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38 out of 39 people found the following review useful:
Best Turkish film of the 1980s, 19 January 2005
10/10
Author: Tilly Gokbudak from Roanoke, Va.

I am completing a thesis on Turkish cinema. I have seen many Turkish films, and I think this is definitely one of the five best and certainly the best one of its' era though the underrated "Polizei" which "Yol"'s co-director Serif Goren helmed is right up there. "Yol" is amazing for many reasons. I have heard some amazing Hollywood back stories of how films like "MASH" and "Apocalypse Now" were hellish shoots. But, none of them matches what the filmmakers did on this project. "Yol" was secretly filmed, and the entire cast, which included box office icon Tarik Akan risked being blacklisted. The film was subsequently banned in Turkey until 1992, and it was not shown theatrically there until 1999. It is a scathing indictment of political and social oppression in Turkey in the early 1980s. Symbolism is used throughout the film, with birds representing freedom, horses representing virtue, and women representing oppression. Many Westerneners have labeled Yilmaz Guney, Turkey's best known director who envisioned "Yol" from his prison and then while in exile, a champion of feminist ideals. But, if one sees some of his earlier film like "Canli Hedef/Live Target" they might be in for a surprise (that film features an off-camera rape of a 10-year old girl). I like Guney's films but I agree with Serif Goren's assessment that his contributions to "Yol" were completely overlooked. Goren proved to be a capable director in his own right, and his film "10 Kadin/10 Women" is perhaps the essential film for expressing ideals which are sympathetic to feminism- a movement that I sympathize with in terms of Turkey, but am neutral towards in the West. "Yol" also deals with Kurdish suppression. One of the more poignant moments in the film comes when Halil Ergun's character comes to back to his hometown Diyarbakir (in Eastern Turkey) on the train during his prison leave. He comments how strange it is to be back home. The central theme of the film is that the oppressive elements of prison life are evident just as much on the outside. Personally, I think Turkey has made significant progress in recent years. It is a shame that except for Michael Moore, Barbara Kopple, and Tim Robbins, very few American film makers take these kinds of risks that Guney and Goren did with "Yol." In my view, the more recent Turkish film "Distant" has surpassed "Yol" as the best Turkish film ever made, but this is still a magnificent artistic achievement which can be merited as a classic in terms of international cinema.

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30 out of 32 people found the following review useful:
One of the Top 10 Best Films I Have Ever Seen, 14 April 2003
10/10
Author: chthon2 from Orlando, Florida, USA

Yol tells the story of several prisoners on leave in Turkey. Seyit Ali (Tariq Akan) finds that his wife (Serif Sezer) has cheated on him, but when her family insists on an honor killing, he cannot make himself kill her. Mehmet Salih (Halil Ergun) was arrested after trying to pull of a heist with his brother-in-law, whom he abandoned as he was being shot by the police. His in laws want nothing to do with him, and he is forced to finally tell his wife Emine (Meral Orhonsay) the truth. Omar (Nedgmettin Chobanoglu) returns to his village to find that it has been caught up in Turkey's civil war, and is in ruins. They all must deal with how their worlds have changed since being behind bars.

This film is so startlingly beautiful. I am not Turkish, but I am Muslim and speak some Turkish, and it was nice to see something from a Muslim director, who was not trying to copy Hollywood. This was a Turkish film, and Sherif Goren did not try to make it for anyone else. Turks are interesting people; their country has problems, and when they appear strong on the outside, on the inside, they always seem to be in pain, from their heart; yet, they always manage to be happy. They have great perseverence.

Anyway, Yilmaz Guney wrote such a great script, he captured a peice of his culture a put it in a medium most people can understand. It's a masterpeice, giving a glimpse of people with a beautiful religion and culture that anyone could watch. An excellent film.

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17 out of 18 people found the following review useful:
A wonderful movie about alienation, 29 October 1998
Author: Cath-10 from France

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

YOL is a wonderful movie in which five Turkish prisoners, who are alienated by imprisonment, are granted one week of permission and discover that the Turkish society itself also alienates its inhabitants. The stories of these five men going back home for one short week are five tragedies : one of them has an unfaithful wife whose family orders him to kill her, in order to avenge the clan's honor. Another one is in love with a young girl of his village, but is compelled, by tradition, to marry his sister-in-law when his brother is killed by soldiers. Another one cannot see his wife or his children because his family-in-law cannot forgive him for giving up their son to the police when they both tried to rob a bank. All these men are confronted with the harsh rules of tradition that impede on their own freedom and feelings. This is a beautiful and never boring movie that is simply unforgettable.

