Just a woman

It was a crime that shook the whole of Germany in 2005: Hatun Aynur Sürücüs was shot dead in the street in Berlin. And this by her brother. This so-called honour killing caused a big outcry especially in the media. How can something like this be possible in our society? The victim and the background that led to this act moved more and more into the background. Sherry Hormann now wants to change that. In her drama Nur eine Frau she lets Aynur (Almila Bagriacik) tell her story herself. Starting with a forced marriage to her cousin, her escape from her violent husband and her desire for self-determination - which did not correspond at all to the traditions of her family. When she looks for a place of her own for herself and her young son, gets an education and falls in love with a German, it is a clear sign for her brothers: Aynur has brought shame on the family and must die.

Only One Woman is a stirring film that for long stretches finds the right tone to tell this difficult story. The beginning is still a bit choppy. For instance, when Aynur, as the narrator, virtually accuses the audience of not really caring about her, it comes across as a bit of a generalization. And the reproachful undertone when she says that we don't understand their culture and language, so we'll switch from Turkish to German, sounds a bit inappropriate at first. But - and this has to be emphasized in this context - this irritable snottiness, which seems to be unloaded on the audience, has a deeper background, which however only becomes clear in the course of the film, when we get to know Aynur better and really understand what led to her murder.

Here Hormann's production walks a difficult line, but largely masters it with aplomb: it attempts to explain a culture to the audience without thereby excusing anything, but neither does it seek to demonize in a generalizing way. At the same time, she's also created a portrait of a really strong young woman who refused to put up with a life forced on her by men, who actually struggles to find something like happiness and independence - and has to pay a high price for it.

Yes, the film makes you angry. And yes, it makes you despair that there are people right among us who are so blinded by a completely misguided notion of honor that they are willing to kill someone they actually love. But it's also a film that makes it clear that it's wrong to condemn an entire culture for doing so. It is a small, personal story, but one that has great social significance and makes it clear: there are simply things that must not be hushed up out of misunderstood tolerance. But it's a pity that the film will probably only reach those who already know that. Intensively acted and grippingly told and therefore also quite clearly: Worth seeing!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp