Demirkubuz was always going to have a hard time matching the brilliance of 'Masumiyet'. While 'Kader' is a good piece of work, you cant help but feel he was trying too hard to recreate the 'Masumiyet' magic here.
The biggest problem I had with the film was how characters were built up and dropped like hot potatoes somewhere along the way with their fates left unresolved. Case in point. A significant portion of the film's first half deals with Ugur's dysfunctional family- her father's state of illness, her mother's desperation, her brother's self esteem issues etc. However at the halfway point, these characters simply disappear off the radar and the film moves on as of they never existed in the first place.
Script and pacing issues aside, the other main weakness here is the lead actor Bayraktar who I thought was very wooden. He seemed to be simply reading the lines off the script without actually getting into the character. When he does attempt to stop brooding and display emotion, it comes across as artificial and forced. About the rest of the cast. Vildan Atasever, the lead actress, does quite well playing 'Ugur', but I felt her character was underwritten in the script. I must say that she reminded me of Itir Esen in this film- the resemblance is uncanny. A special mention must go to the actress who plays Bekir's (ex?)-wife. I thought she brought real emotional depth and complexity to her character. More of her would have really influenced the film in a positive way.
A lot of people have been disconcerted by the abundant swearing in the film but I didn't find it to be much of an issue. I appreciated the dark tone which was carried on from 'Masumiyet'. The camera angles are often static and Demirkubuz prolongs scenes which give it an unpolished natural feel.
Let me conclude by saying that 'Kader' is quite well made, but its missing that extra emotional oomph that 'Masumiyet' had
