Following in the tradition of the well-known satirists in Turkey, such as Aziz Nesin, Memleket Meselesi uses a remote and seemingly isolated and insignificant incident and surrounding absurdities to give exposure to deep running wounds in Turkish society. Too bad it won't cross some boundaries in doing so, perhaps in fear of ruffling more feathers than it intends to.
Our protagonist, symbolically named Adil (fair/just) represents those who have been victimized by a culture and regime of authoritarian tendencies, where the powerful have very little reservations in exercising their will despite their consequences for people like Adil. This very worship of power and reverence in its abuse in return creates a society with authoritarian tendencies, where blame for the abuse is often shifted from the perpetrators to the victims.
In this sense, the choice of a respected school teacher in a small town, not the likely candidate to be on the receiving end of such abuse makes an interesting yet effective choice through which to impose the idea that nobody is safe when justice and basic rights can be trampled upon so easily. It's usually the case in Turkey that members of marginalized and vulnerable communities are victims of police brutality thus majority of the people who associate themselves more closely with the ruling elite tend to ignore the very roots of this problem in the basic selfish assumption that they, themselves won't ever face it. This movie claims otherwise and hopes to underline that this is a structural and cultural issue that can effect anyone in Turkey.
It's a praiseworthy flick for taking on a serious subject in a comedic context, most probably limited by its budget and the middle-class conservative sensibilities of its writer/director. Still would recommend it to people who might want to get a glimpse of Turkish authoritarianism, however watered down it might be.
Our protagonist, symbolically named Adil (fair/just) represents those who have been victimized by a culture and regime of authoritarian tendencies, where the powerful have very little reservations in exercising their will despite their consequences for people like Adil. This very worship of power and reverence in its abuse in return creates a society with authoritarian tendencies, where blame for the abuse is often shifted from the perpetrators to the victims.
In this sense, the choice of a respected school teacher in a small town, not the likely candidate to be on the receiving end of such abuse makes an interesting yet effective choice through which to impose the idea that nobody is safe when justice and basic rights can be trampled upon so easily. It's usually the case in Turkey that members of marginalized and vulnerable communities are victims of police brutality thus majority of the people who associate themselves more closely with the ruling elite tend to ignore the very roots of this problem in the basic selfish assumption that they, themselves won't ever face it. This movie claims otherwise and hopes to underline that this is a structural and cultural issue that can effect anyone in Turkey.
It's a praiseworthy flick for taking on a serious subject in a comedic context, most probably limited by its budget and the middle-class conservative sensibilities of its writer/director. Still would recommend it to people who might want to get a glimpse of Turkish authoritarianism, however watered down it might be.
