The Anatolian (2007) User Reviews

Turkish father searching for his long lost daugther in USA

[nmuratpekin · 10/10 · 27 October 2007]

I saw the film and loved it. The story and characters matched very well.The most of all I did not felt that the movie was 50 minute long. The story moved forward in every scene until the end. The cast was excellent. The Turkish (Anatolian) culture and American culture a carefully balanced. The editing and music help to understand the story. What amaze me the most is I could not imagine a better film for the amount of the budget. After the movie I looked up for the director's earliest works then I found out that he has award winning another film, Crecent Star, which I look forward to see it. I wish him a good luck with his work.

very pleasantly surprised

[johnson-steven93 · 9/10 · 16 April 2008]

When I came across this film I expected it to be mediocre at best because I was told that it was made with an extremely low budget. However, the story, the music, the "feel" of it made me forget all about the amount of money. I really enjoyed this film. The writer/director Turgut Adiguzel did a wonderful job in telling an intense story. All of the actors did a fine job. However, the lead actor Alex Demir was absolutely incredible! When I learned that he was not actually an elderly Anatolian man (in reality he was born and raised in the U.S.) I was amazed. The fact that he was so convincing shows me that not only is Demir a major talent but also that Adiguzel did a great job in directing him. These two need to be working together on more projects and I want to see their work. I'm now a fan of both.

congratulations Turk!

[jennifer_perich · 21 April 2008]

Before I saw this film, I knew nothing about your talent as a film maker.Knowing what the budget, and time constraints were, I was extremely impressed.I was genuinely intrigued with the characters and of course Alex Demir as Efendi was as always, amazing.Also, who ever was responsible for the realistic physical transformation of Alex Demir into this older, Anatolian man did a fantastic job.

From the opening scene, I was curious and as the story unfolded I found myself drawn deeper and deeper into the drama.

Great job Turk, and I look forward to seeing a full length feature written and directed by Turget (Turk) Adiguzel in the near future.

Excellent storyteller!

[zynozay · 10/10 · 15 November 2007]

This is very special film. Great story, great casting, great editing and great sound. All cast played their part very good. Especially the father character. For an Ameıcan actor he dıd played the Turkish character very well. l felt his hope and anger in every scene. Also the lighting, costume and production design was so successful. I thought I was watching a big budget movie. I also loved the use of camera and it's placement. It was carefully chosen which complement the naivety of the story. In the movie beside the father and the daughter relationship, the story, also managed to support the Armenian, Turkish and American friendship as well as the cultural differences between East and the West. Most of all, the story was told in fifty minutes and the entire budget was less then five thousand dollar. In short, beside watching a good film, I also learned that their is no need to have millions of $$$$$$ to tell a good story. An excellent storyteller will do. As long as he knows how and what to say. Congratulation!