Nur eine Frau (2019)

Hatun “Aynur” Sürücü wants to lead a free, self-determined life, which meets with resistance from her family. After deciding to end her arranged marriage to her abusive husband and return to Germany with her son, she faces strong opposition from her family. Leaving her husband has brought shame upon her and her family. From now on, however, she wants to make her own decisions about her life. Her brothers in particular will not accept her “Western” lifestyle under any circumstances. They repeatedly threaten and insult her. Eventually, Aynur files a police report against her eldest brother and moves in with a friend with her child. At first she works in a supermarket; then she decides to train as an electrical installer. She starts going dancing in the evenings, takes off her headscarf, and has lovers. One day she meets the love of her life, Tim. He is caring toward her son, Can, and rides a motorcycle with Hatun. Hatun repeatedly tries to get in touch with her family, hoping the conflict can be resolved. Her mother and her sister Shirin meet with Hatun in secret. Her eldest brother keeps calling Hatun to insult and threaten her. Hatun downplays the problem when talking to Tim, but Tim cannot stand the family’s harassment and eventually breaks up with her. Meanwhile, the brothers seek advice at the mosque on how to deal with women who stray from the “true path.” When Hatun’s youngest brother, Nuri, visits her apartment for her birthday and notices unfamiliar men there, he immediately leaves the party without giving her his gift. He later says that this was the moment he finally decided to kill Hatun. One of the older brothers gets hold of a pistol, and Nuri shoots his sister at the bus stop near her apartment. At the trial, Hatun’s sister Shirin appears as a private accessory prosecutor and is thereby able to obtain access to the case files for the brothers’ defense lawyers. Only Nuri is sentenced to nine years in prison under juvenile criminal law; his brothers are acquitted. Custody of Hatun’s son, Can, is not awarded to the family. He is placed with a foster family.