Depression: The Woman Who Lives At Night - 1980 - Turkey

Depression: The Woman Who Lives At Night - 1980 - 5/10 
AKA - Gece Yasayan Kadin

 
Artist and his model.
After painting, panting.  Almost forty minutes of hardcore.
Then, domesticity.  Hey!  Our model is an invalid, in a wheelchair.
Her family fusses over her.  At night, however, sure enough, back to the studio.
The man grows possessive, and the female - whoa, what a temper.
Mystery angle is so-so, while the porn dominates.
Owing to economic woes, Turkey permitted adult films from the late 1970’s until a coup in 1980.
Most erotica was banned or destroyed, this is a rare survivor.
https://grokipedia.com/page/depression_the_woman_who_lives_at_night

Creature - 2023 - Turkey

Creature - 2023 - 6/10
AKA - Yaratilan

Young medical student Ziya, cocksure and full of himself, crashes into the real world of Istanbul.
Until he meets and ingratiates himself with outcast Professor Ihsan.
Both men have delved into a forbidden book on resurrection.
Reviving the dead.

 
Imaginative take on Shelley’s “Frankenstein”, while not as faithful as the 1973 series, is certainly closer than the Universal films.
First half of this series focuses on the annoying Ziya, foolish, boastful, proud.
Second half darkens considerably and follows Ihsan through picturesque adventures.

 
Good sets, costumes, feel for the period.  Aside from Ziya (Ölmez is limited to bug-eyed reactions), acting is fine, especially Ihsan (Köstendil) who is memorable and carries the entire second half.
While not Mary Shelley, this retains the ethos of the consequences of tampering.

Isztambul - 2011 - Turkey

Isztambul - 2011 - 6/10

 
“Our marriage was not working anyway,” says Professor János.
After he moved out and shacked up with a 20-year-old student.
Abandoned wife Katalin suffers a breakdown, then hitches a ride out of Budapest.
Eventually, makes her way to Istanbul, where she rents a cheap room and settles herself.
Character study of someone trying to regain equilibrium in a change of environment.
For those seeking travel porn, Budapest is barely shown, and Istanbul locations avoid tourist spots.
Quiet film that, refreshingly, makes a lot of unexpected turns.

About Dry Grasses - 2023 - Turkey

About Dry Grasses - 2023 - 7/10
AKA - Kuru Otlar Üstüne

Samet is a popular grade school teacher.  Pupils like him.  Villagers admire and respect him.
He is, however, a brooding nest of unhappiness and resentment.

 
Samet loathes the isolated, backward countryside; he longs to return to Istanbul.
Following a complaint, he begins to quietly vent his malice.
Against select children, also friends.
This is a “measured” character study, carried by lengthy conversations.
This is packed with ideas, albeit the chords will likely strike Turkish viewers.
References are made to ongoing and previous battles. Kurds, PKK.
Marked by some as a comedy – no.  This is rewarding, but requires patience and allotting 3 hours time.

Turkish Detective - 2024 - UK

Turkish Detective - 2024 - 7/10

 
Young detective Suleyman transfers from London to Istanbul.
Where he finds, police handle things differently.
Exotic police procedural.
Series of two-part mysteries, that are anything but routine.
Connecting the series is an arc of Suleyman’s girlfriend, violently attacked in Istanbul.
Domestic affairs I could take or leave, but they seem to be a fixture now.

Turkish Star Trek - 1973 - Turkey

Turkish Star Trek - 1973 - 6/10
AKA - Turist Ömer Uzay Yolunda

 
The Enterprise orbits planet M-113 where Professor Crater and his wife are the only dwellers.
Aside from desperately needed salt, they want to be left alone.
Complications follow when one of the landing party is killed, body drained of salt.
Finding a patsy, Professor Crater teleports Ömer away from a forced marriage, light years distant.
The whole Trek stuff is completely faithful to “The Man Trap” episode.
As for Ömer, he is a fast-talking buffoon, out of place, clueless, yet surprisingly quick to grasp.
He excels in annoying Mr Spak to distraction.
There is a lot to enjoy in this insane spoof, which abounds in other references.
Uncredited, but listen for “Echoes” by Pink Floyd.

