Skip to main content

On The Sea (UK)

By Golu
This one's a beautiful, tender, quiet romantic drama with a moody atmosphere, set in a tight knit Welsh fishing community. It's a touching story about a man waking up sexually in the middle of his life, and how he, his family, and everyone around him deal with it, which makes it emotional and sentimental without ever getting over the top. The slow burn plays out against a landscape that's as bleak as it is gorgeous, where quiet, closed off men are stuck inside rigid ideas of what masculinity should be. Some people might be reminded of "God's Own Country," but I think both films are lovely in their own way. Jack is a middle aged guy who co-owns a mussel farm with his rough around the edges brother Dyfan, and the tension between the two of them is simmering under the surface right from the start. Dyfan's three sons all help out with the work, while Jack's sulky teenage son Tom keeps skipping out. Jack's been with his wife since they were both 16, and...
Post a Comment

Hamam: The Turkish Bath (Italian/Turkish)

By Golu
This film is Ferzan Ozpetek's first film. I have mentioned numerous time on this blog on my fascination for the films he has directed, so I was eagerly looking forward to watching this film as this was his debut. I must say, my expectations were completely met and I was again very happy and satisfied watching his cinema. There is some sort of authenticity, simplicity, complexity of relationships and the family values that make you watch his films and appreciate them.

Francesco and his wife Marta live in Rome and they run a small design company. One day Francesco finds out that his long forgotten aunt Anita has died in Istanbul and has left him her house. When he reaches Istanbul, he discovers that the house is actually an old hamam, in an old original part of Istanbul. Due to the downfall of the tradition, the hamam lost its appeal and had to be closed down. Francesco also finds the letters that his aunt wrote to his mom but never posted. He meets the family who was taking care of his aunt and his happily surprised by their kindness and simplicity. With their support Francesco decides to rebuild the hamam. He gets all support from the family and neighborhood and also find love in Mehmet, the son of the family. Francesco finally realizes that he might actually be  gay. When Marta comes to Istanbul, she initially finds it very hard to adjust and the real reason of her to come there is to break up with Francesco since she had been sleeping with another guy for past 2 years. One day she finds Francesco and Mehmet together kissing in the hamam and she picks up a fight and leaves the house. Francesco then gets murdered by the construction company who was trying to buy the hamam and other houses in the area to build a farm. Finally, Marta stays back because now she understands where Francesco was coming from and will now fulfill his dream.

This film as earlier projected in US is not a cheap gay thrill. Its actually a shame that they had to resort to such cheap gimmicks to market this film when the film otherwise is so brilliant in the first place. Except for one kiss between the 2 men, there is nothing cheesy, bad pr erotic about this film. The film is about finding true place in life physically and emotionally. Its about finding love and happiness in what you do. The love between the family, the 2 men, their kindness, everything is so charming to watch. My eyes were wet and with a smile on my face, I was enjoying every minute of the film. The characters were so spot on. Happy been related and be close to Turkey for 5 years now, I could see so much authenticity in the way the characters were portrayed. All the actors did a fantastic job and yes it indeed is a worthy debut as a director with equally charming follow-ups.

It's really a beautiful film, both in scenery, sentiment and depth of feeling. (8/10)
Labels:

Comments

Pitbullshark said…
This is one of my favorite films, ever. The music in it is fantastic. The film is very poetic; the letters written by the aunt are amazing. The Turkish family is wonderful, very generous and loving. The Turkish lover, Mehmet, is beautiful. The whole movie is a love tribute to Istanbul.
February 9, 2013 at 8:18 AM
Golu said…
You are absolutely right buddy. Every word you said. Because of the movie poster, for the longest time, I thought this would be like a sleazy movie and had been postponing to watch it but I was so so happy to having watched it.
February 9, 2013 at 11:20 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Tuxedo (Thai Series)

By Golu
When I saw this series with 8 episodes of about 20-25 minutes each, I thought, good: Finally someone has come to senses and made a show which is not stretched out and they have tried to squeeze in a decent storyline in a good small episode format. But unfortunately, despite a decent premise on hand, the clunky writing, bad screenplay and an extreme tasteless portrayal of mental illness makes this show, not a fun watch. By the time it finishes, you just want to laugh off at the entire absurdity of it all. Aioun is talented tuxedo designer and very much in demand but he has handful of clients and he builds suits only for people who he feels a connection to. One night when his younger brother is about to get mugged, he is helped by a total stranger named Sichol. Since he tears his suit in the fight and has an interview the next day, Aioun gifts him a suit form his design as an expression of thanks. Sichol's interview is for. Personal assistant of a man named Nawee, a wealthy heir to h...
25 comments
Read more

Heartstopper: Season 2 (Web Series) (UK)

By Golu
Heartstopper Season 1 was a universal hit. You could not have read one bad review or heard from anyone who has seen the show not liking it. It was the kind of series that is easy to love, with sweetness exploding out of every scene without overwhelming you. So naturally, when Netflix greenly Season 2, expectations were naturally high and the same happened with me. I didn't know what to expect, but I had high expectations of this very very sweet teenage love story. And with eagerness and being a little late to the game by a few days, here I am, pouring my t thoughts down having just finished one of the most anticipated shows of the year. The second season also has 10 episodes and has all of our loved ones from the original season. The show continues from where it had left off in Season 1. Charlie and Nick are a couple and only their very close circle of friends know about it. This includes Charlie's best friend Tao and his trans best friend Elle. The center of the show is still ...
19 comments
Read more

Gaya Sa Pelikula (Filipino Series) [Like In The Movies]

By Golu
Pinoy BL series seem to be catching up to the popularity of the Thai shows. And I must say that they are doing a pretty good job at it. Where Thai series started to get repetitive with so many shows based in a college setting with seemingly similar storylines, Pinoy series are offering the viewers with new and interesting stories and some really good sets and surroundings. This series was 8 episodes of about 25-20 minutes each. Karl, a 19-year old introvert architecture student is in the middle of an identity crisis. Prior to the start of the second semester in college and forced by his parents, he moves into his uncle's condominium unit so that he can learn to be financially independent. Karl takes on odd jobs online to do so. But when one of his major clients suddenly goes MIA, he is left short on funds and without a means to pay for his utilities. An opportunity presents itself when his cocky neighbor Vlad has to hide from his family and proposes to share Karl's space for th...
23 comments
Read more