"Yasemin" is a co-production between West German and Turkey, but most of the language in here is German. This is a film from 1988, so two more years and it will have its 30th anniversary. But the topic is still as relevant as ever three decades later. This is about a young Turkish woman, who falls in love with a German who is slightly older. Age is not a problem in here though, it is all about the problem of a Turkish girl having a German as boyfriend and possibly losing his virginity (i.e. his innocence) to him. The final scene may have been a bit over the top in terms of trying to end the film as dramatically as possibly, but all in all writer and director Hark Bohm did a convincing job and it feels like an authentic movie.
It is relatively short, only runs for 80 minutes roughly, but that's not a problem at all. It also helps in keeping the film essential and there is really no need to include a whole lot of more scenes that add little to none to the story. I think Ayse Romey did a really good job with the main character and depicting her inner struggle between family and love. It was pretty touching to watch her at times. Too bad she never topped her success from this film, but I can see why she got some awards recognition here. What I liked most about this film perhaps is that it is not too preachy in terms of saying one side is 100% right and the other is not. There is no black-and-white in here, it's all about the shades. Jan (played by the director's son) for example was a womanizer and he wanted nothing more than sex from Yasemin early on. This film won the big prize at the German Film Awards that year and it's an okay choice I guess. I am not sure if I would say it was the best German film from 1988, but it certainly has its charms and nice tension while elaborating on an important subject. It was also Germany's official submission to the Oscars, but did not manage to get a nomination. This should not keep you from watching it though. Romey's performance alone is worth it. I give it a thumbs-up. Recommended.
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