Gönül yarasi, blessures du coeur

I saw this film at the Palm Springs International Film Festival and of the 35 films I saw there I might rank this as high as #3. I normally have a 90-120 minute time frame as ideal for films and coming in at 138 minutes I thought it may run a little too long but this movie was so good that I now want to see the the others that director Tugul has done and would definitely look forward to seeing more in the future. Meltem Cumbal is excellent in the lead actress role and Sener Sen is so believable in his role and really establishes himself as the centrist character of the film. I felt there could have been a little more development of the son and daughter to Nazim but I loved the character of the owner of Nazim's taxi. Loved the scene with the Kurdish musicians and was happy it included them doing a complete song and not just a brief shot of them on stage. I give this film an 8.5 and would recommend it.

The plot seems simple. A woman with her child who is unable to speak due to some psychological conditions, leaves the obsessive husband. She goes to the city and tries to stand on her own feet through singing in once popular traditional night clubs. Her husband comes after of course. Meanwhile an idealist teacher retires from the very east rural side of Turkey and returns home. He had a strong connection with his students and local people but interestingly not with his own kids, who were now grownups. As he's back, his old friends welcome him more sincerely. Consequently, teacher (the leading actor) takes the night shift of his close friend's taxi to make some money. One night he meets the runaway woman...

Script is astonishing. I would compare some of the monologues to Shakespeare at best. There is no reduction in the harmony. Consistency is seamless. The storyline captivates the viewer in such a soft way. All of a sudden you find yourself in between the lives of five characters; retired teacher, his son, his daughter, runaway woman and her husband. You can easily sympathize with all of them.

This movie depicts many conflicts innate to human nature. The characters are so well developed you might come across one of them anytime. If you are living in a sterile world, you might find it melodramatic. If you are searching for realism in symbolic elements, an emphasized full moon will ring your bell. The truth is, even an overly melodramatic and unrealistic story telling could be OK, cause the cinema is art, not necessarily documentary.

In the case of Gonul Yarasi, the movie has an intense texture, yet there is also a hopeful outlook. Just like hope and despair, fun and tears, fear and courage, idealism and realism and many other humanly concepts are balanced. The ending is an extraordinary summary of this manifestation in that sense.

Gonul Yarasi (Lovelorn) demonstrates all the qualities of cinema as an art. It is the best Turkish movie I have ever seen and one of the best among all. Awards are well earned... I would give 9-10 out of 10. And guess what, I did :)

I'd like to assume that the commentator who compared this movie to Mexican soap operas has never viewed anything from Hollywood

A retired primary school teacher comes back to Istanbul, to his hometown, after so many years of urban area teaching. While his life, which he devoted to the education of poor students, seem to end, coming to Istanbul was just a new chapter. The movie is about this idealist primary school teacher's retirement days in Istanbul. However, you should not expect an old man's final day's type of movie. It is far away from being another "About Schmidt" style movie. There is love, disappointment, drama and comedy all entangled together in the same pot.

With Yavuz Turgul's directing and Sener Sen and Meltem Cumbul's acting, the movie is a candidate for being one of the best Turkish movies ever. It is full of emotions: not only an old man's feelings, but also, it is about about friendship, domestic relations, and being a parent. It is definitely touching (don't blame yourself if you can't hold your tears), especially the music selection and timing increases dramatic tone. Meltem Cumbul sang every song herself that made the movie more realistic. Even if you are not a 'turku-lover'(Turkish folk music), you will be moved with the soundtrack of the movie.

This is definitely a movie not to miss!!

Gonul Yarasi is an above average movie in the tradition of classical Turkish drama. Idealist elementary school teacher Nazim (named after the great communist poet Nazim Hikmet) retires and returns home, Istanbul, after a 15 year term in the poor, forgotten Kurdish-Alevite village in Eastern Turkey. Politely ignored by his children who secretly despise him since he chose his ideal over his family long ago, he begins a new (night)life as a taxi driver. There he meets a fallen single mother who works as a "singer" in a sleazy night club. He takes the mother and her daugther in to protect them from the stalker ex-husband, falls in love with her, and the drama unfolds.

Yavuz Turgul, a master of storytelling, is not at his best, and the film cannot surpass his former masterpieces such as 'Eskiya' or 'Golge Oyunu' - though the movie is among the best of the season. Sener Sen, Meltem Cumbul and Guven Kirac give solid performances, but Timucin Esen proves outstanding with his portrayal of the multi-faceted, psychologically unstable ex-husband. The film, in the Yavuz Turgul tradition, inevitably ends with the tragedy-redemption-hope sequence.

Turgul likes to give subliminal social and political messages in his movies, but he is less subtle in this one.

Yavuz Turgul's cinema has always been so kind to human's soul. The only comment that can be made for this film is: If there is sadness than there is always hope... Sener Sen (Turkey's best actor)is an idealist teacher who has never give enough care to his family, Devin Özgün Çinar(Sener Sen's daughter who has never seen enough care from her father), Meltem Cumbul (a singer who has problems with her psychologically unstable husband)and Timuçin Esen (husband of Meltem Cumbul) did an excellent work of acting. Soundtrack of film contains songs from some big singers of Turkish traditional music. Yavuz Turgul has a great observation talent and always uses this ability generously. I recommend this film everyone who liked Roberto Benigni's masterwork La vita è Bella...