Janjan (2007)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Aydin Sayman

Writer:

Erdogan Akduman (writer)

Release Date:

12 October 2007 (Turkey)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The intellectually hindered Janjan Berk Hakman lives in a town in Anatolien. It is 35 years old...

Cast

Berk Hakman	...	Janjan-Sadik
Selen Seyven	...	Güzel
Çetin Öner	...	Murtaza
Levent Yilmaz	...	Kerim
Aykut Oray	...	Mahmut
Aykut Kayacik	...	Ahmet
Özay Fecht	...	Fadime
Onur Dikmen	...	Zeynel
Necmettin Çobanoglu	...	Abdullah
Ayten Uncuoglu	...	Nurcan
Mirja Mahir	...	Ulrike
Sila Sahin	...	Yasemin
Mehmet Ezici	...	Muhtar
Ahmet Firat	...	Haydar
Nalan Erkovan	...	Seher

Runtime:

Turkey:95 min

Country:

Turkey

Language:

German | Turkish

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Kütahya, Turkey

Company:

De Yapimcilik

That's What the Directors are for!

A well-known and widely scattered myth in Turkey forms the plot. Despite that simple and nothing-special plot, the story couldn't have been told any better. The use of the screenplay and cinematography is so triumphant that draws the viewer into a creeping sensation. The story takes place at one of today's country towns in Turkey. Berk Hakman(Deniz from Hatirla Sevgili TV-series) performs the leading role as Janjan, a mentally deficient but very naive young man. Everybody in this small town loves him. He plays with children all the time and lives as a servant to a rich and old man. His master, aged 70, marries to a 17 year-old infant girl, named Guzel, in exchange for some amount of money from her father. To the house Janjan lives with his master, Guzel settles in. Believing that Janjan is trusty and loyal with him, his master leaves Janjan and the girl together when he's gone to work everyday. In a short period of time, old man begins to torment her a lot. She often cries secretly of the sufferings she is facing. Janjan watches her at days and nights secretly, willing to help her but cannot do nothing. Happens to become like "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" , as if Janjan being the Quasimodo and Guzel being the Esmeralda, the story turns out to be a hopeless "Beauty and the Beast" drama. But as the story progresses unexpectedly good things followed by bad things catch their destiny up to a miraculous ending.

With the devotedly influential acting of the leading characters this is a great love story. I think of if there is any failure or flaw that Janjan has, what i find out is; this is a great work of silver screen and every aspect of the movie perfectly fits with it. The choice for the camera angles and the distance between the camera and the stage is at its best on every single scene. Editing is perfectly done with the music composition, so the story comes out in a harmony. Ending was so memorable. It is the greatest thing ever happening to the lovers. They just vanish away... An extra-ordinary ending like that can only be dished out by David Lynch for turning such a myth into real life that much perfectly.

I advise Janjan to cinema lovers of each type. As a romance, strongly recommended to couples. 6 years ago when I was in Europe, a girl of my age has come to me and asked: "Why do Turkish couples always have to wait to get married for long years?" . May be there wouldn't be love at all, if there has been no complications to get over together with your lover.