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The International (Beynelmilel)

The International (Beynelmilel)

Movie · 2006 · 11 people

Beynelmilel (The International) tells, in a tragicomic tone, how martial law after the September 12, 1980, coup affected local people and traditional musicians, in a Turkish dramatic comedy. Co-directed by Sırrı Süreyya Önder and Muharrem Gülmez from Önder's screenplay, it was produced by Beşiktaş Kültür Merkezi and released across Turkey on December 29, 2006.

The story is set in 1982 in a small southern town near Adana. As townspeople adjust to a junta rolling over them like a steamroller, the local musicians prepare to play at a large military ceremony. The repressive climate is seen through the musician Abuzer Yayladalı (Cezmi Baskın) and his daughter Gülendam (Özgü Namal), who is preparing for university; Umut Kurt plays the revolutionary student Haydar Arıkan, whose plans push events in an unexpected direction.

The film grew out of the Script Studio led by Barış Pirhasan and Levent Kazak. Preparation, from finding locations to casting regional actors, took four months, and the whole film was shot in Tarsus in seven and a half weeks. It won awards at the Adana, Ankara, Istanbul and Thessaloniki festivals, won two of the three main prizes at the Barcelona International Political Film Festival, and was entered into the 29th Moscow International Film Festival.

DirectorSırrı Süreyya Önder
Production companyBeşiktaş Kültür Merkezi
The International (Beynelmilel) The International (Beynelmilel) The International (Beynelmilel) The International (Beynelmilel)

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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.

The International stands apart by telling the story of the martial law that followed the September 12, 1980, coup not through big cities or prisons, but through the musicians of a small town near Adana. Set in 1982, it shows how the junta seeped into everyday life, and how people trying to adapt to the repression ended up in situations both absurd and painful. The musician father Abuzer and his daughter Gülendam, who is preparing for university, also stand for the differing expectations of two generations. The tragicomic tone is a clever way to open a heavy period to discussion without preaching. The dose of humor sometimes seems to soften the real weight of the repression, and viewers who know nothing about the era may miss the pain behind the laughter.

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

With the warmth of its small-town musicians and ordinary people, The International carries the vein of the good old Turkish films. Cezmi Baskın's Abuzer is both funny and touching, while Özgü Namal brings freshness and sincerity to Gülendam. The way it blends a painful period with laughter recalls Yeşilçam's finest tragicomedies. Having music at the heart of the story is a special pleasure for eyes raised on songs and folk tunes. Its festival prizes, from Adana to Thessaloniki, come as no surprise; one only wishes heartfelt films like this were made more often.

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

Don't expect shootouts or chases in The International; the tension comes from the atmosphere of a town under martial law. Revolutionary student Haydar's plans sending events in an unexpected direction adds some momentum. But the weight is on the characters and small-town life, so if you're after pace you'll need some patience at times. Good thing it doesn't drag on; any longer would have been a stretch.

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