First of all I must say that this movie did not turn out to be what I was expected. And at first I felt a bit dissappointed but when I was leaving the theatre I was glad I chose this movie in the cinema today. It is very different from other Turkish comedies but it is very funny. All actors are very good and I also liked the story and dialogues. Bottom line: Interesting funny movie; worth watching
2 Reviews
Masks of the masses
largo-925 April 2018
Warning: Spoilers
We all still remember the optimisim that swept through the intellectual and academic circles following the Arap spring. In that regard, a fact interesting enough to mention is that there were very few movies in the last years that dealt with the phenomenon that is 'Arap Spring' other than documenting the factual incidents and their historical/political context. It seems that there is a rising tendency in such countries to address political and social issues mostly in terms of an idealized expectation of what an individual and society shall look like. Is more politicization the way for individual emancipation? Do we really need more pressure groups, lobbies, political movements, NGOs, hashtags in order to be politically participative? In order to have a persona of our own, do we need to be a part of a hive of alike personas? In a time where gender roles are re-considered, the talk of fluidity of sex/gender is topical - and rightly so- can't we just be our, idiosyncratic, 'political' persons? Not easy questions to answer...Still, even the talk of such issues must be considered as a big step foward.
This little gem of a movie appropriately named, Taksim Hold'em, although a satire on the surface, also subtly provides a surprisingly strong commentary on those recent ideas & 'movements' (probably thats the reason it had travelled a lot of international film festivals before opening in movie theathers) in the form of casual conservations amongst a group of friends who decided to play poker on a weekend night in the wake of mass government protests which were taking place in Taksim square, Turkey (hence the name Taksim Hold'em). Turkey is obviously no Tunisia and the inspiration behind the movie, '2013 'Gezi protests' which were actually environmentalist in essence, was no Arap Spring. However, that is of little importance and the script is clever enough to rise above specific localized pecularities. Actually "Taksim Hold'em" is about Gezi protests as much as it is about Arap Spring or any other recent anti-something movements. It is also about human condition and the lies we keep on saying to others and to ourselves: that we all are civilized, we respect law & order, we believe in justice -or karma-, we discriminate noone, we are fearless when facing danger, we care about the welfare of others (as long as they look like us or are at least cute enough) and while we are model citizens it is all the other people who corrupt what is inherently good. However one important note; Taksim Hold'em is not taking any sides even when the pretentiousness of the characters' intentions become obvious. "i dont respect anybody's opinions, not even mine' says our protagonist Alper; a sentiment which will find its counterpart in his childhood friend Altan's words: "I respect everyone's opinion, but yours is just plain dumb". It is this kind of writing which makes Taksim Hold'em a joy to watch (and i am restraining myself not to quote more), not taking itself dead serious but at the same time showing a grit in tackling issues which are deep and divisive. And lets be honest here; the writing is important in such a project as is the acting because of the theatre play feel, an inevitable outcome of the closed, minimalistic setting. The whole movie takes place in the living room of a flat where some other characters pop in and out, all providing welcome additions to the ongoing conflict. In a way, the flat serves as the safe harbour of Alper, protecting him from the madness that surrounds him. This is especially evident in the opening scene where Alper irons the poker table cover with his headphones on supressing the yelling of the always fighting, lovable(!) next door couple and the increasing sounds of the protesters. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that in time, the external elements (represented by the sounds of the neigbhours and protestors) will provide for the final stage accompanied by the final conflict.
Onder, in his directorial debut, shows talent not only in writing but also in directing as the movie actually never loses pace and color/lightining wise looks really good. The cinematographer, art director and the editor should definetely share some of that praise.
All the actors give praiseworthy performances and it is their timing & delivery of the lines that give strength to the already strong script. Their characters are all fleshed out as well, near the climax we start to care (or not) about them. Special mention needs to be given to Kenan Ece for his portrayal of Alper. He is in nearly every frame of the movie and really manages to create a enduring screen presence even while wearing an odd colored bathrobe for the whole running time. His transition from indifference to vulnerability feels natural and the loss of control in the climax is an icing on the cake.
The poker buddies all-talk, no-action Altan (Emre Oksuz), supressed urban professional Kaan (Nezih Cihan Aksoy) no talk, all-action Rafi (Tansu Tasanlar) and the late 4th to the game, enigmatic Fuat (Berk Hakman) are no different either as is Alper's tamed, idealistic fiancee, Defne (Damla Sonmez). They are living, three dimensional characters; not perfectly idealized card-board talking heads or quasi-villainous figures that we all can root against, partly owing to Onder's script and partly to their own apt performancs.
