Hamam
Francesco stays at the Pera Palace Hotel, the same where Agatha Christie wrote one of her novels.,Perran: Go like water. Come back like water.,Ending credits roll from top to bottom, the reverse of what is usually done.,Istanbul uyurken (Tema di
Hamam")"
Written by Pivio and Aldo De Scalzi
Performed by Trancendental with vocals from Rosie Wiederkehr,I agree with those who comment that marketing this as a gay film is an indulgence in false pretenses, but I and my friends have enjoyed this thoughtful, beautifully filmed parable of self-discovery as a parable for the coming-out process. The vagueness and the fact that so much of the story is told through glances, gazes, and shimmering vistas of Old Istanbul means that everyone can bring their own story along with them to illuminate the hints and nuances of this remarkable film.

The ensemble performances were very powerful, and I honestly couldn't find any false notes here, though the atmosphere of Mediterranean melodrama at the film's sudden and somewhat awkwardly contrived conclusion seemed a little heavy and perhaps unnecessary as an ending to the serenity of the film as a whole.

I quite liked the music, and I enjoyed the director's eye for everyday details in a landscape that is very exotic to a North American filmgoer--reminiscent of The Scent of Green Papaya, or Raise the Red Lantern.,