An analysis of the phenomenon of reverse migration in turkish cinema after 2000 according to sociological film criticism

This study examines the phenomenon of reverse migration in post-2000 Turkish cinema within the framework of sociological film criticism. While migration refers to the displacement of individuals due to social, economic, or cultural reasons, reverse migration denotes the return of individuals to their roots—rural or provincial areas—as a result of the alienating effects of modern urban life. In this context, the study analyzes the films Babam ve Oğlum (My Father and My Son, Çağan Irmak, 2005), Yumurta (Egg, Semih Kaplanoğlu, 2007), Kovan (The Hive, Eylem Kaftan, 2020), and Ahlat Ağacı (The Wild Pear Tree, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, 2018) through the lens of migration theories. In these films, reverse migration is portrayed not only as a physical relocation but also as a narrative of identity seeking, reestablishment of familial ties, and a critique of the alienation processes generated by modern society. The theoretical framework of the study is primarily based on Giddens's theory of modernity and Simmel's analysis of alienation in urban life. The selected films make visible the socio-psychological dimensions of reverse migration through themes such as father-son conflicts, the regulatory role of the mother figure, and the tension between tradition and modernity. Ultimately, the films portray the return to traditional values as a form of resolution in response to the rootlessness produced by modernity.