A great tale of ancient Turkish traditions ! ! ! !

Hazal (1979) directed by Ali Ozgenturk

Hazal is a sad tale of a young village beauty who is married to a 12 year old young boy after the death of her husband.This unholy alliance is not at all acceptable to this village lass who has her own life ahead of her with her inherent desires.Things take a turn for the worse when Hazal falls in love with a young stranger with disastrous results. The film depicts in equal proportions the tragic fate of all the players involved.There is a bitter portrait of an old woman who is Hazal's mother in law.Although she is a woman,she does not make any efforts to understand young Hazal's sentiments.The young kid's mawkish yet innocuous portrayal will bring many a laugh on viewers' faces. There is also a minor hint of his sexual maturity as he boasts of his young wife's beauty to other children of his age.The stranger's character is the strangest of all as he is depicted more of a shadow man unwilling to engage in talks with Hazal to understand her feelings. It is not only Turkan Soray's beauty but also Ali Ozgenturk's direction which will make serious viewers appreciate Turkish film Hazal.It is one of the few Turkish films in which ancient traditions are challenged.

A true story about puppy love.

Egreti gelin (2005) directed by Atif Yilmaz

Atif Yilmaz is the Turkish equivalent of the famous French new wave filmmaker Eric Rohmer. Their films are becoming more and more sweeter as they are getting older. "Egreti Gelin" in Turkish means a borrowed bride. It is the poignant tale of a poor girl employed by a rich man to teach his son the tricks of a happy marriage. The inept boy rejects the girl chosen by his mother and falls for the poor "borrowed bride". Apart from these funny, comical scenes, the film has its share of drama as well as tragedy as the poor girl's husband comes from prison to take revenge on the man(boy) who has stolen his wife.A winsome film for all those who are enjoying the joys of true love.

A film which works well as a serious document of human dignity.

Bulutlari beklerken (2003) directed by Yesim Ustaoglu

This is a great film in which the depicted events need a lot of patience to be followed,understood and put in mind.Although the film has some historical background,a person with true human heart can easily follow this film contrary to the belief that some elements about history must be read before watching a film with historical context.Yesim Ustaoglu has shot her film through the eyes of a small boy who is growing in a Turkey under conflict.There are some wise old women too around him who also have a great screen presence.The humor of the film is very limited and comes in the form of the observations made by the young boy.The photography by the renowned Polish cinematographer Jacek Petrycki is stupendous and every effort has been made by him to capture the beauty of the rural landscape. Waiting for the clouds is also a film about the search for identity as history forces people to question what they have been,why they are, what are going to be ? All in all, a very good slow moving film worthy of being appreciated with family members.