Zeki Demirkubuz
Innocence (Masumiyet)

Ok, here it gets slightly complicated. Innocence, known in its homeland as Masumiyet, is the sequel to Destiny (Kader), which I reviewed right here on these pages, but it was released earlier, which is why I decided to review it afterward. Fair enough. The director is still Zeki Demirkubuz, and he continues to show us his harsh, very harsh Turkey, but terribly magical, through a series of characters that manage to be interesting even with few lines. There is talk, with few words, of real life, of difficult lives and rather desperate characters, in a "normality" that still has to reckon with a culture different from our own. A modern gangster movie or perhaps simply a tragic soap opera, like those insistently shown on the TV in the lobby (let's call it that...) of the depressing hotel where most of the story takes place. Typically Turkish music is played from vintage cassettes (this is 1997), the sound of the main door of the pension is a sort of ominous signal: every time you hear it, something not very pleasant will happen. Here we see Yusuf arrive, a peaceful chubby fellow who, however, is not so peaceful, having just served ten years in prison for murder. We will soon discover the reasons, an inescapable issue of vengeance and honor that led the man to lose an important part of his youth behind bars, but Yusuf is fundamentally good, perhaps the innocence of the title refers precisely to him, and his impeccable conduct proved crucial for the reduction of the sentence, and the same court, in the evocative prologue, allows him to start a new life away from crime.

Apparently, Yusuf is traveling to find a former cellmate, but his temporary stay at the pension will give him the chance to meet a bizarre couple, Bekir and Ugur, the main characters of Kader, a film dedicated to their past. Essentially, if you watch the two films in reverse order, you'll discover the outcome of their story, summarized in a very long dialogue during a countryside outing between Bekir and Yusuf. We also see little Cilem, Ugur's daughter who in Kader was practically a newborn, while in Masumiyet she is a child about ten years old who never speaks, and not by choice, it's Bekir himself who explains the reasons, following the blows inflicted on Ugur by her partner while she was pregnant. Thus, there is talk of violence against women, but also of a general female submission quite intrinsic in the more ancient Turkish culture, a rule to which Ugur seems not to submit, moving as a madcap just as and even more than in the prequel, a skilled singer, prostitute, pitch-dark lady of Istanbul, with a steely gaze and ready to exploit every weapon to seduce men and bend every form of power to her advantage. Ugur is always on the trail of Zagor, her criminal better half who continues to make tours of all the existing Turkish penitentiaries, Yusuf sees her going right there, to visit her Clyde, the same one who executed her family protector, making her free in a certain sense. Bekir hasn't changed, he is always ready to follow her anywhere, in the most infamous nightclubs and the most sordid hotels, in a never-ending loop that never seems to see his attention and love adequately repaid, he is simply much older and without the cushion of youth as comfort. Having lost that existential phase where everything could happen, Bekir realizes his tragic destiny and the impossibility of facing it, thus opting for a definitive solution. Yusuf will take his place, unable to resist the allure of the woman, while also trying to take care of the neglected Cilem, but as we already know from the other film, this will turn into a long and endless series of troubles.

I won't go further because then I'll be rightly accused of talking too much about the plot; I'll just say that Innocence/Masumiyet, although I consider it slightly inferior to Destiny/Kader, offers us equally the lightning style of Demirkubuz and the charm of Turkey and its characters. Another gem that, although extremely difficult to find, I wholeheartedly recommend. Very few dialogues except for one rather long - and necessary - one, many sounds, exotic music full of magic, used mainly for atmospheric purposes, but also a good protagonist in Ugur's vocal performances, cigarettes as absolute protagonists (everyone smokes), often even joints, truly living up to the saying of smoking like Turks, the inevitable hot tea served in the small glass with the sugar cube, the now legendary scene of Bekir attempting to shoot a bottle in the park as if it were nothing, bowls of soup consumed in the establishments, the details are numerous. It truly feels like crossing the streets of Ankara, Istanbul, and Sinope, and living its characters. The actors are excellent, Haluk Bilginer in the role of Bekir is a saint right away, equally fantastic Derya Alabora, who plays Ugur with all the power and entropy that the character requires, while Guven Kirac as Yusuf is a silent and adorable witness, the innocence that observes the sadness, the unknown and the violence that can dominate our lives.