Annem

A young woman whose husband works as a laborer in Saudi Arabia returns home to find her daughter Ceylan missing. The woman suffers a great shock and loses her mind. Ceylan has been kidnapped by a young couple who work as cleaners and have no children of their own. Their goal is to extort money from their wealthy grandmothers, who live for the love of their grandchildren. The son-in-law, who had been ostracized by his mother-in-law due to his gambling addiction, manages to salvage his situation thanks to the child he kidnapped. The elderly woman, overjoyed at the prospect of having a grandchild, opens her home to her daughter and son-in-law. Years pass, and the young woman, who has lost her mind, goes to work at a wealthy estate. There, she encounters her daughter Ayşe. However, they do not recognize each other. Ayşe finds the closeness she could not find with her stepmother, whom she believed to be her real mother, in the cleaning woman.

Directed by Temel Gürsu, Annem leans on a strong ensemble — Ceylan, Canan Perver, Adile Naşit — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1987.