Tucker & Sophie's film review: Kedi
My colleagues at work know me to be....a major cat lover.
A crazy cat lady?
Whatever they call it, they all know....I love cats. On my desk in my office are photos of: Tyler, Tiger, and Jackson. On my wall is a calendar I made last year with photos of my cats. The background on my desktop of my MacBook Pro is a very recent pic of Tucker sleeping.
Get the picture? I'm a cat person.
Anyway, one of my colleagues recently recommended I check out a little film called Kedi.
"Watch the trailer," he said. "It's right up your alley."
Kedi? That's Turkish for.....you guessed it.
Cats.
The trailer was....needless to say.....adorable.
YouTube Red acquired the rights to stream this movie, which was in theaters in late 2016 early 2017. Apparently it's also the third highest grossing foreign language documentary ever.
I mean, it's about cats, no wonder!
With all this in mind, Tucker, Sophie, Ashley and I curled up together to check out Kedi at home this past week on our Apple TV.
Kedi explores.....Kedi. Specifically, the numerous street cats that call Istanbul, Turkey their home. Istanbul and cats have a long storied past together. Back in Ottoman times, Istanbul being a major port city, attracted ships from all over the world for trade. Ships have always been known to keep cats aboard to keep down the rat problem. When those ships would dock in Istanbul.....the cats would leave ship for dry land.
The rest is feline history.
Kedi follows 7 specific cats and how their lives intertwine with the people of Istanbul: Sari, Duman, Bengü, Aslan Parçasi, Gamsiz , Psikopat and Deniz. These cats have their neighborhoods they call their territory, and claim the streets as their home. They live in local stores, local homes, and the residents of those neighborhoods have come to know and love these cats. They care for them, feed them, love them, and the cats are one of them. The residents LOVE these cats, and the cats know it. Many a citizen that was interviewed for the film admired the cats for their confidence, sense of self, and for their care-free, freedom loving nature. From sitting with people in local cafes and bakeries, to ridding a port-side restaurant of a rat problem, the cats "earn their keep" and are respected and loved for it.
Cats and the people of Istanbul are one and the same.
I had no idea. Neither did Tucker.
We both LOVED this film.
Beautifully shot, frequently from the street level perspective of the cats themselves, it made me want to take the next flight to Istanbul. These are not starving, filthy, ignored felines. These cats are CITIZENS. They live in Istanbul, and, to me, make Istanbul what it is and gives it a charm I did not realize it had. To see how the people of Istanbul not only love these cats, but cannot imagine the city without them, made my heart swell and brought me joy.
Every time a cat on film would meow, or make any sound, Tucker was wide awake, glued to the TV screen. Even Sophie, who does not normally react to TV, was watching.
Sophie and Tucker give Kedi five stars.
Check out more about Kedi at their website: https://www.kedifilm.com
A crazy cat lady?
Whatever they call it, they all know....I love cats. On my desk in my office are photos of: Tyler, Tiger, and Jackson. On my wall is a calendar I made last year with photos of my cats. The background on my desktop of my MacBook Pro is a very recent pic of Tucker sleeping.
Get the picture? I'm a cat person.
Anyway, one of my colleagues recently recommended I check out a little film called Kedi.
"Watch the trailer," he said. "It's right up your alley."
Kedi? That's Turkish for.....you guessed it.
Cats.
The trailer was....needless to say.....adorable.
YouTube Red acquired the rights to stream this movie, which was in theaters in late 2016 early 2017. Apparently it's also the third highest grossing foreign language documentary ever.
I mean, it's about cats, no wonder!
With all this in mind, Tucker, Sophie, Ashley and I curled up together to check out Kedi at home this past week on our Apple TV.
Kedi explores.....Kedi. Specifically, the numerous street cats that call Istanbul, Turkey their home. Istanbul and cats have a long storied past together. Back in Ottoman times, Istanbul being a major port city, attracted ships from all over the world for trade. Ships have always been known to keep cats aboard to keep down the rat problem. When those ships would dock in Istanbul.....the cats would leave ship for dry land.
The rest is feline history.
Kedi follows 7 specific cats and how their lives intertwine with the people of Istanbul: Sari, Duman, Bengü, Aslan Parçasi, Gamsiz , Psikopat and Deniz. These cats have their neighborhoods they call their territory, and claim the streets as their home. They live in local stores, local homes, and the residents of those neighborhoods have come to know and love these cats. They care for them, feed them, love them, and the cats are one of them. The residents LOVE these cats, and the cats know it. Many a citizen that was interviewed for the film admired the cats for their confidence, sense of self, and for their care-free, freedom loving nature. From sitting with people in local cafes and bakeries, to ridding a port-side restaurant of a rat problem, the cats "earn their keep" and are respected and loved for it.
Cats and the people of Istanbul are one and the same.
I had no idea. Neither did Tucker.
We both LOVED this film.
Beautifully shot, frequently from the street level perspective of the cats themselves, it made me want to take the next flight to Istanbul. These are not starving, filthy, ignored felines. These cats are CITIZENS. They live in Istanbul, and, to me, make Istanbul what it is and gives it a charm I did not realize it had. To see how the people of Istanbul not only love these cats, but cannot imagine the city without them, made my heart swell and brought me joy.
Every time a cat on film would meow, or make any sound, Tucker was wide awake, glued to the TV screen. Even Sophie, who does not normally react to TV, was watching.
Sophie and Tucker give Kedi five stars.
Check out more about Kedi at their website: https://www.kedifilm.com
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