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Öldürdüğün Şeyler

The Things You Kill

Movie · 2025 · 4 people

Sometimes described as a psychological thriller, The Things You Kill (Öldürdüğün Şeyler in Turkish) is a mystery film from 2025. Alireza Khatami both wrote the screenplay and directed it. The dialogue is mostly in Turkish, yet the production is a joint effort of Canada, Turkey, Poland and France, and it runs 114 minutes. It premiered on 24 January 2025 in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival, and reached Turkish audiences at the end of April.

At the centre of the story is a university lecturer played by Ekin Koç. Suspicious circumstances surround his mother's death, and in search of revenge he asks his gardener for help. One account makes him a professor of translation studies at a university in Ankara. Erkan Kolçak Köstendil, Hazar Ergüçlü and Ercan Kesal appear in supporting parts.

The producers include Khatami himself, Elisa Sepulveda Ruddoff, Cyriac Auriol, Mariusz Włodarsk and Michael Solomon. Canada put the film forward for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards, although it did not make the nominations.

DirectorAlireza Khatami

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Cast

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Ekin Koç Ekin Koç Actor · 34 years old Erkan Kolçak Köstendil Erkan Kolçak Köstendil Actor · 43 years old Ercan Kesal Ercan Kesal Actor · 67 years old Hazar Ergüçlü Hazar Ergüçlü Actor · born 1992

Titles sharing this cast

Through different eyes

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

Because Alireza Khatami wrote the screenplay as well as directing, the film feels like the product of a single vision. A university lecturer chasing the suspicious circumstances of his mother's death, then asking his gardener to help him take revenge, is on paper a classic thriller set-up. That it is also called a psychological thriller suggests the interest lies less in events than in the character's mind. Ekin Koç carries the centre, and strong supporting players like Ercan Kesal and Erkan Kolçak Köstendil are well placed to share the load. Selection for Sundance's World Cinema Dramatic Competition and Canada's Oscar submission show the ambition of this four-country co-production. Still, 114 minutes is a generous length for a mystery of this scale; whether the rhythm can carry it will vary from viewer to viewer.

Action & Thriller Fan Puts pace, tension and set pieces first; little patience for slow drama.

A suspicious death, a revenge plan and a gardener pulled into it. On paper, exactly my kind of set-up. But this is a festival film out of Sundance, labelled a psychological thriller. If you are hoping for chases or lots of action, you may come away disappointed; films like this usually move slowly. If you enjoy tension that builds patiently, the 114 minutes may be worth it.

Family Viewer Asks whether the whole household can watch it; cares about humour and heart.

This is not one to watch with children. It is built around a mother's suspicious death and the idea of revenge; the subject is heavy and the mood is dark. It suits adults who like mystery and psychological thrillers. Older teenagers may be interested, but younger kids are likely to get bored or uneasy. If you watch at home, wait until the children are in bed.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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