A Turkish drama that alternates between fiction and reality
Mise En Abyme, or film within a film, is a fascinating concept in movies. It’s a powerful tool to keep the audience engaged and in layman’s terms, means a technique of inserting a story within a story. This genre has given us many influential films over the last 150 years, like The Exorcist (1974), In the Mouth of Madness (1994), The Truman Show (1998), Inglorious Bastards (2009), and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), among others.
While not exactly a mise en abyme film, Ashes, a new Turkish movie (‘Kul’ in its original language), uses a similar storytelling trope. Directed by Erdem Tepegöz and written by Erdi Isik, Ashes centers on Gokce, played by Funda Eryigit. She’s a strong, independent woman who runs her own boutique and helps her husband Kenan, a wealthy book publisher, played by Mehmet Günsür, who chooses manuscripts. After ten years of marriage, their relationship has lost some of its spark. On their anniversary, Kenan surprises Gokce by showing how much he values her taste in manuscripts.
Intrigued, Gokce starts reading one immediately. The story within the film is of an author who falls in love with someone named M, experiencing a fairytale-like romance. However, the author eventually realizes it is all an illusion and tragically pays the price with her life. As Gokce continues to pursue the manuscript’s story, she loses sight of fiction and reality.
She runs into someone like Mr. M (played by Alperen Duymaz) in Balat, a beautiful town in Istanbul, and begins to develop feelings for him, mirroring the author’s personal experiences. As the film progresses towards the third act, we as an audience wonder whether Gokce’s world is real or fictional. If it’s fiction, Gokce may have to sacrifice herself in the end. However, if it’s real, why does it parallel her reality so closely? To get under this mystery, you’ll have to watch the film on Netflix.
The writing in ‘Ashes’ explores an interesting concept: your truth could be someone else’s fiction, and vice versa. The film cleverly confuses the audience between reality and imagination, leaving us contemplating many “ifs” and “buts.” The screenplay effectively delivers this idea, captivating the audience’s minds and making the story even more interesting.
Despite its good writing, Ashes faces some setbacks in its execution. While the film has all the elements to be a stunner, it falls short in some aspects. With a fast-paced narrative, characters besides Gokce lack sufficient screen time, leaving them underdeveloped.
While Gokce’s vulnerability is well portrayed, other characters like Kenan and M lack material, making it hard for the audience to connect with them. Additionally, the love story feels lacking, focusing more on eroticism rather than emotional depth, which could have enhanced Gokce’s character.
While the screenwriting may fall short in delivering a poignant love story, the technical aspects of ‘Ashes’ shine. The art direction team successfully brings the colorful town of Balat to life, mirroring its description in the manuscript. In addition, the costumes also reflect Gokce’s emotional journey throughout the film.
The tower scene, staged with impressive visual effects and framing, effectively conveys its significance without dialogue. Similarly, the bathtub scenes are justified by the events surrounding Gokce.
Funda Eryigit’s portrayal of Gokce in Ashes is deserving of brownie points. Seeing her alternate between a woman of confidence and vulnerability is particularly striking. Part of what makes this film interesting is Eryigit’s performance. Sadly, it falls short due to the script’s lack of depth and rapid pacing.
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Verdict - 7/10
7/10