A LOOK AT THE MOVIE LEYLA’S BROTHERS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF CULTURAL FEMINIST THEORY

Abstract

This study aims to examine the film Leyla’s Brothers, produced, written, and directed by Sayeed Roustayi, within the framework of cultural feminist theory. The film was analyzed using discourse analysis, a qualitative social research method. Dialogues related to themes were transcribed and analyzed, taking into account evaluations and assessments. It can be seen that the language used in the film allows for meaningful analysis of the characters. In the film, the character Leyla questions male-dominated tradi-tions and criticizes these norms through her interactions with her siblings and father. The character Ali Rıza could be described as traditional but thoughtful and deep in pondering about life. It is possible to argue that the father character is entirely dogmatic and thinks in an extremely patriarchal way, unable to distinguish between good and bad. When making a macro-level inference from the written texts, it can be claimed that Leyla reflects modernity in society and Ali Rıza reflects traditions. The father character in the film now reflects a dark side that can be described as outdated in society. In this film, Leyla’s effort to change her own story and her family’s destiny points to an extremely important aspect of cultural feminism. The film strives to maintain patriarchal norms through characters like Ali Rıza and the father, while also showing Leyla’s struggle to break down societal gender stereotypes. In this respect, the film Leyla’s Brothers has been deemed worthy of examination within the context of social gender and cultur-al feminist theory, in comparison to its contemporaries and similar-themed films.