Yol (1982)
Director: Serif Gören, Yilmaz Güney
Writers: Yilmaz Güney
Stars: Orson Tarik Akan, Serif Sezer, Halil Ergün
Runtime: 116 minutes
Plot: A harsh portrait of Turkey, its people and its authorities, shown through the stories of five prisoners given a week's home leave, and the problems they encounter in adjusting to the world outside.
Review: Yol tells the story of several prisoners on furlough in Turkey. The writer and director is now a legend throughout Europe, as he has spent a lot of the last 20 years jailed in his homeland Turkey on various political charges. The director feels that Turkey is one large prison, oppressed by political tyranny, and superstition. The expressions are kept calm and deliberate throughout the film. The pictorial beauty does not have a great deal to do with its fury.
The characters gave epic performances and are treated with respect from start to finish. They remain as remote as strangers passed on one of life's highways. Among other accomplishments, the director made three films from his prison cell, writing their screenplays in minute detail, and then attending to the casting and the shooting via couriers. Considering that feat, Yol is a wonderful production that brings out the uniqueness of a foreign land to a wider audience.
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Reviewed by Mohaiminul Islam
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