During the IFFR festival I thought that it would be great to spend one additional day here, in Rotterdam. This last day, however, felt unbearable sentimental. I walked through the empty halls of De Doelen, envying the Volkskrantdag's crowds. So, I decided to pay one final visit to the video library and the choice was clear -- “Two Lines” was the only new Turkish film from the YT programme I was not able to see during the festival.
When I started watching the YT titles 10 days ago, I could compare them only to the well-known Iranian style. On the other hand, I was surprised that almost all plot-lines dealt with the problem of initiation. The eight features I saw, were focused on a young male character who is about to wrench from the delicate web of family expectations or daily routine, but usually does not (except for Cemal, the main protagonist in “The Storm”). Yet, the psychoanalytical approach is too conventional, so I looked for another explanation and immersed myself in this new universe, where emotional and social issues merge together. Now, I must admit that I am absolutely in love with the Turkish cinema. I think I learned to decode the silence and to interpret each gaze. After this, one can easily become addicted to this beautiful cinematography with long static shots and exquisite mise en scène.
If you are curious about the YT selection, I recommend two titles for a start: “Wrong Rosary” (one of the Tiger award winners) and “Black Dogs Barking”. The first one is a modest romance involving two people, dedicated to two different religions. The second one is a dog-eat-dog story with a predictable outcome, but great editing and soundtrack. Both of them offer an interesting, actually opposite, perspective to Istanbul as well. In one of the last days I had the chance to make an interview with the directors of “Black Dogs Barking”, Maryna Gorbach and Mehmet Bahadir Er. While discussing with them the so called New Wave in the contemporary Turkish cinema, I was amazed by the community feeling among all young authors and especially by the respect they pay to the former generation. Not only Maryna and Mehmet, but also the other debutants, have a lot of experience in shorts, documentaries and commercials. Nevertheless, they prefer to avoid high-sounding definitions and self-confident forecasts.
I am already on my way home, but I still think about these eight Turkish movies I saw. I sacrificed a lot of Japanese and Russian titles, but I have no regrets, because in Bulgaria it would be easier to find them, rather than a Turkish film. God save the torrent sites and I hope to meet you all again next year!
Yoana Pavlova
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