A Comparative Analysis of Susuz Yaz and Kurak Günler in the Context of Changing Socio-Political Symbolism of Water

This study examines the similarities and differences in the representations of water between two Turkish films, Metin Erksan’s Susuz Yaz (1963) and Emin Alper’s Kurak Günler (2022), produced in different historical periods and political contexts. Water in these films is used as a semiotic intersection where social dynamics, power relations, and ecological crises converge. However, the specific constructions of this common theme in each film reflect the socioeconomic and ideological conditions of their respective periods. In this context, water functions both as a metaphor reflecting the spirit of the times and as a lens through which to analyze the country’s political and social transformation. Hence, this article explores the relationship between water and decay, sovereignty, and systemic crises through its visual and sonic representations, using an interdisciplinary methodology informed by political ecology, psychoanalytic film theory, and film sound theory. Through a close reading of the narrative function of water, its visual aesthetics, and its use in film sound, this study aims to reveal how water has become a carrier of meaning in Türkiye’s transition from a social structure based on agricultural production to a new political-economic plane shaped by neoliberal crises. The study proposes considering cinema as a multilayered narrative field that incorporates not only visual but also psycho-political and ecological dimensions. Ultimately, this research highlights the role of water symbolism in cinema as a dynamic force that embodies both cultural anxieties and shifting power structures.