My Only Sunshine(2009)

Portrait of a lost childhood.

My Only Sunshine is a Turkish drama set along the Bosphorus, where Hayat lives with her father and bedridden grandfather in a riverside shack. Her father operates a small boat to keep the family afloat, taking on work both legal and otherwise. Life is brutal and unforgiving for Hayat, yet she possesses a fierce will to survive. Despite the hardship and injustice surrounding her, she finds reserves of courage, endurance and hope. The film captures the beauty and danger of the strait's dark waters against the grim reality of her circumstances, revealing how resilience can flourish even in the harshest conditions.