BES VAKIT (TIMES AND WINDS)

Turkey, 2006, 110 minutes, Colour.
Directed by Reha Erdem.

This is a cinema-artistic portrait of people in a Turkish mountain village, made in the European style rather than the US narrative mode. This is a film for contemplation of landscapes, figures in landscapes (and times, winds and seasons), unhurried like the paced films of some of the Russian master-directors. And there is, periodically, a vigorous orchestrated score, that adds to the rather operatic nature of the whole film.

The location photography is very beautiful indeed, the craggy mountains, the fertile mountainsides and, always visible in the distance, the sea. The village is isolated (no TV watching here) and has to rely on itself and its few amenities. (This is a reminder to those who blame the media for all that is wrong in behaviour these days that human nature, good and evil, especially evil action, is something intrinsic to all cultures and all times.)

It is also a religious village with many scenes of prayer and calls from the minaret. Some of the dialogue highlights this devout attitude: asking for the leader of prayer to call when someone is sick; even children talking about what is good and what is sinful.

The film opens with a focus on a young lad, Omer, and the film ends with him sitting on the mountain. We perceive most of the events through his eyes and those of his close friend, Yacup, and Yildiz, a girl the same age. But, not all is sweetness and light despite the beauty of the surroundings. Omer resents his harsh father and is jealous of his favoured baby brother, and contemplates killing his father. Yacup catches his father peeping through windows at the young school teacher. The girl has to take care of her sister and, at one dreadful moment, she trips on a rock on the path and drops the baby. There is a poignant aftermath when everyone concentrates on helping the baby, ignoring the girl who just collapses in a faint.

The film is made up of fragments of life through the different time and wind headings: evening, night, noon and the dawn – these cosmic themes are introduced early via the children reading in class from books of geography and astronomy. While the ambience and the culture is Turkish and Muslim, the film is universal in its characters and themes.

1.The title? The captions throughout the film? The day? The seasons?

2.The impact of the colour photography, the mountains, the sea, the village? Trees, animals? The impact of the beauty, the weather changes? The musical score – and the orchestral style? Operatic?

3.The Turkish background, religion, Islam, prayer, the minaret, the imam, the lecture to the men, the impact of faith, concept of sin, religious devotion? Moral code? Beliefs?

4.The introduction by Omer, his father’s illness, coughing, his being called, going to the family to call the prayer leader to the minaret, his friendship with Yakup, their talking together, smoking? Their attitude towards their parents? Omer wishing his father would die? Ali being the favourite, with his mother, the meals, Omer away from the table, his father’s harshness and discipline? The pregnancy of his mother, the new baby?

5.Omer and his age, his life up till then, friendship with Yakup, with the girls in the village, their talking, climbing the mountains, spying, watching the work on the wall, the animals rutting, death, the temptation to push his father over the cliff, not doing it? The slaughter of the animal? The gift of the meat? His father ill again, his getting the prayer leader? Sitting on the mountain, weeping?

6.Yakup, his home, his father and the minaret, Yakup and the teacher, his father spying on her, his being upset, with Omer and the friendship, sadness?

7.The harsh shepherd, beating his son, the wounds, going before the local council and the judgment on him?

8.The men in the village, the work, isolation? At prayer, listening to the imam?

9.The teacher, the geography lesson opening the film, the explanation of the world, the times, the seasons? Her explanations? The children, their reading? Her work, the gifts, the meat, the milk?

10.The women in the village, quiet, the mother and the grandmother?

11.The little girls, at school, watching the animals, being chased by the boys, delivering the food, Yildiz and her attitude towards the baby, carrying it, tripping and dropping it, the fuss from the people, her fainting?

12.Life in the village, few amenities, people making do? Good and evil in human nature? A people living with nature?

13.The Turkish background – and universal impact?