The Princess's Sleep (Prensesin Uykusu)

The Princess's Sleep (Prensesin Uykusu) (translated)

Movie · 2010 · 7 people

Born from a song of the same name by the band Redd, Prensesin Uykusu ("Sleeping Princess") is a fairy-tale-like Turkish comedy-drama that Çağan Irmak wrote and directed in 2010. Irmak took the song as his starting point for the screenplay, and Redd supplied the music. The 100-minute production comes from Most Production and İmaj.

Aziz is a quiet library clerk living in his own small world. When Seçil, who has just opened a hair salon in the neighborhood, moves into his building with her ten-year-old daughter Gizem, new neighbors and new color enter his life. Then Gizem falls into a long sleep, and the cheer is overshadowed. The building's seemingly ordinary but colorful residents join forces to try to change fate. The cast includes Sevinç Erbulak, Ayşenil Şamlıoğlu, Genco Erkal, Çağlar Çorumlu, Alican Yücesoy, Funda Şirinkal and Işıl Yücesoy.

Filming began in April 2010, mostly in Halkalı and Yeşilköy. The world premiere took place on the opening night of the London Turkish Film Festival, and the film opened in cinemas on November 19, 2010; most of its box-office income was pledged to charity. Some 39,871 people saw it in the first three days.

DirectorÇağan Irmak
Production companyMost Production, İmaj
The Princess's Sleep (Prensesin Uykusu) The Princess's Sleep (Prensesin Uykusu) The Princess's Sleep (Prensesin Uykusu)

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Cast

Through different eyes

Family Viewer Asks whether the whole household can watch it; cares about humor and heart.

A warm, fairy-tale film full of colorful neighbors. The residents of a building joining hands for a child sends a lovely message when you watch as a family. One caution, though: ten-year-old Gizem falling into a long sleep may upset or even frighten small children. It is better watched with kids over seven or eight, with a grown-up sitting beside them. That most of the box-office income was pledged to charity is a nice touch too.

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

A fairy tale born of a song: Çağan Irmak starts from Redd's song of the same name and opens up the life of Aziz, a quiet library clerk living in his own small world. The building's colorful residents uniting for a child reminds me of the solidarity in the old neighborhood films. Seeing Genco Erkal in the cast feels like a nod to a long tradition of craft in theater and cinema. The fairy-tale tone may strike some viewers as too sweet, but I would take this well-meaning, warm-hearted story over many a cynical new film.

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

Sleeping Princess is an unusual experiment that takes a pop song as the seed of its screenplay, and having Redd supply the music as well gives the film a consistent emotional texture. Shooting in Halkalı and Yeşilköy, Irmak tries to turn an ordinary apartment building into a fairy-tale space, and visually the transformation is charming. The problem is structural: the move from comedy to drama, especially after Gizem falls asleep, often leaves the emotion resting on the music and the actors. The neighbors are colorful, but several stay at the level of cartoon types. Performers such as Sevinç Erbulak and Genco Erkal lend scenes weight, yet the film shows both the appeal and the limits of a director who leans on emotional intensity. And 100 minutes is a little long for a fairy tale.

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

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