Boats Out of Watermelon Rinds

Boats Out of Watermelon Rinds (2004)

Genres - Drama  |   Sub-Genres - Childhood Drama  |   Run Time - 97 min.  |   Countries - Turkey  |   MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Jason Buchanan

Two young boys find their modest childhood dreams taking a backseat to their growing ambition as filmmakers in director Ahmet Ulucay's semi-autobiographical childhood drama. Recep (Ismail Hakki Taslak) and Mehmet (Kadir Kaymaz) are two best friends from Tepecik. It's the 1960s, and the Turkish film industry is thriving. There are over two dozen film studios operating throughout the country, though Recep and Mehmet have yet to discover the wonders of celluloid. Recep has entered into an apprenticeship with a local watermelon vendor, while Mehmet is training under the tutelage of a domineering barber. Later, the curious pair happens across a local movie theater that frequently discards worn down film reels. Before long, the boys are collecting the discarded films and screening them in an abandoned shed for Crazy Omer, the village idiot. With no projector at their disposal and only a rudimentary understanding of the filmmaking process, Recep and Mehmet decide that the only means of escaping a life of small-town drudgery is to become famous film directors. Their quest for fame is complicated, however, when Recep begins courting Nihal, an insolent older girl from the neighboring town. Will Recep and Nihal's ambitious dreams prove their ticket to success, or could something as simple as puppy love be all it takes to send the boys reeling in the completely wrong direction.

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Keywords

film, friendship, movie, Turkey