This Turkish film is one that appeared in every editions of the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, it is also the last one I had to watch of the current edition I had in 2019, so I was hoping it would be a good one to finish on. Basically, in Turkey, several prisoners are granted furlough, one week to return home. One prisoner, Seyit Ali (Tarik Akan), returns home to find that his wife Ziné (Serif Sezer) has betrayed him and turned to prostitution. He stays with her when she becomes ill during a snowstorm. Despite his efforts to keep her warm, she eventually dies, but the pressure from the family is lifted for Seyit. Another prisoner, Mehmet Salih (Halil Ergün) has been arrested for his role in a heist with his brother-in-law. His in-laws have disowned him, and he is finally forced to tell his wife Emine (Meral Orhonsay) the truth. Emine and Mehmet Salih decide to run away together. They board a train and are caught in the washroom when wanting to have sex. They are saved from an angry mob by the train's officers and held in a cabin, but a young boy who followed them shoots Mehmet and Emine. A third prisoner, Ömer (Necmettin Çobanoglu) returns to his village sitting near the border between Turkey and Syria. He makes arrangements to cross the border to escape prison. Ömer finds his village in a battle between Kurdish smugglers and Turkish soldiers. He feels the struggle of this battle when his brother is shot dead. Through his brother's death, Ömer inherits the responsibilities of his brother's wife and children. The story of a group of prisoners facing continued oppression from their families, friends and others as they return home is interesting, the culture, government and attitudes changing around them makes it more difficult during the week's leave they have. It is a good story of characters facing up to their political crimes and personally calamities, it highlights the tragedy of a nation whose future is held back by its past, and it has really good visuals of the Turkish countryside and cities, it is an interesting enough drama. It was nominated the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. Very good!
Review of The Road
