Much of the first scenes of this movie had me thinking about Almodovar. It was slow paced (like most of Almodovar's films) and it started off on a story about a Turkish hooker and her senile, old-aged Turkish lover (Almodovar's films sometimes are about hookers, always about twisted love stories). However, a political and religious note soon came into play, as two Turkish men find out about the Turkish whore, and tell her to repent (the director misleads us with a purpose, wanting us to think, that Yeter - the Turkish whore - will get killed by these men because she is insulting the Muslim faith). But then, to our surprise, Yeter gets accidentally killed by her old lover, who, in the beginning charming and accommodating, soon turns out to be an old fool who thinks of women as objects you can buy at the mall.
Very soon, the impression of watching an Almodovar film faded. Instead the film turned more and more into a Greek tragedy. Unfortunate events are leading to tragic results and we are faced with the death of two female characters, both sympathetic to the viewer.
Now after Lotte died, the screen turns black and we see the title of the film. For a second there I thought the film had come to its end and they'd play the credits. Instead the film went (dragged) on, an we were shown a third part of the film, in which two protagonists of the two different stories are united and try to get over their loss. I thought that this third part was rather weak, and I would have given this film an 8 out of 10 if this hadn't happened.
Now, I'm not sure what the film is about: Political issues are mentioned (enlargement of the European Union, human rights situation in Turkey) but not really tackled. What constitutes the core of this film, is human relations and the inherent tragedy of people who are what they are (I am especially thinking of the scene in which Hanna Schygulla says to the political activist from Turkey: Or maybe you're just a person who likes to fight).
As I know Turkey only from vacation and from the few Turkish people I know, I'd like to know how Akin is received in Turkey. Whether they think of him as a traitor or as a person who belittles the Turkish culture? I think that the way he displays Turkish people is controversial, to say the least.
Very soon, the impression of watching an Almodovar film faded. Instead the film turned more and more into a Greek tragedy. Unfortunate events are leading to tragic results and we are faced with the death of two female characters, both sympathetic to the viewer.
Now after Lotte died, the screen turns black and we see the title of the film. For a second there I thought the film had come to its end and they'd play the credits. Instead the film went (dragged) on, an we were shown a third part of the film, in which two protagonists of the two different stories are united and try to get over their loss. I thought that this third part was rather weak, and I would have given this film an 8 out of 10 if this hadn't happened.
Now, I'm not sure what the film is about: Political issues are mentioned (enlargement of the European Union, human rights situation in Turkey) but not really tackled. What constitutes the core of this film, is human relations and the inherent tragedy of people who are what they are (I am especially thinking of the scene in which Hanna Schygulla says to the political activist from Turkey: Or maybe you're just a person who likes to fight).
As I know Turkey only from vacation and from the few Turkish people I know, I'd like to know how Akin is received in Turkey. Whether they think of him as a traitor or as a person who belittles the Turkish culture? I think that the way he displays Turkish people is controversial, to say the least.