Truly Dreadful Film

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

The review of the movie caught my attention. The cast the story the social life and Kurds social structure the women how they were treated, honor and revenge all these elements disclosed in the movie in such phenomenal way.What touched me is when Mehmet came over to get his wife back admitting his mistake the scene where the kids watching.. or where Zene screaming her husband name to not leaving in mountain stranded for the beast and Seyit when he was carrying his wife slapping her to wake up. I give 3 thumb up.I realized how important to look to my life in different perspective.Mehmet "Halil Ergun and Tarik Akan" Seyit were the perfect husband in their own way.. I will look for their work from now on

I have seen this movie three times so far with intervals of a few years and got amazed more every time. I am Turkish and I was a teenager during the time period portrayed in the movie. I can say with great confidence that those days were presented with a great accuracy in many ways. It gives me an opportunity to evaluate the events of that period. The director (Serif Goren not Yilmaz Guney because Yilmaz Guney was a fugitive during the time the movie was shot) does a great job capturing the mosaic of Turkish culture during the trips of the 5 prisoners on leave for a week. The trip starts from Istanbul - from north-west and ends in the south-east. Editing job was not so great but it still kept the continuity of the story. On the other hand dubbing was terrible - perhaps the only bad thing about the movie - still you have to be a native Turkish speaker to see this flaw. I think the biggest contribution of Yilmaz Guney to this film was writing the major part of the script and producing this great film. A few facts: Yilmaz Guney was a fugitive who shot a judge during his trial. So, He was not a political prisoner. He wasn't a great actor but he was a good screen writer. There is not a city called Kurdistan in Turkey there never was. The people shown in the movie are Turkish citizens. People of Turkey are not just Kurds and non-Kurds there are tens of other ethnicities live in Turkey and they make the Turkish nation as a whole. It's amazing to see some people are still judging a whole nation by just seeing a movie.And one goof: The guy in the ferry was drinking RAKI - the famous Turkish liquor- however during dubbing it was referred to as brandy.

Despite a couple loose ends, this film is so well made and the story so compelling and powerful that it must be considered a masterpiece. This is especially true considering that it was made in one of the most difficult times in Turkish history to make a movie of any sort, especially one with such strong social and political commentary.The story is a powerful and fascinating tale of several prisoners on temporary leave from a prison, and the crucial events that they face. Tragedy and sadness are prevalent, despite the fact that each character's leave has a very different outcome, and the film excellently and compellingly explores how the characters must face their difficult circumstances. It addresses a wide range of forces, political, social, familial, that impact the lives of the characters, and comments on all of these. The film's exploration of these issues ranges from blunt and harsh, to subtle and satirical and the actors are simply fabulous.The result is a compelling, extremely moving, and thought-provoking film. However, people who watch it should avoid using it as a guide for what Turkey is like today, especially in certain aspects. They must remember that this film is over 20 years old and was made at one of the darkest periods in Turkish history.

This movie moved me deeply, although there are many cliches in it. It is made out of honesty and frustration over the turkish society, and especially the treatment of the kurds. I think it was filmed in secrecy inside Turkey, as the director was banned from the country and lived in exile. The actors do a magnificent job. I just got awestruck by this film. To understand it completely on should be aware of the desperate situation the kurds in Turkey have lived with for many years now. After I saw at at my local filmclub, I was unable to speak for an hour. If one has the oppurtunity to see it - please do so, you will not regret it.