ON BOARD

ON BOARD ( GEMİDE) , 1998

Turkey | 35mm, Colour , 112’ |

Director: Serdar Akar

Cast: Erkan Can, Ella Manea, Haldun Boysan, Naci Taşdöğen, Yıldıray Şahinler, İştar Gökseven

It will be an unforgettable experience to watch these two underrated masterpieces of Turkish Cinema. Port Of The Lonely tells the story of an open sea captain Rıdvan ( Sadri Alışık) who falls in love with a mysterious bar singer; 'Countess' Güner (Çolpan İlhan). Rıdvan is a solitary man, who suffers only when in crowds. Güner does not enjoy people's company either. TLOQ's script is written by a popular poet Atilla İlhan (under the pseudonym Ali Kaptanoğlu). The clash between these two strong personalities is reflected in both the narration and the unique configuration of the film space. The story is mainly a fallen woman story that is inspired by both French Poetic Realism and Film Noir - with the exception of a Femme Fatale character. The lack of a woman to blame brings the audience closer to the evil deeds of the scheming gang members. The quay and other parts of the city seem strangely disconnected, partly due to the script being written for İzmir and filmed in İstanbul. However, the film benefits from this conflict by making the inner traumas and loneliness of the lovers visible by creating unreachable islands of light in the middle of darkness. After several decades, a similar darkness covers the whole storyworld in Serdar Akar's cult film On Board. In the middle of this darkness, Akar makes use of a ship as a symbolic island-homeland. The film tells the story of four sailors who kidnap a prostitute in Laleli and bring her to their ship-home. The story mainly takes place in this ship which is anchored in the Bosphorus, apart from a night out in İstanbul. Akar's city, which is not better than his ship, consists of fragments of a dark and drunken Laleli night. We cannot harbour any hope anywhere, especially for the woman. Despite its flawless editing and framing, the film owes its cult status mainly to the dialogues. Unfortunately however, non-native speakers might not be able to appreciate the imaginative and original swearing that the dialogue contain. This double bill is an unmissable opportunity to see original and exquisite work.

Sezazer Pakerman

Serazer Pakerman