Our Grand Despair (2011)

The peaceful cohabitation of two 30-something bachelors is disrupted when they both fall in love with the charming young woman who moves in with them.

Director:

Seyfi Teoman

Writers:

Baris Bicakci (novel), Baris Bicakci (script)

Stars:

Ilker Aksum, Fatih Al, Gunes Sayin

5 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Ilker Aksum	...	Ender
Fatih Al	...	Cetin
Gunes Sayin	...	Nihal
Taner Birsel	...	Murat - Cetin's brother
Baki Davrak	...	Fikret - Nihal's brother
Mehmet Ali Nuroglu	...	Bora
Beril Boz	...	Asli
Damla Kabakci	...	Nihal's friend
Durak Bulbuk	...	Doorman
Tamer Yurtbasi	...	Young man at bar
Meliha Corek	...	Receptionist
Ilker Burma	...	Hikmet
Selim Gürata	...	Ender's father
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mustafa Gökpinar	...	Sloganci

Storyline

The peaceful cohabitation of bachelors Ender and Cetin is disrupted when they allow a friend's sister to move in with them. The 30-something longtime friends are overwhelmed by the presence of the uncommunicative Nihal. What possessed them to accept the responsibility of a university student in their home? Especially a girl struggling with the trauma of recently losing her parents in a car accident. But simple daily rituals like sharing meals eventually bring the three roommates together for more pleasant moments. Nihal soon comes out of her depressed shell and the two men discover a vibrant beautiful young woman. Always caring and protective gentlemen, Ender and Cetin are intent on being conscientious guardians. Nihal enjoys discussing literature and poetry with scholarly Ender, and she finds comfort in boisterous Cetin's earthy humor. Nihal is touched by the men's loyal friendship: in a sort of bromance since high school, Ender and Cetin now seem like an old married couple... Before...

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Plot Keywords:

best friend | roommate | friend | gay interest | literature | 

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Genres:

Drama

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User Reviews

A movie for those who have read the book...

What actually prompted me to see this movie was the fact that it was directed by a director like Seyfi Teoman who was nominated for European Discovery of the Year in 2008 with his movie 'Summer Book', which was indeed a promising debut, and the fact that Our Grand Despair was selected to be in competition at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival but I rarely watch an adaptation without reading the book first. Ender (İlker Aksum) and Cetin ( Faith Al)are in their late thirties. They are childhood friends and they share the same flat, which is something they have been dreaming about for years. Both of them have apparently failed in their pursuit for love. For that matter, the two guys did not go beyond the realms of sexuality in their pursuit though it was not openly mentioned in the movie. Their hard cohabitation is disrupted by Nihal, the sister of their close friend Fikret (Baki Davrak)who happen to lose both of their parents in a traffic accident and we set out to watch two friends torn between social responsibility and following their heart. I'm not necessarily one of the fans of the book.I can say I did not just like Barış Bıçakçı's style which has been claimed to be devoid of any modern logorrhoea and unclarity.The book was written as if it were a letter by Ender to Çetin to give an account of what they went through together.It sounded as if the writer were just talking to himself or just reliving the moment again in his mind.That's why,I believe, some scenes might have sounded so blank for someone who has never read the book. It may have looked irrelevant, redundant and tedious. Some say, they could have used voice-overs with music to cover that void. Because, there is no voice-over and there is so little music in the movie.

Güneş Sayın look cools as the bereaving university student but I can't say the same thing for her as the lively,enchanting young girl who comes out of her depressed shell. İlker Aksum is like not the same guy Ender, from whose point of view you read the whole story in the book,nevertheless, Aksum is good enough to play the role cut out for himself in the script. Faith Al is also not bad when you think about the fact you only get to know about him through Çetin in the book.All in all, if you haven't read the book,the movie may just look 'incomplete' for you. If you have read the book and happened to love it, then it's no doubt that the movie will not satisfy you at all. Let's just hope that the promising Teoman will come up with a better idea next time because whenever cineastes run out of new ideas, they just remember the holy matrimony of silver screen and literature.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

Turkey Germany Netherlands

Language:

Turkish

Release Date:

15 April 2011 (Turkey)

Also Known As:

Bizim Büyük Çaresizliğimiz

Filming Locations:

Amasra, Turkey

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$86,315

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bulut Film, unafilm, Circe Films

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1