Set in a quiet seaside town, And Recep and Zehra and Ayşe is a powerful debut from Yusuf Kurçenli that explores the intertwined lives of three individuals bound by societal expectations, personal desires, and irreversible choices.

Recep, a married hotel owner struggling to make ends meet, lives with his wife Zehra, their children, and extended family.

Into this tightly controlled world returns Ayşe, a bright young woman fresh from high school, full of dreams for university—but caged by her conservative family’s refusal to let her pursue an education.

As Ayşe seeks refuge in Recep’s motel, the emotional and moral boundaries between them begin to blur, igniting a chain of events that will change all three lives forever.

Through poetic visuals, restrained performances, and a haunting score, the film paints a portrait of rural Turkey’s fragile balance between tradition and change.

Kurçenli’s first feature is a quiet storm of repressed emotion, silent resistance, and the complex role of women in a patriarchal society.