“A Moving Portrait Of The Human Experience”: Director Milena Aboyan On Elaha (2023)
*SPOILERS AHEAD*
After the overwhelming praise it received at CinemaWorld’s Special Screening in Taiwan in September, the coming-of-age drama Elaha is finally gracing your screens on CinemaWorld and CinemaWorld On Demand this November.
A sensitive and heartfelt exploration of cultural complexities and womanhood, Elaha is a film that resonates across borders, cultures, and traditions. Intentionally shot in a 4:3 format, director and screenwriter Milena Aboyan focuses the audience’s gaze on the film’s protagonist, a 22-year-old Kurdish-German woman struggling with her womanhood amid conflicting expectations from both self and society. In the film, we follow her as she fearfully but determinedly searches for a clinic that will reconstruct her hymen before her marriage to her fiancé, Nasim — a decision compelled by the shame of having lost her virginity before marriage.
We also encounter the various influences in Elaha’s life: her family, with whom she is often at odds yet cannot live without; her two best friends, who face similar constraints imposed by traditional Kurdish gender expectations; and Jusuf, a solitary, animal-loving man who offers Elaha the sense of freedom she so desires.
The film navigates tradition and modernity with nuance and a deep empathy that reflects the director’s own experiences as a woman with a multicultural background. To explore the intimate depth of Elaha, we invited director Milena Aboyan to share her inspirations and journey in bringing this powerful story to life alongside the film’s premiere on CinemaWorld.
CinemaWorld: Our Taiwanese audiences were deeply moved by the topics of gender inequality and female emancipation highlighted in the film. Coming from a vastly different culture, many expressed their astonishment in the post-screening interviews at the strict and absurd expectations forced upon the Kurdish women in the film. How has the film been received by audiences of other cultures?
Aboyan: Everyone felt the need to talk about patriarchy, but also about the control of the female body. Viewers from different cultures identified with these topics, even though they are not from the Kurdish community and are not directly affected by the issue of “virginity.” The discussions about how patriarchal structures affect women worldwide have shown that this is a universal problem that goes far beyond cultural boundaries.
CinemaWorld: Interestingly, the film has drawn quite the conversation with our Taiwanese male audiences. Why do you think the male audience will resonate with the film as well?
Aboyan: I think the movie challenges all genders to question the existing power structures and opens up space for conversations about equality and respect. This means that men must also engage in this discussion. Above all, it is up to men to show solidarity with women affected by patriarchal violence. The male voice is vital for gender equality. However, men are also victims of patriarchy and must adhere to a “male image” that they perhaps cannot or do not want to fulfill.
CinemaWorld: Elaha treads the fine line between tradition (“restriction”) and modernity (“freedom”) well, through the cultural tensions experienced by the protagonist as she struggles to navigate her love for her family and culture, and her desire to explore her body and life. Coming from a mixed-culture background, much like Elaha, how has it affected the way you approach gender and sexuality?
Aboyan: I think we humans are a bundle of contradictions and ambivalences. Dealing with these tensions shapes our identity. Personally, my Kurdish-Armenian-German cultural background has strongly influenced my perception of gender and sexuality. It is important to recognize the complexity of such issues and to allow the voices that are often overlooked to be heard.
CinemaWorld: How do you balance between expectations from the different cultures that shape your perception of yourself and the world?
Aboyan: It requires constant reflection and a deep understanding of my own values. Art offers me the opportunity to explore cultural expectations as well as to express my individual perspective.
CinemaWorld: Regarding the animal-loving ex-classmate, Jusuf, whom Elaha often visits – no doubt he is a key character in the film. However, there were instances when I found his role in the film parallel to that of a sexual vessel for Elaha’s self-discovery. What were your intentions when featuring him within Elaha’s coming-of-age story?
Aboyan: Animal lover Jusuf is not a hero; he must not be a hero. It was important to me that Elaha should not be rescued by a man. We've seen this too often in Hollywood films—"the hero saves the helpless woman." That's why Jusuf had to become a man who has left everything behind—no social network—which simultaneously grants him absolute freedom, because he's not dependent on anyone, quite the opposite of Elaha. Thus, he embodies two important aspects: he is not a hero, he does not save Elaha, and yet he embodies absolute freedom.
CinemaWorld: As much as this film is about Elaha, it is also about a mother-daughter relationship. How do you think women perpetuate female oppression with such practices/beliefs?
Aboyan: It is often a painful cycle in which mothers burden their daughters to protect them from social condemnation. The film shows that women are also forced to exert control and violence, as Elaha's mother did toward her daughter—emotional violence. The mother’s behavior is part of the problem and she is also a victim. We aimed to convey that there are no clear "victims" or "perpetrators"; both can be the same person.
CinemaWorld: Which scene was the most difficult to write and depict on screen? Which scene left you the most conflicted, and which did you like – or resonate with – the most?
Aboyan: In fact, the scene where Elaha's boyfriend, Nasim, becomes violent and grabs her pants was very difficult to direct. It was challenging for both actors to endure this brutal moment but also to convey Elaha's turmoil of fear, sadness, anger, and, above all, strength. In this scene, Elaha is the one who must take Nasim in her arms and comfort him, despite his abusive behavior. Elaha is the true hero of this story. My favorite scenes are those between the friends; I cherish these characters because they are written closely to my own friends.
CinemaWorld: To conclude, we must address the conflicting final scene of Elaha. Some of our Taiwanese audiences expressed confusion about the film’s ending, as Elaha strips herself of her clothes after having sex with Jusuf, and washes them at the laundromat she works at. What did you want to convey in these final scenes?
Aboyan: I wrote the last scene first. Elaha undresses and places her clothes in the washing machine, starting the washing process. The message is very straightforward: a person can never become dirty and cannot lose their inherent value; while clothes must be “cleaned” or “pure,” a person never should be. In the end, Elaha has made the decision to become the woman she wants to be.
Elaha is available now on CinemaWorld and CinemaWorld On Demand. Subscribe now to catch it and discover a world of remarkable international films.
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