Based on a true story about the Turkish War for Independence (1919-1923), after which Turkey (Türkiye) became a nation. Vatanim Sensin tell us about a fascinating time in Turkish history, during the partition of the Ottoman Empire and the abolition of the Sultanate. The series focuses on western Turkey, the territory surrounding Izmir and the invasion of Greek military forces that were supported and funded by the european political power brokers of the day.
There are true to life characters such as General Cevdet (played by Halit Ergenc) who represents the life of Mümin Aksoy, a Turkish soldier and spy working for Turkish intelligence. Aksoy infiltrated the Greek military and became a trusted advisor who was welcomed in many Greek homes and parties.
Kara Fatma (Black Fatma) was a highly respected female Officer who successfully organized community militas comprised of women, men, and soldiers on the western front to fight the Greeks. In Turkish Kara means black but for warriors Kara means Courageous. Hence, Courageous / Kara Fatma. I found a small news clip from the NY TImes, dated April 23, 1922, that discusses Kara Fatma achieving the rank of Lieutenant in the Turkish army.
Vatanim Sensin is not amazing for it's grandeur and expensive movie showmanship. Instead, this is an intimate portrait of a beautiful Turkish family affected in various ways by war and their commitment to stand against the invaders of their land and home, even at a very high cost that threatens to destroy the family and the deep and abiding love they have for one another. They fight to survive, to stay together, to stay apart, to understand the whirlwind of their circumstances. There is war, the the backyard deals made by traitors and greedy self-serving profiteers, love and romance, ever-changing scenarios. There are no grand battle scenes. It's intimate and beautiful, it's sad and painful, it's exquisite and admirable. As it is in life, we see
The series is well written. The pace of the storyline is tight and consistent. The characters are interesting and wonderfully portrayed - Halit as the Greek General Cevdet and his Turkish wife, the long suffering and beautiful Azize. Each episode ends in a cliff hanger and I am usually pretty good at figuring things out ahead of time but throughout the entire series, there was only one connection I was able to determine accurately.
This series needs to be translated into english and offered to all english speaking countries. I highly encourage anyone watching to read about the history of the Ottoman Empire in its latter days and the Turkish War for Independence; how Europe tried and failed to divide their land and the spoils for themselves.
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk won that war for Independence and initiated numerous economic, social, and political reforms that transformed Turkey into a secular and prosperous nation. Turkey is divided by two continents and the Bosphorus River runs down the middle. On one side is Asia and the other side is Europe. Fascinating place and history.
