Biyograficim

Berlin in Berlin

Movie · 1993 · 5 people

In 1993 Sinan Çetin directed the Turkish-German drama Berlin in Berlin. Shot largely in German, it is described as a genre mix of thriller, melodrama and comedy that in places parodies films about migrant problems. It was entered in the 18th Moscow International Film Festival, where Hülya Avşar won Best Actress. It reportedly did very well at the box office on release and also made headlines when Gökhan Akçura filed a suit claiming his script had been stolen.

The story takes place in Berlin around a Turkish family that has lived in Germany for three generations. Zafer Ergin plays Mehmet, a construction foreman, and Hülya Avşar plays his wife Dilber. The German engineer Thomas (Armin Block) becomes fixated on Dilber and secretly photographs her, which leads to a fatal incident on the site. Burdened with guilt, Thomas goes to the family to apologize, and by their traditions he is a protected guest; Mehmet's brother Mürtüz (Cem Özer) must then wrestle with his anger against family and custom.

Çetin and Ümit Ünal wrote the screenplay. Cemil Çetin and Sinan Çetin produced it for Plato Film, and Rebekka Haas was director of photography. Nezih Ünen, Fahir Atakoğlu and Clemens Haas Maria share the music credit.

DirectorSinan Çetin
Production companyPlato Film

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Cast

Also in the cast: Nilüfer Aydan, Armin Block (Thomas)

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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.

Berlin in Berlin looks at the marks migration leaves through a Turkish family that has lived in Germany for three generations. The fatal incident on the building site, and then the guilt-ridden Thomas becoming a protected guest by custom, create the film's most compelling tension: Mürtüz caught between tradition and anger, family and self. Because it parodies films about migrant problems in places, it should not be read as a classic tale of exile, and the fact that it was shot largely in German underlines its position between two cultures. It is an interesting document of Turkish-German relations in the early 1990s, though its shifts in tone will not suit everyone.

Yeşilçam Nostalgic A viewer raised on the classics, looking for warm storytelling and strong acting.

Finding Eşref Kolçak and Aliye Rona in this cast is a sweet surprise, and the role that won Hülya Avşar an award in Moscow is intriguing. But this restless mix of thriller, melodrama and comedy feels a little foreign to a heart used to the plain, sincere storytelling of the old films about life abroad. It touches deep matters such as hospitality, custom and conscience; one wishes it had handled them in a calmer, warmer voice. It counts as a bold attempt for its time.

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

A death, a brother full of rage and a guest under protection in the same house: a great set-up for tension. The film squeezes good pressure out of that trap, and Mürtüz's anger keeps things on edge. But the film is long, and every time the melodrama and comedy cut in, the pace drops. Its best moments are the ones where Mürtüz's anger fills the house.

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