Sen Aydinlatirsin Geceyi

We just saw this movie at Cinequest 2014 in San Jose, California. It's a difficult movie and will be impenetrable for many. It seems to take place in a very Earth-like town but there are multiple moons in the sky and many residents have special powers. However, the residents all have Earth-like woes. The main character, Cemal, has a lot of woes. His mother and siblings died long ago in a fire. He lives with his dad and the two work in a barber shop. Cemal can see through and walk through walls but he spends most of his time in the movie wondering why he exists (and whether we exist at all) and what would have happened if we'd never existed.

As a result of Cemal living mostly in his own head, he has a series of misadventures over the period of a few weeks. The movie explains some but mostly it leaves you to fill in the gaps.

This movie is a visual poem on existence. The movie's title is a line in one of Shakespeare's sonnets, which starts:

"How can I then return in happy plight, That am debarred the benefit of rest? When day's oppression is not eas'd by night, But day by night and night by day oppress'd."

The sonnet plays a minor role in the movie, but those four lines from The Bard's poem explain the movie's nearly unexplainable plot.

This movie will be much easier to assimilate for people with a science fiction bent.

This one had a high rating so i was expecting it's good but it was even better than i expected. Of course, it's not for anyone. It works at many levels, one might think this is surreal and bizarre, but i think it's multilayered. It's more of symbolic/allegorical than surreal. There is depth here, it's a meaningful movie, daring and provocative. At times, it was even brilliant, i stood in awe watching some amazing scenes. It's obviously that the director & writer of this movie is intellectual but this is not some kind of artsy and pretentious movie. There is a strong fantasy element but simultaneously, it's grounded in reality.

A fragile and deeply flawed person and the struggles he faces in his life, after a tragic incident occured. A village so real and so magical simultaneously. Acts of violence, acts of love, tragedy and hope, mistakes and forgiveness.

Be patient at the beginning, this didn't start great but it was getting better by the minute.

A great (comedy?)/drama/fantasy movie.

I must watch...a hidden jewel.

It may be hard to access since it has not been widely released but if you somehow see it in a local festival don't hesitate to buy a ticket. I feel lucky to be one of the minority who was able to watch it thanks to "Baska Sinema" in İstanbul.

I am a big fantasy science fiction fan. I was surprised to see that most of the characters in the movie have special powers but this not a superhero movie. The film is about ordinary people with superhuman powers who live in a small town and live their standard, boring lives. They are all extremely naive and even the most extraordinary incidents and behaviors are being easily accepted by the townspeople.

I think this is all I can say without giving any spoilers but I know that I left the theater with a smiling face and a broken hard at the same time.

If you want to watch an extraordinary and amusing film, don't miss it.

I felt i had to write this review because the movie was kinda misunderstood. So the real intention of this review is, bringing an important correction under the lights.

It is an extraordinary movie, filmed totally in black and white. I never thought i would be able to watch a black and white movie till the end but this movie was absolutely worth it. The disturbing reality mixed with the real texture of a small Aegean town. Ignorent people, shy female male interactions, romance, a great story which is partially given and you need to solve the other parts.

Let's make one point obvious; this movie has nothing to do with supernatural powers or super heroes. The protagonist is suffering schizophrenia. Some people are real, some people are not and some people are being seen different through his eyes.

First of all I want to explain why Onur Unlu didn't screen this excellent movie in theater.

In our country the sector of cinema is organized by a particular group which have an exclusive possession in this sector. I can't remember the percentage accurately but he said that %30 (or 40) of the movie theaters belong to this group. Besides these theaters have a significant role in box office as they are all fully booked. ( Turkish members could know these theaters easily i.e. FORUM CINEMAS ).

I mean these cinemas determine the box office indeed and others not much important. That's way the terribly awful movies have great amount of box office. (just like Ozcan Deniz's Evim Sensin). And this group doesn't want to accept Onur Unlu's films to screen their movie theaters.

So Onur Unlu was aware of ( and I think he is still) the condition that he couldn't have had the opportunity to do good things without help of this group. And then he decided to not to screen his last film in theaters. In my opinion it is something humiliating to be at the same theater with terrible films one of which written above. Hence I've found Unlu's decision so correct.

There are lots of thing to talk about the movie. But it doesn't deserve any spoiler. I think there is not only one main idea in this movie.

You must really watch it.

Thanks and best regards to the director Onur Unlu and all who contributed to this.