Three orphans, one trunk, and a road trip through war zones—Turkey's most chaotic brotherhood.
Fuat, a young man, loses his family in a fire that breaks out in their home in Istanbul when he is only 10 years old. Left orphaned at a very young age, Fuat survives with the help of his neighbors. Ali, a man of Arab descent, and Mehmet, a man of Kurdish descent, take Fuat in as their own brother and care for him. The only thing left of Fuat's family is a trunk. Fuat learns from a letter found inside the trunk, which was saved from the fire, that he has relatives living in Skopje. The young boy, who wants to find his relatives, asks Ali, whom he regards as his older brother, for help. Ali, who finds it dangerous to go to Skopje in the midst of the war, devises a different plan to avoid upsetting Fuat and reunite him with his relatives. However, things do not go smoothly for Ali and Fuat as they embark on a dangerous journey toward Skopje.
Acting
Derda Yasir Yenal carries the emotional weight.
Direction
Ahmet Sönmez balances warmth with war's harsh reality.
Writing
The trunk as plot device? Cheeky and effective.
Director
Ahmet Sönmez
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The title 'Trileçe' references a Balkan dessert, symbolizing the sweet-bitter layers of Turkish-Balkan migration histories and fractured identities.
The film quietly mirrors real 1990s Balkan conflicts where Turkish minorities faced displacement, making Fuat's journey more than metaphor.
TR
