AllMovie

When the elderly mother of a poet passes away and the man returns home to say his last goodbyes, his attempt to fulfill her last wish hits an unexpected snag in director Semih Kaplanoglu's quiet drama. It's been years since Yusuf moved from the village in which he was raised, and visits back home have been few and far between. For the last five years, Ayla has been caring for Yusuf's ailing mother. Now, upon returning to his decrepit family home, Yusuf is charged with the task of performing a sacrificial rite that his mother could not complete before she died. In the following days Yusuf and Ayla will set out on a long journey to the saint's tomb. On the way, however, the unfamiliar pair is obligated to spend a night in a rural hotel in which a wedding party is currently underway. It doesn't take long for Yusuf and Ayla to become swept up in the festive atmosphere, and in the process a warm bond is formed.