Dracula In Istanbul - 1953 - Turkey

Dracula In Istanbul - 1953 - 5/10  
AKA - Drakula İstanbul'da

 
Young lawyer travels to Romania to help reclusive count buy kiosks in Istanbul.
Gloomy castle, one wife, aroused and thirsty, rooms forbidden entry into.
For thirty minutes, the plot is fairly faithful, until the scene shifts to Istanbul.
The lawyer’s wife, Güzin, is a cabaret dancer, while her sister, Sadan, is a sleepwalker.
Dancing, dancing, more dancing, coupled with declining health, and red-eyed bats.
Final act brings back Count Drakula, as well as his enemies, led by Dr. Nuri.
Curiosity got the better of me – again.

50M2 - 2021 - Turkey

50M2 - 2021 - 7/10
AKA - (Fifty Square Meters)

 
Shadow has a falling out with his boss, a businessman / gangster.
While Shadow was his #1 enforcer, no one is indispensable.
After surviving a botched hit job, Shadow hides himself in small shop in a run down quarter.
Where residents soon assume he is the son of the recently deceased tailor.
He has unique abilities to deal with neighborhood blight and small time chiselers.
The larger adversary is the property developer, bullying, badgering, misleading.
Writing is sharp throughout, in this surprisingly funny dark tinged series.
How dark?  The final episode goes full Noir, filmed at night, simmering tensions released.
Unfortunately, this is a Netflix show, with a Netflix non-ending.
While I would be inclined to view S02, I would have to wait to read comments to see if inspiration remained.

KEDi - 2017 - Turkey

KEDi - 2017 - 6/10

 
Lightweight “documentary” for masochists.  Oops, excuse me, cat lovers.
Everyone else, caveat emptor.  γνῶθι σεαυτόν
Camera follows several cats living in Istanbul.
Humans care for them, declare how amazing they are.
Felines lead a merry life in an exotic locale.
Nothing negative whatsoever in this.

Cat people should purr happily watching this.
Captures feline personalities and activities.
I have been to Istanbul and can assure you there are many cats like these.
At an outdoor cafe, a big orange tom sat next to me and kept thumping my leg when he wanted more food.
In another bistro, a cat curled up beside Zelda and slept, happy sharing her warmth.

Woman Despiser - 1967 - Turkey

Woman Despiser - 1967 - 6/10
AKA - Kadin Düsmani

 
A mask wearing killer prowls the streets of Istanbul.
Well, not prowls Caesar, because he goes indoors to kill females, before violation.
Police are on the case, but they suffer a surplus of suspects, including a creepy, heavily mustached man carrying a violin case.
The look is part Giallo, part high Gothic, part cheap TV.  Melodramatic acting.
No great shakes, yet oddly engrossing if only for the peculiarities.
For example, when one man invites a girl to go dancing, he takes her to a belly dance club.
Often, silhouettes are used, one gathers instead of supporting actors.
Then there is strange incest angle.  No!  Two incest angles.

If subs prove elusive, I reworked = https://subscene.com/subtitles/woman-despiser/english/2633313

Fatma - 2021 - Turkey

Fatma - 2021 - 7/10

Fatma has become a nuisance, repeatedly asking his friends and associates, where is my husband?
“You’re so curious, go ask the local loan shark.”
She goes, the crook turns violent.  And Fatma kills him.
Police arrive, and Fatma walks away unnoticed.  Invisible.  After all, she’s only the cleaning lady.

 
Brilliant six episode series of the forgotten soul, the menial worker, who, when pushed, is lethal.
Beauty dish Burcu Biricik is terrific in this, underplaying her role, acting with her hands and those eyes.
Her eyes dart and shift nervously, taking in situations at a glance, before acting.

 
The plotting is concise, with coarse villains and haunting backstories.
Delicious, hard edged series with a number of surprising deaths.

Atiye: S01 - 2019 - Turkey

Atiye: S01 - 2019 - 6/10
AKA - The Gift

An Istanbul artist begins having visions after seeing reports from an archeological dig.
Found cave drawings eerily mirror the artistic motif she has used for years.
Her family is unnerved by her awakening second sight. Whispers mention a dead grandmother.
Furthermore, she is engaged. Her fiancé’s family is rich, powerful, and wants a “traditional” daughter-in-law.
On the plus, beautiful exterior photography, and a mystery suffused with the spiritual and supernatural elements (pre-Islamic shamanistic rituals).
Negative, the script was sloppy, worsening as it progressed.
The majority of the acting bordered on melodramatic at times.
Lead actor, Beren Saat, rolls her eyes and makes dismissive expressions throughout. Akin to “nudge-nudge wink-wink, yes this show is so beneath me,” which is regrettable.
Moreover, the characters consistently did stupid things.
The ending is vague, unexplained, open to interpretation, open ended - but - I am OK with that.