Review: Turkish Chick (2006)

Directed by: Lodewijk Crijns | 10 minutes | short film | Actors: Julian Wolf, Yolanthe Cabau van Kasbergen, Luigi Jansen, Urvin Elshot

A lot is possible in a short film; especially when the boundary between dream and reality blurs. However, this film proves that you can also go too far. The idea that it can’t be crazy enough ultimately plays tricks on the film.

First of all, it’s a shame that they didn’t even bother to actually cast a TURKISH girl, even if that’s the title of the movie. As beautiful as Yolanthe Cabau van Kasbergen is – and how suitable for a shy boy’s sexual fantasy – she is by no means Turkish.

The lyrics are also cringe-worthy, especially those of the chick. This makes it difficult from the start to take the story even somewhat seriously. This is made even more difficult by the girl’s brothers: they are really laughable, and not in a good way. Erkan, Arkan, Berkan and Falkan are the runaway version of everyone’s fear of a beautiful Muslim girl’s jealous brothers. But why this parody? You can see from miles away that the entire film is not much more than a fantasy – the short film is also extremely suitable for fantasies or dreams – and the question is why the maker approaches it in this (silly) way.

A plus of the film is the camera work. The bright colors and original perspectives make the film flashy and pleasant to watch. The makers can better use these cinematographic qualities for a different, less silly scenario. A dream or fantasy sequence offers many possibilities, because everything is possible and allowed in principle. But ‘Turkish Chick’ stumbles here over his own parody, just like the protagonist who goes hard on his face due to his own stiffness.