a candid yet helpful role, providing a foundation of empathy while contextualizing Semih’s history.
Berrak Tüzünataç as Beril: A friend who is a mirror to some of Semih’s shortcomings and gently uncovers the flaws in his emotional character.
Şükran Ovalı as Gülce and Ersin Arıcı as Mehmet: They enrich the character of Semih, and every conversation serves as an opportunity for self-examination.
The film was directed by Ozan Açiktan, a Turkish filmmaker famous for his relationship-centric narratives. The script’s author is Sami Berat Marçali. As for the camerawork, it is characterized by a focus on subdued color palettes, close-up shots, and a tenderly sad feeling throughout the film which captures the essence of the narrative’s emotion.
Rating and reception on IMDb
“Don’t Leave” has an IMDb rating of 5.1/10. This is a score that demonstrates the controversy it has drawn. Some viewers enjoyed its meditative focus on character and slower pacing but others criticized it for being too emotionally dense without sufficient climax.
Critics have pointed out that the film does not follow the typical structure found in a romantic drama. The film lacks a dramatic peak as well as a last-minute resolution, reconciliations, and any overly emotional conflict. It’s more accurate to say that the strength of the film is in its subtle captures – captures of love, regret, and how people deal with the concluding parts of a meaningful segment in their life.
Viewers who relate to contemplative films, or those who have detached emotionally from the people they have been in relationships with, are likely to admire the nuances of the film the most. Conversely, people who anticipate a drama filled with powerful intricate storylines, plot-twists, and shocking reveals may find the film overly calm.
Analyzing the Themes
As with any other film, Don’t Leave has its universal themes:
Emotional Responsibility: Don’t Leave focuses on the impact a lack of emotional care can have on the relationships left neglected.
The Defeated in Defne: Semih’s journey is more about finding out who he is during his solitary moments unaccompanied by Defne than reclaiming her.
Time and Reality: The fragmented structure of the film draws attention to how individuals reinterpret and reframe memories after the conclusion of a relationship.
Silent Torment: The film operates in silence, not in the way that silence occupies pause, but rather the way silence conveys more meaning than verbal words ever could and transforms the film into a deep experience.
Touching on all these themes, the film furthers conveys an emotion-driven depiction of a breakup, devoid of banalities, hyperbole, or stereotypes.
Conclusion
“Don’t Leave” is a deeply reflective and minimalistic film that contemplates the emotions from the perspective of the person left at the conclusion of the relationship. This film explores affection which, in some instances, culminates not in screaming and fighting or betrayal, but rather in the quiet, reflective unraveling of two people. While the pacing is likely to be divisive, the emotional honesty and depth will resonate with audiences who enjoy cinema that demands contemplation.
The movie attempts to analyze an individual’s relationship with oneself, their patterns, habits, and ultimately, the fundamental human desire to connect. The loss of love is challenging, if not unbearable, but this film presents the notion that one’s true strength is sometimes obtained through pain.
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