What a thrilling ride and what a powerful one. Lead actor looks like a brutish mixture of Jagger as Ned Kelly, Morrison, Iggy Pop and Nick Cave ,and acts like a monster. Two desperate people meet each with little to lose. The chaotic, rootless life they share brings them closer as they start to realize they have only each other. You can't take your eyes off male lead Birol Unel who drinks with utter abandon. This guy has turned a passion for living into a passion for dying. The suicidal Sibel who he meets is also charming in her willingness to push every boundary in search of a life she can live that makes sense to her. She is hemmed in by traditional Turkish mores and we are shown how wives end up in that culture--honored in gesture, completely devalued in practice.
Unel in his moody majestic splendor is reminiscent of the great Klaus Kinski in Aguirre, Wrath of God. We watch him cop out over and over from facing anything like commitment to life or people. But his relationship with Sibel, born in nihilism and total scorn for convention, prods to life whatever remaining feelings he still possesses.
What I love about this film is that it has real solid characters who are people that you care a lot about; it has education about the Turkish community in Germany and by implication about Muslims in Europe; it always shows and does not tell; it has wit and provocation and is multidimensional and makes you realize there are some things worth fighting for.
My friend commented after seeing it that a quick comparison of this film with most Hollywood product shows just what pap we are accepting from LA. Yay for rage, guts, blood, love and meaning. Thanks to the creators for a film that ranks with Last Tango in its rawness and power.
Unel in his moody majestic splendor is reminiscent of the great Klaus Kinski in Aguirre, Wrath of God. We watch him cop out over and over from facing anything like commitment to life or people. But his relationship with Sibel, born in nihilism and total scorn for convention, prods to life whatever remaining feelings he still possesses.
What I love about this film is that it has real solid characters who are people that you care a lot about; it has education about the Turkish community in Germany and by implication about Muslims in Europe; it always shows and does not tell; it has wit and provocation and is multidimensional and makes you realize there are some things worth fighting for.
My friend commented after seeing it that a quick comparison of this film with most Hollywood product shows just what pap we are accepting from LA. Yay for rage, guts, blood, love and meaning. Thanks to the creators for a film that ranks with Last Tango in its rawness and power.