Queer sexuality rocks Berlin family drama

The film "Hijamat," by Iranian-Turkish director Nader Saeivar, critically examines a Turkish family residing in Berlin as queer sexuality surfaces, creating internal strife. Renowned filmmaker Jafar Panahi's involvement as editor and producer adds to the anticipation for this Crystal Globe competitor at Karlovy Vary.

The narrative unfolds during a child's circumcision celebration, where festivities quickly turn to outrage when intimate photos of family member Kerem with a German man are discovered. While Kerem's older brother Murad and his wife Leyla are accepting, their stern father Ibrahim uses tradition and financial control to suppress the truth.

Religious and business pressures intertwine as Ibrahim is coerced by a local cleric and a businessman to sell a restaurant. Simultaneously, a subplot involving Margot, a neighbor dealing with past trauma from escaping East Berlin, offers commentary on the city's history as a refuge, though it remains disconnected from the main plot.

Further complexities arise with a late, somewhat unconvincing suggestion of Murad's own same-sex attraction, leading to a cameo from Moritz Bleibtreu as a New Age healer offering 'hijamat' therapy, the film's namesake.