yusufpiskin

In the West, films like this get showered with awards thanks to an endless, almost compulsive fascination with Orientalism. In such an insincere atmosphere, it becomes hard for viewers to tell which films genuinely deserve recognition.

I decided to stop caring about award ceremonies back in my teenage years. But Sundance has always held a different place in my heart.

Western audiences and critics watching Eastern cinema through subtitles can't really see the films from our perspective. Understandably, they miss the flaws.

The biggest issue with this film was the dialogue. It sounded like it was written in English and then run through Google Translate into Turkish.

The Polish cinematographer, perhaps influenced by the Iranian director, tried too hard to mimic Iranian cinema with every frame. It showed, and not always in a good way.

When an Iranian and a Polish filmmaker try to make a Turkish-language film in Turkey with Turkish actors, it inevitably leads to some serious mismatches. And yes, it shows.

Though I recently had lovely conversations with Ekin Koç, Erkan Kolçak Köstendil, Hazar Ergüçlü, and Ercan Kesal, and I really like all of them, credit where credit is due. Köstendil and Koç are the ones who carry the film on their shoulders.

After one of his concerts, I told Ekin, "You got two big reactions back-to-back from two indie films. What's next?" He smiled and said, "Bring on the next one. This is the fun part."

Koç is deeply in love with the craft. He doesn't care if he makes money off the projects he believes in. In fact, he even spends out of pocket. A remarkable actor and an incredibly talented musician. And once again, he gives everything he's got here.

The film swings between being a festival piece and a mainstream production. But despite a few hiccups, it manages to communicate a powerful idea to the audience.

Still, if I were on the Sundance jury, this wouldn't be my pick.

Alireza Khatami said the film was inspired by David Lynch. I won't comment on that. Because honestly, I'm not sure I can say anything about it without being mean.

Honestly, this film has been on my watchlist since 2021, and after the whole COVID-19 mess, I was pretty sure I'd never get to see it.

But unfortunately, it ended in major disappointment.

First off, it's important to point out that this is an adaptation of a book/short story which I haven't read.

Back to the film: the portrayal of 1917 is absolutely stunning. From the color palette to the costumes, even the tiniest background details are handled beautifully. I wouldn't be surprised if it gets an Oscar nod in one of those categories.

But not everything runs so smoothly. Nearly half of the film's most powerful scenes feel like carbon copies of Paul Mescal's earlier work-almost shot-for-shot, moments he's already known for in other films and series.

Why they chose to do that, whether it was director Oliver Hermanus or cinematographer Alexander Dynan, I don't know. But I can say for sure it was the wrong call.

Add to that the weak dialogue and a queer storyline that feels underdeveloped, and the film ends up miles away from where it's clearly trying to go.

That said, the music choices and Chris Cooper's presence earn it some points back.

I knew from the start that nothing bad would come out of Danny and Michael Philippou. So ever since the first news broke about this film, I've felt at ease completely certain I was about to see something good. Hats off to the duo: after Talk to Me, they've clearly continued their path by learning and evolving. That mindset is becoming increasingly rare in today's film industry.

On the Emmy night when Haluk Bilginer announced the award, everyone seemed stunned that Billy Barratt had won, especially at such a young age. But I wasn't surprised. I've been following his career since 2016, and once again, he didn't let me down in this film either.

Beyond Sally Hawkins' masterfully eerie performance, and the triumph of bringing an actor like Jonah Wren Phillips into cinema, Bring Her Back stands out as one of the rare recent films where the viewer can genuinely feel the effort poured into every single frame. At a time when cinema, in general, seems to be abandoning the concept of "craft" and surrendering to AI, the state of horror cinema, frankly, feels even more pitiful.

Long story short: Bring Her Back is the kind of film everyone involved, especially the Philippou Brothers, should be proud to have in their filmography.