User reviews

Differently from his primal films, director Cagan Irmak dishes out a drama with using Expressionist cinema language on a romantic theme. Originally written for the screen his movie accuses the modern social conventions of the couples' relationships. A considerably usual plot brings two adverse social characters to light. Despite the Expressionist components, characterization is at a very low-degree. It doesn't attract any attention of how do these people live or what do they do for a living. Lovers meet for the first time in a pessimistic mood. The dialogues they use when they meet are coarse. Their communication coarsens even more and more until the guy tenders flowers to the girl. None of them could have implied any emotion wholeheartedly. Basically, they never fell in love. But at the end, they realized that they meant for each other, even though they are not in love.

In order to direct a romance, a director should let the couple do their magic. Screenplay and the script was fruitful, yet the directing was poor. Quite evidently, there was never been a chemical accord between the lovers. They just acted as two toneless product of Expressionism. Story carried us to an ending of a man's meaning of life, which got us crushed under a heavy melancholy. At the final we took a deep breath when the secret melodrama was revealed. Foolishly we became a witness of this pointless melodrama by director Cagan Irmak.

The selected soundtrack for this movie was praiseworthy. Although, even the songs that played during the corresponding scenes couldn't fix the lack of the acting. Synchronization turning out to be voice overs is used at the final scene with an influential mix of the editing of brainstorms and voice overs. At least the success of editing saved the film.

Issiz Adam is a remarkable film because of its seeking for the relief of hopeless relationships of broken couples.There awaits a relationship movie far away from being considered as a romance. A wise well-known old saying says: "You can build relationships just with anybody, though you can only find the love within only one person".

a great romantic movie to come out of turkey, but calling it romantic does not do it justice. its also a study of the nihilism and alieanation of the individual in modern times...when the young generation can live without the taboos instilled by our parents....when we can date who we want, be-friend when we want...and simply live the way we want.

but it does have romantic elements...their utopian life is a bit too hollywoody for my tastes, but its what keep people coming to the movies.

but this 'virus' - 'inexplicable' reason for the self-afflicted loneliness never gets even a glimpse of an explanation...i would say its the unequivocal result of big-city living, but the only ever explanation we get completely destroys that theory (apparently he was a loner as a kid in his small town). so what is the reason, origin of this masochistic behavior? he seems quite unhappy and regretful about it from the beginning to the end. this never gets explored, and makes the point superbly weak.

the music is nostalgic and amazing...as if the 'love' they feel is a story from a time long past but can not happen in the modern times - great placement. the movie will capture you and keep you from the beginning, but it will leave you with some questions.

and for those who continue to view turkey in the same light as the more conservative muslem countries...the very first scene is a 'in your face dumbo' moment...basically we have the guy meeting a married woman in the middle of the night after a brief internet conversation, a woman whose husband has a cockhold fantasy and will be watching the two perform.

cheers.

This is perhaps Çağan Irmak's best movie to date - an anti-romantic drama set in and around Beyoğlu that ostensibly analyzes the crisis of contemporary masculinities, but ends up showing how self- interested people actually are.

Alper (Cemal Hünal) is a successful chef with a penchant for collecting 80s pop LPs. In public he comes across as a generous, though perfectionist boss; in private he lives a life of solitude and self-interest, as he regularly haunts out local whores for a spot of S&M. Into his life comes Ada (Melis Birkan), a clothes-shop owner who initially rejects him but responds eventually to his persistent advances. The two of them fall in love but inevitably the affair ends in tears.

That is the entire plot of the movie; but nonetheless Irmak retains our interest by making telling thematic points. Alper's fondness for 80s music is part of his conquest strategy; chat the girl up, take her home, cook her a meal, put on some soft music and sexual success will inevitably follow. Unable - or is it unwilling - to acknowledge his true feelings, he inhabits a mental prison, despite his conquests. This is suggested through a regular use of shots showing him driving a car through the streets of İstanbul, with the camera outside focusing on his expression behind the wind-shield. On other occasions Irmak uses prison-images - for example, photographing Alper in close-up behind a metal bed-head, with iron bars obscuring his face.

The film's narrative unfolds in a series of two-shots and shot/reverse shots, which might suggest a concentration on character. However Irmak intersperses these shots with a series of jump-cuts - for example, when Alper prepares his dinner, or when Ada cooks breakfast one morning after a night of sexual passion. This technique suggests that the protagonists are somehow in a hurry; they want to get as quickly as possible through their daily rituals so that they can move on to something else. They cannot reflect on their emotions or their feelings towards one another.

