Gönül Yarası (Lovelorn)

View the Trailer (in Turkish)

In Turkish with English Subtitles, 138 minutes
(Free Pizza donated by Trojan Hospitality will be served)

Thursday, November 16th
Zumberge Hall (ZHS), Room 159, USC
(6-D on the USC map)

7:45pm Reception
8:15pm Movie begins

Synopsis:

Idealist elementary school teacher Nazim (named after the great Turkish poet Nazim Hikmet) retires and returns home to Istanbul after 15 years of teaching in a poor, remote Kurdish village in Eastern Turkey. Politely ignored by his own children who secretly despise him for having chosen his ideals over his family, he begins a new life as a taxi driver. One night, he meets Dunya, a down-on-her-luck divorcee who works as a "singer" in a sleazy nightclub. Before he knows it, Nazim takes Dunya and her daughter in to protect them from Dunya’s stalker ex-husband Halil. Gonul Yarası (Lovelorn) features an outstanding ensemble cast, and the inimitable Sener Sen. 

"Veteran director Yavuz Turgul ("The Bandit") returns after a nine-year absence with "Lovelorn," a magnificently thesped, engrossing meller about the collateral cost of altruism. ... The magnetism of Turgul's well-delineated characters lies in their ability to suggest deep, conflicting emotions and the unexpected moral fallout that results. Turgul's characters tend to be generous and impulsive. They rarely weigh the consequences of their nobility or unbridled passion. " -- Variety

• Selected as Turkey's Official Entry to the 2006 Academy Awards 
• Palm Springs International Film Festival, Best Actress (Meltem Cumbul)  (2006)
• Queens International Film Festival, Best Picture (2006)
  

http://www.gonulyarasi.com/