Turkey’s Fred Flintsone

Once again, Yılmaz carries the anxieties of the everyday Turkish man to the big screen, using his trademark humor and impressive CG visual effects.

With Islamic celebrations turning into week-long holidays, it was inevitable for the Turkish cinema industry to import the concept of holiday movies as a marketing tool. The anticipated visual-effects comedy "A.R.O.G.," written, co-directed by and starring Turkey’s greatest comedian, Cem Yılmaz, was the Turkish holiday movie of the past Bayram, and perhaps the ultimate holiday movie of this year.

One of the most prolific entertainers in Turkey, Yılmaz has been celebrated for his unique brand of comedy through his stand-up shows and movies for over a decade now. His name has also come to be associated with commitment, dedication and hard work. His science fiction comedy hit of 2004, "G.O.R.A.," became popular long before it hit the theaters, mostly due to the infamous production hell it went through and the constant delay in the release date of the movie. But the troubles proved worthwhile as four million went to see the comedy hit in the theaters, and following its DVD release, the movie turned into a classic for repeat-watching over the years.

Having learned the movie business the hard way, Cem Yılmaz carried his writing skills to a more serious movie two years ago, co-directing "Hokkabaz" (The Magician) with Ali Taner Baltacı. The movie was a moderate success both with the audience and the critics. With a blossoming self-confidence in the movie business, Yılmaz soon took on an ambitious project, taking the protagonist of "G.O.R.A.," Arif, to the Stone Age with the help of CG effects reminiscent of the "Jurassic Park" movies.

Arif, the everyday Turkish man
Arif was created as a blend of Yılmaz’s sharp observations of the everyday Turkish man in his stand-up shows that carried him to fame and stardom. The much-loved protagonist reflected the new (and at times awkward) sensibilities of the new urban Turkish man, most of the time stuck between a limbo of tradition and western modernity. The comedy illuminating through Yılmaz’s protagonist was a mirror to his stand-up shows, which in turn mirrored his days as a cartoonist in the groundbreaking humor magazine of the 1990s, "Leman."

In the tradition of most of the comedy characters that pass the test of time, the carpet salesman Arif reflected the anxieties of its age and culture, becoming lovable despite his countless flaws. He was a know-it-all, he didn’t like working despite having ambitions of big money, he wasn’t refined in any way, yet he had an uncanny ability to communicate, connect people and see the good in anyone he interacted with in his bizarre odyssey.

More like a space odyssey were his adventures in "G.O.R.A.," the name of the hostile planet far, far away he found himself on. Yılmaz played both the protagonist and the villain Logar in the movie directed by Ömer Faruk Sorak.

Rakı, şiş kebap and football BC
"A.R.O.G.," starring most of the cast from the first movie and co-directed by Ali Taner Baltacı, takes Arif back in time a million years via a time machine. Spending some time with apes, he moves on to the next level of evolution, meeting with a tribe of homosapiens. His naive ambition to bring civilization to this tribe (so that they can invent a time machine) brings out the best and worst in Arif. The movie plays as a sharp comedy on how an everyday Turkish man would react to his environment if he was sent to the Stone Age.

In "A.R.O.G.," Arif becomes the Turkish equivalent of Fred Flintstone, trying to recreate a modern life in the Stone Age; a Turkish village with the typical fountain in the middle, a bakery, şiş kebabs along with rakı, and the football match against the neighboring tribe. The CG visual effects and the art direction are on a par with Hollywood movies, with Arif showing gratitude when coming face to face with a dinosaur in one scene for having lived through a classic Hollywood scene.

Even though Arif’s scenes are a collection of sharp observations, possible sketches in a stand-up show, his character surprisingly comes to life, becoming more real than many of the characters in other recent Turkish movies. Which simply becomes enough to remember Cem Yılmaz’s genius once again.