The final sequence is particularly memorable. Ada and Alper re- encounter one another in Beyoğlu: by now Ada is married to someone else, while Alper is still isolated. As they exchange banalities with one another, we hear their true feelings expressed in voice-over. We learn from Ada that she has a memory of her time with Alper - a 45 rpm record that she took from his mother's house - that Alper knows nothing about. Here is the true source of nostalgia; not necessarily a mood, or a piece of music, but an object that recalls the past. Alper can, and never will, discover how this works, being too much concerned with himself alone.

Firstly movie brings Ferzan Ozpetek style to mind with its story, which is good but not so much. A weak point of movie is; what a big love, lived in 4 weeks and couldn't be forgotten for 8 years, is this realistic? That causes to lost movie's deep perspective. Role-playing is also another weak point. Actors are unexperienced, that why may be. In some scenes actors and actresses performance are not persuasive. However, ambiance is decorated with amazing historical places of Istanbul and magnificent oldies Turkish songs. Galata Tower can be seen behind with all its grace and grandeur. Old-school places were selected for movie those are also supported ambiance.

I am very much certain that this is the most under valuated film ever made! Surprisingly daring as it comes from a country where not even real love kisses were ever shown on screen, it could -far as its realism is concerned - come from any western country, my own included, where no barriers are put when it comes to presenting the real world in a movie picture. Furthermore the film goes far beyond a love story, as its goal is to show how some men – here represented by Alper, the main character of the film- get caught in the sly ambush called "life style" modern society puts for them, which in turn means "plenty" to satisfy a man's greedy and never ending luster for "freedom" "good times", and consequently, "sex"! When he meets Ada, Alper does realize that she is really worth to be with, therefore for the first time in his life he tries hard to make it with her. Yet, as time goes by, and in spite of something strong inside him telling him that he is in the right way, -for he does realize that this relationship has upgraded his life standard -, he finally gives in to luster calling him like the sirens called Ulysses, so, out of the blue, he breaks up with her, hurting her badly.Soon he has to deal with the consequences! Well, these consequences and the way they are illustrated in the film, is something I have never ever seen on screen before!!! As a person myself who is very much aware of the hard dilemmas a man has to face in his life, especially if he is very much absorbed by his life style of "plenty", I was like never before touched by the character of the "lonely man" portrayed in this film. And I have never ever cried this much as when watching it!!! To me this is an anthem to the men who become victims to their –seemingly – "welfare" ("freedom-independence-sex!")! And there are certain hints in the film that this "welfare" is strongly mastered by the man's libido. So, behind the surface, which is telling the story of an unfulfilled love, a lot in "Issiz Adam" reminded me of Steve McQueens's "shame" only, that one, by illustrating an extreme case, is focused even more specifically on what being ruled by his sexual libido really means to a man, and where this possession of mind may eventually lead him to. As in "shame", so in "Issiz adam" a man comes to realizing the catastrophic consequences of his choices when it's too late! Here, the inability of Alper to stay together with Ada in spite of the fact that he does love her after all, deals with his addiction to "being free" , in a "freedom" sexual fun is very much included! Playing Alper, Cemal Hunal, builds in a most heartbreaking way, the portrait of a tragic hero who falls victim to his own choices! The rest of the cast too, contributes to an amazing extend to keeping the film up to a level of really very high quality. I should mention the "mother" who, representing the values of a sweet tradition, feels the dangers of her son's way of thinking and tries to warn him about the no way out of his choices, and the bitterness the route to sweet loneliness may take him to. Beautiful songs and music -mostly Turkish - from the romantic 70's and 80's, serve as the perfect sonic background of the story and as a unique amplifier of its -at some points really very dramatic- sentimental power. Last but not least to mention: The unique, original,innovative way the director shows in the last 18 minutes long scene the ultimate desperation and devastation that rule the souls of the main two characters is really unprecedented, and make this film as much a realistic masterpiece, human, sad and heartbreaking as it takes!In this magic scene, the director manages to turn into motion picture not only what is visible, and not only the things the two x-lovers are allowed to say to each other framed by the restrictions of their present life conventions after 4 years of separation, but also their hidden, unspeakable,inexpressible and therefore extremely painful thoughts! The bleeding wound of –willingly or unwillingly – losing each other and the shock of all by chance meeting again -a meeting that obviously had often repeatedly happened in their dreams-, is absolutely eloquent in their faces, in their movements, in their words, and this shock combined with the desperation of dying to express feelings they are not allowed to show to each other, does inevitably reach the spectator and leaves him fully participating and thus devastated too! Their final embrace will break your heart! To make a long story short, do "discover" this piece of art! Especially if you are "lonely men" yourselves!

