Propaganda

Based on a true story: in 1948, customs officer Mehdi has to formally set up the border between Turkey and Syria right through his home town. He is unaware of the pain he is about to create as families, languages, cultures and lovers clash and are ripped apart in a nation which feels as ONE. Furthermore, the new border also leads to the separation of Mehdi from his best friend Rahim who is the most important man in town: the only doctor.

I have seen Sinan Cetin's "Propaganda" three times. As a Turkish-American, it is very hard to see films like these at times and a number, like Yesim Ustaolgu's "Gunese Yolculuk/Journey to the Sun" and Zeki Demirkubuz's "Itiraf/The Confession," have alluded me. But, "Propganda" is gentle, yet politically sharp fable. Kemal Sunal, a great Turkish comic actor, moves away from the slpastick that made him an idol and gives a very touching performance here. Metin Akpinar, who was part of a famous duo with Zeki Alasya, is also quite good here. The film deals with Turkish-Kurdish problems which a number of dramas like Yilmaz Guney's "Suru/The Herd" (1978) have dealt with in much more direct fashions. But, unlike Guney's films, "Propaganda" is an all too rare positive film about Turkey. The film admits there are problems in Turkey, but it shows that the spirit of the Turkish people can overcome such obstacles. I do admire Guney, Ali Ozgenturk, Serif Goren, and Zeki Okten. They are great Turkish/Kurdish filmmakers who have made some of the best films in Turkish history. But, it is good to see a Turkish film which has hope and resolve in it. I think this is an underrated film, and is worhty of more deserving praise that it seems to have received.

In 1948, the borderline in Eastern Turkey is drawn right through a small village. Friends and lovers are separated, blind bureaucrats are taking over and everyone - even the bureaucrats - has too deal with this new age they are not yet ready for, in their naive way.

I really loved this movie and in my humble opinion it is one of the best Turkish pictures ever. It depicts the warmth and passion of the Turkish temperament, although it is a sarcastic comment on stubborn bureaucracy, not only in Turkey but everywhere! The cast is great with the beloved Kemal Sunal (died much too early like all good people) and the wonderful Metin Akpinar. They both are comedians who are usually playing funny, often touching parts with a moral-lesson, like to learn what the really important things in life are.

It is indeed a realistic picture, because in the 1940's people who thought they were neighbors were separated this way. Everyone handles this situation in a very naive way; even the officers do not really know what a passport looks like, because everything is so new. As for the pregnant girl who is still accepted by her family although she is not married: I am sure even in those days there were people who were not so dumb and stubborn to put family honor above love for the family members. The father-character portrait by Akpinar is a simple but wise man, who is loyal to his beloved ones.

One last point: This is a modern movie about old Turkey, so you get a bit of both worlds. You find the positive stereotypes as well as the negative ones. Half the Turkish population are modern, western-oriented people, who are aware of their own culture, but also open to others. The fanatic-islamist people are stubborn and intolerant and as such a group you can find anywhere in the world, and they will always be there, as you see in this movie. We should end all prejudices for a better tomorrow! But with each passing day, this feat seems to be more out of reach than ever. What a shame!

PROPAGANDA is based on a true story that happened in Turkey in 1948. The newly appointed customs officer, Mehdi, comes back to his native village of Hislinisar with an order from Ankara to build a border to separate Turkey from it's Syrian enemies.

The only problem is that the village's only doctor, teacher and prostitute live on the other side, therefore in Syria. Despite this huge mistake, the civil servants blindly obey Ankara's orders without informing the villagers. Soon, the families from the other side, who used to coexist with the other villagers, can only enter Hislinisar with a passport that they can't get. Just like the Berlin Wall, these fences will separate friends, lovers and even sheep. Mehdi has to learn to enforce the law at the detriment of his marriage and friendships.

This movie is hilarious. The ways that Mehdi and the villagers deal with this new border are really funny even though the impact it ultimately has on them is really sad. Overall it's a really refreshing movie.

I gave it a 9/10. I saw it in Turkish with french subtitles. If you ever get a chance to see this great Sinan Cetin film, please do so, it's worth it!

Sinan Cetin, on the evidence of this film, seems to be a follower of the Norman Jewison tradition of romantic comedy; I thought of The Russians are coming, The Russians are coming, The Fiddler on the Roof, Moonstruck... Cetin knows how to milk a situation for pathos, and to get good performances from his actors.

Kemal Sunal as Mehdi gives a wonderfully funny and touching performance as the civil servant who can't see where his rigid and unimaginative application of the rules is taking him and the village. When his wife declares that the border runs through their bed from now on, all he can do is sigh fatalistically. Metin Akpinar is splendid as Rahim, the doctor and life-long friend to Mehdi--he reminded me of Topol at times.

The blend of Romeo and Juliet, Kafka and Hollywood formula comedy will not work for all viewers, but I was greatly entertained.