Friend – Arkadaş movie storyline. After betraying his social class, denying his peasant roots and fleeing his native village, Cemil (Kerim Afşar) has become a successful businessman and has found a place in the sun among the bourgeoisie. Azem (Yılmaz Güney), his childhood friend, has followed a quite different way. refusing the rat race, he has remained close to people of humble origin.
Politically committed, he aspires to be useful to his country and more particularly to the forsaken rural world. The two former friends meet again. Due to the influence of Azem, Cemil gradually becomes aware that his life is a failure. Meanwhile, the situation will get even more complicated with Cemil’s sister-in-law Melike (Melike Demirağ) feeding platonic feelings towards Azem.
At the end of the movie, it is not shown to whom Cemil fired. In the story, Yılmaz Güney is the corrupt social structure that he refers with his friend. It tells not only the criticism of the social structure but also the alternative of Azem’s lifestyle.
Arkadaş (Friend in english( is a Turkish political drama film directed by Yılmaz Güney and starring Yılmaz Güney, Azra Balkan, Kerim Afşar, Melike Demirağ, Civan Canova, Nizam Ergüden, Ahu Tuğbay, Yusuf Tunalıoğlu and Semra Özdamar. The film was theatrically released in May 1974.
This is a film that bears relevance, especially, to first generation Turkish people like myself, as it pin-points the importance of not forgetting where one comes from, even if they have the characteristics – in my case – of an Englishman. Yılmaz Gűney, the actor, writer, and director, is a genius that Turkey took too long to understand.
Film Review for Friend – Arkadaş
Some for the better, some for the beauty, some for the right, some for the wrong… The movie ends with Azem’s smile that raises questions in our minds.
Little kids with ice-cream, balloon-blowing bicycles; The movie starts with the images of people who play ball at the seaside, have fun laughs and maybe we can qualify as the top class as we watch. It is also the first time that we encounter Cemil’s fight with his wife, that is, a rich but unhappy family picture.
Why is everything broken?
On the table of Azem, Rustu’s “Why is everything broken?” The question questions the social order that deteriorates and degenerates rather than the shrimp. On the one hand, Cemil, who lives away from social realities who think that fortune and fame are enough for happiness; On the other hand, Azem, who questions this disrupted order, seeks a solution and claims that these feelings are not just happiness, but a drunkenness.
Dating to the audience in 1974, the friend tells the story of Azem and Cemil, two different poles. Azem, who is a guest of Cemil’s house, witnesses the swamp and rottenness where Cemil sank. The lives of these people, who exploit the labor power of those who produce as they do not produce themselves, think that the realities of the country are in danger, ignore misery, lead a fake life devoted to entertainment and money, disturbs Azem.
Cemil said, “Those who have beautiful wives can kiss my wife because it is easy to pay. Those with beautiful baldness can also kiss my bald… I make my wife kiss those who are beautiful… I also kiss their wives. Is that good?” His words are striking examples of his moral collapse. Because of his love for Azem Cemil, he wants to help his friend, whom he cannot match. Azem’s revolutionary, innovative thoughts scare those in Kıyıkent. It is dangerous for him to talk to workers, servants, and guards in this rich neighborhood.
Cemil and Azem are not alone in this movie. Necibe is the most observed character of social status differences, moral concepts and essentially disrupted aspects of “being human”. Semra is the representative of revolutionary thought. Afterwards, we know Halil, the son of a servant, who does not have the opportunity to skip class, even through reading. He is a teenager who blows his car wheels, breaks his windows, and throws his anger at the rich in his place.
We will save Cemil
Necibe’s learning that he was cheating on her husband was the last straw for Azem. Azem cannot bear what he sees, and reminds him of his former condition and takes him to his village to save him from this disorder as soon as possible. In the scene where tourists take photos, the revolutionary, represented by the character of Azem, is looking for a solution to their problems. The difference in ideology between the class represented by Cemil, who calls himself an intellectual, ignoring these problems instead of being a solution to the problems of the people, is easily seen.
The final of change and transformation
A gunshot echoes. Everybody has transformed and transformed in a different way … Some are good, some are beautiful, some are right, some are even more wrong. The movie ends with Azem’s smile that brings questions in our minds. Notice there is a hat on A…
Note: The song of Dating, composed by Melike Demirağ, which is the soundtrack of the movie, is as effective and beautiful as the movie. You can listen from him. It is up to you to add to your playlist.:)
Friend – Arkadaş (1974)
Directed by: Yılmaz Güney
Starring: Yılmaz Güney, Azra Balkan, Kerim Afşar, Melike Demirağ, Civan Canova, Nizam Ergüden, Ahu Tuğbay, Yusuf Tunalıoğlu, Semra Özdamar, Suna Keskin, Timuçin Caymaz
Screenplay by: Yılmaz Güney
Cinematography by: Çetin Tunca
Music by: Şanar Yurdatapan, Atilla Özdemiroğlu
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by:
Release Date: May 1974
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