‘El Yazısı’: Oh, the naive provinces

Frankly, I’ve had my share of Turkish province movies and their attempt to analyze the psychology of their characters and Turkish society. Some of the phrases that I’m increasingly tired of that have been appropriated to represent this genre and its subgenres are “the suffocation of the small town,” “the unspoken taboos,” “the stifling yet beautiful nature…” The list can go on...

However, there is also something quite refreshing about this film -- its very attempt to be genuine and respectful to its characters while sidestepping over-dramatization and also, thankfully, sidestepping self-indulgent minimalism. Somewhere in between this, Vatansever comes up with a film that manages to simultaneously make you smile (if not completely laugh with joy) and leave a lump in your throat.

The story takes place in the town of Göynük, a historic district of Bolu that is still populated with well-kept Ottoman houses. The townspeople all seem to mind their own business, happy in their daily affairs, but then one day, literally with one blow of the wind, we realize that the monotone lives of some of the inhabitants are about to change.

Ahmet (Sercan Badur) is the lovestruck son of the primary school principal; he’s in love with a girl in the neighboring village whom he hasn’t been able to see for several months. All he wants to do is run off and marry her, but unfortunately neither family approves of their relationship.

Then there is the story of the secretive but kind pharmacist Zeynep (ex-model Cansu Dere, who proves she can act as good as she looks), who for some unknown reason has moved to the town from the big city. Her friend Volkan (Sarp Akkaya), the pharmaceutical supplier, visits her frequently and becomes mortified when he finds out that she’s decided to marry the local lawyer. What is the real reason behind Zeynep’s sudden decision to marry a man she doesn’t love? Little Ragıp (Deniz Ali Akbaş) has a secret crush on Zeynep and writes her a love letter only to have it stolen by the bullies at his school. Together with his new friend, tough-cookie Sevgi (Ezgi Gör), who happens to have a crush on Ahmet, they will try to retrieve Ragıp’s letter and along the way, they do all kind of naughty but cute things that kids do in the movies so we can like them.

The last story is that of French tourist Julie (Wilma Elles), who is mistaken for the English schoolteacher who is supposed to arrive the same day to work at the town’s primary school. The school’s principal forces his son Ahmet to translate for Julie and show her around the town -- little does he know that Ahmet and Julie don’t speak the same language! Nevertheless, they strike up an unlikely friendship, explaining to each other their difficult love lives and hopes for the future. Their sequence is one of the most pleasant in the film, reminding us that sometimes “the kindness of strangers” is one of the most uplifting experiences of being human. The ensemble cast and their intertwining stories show us the many facets of village life, but most importantly, this collage has a more important thematic concern, that of the many facets of love that take hold of the universe of each character: romantic, platonic, unrequited and passionate.

“El Yazısı” could have ended up like undercooked, or even overcooked, porridge, considering all its different storylines and characters, however, Vatansever proves that he has a knack for filmmaking and makes sure to set the correct tone and emotional momentum for his first feature-length cinematic endeavor. There are times when the editing team could have done a bit more cutting, nevertheless, the film works overall and gives the audience a chance to enjoy a charming film that has no delusions of grandeur. It’s hard to find Turkish films that refuse to indulge in self-importance. Unlike other independent films, “El Yazısı” has a chance at the box office. I truly hope that it reaches the audience it deserves.

‘El Yazısı’ (Handwriting)

Directed by: Ali Vatansever

Genre: drama

Cast: Cansu Dere, Wilma Elles, Sarp Akkaya, Sercan Badur, Salih Kalyon, Baran Akbulut, Bahtiyar Engin, Ayşe Selen, Kenan Bal

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