Ethical Experience and Narrative Ambiguity in Contemporary Turkish Cinema: Hesitation Line
CINEJ Cinema Journal, vol.14, no.1, pp.640-677, 2026 (ESCI, Scopus)
- Publication Type: Article / Article
- Volume: 14 Issue: 1
- Publication Date: 2026
- Doi Number: 10.5195/cinej.2026.773
- Journal Name: CINEJ Cinema Journal
- Journal Indexes: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), Scopus, Film & Television Literature Index, International Index to Film Periodicals, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Directory of Open Access Journals
- Page Numbers: pp.640-677
- Keywords: cinematic ethics, film criticism, film studies, modern narrative, Turkish cinema
- Open Archive Collection: AVESIS Open Access Collection
- Ankara Haci Bayram Veli University Affiliated: No
Abstract
The aim of this study is to examine how ethical hesitation is produced in modern Turkish cinema through cinematographic and narrative strategies and to discuss the meaning of cinematic ethical experience within the framework of film philosophy. Based on the assumption that art functions not only as an aesthetic discourse but also as an ethical one, the study investigates how cinema reveals its potential to foster ethical reflection and critical thinking. It has been observed that studies addressing ethical questions in contemporary Turkish cinema remain relatively limited. Adopting a qualitative research approach, the study analyzes the ethical ambiguities emerging from the film’s narrative structure, the moral dilemmas confronted by the characters, and the cinematographic choices that shape these processes within the framework of narrative analysis. In conclusion, the study demonstrates that ethical experience in cinema is generated not merely through representation but through form and narrative, and it argues that modern cinematic narration opens up new possibilities for the development of ethical thought.