Bonita

Discounting a couple of problems caused by two distinct narration styles applied in the beginning scenes and the rest parts of the movie, Cici is a fascinating family drama. Despite its plain and unagitating langue, the movie skilfully achieves to build a riveting and immersive story.

In addition to many succesful scenes and glorious acting performances, this movie also deserves attention even for only mesmerizing performance of Olgun Simsek (character Cemil), who creates an excellent scene (in the middle part of the movie) with an inimitable smile spreading a great sorrow.

Congratulations to director-writer Berkun Oya and the whole team.

It was impossible to stay away from the hype for a new Berkun Oya movie after the great Bir Baskadir. In that sense maybe Cici does not hit as hard but it is no way a waste of one's time. The relationship between the father and the son is a very important theme and Orhan Pamuk says the father always kills the son in the East, which in a way is the case here. In Cici, the storyline that did not translate to me was the Cemil-Saliha love as I can not picture Saliha remaining emotionally attached after moving to the big city. The scene where Olgun Simsek argues with Okan Yalabik was incredible where I can swear it happened just in front of me. The casting was perfect with the transitions between young and old versions were flawless. The family discussion at the barbecue/mangal revealed all the real intentions of characters in a very natural way where the writing was sublime. One last bit of question on my side is whether Saliha spent enough time in Ankara to become the rather sophisticated urban woman that is portraited but this might be quite picky.

Definitely a reliable analysis of traditional Turkish families: Traditional Turkish families - if not all, most - are characterized by terrible communication among family members due to sub-par individual maturity of Turkish people. Turkish men are work-oriented machines whose emotional development is almost always incomplete and, depending on the family milieu and neighborhood, they can be very harsh on children. Many Turkish women are unaccomplished passion storehouses who are too often deprived of equal opportunities in childhood. The children such people raise - even when these children attend university and adopt an urban lifestyle that requires a higher degree of self-awareness - are almost always immature and have difficulty exploring, understanding, and facing their own individuality, psychology, and the emotional immaturity that always govern their relationships. The director did a remarkably successful reading of Turkish family and societal dynamics, based on realistic characters. Definitely worth your time.

Anatolian family drama... oldest tale on this land. Just because it's old doesn't mean it's not fresh. It's not original or bold, but it is... new, you know. Like renewed antiques.

Oya did it again of course and has been acknowledged by his trademarks, zoom in/outs, dark and folkloric comedy, keep the characters centered and so on.

Writing is good, acting is superb (except fatih artman, who is one of my favorites but dude can only act angry, shouting, rude man). Casting is spot on.

However it's long. Oh man it's long. It's like dragging on and on and on. You are not Nuri Bilge Ceylan, you know. Keep it short keep it fresh.

Must see

8/10.

Never have I ever seen such a full bodied turkish production with such cross referenced editing and interwoven story and succesful character development not only in a leading role but in the entire parts. The cast, acting, set design, cinematography, picture, editing, sound.. they all combine in this contemporary masterpiece.

Titled ironically, the movie throws many questions in the air. Whether lf things could have been else way, would they bring happiness in life or does growth and progress always happen for the best?

A continuos feeling of nostalgia crushing your heart over and over, the movie (imo) is in the league of Cinema del Paradiso.