Delicious movies on Netflix are a spa for the soul and a lullaby for the heart
The older we get, the more we set boundaries for what is appropriate and what is not. It is as if we were free as children and as we grow older we limit ourselves. We become prisoners of social conventions and good manners. Even restarting something, giving it a second chance, knowing something new seems ridiculous. It’s as if we lost the right to make mistakes, to try again, to be happy.
Humanity is moving towards some progress and setbacks. In any case, ageism has become a discussion that follows the path to liberating taboos. We feel more and more comfortable making decisions that prioritize our mental health, body and happiness, and we stop putting other people’s opinions on a pedestal.
In the Turkish film “On an Island Far Away”, by Vanessa Jopp, with a script by Jane Ainscough and based on the story by Alex Kendall, we feel the gentle breeze of liberation from social constraints, taboos about sexuality and marriage, ageism and everything else.. With panoramic and illuminated photographs of the idyllic and natural landscape, we are guided by the story of Zey (Naomi Krauss), a 49-year-old mother of the family, who has just lost her mother.
She is married to Ilyas (Adnan Maral), with whom she has a rebellious teenage-to-adult daughter, Fia (Bahar Balci). The family lives in a small apartment in Turkey with Zey’s father. When the main character’s mother dies, she receives the news that she has received an inherited house, located in Croatia.
During the funeral, Zey’s husband, who had promised to give his mother-in-law’s eulogy, forgets to attend because he was too busy at the restaurant he owns. Disgusted by the inconsideration of her husband, who seems romantically interested in her new chef, she decides to cross the coast to the house her mother left behind. After a long and tiring journey, Zey arrives at dawn and throws himself on the property’s bed, where he passes out from exhaustion, believing the place to be unoccupied. When he wakes up the next morning, he finds a huge, unknown man named Josip (Goran Bogdan) lying next to him.
He then explains the terms on which he negotiated the house with Zey’s mother a decade ago. The property was sold because Josip’s family had financial difficulties. Zey’s mother had allowed him to continue living there until her daughter claimed the property. However, the exterior of the house was not part of the contract. That is, Zey has the right to build, but Josip can camp outside if he wants, as the land remains his.
For some days they are forced to live together because the man sleeps in a tent outside the house, which is on top of a paradisiacal cliff overlooking the sea. With a Mediterranean atmosphere, the house is surrounded by charming countryside and a beautiful garden. Zey has intentions of modernizing the place and turning it into an Airbnb, but after discovering her home is hot enough on the market to be worth a fortune, she’s considering selling it too. Meanwhile, Josip, who is passionate about the place and everything it historically represents for his family, tries in every way to sabotage Zey’s plans.
When Zey talks to her husband again after a few days, she discovers that he is seeing the new chef at the restaurant. So she decides to leave everything behind and stay in the house. Meanwhile, her awkward and chaotic relationship with Josip begins to develop into romance.
There is something of “Mamma Mia!” and “Under the Tuscan Sun,” which makes the story of “In a Far Far Away” very light and uplifting. There are the beautiful landscapes, the lively and familiar soundtrack, the delicate, sincere and funny performances of Krauss and Bogdan, the fresh air that seems to surround the simple and at the same time spectacular house, and the feeling of starting over. hovering over the house. the main character. All this gives a feeling of peace and well-being.
The movie is a pleasant place to rest your head and forget about life’s problems. I see no fault in this work, which looks more like a spa for the spirit where the viewer can nestle and breathe calmly. Zey becomes happy and confident now that she has her freedom after years of being only a mother and housewife, which attracts all the men around her, including her ex-husband. But now she has a second chance to start her life over and be who she really is. A film that should inspire us all and allow us to think about ourselves, “On an island far away” is a lullaby for the heart.
Movie: On an island far away
Direction: Vanessa Jopp
Year: 2023
Sex: Romance/Comedy/Drama
Note: 9/10
