By Michael Colford
Rating: 2.5 cats
Director: Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay
Starring: Cem Göktas | Deniz Orta | Firat Baris Ar | Mikael Bajrami | Zejhun Demirov
Country: germany
Year: 2019
Running time: 100
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7807036/reference
Michael says: “I love seeing films about cultures I know little about. I love learning about different ways of life in a way that seems non-judgmental and authentic. ORAY, is a German film, about a Turkish, Muslim man, an ex-convict, who is trying to get his life back in order, both with his wife and his Islamic community. Trouble is, Oray is a bit of a hothead, and during a quarrel with his wife, he says something that the Islamic faith takes pretty seriously. His wife is not devout, so she doesn’t understand the implications, but Oray does, and in trying to follow his faith and live a spiritual life, he finds himself in a difficult situation where he must separate from his wife for a minimum of three months. The separation is actually good for Oray, as he moves to Cologne and starts getting his life in order. He sees his wife occasionally, and their separation seems to have rekindled their love for one another. The problem is, Oray hasn’t completely honest with himself… and the consequences for his relationship could be much more dire than he thought.
“There are some things about ORAY I really enjoyed, particularly learning things about a new culture. But writer/director Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay struggles with the pacing, and uses far too many close-ups, relying on the rather inscrutable expression on lead actor Zejhun Demirov’s face to inform us of what’s going on. Although nicely shot, there is a little self-indulgence of the first-time feature present, which is a shame, because it could have been a really compelling film.”