The Sheep (2022)
A Turkish short drama about a street vendor's desperate two-day search through Istanbul after a sold sacrificial sheep goes missing.
The Sheep - Movie Information
- Original Title: Koyun
- Release Year: 2022
- Directed by: Benhür Bolhava
- Type: Movie
- Genres: Drama
- Runtime: 20m
- Original Language: Turkish
- Spoken Languages: Turkish
- Production Companies: Nar Film, SoberWorks
The Sheep - Plot
Bekir makes a living by selling sacrificial sheep in his makeshift hut stuck among the plazas in Istanbul. One of the sheep that he has sold disappears. He has only two days to find the sheep or return the money.
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The Sheep - Cast & Crew
Director(s)
- Benhür Bolhava
Main Cast
- Süleyman Kabaali
- Ali Seçkiner Alıcı
- Haki Biçici
- Muttalip Müjdeci
- Özlem Durmaz
Writers
- Kadir Demir
- Benhür Bolhava
Producers
- Ersin Çelik
The Sheep - FAQs
What is The Sheep about?
The Sheep follows Bekir, a man scraping by selling sacrificial sheep from a ramshackle hut wedged between Istanbul's towering plazas. When one of the sheep he has already sold goes missing, he faces a desperate two-day race to track it down or somehow come up with the money to repay the buyer.
Who directed The Sheep?
The Sheep was directed by Benhür Bolhava, who also co-wrote the screenplay alongside Kadir Demir. The film was produced under the Nar Film and SoberWorks banners and stands as a compact, atmospheric portrait of urban precarity in contemporary Istanbul.
Who are the main actors in The Sheep?
The cast is led by Süleyman Kabaali as Bekir, the beleaguered sheep vendor at the heart of the story. He is joined by Ali Seçkiner Alıcı as Hüseyin, Haki Biçici as a Dentist, Muttalip Müjdeci as a Police Officer, and Özlem Durmaz as a Woman.
How long is The Sheep?
The Sheep runs for 20 minutes, making it a short film. Despite its brief runtime, the story manages to build genuine tension and a vivid sense of place, using Istanbul's contrasting urban landscape as a backdrop for Bekir's increasingly urgent search.
What does the sheep symbolize in this film?
The missing sheep carries rich symbolic weight. In Turkish culture, sacrificial sheep are deeply tied to religious ritual and economic survival. Bekir's frantic search can be read as a meditation on dignity, livelihood, and the vulnerability of the urban poor caught between tradition and a rapidly modernizing city.
Is The Sheep set in a specific part of Istanbul?
The film is set in Istanbul, specifically in the striking contrast between Bekir's makeshift hut and the gleaming plazas towering around it. This juxtaposition of informal, traditional commerce against the city's modern architecture is central to the film's visual and thematic identity.
What genre is The Sheep?
The Sheep is a drama. It blends social realism with a ticking-clock narrative structure, grounding its tension in the everyday economic pressures faced by a working-class vendor in Istanbul. The film's tone is understated yet urgent, favoring character observation over melodrama.
What movies are similar to The Sheep?
If The Sheep resonates with you, you might enjoy About Dry Grasses (2023), A Tale of Three Sisters (2019), Sibel (2019), Full Time (2022), and 3 Faces (2018). These films share a similar focus on social realism, working-class struggles, and intimate character-driven storytelling.
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