User reviews

There's alot of nuances and layers to this film, playing with different genres and themes. And honestly, that's what I love about it. It's explores a variety of topics, yet it all comes together to point to the fundamental issue of the cracks and sinkhole of a society, quite literally, and how the outsider or individual feels the odds stacked against them when power is at play. Even the protagonist, we see him deal with his own internal desires and conflict of trying to do his job and be a figure of authority while also not being able to do much in a corrupt, conservative society. Loved it!!!!

Turkiye doesn't shy away from social dramas, but it so rarley and bravely decide to delve in such an explicit way when discussing explosive topics such as homophobia, sexism, xenophobia and corruption.

The cinematography is beautiful, giving enough time to explore the confining atmosphere closing in on Emre. Also, the utelizing of water throughout was done in such a clever way - not only with the intention of allegorical, but also as an agent of action driving the characters to act. It also has some bureaucracy absurdism which lightens the mood, right before thing get serious.

The acting is great and well casted, especially the actor playing Emre really knows how to pace himself emotionally, without falling once into an exaggerated dramatic scene. Turkiye's young generation of actors are gaining a name for themselves and their craft.

Disturbingly real socio-political analysis of rural areas of central anatolia. It's really well processed and keeps you interested about the plot. A lot of drama emphasising also the corruption within the justice system. No law enforcement officer could actually perform its work under the shadow of politics and manipulated society. The chain of command was also reflected really well considering the judge, prosecutor and police triangle. It's definetly a must watch to understand the situation in Turkey. It's so underrated and should be promoted more. I don't think it gets the credit it deserves in Turkish media.

I entered the cinema with high expectations regarding the movie and I left satisfied. Of course there were some things I found unrealistic and some others were VERY realistic. And not everyone may enjoy the ending but I love that we can discuss and come up with different opinions. I loved the symbolism and the messages it conveyed. The cinematography was superb. I'd call this movie a political thriller with representations of "the other". The other here can be many things, including "women" (vs men), "urban" (vs rural), "queer" (vs cishet), "just" (vs corrupt), "minority" (vs majority). I believe this movie deserves our support. Despite being 2 hours and 9 minutes, it never felt so. I never realized how quickly the time went by. I'm considering a rewatch.

When an idealistic young prosecutor is assigned to a rural Turkish community to try a criminal case involving serious allegations involving a major infrastructure project, he quickly finds himself in over his head. Circumstances soon place him in a thorny situation where his credibility, objectivity, reputation and personal integrity are all put at risk, jeopardizing not only his handling of the case, but also his career and future. Unfortunately, as generally compelling as the narrative is at the outset, writer-director Emin Alper's overlong saga becomes a little too convoluted for its own good. One can't help but ask, is it a political film? A thriller? A crime story? A crisis of conscience? The film plays like it tries to incorporate some of all of these qualities in an attempt to tell a story that throws curves at viewers to keep them guessing. But the picture seems to lose its way in doing so, not quite sure how to wrap things up, especially when the supposedly astute big city prosecutor comes across as unbelievably naïve and clueless. These failings regrettably undercut the production's fine performances and superb cinematography, qualities that could have helped to make this release a better offering had they been backed by a better story and script. Indeed, in the end, it's the audience that gets burned by this one.

Emin Alper's fourth cinematic marvel not only aptly describes the Turkish societal and political contemporary condition in a peculiar cinematographic style, but it beautifully teases that condition. Burning Days is both politically realistic and artistically pleasing. At the end of the film, you remain at your theatre seat with a feeling of being understood, a feeling, which is accompanied by an emotion of a kind of indescribable joy. This is a very clever and striking work of art, which is full of wit, irony, and sarcasm. Scenario is quite impressive with little shortcomings, and cinematography, art direction, and music are particularly strong. And, in terms of casting, Selahattin Pasali and Ekin Koc wonderfully express their characters, while supporting actors are very impressive in their performances (especially Erdem Senocak, who plays Kemal).

We support the movie Dry Days, against the scandalous decision. Emin Alper is a very successful director. He excited us all with his films Blockade and Behind the Hill. In this movie; The unbearable difficulty of being an individual in societies where the obedience culture is dominant. We are watching a parody of Turkey through the town. The first half is particularly spooky and exciting. I wish there weren't any forced scenes in the second half. Nevertheless, it is a very valuable film for today's cinema, especially for social sensitivity.

What's in the movie? 1. Sociological structure of eastern societies 2. Why are we a 3rd world country? 3. The sad end of non-individual societies. 4. Mass psychology and bigoted people 5. Generalization of Turkey over the town. 6. Difficulties in town life, depressing atmosphere.

This movie tries to parallel the current Turkish social and political state by using a simple story in a small town in central Turkey using many metaphors. Since the script writer has not worked very hard in doing this, the narrative becomes weaker and weaker as the movie goes on. The first parts were interesting and promising, however towards the end of the movie, the script fell to the point where it broke from being believable and original. Performances are generally good and cinematography is also above average. I hope more of these type of movies with a better story and script are produced in Turkey, because there is a need for them.

In a barren time when Turkish cinema was caught between Nuri Bilge Ceylan-style situational films and unsuccessful comedy films, Emin Alper's work was quite special. He not only delivers the message he wants to convey in a striking and serious style, but also preserves the element of tension until the last moment. In addition to the harmony of the geography of the story with the color palette, the camera angles are generally successful. The leading actors, Selahattin Pasali and Ekin Koc did a pretty good job. The tension between them disturbing certain groups in Turkey also reveals the topicality of the film's content.

