Istanbul Encyclopedia

Istanbul Ansiklopedisi is not a documentary-it's a quiet act of remembrance. Watching it feels like walking through a half-forgotten dream, where every alley and voice holds a story you didn't know you missed. It's not about nostalgia for the sake of beauty; it's about memory, identity, and the layers we live on without always noticing.

There's no rush, no dramatization. Instead, the film lets Istanbul speak through people, places, and pauses. Its rhythm is slow but steady-like the city's own heartbeat. You don't just learn about Istanbul; you feel its breath, its wounds, its wit.

By the end, I felt like I had been handed a photo album with no captions-just moments, quietly powerful and impossibly familiar. It's a love letter, not to the city we see, but to the city we sense-just under the surface, still whispering.

This movie is not really about Istanbul per say, except as a metaphor, as many big cities are, for escaping to the masses.

Meaning away from the fishbowl of where you came from, and the limiting borders of your previous existence, and to the generic mass of humanity, where you either lose yourself or find yourself. Or possibly both.

The premise is interesting, if not fully fleshed out. Students of architecture are asked to share the impact the city has had on them.

Our two leads, both female, have come to the city from a smaller city many hours away. One came a long time ago, and one just recently. You see the before and after effects. The seasoned, hardened mature woman, and the fresh-faced acolyte.

You never see any of the students sketching things. Yet you would think that architecture majors would be constantly drafting. There is very little discussion about buildings or urban planning.

But there is plenty of narration about the neighborhoods of the city as experienced by the young lead. The mature woman is done with this city and the country. That's an important part of the story.

The combined forces of a complex and perhaps suffocating culture, and her personal baggage have beat her down.

There is no action in this movie whatsoever, nor sex. It is strictly discussions, arguments, crying, and philosophical observations.

The main characters feel torn between obligation, and the yearning to be free. People who make movies are generally liberal and sometimes free spirits.

So don't be surprised that this film presents traditional religion as burdensome to women. Some may find it offensive. There is some graphic symbolization.

Casting was impressive. The mature lead has a gravitas about her that draws you in. The young one is radiant.

The cinematography is excellent. There are interesting shots of the city and creative angles.

But be ready for potential boredom too. Because there is an enormous amount of talking, shots of people listening or thinking, and crying.

Turkey is an ancient place. Let's hear more about what exactly plagues the city and country, that is driving out one lead and baffling the other.

This isn't a documentary. It's a love letter whispered through stone, shadow, and silence. You don't watch it-you drift through it. No narration, no urgency, just the gentle unfolding of a city remembering itself.

Every frame feels like a forgotten corner of your own memory. Cracked tiles. A shop window covered in dust. The echo of a call to prayer, not as sound-but as feeling. It's not nostalgia. It's intimacy. The kind you only share with places that have shaped you.

There's a kind of quiet magic here: the beauty of things left unsaid. Of buildings that have seen more than they'll ever tell. It invites you to listen-not with your ears, but with your attention.

When it ended, I felt slower. Softer. As if I had wandered through someone else's dream and recognized pieces of myself in it.

Were well played by all actors. Interesting plot about coming snd leaving places. This film is about finding your identity in a new place surrounded by new people, making new friends and how to get to know a big city. It is also about Cultural and religious clashes about growing up and about letting go of people you love. It taked up serous topics like how our past affects us and how we all are full of judgement. If you are looking for a film with scenic Istanbul views, this might not be a film for you. This film is about conflicts in life, the thing that makes a person grow and how problems never leave.

It felt like leafing through an old book where each page was scented with memory - textured, intimate, and quietly alive. The city wasn't just a backdrop; it was a breathing character, shifting with time, watching silently as lives unfolded within its veins. Every episode was like wandering through a different street at dusk - where laughter echoed off the walls of the past, and shadows whispered stories you almost remember. What moved me most was the tenderness in its gaze - it didn't try to impress, it invited. It let the city's poetry speak in gestures, glances, and shared silences. Watching it felt like returning somewhere you've never been, but somehow missed. And when it ended, I didn't feel like it was over - I felt like I had been entrusted with a secret, one only the heart could translate.