BROTHERS, directed by Turkish film maker Ömür Atay, tells the unique story of Yusuf (Ege Yazar), a 17-year-old boy who is sent to prison for an honour killing against his sister.

After Yusuf is released, his brother Ramazan (Caner Sahin) becomes his carer and is responsible for making sure Yusuf becomes a functioning member of society. Underneath Ramazan’s caring persona, however, is a deep guilt and toxic lifestyle in which he runs the risk of involving his vulnerable younger brother.

The opening scenes of BROTHERS are slow-paced, focusing on Yusuf’s experience in prison, and his silent guilt over his sister’s killing. Yusuf is very quiet, countering any interrogation with ‘It doesn’t matter’ or ‘We know what happened’. At first, it’s frustratingly difficult to engage with Yusuf, but once we begin to witness the dynamic between the two brothers, we begin to understand a little more about him. It’s clear that Ramazan really cares about his brother, going out of his way to pamper him and buy him gifts – but does he have an ulterior motive?

BROTHERS offers an intense insight into a culture and lifestyle many people will not have experienced or understood. Atay depicts the volatile, passionate dynamic that many siblings share, and amps it up to 100, showing the extreme and sometimes shocking sacrifices we are capable of making, when driven by moral beliefs and family loyalty.

At the core of BROTHERS is the deep complexity that can be found in a relationship between siblings: they will do anything to protect another, their love can be toxic as well as compassionate. A sibling can ruin your life, or restore it. A character study like no other, BROTHERS is a tale of co-dependence, love, and the destruction that comes with them.