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I Saw the Sun (Güneşi Gördüm)

I Saw the Sun (Güneşi Gördüm)

Movie · 2009 · 24 people

Mahsun Kırmızıgül wrote and directed Güneşi Gördüm (I Saw the Sun), a 120-minute Turkish drama and his second film as director. Made by Boyut Film, it opened on March 13, 2009. After it became one of the highest-grossing Turkish films of the year, it was re-released on September 18, 2009. It was chosen as Turkey's official submission for Best Foreign Language Film at the 82nd Academy Awards but was not nominated.

The story follows a large Kurdish family forced to leave its village in southeastern Turkey by armed conflict and an evacuation order. The family splits in two: some try their luck in Istanbul, while others look for hope by escaping to Norway. At the center are Ramo, who finally had a son after five daughters; Davut, with one son in the army and the other in the mountains; the harsh-tempered Mamo; and Mamo's brother Kadri, who has always felt like a girl (Cemal Toktaş). Migration, poverty and identity run through it. Also in the cast: Mahsun Kırmızıgül, Demet Evgar, Altan Erkekli, Seyhan Arman, Buğra Gülsoy and Sarp Apak.

Kırmızıgül, himself from southeastern Anatolia, takes on controversial subjects. This time he gathered his many stories around a single theme.

DirectorMahsun Kırmızıgül
Production companyBoyut Film
I Saw the Sun (Güneşi Gördüm) I Saw the Sun (Güneşi Gördüm) I Saw the Sun (Güneşi Gördüm)

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Through different eyes

AI-assisted editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives. They are not reader reviews; those are below.

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

I Saw the Sun looks at a painful side of recent history through a large Kurdish family forced from its village in southeastern Turkey by armed conflict and evacuation. Having part of the family seek hope in Istanbul and part in Norway is a sound choice, showing internal and international migration in one frame. Davut, with one son in the army and the other in the mountains, sums up in a single figure how the conflict runs through families. Touching on identity through Kadri, who has always felt like a girl, is notable for a mainstream production. Poverty, migration and identity sometimes crowd one another out, but the film takes the suffering it depicts seriously.

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

Mahsun Kırmızıgül's second film as director tries to gather its many stories around a single theme of migration instead of leaving them scattered. But the film struggles to carry such a crowded cast of characters. The stories of Ramo, Davut, Mamo and Kadri are each strong material, yet the film mostly generates emotion not from the scenes themselves but from melodramatic choices underlined in thick marker. Cemal Toktaş's Kadri is the most delicate and memorable strand, and Demet Evgar and Altan Erkekli add weight to their scenes. Being Turkey's official Academy Awards submission shows how much the subject matters; even so, a leaner edit could have made what the film says far more powerful.

Family Viewer Asks whether the whole household can watch it; cares about humor and heart.

I Saw the Sun is a heavy film. It deals with armed conflict, a village abandoned under force, poverty and a family torn apart. It is not suitable for young children. High-school teenagers can watch it with an adult beside them, and it is a film you should talk about afterwards. It also touches on identity and migration. There are many emotional scenes, so keep tissues handy.

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