Nefes

The Breath begins almost as a Turkish version of Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket. A drill instructor berates a group of young soldiers; telling them that they will all die; especially if they sleep. He says that their mothers will cry when their bodies are sent home for burial. He asks one of the boys if he has a girlfriend. When he answers yes, the commander says, not anymore, and while you are fighting for your country, she will find a new boyfriend.

The platoon is sent to a dangerous mountain region at the Iraqi border to stop the radical Kurdistan Workers Party. The Turkish soldiers learn quickly that they are canon fodder for their government; a fairly universal theme everywhere. The battle scenes are well made and as military films go, The Breath is one of the better ones that I've seen. Director Levent Semerci make you really care what happens to the brave young men.

One of the most realistic war movies ever. It's all about humans and no politics or nationalistic messages are artificially included as seen even in the best American war movies. An objective look to a real drama. The characters and their relationships that are put into the story background are carefully created and fit into the story telling perfectly. You can feel they are not bulletproof, perfect fictional heroes but fragile people from real life like anybody else. The thrilling flow through calm atmosphere and gradually increasing tension makes this movie exceptional. Fight scenes are also very impressive. A must see! Excellent direction.

Nefes:Vatan sagolsun takes place at the south east Anatolia near the Iraq border in 1993. PKK which is separatist terrorist organization have done many bloody raids Turkish military and police basis from 1984 to 2009. That movie explains just one of them. But that is brilliant and impressive. Story, effects, music and acting are more realistic than Hollywood movies.

Nefes:Vatan sagolsun expresses not only war against terrorism; but also narrates nature and loneliness of human at the top of the mountain. For this reason the movie will be a turning point at the Turkish cinema history.

This movie is absolutely the first Turkish movie regarding its topic. A film that tells the story of people doing their military service at a territory of terror has never been made before. The film reflects the psychology of soldiers very well. So, the film is quite important for its script. The script is based on a true story. Besides all these, the colors are used effectively and gives the atmosphere of the film to the audience in a good way. The music is also used more differently than any other Turkish movies and the music is appropriate with the dialogs and scenes.It is one of the most realistic films I have ever watched. Turkish people had already deserved such a movie for that they live in a country suffering from terror since 1980s.So it is a movie that should have shot much before.For only being the first for its script, it deserves 9 out of 10.

This is a must-see movie if you are somehow interested in PKK terror throughout the 90s. It is of further interest for those interested in how a successful movie can be produced with professional directing despite an almost-all amateur cast.

It is apparent that a good part of the scenario is based on real events: From personal experience, I recall reading about of the occasions and situations in the movie from the local media. The battle scenes are quite graphic and accurate. The characters feel quite real. They are not necessarily deep, but depth of character is not really necessary for the storyline, as this movie is about the lives of soldiers in an obscure, remote military post.

The camera use in the movie is excellent. In the opening scenes, the audience experiences the vastness of the landscape. The feeling of loneliness and being deserted is strongly conveyed. Further into the movie, the camera is used professionally to convey a feeling of urgency in the battle scenes, of which there are only a few. It is equally professional in conveying tranquility, and if you watch the movie, you will see one climax where this contrast is made very apparent.

In various connecting scenes, the passage of time and the feeling of timelessness is communicated through fast moving clouds, reminiscent of Donnie Darko.

On a further note, most of the actors are either amateurs or had very short acting careers. However, the director manages to offset this setback by using different camera angles where the audience does not have to see the faces of the actors to understand their feelings or mood. This movie is an excellent example of low budget casting can be more successful than many professional actors when good directorship is used.

Those being said, there are some unnecessarily long scenes in the second part of the movie, where the captain explains in head-aching detail his philosophy and thoughts as he becomes more and more suicidal. However, I do not take any points off my score for this setback, because long live the Turkish warriors. 10/10