Picture of the film KURAK GÜNLER (BURNING DAYS) by Emin ALPER © 2022 AY YAPIM, LIMAN FILM, ZOLA YAPIM, GLORIA FILMS, POLA PANDORA, CIRCE FILMS, HORSEFLY PRODUCTIONS, 4 FILM
Burning Days : alone against the corruption of the system
Emin Alper has chosen a highly political subject for his fourth feature film, Kurak Günler (Burning Days), which is presented at Un Certain Regard: the water crisis in rural Anatolia. Navigating his way through corruption, traditionalism and violence, the Turkish director paints a profound and populist portrait of his country.
Emre (Selahattin Paşali), a young, idealistic prosecutor with a strong sense of justice, is transferred to the small town of Yaniklar, which has been hit hard by a water shortage and is led with an iron fist by an authoritarian mayor. The young man very quickly finds himself faced with the corruption which infects all the local institutions, forcing him to question his fundamental belief in the good of the legal system. His only supporter in his struggle is Murat (Ekin Koç), the mysterious owner of the town's newspaper, with whom he develops an ambiguous relationship, which is frowned upon by the local residents.
Two distinct visions of Turkey confront each other in Burning Days. A progressive, city-dwelling movement, turning towards social justice and respect for others, and a conservative, authoritarian and populist movement, often associated with corruption and with rural areas. But far from reducing everything to black and white, this feature film shows that no one is the prefect embodiment of good or bad, and that even the best intentions can go wrong when they come up against a system led by bad people.
Going beyond the philosophical question of good and bad, Emin Alper denounces "the populist illusion" which plays on people's fears and plunges entire nations into poverty. The director, a graduate in modern history, uses the microcosm of the fictional town of Yaniklar to illustrate what is wrong with Turkish society.
