Annem Ankara

In fact, despite the cliché and heavy drama content that I don't like, the fact that the events will take place in Ankara in the 1980s-90s caught my attention.

First of all, although the events are comically designed to take place in Ankara, the series is being shot in Istanbul. I thought they would shoot in places specific to Ankara, such as Guvenpark-Kugulu Park-Anitkabir. But the series offers us nothing that belongs to Ankara except minibuses with license plates 06 (even the color of those vehicles is wrong) and "bird's eye view of Ankara" clips every half hour.

Secondly, the fact that the main character of the series (described as a painful but self-sacrificing mother) has retired from the ministry, has a bonus, (in Turkey in the 90s, you could buy a small apartment with a retirement bonus) and even has a breadwinner, continues to stay in the house of her tyrannical mother and sister creates a very illogical drama. The main character is being bullied for no reason and we are watching.

The film's narrative is stuck in a time warp. While the writers' mindset is contemporary, the script attempts to transport us back to the late 1980s. Unfortunately, this endeavor falls short, lacking conviction and authenticity.

The script itself is not so weak, but it sorely needs a more nuanced dramaturgical approach and realistic art direction. Certain anachronisms, such as doctors' secretary playing Solitaire on a computer and Zuhal using a rollaboard suitcase, are jarring and unconvincing, even for the 1990s.

With more attention to period detail and a more thoughtful approach to storytelling, this film could have been more engaging and believable.