Kebab Connection

Watched the movie last night with my girlfriend and I must say, this is the funniest German movie I have ever seen. Being able to speak German like myself is a big plus since the subtitles are horrible. The movies main message is for the German public, especially the Berlinese public to lighten up about multicultural relationships, in other words, Turkish people with German people. It's a great mix of action, romance, comedy and some more action. Great use of the camera, really one of the best German comedy movies I've ever seen. If your on the look out for movies that make you laugh but still touch upon serious issues then this movie is for you.

Okay. I'll admit that this is probably the only German film about a Turkish man wanting to make a martial arts epic...or at least the only one I've seen! But it is quite enjoyable and silly--and worth your time.

Before I get to the review, the history teacher in me wants to point out to the non-German viewers out there that Germans of Turkish extraction are very common--and make up one of the largest minority groups in the country (probably the largest). So, seeing a film about Turks in Germany is a natural. And, for those who don't realize it, OFTEN Turks and Greeks do NOT get along--they have a long and tumultuous history together and this will help you understand some of the antipathy in the film between the two restaurant owners.

Ibrahim is a strange young man. He is a very talented director of commercials for his uncle's Turkish restaurant. But they are NOT typical commercials--they are like mini-martial arts films--complete with wire-fu and stunts--all to advertise for a sandwich shop!! The customers love the ads and life looks very promising for this odd filmmaker. However, he also is VERY immature--very. And when his girlfriend, Titzi, becomes pregnant, he seems about as happy as a cannibal who is given tofu! Naturally, Titzi is very upset--as are Ibrahim's parents who naturally want him to marry a Turkish lady. Can all this get sorted out?! And, what of his uncle's competitor across the street? Can this Greek restaurant owner convince Ibrahim to make some ads for him as well? And, are any film producers crazy enough to give the guy a chance at directing a feature film?

I liked this film--it was quirky and funny. So why do I give it a 7 and not something higher? Well, Ibrahim is a jerk and VERY immature--so much so that although you might like him in some ways, it's also easy to dislike him. Seeing his lack of commitment to the pregnant girlfriend is pretty sad--and makes it hard to like him. This is a serious problem in a romantic-comedy! But, on balance the good still outweighs the bad and the film is well worth your time.

Meeting of cultures with comedy and love. I like this movie. You might not laugh a lot but you will find something to learn about Turk traditions. Director is great like in all his movies. Ibo's family is traditional Turkish family and they are trying to adapt with a German wife of their small sons. They are afraid in the beginning but they use to live with this in time, after they learn the they will be Grandparents. In a scene you can see Turk children don't smoke near their parents in Turk traditions. This movie is not only about Turk traditions. Director added Greek traditions too. And there you can see some similarities of Greek and Turk traditions.

I enjoyed this film greatly for its entertainment value as well as the outstanding motifs I felt it translated effectively. One of the motifs I found to be most striking was the sort of coming-of-age. The audience can root for Ibo, the main character because he is portrayed as morally good and we follow him in his pursuit of responsibility and worthiness of a child and Titzi. The motif of cosmopolitanism and the blending of cultures was approached in a light-hearted manor. We see Ibo's struggle to please his father, who is both supportive of Titzi and rejecting to Ibo. The efforts Ibo makes to please Titzi, including lessening his societally deemed masculinity, is refreshing because it is not accompanied by a complete loss of his Turkish culture; it was important for the cosmopolitan discourse for him to not lose his Turkish culture as a result of integration. The most interesting aspect I found in "Kebab Connection" was the film team's use of film inside the film. The use of Ibo's commercials in plot development and exposure of the underlying story to other characters is very clever. The second way the film-in-film technique was used was to show the internal discourse within Ibo. I feel that this is often a great challenge of directors; to discretely show the thought progression of the characters. I felt when watching that this internal peek was effective in both making Ibo more likable and it made it easier for me to "root" for him, and allowing the audience to follow his development. Overall very entertaining and well carried out!

In the beginning I really liked the movie very much. The whole kung-fu advertising stuff is really funny and special. I like Ibo played by Denis Moschitto, he's a real good actor, in Kebap not as good as in Süperseks, but still authentic and with a brilliant way of playing comedy. His father is played very good by Güven Kirac, also very believable and authentic and no cliché type like Hasan Ali Mete's performance of Ibo's uncle. Nora Tschirner is without a doubt extremely beautiful, but her acting is more than boring, and so is her character in the movie. When the first half is over it's getting pretty bad. The whole baby-stuff is pathetic and exaggerated. Only total stupidos will see this as funny. Than you're asking yourself the whole time, why the hell everything is that complicated, why Ibo cannot meet Titzi anymore. It's meant to be romantic and tragic at this part, but it just doesn't work! A good director would have sensed that, but Anno Saul obviously lost the overview on the story. It's just scene after scene after scene without dramaturgy or any empathy. You feel that he just desperately wanted to reach the end of the film by any means, and he just failed. Nevertheless you can watch the movie and have fun, but you better don't expect too much...