Watch & Review Gatherings: “Confronting the Stories: Breaking Points in Cinema”
Prepared and Presented by: Cahide Ezgi Yıldız & Ezgi Emel
In this series, we explore the overlooked corners of cinema, as well as the dimensions of human experience that often remain unseen or difficult to confront, through the lenses of psychoanalysis, philosophy, and sociology. We aim to offer participants new perspectives that lie beneath images. Led by Dr. Cahide Ezgi Yıldız and writer-publisher Ezgi Emel, each session focuses on a single film, turning our attention not only to what is told, but also to what remains unspoken, and to the possibilities that emerge beyond the surface.
In this session, we will open a collective space for discussion around the film Oslo, August 31st (2011), which centers on the modern human’s search for meaning and individual alienation.
Film: “Oslo, August 31st (Oslo, 31. august)”
Norway, 2011, Norwegian with Turkish Subtitles, 95’
Director: Joachim Trier
Film Screening: 20.00 - 21.35
Discussion and Analysis: 21.50 - 22.45
Joachim Trier’s Oslo, August 31st (2011) centers on profound existential loneliness, the weight of lost time, and individual alienation through Anders’s attempt to reconnect with his city and old friends during a brief leave from a rehabilitation clinic. Exploring the melancholy of a soul unable to adapt to the seemingly well-ordered and fulfilled lives of those around him, the film transforms Oslo from a diegetic space into a sorrowful presence that mirrors the protagonist’s inner world. Through a poetic cinematic language, intimate close-ups, and an observational voice-over, Trier creates an unsettling contrast between the fleeting beauty of late summer and the vast emptiness within his character, examining the modern individual’s search for meaning and sense of despair.
* The event is ticketed. The ticket price is 250 TL per person. The ticket includes the film screening, the talk, 1 drink, and 1 refreshment. You can access the purchase link via the "Buy Ticket" button on the page. The purchase link will open 1 week before the event date (28.08.2026), and the "Buy Ticket" button will become visible.
* The event is intended for participants aged 18 and older. Ticket sales are available exclusively to audiences aged 18 and older.