Gönül yarasi (Lovelorn) (2005)

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An elderly man falls for a younger woman with a troubled past in this drama from filmmaker Yavuz Turgul. Nazim (Sener Sen) is a teacher who left his native Istanbul to work at a school in a small Kurdish village in Turkey. After 15 years, Nazim retires from his work and returns home, only to find… More An elderly man falls for a younger woman with a troubled past in this drama from filmmaker Yavuz Turgul. Nazim (Sener Sen) is a teacher who left his native Istanbul to work at a school in a small Kurdish village in Turkey. After 15 years, Nazim retires from his work and returns home, only to find Istanbul is a very different place than it was when he went away. Nazim reacquaints himself with several of his old friends, including fellow former academic Takoz (Sumer Tilmac), and when Nazim discovers he's going to have to wait several months before he can begin receiving pension payments, Takoz arranges for him to get a job as a cab driver. As Nazim rides the streets of Istanbul's rougher neighborhoods at night, he makes friends with one of his regular fares, Dunya (Meltem Cumbul), an aspiring nightclub chanteuse. Dunya left her abusive husband, Halil (Timucin Esen), to make her way on her own, taking their young daughter with her, and Nazim feels protective toward the singer and her little girl. However, Halil isn't about to leave his wife without a fight, and things become more difficult when Nazim becomes smitten with Dunya. Lovelorn (aka Gonul Yarasi) received its North American premiere at the 2005 New York Turkish Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi