Search - Boats out of Watermelon Rinds on DVD

TURKISH DELIGHT

Dickens | New York | 01/24/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In this autobiographical debut feature, Ahmet Ulucay captures the infinite joys of childhood and the magical hold of cinema on two young boys living in Tepecik, a small Anatolian village, where Ulucay still lives. Working with a watermelon vendor and a barber by day, and trying to build a film projector by night, Recep and Mehmet dream of changing their lives by becoming famous film directors. The village idiot, Deli Omer, is the sole witness to their exuberant nocturnal labors and simple longings. But things begin to change when Recep falls for Nihal. Life, echoing the complicated plot twists of his beloved films, turns out to be quite complicated, as Recep's feelings are not reciprocated by Nihal, but by her younger sister.

"Self-taught director Ahmet Ulucay persisted for more than a decade to fulfill his dream of making an autobiographical film about his youth in Turkey. The result of his perseverance and ingenuity is the absolutely charming Boats out of Watermelon Rinds, a return to the romance, vigor and sweet dreams of adolescence... Shot entirely on digital video and transferred to 35mm, Boats out of Watermelon Rinds is lushly painted with inspired plays of color and a keen eye for landscape; it conjures up a time and place far away, but somehow completely familiar. This is an infatuating, prodigious debut and a stirring tribute to a lifelong love of the cinema." -- Dimitri Eipides, Toronto International Film Festival

"The undoubted discovery of 2004's Istanbul Film Festival, Boats out of Watermelon Rinds is an autobiographical charmer by first-time helmer Ulucay, evoking early teen dreams about girls and movies. Although the combo of first love and movie obsession is hardly new, writer-director Ulucay brings an engaging flavor to the material, aided by an acute sense of period and setting, plus tip-top performances by the whole cast." -- Variety
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