Not much sunshine in ’My Only Sunshine’
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Emrah Guler
OluÅŸturulma Tarihi: Nisan 11, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - Reha Erdem brings new meaning to the word ’dark’ in the harrowing tale of adolescence in his latest feature ’My Only Sunshine’ (Hayat Var), competing for the National Competition in the Istanbul Film Festival. Growing pains have never been this morbid
His specific brand of cinema is difficult to define, but those who follow Turkish director Reha Erdem know there are bits and pieces unique to Erdem’s style.
His fixation on the pains of adolescence, nostalgia for an Istanbul that exists only in his imagination, and a projection of the city devoid of any hope for its future are all fitting themes in Erdem’s newest feature "Hayat Var" (My Only Sunshine). Â
His latest film coincided with the Istanbul International Film Festival, running for the Golden Tulip in the National Competition. Erdem’s previous film "Beş Vakit" (Times and Winds), a sweet and sad coming-of-age story set in rural Turkey, was a success both nationally and internationally, becoming a favorite of British critics, especially when it was released two years ago. The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw had said " Beş Vakit" is "a remarkable piece of work, conceived at the highest pitch of intelligence: It is a cinematic poem, replete with fear and rapture, and one of the best films of the year."
There isn’t much of a life
Those who watched and enjoyed "BeÅŸ Vakit" two years ago need to erase all preconceived notions of director Erdem before watching "My Only Sunshine." The movie, which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, is a haunting tale of adolescence and of Istanbul, designed to drain viewers of their last drops of energy and hope. The film is two hours of cinema that puts the word "entertainment" totally out of sync with movies.
Resembling most closely Erdem’s debut film, "A Ay" (Look, the Moon), "My Only Sunshine" takes similar characters from his first movie, an adolescent girl and her bedridden grandfather, and uses the dark waters of the Bosphorus as a backdrop once again. "My Only Sunshine" features Hayat as its protagonist, a teenage girl whose name means "life," hence the Turkish title of the movie "Hayat Var," which translates directly as There is Life.
As the 14-year-old Hayat (Elit İşcan) experiences her transition into adulthood, she realizes it is not an easy one for her. It is a harrowing experience as she tries to find her way through two domineering identities, one of an angelic-faced child and another of a blossoming woman. She lives in a small shack near the waters of the Bosphorus with her bedridden grandfather (Levend Yılmaz) who constantly reminds his granddaughter what it means to be a true Istanbullu (a description that is far from the present reality, something hard to grasp both for Hayat and the audience), and her father (Erdal Beşikçioğlu) who takes off to sea in his decrepit boat. He brings fish home and ferries prostitutes and marijuana to foreign ships anchored in the Bosphorus, helping his family barely survive.
The abyss that is the Bosphorus
The film shows Hayat wandering aimlessly between her home, her neighborhood, her school and where her mother (Banu Fotocan) lives with her new family. Hayat barely speaks, her eyes constantly mesmerized by the cruel world around her. She tries escaping from the suffocating shack she lives in, only to be ridiculed at school. In her desperation, she tries winning friends through dozens of chocolate bars she brings to school, the presents from the local market owner who sees Hayat as a vulnerable, sexual object.
The film doesn’t let the audience get a fresh breath of air, as there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel for Hayat’s growing pains. As the sound designer as well, Erdem uses sound to its most harrowing effect, with constant sounds of barking, screeching, reminding the audience of a city and life in decay. The shots from the sea feature long sequences in Hayat’s father’s boat, reaching to the point of claustrophobia, eventually giving the audience the feeling of watching an abyss. Erdem had himself warned his audience that "My Only Sunshine" would be his darkest film yet. But if hearing the word "dark" brings to mind the latest Harry Potter movie for you, this film definitely is not your cup of tea.
"My Only Sunshine" will be screened with English subtitles at BeyoÄŸlu Emek on April 16 at 4 p.m.
His fixation on the pains of adolescence, nostalgia for an Istanbul that exists only in his imagination, and a projection of the city devoid of any hope for its future are all fitting themes in Erdem’s newest feature "Hayat Var" (My Only Sunshine). Â
His latest film coincided with the Istanbul International Film Festival, running for the Golden Tulip in the National Competition. Erdem’s previous film "Beş Vakit" (Times and Winds), a sweet and sad coming-of-age story set in rural Turkey, was a success both nationally and internationally, becoming a favorite of British critics, especially when it was released two years ago. The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw had said " Beş Vakit" is "a remarkable piece of work, conceived at the highest pitch of intelligence: It is a cinematic poem, replete with fear and rapture, and one of the best films of the year."
There isn’t much of a life
Those who watched and enjoyed "BeÅŸ Vakit" two years ago need to erase all preconceived notions of director Erdem before watching "My Only Sunshine." The movie, which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, is a haunting tale of adolescence and of Istanbul, designed to drain viewers of their last drops of energy and hope. The film is two hours of cinema that puts the word "entertainment" totally out of sync with movies.
Resembling most closely Erdem’s debut film, "A Ay" (Look, the Moon), "My Only Sunshine" takes similar characters from his first movie, an adolescent girl and her bedridden grandfather, and uses the dark waters of the Bosphorus as a backdrop once again. "My Only Sunshine" features Hayat as its protagonist, a teenage girl whose name means "life," hence the Turkish title of the movie "Hayat Var," which translates directly as There is Life.
As the 14-year-old Hayat (Elit İşcan) experiences her transition into adulthood, she realizes it is not an easy one for her. It is a harrowing experience as she tries to find her way through two domineering identities, one of an angelic-faced child and another of a blossoming woman. She lives in a small shack near the waters of the Bosphorus with her bedridden grandfather (Levend Yılmaz) who constantly reminds his granddaughter what it means to be a true Istanbullu (a description that is far from the present reality, something hard to grasp both for Hayat and the audience), and her father (Erdal Beşikçioğlu) who takes off to sea in his decrepit boat. He brings fish home and ferries prostitutes and marijuana to foreign ships anchored in the Bosphorus, helping his family barely survive.
The abyss that is the Bosphorus
The film shows Hayat wandering aimlessly between her home, her neighborhood, her school and where her mother (Banu Fotocan) lives with her new family. Hayat barely speaks, her eyes constantly mesmerized by the cruel world around her. She tries escaping from the suffocating shack she lives in, only to be ridiculed at school. In her desperation, she tries winning friends through dozens of chocolate bars she brings to school, the presents from the local market owner who sees Hayat as a vulnerable, sexual object.
The film doesn’t let the audience get a fresh breath of air, as there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel for Hayat’s growing pains. As the sound designer as well, Erdem uses sound to its most harrowing effect, with constant sounds of barking, screeching, reminding the audience of a city and life in decay. The shots from the sea feature long sequences in Hayat’s father’s boat, reaching to the point of claustrophobia, eventually giving the audience the feeling of watching an abyss. Erdem had himself warned his audience that "My Only Sunshine" would be his darkest film yet. But if hearing the word "dark" brings to mind the latest Harry Potter movie for you, this film definitely is not your cup of tea.
"My Only Sunshine" will be screened with English subtitles at BeyoÄŸlu Emek on April 16 at 4 p.m.