Quick money trumps work ethic in Turkish cinema

There was a time when having a work ethic, honing one’s skills and making an honest living were the defining characteristics of a hero in Turkish cinema. Well, it’s hard to remember that time. For a long time, the comedic heroes of Turkish cinema have searched for ways to make quick money, becoming even more relentless and shameless with each passing year

“It’s all for the money,” screams the tagline of the new Turkish comedy Seninki Kaç Para (How Much is Yours?), promising laughs out of a man’s desperation for money as he eventually sells his soul his to the devil for an immediate load of cash.

Complaining about the taxing life in ultra-expensive Istanbul has been the norm for some time now. It has even become a cliché in pop culture, with comedies especially relying heavily on the financial struggles of the everyday man in Istanbul, drawing millions to theaters in the process.

Long gone are the characters who had hopes of making an honest living and were content with what they had – even if what they had barely made ends meet – such as those seen in legendary filmmaker Yılmaz Güney’s films on social struggle. Long gone, too, are the characters who prefer their misery over deceiving others for some quick cash.

Click here for full article (Hürriyet Daily News)