Adim Farah first two episodes.
Engin Akyürek Tahir Lekesiz
Demet özdemir Farah Erşadi
Firat Tanış Mehmet Koşaner
Directed by Recai Karagöz. 2023.
At first sight Adım Farah, the new Turkish dizi by Recai karagöz, seems to be following in the steps of the mafia movie genre, The Godfather by Coppola or Goodfellas by Scorsese, both films who had themselves moved away from the traditional gangster genre at the time they were made. But very soon, in Adım Farah, there is more to it than the mafia movie. From the first episode the filmmaker sets the mood.
The story starts with a quarrel between two young men, the son of a mafia head and a policeman undercover. Subsequently, the young police officer dies. From then on, the seach for the guilty murderer starts and a subtle mapping of the characters is set with a somewhat different perspective. The leading roles first: Farah ( Demet özdemir) an Iranian clandestine, unwillingly witnesses the murder and finds herself caught in a spiral she does not control ; Tahir ( Engin Akyürek) the godfather's ruthless, right-hand man, the pityless Godfather Ali ( Mustafa Avkıran); Mehmet ( Firat Tanis) police chief inspector and friend of the deceased young man, obsessed by Tahir for reasons we dont know yet and Farah's little ill son Karimşa, a key character, very close to his mother and who will soon become Tahir's weak point. The excellent side characters, Orhan, Vera, Gönül, Kaan, Perihan help understand and are part of the unfolding drama. Like in a shakespeare play, the dice are set and a complex story is in motion. At this stage of the story, the spectator soon feels that all characters are somewhat linked to each other through invisible threads. This is indeed an action movie, however, beyond apparences, a complex web of relationship slowly unfolds and sets the tone of the series. From the very first two episodes, characters not meant to be together, unknowingly evolve into a maze of past and present relationships, unspoken truths, emotional and psychological upheavals, taking them into situations they cannot control or grasp. We instinctively feel that Mehmet, Farah, Tahir , Ali's wife, his son Kaan and the others, all hide deep down secrets and painful events. They all carry the weight of the past in their daily life. From the first two episodes , the chess game is on. And that is what makes the series captivating.
Today, and and whilst waiting for the following episodes, I will only comment on the visual
" Mise en scene" chosen by the filmmaker and on Engin Akyürek's acting.
Visual style.
Most of the scenes are shot in very big close ups, unusual angles. The camera whirls around faces and bodies, trying to unveil their core being, their secrets and failures. The confrontation between Mehmet and Tahir, khaan's guilt, Karimşa soulful gaze, Farah's imploring and yet determined face, Ali's devious eyes when he asks Tahir to kill Farah... the camera focuses on the immediate emotional reactions of the actors. This esthetic choice immediately brings the spectator into the heart of the drama, and enhances each character's interior turmoils.
Engin Akyürek.
In that sense, Tahir' s portrayal underlines the esthetic and narrative choices of the filmmaker. Who else other than Engin Akyürek, could slide into the truth of Tahir's soul, giving birth to the complex layers and contradictions living into a human being's soul. The multi faceted actor first appears as the archetype of the bad boy, the unscrupulous, crual, pityless villain. Outstanding, he shamelessly and boldly embodies the bad guy, transforming his body moves, the way he walks, bends, throwing himself into darkness and muddy waters. And yet soon, we feel the crack, the breach opening. The invasive camera follows his face movement. The actor's expressionistic acting is his trademark. He expresses the infinite succession of changes shifting in Tahir's heart. At times, dark clouds travel on Tahir's face and the next minute, in the scenes with Karimşa, the sky appears. Faced with sheer innocence, or the memory of his own childhood, his gaze suddenly hesitates, softens, the hint of a carefree smile suddenly appears, shading a light on the complexity of his mind behind his ruthless mask. When Ali the mafia boss, asks him to organise Farah's murder to protect his own son, the camera records the slightest quiver in Tahir's eyes and we understand at that point that Tahir will not do it and that Ali knows he will not. Since his acting in Sefirin Kizi, we know how deep the actor can search into himself to act, how he can paint a wide spectrum of emotions. Engin Akyürek once again, walks into the steps of the iconic expressionist actors of the past and we dive with him into the drama.
More to come soon...
Cathie Hubert
Artiste, auteur.
10 March 2023.