Frenzy
Description
Paranoia reigns supreme in Turkish director Emin Alper’s psychological thriller, which recasts modern-day Istanbul as an eerie, dystopian surveillance state where no man, woman or even canine is safe. Recruited to locate potential terrorist networks on the sly, an ex-con named Kadir is “released” and given the job of garbage man—all the better to root through the old neighborhood’s trash for bomb parts. He also reconnects with his little brother, Ahmet (Berkay Ateş), who was just a boy when his sibling was sent up the river. Eavesdropping on his neighbors and surreptitiously spying on his friends soon takes a toll on this informant, however, as he begins to suspect everyone—even the comely wife of his landlord. And when Ahmet’s off-the-books job keeping the local feral-dog population in line—one bullet at a time—is jeopardized after he takes in a wounded stray pooch, Kadir’s already slippery mental state begins to slide further downward. Madness begins to creep in. Innocuous comments may be coded references to upcoming catastrophes. And is it us, or do there suddenly seem to be a lot of cops around? A chilling take on the “if you see something, say something” mandate, Frenzy is the sort of movie that will have you looking over your shoulder for days. —David Fear
A professor of humanities and a major voice in Turkey’s burgeoning new wave, Emin Alper first made a name for himself on the festival scene with his award-winning 2012 debut Beyond the Hills. His second film, Frenzy, took home the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival last year.
Trailer
//player.vimeo.com/video/157228599?autoplay=1Film Details
Language Turkish
Year 2015
Runtime 115
Country Turkey/France/Qatar
Director Emin Alper
Producer Nadir Öperli, Enis Köstepen, Cem Doruk
Writer Emin Alper
Editor Osman Bayraktaroğlu
Cinematographer Adam Jandrup
Music Cevdet Erek
Cast Mehmet Özgür, Berkay Ateş, Tülin Özen