Cici (2022) is a Turkish drama film about a family who gets together at their childhood home several years after leaving it following someone’s death. The film is now streaming on Netflix.
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers
Plot summary
A family of five live a simple life on a farm far away from the town. Fekir and Haava are the parents who have one daughter named Saliha and two sons named Kadir and Yusuf.
Fekir is quite strict with his children and makes them work on the farm and around the house. He and Haava have a frosty relationship as well and Fekir goes to town whenever she refuses to bed with him.
Fekir takes in his friend’s nephew as a servant on the farm. The boy’s name is Cemil and he’s made to live in the stable. Kadir says that he wants to go to college one day but Fekir says he won’t. Haava insists that all of them will go but Fekir says he won’t have it.
He says that they need to stay at home to take care of the house and themselves when they grow old. Saliha meets with Cemil in the stable at night whenever Cemil leaves a stone on the window sill as a sign.
Kadir likes to take his father’s camera without permission and record their lives but one day when he gets caught with it, Fekir beats him as punishment.
One day as they are all working, Kadir sprays water from the hose on Cemil. Fekir scolds him and Kadir says that it was only a joke.
Fekir brings out his camera and begins filming before giving the hose to Cemil and telling him to spray Kadir with water. When Cemil doesn’t want to do it, he takes it and sprays Kadir himself until Haava comes and tries to stop him.
That night, Kadir is left to stand outside in the cold while drenched. Cemil walks up to him and hands him his jacket for warmth. Haava finally has enough so she rushes out and brings Kadir inside and sets him in front of the fire.
Fekir falls asleep in front of the television and someone puts out the fire and leaves a window open. The next morning Fekir is woken up by the thudding of the window and he develops an illness because of sleeping in the cold.
He’s bedridden for weeks and one day he walks outside with Yusuf, he collapses.
Several years later, a film is being shot at that house with Kadir as the director. Saliha and Haava are also present with Haava being part of the film for one scene.
Saliha’s daughter Naz is also there and she’s shooting BTS footage with one of the handheld cameras. Saliha is reunited with Cemil after many years since he came to check out the shooting.
The film is based on their life and Kadir recreates the moment that his father sprayed him with a hose. Haava is quite old now and can barely keep her senses.
2 years later, Kadir is staying at the house and still hasn’t finished editing his movie. It’s the middle of the pandemic and Yusuf arrives with his wife and son.
Saliha, Naz and Haava arrive the next day, and Haava’s mental state has regressed even further. Naz is looking for the BTS footage she shot but Kadir says that it was lost when everyone packed up.
Yusuf, Kadir and Saliha discuss selling the property since none of them plans on staying there long term. Kadir says that he won’t sell the place until he is finished with his film.
He is clearly troubled by something but doesn’t open up about what. Yusuf is also not very happy in life and constantly argues with his wife.
Cemil arrives with their old car that Yusuf had left in town for repairs. He joins them for breakfast where they try to see if Haava recognizes him.
Cici (2022) ending explained in detail:
What happens between Cemil and Saliha?
Haava stares at Cemil’s face with a confused look and then Cemil starts singing the son he would sing when he was a child. For a short moment, Haava smiles but then she grabs Cemil and takes him towards the window.
She points to the sill while saying “stone”, implying that she knew about him and Saliha. As Cemil is leaving, Saliha gives him food for later.
He gives her an open invitation to his home any time and she says that she’ll try. He then tells her that he travelled to Ankara during her final year of nursing school.
He remembers that he saw her all dressed up and smoking a cigarette so he smoked one too while watching her so that they could smoke “together”. He then quit smoking after that because he knew it would never be as good as that time.
What does Naz find in Kadir’s office?
Naz finds some old Betamax tapes and decides to play them. It’s the old home movies that were recorded during Kadir and Saliha’s childhood.
She also sees the moment when Fekir sprayed Kadir with the hose and is shocked to find out that the moment is real. She goes out in search of him and finds him in the forest.
She tells him what she saw and once again asks him for the BTS footage she had captured. She goes back to his office after finding out where it is.
What is the big secret?
Naz finds the camera in one of the drawers and takes the memory card out. She attaches it to the system and begins combing through the footage as Saliha and Yusuf walk in. They all watch the video and enjoy the image of their healthy mother.
In one of the clippings, when Naz is alone with Haava, Haava starts rambling about drugging Fekir. It is revealed that she crushed some sleeping pills and put them in his tea and then opened the window after putting out the fire.
After seeing their admission to essentially killing their father, Yusuf and Saliha are beside themselves with Kadir trying to calm Yusuf down and Naz consoling her mother.
Haava walks in to see her own face on the screen and she scolds herself for being a bad girl.
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