Tag: turkey

Fathers live for the promises that they make. “Ayla: The Daughter of War” (2017)

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directed by Can Ulkay
© 2017 Warner Bros. All Rights Reserved.

Recently one of my friends has recommended me to see today’s film and since it’s a Turkish production, I knew I had to keep it for a right day. Even though Turkish dramas are often sappy, perhaps slightly cringy, and we’re aware of what might happen next, they always hit us. Or at least me. So yes, I cried at the end angry with myself I let them do this to me again. But if you’re sensitive about real life dramas, then you may need tissues as well, my dear. The film tells the story of Sergeant Süleyman (İsmail Hacıoğlu), a Turkish man sent to South Korea in the 50s in order to support the country in the war with North Korea. During one of the battles he finds a little girl (Kim Seol), whose parents were murdered. The man decides to take care of the child and gives her a temporary name Ayla (which means “moonlight”), as they have no idea what’s her real one. At first Sergeant just wishes to find some guardian for the girl and continue his work, but they create a very strong bond between each other and it’s difficult for them to separate. I could tell you what happens next (and trust me, I’d love to!), but I also want you to discover it on your own. Personally, I have a difficult relationship with Turkish cinema as their screenplays remind me of all those cheap soap operas where anything can happen (including aliens invasion), but technically they are so good… I mean SO good, and I’m always thrilled about the camerawork and their choice of shooting. Plus, it really hits me when a film is based on a true story, and so is this one. I was still pretty strong watching the fictional part, but when they showed a footage from the real event, I was done. Waterfall on my cheeks. Good job, Turkish cinema. Anyway, if you enjoy historical/war films and you’re also a slightly sensitive creature, you will like this one. There’s also a documentary about Süleyman and Ayla called “Ayla, My Korean Daughter”, but I wouldn’t recommend watching it first (you know, spoilers). And also, the film was the Turkish entry for Oscars in 2018, but wasn’t nominated. And since the Academy members have a questionable taste, you better see yourself.

My rating: 7/10
S.

To the memory of all lost poets. “The Butterfly’s Dream” (“Kelebeğin Rüyası”, 2013)

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directed by Yılmaz Erdoğan
© 2013 United International Pictures (UIP). All Rights Reserved.

Oscars are so famous that I guess even people who have nothing to do with cinema and don’t really follow such news notice whether some film received this statuette. I mean, they decide to finally go to the cinema because they have nothing better to do and while choosing the film they spot this little note on the poster “Oscar winner”, or at least “Oscar nomination”. Oscars have power. But think of all the films which have never had a chance to be nominated, especially the ones from all over the world. And today I’d like to tell you about such production. “The Butterfly’s Dream” was the Turkish entry for the Academy Awards in 2014, but didn’t get a nomination. Considering the final nominees, I agree with this decision, because they were indeed better. But I’d like you to learn about this film and perhaps you’ll decide to see it. We get to know two young poets – Muzaffar (Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ) and Rüştü (Mert Fırat), who are doing their civil service in the early 40s. I guess we all know how inharmonious that time was, so writing poems wasn’t the most profitable or preferred activity among young people. Those two meet a beautiful girl named Suzan (Belçim Bilgin) and both decide to fight for her heart. And how can poets win a woman’s affection? Writing poems, of course. The winner of this love battle is for you to discover, yet it’s also the time when people were suffering from tuberculosis, which did not omit the young poets and complicated their life even more. The whole story is a lovely tribute to all young artists who died back then and were forgotten despite their often enormous talent. Generally the film wasn’t spectacular in my eyes, but I was amazed by the cinematography, production design and costumes. All that really took me back in time and it was difficult to look away. Sometimes it’s good to dig in this cinema box full of unknown films.

My rating: 6/10
S.

Why are these kids out on the street? “Paper Lives” (“Kagittan Hayatlar”, 2021)

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directed by Can Ulkay
© 2021 Netflix. All Rights Reserved.

You know what this film reminded me of? Each time I visit my grandmother, who’s a huge fan of Turkish TV dramas. She always explains me the plot and the characters, so even though I don’t watch such series, I know exactly what’s going on. And this film has those Turkish vibes. I mean, they like very emotional scenes accompanied with music where you can hear popular for their culture instruments. And you can immediately guess that it’s a Turkish drama. So at first I thought that this production wouldn’t surprise me more than any of those series that my granny’s watching. But since I’m writing about it, I guess it did surprise me. The main character is Mehmet (Çagatay Ulusoy), a man who’s having serious health problems and he’s waiting for a kidney transplant. In the meantime, he tries not to think about his condition and focuses on his job which is running a solid waste warehouse. One day, in all that trash that got to his warehouse, he finds a boy. His name is Ali (Emir Ali Dogrul) and apparently his mother put him in a bag and threw away in order to protect the boy from his stepfather. Or perhaps she abandoned the child, we don’t really know. Mehmet decides to take care of Ali as he was once an abandoned boy as well. The drama was so engaging and also a bit relaxing, that I totally forgot about paying attention to the plot and… well, watch it till the end. I must say they tricked me, so good job Turkey. I’d like to tell you more, but I feel like whatever I say may destroy your experience, so just check it out yourselves. Personally, I don’t think I’ll start watching Turkish TV series though, but I’d like to keep discovering Turkish cinema as there are some hidden gems there.

My rating: 6/10
S.