PAIN IN A MARRIAGE : 40 M2 DEUTSCHLAND

Ok, for the next couple of weeks ( I may or may not have mentioned this point) most of the entries to this blog will be made up of the films I saw in my local film festival. Not the biggest festival in the world, that’s for sure, but it sure comes up with the goods! The newest and most talked about films of the year rub shoulders with time-honored classics – and some films that should be cited among classics but are not - and we, the movie-goers, sit there and drool. And lament minor details like the inability to be in two places at once. Now, this is one you probably haven’t heard of. It’s by a Turkish director, Tevfik Başer, and it was shot 25 whole years ago, in 1986. This being a festival, he was kind enough to show up after the screening for a question and answer session, to which I will not be able to help but touch on in just a couple of minutes, after I give you an idea of “the plot”.
In the mid-eighties, a Turkish couple, Turna and Dursun move to Germany. Dursun, the husband, is a factory owner, Turna, the wife, is a housewife. Both are uneducated people who have come here from a small village in Anatolia. Nothing “new” so far, right? Dursun, like any other husband, goes off to work each morning. However, before he goes off to work, he makes sure he locks his wife in the house, because “she doesn’t know what these Germans are like”. So, for Turna (whose name, ironically, translates as Crane (the bird) ) a life of imprisonment begins. Nothing she says or does can convince Dursun to let her out, or even take her seriously, so for Turna there is only one option left. Finding a way of communicating with the outside world from within the 40 m2 she is trapped in…
First of all, as I watched the film, I was saddened by its relative relevance even today. Assuredly, in Turkey many things have changed, this cannot be denied, but especially in rural areas, small villages were education is not as wide spread as it should be, women live in similar conditions. And of course, if the family decides to emigrate, it is not unimaginable that they live in much the same state as Turna.
Anyone who thinks this “unrealistic” may be interested to hear that Tevfik Başer based this film on a true story. He studied abroad for many long years before returning to Turkey, and some of that time abroad was spent in Germany, training to be a cameraman and studying media studies, specifically documentaries. He had observed one of his neighbors – a woman like Turna, locked in her house day in and day out – and had begun to try and conceive of a way he could make a documentary on the matter. This slowly mixed with fiction in his head, and thus his first script was born… He was 25 when he shot this film apparently. Very brave move I must say; the film takes place in the 40 m2 of the house with almost only the two main characters and a handful of side characters all of whom we see for under 10 minutes. You might think it would be “unwatchable” so to speak, in fact, it is not. As you get into the psychological development of the characters watch their stories unravel, you can’t help but get caught up in it.
As he spoke in the question and answer section, Mr. Başer admits to being heavy handed with the symbolism in parts – a fair enough comment. “I was young” he said (Or so I recall) “It was the excitement of my first film; I would probably have done a lot of things differently if I shot it again today.” This saddened me immensely, kind of like a child being abandoned by a parent. The symbolism IS heavy handed in places, but seeing as Turna is trapped in a couple of rooms and thus everything in it is “blown out of proportion” so to speak, does this really matter so much? I think not. It gives a good sense of claustrophobia. The claustrophobia both the characters are trapped by, in a sense. Turna is trapped in the house and Dursun is trapped by his prejudices and he is completely unaware he is trapped… Very sad… No, I reckon the film is perfect as it is.
During the session one much-lamented fact that the film is rarely shown and not really available on DVD except within a few German compilations… But I decided to review it anyway, you really must watch it if you get the chance, it’s a real little gem you would NOT want to miss out on…