Yazi Tura

This movie is far away from what we were used to in Turkish cinema. In fact, this picture has no hope whatsoever inside, and that kind of depresses you, besides a huge slap of reality. I think the movie is not made for criticizing anyone or anything, it is made to show how real, ordinary people are situated in our daily life. Contains black humor sometimes, it is dark and so real that it creeps you out. The acting is not even close to bad, actors have really got into their roles. And the directing is, a little new but better than I have expected. This movie is in the 1st rank in my favorite Turkish movies, and i think most of the people who watched it would agree with me

Winner of many regional awards, it is one of the best and very modern movied of the Turkish cinema. After long years of being trapped in the popular and easy way of film-making, finally movies with artistic values are being released. Shot with a digital camera, the movie has very interesting visual effects.(a bit exaggurated and a bit experimental perhaps) the story is based on the lives of two friends which are totally different from each other. the movie contains a lot of cultural aspects which makes it impossible to be considered as an international movie. however, as i said before, the movie itself is a very solid proof that the standards of the Turkish cinema is rising.

I have seen the movie this year. I've been watching the director as an actor for years. The story is very realistic and the cast seems to fit so appropriate. After a while except dramatic editions, the movie transforms to a documentary film and begins to annoy much more. The two parallel sub-stories holds many characters like the cheating friend of Ridvan, the survivor of 1999 earthquake, neglectful father of Cevher, the unwanted gay brother and also the ghostly Kurdish ex-girlfriend of Ridvan. Especially the finals of the two stories makes an ironic expression on the movie title heads or tails"Yazi& Tura".. Each side of the coin is the same.

Yazi Tura is an amazing insight into Turkish ordeal. The story is wonderfully managed from start to finish and leaves the viewer with a cold realisation of how life can deal us the cruelest of hands. Ugur Yücel has caught the essence of military life and how it brings together young men to form close and personal relationships for short periods of time. The end of the relationship becomes the start of a new time, the main part of the story. It follows two such young men and how they have to adapt to civilian life. Many topics are brought to the front in the film. Depression and alcoholism leads to suicide. Homosexuality and even natural disaster play a major part. I recommend this movie as a 'must watch'

The film actually has two separate stories, starting from the same scene. First story is about a small town guy who comes back from the military service as a wounded handicapped man. The next story is about his friend who comes back home in the big city after army service. Their before-military dreams are destroyed when they confront realities of life. I liked the first story better because it is very probable and realistic. However, the second story, is not as strong as the first, mainly because of telling a marginal story, (army guy turns into mafia guy, his daddy had a former marriage with a Greek woman, and their son is half Greek half Turkish gay man).. So second story mainly revolves around the psychological conflicts on how come a Turkish commando-mafia guy had a gay Greek half brother.. I wonder how many turks had this same conflict :) This is a typical trap of many Turkish movie makers usually fall.. They focus on a marginal story, and lives of marginal people, and they miss the huge majority of people, and their ordinary lives. The realism in the movie weakens when almost all characters are losers, alcohol and drug abusers. Movie also is loaded with too many things which reduces its believability: terrorist/military conflict, Turkish guy loving a terrorist conflict, painful earthquake, Greek Turkish relations, gay-macho conflicts, substance abuse, mafia, son father conflict, etc .. too many things in one package.. Conclusion: Nice to watch, especially the first story, but it could have been done better..