Biyografi Dünyası
Turquaze

Turquoise (Turquaze)

Movie · 2009 · 5 people

Kadir Balcı wrote and directed Turquaze (Turquoise), a Belgian-Turkish co-production drama. The 2009 film was shot in Dutch and portrays the identity crisis of three brothers of Turkish origin living in the Belgian city of Ghent. It opened across Belgium on 29 September 2010 and was selected for the 16th London Turkish Film Festival. It runs 96 minutes and is also spelled Turkuaze.

After their father's funeral in Istanbul, Ediz (38), Timur (28) and Bora (16) return to Ghent. Their mother Meryem does not come with them and prefers to stay in Istanbul a while longer. As the three brothers try to find a new balance without their father, Ediz, the most mature, takes on the father's role. Bora, left to himself, falls in with a crowd that will get him into trouble. Timur wants to fulfil his father's dream and prepares to audition to play trumpet in a marching band. His girlfriend Sarah supports this passion at first, until she notices he is drifting away from her.

Charlotte Vandermeersch, Tilbe Saran, Johan Heldenbergh, Nihat Altınkaya and Evren Duyal are in the cast, and Burak Balcı and Hilal Sönmez also appear. Filming took place in both Istanbul and Ghent.

DirectorKadir Balcı
Turquoise (Turquaze) Turquoise (Turquaze)

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Cast

Charlotte Vandermeersch Charlotte Vandermeersch Actor · 42 years old Evren Duyal Evren Duyal Actor · 53 years old Johan Heldenbergh Johan Heldenbergh Actor · 59 years old Nihat Altınkaya Nihat Altınkaya Actor · 47 years old Tilbe Saran Tilbe Saran Actor · 65 years old

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Through different eyes

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

Turquaze follows the identity crisis of three brothers of Turkish origin living in Ghent, Belgium, after their father's funeral in Istanbul. Even the fact that it was shot in Dutch reflects its core: a generation caught between its roots and the country it lives in. Ediz stepping into the father's role, Bora left to himself and drifting into the wrong crowd, Timur's wish to fulfil his father's dream: together they show different faces of inherited responsibility in migrant families. The mother's choice to stay on in Istanbul a while longer reads almost as a symbol of the pull between two countries. A valuable film for anyone thinking about migration and belonging.

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

Written and directed by Kadir Balcı, Turquaze uses a classic family-drama structure that splits three brothers into three storylines: Ediz, who takes on the father's role; Bora, who drifts into a troubled crowd; and Timur, who prepares to audition as a trumpeter in a marching band. The parallel structure works for introducing the characters evenly, but deepening all three lines in 96 minutes is hard, and side strands such as Timur's relationship with Sarah risk staying schematic. Shooting in both Istanbul and Ghent offers a natural chance to visualise the contrast between the two places. Its selection for the London Turkish Film Festival as a Belgian-Turkish co-production underlines the film's ambition to bridge two cultures.

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

The story of three brothers who lose their father; it deals with grief, brotherhood and responsibility within a family. An emotional, thought-provoking film. The youngest brother falls in with a crowd that leads him into trouble, so it suits teenagers better than young children. It was shot in Dutch and may need subtitles, which some older family members could find tiring.

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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