Our Grand Despair – Bizim büyük çaresizligimiz (2011)

Directed by: Seyfi Teoman | 102 minutes | drama | Actors: Ilker Aksum, Fatih Al, Gunes Sayin, Taner Birsel, Baki Davrak, Mehmet Ali Nuroglu, Beril Boz, Damla Kabakci, Durak Bulbuk

‘Our Grand Despair’ (‘Bizim büyük çaresizligimiz’) is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by the Turkish writer Baris Bicakci and tells the modest story of Ender and Cetin, who, after their long friendship, have decided to share an apartment in Ankara. They do everything together anyway. Then an old friend, who now lives in Berlin, asks if his younger sister can stay with them for a while after they lose their parents in an accident. The two, well into their thirties, see the reception of the beautiful but delicate Nihal as a natural service to friends and take care of her as two caring fathers.

The film starts quietly, much is not immediately explained but only becomes apparent after a while. Scenes are often concluded with a suggestion in order to take the viewer, full of questions, to the next scene. Director Seyfi Teoman knows how to do this beautifully, because he often returns to a previously touched upon theme or subject. In this way he also avoids the melodrama and keeps the film subtle and subtle. The book references, humble jokes and philosophical thoughts about art and the human psyche contribute to this.

Teoman creates a melancholic atmosphere, which is sometimes at odds with the sad. The fact that both Nihal and Cetin lost their parents in a tragic traffic accident illustrates the mood with which the story largely takes shape. Perhaps that is the ‘great despair’ from the title. Yet the film manages to remain gentle, and not let the sadness take over. It seems that Teoman could see into the future, because a year after this (his second) film full of traffic accidents, he himself died at the age of 35 in a tragic accident with his motorcycle.

Initially, Nihal does not want to know anything about the two because she is burdened by her grief. Halfway through the film, the sun begins to shine in Ankara and Nihal also thaws. Her charming presence and need for love and security do not leave the men untouched. When Nihal visits her brother, they open their hearts to each other – of course. “What do you think of Nihal? I’m in love with her,” Ender says suddenly. “Me too! Me too!” Cetin replies. They clearly see the inconvenience of it and can happily laugh about it, without letting an inch of friendship suffer from these feelings. In fact, they can now share their admiration for Nihal: how she walks, how her nose moves when she smiles, her voice, her feet.

The two male characters show the Turk as a gentle, homely man who loves cooking, dancing and reading. This means a break with the macho paterfamilias as we know them better from many Turkish films. In a witty scene where Ender is nearly crushed on a bus ride by a bear of a guy sitting next to him on the cramped bench, this is quite literally portrayed. Whether the men have more than friendly feelings for each other is certainly suggested, but not widely reported and it is therefore too easy to conclude that their gentleness has something to do with sexual orientation. It may also show a new generation of men, of whom Teoman himself was one.

Exactly what feelings the men have for each other remains unclear. Nihal will not find out how much she has loosened up with the two, just as her brother will remain in the dark about Nihal’s personal problems that arise towards the end of the film. In short, no great releases, but a good feeling at the end of this Turkish tragicomic drama.