For the Love of Music or for the Love of Family
For those looking for a movie full of heartwarming and heart wrenching scenes, Andaç Haznedaroğlu captures those moments beautifully in My Father’s Violin, originally named Babamin Kemani. A young sassy girl named Özlem, played by Gülizar Nisa Uray, with a heart of gold and a passion for playing the violin becomes orphaned at a young age. Her uncle Mehmet, played by Engin Altan Düzyatan, a very successful violinist with no time for feelings is caught off guard when he hears his brother has passed away and has a daughter who needs to be cared for. These two inevitably end up wound together by the strings of the violin that his brother had played on the streets of Istanbul, Turkey.
The movie begins with Özlem dancing happily to her father’s music while begging for money. You can hear the passion for music in the air and feel the family-like love that came from everyone performing just to make enough money to eat. Then the movie shifts the focus to a large stage with musicians orchestrating a piece of work and the spotlight landing on Özlem’s uncle Mehmet. Within minutes of the scene beginning a young lady makes a mistake while playing a piece of music, this annoys Mehmet. He then asks her why she made the mistake and she explains that she has a lot to think about with her home life, he dismisses her and sets the stage for the emotional rollercoaster that is the rest of the movie.
Throughout the movie there are many meaningful backstories that must be watched to understand everyone’s feelings and actions, especially the relationship between Özlem’s father and uncle. Mehmet and Özlem’s father had a difficult family relationship when they were younger, but the brothers loved each other dearly. Unfortunately the brothers relationship ends with Mehmet feeling as though he had been “left behind” by his brother. These feelings haunt him and make his relationship with Özlem very difficult at first. These dark feelings also take a toll on Mehmet’s relationship with his wife, leaving Özlem and him alone, to get to know each other and become family for the first time ever.
My Father’s Violin can only be found on Netflix at this time under the Drama category. Currently, a basic membership for Netflix is $9.99, but it often offers free trials. The movie itself originates in Turkey and was originally spoken in Turkish as well. Although the movie itself does use subtitles for easier understanding, the inconsistencies with the actors lips moving and the English being heard by the audience is the only real downfall in this movie, but with the stunning street shots, fantastic music and Özlem’s moments of comedic relief it seems that this Netflix movie was a success.
