Selvi Boylum Al Yazmalim

I love this movie. it is one of my favorite movies. I watch it at least once a year, I love the story, the actors, the film music, everything. And even it hurts myself, I love the moral of the story. In my eyes, this film should be internationally known an recognized.

"Elveda selvi boylum, elveda Asyam. Bitmemis türküm benim...." ( a quoute from the film)

Shot on a shoestring in the countryside, SELVI BOYLUM AL YAZMALIM is an acknowledged classic of Turkish cinema. The plot is straightforward enough: village girl Asya (Turkan Sorak) falls in love with itinerant truck-driver Ilyas (Kadir Inanir). They get (unofficially) married and have a child, but Ilyas cannot adjust to life as a husband and seeks solace elsewhere. Asya leaves home for good, and is left alone on the road until Good Samaritan Cemsit (Ahmet Mekin) takes her in. After a whole, during which time Cemsit proves a good father to Asya's son Samet, the two get married. However Ilyas returns quite unexpectedly to the scene, forcing Asya to make a choice between past and present lives. Yilmaz's direction is straightforward; while allowing the plot to unfold at a cracking pace, he uses the shot/reverse strategy to powerful effect, especially at the end. The three central performances are just brilliant: Soray and Inanir were never better during their entire careers as the ill-fated couple, while Mekin has a wonderful talent for showing repressed emotion in a single expression. SELVI BOYLUM AL YAZMALIM has proved highly influential: the 2012 films ARAF and GOZETLEME KULESI both have sequences borrowed from the film.

"Selvi Boylum Al Yazmalim" is further than a milestone for Turkish cinema history and it takes a place among the most impressive and best films in Turkish cinema history as well. The film leaves a dramatic effect and many questions behind after leaving the theater. The story is based on "Cengiz Aytmatov"s novel named in Turkish "Yol Arkadasi" and screened by the direction of "Atif Yilmaz". In my opinion, the film has an allegoric exposition in which love and exertion usually clash each other though, the power of the exertion becomes superior at the end, is analogous with the spirit of communism. Meanwhile, the book mentioned above, also won the 1963 Lenin award. Audience can find great number of details about the praising of the strive. Performance of the players also seem excellent in this movie. Woman character; Asya; Turkan Soray, stuck in the middle of two men. On the one side her love and father of child, Ilyas; Kadir Inanir, whereas on the other side is desperately but constantly struggling man Cemsit; Ahmet Mekik. She is uncertain about where to go, whom to choose; love or exertion ?

True love is the thing people try to find for centuries. But you will question what is "true love" while watching this classic film of Turkey.

Is it a physical attraction or is it a full devotion (sharing the good and bad sides of life). The story is a known one. An innocent girl and a passionate young man... And a third person enters their life. This could be seen as a love triangle. And the girl with the red scarf has to make a decision....

And you will think what you would do if you were Asya. You must think twice.

The composer of the film music proved to be the best one in Turkish film industry and created a unique style which can be even defined as a new genre of his own. The rhythm changes according to the pace of the film, but melody fits to the dramatic or cheerful scenes without changing and loss of continuity.

I suggest a quick search of Cahit Berkay and Husnu Senlendirici (the clarinet) for Selvi Boylum Al Yazmalım.