The Road (1982)

A harsh portrait of Turkey, its people and its authorities, shown through the stories of five prisoners given a week's home leave, and the problems they encounter in adjusting to the world outside.There are many things that can be taken from this film. One is just how much life and world changes when you're not looking. The men of this story return to the city and see vast differences. Granted, there has been a regime change, so the differences are massive. But if you return to any place after five or more years, you will see the world carries on.The most interesting thing, though, is clearly the production. This may be the only film ever directed by someone who was not even on the set or at the location... because he was in prison. And then he escaped so he could edit! But it does raise the question of who the real director is, considering the person on-site really had the final say.

I have seen this movie three times so far with intervals of a few years and got amazed more every time. I am Turkish and I was a teenager during the time period portrayed in the movie. I can say with great confidence that those days were presented with a great accuracy in many ways. It gives me an opportunity to evaluate the events of that period. The director (Serif Goren not Yilmaz Guney because Yilmaz Guney was a fugitive during the time the movie was shot) does a great job capturing the mosaic of Turkish culture during the trips of the 5 prisoners on leave for a week. The trip starts from Istanbul - from north-west and ends in the south-east. Editing job was not so great but it still kept the continuity of the story. On the other hand dubbing was terrible - perhaps the only bad thing about the movie - still you have to be a native Turkish speaker to see this flaw. I think the biggest contribution of Yilmaz Guney to this film was writing the major part of the script and producing this great film. A few facts: Yilmaz Guney was a fugitive who shot a judge during his trial. So, He was not a political prisoner. He wasn't a great actor but he was a good screen writer. There is not a city called Kurdistan in Turkey there never was. The people shown in the movie are Turkish citizens. People of Turkey are not just Kurds and non-Kurds there are tens of other ethnicities live in Turkey and they make the Turkish nation as a whole. It's amazing to see some people are still judging a whole nation by just seeing a movie.And one goof: The guy in the ferry was drinking RAKI - the famous Turkish liquor- however during dubbing it was referred to as brandy.

Five prisoners have been permitted to visit their homes. Each has a different story. In this movie, you will see people that cannot decide how their lives will be, all limited by nonsenses. You will see, in each frame of this movie, a well-taken photo of an expert photographer of the mood of people after a revolution. What you will see, is the most handsome actor of Turkey, Tarik Akan, in a far different role from all fun movies he had acted before this movie. Watch the best directing ever in Turkish cinema. This is one of the best dramas the world would ever see. Don't miss it. See the facts that Turkish people still avoid seeing.

Yol tells the story of several prisoners on leave in Turkey. Seyit Ali (Tariq Akan) finds that his wife (Serif Sezer) has cheated on him, but when her family insists on an honor killing, he cannot make himself kill her. Mehmet Salih (Halil Ergun) was arrested after trying to pull of a heist with his brother-in-law, whom he abandoned as he was being shot by the police. His in laws want nothing to do with him, and he is forced to finally tell his wife Emine (Meral Orhonsay) the truth. Omar (Nedgmettin Chobanoglu) returns to his village to find that it has been caught up in Turkey's civil war, and is in ruins. They all must deal with how their worlds have changed since being behind bars.This film is so startlingly beautiful. I am not Turkish, but I am Muslim and speak some Turkish, and it was nice to see something from a Muslim director, who was not trying to copy Hollywood. This was a Turkish film, and Sherif Goren did not try to make it for anyone else. Turks are interesting people; their country has problems, and when they appear strong on the outside, on the inside, they always seem to be in pain, from their heart; yet, they always manage to be happy. They have great perseverence.Anyway, Yilmaz Guney wrote such a great script, he captured a peice of his culture a put it in a medium most people can understand. It's a masterpeice, giving a glimpse of people with a beautiful religion and culture that anyone could watch. An excellent film.