I enjoyed watching it very much and I found it quite successful artistically. Hope to see more movies of this quality in Turkish cinema.

Without wanting to spoil anything - this film is a huge disappointment. I watched it until the end and had high expectations since the first half of the film seemed to have potential and looked interesting to me. I also liked the camera work very much. However, suddenly one realistic event happened after another and it started to get really absurd. Honestly I lost my respect for the director since he must think his audience must be stupid. There was no clarifying ending, just confusion and stupid scenes that even a little child wouldn't think of. None of the last scenes would actually happen in real life, especially the very last one. Too bad they couldn't make something out of it, it had potential. It left me with annoyance and a total waste of time.

The movie was simply magnificent, I wish health to those big hearts of everyone who contributed... It hits the realities of the country like a slap in the face. When it's finished, it ignites a box of matches that need to be lit in order to heal in the minds and hearts of truly enlightened, good and aware people and to heal the country.. For the others, it must have created a bit of a sense of relief. I hope... The fact that an animal's carcass is being chased by the drooling spittle of monster-turned-humans must have disturbed the evil spirits. What do we expect from a film, from an artist? Isn't it just putting the facts on the face? Isn't it our desire to face ourselves? In my opinion, real artists are the messengers of God in this world. They lead humanity to live in truth, beauty, honesty, humanity and peace. The number of these ambassadors is not many. I hope with all my heart that the value of this film and, in my opinion, this "ambassador" "Emin Alper" and his entire team will be appreciated...

Kurak Gunler, which literally translates as "Arid Days" in Turkish, is an extraordinary psychological / political suspense movie that I watched without breathing from the very beginning to the last minute. If we can still be so deeply affected by the events that take place in this film despite all the shame and disgrace we have experienced in the last 20 years, it means there is still hope for this country.

The suspense continues until the end of the movie, also with the help of great soundtrack and perfect acting performances, especially by the talented young Turkish actor, sweet Selahattin Pasali.

My only disappointment about the movie was the end was not very hopeful, which we need more than ever nowadays...

This scheme of a district attorney trying to investigate against corruption reminds me the Italian films from the seventies from the likes of Francesco Rosi, Damiano Damiani, Pasquale Squieteri.... Films about mafia, the true and authentic mafia, not action packed movies but so realistic, depressing, riveting too. Here, the way of telling is not the same at all, it is also very subtle, brilliant, intelligent, full of metaphors. You may feel dizzy after a while. I am not surprised however, from this film from Turkey. This is a real engrossing story, showing terrific scenes, such as this one with the young attorney and those two men trying to corrupt his mind...Painful but realistic.

The movie starts with a hunting scene also this scene is a summary of the movie but inadequate visual effects directly disturb my perception. Why did you make a huge huge huge ponor? These ponors and cheap photoshops annoy me throughout the movie.

After that, the conversation scene between Murat and Sahin is really long also the first lake scene, I mean the first interactions of Murat and Emre, is unnecessarily long and messages are directly brought to our eyes. Maybe we can ignore those situations but I think we have a big problem. Sahin and Kemal's actings are clearly better than Murat and Emre. How did you not see this? Main character's actings are just extras. This cast choice is definitely wrong. When we think overall. Emin Alper is never going to be a senior director. This one is his fourth movie but still, I can not see a progression.

If you are different from others and tell the truths you ll be hunted like boars. The movie is bravely criticizing the society when some within it do not behave depending on the expectations of the accepted living style. The corrupted conservative society destroy the barriers and be aggressive towards new comers due to having a different lifestyle. Sinkholes in the society is so obvious that they usually neglect the scientific reality which may threatens their lives. The water scarcety gives chance to corrupted the politics to be act freely and abuse the law. However the opposition are innocent We could not never know.

The deep drama and claustrophobic feel to this captivating film steps on the classic examples of cinema - in fact, I find contemporary Turkish cinema to be among the best in the world, and most consistently. The villains bear on horror, there's a consummate female victim, and both major characters have great complexity to them, swaying between protagonism and antagonism. There's a homoerotic layer added, and all this is engulfed in the oppressive and all too real story of corruption and subjugation, the mob perhaps the biggest villain of them all. The cinematography is outstanding, with some scenes pieces of art.

This is a very good film amidst all the drama surrounding the artistic product. In some ways, one can feel that the whole story was invented to bring us, the audience, to the masterfully symbolic ending of the movie. In a lot of ways that last 15 minutes is an encapsulation of last few years of Türkiye. Those being said, I did not find the relationship between the prosecutor and the journalist (which was quite central to the story) very realistic both in practical and aesthetic terms. Also, there were too many loose ends that were left open which can undermine the director's message. The movie will most certainly occupy an important place in Turkish cinematography, hopefully as a reminder of once crazy times.

First of all it is a wonderful work that artistically and successfully presents the recent social structure and domestic events of Turkey (and perhaps many other countries). Should be watched without any prejudice. Absolutely a beacon of hope for Turkish cinema.

And if I need to add my personal opinions I think it would be even more dramatic and obviously romantic if we were able to see the attraction between the two main characters. I just loved the actors harmony with each other. But that's just a little detail and a backstory of course. Other than that it was one of the best movies I've ever watched. I'll watch it again sometime.