7. Suursuz Ask; movie review

SUURSUZ ASK
Cert 15
108 mins
BBFC advice: Contains sexual threat, strong violence, threat, language

The whizz-bang beginning to the everyfilm year saw us back at Wood Green Cineworld on Saturday lunchtime with screen five to ourselves for the Turkish drama Suursuz Ask.
Umut Ertek's film is set in Turkey after the military coup of 1980 which apparently led to some fiendish acts against the people.
It stars the impressive Ismail Hacioglu as Yusuf who is both mentally and physically disabled and lives with his mother (Aysegül Günay).
Yusuf is beloved in his neighbourhood, selling bagels on a street corner and able to have limited conversations with his customers.
However, his world is changed shatteringly when he is taken in for questioning by the state police for a crime he did not commit.
Suursuz Ask then takes a very different direction - pitting hard-to-watch brutality against innocent love.
This is particularly evident when Yusuf is moved by the state to an institution for those with special needs.
It is there where he falls for Menekşe (Ebru Sahin), a patient/inmate who has suffered a horrendously abusive past.
Burcu Kara plays the institution's senior doctor whose encouragement helps the lovebirds come out of the shell and explore a life which hadn't been thought possible.
Standing in her way are its brutal security guards (Ruhi Sari and Volga Sorgu) who see opportunities to make money in the most appalling ways.
Suursuz Ask is a tear-jerking, unusual romance which shines a light on the barbarity which happened in Turkey during the early 1980s.
Dare I ask whether the current regime would be capable of similar?
We would like to hope not but...
Regardless, it is another early 2020 Turkish film which is worth watching.

Reasons to watch: Lifts lid on a moment in history
Reasons to avoid: Upsetting scenes

Laughs: One
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 7.5/10

Did you know? The 1980 Turkish coup d'état headed by Chief Of the General Staff, General Kenan Evren, was the third coup d'état in the history of Turkey, the previous having been the 1960 coup and the 1971 "Coup by Memorandum".

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