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Journey to the SunRating:
Release Date: 28 September, 2004 Retail Price: $29.95 OUR Price: $26.99 You SAVE: $2.96! Cast: |
Journey to the Sun Reviews
"I swear I'll go back there one day."
"Journey to the Sun" from writer-director Yesim Ustaoglu is an unwavering examination of the treatment of the Kurds. The story is set in Istanbul and concerns Mehmet (Newroz Baz), a young man originally from Tire who has moved to Istanbul. Mehmet's life isn't exactly great. He lives in a squalid room--stuffed in with four other men of various ages, and he works for the local water company. Mehmet totes a long metal tool around all day, and his job is to detect leaks in the city's water system. In spite of deprivation and hardship, Mehmet is happy--he has shelter (such as it is), a job, and his girlfriend, Arzu (Mizgin Kapazan). Mehmet also befriends Berzan (Nazmi Qirix)--a young Kurdish street vendor who sells music cassettes off of a pushcart. One senses, however, that Mehmet's happiness is fragile and perhaps just the natural result of exuberant youth. The camera focuses on the ruins, decayed buildings and squalor--elements that are the reality of the immigrant community. Yet, Mehmet is untouched by his surroundings and remains surprisingly optimistic, until he falls foul of the authorities.
When Mehmet is arrested, tortured by police, and then released, he is viewed as a Kurd and therefore 'tainted.' A large red 'X' is painted across the door of his room, and Mehmet's life rapidly disintegrates.
Mehmet decides to undertake a journey to Berzan's mountain home near the Iraqi border, and we see a first-hand view of the political reality of Kurdish life. Tanks menacingly occupy a town square while residents remain out of sight. Rubble and destruction mark Mehmet's solitary journey.
The film's surreal scenes capture the bizarre aspects of life within the immigrant community. In one scene for example, cows graze on a rubbish dump. It also seems bizarre when the police insist that Mehmet is a Kurd--even when he insists he isn't. But his dark complexion and hair convince the police that he must be a Kurdish political dissident--perhaps this is just the excuse they need for torture. One cannot help but be struck by the polyglot population of Istanbul, but at the same time, when Mehmet runs into a young commando also from Tire, one realizes that the definition of a human being according to race, ethnicity, or origin is a quaint, narrow idea. Mehmet and the commando sit on opposite seats, and while they hail from the same town, they are in all ways--worlds apart. "Journey to the Sun" is an emotionally devastating film that offers no empty platitudes. If you enjoy this stark bleakness of this film, I also recommend the Turkish film 'Distant." In Turkish and Kurdish--displacedhuman
Soundtrack Alone Rates 5 stars.
Very edifying story of political turmoil involving the Kurds. Get a look at street life in Istanbul. Gives insight into why the prosperity of strong market economies is so envied. Basically a story of a hapless young man who makes his living finding broken water pipes using a primitive stethoscope. He is mistakenly arrested and identified as a Kurdish rebel. He loses his job and is befriended by a laundress and an actual rebel who is later killed. The youth determines to return his friend's body to his Kurdish province birthplace. This begins a road trip through desolate Turkish countryside. The movie's strength is the examination of the details of ordinary lives. What it lacks in crisp lighting is compensated by excellent music throughout.
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