The new dramatic film directly from Turkey and starring by Gülizar Nisa Uray, arrived on the Netflix menu on January 21, 2022 and has conquered everyone, managing to position itself as one of the most watched films in 27 countries around the world. Some were attracted by recommendation, others by the talent of Engin Altan Düzyatan (Mehmet Mahir). Others by appreciation of Turkish cinema and many others who connect with the musical side of the feature film, which is my case. The shooting of the new Turkish drama was in the hands of director Andaç Haznedaroglu in the spring of last year. As an extra fact, you can find the main locations of the film in the city of Istanbul.
My Father’s Violin tells the story of a little girl named Özlem, who along with her father and only three other very important friends, play in the streets every day to earn a living in their own way. While the elders play beautiful melodies with their instruments, she dances to the rhythm of the music, catching the attention of whoever passes by.
Everything turns dark with a hopeless future for her father (played by Selim Erdogan),when he realizes that his death is near and clearly what worries him most is his beloved daughter, whom he has raised without a mother figure as support at his side. It is at this point in the film, when they show us that distant uncle, or rather, absent from the past, (we already saw this coming) this character of Engin Altan, we could describe him as successful, talented, a master of violin, but also as selfish and cold at first, yes, he has a story behind. So Özlem’s father turns to his brother to ask if he can take care of the little girl once he dies, but the answer was a painful no. Finally, death knocked on the door and clearly, someone had to take custody of the talented girl, even if he didn’t want to. So, after going back and forth, Mehmet, the uncle, decides to take the right decision. Obviously this would bring changes, anger, discussion, but to summarise and not give much more spoilers, the music does its thing and unites the uncle and the niece with an unbreakable and magical bond.
Andaç Haznedaroglu’s work has impeccable, powerful performances, characters with whom you can easily relate, connect with them. However, there are details that, as a cellist, I would improve or at least pay more attention and care to. For example there are a few sequences where Özlem was playing the violin and I could feel an immense discomfort, almost anxiety, to see how the fiddlestick was not coordinated at all, not even in the correct position. I was going to ignore this, because it is a small thing compared to the rest of the film, but those are the details that make the difference and allow a better enjoyment of the scene and the melody that is playing.
In addition to it, the weak dialogues left me wanting more, at some point I felt boredom next to me. This factor made the emotions or feelings of the characters remain repressed, without shining in some scenes. Acting is not enough, words also have power over the public.
However, those gaps and details are dwarfed by the enormous work they gave us. It is a moving story from start to finish. Yes, you can know how it will be developed, but you can’t take your eyes off the screen. The music shelters you throughout the film, you feel passion. In addition, it is always very nice to see how a relationship between one relative and another becomes something magical from the ashes. This masterpiece leaves us with good teachings and I think you should definitely go watch it now, but bring all your family with you, get some tissues because they might cry. My Father’s Violin, the hit Turkish movie, now available on Netflix.
Fandom Lair 