Korkuyorum Anne

I respect the effort of film-makers in making a movie, which is not cliché. However, it is not a really well-done movie in my opinion. I found the dialogues and the way that actors speak their dialogues artificial. I am afraid, I missed the subtext of the movie, although I am a big fan of the movies, which have deep subtext. However, fine art direction was something to be mentioned. It was too long compared to context, I had a feeling that we had seen several finals during the movie. On the contrary of the some viewer's opinion, I like the way the music was used, nicely done. Overall, since it was not a cliché movie, and comedies and absurd movies are a special genre that everybody has different tastes and not easy to satisfy everybody, I keep my respect for the movie while I am saying that it wasn't my favorite type of the movie.

"What is a human anyway" is set in modern day Istanbul in Turkey. Ali,who is a guy in his late twenties,has an accident while working as a taxi driver. He has had a temporary amnesia. Although he comes to remember in time many of the people who live in his apartment building, he cannot somehow remember his father, Rasih (Koksal Engur), a retired health officer.During his struggle to sort himself out we see people around him joining the same struggle. The movie looks like an absurd comedy at first look but it explores common themes in an unusual circus-like ambiance. Circumcision at an early age,doing one's military service(for a man), leaving your father's home when it is due time(unlike the Westernized way of leaving home when you turn 18)are rituals of Turkish culture.In the movie we see a little boy who refuses to be circumcised, a young man who refuses to do his military service, a 30-year-old man refusing to leave home. There is also deeper structure of subtexts in the movie. For instance Both Ali and his next door friend Keten are inhibited guys who have probably been repressed by their parents during their childhood. The seamstress(Keten's mother) represents the tough single mother who has an increasing role in the Turkish social life in the last decade.Umit, the gymnast performer is also a girl who is stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea(her expatriate past in Germany and her struggle to keep up with her Turkish origins.)The pregnant woman is a total absurdity in that candid neighborhood because the middle class morality still rules the suburbs of Turkey and still it's not easy for people to tolerate a woman who will bring a kid out of wed-lock but we can accept that as the message of the director. In short "Korkuyorum Anne" is not a low comedy which is aimed at belly laughs like other comedy potboilers which have been profusely produced in the last decade in Turkey. It has an intellectual side to be looked into. Sweet,original, and funny even if it looks absurd!

Smooth and positive absurd comedy but not many knows that it exists.

Music, acting and the story telling is really nice.

I'm really surprised when I watched it. My expectations were low. It was beyond my expectations and much more.

Really underrated movie.

I saw this film several times and I loved it every time. If you would tell the story to someone who has not seen the film, it is quite possible that the answer is "So what? Is that the film?". It may look too simple in subject and appearance but it has so many and nice side stories and subtexts. Reha Erdem is an important member of the new generation Turkish directors. One thing you easily realize when you see several of his films is that he likes working with the same (or widely common) cast. And he manages quite well. At times it also looks like his regard-sending to his favorite actors. Taner Birsel, who is the leading actor in "Kac Para Kac" and has an important role in "5 Vakit" appears in a small role in this film. We should be thankful to Reha Erdem, among other things, for making us aware of the talent of Bulent Emin Yarar, the butcher in this film and the father-imam in "5 Vakit". Though the film may look to start to say too much at times, this never disturbed me. The fears and worries in the film are so familiar and yet so different. If one of the aims of art is being aware of and understanding the "other" (which is so, for me), then this film is a good example of it.