Mercedes mon amour

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".

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.

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.

entire life lost while chasing childhood dream.A homecoming film. if you see the first part (going away) you ll see " otobüs(1975)" by Tunç Okan.. "workers at Germany" is the most interesting social part in turkey for 40 years. Because of their cultural paradox and identity problem. We find chance to see this on Bayram's character.

Also his fight with himself and his effort to absolve all his sins for years. Yellow Mercedes (balkız) his only proof about his success in his own war(about changing his social class).

his friends, his love, his town , uncle and all others left behind is his only friend on this foreign lands that he born.

Bayram is the embodiment of rural Inner Anatolian Turk. He's an orphan of an undeveloped village, has no education, no job, no skill, he's been mocked and bullied his entire life, never felt respected, never felt content.

But he managed to join Gastarbeiter program and went to Germany, like so many rural people of Turkey. He works as a street cleaner, doesn't spend a dime if he isn't compelled to, saved all his money and bought a yellow coloured Mercedes saloon, thinking himself now a man of virtue, hard work and success. He drives back to his village, intending to show off with his only significant possession, his identity, Yellow Mercedes.

Only to realise he's losing everything, bit by bit, we see what sort of a man he is, hos pathetic he is, but the pity, slowly turns into disdain as the movie unfolds the true personality of Bayram.

Oppressed people don't just become victims. Oppressed people become heartless, cruel and treacherous.