Beyto

A swimmer (Beyto) falls in love with his coach (Mike) and vice versa, but we are in foreign lands. First Switzerland where they meet, swim and love and then Turkey where Beyto is forced to return to as this is where he is from, where his family lives and where he is compelled to marry a woman and where what he is, gay, is an abomination. He does all he can to get out of it, but fails and ultimately marries a charming, beautiful and an eventual open-minded woman who has been a long time friend. There is much drama, anguish and arguing, but it's well written and the acting by everyone is just about perfect. In a way, it's kind of a Turkish rom-com by the time it ends though it has some very serious things on its mind throughout.

The film centres around a culture crash, between living in Turkey (west) and Switzerland (east), in regard to homosexuality, forced marriage, and cultural peer pressure/oppression.

The script has some flaws, and isn't deep, but is enjoyable and still relevant and thought-provoking.

The scenes are pleasantly shot and transmit some authenticity, specially the scenes in Turkey.

The main actors are attractive, although there was some lack of skill amongst the cast, which left me concerned earlier, but it did improve. Although only a few characters get some development/growth, we do get to see their background, which can lead to some understanding on their views.

One of the parts I enjoyed the most was also the soundtrack, as the music is good, without crashing into pop stereotypes, and is very well applied to the scenes, amplifying the culture differences.

That doesn't mean that the film is not thought provoking. The first thing to say is that the oppression, the forced marriages, the disapproval of homosexuality, the patriarchy are nothing to do with religion but are cultural. Not once is reference made to god or religion to justify the actions and attitudes in the film, rather to culture, family and community. It would be wrong to see this film as a diatribe, more a commentary on the conformity engendered by a homogenous culture.

I have lived one of the themes of the film vicariously. A younger work colleague whose parents just suspected that he was gay was tricked into going to Pakistan and marrying a cousin from his parents' village. It's an appalling situation and one that pertains in many cultures and societies all over the world. This is partly why I found the film so relevant and thought provoking.

Beyto was brought up in Switzerland where such mores are an irrelevance yet he was still indoctrinated with them. He's careful, but not careful enough and gets caught out which leads to the tragic events of the film and the awful outcomes for so many people. The family had hoped to keep the "shame" under wraps but it blows up in their faces. Fortunately he has friends of Turkish descent who were born in the West who can help him out.

I am being deliberately vague as I don't want to have spoilers here. I have to say though that the ending is idealised too far for my taste which is why I have given a seven.

The film in general has an authenticity that I liked, especially the scenes shot in Turkey. I live in a Muslim country, albeit an Arab one, but so many of the customs and beliefs are the same or similar. I have friends who have had to deal with these issues so it's very close to home for me.

I can't say that this is a profound film, it's more an entertaining and moving story showing very real situations that many unfortunate people have to submit to everywhere. The leading men, Mike and Beyto, were attractive lads and Seher, the wife, had a personality.

There are quite a few films in the germanosphere exploring relationships between Westerners and guys of Turkish descent. This is one of the nicest of them.

Well, if rural Turkey is really like this movie depicts it (and I see no reason why they would exaggerate), then to hell with it. And with those backwards primitive so-called traditions that they have. Really, to the bloody hell with that whole country.

This movie is well done. All actors are good. Especially the Turkish actors playing the parents are very believable and they manage to convey beautifully the stupidity of real ones. The main actors are also good and there is a refreshing simplicity in their portrayal of gay lovers.

The ending is quite happy and comforting, which is something I really salute, given the amount of gay-themed movies with terrible endings.

The first scenes had me worried about clichés of gay film, but 20 min in the plot becomes more about cultural differences.

And then the plot had me so enthralled and the story was so suspenseful I couldn't stop watching. Great film, worth a watch!