Hammam, le bain turc

A special film For the side of Istanbul, for delicat portrait of love, for inspired performances, for flavors and words and tension and the meet with a form of happiness out of any definition. A film about love. The flavors of cinnamon, the clash between worlds, the precise portrait of emotions are real admirable. Sure, a visual delight but, more important, wise exploration of an universe great for its subtle beauty and splendid delicacy. A film who I love. For the seeds remaining after its end and for the flowers of memories about it. Alessandro Gassman gives, in authentic manner, a profound seductive performance.

I went to see this film knowing nothing about it whatsoever. From the first heart-wrenching musical note to the heart-breaking end ... I was mesmerized.

The actors are beautiful. They exude intelligent sexuality (if there is such a thing). There is the sense of being entrapped in a circular miserable existence with all the money and the necessities of life but no soul... A married couple works out their banal existence; evolves.

The magic of Turkey and the showering of loving hospitality is reflective of the people from that part of the world. This film is honest, romantic, sensual, intelligent, serene and detailed. This film should have won it's well-deserved Oscar!

So let's restrict ourselves to the most beautiful shot. The closing scene, I think. Here we find yet another of the main characters we have started to know throughout the story, being sucked into the gentle, demanding, chaotic, smoky, colourful and slow whirlpool that is this movie's Istanbul. An antique cigarette holder, a loved-one's sweater, and a calm, steady gaze over the Bosphorus. Representative, in its way, for the entire film. Understatement at its finest.

Marketing this as gay-themed is sort of misleading. There is an important gay relationship in it, but it's handled in a subtle manner. The Turkish family is either tolerant or in denial, (probably both). Reminds me a little of the Italian film 'I Am Love', which also takes a dramatic turn near the end. Prior to that, though, the story moves rather slowly. The quality of the lighting and the DVD itself is not great. I hope someday it will be 're-digitized'. Anyway, the film is remarkable for portraying a quietly ambivalent acceptance of homosexuality in a culture that is non-western and cosmopolitan: Istanbul. And interestingly, it suggests that the quietly ambivalent acceptance has been going on for a very long time. (10/2012)

First off the bat, the homosexual suggestive advertising of this film is misleading: it was not the central theme nor occupy any more than a second's brief moment.

This film actually has a very poignant way of telling a story, which is set in Istanbul (this was what drew me to see this film as I remembered my visit to Turkey and fascinated by the city of Istanbul), and Istanbul is really the central backbone of this movie. Story unfolds in a very ordinary everyday way, and through out the film, yes, things just unfold and nothing is presented elaborately – no fuss no emphasis – they all come across in subtle nuances. One recurring activity is eating: breakfast, family dinner at home, dining at a restaurant -- the colorful food on the table, and the people at the table --- it's all happening in a casual simple everyday manner. Yes, it's like you're there with them -- the ‘regular' streets and neighborhood of Istanbul the city that tourists do not see. Meanwhile layers of emotions subtly unraveling and the central characters: Francesco and his wife, Marta, each of their own feelings go through stages of change…through each of their experiences of Istanbul and Francesco's aunt Anita's words… It all come together…and you will enjoy this film. An ordinary extraordinary film this is.