OMAR VE BIZ

Upon first meeting his injured neighbour Sabir and the two Syrian refugees, he is about to report them to the coast guard. The town on the European border is a transit point for illegal immigrants. He reluctantly abandons his initial intention only after his neighbour’s intensive persuasion and agrees to accommodate them. Yet his prejudices remain. His attitude doesn’t change until his wife’s death. Suddenly, the commander feels responsible for Omar and Mariye and even supports their legal residence status. However, the siblings desire only one thing: onwards across the sea to Europe. The commander’s villa ultimately becomes a ‘golden cage’ for them from which they try to break free.

In their third joint feature film, Maryna Er Gorbach and Mehmet Bahadir Er explore the difficult relationship of natives and refugees between self-determination and patronisation and in doing so play with the devices of cheap sensationalism and soap opera. SK