Cici

Sweetie I especially admire the narration by the director when he points out the verbal violence in families. Also, it is striking how the brain copes with the guilt. To me, the film screams for a few things: The domestic violence exists- it is not only physical as some believe. Patriarchic father figure and mother instinct have just crashed into each other! Suppressed emotions always find a way to be revealed. Traumas, which mean being wounded mentally, sometimes require our attention, again and again- Being recalled by the brain means that they needs to be resolved.

Just like a bleeding scar.

The film is so stagnant that the director has nothing to tell, but look, I have the opportunity, I have money, I understand these things, and he puts out a task as if he is wasting your time, just as I waste my time. The expectation from a movie is consistent with the name of the movie, but the movie "Cici" is far from its name and beyond being cute in terms of its subject and flow. With these possibilities, a great emotional Anatolian drama could have come out with this cast, but it didn't. No, I think the director should keep trying, but on the condition that before starting a new project, watch Cici from start to finish without speeding up and skipping.

Experiencing someone's trauma was well executed.

Switching to now and past is an awesome idea. The acting part was just perfect, I felt all the emotions of every character. When we are watching the movie, it feels like we are watching someone's photos frame by frame, but this time we know the backstory. "twist" of the film wasn't that big, and I think it made the movie clean. There is nothing too much, and nothing less. While you watch it you get more and more curious about the story like you are listening to someone's tale or gossip about someone's story that tells you everything about the characters but not in order.

It was impossible to stay away from the hype for a new Berkun Oya movie after the great Bir Baskadir. In that sense maybe Cici does not hit as hard but it is no way a waste of one's time. The relationship between the father and the son is a very important theme and Orhan Pamuk says the father always kills the son in the East, which in a way is the case here. In Cici, the storyline that did not translate to me was the Cemil-Saliha love as I can not picture Saliha remaining emotionally attached after moving to the big city. The scene where Olgun Simsek argues with Okan Yalabik was incredible where I can swear it happened just in front of me. The casting was perfect with the transitions between young and old versions were flawless. The family discussion at the barbecue/mangal revealed all the real intentions of characters in a very natural way where the writing was sublime. One last bit of question on my side is whether Saliha spent enough time in Ankara to become the rather sophisticated urban woman that is portraited but this might be quite picky.

Discounting a couple of problems caused by two distinct narration styles applied in the beginning scenes and the rest parts of the movie, Cici is a fascinating family drama. Despite its plain and unagitating langue, the movie skilfully achieves to build a riveting and immersive story.

In addition to many succesful scenes and glorious acting performances, this movie also deserves attention even for only mesmerizing performance of Olgun Simsek (character Cemil), who creates an excellent scene (in the middle part of the movie) with an inimitable smile spreading a great sorrow.

Congratulations to director-writer Berkun Oya and the whole team.