Issiz Adam

Director Cagan Irmak had moved his audience to tears with his beautiful, semi-political, semi-melodramatic "Babam ve Oglum" only a few years ago. Now, here he is with a much more mature and deeper depiction of a tortured soul of our times. At a certain point, it is reminiscent of Allen's "Annie Hall" and there is a gentle, sly nod to Scorsese's "Taxi Driver", and this film deserves comparison to both of these films; no need to be modest. The main character is a handsome, young restaurant owner, a chef in Istanbul and his casual relationships with a large variety of women say something about his actual loneliness. On the other hand, she is a lively, lovely young woman with a pretty little costume shop and when they meet, it's not love at first sight, but a love that grows and is woven with their efforts, especially hers. But this is not an ordinary, straightforward womanizer-turned-romantic-by-true-love-kind-of story. It is the sad story of a man who has alienated himself from all emotional human contact because of a life in "the big city". It is all the more sad because he is aware of it, he wants to open up and get rid of it, but he just can't. And she was just about to make it easier for him... Anyway, this is definitely a movie worthy of seeing. It is not just a local story, I'm sure people all around the world will identify with the characters in this film. I hope little films like these are seen by large and different audiences and get the praise they deserve.

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.

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.

Popular Turkish television writer-director Çağan Irmak best known for his series "Çemberimde Gül Oya" and "Asmalı Konak", proved his popular appeal with this particularly modern take on the somewhat overdone Rom-Com genre that has a peculiarly Turkish bent which makes it well worth seeking out for anyone who wants an insight into that country's attitudes to love and sex.

Cemal Hunal certainly looks the part of a romantic lead as Alper and is not without his charms but the character he plays is so thoroughly repellent that it is impossible to cheer for him as he attempt to woo the feisty Melis Birkan as Ada, who one can't help but feel should have known better, under the kindly gaze of the brilliant but underutilised Yildiz Kültür as Alper's mother.

The filmmakers through in a fair few laughs, normally at Alpers expense, but these mostly relate to his degenerate sexual escapades and do nothing to endear him to the audience and it is this lack of pathos that was for me this films ultimate undoing as even at the end I could barely shed a tear when the film lived up to its English language title by leaving him alone.

I'm living with tainted blood.

I have never been feel spotted in the life, exposed like this film made me feel. Name of Cagan Irmak was enough reason for me to watch the movie because his name is more than "not disappointing me". His stories and the language he uses in his movies to transmit these stories the way he sees to us like he did in 'Babam ve Oglum', 'Mustafa Hakkinda Hersey' and his other films... It's amazing. So, even before I saw the film, I knew that I was gonna like it, or may be like it too much - which i did, too much. But it's not something about liking or not. Have you ever felt like grabbed by something and thrown like a stone to the sky like you're nothing? It was exactly how i feel when the film was over!

It's story of Alper and Ada. Alper is owner of a restaurant in Istanbul. He lives alone. He likes to live nice. One night stands are part of his life. And freedom is something not to be sacrificed. Then Ada shows up with all her charming, beautiful manner. A body and soul with full of life... Will she be able to manage to take him to the surface of the life? Is this passionate love powerful enough to lead its way? Is freedom really something not to be sacrificed? What is freedom? Is it being able to be lonely when you need it, or does it have another meaning?

It took time to catch myself again when the film was over. Irmak did it again... He dazzled me with his epic story of a modern life. But maybe because I found myself in this story, "Issiz Adam" (means "Deserted Man" in Turkish language) will be the most special one among his other films, maybe among all the other films. I also have to mention about the music. Mostly 70's and 80's old Turkish songs are used in the film. But each of them used in the movie is made you feel that it was made for the scene used. And director let us know about the characters as much as we should. Neither less, nor more than that, you don't have to deal with too much details.

It has been 5 days since I watched it and it's hard to say that i'm totally free of its influence. But I think I'm volunteered to be in this situation. I don't have a rush! Thank you whoever it goes...