YAZI TURA (TOSS UP)

Turkey, 2004, 104 minutes, Colour.
Kenan Imirzalioglu, Olgun Simsek.
Directed by Ugur Yucel.

Toss Up is a small-budget but striking Turkish film. It shows young men in military service, the dangers, and injuries from an exploding mine. The two young men return home, disillusioned after their war experience. The film tells the contrasting story of the two men and how they coped.

One of the men is from Istanbul, who wants to set up a railway station snack bar when he can raise the money. This involves him in shady dealings with money lenders. The other man returns to the mountains of Anatolia, missing a leg, seen as a war hero, but extremely angry. His fiancee and friends treat him differently and this has devastating effects on his reaction to people. His return climaxes in an earthquake, based on an actual 1999 Marmara earthquake, and he rescues his father. In the meantime, the man in Istanbul gets further enmeshed in violent gang interactions.

The film is a grim look at life in contemporary Turkey, the opportunities for young people, the effect of military service, the damaging effects of an inability to be incorporated back into Turkish society. While the focus is particularly Turkish, the film works quite well for a world-wide audience because of its universal issues and themes.

1. A portrait of Turkey at the beginning of the 21st century? The involvement in wars? The experience of earthquakes? The aftermath of war, hopes and dreams, shattered? Poverty?

2. The visual style of the film, hand-held camera, blurred images showing psychological states? The immediacy of impact of the digital camera work? The musical score?

3. The opening, the war, the swirling and blurred screen, the work of the soldiers, the mines, the injuries? The recurring images of this episode during the war? The beginning with the truck in the snow, the end with the truck in the snow?

4. The title, fate and the two young men, bonded together in their injuries and the war, their separate ways, hopes, dreams being shattered? The authentic atmosphere, credibility?

5. Cevher, his return home, wanting to build the veterans’ food stand at the railway station, his involvement in crime, collecting money, his brutality, cutting the head off the debtor? His relationship with his father and his father’s despair, his uncle? His relationship with his girlfriend? The friends in the town, the fellow veterans, the shop? Spending the night with his girlfriend, the earthquake, rescuing his father, his uncle’s death? The character of the uncle? The aftermath, the arrival of his half-brother and his mother from Greece? His not knowing about their existence, his anger? His spurning of Toeman as homosexual? His father wanting to bring them together, his having to speak to the brother, his unwillingness? His drug taking and forcing his girlfriend with the drugs? The drug boss and giving him the drugs, going to the family house and being welcomed there? The funeral of his uncle? The prospect of his half-brother going home, wanting to talk to him, explaining his history, what he didn’t know? The pain of separation in Athens? The aftermath, meeting in the club, Toeman walking home, his rescuing the transvestite, being brutalised, Cevher hearing this, rescuing his brother, slitting the throat of the assailant? Carrying his brother to safety? Surrounded by the police? The proclaiming that he was a veteran, the medal, having lost his hearing in one ear for the sake of the country? The result?

6. Ridvan, losing his leg, the return journey in the car, the train? Into Anatolia and the snow? The contrast with the heat of Istanbul? His mother, washing him, her continued care, worrying that he was out late? Going to see his fiancee, her hesitation? The fiancee’s family, the mother hostile, the father-in-law forbidding the marriage? Having forbidden the drinking? His wandering the town, in the bars, the stories told about him and his injury? His hopes of being a football player and their being dashed? No work? His feeling sorry for himself, the artificial leg? His friend, the clash, his drinking, going to the potter, talking with him? Incurring hostility wherever he went? The meal, the two friends, telling his story and the memories of the girl in high school, seeing her as a terrorist, saying that he killed her? Their not believing him? The discovery that his best friend was going off with his fiancee? Her phone call? His mother searching for him, his despair? His shooting himself?

7. The woman from Greece, returning to Istanbul after the news on the television, the impact of the earthquake? Her son, his memories of the past, meeting friends, the uncle, his father and the reconciliation? His story about sexual abuse, his homosexuality and behaviour? Trying to talk to Cevher, his rescuing the transvestite, his being injured, his being rescued by his half-brother?

8. The people in Anatolia, the friends, trying to be sympathetic towards Ridvan, his drinking, their exasperation? His friend listening to him, going off with his fiancee? The sketch of the fiancee?

9. The people in Anatolia, the world of drugs, crime? Cevher’s father asking him not to become a criminal, his agreeing? His saying that this was his nature?

10. The end of the film, the recapitulation of the dreams of each man – and our seeing them dashed?