Lovelorn

One of the best Turkish movies I've ever watched. Sener Sen, one of the greatest Turkish actors did not surprise me with the great performance and success but Meltem Cumbul really made me surprised. I used to think she was a all-in-one contemporary model but she proved shes also a good actress. She has tried her chance in many fields like singing, TV shows etc. She has singed perfectly in the movie but in fact she should act, not to do anything else. The movie is simple, with no hi-tech effects, no super models, no hip-hop etc.. its just people, telling you to turn back and see what is important in life, at all. Especially if you're living in a complicated country like Turkiye. Life is hard..

As a person who has written a 100-page thesis on Turkish 'sinema,' I concur with populist sentiment that "Gonul Yarasi/Lovelorn" is an exceptional film. I think it tops "Eskiya/The Bandit" and now has to be considered Yavuz Turgul's best film. It is amazing to think that someone who first directed a Kemal Sunal (Turkey's closest equivalent to Jerry Lewis, alas Sunal is no longer with us) film in 1976 is among the masters of contemporary Turkish film. He has formed an excellent artistic partnership with Sener Sen, who is once as brilliant here he was in "Eskiya." And, enough words of praise can not be given to Meltem Cumbul. I loved her in "Propganda," loved her even more in Faith Akin's "Head-On," and this is a captivating performance here. I think the fact that her character is named Dunya, which means WORLD in English, hints that her character is a symbol for Turkey's acceptance into the outside world. Dunya's struggles and her bitter setbacks make me believe this might well be Turgul's intentions. I think her ex-husband, represents Turkey's modern state and Sen is a symbol of Turkey's once prosperous past. There is almost too much going on at once to concentrate fully on what is going on in the film! I think one thing which has been incorrectly cited as a flaw in this film is the melodrama element. I think this is such a central element to all Turkish films, whether they be the American film rip-offs of the '70s (Dunyayi Kurtaran Adam/Turkish Star Wars) or the great films of Yilmaz Guney, "Yol" and "Arkadas/The Friend," there is always that aspect of Turkish films. The notable exception seems to be the films of Zeki Demirkubuz and Nuri Bilge Ceylan, but both have stated they have been more influenced by Russian and French filmmakers, such as Tarkovsky and Bresson, than the likes of Guney or Atif Yilmaz, considered to be a pioneer of Turkish cinema- he directed in Sen in many films as well. But, "Gonul Yarasi" is splendid. It is well-edited, well-cast and well-directed. If a person knows nothing about Turkey or Turkish cinema, they may not fully appreciate this film, but I firmly feel that just about anyone who does will really like this film tremendously.

I think the movie is a masterpiece.Turkey's best actor Sener Sen acts wonderfully from beginning to the end and when the movie ends you thank him for the job he made.The movie is about a teacher working in east part of Turkey for several years and got used to life there.When he comes back to the place he was born it would be hard for him to get used to life again.He becomes to work as a taxi driver and meets a singer then his life would never be the same again.Wonderful scenario,actors filled into the roles perfectly,dramatic story and a different ending.I recommend this movie to everyone.Sener Sen is the rising star of Turkey and soon he should be rewarded with an award.

The plot seems simple. A woman with her child who is unable to speak due to some psychological conditions, leaves the obsessive husband. She goes to the city and tries to stand on her own feet through singing in once popular traditional night clubs. Her husband comes after of course. Meanwhile an idealist teacher retires from the very east rural side of Turkey and returns home. He had a strong connection with his students and local people but interestingly not with his own kids, who were now grownups. As he's back, his old friends welcome him more sincerely. Consequently, teacher (the leading actor) takes the night shift of his close friend's taxi to make some money. One night he meets the runaway woman...

Script is astonishing. I would compare some of the monologues to Shakespeare at best. There is no reduction in the harmony. Consistency is seamless. The storyline captivates the viewer in such a soft way. All of a sudden you find yourself in between the lives of five characters; retired teacher, his son, his daughter, runaway woman and her husband. You can easily sympathize with all of them.

This movie depicts many conflicts innate to human nature. The characters are so well developed you might come across one of them anytime. If you are living in a sterile world, you might find it melodramatic. If you are searching for realism in symbolic elements, an emphasized full moon will ring your bell. The truth is, even an overly melodramatic and unrealistic story telling could be OK, cause the cinema is art, not necessarily documentary.

In the case of Gonul Yarasi, the movie has an intense texture, yet there is also a hopeful outlook. Just like hope and despair, fun and tears, fear and courage, idealism and realism and many other humanly concepts are balanced. The ending is an extraordinary summary of this manifestation in that sense.

Gonul Yarasi (Lovelorn) demonstrates all the qualities of cinema as an art. It is the best Turkish movie I have ever seen and one of the best among all. Awards are well earned... I would give 9-10 out of 10. And guess what, I did :)

I'd like to assume that the commentator who compared this movie to Mexican soap operas has never viewed anything from Hollywood

Gonul Yarasi is an above average movie in the tradition of classical Turkish drama. Idealist elementary school teacher Nazim (named after the great communist poet Nazim Hikmet) retires and returns home, Istanbul, after a 15 year term in the poor, forgotten Kurdish-Alevite village in Eastern Turkey. Politely ignored by his children who secretly despise him since he chose his ideal over his family long ago, he begins a new (night)life as a taxi driver. There he meets a fallen single mother who works as a "singer" in a sleazy night club. He takes the mother and her daugther in to protect them from the stalker ex-husband, falls in love with her, and the drama unfolds.

Yavuz Turgul, a master of storytelling, is not at his best, and the film cannot surpass his former masterpieces such as 'Eskiya' or 'Golge Oyunu' - though the movie is among the best of the season. Sener Sen, Meltem Cumbul and Guven Kirac give solid performances, but Timucin Esen proves outstanding with his portrayal of the multi-faceted, psychologically unstable ex-husband. The film, in the Yavuz Turgul tradition, inevitably ends with the tragedy-redemption-hope sequence.

Turgul likes to give subliminal social and political messages in his movies, but he is less subtle in this one.