Vidas de papel

"They say that abandonment is a wound that never heals. I say only that an abandoned child never forgets." Mario Balotelli

Netflix takes us to the streets of Istanbul, Struggle Alley (!) as they call the area, in a neo-realist melodrama, Paper Lives, about child abandonment and love that knows no bounds. The paradox comes true as Mehmet (Cagatay Ulusoy), a solid waste warehouse owner and dumpster diver meets a homeless 9-year-old, Ali, and nurtures him with an intensity as if he were the boy himself.

Although Mehmet says he's concerned to find Ali's mother, he enfolds him like his own child with the self-knowledge that Mehmet himself had been abandoned. Although the psycho trauma of those involved in abandonment is apparent from the beginning, director Can Ulkay intersperses the claustrophobic with images of freedom and joy, such as Mehmet teaching Ali to swim or the two racing the streets pulling carts and picking up discarded paper and bottles. Paper Lives has little of Slumdog Millionaire's romance and none of Annie's unreal color, but these street urchin stories tug at the heart nonetheless. Around the world, the search of mom is a common theme, even in our superhero fantasies.

Although waste picking may seem about as darkly realistic as city slums could get, Mehmet's exuberance and his love for Ali make it seem like a holiday. However, spectral images of mothers and Ali's urge to return to his mother keep a tension that mitigates the boredom of their work.

As if being motherless were not enough, the film shows Mehmet suffering from a debilitating kidney problem and Ali hallucinating about photos where he mistakenly sees himself with his mother when Mehmet is the subject. The film has complicating layers such as the confusion of Mehmet as Ali that enhance the figurative embodiment of the two being one and the same. As a study in Turkish slums, Paper Lives is stark if not a bit over the top; as a testimony to the importance of stable family life, it soars. On Netflix

" When there is misery all around, a little laughter feels cruel" A somewhat mawkish and a little tonal whiplash.. also, it could use a little more snipping, less less screaming ..while the conclusion is not unforeseeable, it does feel rushed in in unfastening it... but great cinematography, reminds me of my Istanbul trip... reveals the poverty that prevails in that part of the world ...once which was an imperial capital and now a economic capital with strong GDP....storyline is a Oliver Twist with a twist and heartbreaking.. few beautiful moments and sequences .. a great watch..

This film broke me. It accurately depicts the living conditions of Istanbul's street life while wonderfully conveying the sorrow of the heartbreaking drama of a man who earns his life collecting trash. The acting and soundtracks were also amazing.

One of the best Turkish films I've watched lately. Would definitely recommend; it's worth your time.

And the ending my god...

6/10.

A very moving, riveting story that touches the heart. The story and cinematography are amazing- I like how they help make the scenes more poignant. The acting was on point and no scene was out of balance.

Good attempt to show the life of road side kid and kids from damaged family.