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17 out of 19 people found the following review useful:
Roads do end, 4 March 1999
9/10
Author: leandros from Istanbul

Five prisoners are given permission to visit their homes, and they get on their ways. Once out, we discover that we all live in a big prison, on endless roads which start and seem not to end. All roads end. Eventually. Absolutely harsh, touching, fierce, itching and scratching, disturbing movie about reality. A must see for those who have their own cliché definitons of how a "road movie" must be like.

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17 out of 22 people found the following review useful:
Truly a masterpiece, 6 May 2002
10/10
Author: bobbymeizer from Santa Cruz, California

The artistry of this movie is astonishing in virtually every aspect of its filmmaking. What makes that all the more remarkable is that the footage was all shot by the assistant director in Turkey then taken to Switzerland for Yilmaz Güney (a brilliant writer/director who had to leave Turkey to escape persecution and imprisonment, mostly because of his empathy for the plight of the Kurdish people under Turkish rule) to edit and dub. The cinematography is colorful, rich and varied. The musical sound track is beautiful and well-integrated. The various subplots seem to echo and build on each other. Somehow, while making the grim realities of modern Turkey all too evident, this film also left me with a feeling of the indomitability of those who struggle for freedom.

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10 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
A Masterpiece, 11 March 2005
10/10
Author: Wulfstan10 from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Despite a couple loose ends, this film is so well made and the story so compelling and powerful that it must be considered a masterpiece. This is especially true considering that it was made in one of the most difficult times in Turkish history to make a movie of any sort, especially one with such strong social and political commentary.

The story is a powerful and fascinating tale of several prisoners on temporary leave from a prison, and the crucial events that they face. Tragedy and sadness are prevalent, despite the fact that each character's leave has a very different outcome, and the film excellently and compellingly explores how the characters must face their difficult circumstances. It addresses a wide range of forces, political, social, familial, that impact the lives of the characters, and comments on all of these. The film's exploration of these issues ranges from blunt and harsh, to subtle and satirical and the actors are simply fabulous.

The result is a compelling, extremely moving, and thought-provoking film. However, people who watch it should avoid using it as a guide for what Turkey is like today, especially in certain aspects. They must remember that this film is over 20 years old and was made at one of the darkest periods in Turkish history.

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11 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
this movie is a lesson about life, 28 May 2006
10/10
Author: pmwjanssens from Netherlands

This excellent movie shows how people in their life are the prisoner of their situation. The live in a world and society that expects them things to do and behave, and the do and behave as expected, even if they don't feel happy with it, or hurts them. They have to. This is a lesson for myself, and life as I experience it. Yhis is dramatically illustrated in the movie in the scene in which the husband is forcing his wife to go with him through the mountains, through the snow. Which has a bad ending. I remember this scene even more than 20 years after I saw it ever. This 'being prisoner of your situation' is not specific for the Turkish or any culture. I think it is typical for humans in general. Look around and you will see.

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11 out of 16 people found the following review useful:
PROBABLY BEST TURKISH FILM EVER MADE IN TURKISH CINEMA HISTORY, 31 March 2001
9/10
Author: Ali Basar Usta (bausta@hotmail.com) from Istanbul, Turkey

Yol has a very special place in Turkish cinema.It is a masterpiece in my opinion.What makes Yol different from other Turkish films.The most important reason is that it comes from its own culture.It doesn't try to imitate American films or some others.It has its own way.This is really very important in building a film.When Turkish directors catch this point like Yýlmaz Güney I believe very good Turkish films will exist in the future.

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7 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
The Best Movie I Have Ever Seen, 31 December 2004
10/10
Author: alpber from Istanbul, Turkey

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Five prisoners have been permitted to visit their homes. Each has a different story. In this movie, you will see people that cannot decide how their lives will be, all limited by nonsenses. You will see, in each frame of this movie, a well-taken photo of an expert photographer of the mood of people after a revolution. What you will see, is the most handsome actor of Turkey, Tarik Akan, in a far different role from all fun movies he had acted before this movie. Watch the best directing ever in Turkish cinema. This is one of the best dramas the world would ever see. Don't miss it. See the facts that Turkish people still avoid seeing.

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10 out of 15 people found the following review useful:
political prisoners, 24 July 2005
8/10
Author: Lee Eisenberg (eisenberg.lee@gmail.com) from Portland, Oregon, USA

Turkey is officially the only functioning democracy in the Middle East, along with Israel. But "Yol" shows that regardless of Turkey's official classification, it does have political prisoners. In this case, five of them are given a leave so that they can visit their families. While on their leaves, they (and the audience) get to see the realities of life. They may have been released from prison, but there are some metaphoric prisons that we can never escape, no matter how free we consider ourselves.

It was interesting that Yilmaz Guney managed to make this movie from jail. He did a very good job here.

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