Hayat Var

Reha Erdem's "Korkuyorum Anne" is one of my favorite all time local films. Where that was brash and loud, "Hayat Var" is a slow placed and reflective piece reminiscent of Erdem previous effort "Bes Vakit".

Hayat is a pubescent girl who lives with her disconnected father and nagging grandfather in a modest home by a waterway. Her father is a "fisherman" who in fact, engages in small time smuggling and delivering prostitutes to ships on the Bosporus. Her mother who had left her father while he was doing military service, has now remarried. Hayat is lonely, her only real companion is a stuffed toy which plays "My only sunshine" at the push of a button. The irony is that Hayat despite her name ,seems to have missed out on life (ie. "hayat"). This is exemplified by the potent scene where she steals a pacifier, almost as if to re-live her infant days.

The story is told entirely from Hayat's perspective;the camera almost never leaves her, except to show us her father's escapades on his boat from a distance. The film is anchored by a wonderfully natural and confident performance by Elit Iscan. You feel sad for her most of the time and euphoric at the end when she breaks free and finally experiences happiness.

This is a simple yet very effective film. Highly recommended.