WATCHTOWER

WATCHTOWER

Watchtower is an unpretentious film by a Turkish author Pelin Esmer. She wrote, filmed and edited this film, which is for me, an admirable endeavor in itself. And a very successful one at that. If I may say so, this is a type of a film that I would call “welcome to reality”.

Anthropologically interesting with a moral and ethical dilemma at the core. The main question is what happens with a baby from an incestual relationship. Another question is will the mother find the strength to accept and eventually love the baby. Anyway, whatever the answers it is as if the author is telling us, “Such is life and let’s not be living in a bubble, these are the hardships for some people, that you don’t even think they exist “. Or at least that’s how it seems to me.

The way the story is laid out is so organic and easy to follow, backed up with beautiful imagery, so I recommend you should watch this film. The nature plays important part in this film as a backdrop against which the story unfolds. Peaceful nature and disquiet lives.

Being from Serbia, I can’t help but notice the bareness of buildings both inside and out. How staircases or balconies lack the safety of railings for mysterious reasons. How facades lack any kind of adornment, any sense of beauty – nothing but dreary simplicity. The shabbiness that pervades Turkish and Serbian rural life. Not in all parts of Serbia (and former Yugoslavia), but enough parts for me to understand why that type of simplicity exists in my country. I can also recall this rural, false morality that can’t stand anyone who is different and always worrying about “what the world will say”. It seems that keeping up the appearances still plays a tremendous role in rural Turkish environment. However, the author is not judgmental and she’s educating us not to be as well. She is factual and if you don’t like what she has to say, just don’t watch it. If you are over judgmental, with your civilized Western attitude, don’t watch this film. You’ll miss the point.

I have to add how unbelievably familiar are also the scenes of Turkish roadside stations. Bleak, repulsive, unfinished they are reminiscent of the same in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia. As if the time has stopped or is stuck and no one can ever do anything about that. 

For me this film is simply brilliant. The story, nature, cinematography and last but not least, the acting. The leading actress is so overwhelmingly accurate in her performance that she should win a prestigious award. Her acting is, in my opinion, a lesson to actors on how to look and act natural and unpretentious. I guess this kind of acting requires a humble soul as a foundation.

In conclusion, you won’t regret it if you watch this film. You will be rewarded in many respects.