The natural, real feeling of the dialogues contribute to the on-going philosophical/political discussions while always keeping the dry, witty humour. At the end, Onder gives no easy way out: do we really practice what we preach? or is the sheer satisfaction of preaching enough? One final word: One of the most important events in the last decades of Turkish history gets a treatment in a very unqiue and 'universal' way (that there is no other fiction movie on the subject is beyond me and calls for another discussion). And did i tell you that it was no Arap Spring?
This little gem of a movie appropriately named, Taksim Hold'em, although a satire on the surface, also subtly provides a surprisingly strong commentary on those recent ideas & 'movements' (probably thats the reason it had travelled a lot of international film festivals before opening in movie theathers) in the form of casual conservations amongst a group of friends who decided to play poker on a weekend night in the wake of mass government protests which were taking place in Taksim square, Turkey (hence the name Taksim Hold'em). Turkey is obviously no Tunisia and the inspiration behind the movie, '2013 'Gezi protests' which were actually environmentalist in essence, was no Arap Spring. However, that is of little importance and the script is clever enough to rise above specific localized pecularities. Actually "Taksim Hold'em" is about Gezi protests as much as it is about Arap Spring or any other recent anti-something movements. It is also about human condition and the lies we keep on saying to others and to ourselves: that we all are civilized, we respect law & order, we believe in justice -or karma-, we discriminate noone, we are fearless when facing danger, we care about the welfare of others (as long as they look like us or are at least cute enough) and while we are model citizens it is all the other people who corrupt what is inherently good. However one important note; Taksim Hold'em is not taking any sides even when the pretentiousness of the characters' intentions become obvious. "i dont respect anybody's opinions, not even mine' says our protagonist Alper; a sentiment which will find its counterpart in his childhood friend Altan's words: "I respect everyone's opinion, but yours is just plain dumb". It is this kind of writing which makes Taksim Hold'em a joy to watch (and i am restraining myself not to quote more), not taking itself dead serious but at the same time showing a grit in tackling issues which are deep and divisive. And lets be honest here; the writing is important in such a project as is the acting because of the theatre play feel, an inevitable outcome of the closed, minimalistic setting. The whole movie takes place in the living room of a flat where some other characters pop in and out, all providing welcome additions to the ongoing conflict. In a way, the flat serves as the safe harbour of Alper, protecting him from the madness that surrounds him. This is especially evident in the opening scene where Alper irons the poker table cover with his headphones on supressing the yelling of the always fighting, lovable(!) next door couple and the increasing sounds of the protesters. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that in time, the external elements (represented by the sounds of the neigbhours and protestors) will provide for the final stage accompanied by the final conflict.
Onder, in his directorial debut, shows talent not only in writing but also in directing as the movie actually never loses pace and color/lightining wise looks really good. The cinematographer, art director and the editor should definetely share some of that praise.
All the actors give praiseworthy performances and it is their timing & delivery of the lines that give strength to the already strong script. Their characters are all fleshed out as well, near the climax we start to care (or not) about them. Special mention needs to be given to Kenan Ece for his portrayal of Alper. He is in nearly every frame of the movie and really manages to create a enduring screen presence even while wearing an odd colored bathrobe for the whole running time. His transition from indifference to vulnerability feels natural and the loss of control in the climax is an icing on the cake.
The poker buddies all-talk, no-action Altan (Emre Oksuz), supressed urban professional Kaan (Nezih Cihan Aksoy) no talk, all-action Rafi (Tansu Tasanlar) and the late 4th to the game, enigmatic Fuat (Berk Hakman) are no different either as is Alper's tamed, idealistic fiancee, Defne (Damla Sonmez). They are living, three dimensional characters; not perfectly idealized card-board talking heads or quasi-villainous figures that we all can root against, partly owing to Onder's script and partly to their own apt performancs.
The natural, real feeling of the dialogues contribute to the on-going philosophical/political discussions while always keeping the dry, witty humour. At the end, Onder gives no easy way out: do we really practice what we preach? or is the sheer satisfaction of preaching enough? One final word: One of the most important events in the last decades of Turkish history gets a treatment in a very unqiue and 'universal' way (that there is no other fiction movie on the subject is beyond me and calls for another discussion). And did i tell you that it was no Arap Spring?
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