Issiz adam - Einsam

This is perhaps Çağan Irmak's best movie to date - an anti-romantic drama set in and around Beyoğlu that ostensibly analyzes the crisis of contemporary masculinities, but ends up showing how self- interested people actually are.

Alper (Cemal Hünal) is a successful chef with a penchant for collecting 80s pop LPs. In public he comes across as a generous, though perfectionist boss; in private he lives a life of solitude and self-interest, as he regularly haunts out local whores for a spot of S&M. Into his life comes Ada (Melis Birkan), a clothes-shop owner who initially rejects him but responds eventually to his persistent advances. The two of them fall in love but inevitably the affair ends in tears.

That is the entire plot of the movie; but nonetheless Irmak retains our interest by making telling thematic points. Alper's fondness for 80s music is part of his conquest strategy; chat the girl up, take her home, cook her a meal, put on some soft music and sexual success will inevitably follow. Unable - or is it unwilling - to acknowledge his true feelings, he inhabits a mental prison, despite his conquests. This is suggested through a regular use of shots showing him driving a car through the streets of İstanbul, with the camera outside focusing on his expression behind the wind-shield. On other occasions Irmak uses prison-images - for example, photographing Alper in close-up behind a metal bed-head, with iron bars obscuring his face.

The film's narrative unfolds in a series of two-shots and shot/reverse shots, which might suggest a concentration on character. However Irmak intersperses these shots with a series of jump-cuts - for example, when Alper prepares his dinner, or when Ada cooks breakfast one morning after a night of sexual passion. This technique suggests that the protagonists are somehow in a hurry; they want to get as quickly as possible through their daily rituals so that they can move on to something else. They cannot reflect on their emotions or their feelings towards one another.

The final sequence is particularly memorable. Ada and Alper re- encounter one another in Beyoğlu: by now Ada is married to someone else, while Alper is still isolated. As they exchange banalities with one another, we hear their true feelings expressed in voice-over. We learn from Ada that she has a memory of her time with Alper - a 45 rpm record that she took from his mother's house - that Alper knows nothing about. Here is the true source of nostalgia; not necessarily a mood, or a piece of music, but an object that recalls the past. Alper can, and never will, discover how this works, being too much concerned with himself alone.

a great romantic movie to come out of turkey, but calling it romantic does not do it justice. its also a study of the nihilism and alieanation of the individual in modern times...when the young generation can live without the taboos instilled by our parents....when we can date who we want, be-friend when we want...and simply live the way we want.

but it does have romantic elements...their utopian life is a bit too hollywoody for my tastes, but its what keep people coming to the movies.

but this 'virus' - 'inexplicable' reason for the self-afflicted loneliness never gets even a glimpse of an explanation...i would say its the unequivocal result of big-city living, but the only ever explanation we get completely destroys that theory (apparently he was a loner as a kid in his small town). so what is the reason, origin of this masochistic behavior? he seems quite unhappy and regretful about it from the beginning to the end. this never gets explored, and makes the point superbly weak.

the music is nostalgic and amazing...as if the 'love' they feel is a story from a time long past but can not happen in the modern times - great placement. the movie will capture you and keep you from the beginning, but it will leave you with some questions.

and for those who continue to view turkey in the same light as the more conservative muslem countries...the very first scene is a 'in your face dumbo' moment...basically we have the guy meeting a married woman in the middle of the night after a brief internet conversation, a woman whose husband has a cockhold fantasy and will be watching the two perform.

cheers.

one of Turkish films about solitude, the other and love. seductive for atmosphere and for tension and for the manner to escape from yourself. simple, delicate, wise. one of films about the meet who change everything and who becomes not exactly essential but the fundamental choice for discover yourself. like many Turkish contemporary films, after its end, the only great memory remains the flavor. like the cinnamon flavor. sad. and refreshing. and this is all.

What I heard from most watchers is that everybody found somethings from their own life in Issiz Adam. They say that the movie is amazing just because catches you from your heart and mind like it tells your own life but not Alper and Ada's.To be honest, I definitely do not have the same feeling. What I think is that the movie is purely simple and that is why everybody finds somethings in it. Most of us try to find the real meaning of the scenes, speeches etc in movies but with Issiz Adam; many people do overlook while trying to find somethings deep.

I could not understand what Alper wants also why his actions are always fulsome. What he wants and why? You find no answer in the movie. On the other hand, Ada looks like well experienced on relations with men but how she could fall in love with that bombastic guy? Can we just say that "because the love is somethings like this"? Sorry I do not agree.

Well, besides the story and acting, the scenes and songs are really beautiful. So I recommend this movie to the lovers of oldies and to the people who feel lonely in their life.

Firstly movie brings Ferzan Ozpetek style to mind with its story, which is good but not so much. A weak point of movie is; what a big love, lived in 4 weeks and couldn't be forgotten for 8 years, is this realistic? That causes to lost movie's deep perspective. Role-playing is also another weak point. Actors are unexperienced, that why may be. In some scenes actors and actresses performance are not persuasive. However, ambiance is decorated with amazing historical places of Istanbul and magnificent oldies Turkish songs. Galata Tower can be seen behind with all its grace and grandeur. Old-school places were selected for movie those are also supported ambiance.