Combining elements of western with noir and intense sociopolitical comments in a Turkish movie, is not something we see everyday. It is, however, exactly what Emin Alper has achieved in “Burning Days”, an impressive movie in a number of ways.
“Burning Days“ is screening at Thessaloniki International Film Festival
Emre, a young and “by the book” prosecutor is newly appointed to a small town, where a water crisis has been causing sinkholes in the area, as the rather imposing first scene eloquently highlights. Soon, and after a wild boar hunt inside the streets of the town, he realizes that water is not the only problem, a sense that becomes even more intense when the next day, Sahin, the son of the local mayor, and his dentist friend, visit him in his office. Their attitude ranges from subservient to threatening, but their purpose, of taking him “on their side” is quite evident. While Murat, a journalist in a local newspaper cautions Emre about what is happening, but the prosecutor still finds himself at a table with the Mayor, Sahin, and the dentist, in a night that ends up much more eventful than he could ever anticipate.
Emin Alper directs a very stylized film, which unfolds in neo-noir, neo-western paths, while thriving on the atmosphere of disorientation and tension that permeates the narrative. The main mediums of this approach are actually two. The first one is the many one-on-ones Emre shares with Murat and Sahin, with the first showcasing a sense of mystery, since the journalist's purpose with Emre is a mystery from the first time they meet, and the second exhibiting a sense of danger, as the two function as two wild beasts circling each other, ready to attack but also weary of each other.
The second medium is the the blurring of Emre's memory about the events of the aforementioned night, with his (and essentially the audience's) lack of certainty regarding what happened, and the role Murat played, as much as the incident with the gypsy girl, complicating things in the most appealing fashion. Even more so, since what happened is also crucial regarding the protagonist's true character. In the same fashion, as his uncertainty is exploited by the other protagonists, his tough facade gradually begins to crumble within his self-doubt and its consequences, in one of the best aspects of the movie. This trait benefits the most by both Selahatti̇n Paşali's acting, who gives an imposing performance in the role, but also by Alper's direction, in the way he deconstructs his character.
Talking about acting, the performances here are on a very high level. Eki̇n Koç as Murat emits a sense of cool mystery from the beginning of his appearance, while his endeavors with Emre also entail a subtle sense of homosexuality, which adds even more depth to the narrative. Erol Babaoğlu as Sahin is a great villain, with the way he changes from groveling to threatening being a true treat to watch.
Regarding the story as a whole, one could say that perhaps Alper included too many comments and narrative elements, which end up making the script somewhat far-fetched. At the same time, though, the way he combined them within the film is quite intriguing, thus toning this issue significantly down through the entertainment offered.
Christos Karamanis's cinematography is impressive, in the way he presents both the noir, in the interiors, and the western, in the exterior shots, with the imaging of the sinkholes, the beginning and the finale being the most memorable aspects of an overall excellent work. Özcan Vardar and Eytan İpeker's editing induces the movie with a relatively fast pace that suits its aesthetics nicely, while the placement of the dreamy flashbacks within the story is ideal.
“Burning Days” is an excellent film that manages to combine all its aspects in the most elaborate fashion, in a movie that offers both entertainment and food for thought aplenty
