Kurtulus sound Durak

When Eylem (Belçim Bilgin), a psychologist who has just been dumped by her fiancé, moves into her apartment building, the lives of the women living there change in an extremely drastic way. While the young woman initially tends to distance herself from her new neighbors, after a desperate suicide attempt she becomes a permanent part of the house community. And as such a part, Eylem can no longer stand by and watch how the women let their lives be determined by their husbands. Whether it's Vardanuş (Demet Akbağ), who sacrificially cares for her elderly father, or Goncagül (Nihal Yalçın), who, as the mistress of a mafia boss, still hopes that one day he will leave his wife for her. Worst hit, however, is Gülnur (Ayten Soykök), who endures her husband's daily beatings as long as he spares their children. But when he lays a hand on daughter Tülay (Damla Sönmez), Gülnur's fuses blow. She wants to send her children away, at least to protect them from the brutal attacks of the choleric musician. But Eylem has a plan that could finally put a stop to Gülnur's husband. But when this plan goes horribly wrong, the women make a decision whose enormous consequences they could not have imagined in their wildest dreams...

Kurtulus son Durak (which means stop of salvation) is a comedy that will be shown in Germany in the original Turkish version with German subtitles. In the case of films that tell very country-specific stories or use humour that is barely understood in other countries, it makes perfect sense to offer them only in their original version, especially since Turkish-language films make it into the cinema charts time and again, especially in Germany. In the case of Kurtulus son Durak, however, the lack of dubbing is a shame in that the film could well have had what it takes to appeal to a wider audience.

Because the story told by this comedy, which is laced with very dramatic tones, is rather a universal one. Disappointed love, domestic violence, the oppression of women - the fact that these themes, which are not at all funny in themselves, are told with refreshing black humour and conveyed with great enthusiasm by a convincingly acting ensemble makes Kurtulus son Durak well worth seeing, despite a few minor weak points.

One such weak point could be seen as the fact that the staging shows a little indecisiveness at times. Many moments are infused with very real tragedy and therefore make the film seem like a drama. However, when the story makes use of some rather macabre humor, the whole thing comes across as a biting comedy. To call the movie a tragicomedy wouldn't exactly sum it up, though. And so, as a viewer, you're left a bit perplexed in some scenes, which doesn't really help the overall positive impression. Also, there are a couple of small lengths, especially in the first half of the movie, that spoil the pleasure a little bit. Nevertheless: Kurtulus son Durak is an entertaining piece of modern Turkish cinema, which could also be enjoyed by German audiences. Worth seeing

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp