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Fay Grim

Fay Grim

Movie · 2006 · 5 people

American independent filmmaker Hal Hartley wrote and directed Fay Grim, a 2006 espionage thriller. A German-American co-production running 118 minutes, it blends comedy, drama and crime into a darkly comic spy story and serves as the sequel to Hartley's 1997 film Henry Fool.

Parker Posey plays the title character, the sister of Simon Grim (James Urbaniak), who is drawn into an increasingly violent mystery across Europe. Alongside Jeff Goldblum, Saffron Burrows, Liam Aiken and Elina Löwensohn, the cast also features Turkish-origin actors Adnan Maral, Sibel Kekilli, Tim Seyfi, Erkan Bektaş and Ercan Özçelik.

Hartley began writing the script in 2002, and shooting took place in Europe from January to March 2006, with nearly every shot framed at a tilted "Dutch angle". The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 11 September 2006, went on to compete at the Sundance Film Festival and screen in the Panorama section of the 2007 Berlinale, and opened theatrically in the United States on 18 May 2007. A further sequel, Ned Rifle, followed in 2014.

DirectorHal Hartley
Fay Grim Fay Grim

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Cast

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Adnan Maral Adnan Maral Actor · 58 years old Ercan Özçelik Ercan Özçelik Actor · 60 years old Sibel Kekilli Sibel Kekilli Actor · 46 years old Tim Seyfi Tim Seyfi Actor · 55 years old Erkan Bektaş Erkan Bektaş Actor · 54 years old

Titles sharing this cast

Through different eyes

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

Hal Hartley's sequel to Henry Fool sticks in the mind for one formal decision: nearly every shot is tilted, framed at a Dutch angle. It is a bold way of turning the paranoia of the spy genre into visual language, but over almost two hours a permanently crooked frame loses its force and starts to feel like a tic. Parker Posey holds the centre firmly, and the tone between black comedy and suspense keeps Hartley's independent identity intact. The effort to melt comedy, drama and crime into one mix is not always balanced, but its refusal to surrender to the formula of commercial spy films deserves credit.

Action & Thriller Fan Puts pace, tension and set pieces first; little patience for slow drama.

Say spy film and you think of chases, explosions and pursuits; Fay Grim is something quite different. There is a mystery turning more violent across Europe, yes, but the film handles it with black comedy rather than as an action spectacle. At 118 minutes it is long for this pace. If you want a fast thriller, your patience may be tested; if you want something odd and different, give it a shot.

History & Society Lens Asks about the period, the social background and what the work reflects.

What makes Fay Grim interesting for a Turkish audience is its cast. In this German-American co-production, Turkish-origin actors such as Adnan Maral, Sibel Kekilli, Tim Seyfi, Erkan Bektaş and Ercan Özçelik share the bill with Jeff Goldblum and Parker Posey. It is one of the ways migration shows up in cinema: Turkish-origin actors finding their place in an international independent production is a small but meaningful sign. A spy story that spreads across Europe is also fitting ground for identities that move between borders. Yet the film's darkly comic, genre-bending style leaves few clues for anyone hoping for a social reading.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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