# Mother (2016)

> A substitute teacher kidnaps and hides a neglected seven-year-old from her abusive mother, fighting to become the child's true parent.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/60179

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 33
- Episode runtime: 90 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama
- Created by: Fatih Aksoy
- Network: Star TV
- Cast: Cansu Dere, Vahide Perçin, Beren Gökyıldız, Gonca Vuslateri, Berkay Ateş, Meral Çetinkaya, Gülenay Kalkan, Can Nergis
- TMDB rating: 6.9/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6132758/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: tearful, intense, melodramatic, heartbreaking

## What critics say

Audiences broadly rate the Turkish drama as mixed, with its emotional intensity and the lead performances standing out against uneven plotting.

## Synopsis

Anne, known internationally as Mother (2016-2017), is a Turkish drama series created by Fatih Aksoy for Star TV. Substitute teacher Zeynep (Cansu Dere) discovers that her seven-year-old student Melek is being severely abused and neglected by her mother Sule (Gonca Vuslateri). Zeynep takes drastic action, kidnapping the girl, faking her death and attempting to raise her as an adoptive mother. The engine of the story is a relentless tug of war between the desperate caregiver and a biological mother with powerful connections, with each episode layering new legal threats, hiding places and emotional confrontations. Vahide Perçin and other principal players fill out a sprawling family cast that keeps the stakes personal. The single season runs thirty-three episodes at roughly ninety minutes each, a dense serialized arc rather than a case of the week. Shot with the heightened emotional register of Turkish dizi melodrama, it is a tearful, intense viewing experience about protection, sacrifice and the meaning of motherhood. Fans of Kara Sevda and The Good Doctor will find resonance in its blend of heartbreak, suspense and moral urgency.

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