Beyazperde.com review of the movie The Witch

Written in 1912 by Hüseyin Rahmi Gürpınar, one of the unique writers of Turkish literature.Witch” novel was adapted to the cinema by Erman Bostan.

The supporting cast of the movie, starring Furkan Andıç and Buse Meral, includes Çağdaş Onur Öztürk, Süreyya Kilimci, Elif Ürse, Manolya Maya, Hüseyin Soyaslan, Cengiz Orhonlu, Dilara Duman, Yağız Ata Dinçer, Ekin Pasvanoğlu and Nur, one of the master names of Turkish Cinema. There is a large team like Sürer.

Produced by WOW STUDIOS as their entry into the industry, the film is both written and directed by Erman Bostan.

Underlining at the premiere that the film was the result of 8 years of effort, Bostan’s excitement for his first film was evident in every aspect. The director says, “I hope we will have a career full of popular works like the master,” and shares this memory with the audience:

Hüseyin Rahmi took his first work, Şık, to Ahmet Mithat in 1889, when he was only 25 years old. Ahmet Mithat liked the work so much that he thought that a young man of that age could not write such a work and that he might have gotten help from his father, brother or a friend. This accusation breaks Gürpınar’s heart and tears flow from his eyes. Upon this reaction, his master believes in the sincerity of the young writer candidate and decides to print the work. In this way, she brings to the next generation perhaps the most feminist, far ahead of her time, modern and open-minded writer of Turkish literature.

Underlining that Cadı is his first film, just like Hüseyin Rahmi’s first novel Şık, Bostan says that they did something that is not often done in Turkey and shot a film under difficult conditions.

First of all, I refrain from being harsh on Bostan’s first film because it has the courage to adapt a literary work into cinema. Of course, this does not mean that we will not talk about the shortcomings of the film. Let’s examine the movie together;

The film stars Furkan Andıç as Naşit Nefi Efendi and Buse Meral as Fikriye; Just like in the book, it opens with Fikriye Hanım, who became a widow after her husband’s death in the war, trying to get her married hastily by her officious aunt. This suitor, who was quite wealthy according to the conditions of the time (it is worth remembering that these were the years of the decline of the Ottoman Empire), was too young and handsome to be considered a widow (again, in those years, the idea was that women were thrown away at the age of 30), the 28-year-old was discarded and The woman was presented on a golden platter like a rare blessing for Fikriye, who had only 2 years left until her death. It wouldn’t take long for Ms. Fikriye, a very intelligent, headstrong and curious woman, to realize that there was something wrong with this business and to start investigating.

Ghouls, ghouls, witches and ghosts have always attracted the curiosity of humanity. Especially in the Ottoman Empire, where the state religion was Islam, people were very fond of superstitions. It was customary for anyone who wondered whether these issues were true or not, or who said otherwise, to be silenced and feared, as they were immediately threatened with ascribing partners to Allah.

The legend of Naşit Nefi Efendi’s first wife, who turned into a witch because the cat jumped over her after the new bride died in the house she went to, strangled the other wives who came to the house, soon turned into a legend.

WOW Studios

Just like in the book, in the movie we watch Fikriye investigate the existence of the witch throughout the adventure. On this occasion, I read the work once again. The 182-page novel flowed in one breath, I couldn’t put it down and finished it in a few hours. However, it is difficult to say the same for the movie. Since the progress is quite slow and the scenes are unnecessarily long, the feeling of getting to the finale prevails even if it passes quickly.

Furkan Andıç was given a much heavier burden than Buse Meral. I’m not saying why right now to avoid spoilers, but it’s hard to say that he handled his role successfully. Unfortunately, his efforts are inadequate. That’s why we have difficulty believing the duo.

However, it is necessary to open a separate parenthesis for the film’s decor and costumes. Of course, there was also the music… There was also a fashion show and orchestra before the movie. The film’s two biggest trump cards are its success here… The costumes and scenery were prepared enough to be nominated for an Oscar. Music is also very successful in creating ambiance. However, those of us who watched at the premiere were devastated by the sounds. Even though the external sounds were very loud, the dialogues were never understandable. I think this was one of the factors why we couldn’t get into the movie.

In summary, the Witch is a little crushed by the weight of the work, but she deserves admiration for her courage. It is also a great opportunity to introduce the new generation to Gürpınar, who started the biggest metaphysical and philosophical debates of his time against spiritualism by putting the concept of soul at the center. Although it is not felt much in the movie, there is also a very strong basis of feminism in the book. She also makes a harsh criticism of the idea that women were created only to marry and have children. Considering that we still talk about similar issues today, it is undeniable that the work is far ahead.

If you give Witch a chance, maybe you will pave the way for such productions. Considering that mediocre three-letter horror productions with no scientific background are running rampant in theatres, this versatile literary adaptation deserves the attention of the audience.