Biyograficim
The Shadowless (Gölgesizler)

The Shadowless (Gölgesizler)

Movie · 2009 · 17 people

Hasan Ali Toptaş's novel of the same name is the source of Gölgesizler (The Shadowless), a Turkish psychological drama. The book won the Yunus Nadi Novel Award in 1994. Writer-director Ümit Ünal had won best Turkish film at the Istanbul Film Festival with his debut, 9. It was produced by Narsist Film, which Hakan Karahan founded in 2007 for literary adaptations. It runs about 97 minutes in an uncanny, placeless mood.

A barber arrives in a village and rents the shop of the old barber, who vanished years before. When Güvercin, the village’s most beautiful girl, disappears without trace, the Muhtar and his watchman interrogate everyone, yet the disappearances go on. The Muhtar leaves to seek help and never returns, while the barber watches it all in cool detachment. Of its 22 characters, some seemingly minor ones become central. Selçuk Yöntem plays the Muhtar, Taner Birsel the barber and Hakan Karahan the Bekçi; most of the cast are stage actors.

Candan Erçetin, scoring a film for the first time, released the closing song “Ben Kimim” free in December 2008. With 250,000 YTL of state support, the film finished shooting in June 2008 and opened on February 27, 2009, drawing 19,425 viewers in its first week. It competed at Antalya without winning.

DirectorÜmit Ünal
Production companyNarsist Film
The Shadowless (Gölgesizler) The Shadowless (Gölgesizler) The Shadowless (Gölgesizler)

Reactions

You can pick up to 3 reactions.

Cast

Ahmet Özaslan Ahmet Özaslan Actor · 57 years old Reşit Selçuk Yöntem Selçuk Yöntem Actor · 73 years old Village Head Hakan Karahan Hakan Karahan Actor · 66 years old Watchman Taner Birsel Taner Birsel Actor · born 1959 Barber Ertan Saban Ertan Saban Actor · 48 years old Cennet's Son Arsen Gürzap Cennet Altan Erkekli Altan Erkekli Actor · 70 years old Writer Ahmet Mümtaz Taylan Ahmet Mümtaz Taylan Actor · 61 years old Rıza Ahmet Özaslan Aydemir Akbaş Aydemir Akbaş Actor · died at 88 Dede Musa Taies Farzan Onuryay Evrentan Aynalı Fatma Beyti Engin Beyti Engin Actor · 45 years old Shoemaker Zeynep Kumral Zeynep Kumral Actor · 51 years old Kadriye Erdem Akakçe Erdem Akakçe Actor · born 1976 Postacı Özay Fecht Özay Fecht Actor · 72 years old Muhtar's Wife Candan Erçetin Candan Erçetin Singer · 63 years old Yazar'ın Karısı

Also in the cast: Hasan Ali Toptaş (Man in the window)

Titles sharing this cast

More from this director

Through different eyes

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

Adapting Hasan Ali Toptaş's novel is hard by definition, and Ümit Ünal writing the script himself shows he took ownership of it. The boldest choice is structural: in a world of twenty-two characters, the weight shifts after the midpoint to seemingly minor roles, deliberately scattering the usual narrative center. That fits the uncanny, placeless mood, but it has a cost; viewers who want a lead character to hold on to may find the film scattered and distant in places. A cast drawn mostly from the stage suits the acting register such a stylised world demands. It should be judged as an auteur experiment, not against mainstream expectations.

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

The film's village is on no map; a story without place or time turns it into a model of society rather than a specific location. The Muhtar and the watchman interrogating everyone as people vanish raises questions about how authority works in a small community and how fear settles between people. The Muhtar going to the district to plead for help and never coming back is a strong image of the gap between center and province. The barber watching it all like a cool spectator is a reminder that indifference is also a stance. Still, the allegory may feel too abstract for viewers looking for a concrete social setting.

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

A missing girl, more disappearances, interrogations: on paper it looks like a thriller set-up, but Gölgesizler doesn't use that material like a crime story. The uncanny mood and a structure that shifts weight onto minor characters will test anyone hoping for pace and answers. What matters here is the mystery's atmosphere, not its solution; if you want a fast thriller, look elsewhere.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

Reviews (0)

Log in Log in to write a review.

Comments