Read AFTER you watch the movie (it is worth watching again, anyway): I grew up in Turkey (Turkiye). Turkish is my native tongue. Although this film received much-deserved international acclaim, it is sad that the subtitles are not always accurate (I wonder if they were improved upon later). A crucial point that should not be missed is this: A few minutes into the film, on an ox-cart with his uncle and his son, the father talks about finding a job and sending his son to school ("If only the boy could learn."). What is not translated is that he is told, during the military service (where each soldier is expected to at least learn to read and write), that he and his kind are not 'men', but they should strive to make 'men' out of their children. This shows one good thing about Turkey, and one disgrace: Turkey does offer some opportunities for poor children to excel through education, etc. (ethnicity or 'class' is not destiny there); but it has next to no program for 'adult education'. What became even worse since the times depicted in the film is that many villages and small towns that _did_ have decent schools had to close them due to accelerated migration to cities. Involuntary migration, no doubt, is a global problem, and one for which no political ideology seems prepared for...
Another thing I must note for the non-Turkish viewers is that Genco Erkal (the father) is a highly-educated 'actor's actor' who received many awards in his 40+ year career. I was privileged to watch him in his one-man play of Gogol's "Diary of a Madman". Some think that he can easily go 'over the top'. To his credit, in this film, he gives no hint that he is anything more than a poor and ignorant (almost emasculated) peasant.
Some of the music is by Okay Temiz, one of the most respected (Turkish) instrumental musicians in Europe.
I have not lived in villages like the one depicted here, and I never saw a supposedly traditional 'play' like the one that opens the film. However, I see very little in this film that is unfair or unkind to life experience in Turkey. I can only say that, to the credit of no humans, Istanbul offers beautiful sceneries even to the poorest and most desperate visitors --once in a while. Besides, there are at least 2 architectural wonders in Istanbul that crown the tops of 2 hills, and there is no charge for gazing at them. I hope no one expects this movie to be fair to the city of Istanbul itself.
One minor point where the movie misrepresents life in Istanbul 'fairly' is when someone tries to sell some poetry on a ferry (one of their first experiences in the city). In several years of riding those ferries, I never witnessed such a classy sale! Perhaps it did happen somewhere, but I have the feeling that the director is making a plug for the poet, Ilhami Bekir, here. (I will be glad to see myself corrected.) Ilhami Bekir, whose poem is only poorly translated in the subtitles, was also orphaned at a young age; he died in 1984.
The mother who lost her son (and her mind)... Though I never saw a woman like that myself, I can't doubt that there must be an increasing number of them these days --with increasing prostitution, among other things...
It may be striking to some in 'the West' how strong these Turks' faith in education is --despite the common indifference of the educated people towards the poor! (I remember the comments of 'Kaffir Boy' on too few black Americans going to free libraries...) I suppose, there are many college graduates, these days, who are pushing similar carts in Istanbul.
It may also be striking how 'innocent' many of the boys are, compared to the stereotypical poor kids of 'inner cities' of the USA. It is perhaps a fair generalization (and unreliable as most generalizations go) that there is more widespread affection towards children and youngsters in Turkey, as compared to many Western societies. ('Dead-beat dad' is not a common expression in Turkey.) But there is too little social organization to protect children's rights.
This movie is well worth watching -- but not for its cinematography, and certainly not for its 'entertainment value'. Since it shows only a tiny sliver of life in Turkey, I hope no one expects it to suffice for a project of "Let's get to know about other cultures". It can go some distance, though. And, unlike many high-budget movies, this one at least gives you enough credit: It assumes that you are capable of compassionate social activism. One does not need to be a 'socialist' to see a redeeming value in this effort (I am definitely not one). Highly recommended for "Free the Children" supporters who are over 16 (there is a short and unglorified sex scene here, where the boy's tears are not uncharacteristic).
The film was dedicated to the director's father. Some may think that it is an 'adaptation' of "The Bicycle Thief (1949)" by Vittorio De Sica. It may be safe to assume that Ali Ozgenturk was familiar with that film. Still, one needs to ask him about his own experiences first...
Another thing I must note for the non-Turkish viewers is that Genco Erkal (the father) is a highly-educated 'actor's actor' who received many awards in his 40+ year career. I was privileged to watch him in his one-man play of Gogol's "Diary of a Madman". Some think that he can easily go 'over the top'. To his credit, in this film, he gives no hint that he is anything more than a poor and ignorant (almost emasculated) peasant.
Some of the music is by Okay Temiz, one of the most respected (Turkish) instrumental musicians in Europe.
I have not lived in villages like the one depicted here, and I never saw a supposedly traditional 'play' like the one that opens the film. However, I see very little in this film that is unfair or unkind to life experience in Turkey. I can only say that, to the credit of no humans, Istanbul offers beautiful sceneries even to the poorest and most desperate visitors --once in a while. Besides, there are at least 2 architectural wonders in Istanbul that crown the tops of 2 hills, and there is no charge for gazing at them. I hope no one expects this movie to be fair to the city of Istanbul itself.
One minor point where the movie misrepresents life in Istanbul 'fairly' is when someone tries to sell some poetry on a ferry (one of their first experiences in the city). In several years of riding those ferries, I never witnessed such a classy sale! Perhaps it did happen somewhere, but I have the feeling that the director is making a plug for the poet, Ilhami Bekir, here. (I will be glad to see myself corrected.) Ilhami Bekir, whose poem is only poorly translated in the subtitles, was also orphaned at a young age; he died in 1984.
The mother who lost her son (and her mind)... Though I never saw a woman like that myself, I can't doubt that there must be an increasing number of them these days --with increasing prostitution, among other things...
It may be striking to some in 'the West' how strong these Turks' faith in education is --despite the common indifference of the educated people towards the poor! (I remember the comments of 'Kaffir Boy' on too few black Americans going to free libraries...) I suppose, there are many college graduates, these days, who are pushing similar carts in Istanbul.
It may also be striking how 'innocent' many of the boys are, compared to the stereotypical poor kids of 'inner cities' of the USA. It is perhaps a fair generalization (and unreliable as most generalizations go) that there is more widespread affection towards children and youngsters in Turkey, as compared to many Western societies. ('Dead-beat dad' is not a common expression in Turkey.) But there is too little social organization to protect children's rights.
This movie is well worth watching -- but not for its cinematography, and certainly not for its 'entertainment value'. Since it shows only a tiny sliver of life in Turkey, I hope no one expects it to suffice for a project of "Let's get to know about other cultures". It can go some distance, though. And, unlike many high-budget movies, this one at least gives you enough credit: It assumes that you are capable of compassionate social activism. One does not need to be a 'socialist' to see a redeeming value in this effort (I am definitely not one). Highly recommended for "Free the Children" supporters who are over 16 (there is a short and unglorified sex scene here, where the boy's tears are not uncharacteristic).
The film was dedicated to the director's father. Some may think that it is an 'adaptation' of "The Bicycle Thief (1949)" by Vittorio De Sica. It may be safe to assume that Ali Ozgenturk was familiar with that film. Still, one needs to ask him about his own experiences first...