One of the clichés in those films was his endless war with the Byzantine Empire. He was either taken hostage during a battle between Ottoman and Byzantine forces or else he was in an undercover operation and pretending to work for the Byzantines while actually spying for the Ottomans. In all these films, which without exception end with the heroic triumph of Arkın and the Turks, there were two unchanged themes. He suffered from endless brutal torture at the hands of the Byzantines and, almost always, the noble Byzantine lady fell in love with him. Every single person in the Byzantine palace was an evil, ugly hypocrite except this woman who was somehow innocent and beautiful.While I was watching Yusuf Kurçelli’s film, “Ask Your Heart” (2010), those memories came to mind. Because it is the first Turkish film I have seen in which a Muslim Turkish woman (Esma) falls in love with a Christian man (Mustafa). Esma, however, does not know the real identity of Mustafa, since he and his entire family pretend to be Muslims. The film tells us a love story of these young villagers in the mountains of the Black Sea at the end of the 19th century. Let’s read the background of the film from its official website at askyourheartmovie.com:
“Some of the Greeks living in the highlands of Trabzon/Maçka and Gümüşhane; hard to reach remote villages such as Krom, Yağlıdere, Stavri, Zigana, Santa, Torul, had to show themselves as Muslims, mainly to avoid paying heavy taxes. They were forced to convert to Islam in the 17th century but as they kept their faith in Christianity secretly, they are known in history as hidden/Cryptic Christians.
Hidden Christians had two names (one Muslim and one Christian); they had their children baptized; they married into the real Christian or Muslim families. The marriage ceremony was seemingly in accordance with the Islamic traditions, but at night there was a secret Christian marriage ceremony as well. It was difficult for them to have their children baptized because there was no priest in most of the villages.”
I think Kurçelli’s film is the first of its kind in Turkey. It brings a subject to our attention that only lives in our social subconscious. Once upon a time, in every corner of this country we had Christian neighbors as in “Ask Your Heart.”
The scenery and the music in the film are also fantastic, and you can get a taste of Black Sea folklore throughout the film. Mustafa does not want to follow the call of their church to expose their real religious identity because he does not want to lose Esma. But one day the real identity of Mustafa’s family is exposed unexpectedly. His grandfather dies and during the funeral prayer, his grandmother cannot pretend anymore and explains that the deceased man was not a Muslim but a baptized Christian with the real name of Yuhannes.
I do not want to spoil your curiosity by telling every detail about the film. If you do not speak Turkish you can find a version with English subtitles. Unfortunately, the film did not get the attention it deserved in Turkey. I hope Kurçen and other Turkish directors will continue shooting these kinds of films in which they tell us the real history and social background of Turkey with the language of art.
But, after all, “Ask Your Heart” is a love story. It also tells us that love does not know boundaries, taboos or racial or religious differences. And it doesn’t always have a happy ending!
