Neseli Hayat

Excellent Drama..

Neseli Hayat (Cheerful Life) is the tale of a man,Riza, who is in a harsh challenge with life. Poverty after he loses his job on one side, desperate family relations on the other side.

The way he has to make money, the conflict between the hoods he lives and works makes us smile while witnessing a reality about the lives of desperate people trying to survive in cruel cities like Istanbul.

Turkish famous director Yilmaz Erdogan uses the cast he has been working with at BKM of whose performances are somehow not satisfying compared to the film.

This movie was released at the time of "Cok Guzel Haraketler Bunlar", so I watched it with excitement, frankly, it wasn't what I expected, but it's an average movie.

Rather a drama than a comedy, that touches the unsolvable question of poor people especially caught up between the western culture & what is left of the pieces of eastern culture as well. Life is always hard on the illiterate people immigrated to a metropolis from their villages where there seems no hope of survival at all. The movie seems like a light comedy around cunning little people, but though they feel the reality in themselves still try to live the day with some impossible dreams. Yilmaz Erdogan as both the director and the main guy in the movie seems to intent a sequel for his movies Vizontele & Vizontele Tugba but this time the place is the "big apple" Istanbul. Both Yilmaz Erdogan & as his wife Büsra Pekin are wonderfully natural. The corrupted culture of the outskirts of a city, people who have nothing but an ignorant courage and still the pride outlines the story. The tempo never gets dull, the cinematography seems smooth, a hard to recall soundtrack and a fine team of actors of the BKM which is still a powerful resource for both the theatre and the Turkish cinema. It is not a surprise that the movie couldn't get as much as attention as the cult comedy Recep Ivedik sequels which are almost absurd and worth nothing compared to Neseli Hayat. Thanks to Yilmaz Erdogan. Thanks BKM. Someday there'll be a "Slumdog Millionaire" in the Turkish cinema too, not far away...

Erdogan reestablishes himself as a good filmmaker once again with the first Christmas movie ever in the history of Turkish Cinema. The theme and setting is a not-too-subtle but still very clever reflection of the torn-culture of contemporary Turkey. The whole irony is summed up with the scene where Erdogan in a Santa costume greets other Santas with a nonchalant "Selamaleykum".

Unlike his previous movies, Erdogan does not work with the veteran cast of the BKM troupe. Most of the roles big and small are filled with the youngsters- who give solid performances under a solid direction.

"Neseli Hayat" is a good, heart-warming story with invaluable insights and observations of modern Turkish society, and you should see it before a big Hollywood action flick squeezes it out of your local theatre.

The best part of the movie is that it is a local story. All of the characters are people from us. Turkish people. Their motivations are very similar to us. But don't expect a great movie. It is not a very ambitious movie. A plain movie.