This is also a movie that has become the topic of a special project in German schools and is seen as a movie that could change German children’s view of immigrants. The movie began screening in some theatres on April 17, but many theaters are still hesitant to screen the movie unfortunately, citing business concerns.
The movie tells the story of two siblings, Ayşe and Ahmet, who live with their grandfather in a village near the central Anatolian city of Konya and whose father remarried after their mother died. Mehmet Bülbül (11) stars as Ahmet and Elif Bülbül (8) stars as Ayşe. They share the same last name but are not related. Their successful performance cannot be explained with words. They were found in villages near the set. It is worth watching the film just to see Elif’s performance. The way she says, “What if my dad passes by,” “Where is my dad” and “My dad is here” makes your heart melt.
Director and screenwriter Atalay Taşdiken explained how everyone was touched by Elif’s acting during the filming, saying: “In the scene before the end, Elif’s grandfather is cutting her hair. As we were preparing the set, I started crying. Elif also managed to make her father on the set, actor Mustafa Uzunyılmaz, cry as well. In the beginning, Elif makes an appeal to her father. When we were shooting the scene, I ran to Mustafa to inform him… I found him crying in a wheat mill behind the house. Apparently Elif’s acting had impressed and overwhelmed him. He didn’t look Elif in the eye during the shoots to avoid crying.”
I watched the movie with my family and we all cried. What was it about the film that quietly overtook us and evoked feelings of longing? The underlying message of the film was “You are human. The only thing that glorifies you is love. Search for and find your lost or forgotten treasure.” Using the influence of cinema without exploiting our emotions, the director used the language of locals to enrich this message. The film illustrates how the art of cinema can be influential and how art is integral to returning to human kindness. The innocence, sincerity and natural disposition of the two siblings sparked feelings of love and affection in us. Compassion and mercy made our lips quiver and tears roll down our eyes.
With the story of the two lonely children, Taşdiken marvelously explains how adding love and compassion to the simple and plain lives of people in Anatolian villages leads to contentment and happiness that cannot be found in upscale cities and metropolises.
It emphasizes the need to minimize pain by showing affection and treating wounds with love while highlighting the despair and shattering of hopes under the whip of reality.
We need to question the reason why children who live with both parents and grow up in big cities while receiving just about everything they want are so selfish and unhappy.
Let me share a conclusion I drew from this film. This film was praised by all newspapers, including Cumhuriyet, Birgün, Radikal, Hürriyet, Vatan, Yeni Şafak, Star and Zaman. I call this the power of love. The film shows us the things on which we unite. We need to rediscover love in order to advance democracy, reach agreements and have tolerance. I congratulate Taşdiken from the bottom of my heart. We must watch this movie with our children. We must support movies that will promote love. We must support these kinds of movies so we can encourage and empower the next generation of artists.
