Yeşim Ustaoğlu’s “What Remains” follows Elif, a Turkish poet whose creativity and wellbeing have faltered, as she leaves Istanbul after a painful separation from her partner, Mehmet. The film presents their time apart as a possible way to reclaim affection and independence, rather than as a simple rejection of family life.

After Mehmet loses his teaching job, an argument exposes the depth of Elif’s distress and the couple’s growing rift. She drives to the mountain village where her grandmother lived, while keeping in touch with her son Selim and Mehmet, who takes on day-to-day parenting. The review praises the film’s performances and landscapes, describing its slow, lyrical approach as thoughtful and stirring.