Afloat

One of the many entries realeased on the Mostra Internacional de Cinema de São Paulo, this entry from Turkey marked as writer/director Aslihan Unaldi first time behind a feature film, after some experience behind documentaries. In "Afloat" she presents a torn apart family that is brought together by a bittersweet reunion due to a request from the patriarch (Serhat Ünaldi), a veteran combative journalist awaiting a jail sentence after writing inflamatory stories on Turkey's government and the refugee crisis on the country. It's an interesting film though it doesn't bring anything new to the table when it comes to deal with familiy relationships and how each member deal with several issues from their past while trying to face an uncertain future and reacting to what's happening at their present during a week sailing trip.

Unaldi's film title goes beyond a family sailing the ocean; it's about all the emotions that comes to surface yet are slightly hidden from each other as they deal with themselves after a long time apart. Zaynep (Nihan Aker), the eldest daughter, comes back with her husband Stephen (Oscar Pearce) and she's like the center of the universe to everyone since her life seems all figured out, married, living abroad and trying to become a documentarian working on the same issues as her dad. The youngest daughter (Elit Iscan) is a college dropout who clings to her teenage traumas as having to face with split parents and a confused life that puts her against everyone, except her mother (Lila Gürmen). But all that father wants is to rekindle with everyone for a final good moment before his pending sentence reaches him.

The usual topics revolving complicated families and their dynamics are brought up, at times ver relevant, other times it just the usual typical cinema cliche of just putting more wood to the bonfire. There's depression, addiction, emotional problems, infidelity, personal and political idealisms, and some other mysterious thrills and events that alter the course of their lives or their emotions. Add to that a sixth character (Eren Çigdem) that is somewhat part of their journey from time to time, a young man who causes some interest on the daughters but some aprehension to the parents.

"Afloat" is an interesting slow-burner that knows how to deal with all the topics presented without turning into a confusing mess, despite its criptic bits, neither makes any exaggeration that would feel unbeleivable. All characters feel real, with their own share of problems and mistakes, it's kind of hard to care for all of them but each viewer will find a special one to relate with. I liked the dad a lot more than I expected, despite being the one major responsible for the whole turn-around in the family. Possibly because he's such a real charmer or maybe the presence of Serhat playing this particular role where it doesn't gives the impression that he's all too bad. Serhat is a non professional actor yet he steals the show like a pro.

For a feature debut, Aslihan made a fine picture and she had the skills to make audiences interested and without falling into easy emotions. Just needs to resist the temptation of answering all questions given to us. For a film that moves in a quiet mysterious way I felt it explained everything that was shown and what happened to the family before and after their separation - but I couldn't figure out the reasoning behind the teenager who gives fruits to Yasmine, the young daughter. Gotta leave audiences make some conjectures, some theories as to why those men and women act and react in strange ways.

Overall, a good picture that kept me going in seeing a family's issues, how they dealt with them and what could be worked it out. 8/10.

Afloat weaves intricate family matters very well. Initially it may seem as if the movie portrays a privileged segment of society uncritically, but when looking deeper it becomes clear that the director criticizes the shallow understanding of the division between the rich and the poor / the educated vs the ignorant. The whole story comes together as a dissection of the alienated intellectual class in contemporary society through the portrayal of the self-centered journalist father. The film also stands out in its depiction of complex and layered woman characters. It is also refreshing to see female sexuality at the center of the movie.

On the surface, the film looks like a boat vacation of an upper middle class family, but it contains many layers that are skillfully woven together.

On the one hand, the beauty of the Aegean is on display, while on the other hand, the emotional tension within the family, which persists in almost every scene, is a nice emphasis on the fact that emotions do not recognize class differences.

The characters unfold beautifully, none of them are black and white, with their pros and cons, just like real-life people. The inner worlds, personality traits and emotional states of all the main characters are3 very skillfully rendered.

It is also pleasing to see a film that goes beyond the hidden assumption that "Middle Eastern art cinema must necessarily deal with themes of oppression and poverty".

I would like to watch it again.

I saw AFLOAT at Mostra de València Film Festival. Since watching and falling in love with Asghar Farhadi's A SEPARATION, it is the first time I felt complete empathy with all the characters of a movie and found myself rooting for all of them. The Turkish director Aslihan Unaldi takes relationships, secrets and conflicts and mixes them with the culture, religion and political elements of Turkey. This film lets you in on how the justice system works in a place where some of us may be ignorant about and at the same time makes us realize how human experience is very similar regardless of the culture, religion and region. I highly recommend AFLOAT.

Just saw this movie at the mostra Valencia, a mediterranean movie festival, which is celebrating its 38^th edition and s becoming an important festival.

Afloat is as Mediterranean as it gets, Besides mesmerising beauty of the Egean sea, the contradicting temperaments of the Mediterranean wife versus the Anglo Saxon husband is so apparent.

Afloat is a slow burning family drama with a very solid script, character development and prime acting to back it up is the strength of the movie.

Altough filmed in very tight spaces, you never get the feeling of.claustrophobia, on the contrary, there is a certain openness.to it.

The queston/anwer part at the end of the movie was.very satisfying and entertaining. The director, who directed her own father as an acting debut, could be proud of her casting choices.

Afloat is a strong candidate for the jury prize of the Valencia film festival.