| nudity |
The film is centred on five orphaned adolescent girls, who are imprisoned in their home by their grandmother and their uncle, who wish to keep them chaste for their future husbands. There are some moderate verbal sexual references throughout the film.
The grandmother reprimands the girls for frolicking with their male classmates at the beach as their "private parts" were rubbing on the boys' necks.
A girl confides in her sister that her boyfriend goes in "the back way" in order to avoid breaking her hymen and losing her virginity. In another scene, a girl invites a stranger into a car. From a distance, they are depicted undressing and kissing. The windows are rolled up before any further detail is depicted.
The girls are taken to a doctor on a few occasions throughout the film so that they can be tested as to whether or not they are virgins. A newlywed husband panics when his wife's hymen fails to break on their wedding night. His parents wait outside their bedroom, impatiently waiting for their son to present the sheets in order to prove the bride's virginity.
Contains a brief instance of very mild nudity when an adolescent girl removes her bra before entering her bed. The girls playfully comment on the size of each other's breasts throughout the film. |
| violence |
Contains infrequent implied violence. Early in the film, the grandmother is implied to be smacking the girls for engaging in improper behaviour. Later, their uncle also attempts to smack them.
A suicide occurs off-screen (via a gunshot sound). No blood is depicted, however, the wrapped body is depicted being lowered into the grave.
It is discreetly implied that some of the girls may have been sexually abused by a family member. |
| profanity |
Contains a single use of "siktir" (Turkish: "Fuck it"), however, this is not reflected in the subtitles of the English-language release (which reads "shit").
Contains some mild coarse language throughout (e.g. "shit", "asshole" etc.) as well as use of milder terms (e.g. "whore", "bastard"). Also contains a brief middle finger gesture. |
| alcohol |
In one scene, a distressed young woman gets drunk at her own wedding by drinking glass after glass of raki (a popular alcoholic beverage in Turkey).
Contains no other instances of substance abuse. |
| frightening |
The film deals with issues of conservatism, adolescent sexuality, forced marriage, suicide and teenage rebellion in the context of rural, conservative Turkey. A mature perspective is strongly advised. |
