KaanBae Reviews

Kim Bu Aile? (2022)

Quite The Funny Turkish Comedy

[8/10 · 13 October 2022]

Kim Bu Aile? Is a genuinely cute movie that hits every beat a popcorn comedy should, entertaining an audience throughout.

Based off of a Korean movie, Kim Bu Aile? Is the story of Adem, an old timer cop who messes up a drug bust and is placed on leave. Defying the commissioner, Adem, and an unlikely crew of undesirables go undercover as a family who runs a restaurant, spying on the drug ring with the hopes of eventually taking them down.

Having cast some of Turkeys hottest comedians, this movie has its fair share of laugh out loud moments that are complemented by heartwarming scenes of family and friendship. All in all it is a must see for fans of Turkish comedy!

Stuck Apart (2021)

Relatively Flat Character Study

[6/10 · 12 January 2021]

Lets be honest, you are all asking yourselves what did I watch? How were these actors cast in this, and who funded it?

But first some backstory... This film was the first writing credit for the Taylan brothers, and they unapologetically gave us an avant-garde Turkish character study. In Turkey there are two types of stories; the traditional 3 act structure that most of us are used to called the "Olay Oykusu" OR the character study / "glimpse into the life of" pieces that have a very thin plot, and spend more time on character, called "Durum Oykusu". Azizler my friends, is the latter, a story where we glimpse into the ridiculous and unbelievable lives of our protagonists. Although this version of storytelling is dominant in biographical stories (Roma, Kaybedenler Kulubu) it is rare to see this format in a minimalistically fantastical world - and lets all be honest, it was too bizarre. As for our actors, this type of story is where they truly get to flex their acting muscles since the movie depends on it and they have quite the range to do what they want.

Since this is the first writing piece from the Taylan brothers, one can assume that they are still fine tuning their skills and that they have more to grow. Thankfully Netflix has enough cash to throw at them, probably for the sake of creating a relationship and I assume gave them final cut. This resulted in a 6/10 film that was too off the beaten path for its own good. Will you like this film if you don't watch award films? No. Will you watch this because it is all the A-listers best work? Probably not. Should you get baked before watching this? Absolutely... But what did you expect - actually though what did you expect?

If you watch this movie, you should do so for the views and so that Netflix spends more money in Turkey. Maybe if enough of us watch these Turkish films, Netflix might greenlight a "Roma" of our own.

Ethos (2020)

Ethos, one of the best character studies of our time

[10/10 · 18 November 2020]

This show is a 10/10, hats off to Berkun because he just put the bar so high that I fear Turkish television has peaked.

If anyone would ask me how's Istanbul doing these days, Id ask them to watch this show. This has excellent acting, story, dialogue, directing and most importantly this is real. This story jumps out of the screen and resonates with its audience. There is a naive person, an arrogant person, a lonely person, a crazy person, a religious person... in all of us and if anything, Berkun Oya is an Auteur for the reminder.

Every so often you watch a show, where the pauses in dialogue and tension in the room are visible. Where the story resonates with you and even though your life couldn't be farther than Meryem's life or Ruhiye's, YOU CAN RELATE. You understand why Ali Sadi Hoca loves his camper, and you understand why Sinan and Peri hate themselves. You know that you are far removed from this reality but that viewer inside of you wants to grab every character and hug them, and say that they are perfect. It's not their fault that they are flawed, they are the bi-product of the East-meets-West, of their parents, of their surroundings...

The list can go on and on as to why this is an excellent character study / Tv Show, but please by all means be the judge of that your selves. This story isn't meant for any single group, but we will all feel offended. Yet doesn't that resonate perfectly with these times?