Veda - Atatürk

Zülfü Livaneli's 2010 film chooses to approach Atatürk not as a military or political figure but through the eyes of his childhood friend Salih Bozok. A friendship that begins in Thessaloniki becomes comradeship in arms and then a brotherhood lasting half a century, and by centring that relationship the film tries to step outside the familiar historical account. Livaneli's identity as a musician dominates the rhythm and the emotional accents; some scenes are built almost as laments. The approach is contested. The wish to take Atatürk out of myth and the wish to preserve reverence for him compete throughout, and the second usually wins. Still, the closing section, built around Salih Bozok's suicide attempt, goes somewhere biographical films rarely go. Who it's for: viewers interested in seeing the early Republic through one personal relationship. Who it's not for: anyone wanting critical distance from historical figures, or who will find Livaneli's openly reverent tone too much.