The ending of Ashes is unexpected, taking a dark turn and showing us that our fantasies are not reality. Gökçe is a wealthy woman, bored in her bland marriage, seeking excitement. When she picks up an unpublished novel her life is irreversibly shattered as she begins to fall in love with a man who isn’t her husband. Reignited feelings send Gökçe on a journey of self-discovery, with new emotions and revelations breaking down the seemingly perfect life she has built.
A perfect way to describe the ending is from a line in the film: “All that was left of love is a handful of ashes”. This is the ashes of a burned book and the ashes of her dead husband.
The film begins walking us through the travels of an unpublished novel, finding its way into the hands of Gökçe; a glamorous wife of a publicist. At a party, they’re celebrating their successes, ten years of marriage, and Gökçe’s ability to read manuscripts and find the best work, but Gökçe looks less than impressed.
We watch Gökçe immerse herself in the novel, following its footsteps and starting a steamy affair with a carpenter. Gökçe becomes possessive of Ali, because she’s falling in love with him, and begins to neglect her family and life with her husband Kenan.
How does Ashes end?
Towards the end, Kenan gets suspicious of his wife and asks for the manuscript, and when she refuses to give it up, he takes matters into his own hands.
The last half an hour of the film is its strongest. The pace and tension build as her husband follows her and sees Gökçe hugging Ali, whilst learning of the address and name of the author of Ashes. We learn the romance story turns into a murder, and Kenan confronts Gökçe with all the information.
Kenan gets Ali to his house under the illusion he needs a bookcase building, while at the house, Gökçe returns home and there is an awkward tension among the three.
While confronting if Ali did kill the writer, Kenan tries to set the manuscript on fire. Ali and Kenan get into a massive brawl, dragging each other into a pool and fighting underwater. Ali grabs a piece of glass and stabs Kenan under the water, who then drowns.
The whole time Gökçe sits at the dinner table watching all this unfold and happen — doing nothing.
We then jump to a conference of a male author discussing his latest novel, Ashes, which he wrote in a female tone and tried to be in someone else’s shoes. A slightly weaker ending than expected, but it works and is thought-provoking in how we can get so distracted and influenced by stories that they take over our lives.
The last shot is of Gökçe and her son, in a train station by themselves. Showing the audience the reality of the situation which is a book, a story, a fantasy, took over someone’s life and through a warped reality, ruined parts of it.
Does Gökçe’s marriage survive?
In a way, yes, and in a way no. Their marriage wasn’t working for Gökçe, which is why she sought out the affair.
Kenan wasn’t angry about the affair and was more concerned with the story and possible murder. This suggests he would have forgiven her and they could have lived happily ever after if he hadn’t confronted Ali.
Kenan unfortunately dies at the end, leaving Gökçe a widow and alone. So in this aspect, no, their marriage did not survive.
Who is the mysterious carpenter?
Ali is the rugged carpenter who is the center of the story Gökçe becomes entangled and obsessed with. He seems a simple man, at first, but as his steamy affair with Gökçe grows, we learn he’s married, and that he was involved with a woman who died. Kenan and Gökçe relate this to someone they believe wrote the manuscript Ashes and Kenan confronts him.
We don’t learn what happens to Ali at the end. In a serious fight, he kills Kenan, but we don’t see the consequences of this.
His love affair with Gökçe is over as he wanted nothing more or stronger from her — he was just her fantasy and fulfilled a need.
What did you think of the ending of Ashes? Comment below.
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