Ashes (2024) is a Netflix romantic drama where Gokce comes across a manuscript that leads to a whirlwind affair. The film is streaming on Netflix.
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers
Plot summary:
Gokce enjoys a life of comfort alongside her husband Kenan and their son Ege. Kenan, the owner of a publishing company, relies on her as the initial reader for the manuscripts they receive.
One manuscript, a romance novel titled “Ashes,” captivates Gokce from the start.
Intrigued by the narrative, she discovers that the love story unfolds in an actual bakery, where the female protagonist encounters a man known only as “M.”
Curious about the story’s authenticity, Gokce sets out to find the bakery. Upon locating it, she frequents the place, hoping to encounter M.
The novel portrays M as a charismatic carpenter, renowned for his exceptional skill and the profound effect he has on those he meets.
Gokce’s search leads her to a man who fits M’s description at his carpentry workshop.
She learns his name is Meltin Ali and commissions him to craft a custom mirror for her boutique.
As she delves deeper into the novel, Gokce becomes emotionally entangled in the unfolding romance between Ali and the narrator.
When the narrative reveals Ali is married, Gokce’s inquiries are met with evasion.
Her visits to Ali become more frequent, and she eventually questions him about a mysterious tower mentioned in the book.
Ali consents to show her, provided she reveals her source of information. The rooftop view of the city he shows her feels hauntingly familiar to Gokce.
Meanwhile, her marriage to Kenan begins to suffer due to her increasing preoccupation with Ali and her unavailability.
A confrontation arises when Gokce witnesses Ali in a heated argument with a woman who references their marriage.
When pressed, Ali acknowledges his marital status but dismisses the relationship as one of convenience, asserting it lacked any genuine connection.
Kenan, concerned by Gokce’s distraction, requests the manuscript. Gokce delays, claiming she hasn’t finished reading it yet.
The novel’s climax reveals Ali’s infidelity with the narrator’s sister, “R,” and hints at the narrator’s mysterious death, possibly at Ali’s hands.
Disturbed by this revelation, Gokce struggles to sever her ties with Ali.
She hands the manuscript over to Kenan, advising him it’s not worth his attention. Nevertheless, Kenan reads it, driven by a desire to uncover its origins.
Ending explained:
Feeling lost
Following the leads in the novel, Kenan arrives in the area where Ali’s workshop is situated. Gokce also visits him at this time because she has something important to talk about.
She wishes to know the truth about him and says that she is falling in love with him. She feels lost in her life and wants him to be her guiding light.
Kenan sees Gokce and Ali together, but before he can confront them, he gets a call from his office.
Learning the truth
Kenan finds out the address that the book came from and learns that a woman named Reyhan is living there.
When he visits Reyhan, she tells him that her sister, Duygu, stayed with her sometimes, but is no longer alive.
Kenan mentions that novel and how it might point to Duygu’s death but she asks him to leave.
She later visits Ali, and Kenan secretly follows her. Ali sends Reyhan away, not willing to talk about the past.
Kenan heads back home and tells Gokce that he found out who wrote “Ashes”, and that she died of a reported suicide.
Confronting reality
Gokce tries to visit Reyhan, but she has already moved out of her place. Gokce finds out that Duygu committed suicide, but it was rumored that she was murdered.
Meanwhile, Kenan visits Ali and asks him to make a bookcase and deliver it to his house. When Ali arrives, Kenan asks him to stay for dinner.
He blindsides Gokce with Ali’s presence, and then at the dinner table he brings up the novel.
He begins reading passages from the novel describing Ali and Reyhan’s affair which broke Duygu’s heart, and then burns the book.
Gokce is completely frozen in fear and when she asks Ali if he murdered Duygu, he responds that she was on so many medications and tried killing herself a lot.
Kenan and Ali get into a fight and Ali ends up stabbing Kenan, all while Gokce sits at the table, shackled by her emotions.
Months later, one of Kenan’s clients writes a book heavily inspired by “Ashes” for which he gains significant acclaim.
Gokce continues on with her life with her son, drifting along having lost all sense of direction thanks to the novel.
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