Movie · 2017 · Drama, War, History · 2h 4m · PG-13 · TR
Curator score: 8.8/10 (48.3K ratings)
Overview
In 1950, amidst the ravages of the Korean War, Sergeant Süleyman stumbles upon a a half-frozen little girl, with no parents and no help in sight and he risks his own life to save her, smuggling her into his army base and out of harm’s way.
Ratings
Curator score: 8.8/10
IMDb: 8.2/10
TMDB: 8.0/10
Director
Can Ulkay
Production
Dijital Sanatlar
Cast
İsmail Hacıoğlu, Kim Seol, Çetin Tekindor, Ali Atay, Murat Yildirim, Taner Birsel, Altan Erkekli, Meral Çetinkaya, Damla Sönmez, Büşra Develi, Eric Roberts, Lee Kyung-jin, Sinem Öztürk, Erkan Petekkaya, Kim Byoungsoon, Cade Carradine, Kang Yeon Jeong, Johnny Young, Duygu Yetiş, Esra Dermancıoğlu
Curator Review
Verdict
A moving, crowd-pleasing war drama built around an unusually tender cross-cultural bond. It leans hard into emotional payoff and patriotic sentiment, but the central relationship is sincere and often genuinely affecting.
Best for
viewers who want a tearjerker with a humanist core
fans of war films that emphasize compassion over combat
audiences interested in true-story-inspired dramas
people who like found-family or surrogate-parent stories
Skip if
you prefer restrained, unsentimental war dramas
you are tired of overtly melodramatic emotional beats
you want a combat-heavy or politically complex war film
you dislike films that aim squarely for catharsis
Overview
Ayla: The Daughter of War is designed to hit the heart, and for many viewers it will. Set against the Korean War, it follows a Turkish sergeant who discovers an abandoned little girl and protects her as if she were his own. The premise is simple, but the film’s power comes from the bond it builds between the two characters and the way it turns a brutal historical setting into a story of care, duty, and memory.
Worth noting
The film is at its best when it stays close to that relationship. The performances, especially from the child actor and the sergeant’s role, give the story warmth that helps it rise above pure sentimentality. It is not subtle, and it does not try to be; the movie wants tears, and it usually earns them.
Bottom line
If you respond to earnest emotional storytelling, this is an easy recommendation. If you prefer your war dramas grittier, cooler, or more politically layered, it may feel too polished and manipulative. But as a sincere, old-fashioned weepie with a war backdrop, it lands effectively.
Top Letterboxd reviews
ale (4★) · 115 likes
hungur hungur aglaya aglaya izleyiverdik babamla film bitti cay koymadim diye seni kurtarmazdim diyor ne anladik bu isten
süeda (4★) · 95 likes
kuzenim k-drama ac deyip duruyodu k-drama diye bunu actım aglıyor su an yapck bisy yk
Katalas (3★) · 94 likes
I'm still hesitant on whether I liked Ayla: The Daughter of War more or less than the rating I gave. There are some really nice touches to this film, but my oh my, if there isn't some criticism to add as well.
Let's just start with the positive. The relation between Ayla (Kim Seol) and Süleyman (Ismail Hacioglu) is too damn sweet, and it's mainly due to the little girl's cuteness. How can you not get attached by her? It's… more
Atakan Göktepe (3★) · 91 likes
Ankara, Ankara güzel Ankara. Seni görmek ister her bahtı kara
Ceren🌟 (4.5★) · 86 likes
Ilk ciktigi zmn annemlerle izlerken herkes ayla ya uzulup agliodu ben de arkada kizin sac sekli benimkiyle ayni diye beni askerlere vericekler zannedip korkudan agliordm😔😔 uzerimde yarattigi tahribat derindi... bir sure annemle babam beni askerlere vermesin diye uslu kiz olmaya calismstm🙏🏽 gorev basarili olmus snrm hala beraberiz🙌🏼