Mercedes mon amour

This is a simple story about Bayram, a Turkish living in Germany, where he works as a street-sweeper. One day, he learns his uncle in Turkey (and only living relative) is very ill, Bayram decides to take some days off and more importantly, he takes all of his savings, so he can buy a brand-new Mercedes car and drive all the way to his very remote town.

Up to this point, we remain unsure about Bayram's initial intentions, as he's so proud of his car (going as far as being pretentious and overprotective to it); however and without spoiling anything, we end up feeling what he feels throughout his journey, to the point we want to see him succeed ! But...

You must totally see the film and understand why it's one of the best representatives of the little known "bittersweet" sub-genre.

This film, adapted from a novel by well-known Turkish novelist Adalet Agaoglu, is a perfect depiction of Turks living in Germany, their problems of identity, the situation of being in-between, i.e. neither being completely Turkish nor being completely German. Of course, Ilyas Salman's amazing acting, depicting a desperate man and his efforts to protect his beloved yellowish Mercedes (which he calls "Sarikiz"-"blonde girl") from the harsh conditions of Turkey is also something that contributes to this.

All in all, a must see for audiences of Turkish comedy and diasporic cinema.

P.S: If you like this title, I can also highly recommend another Tunc Okan film, called "Otobus".

Bayram is a clever Turkish guy goes for work to Germany.There was no job and culture of modernity in Turkey in that time.(It is pretty so now as well..) Being an owner of a yellow Mercedes(Car) is a symbol for him to catch up the modern standards .So he struggles to be selected as a candidate for immigration.He fights to be alive in this wild atmosphere.He spends all his attention and money to grasp the symbolic success of living in Germany for a proletariat. He fails at last .... The movie points out that why the lower class of people can not manage to became successful in the life. P.S. hi Bayram a typical working class hero.

Directed by Tunc Okan, Sari Mercedes is more than an immigrant's tale; it is a universal story of dreams, solitude, and the heavy burden of returning home. The film follows Bayram, who has spent years working in Germany, as he embarks on a journey back to his homeland. Yet this return is not merely a holiday visit. It is an inner reckoning filled with longing, disillusionment, and a bittersweet sense of belonging.

Okan frames the film almost like a modern fable, with the yellow Mercedes serving not simply as a car but as a potent symbol of success, pride, and dignity. For Bayram, the Mercedes embodies years of aspiration and sacrifice, yet as the journey unfolds, the dream begins to collide with the harshness of reality.

The performances are strikingly authentic; Ilyas Salman masterfully conveys the quiet vulnerability of a man caught between two worlds. The cinematography shifts from the wide highways of Europe to the dusty roads of Anatolia, mirroring the emotional transformation of Bayram's journey. The score deepens the film's melancholic tone, ensuring the story lingers in the audience's memory.

Ultimately, Sari Mercedes is a timeless road movie that captures not only the economic but also the psychological and cultural costs of migration. It is a subtle yet profound work that invites viewers to reflect on what "returning home" truly means.

I'm living in turkey more than 22 years and this movie make me realize the society of turks. In this country we can't earn enough money for have cars or basic stuffs like an iphone, then it becomes a status indicator for people. We can't get enough progress because acting like cool is more important to being cool. This why we still using the most expensive cars on the world. Because end of the day, somebody will buy them for show off their money or rich lifestyle.