Last year the Turkish film Mustang garnered an Academy Award nomination. This year the Turkish film Baskin [pronounced BAH-SKEEN] is getting a lot of attention and opens this weekend at the Digital Gym Cinema. KPBS film critic Beth Accomando says it’s unlikely to catch Oscar’s eye but it’s winning over midnight movie crowds. Baskin introduces us to a group of Turkish cops finishing off their night with food, drink, and macho posturing. Then they take to the road… CLIP Music A call comes in on the radio for back up and the cops end up at an old Ottoman jail where something unspeakable is occurring. The film informs us that hell is not a place but rather something you carry with you at all times. That’s an idea I wish the film had explored more fully. But Baskin boasts a darkly seductive visual style and builds tensions well. It conjures up both David Lynch and Clive Barker before losing its way at the end. It’s a highly promising debut for Can Evrenol. Beth Accomando, KPBS News.
Last year the Turkish film "Mustang" garnered an Academy Award nomination. This year the Turkish film "Baskin" (opening May 13 at Digital Gym Cinema) is getting a lot of attention. It’s unlikely to catch Oscar’s eye but it’s winning over midnight movie crowds.
"Baskin" introduces us to a group of Turkish cops finishing off their night with food, drink and macho posturing. Then they take to the road and start singing along to the music on the radio. But we know the good times can't last.
A call comes in on the radio for backup and the cops end up at an old Ottoman jail where something unspeakable is occurring. The film takes us on a descent to hell, and conjures up notions of old religion and in this case a kind of black mass.
But a high priest of sorts informs us that hell is not a place but rather something you carry with you at all times. That’s an idea I wish the film had explored more fully. That's a modern and terrifying concept that the film touches on but abandons too quickly.
The film does begin well, though. It opens with a flashback of a childhood trauma and then a jump forward to a scene of the cops in a tiny restaurant where simple close-ups of meat cooking create an ominous mood. Both scenes provide an early warning that this will not be ending well.
"Baskin" boasts a darkly seductive visual style and builds tension effectively. It mixes David Lynch's hallucinatory dream states with Clive Barker's sense of body horror. A few early scenes transport you to a surreal world where your grasp on reality is tenuous. But in the final reel, it loses its way and cops out to horror clichés.
But despite this misstep, "Baskin" (which translates as "raid") delivers a highly promising directorial debut for Can Evrenol.