Popular Turkish television writer-director Çağan Irmak best known for his series "Çemberimde Gül Oya" and "Asmalı Konak", proved his popular appeal with this particularly modern take on the somewhat overdone Rom-Com genre that has a peculiarly Turkish bent which makes it well worth seeking out for anyone who wants an insight into that country's attitudes to love and sex.

Cemal Hunal certainly looks the part of a romantic lead as Alper and is not without his charms but the character he plays is so thoroughly repellent that it is impossible to cheer for him as he attempt to woo the feisty Melis Birkan as Ada, who one can't help but feel should have known better, under the kindly gaze of the brilliant but underutilised Yildiz Kültür as Alper's mother.

The filmmakers through in a fair few laughs, normally at Alpers expense, but these mostly relate to his degenerate sexual escapades and do nothing to endear him to the audience and it is this lack of pathos that was for me this films ultimate undoing as even at the end I could barely shed a tear when the film lived up to its English language title by leaving him alone.

I'm living with tainted blood.

I have never been feel spotted in the life, exposed like this film made me feel. Name of Cagan Irmak was enough reason for me to watch the movie because his name is more than "not disappointing me". His stories and the language he uses in his movies to transmit these stories the way he sees to us like he did in 'Babam ve Oglum', 'Mustafa Hakkinda Hersey' and his other films... It's amazing. So, even before I saw the film, I knew that I was gonna like it, or may be like it too much - which i did, too much. But it's not something about liking or not. Have you ever felt like grabbed by something and thrown like a stone to the sky like you're nothing? It was exactly how i feel when the film was over!

It's story of Alper and Ada. Alper is owner of a restaurant in Istanbul. He lives alone. He likes to live nice. One night stands are part of his life. And freedom is something not to be sacrificed. Then Ada shows up with all her charming, beautiful manner. A body and soul with full of life... Will she be able to manage to take him to the surface of the life? Is this passionate love powerful enough to lead its way? Is freedom really something not to be sacrificed? What is freedom? Is it being able to be lonely when you need it, or does it have another meaning?

It took time to catch myself again when the film was over. Irmak did it again... He dazzled me with his epic story of a modern life. But maybe because I found myself in this story, "Issiz Adam" (means "Deserted Man" in Turkish language) will be the most special one among his other films, maybe among all the other films. I also have to mention about the music. Mostly 70's and 80's old Turkish songs are used in the film. But each of them used in the movie is made you feel that it was made for the scene used. And director let us know about the characters as much as we should. Neither less, nor more than that, you don't have to deal with too much details.

It has been 5 days since I watched it and it's hard to say that i'm totally free of its influence. But I think I'm volunteered to be in this situation. I don't have a rush! Thank you whoever it goes...

Director Cagan Irmak had moved his audience to tears with his beautiful, semi-political, semi-melodramatic "Babam ve Oglum" only a few years ago. Now, here he is with a much more mature and deeper depiction of a tortured soul of our times. At a certain point, it is reminiscent of Allen's "Annie Hall" and there is a gentle, sly nod to Scorsese's "Taxi Driver", and this film deserves comparison to both of these films; no need to be modest. The main character is a handsome, young restaurant owner, a chef in Istanbul and his casual relationships with a large variety of women say something about his actual loneliness. On the other hand, she is a lively, lovely young woman with a pretty little costume shop and when they meet, it's not love at first sight, but a love that grows and is woven with their efforts, especially hers. But this is not an ordinary, straightforward womanizer-turned-romantic-by-true-love-kind-of story. It is the sad story of a man who has alienated himself from all emotional human contact because of a life in "the big city". It is all the more sad because he is aware of it, he wants to open up and get rid of it, but he just can't. And she was just about to make it easier for him... Anyway, this is definitely a movie worthy of seeing. It is not just a local story, I'm sure people all around the world will identify with the characters in this film. I hope little films like these are seen by large and different audiences and get the praise they deserve.

