The new Netflix film Cici explores the trajectory of a dysfunctional family through a layer of cinema. The Turkish Drama film is about an immigrant family of four, who returns to their childhood home, only to relieve their past trauma. It is directed by Berkun Oya and stars Yilmaz Erdogan in a titular role.
The rest of the star cast includes Turkish actors like Ayça Bingöl, Fatih Artman, Funda Eryiğit, İncinur, Daşdemir, Nur Sürer, Okan Yalabık, Olgun Şimşek, Şevval Balkan, and Yılmaz Erdoğan. Moreover, it has a running time of two hours and thirty-one minutes. The film is primarily available in the Turkish Language, with English subtitles.
-Cici Review Does Not Contain Spoilers-
The film is told in a linear pattern, with occasional jumps between the past and the present. It starts with an introduction to the family background, which includes an abusive and orthodox father (played by Sevval Balkan), a duty-bound housewife, and three primarily silent children.
The middle child of the patriarchal family bears the brunt of his father’s misplaced anger. And is often the subject of ridicule and unreasonable disappointment, which sows a seed of trauma right into his childhood. Whereas the eldest daughter is suppressed from her teenage emotions, and the youngest one is absolutely unaware of everything. Notably, there is also a fourth reluctant sibling, who further adds to the emotional quotient of the story.
The three dimensions of the siblings are essential to the film, as they result in separate adult personalities after the death of their father. The mother takes hold of the family, and moves away from the village, for a better future. The traumatized middle child becomes a filmmaker (obviously) and tries to break the pattern of his hardships through cinema.
After nearly three decades, the family reunites for recreating their childhood through a film and ends up revisiting the magnitude of unresolved emotions. What follows next, peels the layer of memory, emotional bruise and one-sided affection.
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At one point, the film is so meta that it reminds me of Abbas Kiarostami’s Koker trilogy. The camera itself is a tool for storing memories for the family, some of which were best meant to be hidden. Moreover, the purposefully stretched scenes of nothingness, a broken family, and a sincere lover- form the classical elements of the Kiarostami universe woven artistically.
The film also peels multiple layers of trauma and finds its strength in the strong performance of the cast. It also takes time to convey the context, but later makes up for it with the rest of the screenplay. Furthermore, there are several engrossing moments in the Turkish film, which have the power to resonate deeply.
My personal favourite would be the final conversation between the eldest daughter and her sincere lover (played by Olgun Simsek). The meticulous actor captures the entire sequence with raw emotions and heartbreaking honesty. Moreover, the way he simulates the body language of the character’s childhood version is a remark of a magnificent actor.
Cici Final Thoughts
The Turkish film is made in a detailed manner and works on every level. The craft of the flick is equally brilliant in comparison with the story and has all the elements to leave you with an emotional high.
You can watch the film on Netflix. Tell us your thoughts about it in the comment section below.
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Brilliant movie with a fantastic cast!! Engrossing and touching, full of unspoken but papable emotion.