Tie Me (k)Not follows filmmaker Umut on an intimate journey into the world of Shibari—an ancient Japanese rope practice once used for punishment and humiliation, now reimagined in contemporary Europe as a space for trust, consent, and emotional ritual. Initially observing from behind the camera, Umut is haunted by a deep fear of being tied—one that soon unravels into a confrontation with masculinity, surrender, and inherited trauma. In Tallinn, Umut encounters Elsa, a neurodivergent woman who finds peace in surrender. Elsa’s serenity contrasts sharply with Umut’s tension, prompting a deeper inquiry into the roots of fear. Through Elsa, Umut connects with Aljona, a compassionate rigger whose sessions guide others—first-time participants included—into ritualized vulnerability. Bodies curl into fetal shapes, echoing both the safety and fragility of birth. A conversation with Umut’s mother reveals her own 17-day delayed labor, shaped by helplessness and fear, and her own traumatic birth. This buried memory reframes Umut’s aversion to surrender—not as weakness, but as echo, threading personal history into the film’s growing emotional architecture. With guidance from Aljona and later during a retreat led by Swedish artist Andy Buru, the filmmaker eventually enters the ropes himself. The journey culminates in Poland, where they reconnect with Ryhor—a queer Belarusian exile and Elsa’s most profound rope partner—whose reflections entwine healing with political resistance. Blending vérité, symbolism, and poetic intimacy, Tie Me (k)Not explores knots as a language of power, intimacy, and rebirth.
Participant: Umut Vedat