What I heard from most watchers is that everybody found somethings from their own life in Issiz Adam. They say that the movie is amazing just because catches you from your heart and mind like it tells your own life but not Alper and Ada's.To be honest, I definitely do not have the same feeling. What I think is that the movie is purely simple and that is why everybody finds somethings in it. Most of us try to find the real meaning of the scenes, speeches etc in movies but with Issiz Adam; many people do overlook while trying to find somethings deep.

I could not understand what Alper wants also why his actions are always fulsome. What he wants and why? You find no answer in the movie. On the other hand, Ada looks like well experienced on relations with men but how she could fall in love with that bombastic guy? Can we just say that "because the love is somethings like this"? Sorry I do not agree.

Well, besides the story and acting, the scenes and songs are really beautiful. So I recommend this movie to the lovers of oldies and to the people who feel lonely in their life.

it is a love story. and a solitude story. it is portrait of contemporary profound crisis of person self definition. and it is a delicate construction of need of the other. but, more important, it is a deeply Turkish film. the music, the atmosphere, the silences, the emotions. and this mark gives to it universal value. it can be sentimental, a romance like many other, slice of a flavor with soap opera nuances but each of that verdicts is far to be realistic. it represents only a mute cry. a mirror more than an artistic movie. and the performance of Cemal Hunai is inspired tool for present the hole of an existence full of shadows, insecure, almost empty.a special note for Yidilz Cultur who reminds in a precise manner the essence of traditional way to define life. honest, touching, gray. a beautiful movie.

From the very first scene, the film whispers to you that it will be a brave production. If this movie had tried to be released in Turkey in 2022, even I couldn't have predicted what would happen. The movie surprised me from time to time, it was nice that the events that were instantaneously opposed to the flow of the script developed. But in the end, I could not quite understand whether what the girl said was true or false. It would have been better if the ending was more understandable, but they may have left it to the audience. I understood the message the movie wanted to give, they can be sure that I will pay attention to it :D Lastly, the movie had enough to make Recep Ivedik cry, but it failed to impress me.

This is my first time to write a review on IMDb, just for this movie,Issiz Adam, which I rated 10, because I found some pieces of me in it, and I'm sure some of you feel the same way too. Issiz Adam, is a Turkish word means isolated man, and of course our leading actor. For what I see this movie is a story of love and loneliness, given the fact that the part of love story is believed to be normal or stupid or whatever, I will only talk about the part of loneliness, because it's exactly what my loneliness looks like if it needs to be shown. No doubt many movies reflect humanity, desire, hatred, greed and so on, they are all over the Hollywood films and others, no big deal. But this loneliness is more like a personal and precious thing, a secret that few people share. In the movie there's a quote Ada says to Alper "there's no one.there never will be. You'll just borrow other people's kids, lives and bodies."true. We all are small islands dying to go shore, but sadly the only thing we can do is floating on the sea, till the day a big wave comes and swallows all of us.

OK, here comes first comment about the movie & hope not last..:)) Before I've seen the movie, I was expected that the picture will be great. But I had no idea that it would be that much wonderful...

In this kinda movies, realistic of whole dialogs is most important detail for me. It's so real. I felt it inside of me... And all soundtracks are amazing. Most harmonic choice to this picture. Turkish songs of 70's & 80's.. Acting and directing is nearly absolute.

The whole movie is real romantic, but the end of the movie is something much more than romantic. Maybe it is not a big deal. Not very big surprises... But, really dramatic and i couldn't stop my tears falling like everyone else in the theater..:) I've watched several romance movies, but many few of them means a lot for me. But believe me this one is different. It's so pure, so amazing...

I think Cagan Irmak's the best director of Turkey. He's really good at letting us know about all feelings inside the characters. I think everybody welcomes him in Turkey, but the whole world should do the same...

I know director Cagan Irmak's previous TV works of different genres (soap opera, horror etc.) which were quite successful and above average. On the other hand, this is the first movie by him that I have seen, and definitely will be the last one.

One of the most popular and well-accepted cinema topic of "love-pain-regret" could not have been handled worse!

One of the problems of Turkish cinema is script; especially lack of meaningful and more importantly "natural" dialogues. This movie suffers from the same problem. The writer-director tries to overcome this issue by using "amateur" actors as leads and letting them to improvise (at least it seemed to me that they are trying to improvise; otherwise it is just bad acting), but it just gives a cheesy feeling. The only "living" character in the movie is "the Mother", who is unfortunately not so pivotal enough to save the whole flick.

