As We Breathe: A Painful Yet Powerful Turkish Gem

The Turkish film As We Breathe is one of those quiet discoveries that slowly crawl under your skin. Screened as part of TIFF’s discovery lineup this year, it’s a raw, almost suffocating watch, yet one that lingers long after the credits roll.

Set in a small town in Antalya, the movie follows Esma, a young girl who has grown up too quickly. With no mother in the picture and an elder brother who is unwell, she shoulders the weight of an entire household. When her father survives a factory explosion, it seems like a moment of grace. But the incident pushes him into despair, his business crumbles, the shop falters, and as wildfires threaten to engulf the town, he begins to lose all hope.

Through it all, Esma quietly stands by him. She helps run the shop, takes care of the house, and holds together the fragile pieces of their existence. She whistles her way through tough times, almost as if that tune is her fragile shield against a collapsing world. Yet beneath her stoic exterior lies a girl still yearning for something simpler, her father’s love.

One of the most devastating moments in the film comes when Esma asks her father for money for a school bag. Preoccupied with his own grief, he brushes her aside. Later, he returns home with a bag, not for her, but for her elder brother. Esma breaks down, quietly crying as the television blares in the background, a hauntingly real scene that captures both her isolation and longing. In desperation, she hurts herself just to be seen, forcing her father to finally give her the attention she craves. The film ends ambiguously, with Esma seemingly finding her way back to life, but the father-daughter relationship remains a painful knot open to interpretation.

As We Breathe is raw and edge-of-the-seat in its subtle way. You never know what emotional blow will land next. The cinematography lingers on small, painful moments such as Esma’s tears beside the television, the silence of the shop, and the empty fields under the fire haze. It doesn’t shy away from showing true poverty in Turkey, the struggles of survival, the collapse of dignity, and the invisible burden on children who grow up too soon.

At the same time, its pacing may feel unbearably slow to some, stretching scenes until they become almost suffocating. The ending too leaves much to interpretation. Is the father redeemed? Does Esma forgive him? The ambiguity will frustrate viewers who crave closure.

Watching As We Breathe is not easy. It’s a painful, heavy experience, but also an unforgettable one. TIFF’s discovery section has historically been a place where hidden gems emerge. Some, like early works by filmmakers such as Christopher Nolan, went on to become breakthroughs in cinema history. As We Breathe might not carry the fireworks of a blockbuster, but it leaves an ache that is difficult to shake off.

This is not a film for comfort. It is a film for truth, for seeing, however briefly, the lives of those who survive not by thriving but by breathing, one day at a time.