Change Your Image
kumiretto
Reviews
Nefes: Vatan Sagolsun (2009)
Breath/Nefes is Breathtaking
After watching Nefes/Breath I concluded that all other war movies I have seen so far were shot for entertainment purposes, not comedy of course but dramatic entertainment. Nefes is unlike them, I was fully captivated, experienced 'shock and awe' during the film and did not know that to do when it finished. The TV, DVD was on and in my bed I was lying perplexed, almost shellshocked, just lying still and thinking nothing for more than 10 minutes.
No, it is not a gory film, just that it is real, this is as real as it gets. I can not compare it with any war film or realistic video games such as CoD/MF2. How can it be so 'real' ? I don't know, probably because it was not shot for entertainment or box-office success purposes. The filmmaker had something to tell and he certainly did. My being Turkish may certainly have some influence, not for political reasons but because I fully understood the powerful dialogues.
Now, as I write this review I feel pressure on my chest and experience a rush of emotions. Six months is not enough time to recover from what I've experienced so I shall take another six.
10/10 Note : In Turkey copy dvds were common when the film was released, less common now as DVD prices were slashed. Yet no one copied Nefes. The 'copycat industry' refused to copy a DVD probably for the first time in their history !
Osmanli Cumhuriyeti (2008)
A film with no focus
Some reviewers say this is not a comedy but a drama. I would say while Osmanli Cumhuriyeti is a comedy attempt, it ends up as unsuccessful drama.
The plot is very thin and Müjde tries to create drama through portraying how the Sultan has to go through embarrassing situations in daily life as Osmanli Cumhuriyeti is no longer free and sovereign.
But there is simply not enough substance here as a collection of unimportant details fail to bring neither comedy nor drama. For example, taxi drivers do not recognize him and foreign diplomats put him down.
My feeling is that Müjde was probably thinking like a Turk on the street rather than a filmmaker while shooting this movie. First he would need to have chosen between comedy and drama but I fail to see how a comedy could be made as the collapse of Ottoman Empire is a national tragedy. Where can be the humor when the Sultan is treated as a nobody ? Second he should have spent serious time and effort on the drama or comedy body. As I said before, there is no substance here. The drama needs emotions yet nowhere in the film Müjde can captivate our emotions and make us 'watch the film' as our captivated emotions are shepherded thorough the plot.
Both the director and the actors are talented people and it is a waste to see their effort go bust. They could and can do much better ! But Müjde has to focus on filmmaking and has to stop interviewing pop singers and second rate models on TV. So are we surprised that a capable man with no focus makes a film that is out of focus ? No.
As a Turk I see how good-willed and idealistic they are for they also attempt to show what would have happened if there was no Atatürk. But this is simply too much. OC is an attempt to make a comedy out of a big drama while attempting to teach us history in an idealistic way as if in a documentary !
Uzak (2002)
Beautiful Drama
Uzak is like a sad, powerful poem.
There is so little dialogue and music, yet so nice acting and cinematography and visual symbolism that I fail to get this film out of my mind. I am mesmerized.
There is the depressed city photographer Mahmut who keeps on harassing his younger village-boy relative Yusuf for being coy and naive. Mahmut is originally from the same village however moving to and surviving in Istanbul appears to have changed him. He is a fine professional but inside, he is dead in emotional terms. Yusuf is his opposite, optimistic, warm and unskillful.
The relationship between these two speaks volumes about urban alienation.
Mahmut has no proper relationships in his life, he has no hope, compassion or humor. His focus in life is no longer people but work and TV and some mildly compulsive behaviors. He has almost no feelings other than for his ex-wife but whatever he has, they will remain buried deep within.
Maybe his lack of being 'human' is why he is so harsh on Yusuf. Mahmut was probably like Yusuf, joyful and lively, when he first came to the city. The tough conditions of city life may have pushed him into a survival mode and he focused on work while letting emotions go.
Yusuf also finds himself looking for work in the city, with dreams and no professional skills. Mahmut does not care for his cousin, makes him wait one whole day when he arrives, does not talk with the shipping companies to give a character reference and flatly refuses to help him find low-level work within his employer. He not only has no sympathy for Yusuf but wants him to suffer like he did.
There is big drama here. This mean, they-should-suffer-like-I-did behavior comes out when compassion is lost and this happens when relationships are gone. Some people live to survive like Mahmut, some live to consume more, or to live a life of luxury or as workaholics. Whatever is the case, we are losing our relationships...especially in urban environments.
There is the scene on the Galata bridge, Yusuf is walking and he sees some dying small fish inside the fisherman's bowl. As noted by another reviewer, this scene is so powerful, the huge city is sucking up the life of everything. Animals, plants, coy people, a sincere and happy smile and of course strong relationships. Some 'die' like Mahmut and some try to escape like his ex-wife.
The ending is so powerful, neat, silent and dramatic.