I read all the comments about this movie before posting mine, and I happen to agree with a couple of them about some flaws in this movie. But I'm still giving it a 8,5/10 because it's pretty good in general. Oh and the Turkish actors are not dubbed, they're speaking English with their own voice. What's so unbelievable about that? Anyway..
Politiki Kouzina has the utmost political message ever: Politics is bulls**t, and it's only useful for tearing people and nations apart! I was really touched by the line "Turks are sending us away as Greeks, and Greeks are receiving us as Turks". I know that pretty well, because the situation with the Bulgarian Turks is pretty much the same and it was a very popular issue in the 90's. "Bulgarians hate us for we're Turks, and Turks address us as Bulgarians". I guess that's the way it goes, as much as it pains anyone with a heart. You have no problems with the place you're living in, you hardly consider yourself a foreigner at all, and all of a sudden someone says you have to "go home". And where the hell is that? A place you go to hear you're from some place else is home just because you come from the same race with its occupants? Doubtful.. This movie delivers the reality behind the Turco-Greek political tension without going into too much depth, and staying loyal to the facts. Moreover, it delivers them without hurting anyone, just the reality as it is. Did the whole Cyprus thing begin because of the evil Greeks or the evil Turks? Probably neither. As a Turkish proverb says "The wet burns along with the dry". Some nasty people decide to destroy peace, and the innocent ones who have the mental capacity to love everyone without checking their passport are the ones who get hurt. Politiki Kouzina depicts this issue oh so very perfectly! You don't need to be Turkish or Greek to enjoy the movie, but you really have to be one of those to get the feeling as it's supposed to be delivered. I can relate to the issue better than an average Turk or Greek, and less than a Greek who's been deported from Turkey or vice versa. My mother was brought up in a neighbourhood of Greeks and Jews. Her friends still send cards and call from Greece and Israel, and some still in Turkey. OK, Turkey and Israel never had problems, but this shows Turkey and Greece could very well overcome their problems too. I've been in Greece, loved the people. I've heard the same several times from Greeks visiting Turkey. What's it that people can't share then? I believe the director of this flick is also one with this sentiment, and fascists of both sides would be utterly disappointed by the movie. Istanbul or Konstantinopolis, Izmir or Smyrna.. Big deal? But it was a big deal for some people, so big that they couldn't even allow innocent children's sweet love to stay intact.
As for the cinematography and such, it's quite alright except for a few minor flaws. Many Turks have been acted by Greeks, that's so very obvious with the accent. Maybe that's a problem only to the Turkish audience, but it doesn't take an IQ of 500 to figure this movie was also meant for Turkish audiences. It can't be THAT hard to find someone who can speak both advanced Greek and basic Turkish, or vice versa. The acting by ALL the cast is really good. My favourite is the head actor, whom I've seen on Peppermint before and was impressed by. The kids are also doing great.
An exceptional story does not always suffice to make a good film, but this one seems to have added enough of the other ingredients to make it as interesting as the plot line would suggest. Recommended to everyone, and extra recommended to Turks and Greeks.
Politiki Kouzina has the utmost political message ever: Politics is bulls**t, and it's only useful for tearing people and nations apart! I was really touched by the line "Turks are sending us away as Greeks, and Greeks are receiving us as Turks". I know that pretty well, because the situation with the Bulgarian Turks is pretty much the same and it was a very popular issue in the 90's. "Bulgarians hate us for we're Turks, and Turks address us as Bulgarians". I guess that's the way it goes, as much as it pains anyone with a heart. You have no problems with the place you're living in, you hardly consider yourself a foreigner at all, and all of a sudden someone says you have to "go home". And where the hell is that? A place you go to hear you're from some place else is home just because you come from the same race with its occupants? Doubtful.. This movie delivers the reality behind the Turco-Greek political tension without going into too much depth, and staying loyal to the facts. Moreover, it delivers them without hurting anyone, just the reality as it is. Did the whole Cyprus thing begin because of the evil Greeks or the evil Turks? Probably neither. As a Turkish proverb says "The wet burns along with the dry". Some nasty people decide to destroy peace, and the innocent ones who have the mental capacity to love everyone without checking their passport are the ones who get hurt. Politiki Kouzina depicts this issue oh so very perfectly! You don't need to be Turkish or Greek to enjoy the movie, but you really have to be one of those to get the feeling as it's supposed to be delivered. I can relate to the issue better than an average Turk or Greek, and less than a Greek who's been deported from Turkey or vice versa. My mother was brought up in a neighbourhood of Greeks and Jews. Her friends still send cards and call from Greece and Israel, and some still in Turkey. OK, Turkey and Israel never had problems, but this shows Turkey and Greece could very well overcome their problems too. I've been in Greece, loved the people. I've heard the same several times from Greeks visiting Turkey. What's it that people can't share then? I believe the director of this flick is also one with this sentiment, and fascists of both sides would be utterly disappointed by the movie. Istanbul or Konstantinopolis, Izmir or Smyrna.. Big deal? But it was a big deal for some people, so big that they couldn't even allow innocent children's sweet love to stay intact.
As for the cinematography and such, it's quite alright except for a few minor flaws. Many Turks have been acted by Greeks, that's so very obvious with the accent. Maybe that's a problem only to the Turkish audience, but it doesn't take an IQ of 500 to figure this movie was also meant for Turkish audiences. It can't be THAT hard to find someone who can speak both advanced Greek and basic Turkish, or vice versa. The acting by ALL the cast is really good. My favourite is the head actor, whom I've seen on Peppermint before and was impressed by. The kids are also doing great.
An exceptional story does not always suffice to make a good film, but this one seems to have added enough of the other ingredients to make it as interesting as the plot line would suggest. Recommended to everyone, and extra recommended to Turks and Greeks.