If They Kill the Snake (film)

If They Kill the Snake is a 1981 Turkish drama film directed by Türkan Şoray. The film is based on a screenplay by Yaşar Kemal and was adapted for cinema by Türkan Şoray and Arif Keskiner. The main cast includes Türkan Şoray, Talat Bulut, Mahmut Cevher and Ahmet Mekin. It was produced by Umut Film. The film runs for 82 minutes and was shot in Turkish.

The film is set in a small Anatolian village. Esme, renowned for her beauty, is in love with Abbas, a bold young man, but is married off to Halim, the village lord. After serving time in prison, Abbas returns to the village. Their child is now ten years old. This love triangle and the social rules imposed by the community reveal the conflicts within village life. The film explores the tension between individual desires and traditional values.

The central themes of If They Kill the Snake include social pressure and tradition, the impossibility of love, and the dynamics of justice and power. In this rural setting, the film exposes the position of individuals, particularly women, within traditional structures. The mutual love between Esme and Abbas has been suppressed and rendered impossible due to marriage and societal norms. The film also examines the influence of power holders in the village and the struggles of individuals against this authoritarian system through the lens of justice.

• Türkan Şoray – Esme: The most beautiful woman in the village, in love with Abbas but married to Halim.
• Mahmut Cevher – Abbas: In love with Esme, constantly in conflict with his own emotions throughout the film.
• Ahmet Mekin – Halim: The village lord and Esme’s husband.
• Aliye Rona, Erol Demiröz, Hüseyin Peyda, Sabahat Işık, Pars Sezer, Erdal Cindoruk, Talat Bulut

• Best Second Film (Silver Orange) – Türkan Şoray
• Best Screenplay – Yaşar Kemal