Aus der Ferne

Images of a journey through Turkey in 2005, from Istanbul and Ankara eastwards to almost the Iranian border: everyday street scenes, people in railway station concourses and on marketplaces, long car trips, military checks, imposing wide landscapes and, time and again, (school) children. Arslan, who spent four years in Ankara as a child and returned to his father's homeland to make this documentary film after more than 20 years, sees himself as an external observer, as characterized by the recurring motif of looking out of a window. Only in one conversation with his aunt does he become more personal. In sparse off-screen comments, the director, who also operated the camera himself, provides brief geographical or historical information. From many snapshots, a concentrated portrait of Turkey emerges. (bik)