Ich sah die Sonne

"Günesi Gördüm" unfolded like a tapestry of emotions, weaving a tale of family, love, and the complexities of human connection. The acting was a standout, with performances that resonated with authenticity and depth. The film editing seamlessly navigated through timelines, creating a poignant narrative that unfolded with grace. The musical score, though not overpowering, complemented the storytelling, enhancing the emotional impact of pivotal scenes. The film's strength lay in its ability to capture the essence of Turkish culture and the intricacies of familial bonds. The cinematography beautifully depicted the landscapes of Istanbul, providing a visual feast for the audience. With a rating of 7/10, "Günesi Gördüm" is a testament to the power of storytelling, offering a heartfelt and nuanced exploration of the human experience.

Mahsun Kirmizigul was a good singer. Why did he decide to become a director?

But this movie is the best of its career. His other movies are all alike, but I liked the plot and process of this movie.

I lived in Turkey when Mahsun Kirmizigul was a folk(arabesk) singer then I moved away...

I'm a rock/hip hop woman, I never paid much attention to him; always thought his kind of music was "beneath me". How elitist, how inconsiderate of me!

I moved back to Turkey 2 months ago from US and I watched "Gunesi Gordum" today...

Mahsun Kirmizigul won my respect, my admiration today...

Gunesi Gordum is an amazing movie. Every scene in the movie, every actor is spot on. It touches extremely sensitive subjects in Turkey and comes out a winner.

This movie makes you cry for the terrorists' family AND for the soldier that died defending his country. A son is a son. That's what this movie shows you without politicizing it.

It makes you see the pain of the homophobic brother facing the transvestite brother.

It makes you see how "privileged" you are while a big part of your country / world is just trying to HOLD ON....

Thank you Mahsun for this movie. I really hope you get the recognition you deserve.

Popular Turkish arabesque singer-songwriter turned actor-director Mahsun Kırmızıgül ("The White Angel") followed this sceptically received freshman melodrama with this equally sceptically received sophomore melodrama which topped the Turkish box office and took an unappreciated trip to the Academy Awards selection committee.

Davut (Altan Erkekli) and Ramo (Mahsun Kırmızıgül) head two wings of an extended Kurdish family forced from their village by the conflict in Turkey's south-eastern region with one resettling in Istanbul and the other attempting to illegally enter Norway as the driving force of this epic melodrama of interwoven story lines.

Mahsun Kırmızıgül remains true to his arabesque roots with a demagogic central performance whilst more stoic support comes from veteran character actor Altan Erkekli ("O... Çocuklari" & "Waiting for Heaven"), stunning starlet Demet Evgar ("Shattered Soul" & "Banyo") and Yeşilçam award-winning up-and-comer Cemal Toktaş ("Black Dogs Barking").

The emerging director still suffers from the excess of sentimentality that lead his debut film to box-office success and critical drubbing but here he has a wealth of story lines worthy of his didactic style as his cardboard characters espouse messages of tolerance to a sweeping musical score that even the most cynical can't help but be moved by.

"You rarely ever see the sun here."

There is no war in a city here, it's during unrest let's call it. If you are not familiar with the situation Turkey and the Kurds are having, you want to read up on that. It's not necessary to understand the movie/follow the story. It might be interesting to have this as a backdrop though to refer back to.

It's about a family in troubled times as you can imagine. One that has not only to face outside danger, but also has quite some turmoil inside the family. Feelings get hurt, but there is also violence especially with a thinking that may seem very backwards to a lot of people. Sometimes that is used for comedy (when it comes to technology or the "wonders" they achieve) but this is mostly a drama, with high stakes for every one involved. It's not easy to chew on and there are quite a few bumps along the road, still this has the right ingredients, it just needed a bit of a better direction and less confusion in parts