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Reviews
Kuru Otlar Üstüne (2023)
why we avoid good things with the nets we weave ourselves
After Merve Dizdar received her award for best actress at Cannes, my expections were even higher for this NBC film, which was already high, due to his track record for some of the best Turkish films in recent years. And after watching it twice this week, I can safely say that the film lived to all of my expectations.
The plot, as his other films', may seem a bit ordinary, but once again the movie reflects a great depth of some personalities and multi perspective look to some of the facts that exist in a typical east Anatolian village today.
The scenario is very successful in capturing and reflecting some social dilemmas that many viewers will find themselves a part of, with some well prepared scripts that lead to very natural flowing deep dialogues, which are very well played by the leading actress and actor, and other actors.
Not to mention elaborate visuals, which bas already become an NBC signature, but this time smartly decorated with some strikingly beautiful still shots, most probably by NBC himself or his wife Ebru Ceylan, also a co-writer of the film.
Snow has always been NBC's favorite background, but this time he has used it with some early or late hour shots that gave some beautiful visual effects. Similar to his Winter Sleep movie, usage of warm, low dim indirect lighting in some otherwise poor looking (or humble at best) places once again had resulted in painting like scenes, which also highlighted and emphasized some gestures of the actors/actress.
The title of my review is actually one of Nuray's lines at her closing scenes, which striked me most, among many others during the film. Although it seems to be directed to Kenan, it actually summarizes Samet's seeningöy never ending unrest.
I can safely say that this film represents a high point in NBC's successful career and will hopefully get more awards because it simply deserves it fully.
Memoria (2021)
A film that arouses curiosity but..
I watched the film second time, since I could not recall how it ended the first time :) The film is very slow as other critics noted, but also has this strange attraction that keeps you watching till the end. Mystical features are introduced towards the end of the film that really arouse curiosity, leaving a lot of room for viewer interpretation. Even my mother who is 82 (and she is not a festival film type) was able to watch it till the end but her disappointment was much bigger than mine. I don't mind vague endings provided that I am left with enough clues to fill in the gaps. I am not sure that this happened for this film. So I give a 6 out of 10, points mainly coming from the lead role woman actrist performance and curiosity build up towards the end of the film.
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
movie gives feeling of twelve tone music..
I have almost admired the movies shot with space and thematic limits due to its challenges. The director had done a good job in taking this challenge. Even more so by taking continuous shots of up to twelve minutes in average. The cast was well selected, fitting nicely to the story and makes the movie go smooth as a big two hour video clip. The director has successfully set up a stage in which he expresses his dislikes, from shallow Hollywood blockbusters to movie critics, all the way to Justin Bieber. The movie, I think, rightfully deserved its academy award, although this years runner ups were all great, making the decision a tough one for the members.
Hayat Var (2008)
A powerful story of a suburban girl
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.