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Somuncu Baba: The Secret of Love (Somuncu Baba Aşkın Sırrı)

Somuncu Baba: The Secret of Love (Somuncu Baba Aşkın Sırrı) (translated)

Movie · 2016 · 12 people

Sufi mystic Sheikh Hamid-i Veli, known in Anatolia as Somuncu Baba, is the subject of Somuncu Baba Aşkın Sırrı (Somuncu Baba: The Secret of Love), a Turkish historical drama made in 2016. It is adapted from Mahmut Ulu's novel of the same name. A road story, it joins Hamid's secret-filled life journey to his search for a divine love he cannot yet name. Distributed by Pinema, it reached Turkish cinemas on April 1, 2016.

Young Hamid, grieving for his father and longing to find himself, takes refuge in a dervish lodge. He serves by baking bread and works hard at his studies; soon the favorite of his teacher, he accepts a surprise marriage at the teacher's wish. Yet his yearning for divine love grows. Somuncu Baba is described as one of the cornerstones of the line of thought reaching Akşemsettin, teacher of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, and the conquest of Istanbul. Furkan Palalı leads the cast as Somuncu Baba, with Tuvana Türkay as Necmiye, Gürkan Uygun as Yıldırım Bayezid, and Yunus Emre Yıldırımer as Hacı Bayram-ı Veli.

Kürşat Kızbaz and Müge Kıraner directed, and Ulu and Kızbaz wrote the screenplay. Imagine Film and VSG Prodüksiyon produced it, with Levent Vural behind the camera and music by Engin Arslan, Murat Başaran and Mustafa Ceceli. It runs 115 minutes.

DirectorKürşat Kızbaz, Müge Kıraner
Production companyImagine Film, VSG Prodüksiyon

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Cast

Furkan Palalı Furkan Palalı Actor · 40 years old Somuncu Baba Fırat Tanış Fırat Tanış Actor · 51 years old Lunatic Tuvana Türkay Tuvana Türkay Actor · 36 years old Necmiye Yunus Emre Yıldırımer Yunus Emre Yıldırımer Actor · 44 years old Hacı Bayram-I Veli Ali Sürmeli Ali Sürmeli Actor · 67 years old Şadi Rumi Suna Selen Actor · 87 years old Fatma Ana Sinan Albayrak Sinan Albayrak Actor · 53 years old Bayezidi Bestami Altan Gördüm Altan Gördüm Actor · 67 years old Mahmud Mazdekani Emin Olcay Emin Olcay Filmmaker · born 1946 Molla Fenari Kenan Bal Kenan Bal Actor · 75 years old Şeyh Erdebili Gürkan Uygun Gürkan Uygun Actor · 52 years old Yıldırım Bayezid Haldun Boysan Haldun Boysan Actor · died at 62 Musa the baker

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Through different eyes

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

By its subject, Somuncu Baba is a calm film that suits family viewing. At its center is young Hamid, who takes refuge in a dervish lodge after losing his father and tries to find himself. It is the story of a young man who bakes bread, studies hard and is devoted to his teacher, and it carries good values. Grandparents with an interest in spiritual themes will enjoy it. But 115 minutes and a slow pace may bore younger children. Better to watch it with teenagers and talk about it afterwards.

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

Through the life of Sheikh Hamid-i Veli, known in Anatolia as Somuncu Baba, the film looks at the dervish lodge as a place of learning and solidarity in everyday life. Serving by baking bread while pursuing scholarship in the same life opens an interesting window onto the spiritual and social order of the period. Linking the story to Hacı Bayram Veli, to Bayezid I and on to Akshamsaddin and the conquest of Constantinople under Mehmed II also shows how the production views history. It is worth remembering, though, that it adapts a novel by Mahmut Ulu: this is not a documentary but a reading of a novel, and it is best watched in that light.

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

Directed by Kürşat Kızbaz and Müge Kıraner, the film tries to shape a mystic's inner journey as a road story, a structure that on paper suits cinema very well. Levent Vural's camerawork and the music by Engin Arslan, Murat Başaran and Mustafa Ceceli set its emotional tone. The trouble is a trap common to this kind of life story: the hero is treated less as a person than as an example. The inner conflict, described as a yearning for a divine love he cannot name, struggles to take dramatic shape, and over 115 minutes the pace sags in places. A sincere effort for those drawn to the subject, but a cautious piece of filmmaking.

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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