This newly released Turkish film directed by Levent Semerci has already sparked a growing discussion on whether it includes militaristic and nationalist elements or whether it is merely aiming to show the deadly and difficult conditions soldiers face in the vast mountainous terrain of southeastern Anatolia, fighting against outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants.
The discussion comes in the face of a recently emerged letter which was sent to prosecutors by a whistleblower military officer. The letter allegedly reveals that some media organizations were effectively used for the purposes of psychological warfare.
According to the plans of the TSK, “terrorism” is an issue that must be reinforced in society and moviemaking is one way to accomplish this. The plan envisages making films, creating a public sensation about the movies to attract the attention of society and holding galas and other public events to make the films matters of public discussion.
The screenplay for “Nefes” was written by Semerci, Mehmet İlker Altınay and Hakan Evrensel. Evrensel’s “Güneydoğudan Öyküler,” or “Stories from the Southeast,” was the main source of the screenplay. Evrensel was a soldier who served in the Southeast for a long time.
The main theme of the film is based on the struggle between the chief of a group of militants and the commander of a border post in the southeastern Anatolian mountains. The dialogue between the militant leader and the soldier provides the audience with a relatively clear opportunity to see the contradicting arguments of the soldiers, who believe they are defending the country, and the terrorists, who believe they are fighting for the independence of the Kurdish people. While the film can be regarded as an instructive documentary on the tough conditions soldiers must face for the sake of the nation, it fails to be impartial and objective in indicating the genuine motives of the terrorists fighting in the mountains.
