As We Breathe

In an Anatolian village, young Esma’s family is shaken after a horrific fire in the chemical plant where her father Mehmet (Hakan Karsak) works. Amidst the dense fog of smoke writhing its way across the area, families are being evacuated, with children falling ill, and economic hardship from the plant’s sudden closure will plague all. As Esma (Defne Zeynep Enci) observes her father's struggle to keep his family safe despite his continuing refusal to evacuate their family home, her perspective shifts as to the real cause of the strife.

A jarring take on a coming-of-age tale, emanating from a child’s wide-eyed perspective of adult complications, As We Breathe steadily builds thick tension, bookended with brutal moments of unexpected violence. Anchored by powerful work from Karsak, matched with a prodigious performance from new face Enci, the father/daughter dynamic hypnotically shifts between charming and harrowing. Expertly assisted by director of photography Cevahir Şahin (About Dry Grasses, TIFF ’23), director Șeyhmus Altun deftly conveys the seeming senselessness of the world when seen through a child’s eyes.

Enci’s instinctual and deliberate performance adds authenticity to this story, which originates in Altun’s own childhood. With moments of sweetness to balance the bitter, the film is punctuated with a pulsing score that steadies the laughter of Esma’s little brothers and highlights her dual roles as caretaker and child herself. Though perhaps wise beyond her years, Esma is not impervious to the leaden plume of smoke descending on her home, one that eventually takes a toll on her mind as much as it might on her body.

DOROTA LECH