I saw it in Istanbul Film Festival, and the strength of the movie was crystal clear to me: At least 10 people (who are supposed to be from the intellectual, liberal community of Istanbul) immediately left the hall by the time the two guys got close to each other (even before they were nude or kissing). So that was not totally because they were homophobic, it was mostly because this homosexual relationship was not aestheticized as they were used to (blue is the warmest color etc): The gay couple was two poor, not-so-handsome guys in a dirty, shabby flat. (And one of them was even a Roma, can you believe it?)
So this is what I expect from realist cinema: change the game, invade the comfort zones and shock the prejudiced.
I also want to note the similarities to a Turkish movie that drew my attention. The movie is Gelecek Uzun Sürer ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2033997/ ) which tells the story of a Turkish sociologist going to the Kurdish city of Diyarbakir to write her thesis on Kurdish requiems. Similarly again, Like Adi, the protagonist in that movie too was looking cold-hearted and reserved too. I think the message is obvious: The science is always "cold" even when it is in a "love story" with its scientific object.
So this is what I expect from realist cinema: change the game, invade the comfort zones and shock the prejudiced.
I also want to note the similarities to a Turkish movie that drew my attention. The movie is Gelecek Uzun Sürer ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2033997/ ) which tells the story of a Turkish sociologist going to the Kurdish city of Diyarbakir to write her thesis on Kurdish requiems. Similarly again, Like Adi, the protagonist in that movie too was looking cold-hearted and reserved too. I think the message is obvious: The science is always "cold" even when it is in a "love story" with its scientific object.