''Farewell to False Paradise'' (german: Abschied vom falschen Paradies) is a 1989

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

, directed by

Tevfik Başer Tevfik Başer (born 12 January 1951) is a Turkish-German film director and screenwriter. His film ''Lebewohl, Fremde'' was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival. Filmography * '' Zwischen Gott und Erde'' ...

. The film won one award and was nominated for another at the 1989

German Film Awards German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

Plot

Elif, the widow of a Turkish

migrant worker A migrant worker is a person who migrates within a home country or outside it to pursue work. Migrant workers usually do not have the intention to stay permanently in the country or region in which they work. Migrant workers who work outsi ...

in Germany, has been sentenced to six years in prison for killing her husband. She is sent to a prison in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

which at first serves as a dark setting of claustrophobia, punishment, and isolation. Her perception then changes as she encounters female solidarity which contrasts with her previous domestic life under patriarchal restrictions as a Muslim-Turkish wife. Having escaped her restrictive life by killing her husband, Elif begins to view the prison as a kind of paradise where she is able to develop a new female identity. While imprisoned, she learns to speak German, cuts her long hair, sheds her traditional headscarf, and gradually adopts the style of a Westernized woman who wears jeans and sneakers. As time goes on, Elif’s prison sentence gets reduced on account of good behavior and she is set to be released. She fears that she will be sent back to Turkey for another murder trial or may get killed by her brother-in-law for revenge, so she attempts to commit suicide.

Cast

Zuhal Olcay Zuhal Olcay (; born 10 August 1957) is a Turkish actress and singer. Biography Graduated from Ankara State Conservatory in 1976, she first started as a stage actress. Since 1983 she also started acting in films and became famous with films like ...

as Elif * Brigitte Janner as Marianne * Ruth Olafsdottir as Gabriella * Barbara Morawiecz as Nora * Eva-Maria Kurz as Anna * Celik Bilge as Elif's brother

Awards

At the 1989

, the film won the Film Award in Gold for Outstanding Achievement, which went

. The film was also nominated for Outstanding Feature Film.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Farewell to False Paradise 1989 films 1989 crime drama films West German films German drama films 1980s German-language films Films directed by Tevfik Başer 1980s German films