FRIEND

Turkey, 1975, 96 minutes, Colour.
Kerim Afsar, Yilmaz Guney, Azra Balkan.
Directed by Yilmaz Guney.

Friend was made in the middle of the 1970s, before the epic film of the whole of Turkey, from countryside to Ankara, The Herd (1979).

The first thirty minutes of the film don't seem typical of Guney films at all. They are more reminiscent of soap operas like Santa Barbara – people on holidays, affluence, the beaches, the swimming costumes and the sun, food...

With the introduction of the character played by the director, Azem, a more serious tone enters into the film. Initially the focus is on a man called Cemil, a friend of Azem. Cemil is rich, enjoys the luxury life, has a trophy wife who is unfaithful to him, has various sisters-in-law staying with him. When he receives a phone call from Azem, he goes to meet him, at a restaurant where they were friends seven years earlier, and they begin to talk and discuss their lives.

Azem decides to spend the month with Cemil and his family. However, Azem begins to talk to the servants, to the workers – raising the suspicions of the wealthy crowd. Azem asks one of them if she has ever earned any money for a day’s work – she hasn’t.

With the discussions, Cemil is forced to look at himself, his achieving wealth and leaving his roots behind, indulging himself. The subtitles of the film use the word ‘rotten’.

In the last part of the film Azem and Cemil speed out of the capital, go to their village, discover a man who has made a great success with gardens and vegetables out of the search for artesian water. Azem has helped him. This has an effect on Cemil, examining himself – with a glimpse of tourists going by, photographing the poor children. On the return to the beach, Cemil has a stand-off with his wife, Azem decides to leave. There has been talk of a gun – and people using it on themselves. As Azem leaves to meet a young man that he has been helping, there is a shot. Azem smiles. The question is whether Cemil has killed himself or not?

This film then fits into the social comment that is prevalent in all of Guney’s films, and his attack on the wealthy.

1. Turkey in 1975, prosperity, the poor? A message film – how didactic?

2. Istanbul, the holidays at the sea, affluence? The contrast with the poor countryside?

3. The title and its use, Azem as a true friend, the nature and influence of his friendship? The images of false friends?

4. The time spent on showing the holidaymakers, western style, the costumes, the sunbathing, the music and dancing? Adults, children? The play? Food and drink? Leisure?

5. The telescope, focusing on Cemil, his life, wife, the women on his boat? Cemil as the focus?

6. The phone call, Melike taking it, Azem and his wanting to meet Cemil? The restaurant, the past, the manager and the memories of the past, their lives, the relationship with women, Azem and the woman with the poem? What has happened to each of them?

7. Azem deciding to stay, his personality, appearance, experience, engineer, making roads, construction? The motives for his approaching Cemil?

8. Cemil and his idle life, putting on weight, gambling, rich, womanising? Achieving his goal? His gun – and not using it? The challenge to self-assessment?

9. Melike, her age, attraction to Azem, talking, watching him, the touch of jealousy, her character, finally frustrated?

10. The wife, with men, flirting, her affairs, with Celim? The other women on the boat?

11. Azem and his joining this lifestyle, the parties, dancing? Yet his observing?

12. The serious talk, the groups of workers, the young man breaking windows, his long hair, Azem’s criticisms and urging him to change?

13. The confrontation with Cemil, the fast drive into the countryside, their friend and his success, the irrigation, the achievement with all the vegetables and growth? The water for the poor people in the village, the children? Sense of achievement? With Azem’s help?

14. The people in the village, the children, poor, ordinary, playing? The tourists taking photos – and Azem’s reaction?

15. The return, Azem and his accusations? Cemil and his wife, Melika?

16. Azem leaving, the women looking, Cemil and his wife?

17. The shot, did Cemil kill himself? Azem’s smile as he walked away, greeting the boy who had had his hair cut? A future project?

18. The 1970s, Turkish prosperity – and seen in the retrospect of succeeding decades?