Research Article

Construction of a Female Director’s Cinematic Language: The Case of Motherland (2015)

Number: 48 December 26, 2025
TR EN

Construction of a Female Director’s Cinematic Language: The Case of Motherland (2015)

Abstract

Feminist film theory critiques classical cinema for positioning women as objects of the male gaze and questions whether the cinematic language of female directors should diverge from the conventions of classical cinema. Studies that address female directors’ cinematic language and the construction of the female gaze remain relatively limited in the literature. This study aims to reveal how the female perspective and discourse are constructed in visual, auditory, narrative, and thematic elements in the cinematic language of female directors. In this context, after discussing movements diverging from classical cinema and feminist film literature, Senem Tüzen’s Motherland (2015) is selected through a purposeful criterion sampling method as a case from Turkish women’s cinema. The film was analyzed through filmic narrative analysis, encompassing cinematography, mise-en-scène, narrative structure, and thematic elements to identify departures from traditional cinema. Findings indicate that long takes, reaction shots, medium and wide shots, close-ups, selective focus, and montage sequences were used to portray the female character’s experiences from her perspective. Mise-en-scène elements, including lighting, sound, set design, space, costume, and acting, contributed to conveying her emotions. The narrative structure includes an open ending, a protagonist with an unclear goal, alienation effects, and themes such as mother-daughter relationships and female solidarity, all of which deviate from classical cinema.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

Destekleyici Kurum Bulunmamaktadır.

Ethical Statement

Çalışmam herhangi bir saha çalışmasına dayanmaması sebebiyle etik kurul onayı gerektirmemektedir.

References

  1. Akbulut, H. (2020). Film festivalleri bağlamında Ana Yurdu filminin çerçevelenişi: Bir Türkiye metaforu olarak Ana Yurdu [The framing of the film Motherland in the context of film festivals—Motherland as a metaphor of Turkey]. İlef, 7(2), 217–246. https://doi.org/10.24955/ilef.822756
  2. Akçay Katıksız, D. (Director). (2013). Köksüz [Nobody’s Home] [Film]. Zoe.
  3. AntraktSinema. (n.d.). Antrakt sinema gazetesi film arşivi. https://www.antraktsinema.com/
  4. Arslan, G. (2016, May 13). Senem Tüzen: Annem izin vermese bu filmi çekmeyecektim. Hürriyet Kelebek. https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/kelebek/keyif/senem-tuzen-annem-izin-vermese-bu-filmi-cekmeyecektim-40103366
  5. Aslan, M. (2019). Sinemada kadın: Başka Dilde Aşk filmi üzerine bir inceleme [Woman in cinema: A review on Love in Another Language]. Selçuk İletişim [Journal of Selçuk Communication], 12(1), 199–215. https://doi.org/10.18094/josc.457945
  6. Ataman, A. (2017). İki “kişilik” düello Anayurdu; Anne kız çatışması üzerine bir inceleme [Duel of two Motherland; A study of mother daughter conflict]. Gaziantep University Journal of Social Sciences, 16(4), 1182–1196. https://doi.org/10.21547/jss.317129
  7. Aytas, M., & Koca, S. (2019). An evaluation on minimalist narrative on the example of “Ana Yurdu” movie. In S. E. Dinçer, S. Sönmez, M. Bostancı, & E. Özçoban (Eds.), Research & reviews in social, human and administrative sciences (pp. 45–57). Gece Kitabevi.
  8. Barrowman, K. (2025). Contesting feminism: Pedagogical problems in classical Hollywood cinema, feminist theory, and media studies. Feminist Media Studies, 25(1), 201–215. https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2023.2268305

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Movie Review, Cinema Theories

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

December 26, 2025

Submission Date

January 3, 2025

Acceptance Date

July 23, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Number: 48

APA
Uğuz, B. (2025). Construction of a Female Director’s Cinematic Language: The Case of Motherland (2015). Türkiye İletişim Araştırmaları Dergisi, 48, 22-40. https://doi.org/10.17829/turcom.1609592
AMA
1.Uğuz B. Construction of a Female Director’s Cinematic Language: The Case of Motherland (2015). TURCOM. 2025;(48):22-40. doi:10.17829/turcom.1609592
Chicago
Uğuz, Beril. 2025. “Construction of a Female Director’s Cinematic Language: The Case of Motherland (2015)”. Türkiye İletişim Araştırmaları Dergisi, nos. 48: 22-40. https://doi.org/10.17829/turcom.1609592.
EndNote
Uğuz B (December 1, 2025) Construction of a Female Director’s Cinematic Language: The Case of Motherland (2015). Türkiye İletişim Araştırmaları Dergisi 48 22–40.
IEEE
[1]B. Uğuz, “Construction of a Female Director’s Cinematic Language: The Case of Motherland (2015)”, TURCOM, no. 48, pp. 22–40, Dec. 2025, doi: 10.17829/turcom.1609592.
ISNAD
Uğuz, Beril. “Construction of a Female Director’s Cinematic Language: The Case of Motherland (2015)”. Türkiye İletişim Araştırmaları Dergisi. 48 (December 1, 2025): 22-40. https://doi.org/10.17829/turcom.1609592.
JAMA
1.Uğuz B. Construction of a Female Director’s Cinematic Language: The Case of Motherland (2015). TURCOM. 2025;:22–40.
MLA
Uğuz, Beril. “Construction of a Female Director’s Cinematic Language: The Case of Motherland (2015)”. Türkiye İletişim Araştırmaları Dergisi, no. 48, Dec. 2025, pp. 22-40, doi:10.17829/turcom.1609592.
Vancouver
1.Beril Uğuz. Construction of a Female Director’s Cinematic Language: The Case of Motherland (2015). TURCOM. 2025 Dec. 1;(48):22-40. doi:10.17829/turcom.1609592

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