Thanks to movements like Fridays For Future, the issue of climate change has come to the forefront of people's minds again, but then again we have felt the repercussions of mankind's treatment of the planet for quite some time before. Aside from natural catastrophes, just the extreme temperatures in summer, now enjoyed by many countries, are some of the symptoms of this global phenomenon. Perhaps these high temperatures and the heat waves have been responsible for people becoming increasingly uncomfortable, feeling a distinct unease and tempers rising, and they most certainly are in director Eren Ercenk's short feature “Berzah”, which tells an episodic story of three people experiencing increasingly uncomfortable situations in the middle of a heat wave in Turkey.
“Berzah” is screening at Filmschoolfest Munich
In the first segment, we find a German tourist (Lise Wolle) trying to enjoy her holiday at the Turkish beach and getting a tan. However, the excessive heat, the noise of people partying by the pool and a power outage make her stay quite uncomfortable, to the point of being unbearable. Meanwhile, a man (Altan Gördüm) is bringing his daughter to the airport where she needs to get a flight to take part in an international exchange. However, their trip is cut short when an unknown driver stops their car and introduces himself as one of the man's former students at university. Although his former professor makes several attempts to make him understand he is in a hurry, the driver insists on telling him and his daughter about how life has been treating him over the last few years, At last, we meet a mover (Ferhat Keshin) who needs to bring a heavy wardrobe to an address in the middle of downtown Istanbul, where he starts an argument with other people about finding a parking spot before carrying the piece of furniture through what seems to be half of the city.
Although the situation Ercenk describes may be anything but usual at first, the high temperatures make them quite unique, at least in the eyes of the characters. Fulfilling one's desire to have a few days to rest is mirrored by the male character's wish to move on, to get away from a job which has become a burden in this heat or a conversation that turns out to be quite strange and increasingly annoying. The heat, highlighted by the use of long takes and close-ups, adds a sense of unease to each situation, making relaxation impossible and stressing the tension in each of the episode. Thanks to the precise camera work by Paul Fatz, the viewer can almost feel the heat the characters feels, their growing unrest with situations that have become quite difficult to bear due to the unforgiving eye of the sun.
“Berzah” is a formally minimalist short feature about growing tensions and emotions between people, emphasized by high temperatures in summer. Thanks to a clear vision and good cinematography, Deren Ercenk manages to make the story an almost palpable experience for the viewer.