But, it seems that the director is so confident about the dialogues (and the monologues of the ridiculously acted, long inner voices scene) that, he does not need to use the sets, music, or even the city itself more deeply to create the atmosphere, which two lead actors definitely fail to do.

What he needed to do is simply go back to the roots of Turkish cinema and at least "copy" the old "Yesilcam" romantic movies, if he just wanted to make a tear-jerker.

If you want to see real movie about love-pain-regret and self destruction, go and see "Masumiyet" for example. 5 minute long monologue of Bekir (incredibly played by Haluk Bilginer) will take you somewhere, which even 5 hour-long Issiz Adam will never succeed.

i see some people complaining about how cagan irmak, the director is playing with the feelings of people... alright, he is really good at finding the desires, passions and touchy moments, i agree with that but i think that's what makes this movie great... the movie has a story that gives most of the people the feeling of "having lived that moment", i believe it is based on mr. irmak's personal experiences... characters in the movie are well developed and acted good, especially the leading actor is just amazing... the director used the inner speeches (monologues/dialogues) very well... a very well known usage of the same thing is in the so called Turkish classical "selvi boylum al yazmalim" which exaggerated all this inner speech thing and made the movie unrealistic at some points, mr. irmak used it only when it is most needed so it is just giving the message, not disturbing at all... i believe those who didn't like the movie has some gaps in their lives, either never felt in love or never needed to be alone and ran away from all the ties... or they are the ones who are just finding reasons to criticize everything in order to show that they are more sophisticated... or they are so materialistic that they don't even see a reason for appreciating this movie... anyway, i think the movie deserves to be seen, mr. irmak did a really good job... oh, i have a word for those who like the movie just because of the soundtrack: those songs were always there, you are the one listening to the low-quality Turkish pop that's why you never realized how good we were in music, just open your eyes and ears, it may change your life ;)

A tasteless film with the most conventional plot, poor acting, poor camera and poor directing. You will quite vainly look for any deeper meanings or a message. For there is none. It might make some people cry but so do some low quality soap operas. It is quite obvious that the director comes from this background. There is nothing unexpected and the sex scene is one of the least erotic ones after Bodyguard. Fortunately, not the most typical Turkish feature film of our day but unfortunately the one that makes more money and attracts more audience than those worth your money. It would be a relief to know that the director does not have any higher aspirations than making a film for a particular audience that enjoys non-stimulating entertainment and cheap love stories if he had not been honestly puzzled why he was not selected for any, yes, ANY, film festival competition with this one.

It was entertaining and suspenseful and were Melis Birkan and Yildiz Kultur absolutely superb. They were so natural. I am going to give up on my review of ISSIZ ADAM and simply say that if you are reading this, you should see the movie at your soonest convenience, I m sure you will not be disappointed.

"Ayla Dikmen - Anlamazdin": The song used in this film is quite excellent. It is very good one, as the title and artist may suggest, and the lyrics are in no way related to English for me, but it is a downright love song tune, so much so that the first thing I did upon getting home from the theater was dive into researching and downloading the song.

Cagan Irmak is my favorite, what can I say about him? I like Irmak's movies…

If you saw it go and see it again please...

Irmak with his magic wand to make every spectator cry in the end of a movie is on the job again. A perfect movie of love and emotions as well as the colorful backgrounds takes you in. Melis Birkan & Cemal Hunal performs perfectly with their hearts and soles. Two young symphatetic stars with both smiles & tears. Well done... The movie almost takes place in one of the most colorful districts of Istanbul, the city of dreams and contrasts. The story is a warm & intimate relation between two young people with different professions & attitudes, as well as about a man who's destiny is always being alone in a crowd. Not much to say, just watch it, it is worth for the drops falling on your cheeks.

"Issiz Adam" was recommended to me by couple of friends who claimed it was supposed to be as good as "Bliss" (which was a phenomenal movie). Fact of the matter is that this movie was far from being as good in any aspect. I was very surprised when I finished watching this over-hyped movie. I am not sure where the appeal is but I can clearly say that direction in this movie was questionable at best. The life that was portrayed in the movie has very little to do with the reality. Two leading actors were absolutely not up to challenge for their respective roles. Especially the actor that played the male character needs serious improvement. While I believe it would be wrong to say that it is a totally bad movie I sure can say I am disappointed based on high expectations.