An ordinary day in the megacity of Istanbul: Ten-year-old Cemo sells paper tissues in the streets, Hayat is controlled by her husband and transsexual Ebru sells her body. All three have a secret love and they do everything that satisfies their longing, if only for a moment. An authentic, delicate and unsettling story about love and death and the Turkish society at the beginning of the 21st century.
Direction
Esen Işık's unflinching female gaze on masculinity and survival
Acting
Cagla Akalin's devastating stillness as Ebru
Cinematography
Istanbul as suffocating character, not postcard
Director
Esen Işık
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Released during Erdogan's tightening grip, the film's trans sex worker character Ebru was nearly impossible to cast — most Turkish actors refused. Barış Atay (Mustafa) was later imprisoned for political activism.
The title's 'Dog' refers to Cemo's hidden puppy, but Işık has said it echoes Turkish slang for outcasts — all three protagonists are 'dogs' society wishes would disappear.
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