Vizontele Tuuba

I don't know what reminded me. After 24 years it all came back.

Maybe it was unfinished homework that reminded me, so I finished it.

It was a random autumn morning in Ankara in 1980.

School started at seven. And it started like this.

OCTOBER 1980

-Good morning. -Good morning.

-Good morning! -Good morning!

-Good morning, everyone! -Good morning.

-Good morning! -Good morning!

Sit down!

Essay.

Children, writing is a serious business.

Writing is a set of rules.

You need to do it well, most of you don't.

This is your essay topic.

How did you spend your summer vacation?

That is the question.

What do we do?

Answer the question in

a one-page-essay, that's the maximum length.

Introduction, body and

conclusion paragraphs are essential.

Please mind your spelling.

Spelling?

-We mind our spelling. -Yes, we mind our spelling.

Here is a mistake most of you make.

You write "two" when you mean "too".

If it means "also" spell it "too" and put it at the end.

We must remember...

I have toys, too.

You have toys, too.

He has toys, too.

We have toys, too.

Start writing.

It was a hard question.

It was a hard question for everyone who was a child then.

Many things had happened. Funny things, sad things.

It was the last summer of my childhood.

Yılmaz!

Why aren't you writing?

What is there to think about?

Shame on you! You can't even write two lines.

What can he not do?

He can't even write two lines.

What can he not do?

He can't even write two lines.

WRITTEN BY YILMAZ ERDOĞAN

I couldn't do it.

I couldn't do the homework that day.

I was only able to write one word. A name.

Now, years later, I try to write that essay again.

I wonder if my teacher would like it.

DIRECTED BY YILMAZ ERDOĞAN

JUNE 1980

-Dad? -Yes?

Bandits raid the place we're going to, right?

-Sure. Every single night. -No! What will we do?

-Get killed, I suppose. -You both are very sweet!

I didn't say they come every night. They say some live in the hills.

How can bandits get in the city?

-They're outlaws, after all. -Mind your own business.

-Dad, any avalanches this season? -Tuba, shut up!

Hello, Mr. Nezih!

This is Latif.

Are you trying to bankrupt me?

Couldn't you find a worse movie to send me?

The whole audience fell asleep!

LALE MOVIE THEATER

Isn't the city still there? Is Adana gone for good?

Who? Yılmaz Güney? All right.

He doesn't get beaten up in the movie, does he?

When that happens fans will throw chairs at the screen.

Hello? The line's cut off!

-What happened, Sezgin? -Almost done, chairman.

Good. Move it.

-Is the tail fixed? -I've sorted it out.

That won't do.

Ours up, and Ankara's drooping.

-The sign is very important, Sezgin. -Right, everybody will look there first.

Even if you sell trashy shit, you need a beautiful sign.

Remo, go play somewhere else. Come on!

The little bastards dust it up!

Mom, don't bother going. He'll come anyway.

Mind your own business!

-Let's ask grandpa for money. -And if he doesn't agree?

-Where are you going? -Chicks came to the market, Aunt Ceyhan.

Chicks came? On their own?

-What are you folks up to? -All buying cheap chicks.

-Chicks? -Yes.

If they were cheap hens there would be a stampede.

Kino, I'm busy, get off.

Come on, Emin. One more spin.

-Only one more for today! -Okay then.

What can I do? I'll have to settle for what's left. Here, take the money.

This is being dishonest.

Nobody tells me there are chicks in the city. Give it to me.

Friendship is dead now. I might have bought two whole crates.

-Durmuş, can we go now? -There's no hurry.

They won't realize it before at least one month passes.

-Get ready. -Okay, sir.

JUSTICE PARTY REGIONAL CHAIRMAN

-What's that? -What?

-A bird or what? -Right, chairman.

-It's a dove. -Have you completely lost it?

What's a dove doing on a Justice Party sign?

-Why not? -It's Ecevit's bird!

It's mine.

Get rid of it now!

No. It's my logo. Give me my money, Latif. The bus will come in a minute.

Sezgin, get rid of the bird!

How do I explain the bird to Mr. Süleyman at the inauguration?

İso, Veysi, remove the bird!

You do it! Stick to theft and extortion!

Why did the mayor kick you out?

If I drew Latif and Sezgin,

nobody would tell me to get rid of those animals.

They wanted one horse, then two. I did them all.

They wanted its tail to look down, so I fixed it.

Ecevit's bird? No, it's my bird!

Stop that right now, you bastards!

Rotten bastards!

Ecevit's bird? No way! It's my bird!

Where's the bus, mayor?

How do I know, Siti? Am I on it?

-Dad, can I go meet my friends? -Sure, off you go.

Hi, guys.

It's coming. The bus is coming!

Stop. Where is your report card? A deal's a deal.

No getting off the bus without top marks.

-He's got them. -Congratulations!

Now you deserve a great vacation.

-Good boy! -Here you go, Mr. Chairman.

-Hi, guys! -Welcome, Mahmut.

-Welcome. -Hey, Kino. What's up?

-Yilo, we got some chicks. -How many?

Look.

Come on. You can look at them at home.

-I bring greetings from Diyarbakır. -Thank you.

Greetings, comrades.

-Kino, did you read your books? -Yes, Mahmut.

What do we do now, Güner?

-We'll see. -See what?

Welcome to our city.

I'm Emin. Some call me "Crazy Emin" or "Visiontele Emin".

Crazy Emin? My name is Tuba.

-What? Tuğba? -Tuba. No g in the middle.

There is no need. Tuba, what a wonderful name.

Sounds like dessert. Two scoops of Tuba, please.

You're so tall.

Give him money to get rid of him.

Get rid of me? Why? I'm not selling anything.

Know a place to drink tea?

-The municipal garden. -Look, there is a municipal garden.

-Wonderful! -I'll take you there.

Did you come here to drink tea?

The red carpet treatment! Met by the retard of the village.

God help us!

-Was Rıfat's military base green? -Green, mom, and very beautiful.

What trees are there? Any poplars?

Which are poplars? The tall ones?

Yes, their leaves rustle in the wind like a song.

Go on.

Rıfat loved the rustling. Our village had many poplars.

-They lulled him to sleep as a child. -Yılmaz!

Let him eat, Siti.

Come over here, my boy.

This meal is in the honor of my grandson.

-Welcome, Yilo. -Thanks, Uncle Casım.

Yılmaz is the only kid from our village going to boarding school. That is hard.

If he was as lazy as the others, it would be horrible.

I get top grades.

-A's in nine out of eleven classes. -Don't brag.

Rıfat! These two barely pass, even here. Take Aykut for instance.

Aykut failed in four classes. In Ankara he'd be expelled.

Grandpa, can we have meat?

Sure, you will.

We have guests!

-Welcome. -Don't bother.

-Please, join us. -I told them you'd say that.

-I told them you'd help out. -Come on in.

-This way. -Come on in.

This is Tuba. Without the g in the middle.

-Güner was exiled here, sir. -They transferred us here.

Exiled, promoted by transfer, one or the other or both.

Want to freshen up first? Ceyhan, show them the bath.

-Fero, get some tea. -Tuba, you like some tea?

-I don't drink tea, thanks. -I'd like some. Thanks.

Thanks.

I'd like some, too.

-Welcome. -Thanks.

-Welcome. -Thanks.

-Welcome. -Thanks.

-Welcome. -Thanks.

-Welcome. -Casım!

-So you were appointed here? -Yes.

The district leader is on leave so there was no welcoming committee.

No. He called in sick. That's what he said.

What will be your position, Mr. Güner?

The new director of the library.

-Library? -Director of the library?