2017 Film Review: Kedi (2016)

Directed by: Ceyda Torun
IMDb Link

Kedi is a small documentary about several cats that live on the streets of Istanbul, Turkey. The film follows these cats around during their daily lives and their interactions with people, and splices in interviews with the local people, any stories that they might have about the cats being followed, and platitudes or lessons that people have learnt from interacting with cats.

The film is light as a feather. There's no heavy drama, the film doesn't focus on one cat's struggles to keep her children a live, or intensely watch as a cat goes on some epic journey to find food. Kedi is simply realistic, gathering together anecdotes from the actions of the cats and the words of the people to give us a little look in to not just how cats are, but how cats being what they are changes and uplifts people. It's a simple, tender, passionate work that doesn't pursue any grand ideas and just focuses on the little things that cats do that shows their personality, and lets the people talk about the positive impact of cats in their daily lives. While the film had moments where it seemed obvious that it was a first-time director, occasionally throwing in shots over dialogue that had no meaning and only served to look pretty, the overall tone of the film was a genuine effort to just look at life for a little while, and it left me feeling in a pleasant and peaceful state for its runtime. 

The Verdict: Kedi is a lovely slice of life piece that offers comfort in what cats are and what they do for people, and is a little enhanced by the culture in which it's set. It won't blow you away with some significant revelation about cats or anything to that effect, and there isn't any forced drama to pull a heartstrings or jerk a tear; however, there's a certain remedial effect that permeates the movie as it reminds you the tenderness and playfulness of cats and the effect that this can have on people. If you like cats, go see it. Likewise if you appreciate culture.

Rating: 7/10

Published June 22nd, 2017