Ayla: The Daughter of War

While my sis, her friend and I were waiting for the ppl coming out of the cinema salon we were shocked as how many actually came out with puffy eyes.

I personally had absolutely no expectations for the movie, but the puffy eyes frightened me as I am built near the water. However, every tear was worth it.

The story was appealing to me, because at the time of the Korean War my mother’s uncle was one of the Turkish soldiers, he returned wounded and died leaving a few weeks old daughter behind right upon return. So the story being a true story gives the whole movie an extra notch of authenticity.

The movie shows war in a more human way, not only it’s kill or be killed side. It was told in a way that everyone could see sth from themselves in the story. The Marylin Monroe sequence got me all emotional.
Usually I hate the main actor, but he did such a splendid work in this movie. Also all the other actors, especially the lil girl did a great work.

The OST was really suitable for the movie and fit the emotions. After I came out of the cinema I thought I wouldn’t watch it again, but I think I was wrong as I just watched it on TV 2 days ago.

As a side not, I was at the scene were Süleyman is at the train station, but of course waiting in my train. Every weekday I get through the train station and a few Turkish drama and movie scenes have been filmed at that historic station, so I wasn’t interested in the filming at the time. But in the cinema I remembered the green truck in the background.

Try the movie if you can find it with subs you won’t regret it.

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SO YA LEL YA LELI CODED

This movie might just be the best thing I’ve ever watched—and even if I come across better ones in the future, I know this one will always stay close to my heart. I absolutely loved every moment from beginning to end. The friendship group was so beautifully portrayed, especially the bond between Ali and Mesut. They started off as complete opposites but became true ride-or-die brothers. Ali’s hopeless crush on Marilyn Monroe, his delusions and daydreams, added such charm, yet he was also the best shooter in their unit—skilled, brave, and dependable. It broke me when he died… not even due to recklessness, just a single moment that cost everything.

Ayla learning to speak Turkish was such a touching part of the story, and the bond between her and Süleyman was so pure and wholesome. Nuran could never fully understand Süleyman, and maybe she wasn’t meant to. God’s plan was for him to be with Nimet—his true partner, with whom he spent 60 years and had two children. Nimet loved him quietly and unconditionally all along, and I believe Süleyman eventually grew to love her deeply as well.

Even though they couldn’t find Ayla for decades—her name changed and the trail went cold—they never gave up. It took from the early 1950s all the way to around 2010 for them to reunite, but they did. Neither of them forgot. Neither broke the promise. That alone was enough to tear me apart emotionally.

One of my favorite moments was when Süleyman (in the movie) walks to the mosque past a store, and the real-life Süleyman is sitting there, reading a newspaper. He greets his movie self—and right after in the end, it cuts to footage of the actual reunion in real life. I cried so much at that point. Truly, a masterpiece. A tearjerker. A memory I’ll always treasure.

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