Kurak Günler

Turkiye doesn't shy away from social dramas, but it so rarley and bravely decide to delve in such an explicit way when discussing explosive topics such as homophobia, sexism, xenophobia and corruption.

The cinematography is beautiful, giving enough time to explore the confining atmosphere closing in on Emre. Also, the utelizing of water throughout was done in such a clever way - not only with the intention of allegorical, but also as an agent of action driving the characters to act. It also has some bureaucracy absurdism which lightens the mood, right before thing get serious.

The acting is great and well casted, especially the actor playing Emre really knows how to pace himself emotionally, without falling once into an exaggerated dramatic scene. Turkiye's young generation of actors are gaining a name for themselves and their craft.

This movie tries to parallel the current Turkish social and political state by using a simple story in a small town in central Turkey using many metaphors. Since the script writer has not worked very hard in doing this, the narrative becomes weaker and weaker as the movie goes on. The first parts were interesting and promising, however towards the end of the movie, the script fell to the point where it broke from being believable and original. Performances are generally good and cinematography is also above average. I hope more of these type of movies with a better story and script are produced in Turkey, because there is a need for them.

I entered the cinema with high expectations regarding the movie and I left satisfied. Of course there were some things I found unrealistic and some others were VERY realistic. And not everyone may enjoy the ending but I love that we can discuss and come up with different opinions. I loved the symbolism and the messages it conveyed. The cinematography was superb. I'd call this movie a political thriller with representations of "the other". The other here can be many things, including "women" (vs men), "urban" (vs rural), "queer" (vs cishet), "just" (vs corrupt), "minority" (vs majority). I believe this movie deserves our support. Despite being 2 hours and 9 minutes, it never felt so. I never realized how quickly the time went by. I'm considering a rewatch.

There's alot of nuances and layers to this film, playing with different genres and themes. And honestly, that's what I love about it. It's explores a variety of topics, yet it all comes together to point to the fundamental issue of the cracks and sinkhole of a society, quite literally, and how the outsider or individual feels the odds stacked against them when power is at play. Even the protagonist, we see him deal with his own internal desires and conflict of trying to do his job and be a figure of authority while also not being able to do much in a corrupt, conservative society. Loved it!!!!

This is a very good film amidst all the drama surrounding the artistic product. In some ways, one can feel that the whole story was invented to bring us, the audience, to the masterfully symbolic ending of the movie. In a lot of ways that last 15 minutes is an encapsulation of last few years of Türkiye. Those being said, I did not find the relationship between the prosecutor and the journalist (which was quite central to the story) very realistic both in practical and aesthetic terms. Also, there were too many loose ends that were left open which can undermine the director's message. The movie will most certainly occupy an important place in Turkish cinematography, hopefully as a reminder of once crazy times.