Eskişehir beneath his wings in ’Master’
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Emrah Güler
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mayıs 16, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - Bahadır Karataş moves from advertising to cinema with an inspiring story about a man’s dream. ’Usta’ tells Doğan Usta’s unfaltering quest for flying on the backdrop of an emerging middle class portrayed with surprising accuracy
There’s always been a romantic relationship between flying and the movies. If you have enough money to tell your story, the world will be at your feet. Martin Scorsese’s biopic of the eccentric filmmaker and aviator Howard Hughes, "The Aviator," went onto win five Oscars five years ago.
Turkish director Mustafa Altıoklar’s debut feature, "Istanbul Kanatlarımın Altında" (Istanbul Beneath My Wings), tells the story of Hezarfen Ahmet Çelebi, one of the first men to fly with a set of wings he developed during the 16th century in the Ottoman Empire, and brought Hollywood-style big production to Turkish cinema in 1990s. The latest ode to flying comes from Turkish director Bahadır Karataş, with his debut feature "Usta" (Master). The word "usta" has a couple of meanings, "master" being the direct translation, with the word also being used for addressing the "shop master" and the "repairman."
All of these meanings apply to our protagonist Doğan (Yetkin Dikinciler), who runs an auto repair shop in the central Anatolian city of Eskişehir, and who, at times foolishly and selfishly, continues to follow his childhood dream to build an airplane.
Those around Doğan take his obsession with different levels of bewilderment. His childhood friend Ersun (Şevket Çoruh) and his little son share Doğan’s enthusiasm with the same fervor. Others take it with a grain of salt, while his wife Emine (Fadik Sevin Atasoy) isn’t at all pleased with her husband’s passion, perceiving the red plane-in-the-making as the third wheel in their relationship.
Art imitating life
Doğan Usta splits his time with working in his auto shop and working with his plane in the small shack next to his house, resembling an amateur aviation museum. His first attempt at flying his dream plane at an aviation festival ends in disappointment and a couple of fractured bones. His passion soon takes the best of him as he insanely continues to perfect his project, alienating his wife in the process. The film continues with themes of love, loss, making decisions and setting priorities, turning from a realistic picture of blunders and relationships into a tale of childlike quest to follow your dreams.
Having dropped out of a respectable education in business management despite fervent opposition from his family and going on to study cinema in the hometown of the movie, Eskişehir and later on in California, director Karataş knows very well the material dreams are made of. He tells of the story of an over-the-top dream in a very accurate portrayal of Turkey’s emerging new middle class. As the camera settles on the daily routines of the two families, one with Doğan, Emine and Doğan’s widowed mother, and the other with Ersun, his wife Hilal (Hasibe Eren) and their children, so much is said of the people of Turkey’s small cities, with their longings, disappointments, and the intricate dynamics of family and relationships.
Applaud for the cinematographer
The scenes with Doğan’s in-laws are sharp observations on the new flow of "green capital" (not the environment-friendly one, but capital associated with the pro-Islamic government), with public displays of practicing Islam to the fullest, and newfound riches. The dispatch of the secular imam to an unfavorable place is another note on the role of the new government.
Much applaud needs to go to the cinematographer Mirsad Heroviç for creating a dreamlike atmosphere and capturing the soul of a city. Throughout the movie, the audience is constantly reminded that both Karataş and Heroviç know their craft, with impressive long sequences helping create the right atmosphere for the movie. On another impressive note, Karataş proves himself to be a very able actor’s director. Long sequences and at times, the improvised dialogue breathe life into characters, extracting the best out of the actors. Doğan and Emine’s unfaltering love for one another sparks with chemistry as Dikinciler and Atasoy create one of the most memorable couples on screen in recent Turkish cinema.
Having come from advertisement (known most recently with the popular commercials featuring Turkey’s funniest man, Cem Yılmaz), Karataş seems to be walking surefooted into a new career, inching toward a dream set long ago much like the protagonist of his first film.
Turkish director Mustafa Altıoklar’s debut feature, "Istanbul Kanatlarımın Altında" (Istanbul Beneath My Wings), tells the story of Hezarfen Ahmet Çelebi, one of the first men to fly with a set of wings he developed during the 16th century in the Ottoman Empire, and brought Hollywood-style big production to Turkish cinema in 1990s. The latest ode to flying comes from Turkish director Bahadır Karataş, with his debut feature "Usta" (Master). The word "usta" has a couple of meanings, "master" being the direct translation, with the word also being used for addressing the "shop master" and the "repairman."
All of these meanings apply to our protagonist Doğan (Yetkin Dikinciler), who runs an auto repair shop in the central Anatolian city of Eskişehir, and who, at times foolishly and selfishly, continues to follow his childhood dream to build an airplane.
Those around Doğan take his obsession with different levels of bewilderment. His childhood friend Ersun (Şevket Çoruh) and his little son share Doğan’s enthusiasm with the same fervor. Others take it with a grain of salt, while his wife Emine (Fadik Sevin Atasoy) isn’t at all pleased with her husband’s passion, perceiving the red plane-in-the-making as the third wheel in their relationship.
Art imitating life
Doğan Usta splits his time with working in his auto shop and working with his plane in the small shack next to his house, resembling an amateur aviation museum. His first attempt at flying his dream plane at an aviation festival ends in disappointment and a couple of fractured bones. His passion soon takes the best of him as he insanely continues to perfect his project, alienating his wife in the process. The film continues with themes of love, loss, making decisions and setting priorities, turning from a realistic picture of blunders and relationships into a tale of childlike quest to follow your dreams.
Having dropped out of a respectable education in business management despite fervent opposition from his family and going on to study cinema in the hometown of the movie, Eskişehir and later on in California, director Karataş knows very well the material dreams are made of. He tells of the story of an over-the-top dream in a very accurate portrayal of Turkey’s emerging new middle class. As the camera settles on the daily routines of the two families, one with Doğan, Emine and Doğan’s widowed mother, and the other with Ersun, his wife Hilal (Hasibe Eren) and their children, so much is said of the people of Turkey’s small cities, with their longings, disappointments, and the intricate dynamics of family and relationships.
Applaud for the cinematographer
The scenes with Doğan’s in-laws are sharp observations on the new flow of "green capital" (not the environment-friendly one, but capital associated with the pro-Islamic government), with public displays of practicing Islam to the fullest, and newfound riches. The dispatch of the secular imam to an unfavorable place is another note on the role of the new government.
Much applaud needs to go to the cinematographer Mirsad Heroviç for creating a dreamlike atmosphere and capturing the soul of a city. Throughout the movie, the audience is constantly reminded that both Karataş and Heroviç know their craft, with impressive long sequences helping create the right atmosphere for the movie. On another impressive note, Karataş proves himself to be a very able actor’s director. Long sequences and at times, the improvised dialogue breathe life into characters, extracting the best out of the actors. Doğan and Emine’s unfaltering love for one another sparks with chemistry as Dikinciler and Atasoy create one of the most memorable couples on screen in recent Turkish cinema.
Having come from advertisement (known most recently with the popular commercials featuring Turkey’s funniest man, Cem Yılmaz), Karataş seems to be walking surefooted into a new career, inching toward a dream set long ago much like the protagonist of his first film.