Deli Deli Olma (2009) User Reviews

Humorous,dramatic and humanitarian!

[elsinefilo · 5 February 2010]

In the 1800s,especially after the period of The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 Molokans were forced into exile by the Czarist Russia.Molokans were apparently regarded as heretics because they did not abide by the rules Russian Orthodox Church.They were named Molokans (milk-drinkers) because they drank milk on most of the fasting days in the church year in Eastern Christianity."Deli deli olma" is the story of the last Russian-Molokon,Mishka(Tarık Akan)in a village named "EşmeYazı" in an Eastern Anatolian city Kars.The village people calls him " yeke kişi" (literally big man.)With his tall figure, long and white beard and hair he indeed reminds one of a warm-hearted,pious old fellow. Papuç(Şerif Sezer) is a cantankerous,crotchety and a short-tempered old woman of whom the village seems to be afraid. She seems to be the only one who hates Mishka and wants him not to live in the village. The whole village is torn between the simple-hearted,unobtrusive Mishka and the quick-tempered Papuç.Papuç lives with her son Şemistan (Levent Tülek,his wife Figan (Zuhal Topal) and his three grandchildren. The youngest grandchild Alma(Cemile Nihan Turhan)is a self-willed but tender-hearted girl who spends most of her time with Mishka against her grandma's will. Şemistan runs the village shop. One day he sells some flour and tea to Mishka on credit. When Popuç hears about this ,she makes hell of a fuss. Mishka, penniless and alone, has nothing but his piano to pay his debt.The piano has an immense sentimental value for him and he wants Alma to look after it. The villagers who know nothing about the piano uses the instrument as a means to pay their debt.Whoever owes some money gives the piano as his payment. Meanwhile, the village teacher Metin (Korel Cezayirli) notices that Alma has an ear for music. He wants her to take the conservatory exam. Şerif Sezer and Tarık Akan has all the experience to turn this movie into a distinguished piece of art but the child actress Cemile Nihan and the child actor Ozan Erdoğan gives maybe the most convincing and brilliant performances throughout the movie. Cemile Nihan, as the tender-hearted but headstrong student who is full of hope and Ozan Erdoğan as the foul-mouthed chubby boy who has one quick-thinking repartee for everyone especially for Papuç look really promising. Though the language sounds like the one that the Azeris speak it sounded a bit far-fetched to me.Still the players might have made tried real hard to be able speak in the colloquial language of the village and they could be really good at it.A local person would judge it better. Other than that, the movie could have told more about Molokon people, the people who called themselves "true Spiritual Christians" instead of giving a sneak preview of their life. In the movie the only thing we see about these people is a few symbolic things like a funerary rite,a few easter eggs and a shirt belt etc... What I mean is that if you do not do some reading after seeing the movie you will still not know much about these people but that does not prevent this movie from emerging as a sweet,humanitarian,dramatic and even an entertaining movie.