To say the truth as a fan of Teoman, I was hoping a better movie from him. Actually this is his first movie and hoping too much isn't right but such a bad film doesn't suit him. Only one positive side that I notice is the processing of imagination. However there are many negative sides. First and most important one is the start of the movie. When the movie began I thought I started to watch from the middle of the movie. You can't understand what's going on for a while. The other bad fact is the scenes. They were cut very short. Also it's content is very empty. I mean, the events doesn't have a connection. To sum up, it would be a completely waste of time watching this movie.
5 Reviews
below average but a good try
daunted_undauntable10 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
There are several defective points in the scenario and the plot (these are only my opinions). Audience isn't informed about what Taygun's men want from Timur and what "kelek" Timur did to them. I didn't understand why Ruhi's girlfriend Sinem was seen in the movie. She had no role on the events or situations. It was like as if they made a girl ,who wants to be a movie star, a favor by letting her be seen in several shots. That character was unnecessary. One, Sinem answers a call and second, she suddenly appears next to Ruhi in Bodrum (what a coincidence!) Another thing is the relationship between Ruhi and Zeynep. I can understand that they like each other and talk about their relations with the society freely. But the scenario didn't give this relationship what it deserves. I think it had to be more emphasized. It had to be shown that they have more intense relationship in emotional mean. Also, we understand that Zeynep is pregnant but this pregnancy situation doesn't result in a way. It was just another unnecessary part because twist can't find its resolution. We didn't need to know whether she was pregnant or not. I expected much more things about her pregnancy situation at the end(by the way, Zeynep is a very good looking lady). However, the end of movie was traumatic. I think last words in the movie (Captain's words about Ali the "Deli") ,about Ali being a man who follows his heart all the time, made a "above the average" ending (not bad). Ali, who was seen harmless by everyone, created all the destruction and became a catastrophic character suddenly. However this was not a surprise in the scenario. Any person who watches movies frequently could guess it (unexpected character does unexpected things at the end, this is so simple). Overall, dialogues were well created. Also chaotic characters (such as Taygun's men and the raper with moustache) were OK and increased the tension in the movie. Unlike them, Zagor represented the "naive front" in the movie. However, movie was about characters and their actions and situations, not events (not a negative comment). One last thing is that there were like millions of shots, and really short scenes in the movie. Movie jumped one to another very suddenly. I don't think this was a good technique but a good try anyway. I, for myself, appreciate the effort of Teoman but this was a below-average movie. (this is for sure!) edit: Well it sucked anyway. This comment added after Teoman's appreciation(irony) for criticism when I talked to him last week. Thanks very much.
Void of Any Substance Whatsoever
litmusmoon21 March 2005
This is a forced imitation art-house movie that is so empty and blatantly meaningless, the mind boggles. Any student movie made in Turkey deserves to go on the cinema screen more than this trite attempt by a popstar. The only redeeming quality is the carbon copy of a character in a popular Turkish comedy sitcom and the scene with him trying to make it with a tourist. Seda Akman's acting skills standout in this celluloid No Man's Land. The annoyingly misty soap opera soundtrack that crops up every few scenes is enough drive you nuts. Apparently, Teoman is someone who doesn't know what to do with his money and wanted try out acting and directing, and wanted to do it at the same time. Hopefully, he views himself as going through a learning process. Otherwise he's a lost cause.
Great Performances Across the Board
coolbluesound20 January 2006
Balans ve Manevra is a great movie about a group of people living in one of the most beautiful Aegian coast towns who, despite the serenity and the beauty of the place, just can't seem to find the "balance" that they all so desperately need in their lives no matter what "maneuver" they make. The low ratings and bad reviews are mainly due to the fact that this is not a movie that appeals to the common audience. It has a slow pace that focuses on character development instead of the story, because the characters are the story in the film and the performances across the board are simply amazing. Having seen many Turkish films in the recent recovery of the Turkish movie industry, I think I can easily say that this one has the best acting among them. Also the subtitles on the DVD are excellently translated for an English-speaking audience. I know that sounds trivial but so many Turkish movies screw this up that I think it is worth mentioning. The directing is not phenomenal and is a bit inconsistent throughout, but some scenes are really promising about Teoman's future as a filmmaker. I'm personally excited about his debut and I hope he develops and establishes his own style. He certainly did a great job of assembling an amazing cast.
REAL TEOMAN MOVIE
umit-6755328 November 2020
When I watched the movie, I liked it very much. Because I listened to all of Teoman's songs and watched his interviews. So I really enjoyed the movie. In his interviews, he had many words in the film. When I looked later, I saw that some people didn't like it. If you watch without knowing the artist, you will only focus on the events and look at the film from a narrow angle. See the movie as a singer movie. We expect more movies from Teoman.
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