I'll try not to repeat what others have said. I liked this film, though I am not sure if anyone outside Turkey can like it as much as a Turk or someone familiar with rural Turkish culture. There are several reasons for this: First of all, I made a point of watching the film with English subtitles, and of course, the subtitles were not perfect, but at times they were confusing or too simplistic. Second of all, the juxtaposition of religious beliefs with overtly sexual scenes intended to be funny maybe a commentary on the conflicting identities secular Turks feel and live with, but left me a bit confused. Perhaps this could have been executed a little better and was done very well with the more subtle contradictions (or shall we call them adaptations of everyday life with religious and secular beliefs?) as a previous comment highlighted the men hiding their alcohol upon hearing the call for prayer. Several things to note: Baba Zula did the music for the film (the original songs), which I really liked. The drink of choice in the film is raki (ouzo) and anise-based alcohol that becomes cloudy white when diluted with water, therefore often referred to as "lion's milk" in Turkey (for Turkish men suppose they are like lions? But, of course!) As for things I really did not like in the film: I felt that ALL women in the film were screaming bitches! Mothers to their sons, wives to their husbands... The screaming was, I guess, meant to be funny and at times the driving force behind our hero's misery, but my experience with Turkish women in places like Mugla is far from what is portrayed here. Of course, the film does not have to be realistic, but I found this aspect to be very annoying. And the things I really liked: The location is beautiful. I would like to see more and more films made somewhere other than Istanbul. Mugla is such a beautiful setting. Beautiful mosque (classic blue/white tile embellishments), beautiful beaches, the winding roads, the river... Made me homesick (for a moment...) Also, the inclusion of two characters in the film, the corn-on-the-cob salesman and the newspaper-man (who is physically challenged) on the beach was interesting, if not, again, a part of the layered commentary on the socio-economic aspects of life in Turkey. Will there be a sequel about a salep salesman?!
Review of Dondurmam Gaymak
