The film successfully captures the handicaps and dangers of growing up in a poor neighborhood and the inner world of a teenager girl (Hayat, meaning "life" in Turkish) who learns how to strive and defend against all threats all by herself. Hayat has no choice but to grow up fast, sadly having no joys of a childhood. She is introvert, and lacking communications makes her disliked by her teachers and she does not seem to have any real friends. In one scene, she bribes the kids at school, in the hopes of being liked and accepted by them. Letting go is so easy but yet she keeps the hope for a better day. I think that the "arabesque" songs by Orhan Gencebay were a good choice for this film. Besides Director Reha Erdem, young talent Elit İşcan (Hayat) deserves a lot of credit for this successful movie and I hope we will be seeing her in other successful work in future.
Review of Hayat Var
