Successful Turkish commercial director Levent Semerci adapts the short stories "Tales from the Southeast" and "Ground Minus Zero" by former Turkish National Security Council public relations officer Hakan Evrensel into this successful feature debut which won two awards at the 3rd Yeşilçam Awards as well as being one of the highest grossing Turkish films of 2009.
Veteran army officer Cpt. Mete (Mete Horozoglu), who has been unbalanced by recent casualties, takes command of an ill-prepared platoon of military service conscripts assigned a relay station in the South-Eastern mountains of Turkey at the height of the conflict with the PKK in a plot inspired by a number of genuine incidents.
Mete Horozoglu is superb at the head of a truly ensemble cast of unknown actors who underwent rigorous military training in preparation for their roles and who as a result come together to create a convincing group of everyday Mehmets, with Dogukan Polat and Ibrahim Akoz particular highlights, sent to almost certain death for reasons they can't truly comprehend.
The debut director makes wonderful use of almost poetic imagery to break up the realistically mind numbing monotony of the majority of the film's 128 minute running time with rare moments of high tension such as the Captains initial motivating speech about the dangers of sleep and the brutal final act to create a seemingly realistic war film in the style of "Full Metal Jacket" by Stanley Kubrick.
This film however steers a careful line between patriotism and anti-militarism prompting massive debate throughout Turkey as to the films true message but however you read it you can't help but be moved by the insight into the everyday lives and deaths of these simple folk facing the banal monotony and absolute terror of compulsory military service in a country at war against itself.
"You'll be heroes for 45 seconds!"
Veteran army officer Cpt. Mete (Mete Horozoglu), who has been unbalanced by recent casualties, takes command of an ill-prepared platoon of military service conscripts assigned a relay station in the South-Eastern mountains of Turkey at the height of the conflict with the PKK in a plot inspired by a number of genuine incidents.
Mete Horozoglu is superb at the head of a truly ensemble cast of unknown actors who underwent rigorous military training in preparation for their roles and who as a result come together to create a convincing group of everyday Mehmets, with Dogukan Polat and Ibrahim Akoz particular highlights, sent to almost certain death for reasons they can't truly comprehend.
The debut director makes wonderful use of almost poetic imagery to break up the realistically mind numbing monotony of the majority of the film's 128 minute running time with rare moments of high tension such as the Captains initial motivating speech about the dangers of sleep and the brutal final act to create a seemingly realistic war film in the style of "Full Metal Jacket" by Stanley Kubrick.
This film however steers a careful line between patriotism and anti-militarism prompting massive debate throughout Turkey as to the films true message but however you read it you can't help but be moved by the insight into the everyday lives and deaths of these simple folk facing the banal monotony and absolute terror of compulsory military service in a country at war against itself.
"You'll be heroes for 45 seconds!"