My Mother’s Wound

My Mother’s Wound

Year: 2016

Runtime: 120 mins

Language: Turkish

Director: Ozan Açıktan

MysteryDramaWar

After leaving the orphanage on his eighteenth birthday, Salih seeks out his lost family and finds work on a Serbian farm. He unexpectedly discovers a sense of belonging, but struggles to escape the trauma of his past. As he begins to build a new life, unsettling secrets emerge, threatening his newfound happiness. The film explores themes of family, love, and identity, following Salih's journey through a landscape scarred by war and loss.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline – My Mother’s Wound (2016)

Trace every key event in My Mother’s Wound (2016) with our detailed, chronological timeline. Perfect for unpacking nonlinear stories, spotting hidden connections, and understanding how each scene builds toward the film’s climax. Whether you're revisiting or decoding for the first time, this timeline gives you the full picture.

1

Salih leaves the Zenica orphanage on his 18th birthday to search for his parents

On turning 18, Salih leaves the Zenica orphanage in modern-day Bosnia, driven by a need to know where he came from. He hopes to find his parents and begin a new life outside the institution. The search sets the whole journey in motion.

On turning 18 Zenica, Bosnia
2

Sadık directs Salih to Mirsad in Simin Han

Sadık, the principal, gives Salih the address of Mirsad, a crippled cobbler living in Simin Han. He warns of the difficult path ahead but provides the first concrete lead in Salih's quest. This direction shifts the pursuit from an orphanage to a real place.

Simin Han
3

Salih arrives at Simin Han, meets Nerma and Vedat; Mevlide reveals Salih is Nerma's son

When Salih arrives at Simin Han, Mirsad invites him to lunch and introduces him to Nerma and her young son Vedat. Mevlide, Nerma's elderly mother, privately reveals that Salih is Nerma's son. The revelation plants a hidden truth at the center of the gathering.

Simin Han
4

Mevlide urges Salih to leave and gives money and her earrings

Mevlide pleads with Salih to depart, believing the truth could unleash more pain. She hands him money and her earrings, a token of protective memory. The moment underscores the fragile boundaries of family and memory.

Simin Han
5

Salih bumps into Nerma on his way out and returns her earrings

As Salih leaves, he crosses paths with Nerma bringing lunch. He returns the earrings to Nerma, acknowledging the link between their lives. The brief encounter deepens the connection that will complicate his search.

Simin Han
6

Salih travels to Prijedor farm and is hired by Marija

Salih travels to a farm in Prijedor where he poses as a job seeker. Borislav's wife Marija, who resents discrimination against Muslims, welcomes him and hires him for a two-week trial. The farm becomes the setting where Salih weighs what kind of man Borislav is.

Prijedor farm
7

Hunting trip reveals Borislav's complexity; tattoo not eagle

On a hunting trip with Borislav and his tattooed friends, Salih sees that Borislav is not a simple villain. Borislav rescues a boy from a burning building, revealing a compassionate side. Salih also notes that Borislav's chest tattoo is not the eagle he expected, hinting at a hidden truth about Borislav's identity.

Prijedor farm / hunting grounds
8

Salih bonds with Marija; Nerma's amnesia deepens; fishing and a hidden note

Salih grows comfortable on the farm and forms a bond with Marija, while Nerma wrestles with amnesia and the lingering trauma of her past. He decides to move out to search for the rapist, but Borislav drags him along fishing. Salih hides a note he intends to leave behind, signaling a planned departure and possibly his longer aim.

Prijedor farm
9

Marija confronts Salih about the note and he reveals his search for his parents

Marija discovers the note and confronts Salih. He admits he is trying to find his parents but says nothing about the rape. The exchange deepens the moral ambiguity around loyalty and truth on the farm.

Prijedor farm
10

Marija helps connect Salih with Nerma; invites Nerma to visit

Marija's actions blur lines of memory and loyalty as she helps Salih locate his family. She contacts Nerma, under the impression that Nerma is Mrs Mevlide, and invites Nerma to visit.

Prijedor farm
11

Nerma returns to the farm; demands the truth; 'I am my mother's wound'

Desperate to reclaim her memory, Nerma returns to the farm and confronts Salih. He denies knowledge of the past, cryptically stating, "I am my mother's wound." The exchange heightens the emotional stakes as memory flickers back.

Prijedor farm
12

Nerma recognizes Borislav as the rapist and Salih as her son

Nerma's memory returns when she spots a photograph of Borislav and realizes he is the rapist, and that Salih is her son. Salih recalls that the eagle tattoo had been inked over, revealing the forged history that surrounded him. The truth arrives with danger as they confront their past.

Prijedor farm
13

Borislav arrives with a shotgun; standoff; Salih rejects him as father

Borislav arrives with a shotgun, triggering a tense standoff. Salih denounces Borislav and rejects him as his father while Nerma drags Salih away, and they begin to walk on foot. The confrontation crystallizes the peril surrounding Salih's origins.

Farmhouse
14

Marija's desperate stand and the final gunshots; ending

Marija takes the shotgun from Borislav and fires a desperate shot at herself. Salih and Nerma meet Mirsad driving along the road and hear a gunshot from the farmhouse, followed by a second shot that implies Borislav and Marija have killed themselves. Nerma calls out to Salih as the film ends.

Road to Mirsad; Farmhouse

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 06:45

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Movies about Post-War Secrets like My Mother’s Wound

Slow-burn dramas where characters dig up painful family legacies in the aftermath of conflict.If you were captivated by the way My Mother’s Wound unveils a painful family legacy, you'll find similar stories here. These movies explore the aftermath of conflict, where characters search for identity and truth in landscapes haunted by war, often leading to devastating revelations.

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Intense character studies where internal anguish and past horrors dictate a tragic fate.For viewers who appreciated the intense psychological depth and tragic arc of My Mother’s Wound, this section features similar emotionally draining journeys. These movies are characterized by high tension, minimal humor, and a focus on characters wrestling with inescapable trauma and moral complexity.

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The narrative pattern involves a protagonist grappling with profound personal trauma that defines their present reality. The plot is driven by their internal conflict and the slow, inevitable unraveling of their mental state, often leading to a climax where the past and present collide with catastrophic results.

Why These Movies?

Movies in this thread share a consistently high intensity, a dark and tense tone, and a pacing that steadily amplifies psychological pressure. They are united by their exploration of severe themes like trauma, moral ambiguity, and identity crisis, offering a cathartic but harrowing viewing experience.

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My Mother’s Wound Summary

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My Mother’s Wound Summary

Characters, Settings & Themes in My Mother’s Wound

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Characters, Settings & Themes in My Mother’s Wound

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