Harem Suare

Harem Suare, 1999

Director: Ferzan Özpetek, 105’, 35mm

Cast: Marie Gillain, Alex Descas, Lucia Bosé, Haluk Bilginer, Serra Yılmaz, Pelin Batu

Ferzan Özpetek’s second film takes the viewer to the early 1900s. It is the fading years of the Ottoman Empire and conflicting interests infect the court, the most intense being in the harem of Abdülhamit II: Safiye, who is of Italian origin, makes an agreement with Nadir, one of the young eunuchs. Apart from their complicity the two become attracted to each but cannot express it; they plan to seize power by making Safiye first a favorite of the sultan and then the mother of his son. The Ottoman harem, which has recently regained popularity with TV serials, provides the setting for a colorful, exotic, and complex melodrama in Harem Suare.