User reviews

This movie clearly deserves to be listed among the best Turkish films of all time. The script is based on Orhan Kemal's famous book with the same name, "On Fertile Lands"(1954). The film was banned in Turkey by the martial rule of 1980, and its ribbon was lost thereafter, to be found only after 28 years. Except for the one week it was screened in 1980, the movie was screened in Turkish theaters only in 2008. The story is about three friends who leave their village in Sivas to find work at a cotton gin factory in Cukurova. Cukurova is one of the most fertile and first industrialized regions of Turkey. It's home to agriculture based industries. Indeed, through the labor story of these three friends, we get a closer look at the production relations between factory/land owners, jobbers and workers. We witness the alienation experienced in basic human relations, the routinization of work in industrialized agriculture, the rough conditions of work, the despair of workers, and the commercialization in human relations. The movie is also not blind to women's position in production relations both as workers and as objects of male gaze. The book, and therefore the film are based on Orhan Kemal's real experiences gained while working at a cotton gin factory in Cukurova in 1930s. Overall, both the book and the movie present a nuanced picture of Turkey's early modernization from workers' perspective. Erden Kiral, the director, classifies "On Fertile Lands" as an example of realist cinema in Turkey.

The film can be considered successful in terms of cinematography and storytelling for its time. Scenery and plot are captivating, even though some of the acting feels off. However, it includes a distressing scene involving the massacre of turtles attempting to escape, which are shot by an actor. This is unacceptable. For this reason, I rate it 1 point. Because it's an old film, it's understandable that they didn't care for it. But it matters now.

Viewers who are sensitive to such content should avoid watching the movie, as it significantly impacts the overall viewing experience. None of the film is worthy of a life!