Not Knowing (2019) User Reviews

Excellent allusive film

[laduqesa · 8/10 · 12 July 2022]

The title "Not Knowing" is germane. We never actually know if Umut is gay or not just as we don't know the result of the visit to the police station at the end of the film. We are never told if Dad is having an affair with his (ex) secretary or if Mum might have one with her old lawyer friend. The film alludes to its subject matter and themes in way that maintains tension and interest.

Some parts of the first half dragged a bit but nowhere near enough for a viewer to lose interest. The second half picked up pace and there was genuine emotion being provoked after Umut's departure.

This was a film set amongst cosmopolitan city people - it seems unlikely that some of the ideas and morality prevalent amongst the adults would have been acceptable in rural Anatolia. The teens were just like nasty teens anywhere - they perceived a weakness and pounced on it. Even in the most trendy schoolyards of London "gayboy" is a favoured term of abuse.

This film was a real spellbinder - there wasn't a moment where one felt the need to look at the clock. The mark would have been a nine were it not for the few scenes a third of the way through that had seemed a bit slow.

About time.....

[Caribtony · 8/10 · 4 May 2022]

I found this movie intriguing although the first half moved slowly. The storyline took a turn I didn't see coming, and actually addressed a major problem that plagues not only the LGBT community, it's also a general issue that is rarely focused on in film. I thought the acting was solid, and the ending well thought out. Makes you think......

There's just no excuse and it should be a crime

[mujacko2002 · 8/10 · 20 December 2021]

Its nice to discover such film exists in Turkey but they need to catch up with the rest of the world. Although it was not clear if the male lead is gay because he did not categorically answered the question instead his words are situational but what is important is that bullying in all levels and forms is wrong and should be dealt with the full extent of the law.

main topic is good but...

[erendemirkapi · 7/10 · 15 August 2022]

Even though the main theme was gay bullying, the emphasis on refugees in the background was not good and some of the acting was mediocre. Aside from everything else, such topics are especially important for our country's film industry.

the others

[ozgurbaskaya · 9/10 · 20 July 2020]

Why are we so harsh to the others? why are we bullying, discriminating, insulting others who are different? Why are we such bad creatures? Are we born filled with hatred or just do the majority at work, home, school etc intervene the others life in order to destroy and find something to hate? A great movie with adorable acting and scenario that makes you feel uncomfortable. I do suggest every turkish parents to watch it, so they could understand how do they dream?

Great Subject, Poor Performances

[yanghenry41 · 5/10 · 30 October 2021]

This film was very uneven, and I really place the lion's share of the blame at the feet of the lead actor, who I felt was very unconvincing. The story is good, and the way the homophobia and prejudice tears the family apart is very effective, but I hit such a wall with the acting, unfortunately. I'm delighted this Turkish film exists, though. If you want to see a GREAT queer Turkish film, however, run don't walk to Love, Spells, and All That!

You don't know your children

[maximefo · 8/10 · 13 October 2022]

Powerful (and cathartic) movie on the classic topic of bullying.

It's also an audacious critique of social norms and hypocrisy in contemporary Turkish society. Not much happens with the plot but what matters is the rendition of an atmosphere of suffocation. The film is also very brave for its treatment of sexual minorities in a homophobic country. We need more parents to watch movies like Not Knowing. They have the best intentions but add too much pressure when support and empathy are urgently needed.

The movie reminded me of The Swimmer (Adam Kalderon, 2021) for the omnipresence of the swimming pool and the brutal dynamics between the athletes.

Inhuman behavior

[lamppika · 10/10 · 11 August 2022]

Yes human kind is the worst species in the world.

Umut is successful young man who is bullied (for being gay) by his classmates, name calling, emotional and mental abuse that leads casting him out of the water polo team (we dont know and movie doesnt really reveal his identity) he tries to resist as he can but... Yet movie finished and we dont know whereabouts of him. We dont know whether hes is alive or not. And of course media labeling him as a Gay even though nobody really knows if he is/was a gay or not.

Acceptance

[chacrolamqui · 8/10 · 31 December 2023]

The question the swimming coach should have asked the leader of the bullies who want Umut banned from showering and undressing with them is "Isn't the problem really that you yourself can't cope with the feelings the sight of his naked body arouse in you? Isn't that why you want him out of your sight?" As to the other team members who side with the leader, they are just scared of being accused of being gay themselves if they don't go along with wanting the ban. Being gay is still that difficult to accept.... This said, I'm not sure Umut's total silence is justified by the plot - at least, even, where his mother is concerned. But apart from that it's a well-made film, it's Turkish setting is a refreshing change, and Umut is beautiful.

Who Knows?

[EdgarST · 8/10 · 14 April 2024]

The issue of harassment and abuse of adolescents and children is sometimes blurred in the use of the term "bullying," which does not even remotely suggest the spectrum of the action, which can reach intimidation, threats, and torture. It is rarely addressed in a serious manner in world cinema, if we consider the thousands of cases that occur daily in all societies (with film industries). Sometimes a title appears that confronts the audience with a horrifying case, but after a manipulative climax, it returns to the spectators' placid state of inaction. Furthermore, abuse is often so quotidian that it does not make the headlines, or the victims are not even aware of its dramatic effects.

From 2019 is the Turkish production «Not Knowing», a domestic drama written and directed by Leyla Yilmaz that tells the story of Umut, a 17-year-old student who strives to be a good water polo player and win a scholarship to study in the United States. The panorama in his house is not at all placid. It is the typical dysfunctional family, with a father that controls both his wife and Umut, who is their only child. Then suddenly, a new member of the water polo team starts the rumor that Umut is "a faggot", after he defends a boy who is being beaten by schoolmates.

Contrary to what I expected the movie really impressed me. The first half has an observational tone and takes its time to show tense situations that made me question where the story was going, but without losing interest: the father witnessing the layoffs in the private company where he has worked for decades, the mother confronting health and migration issues in the public hospital where she works, the profiles of secondary characters: the sports coach, Umut's best friend, their mates,...

When the action took a dramatic turn, I realized Yilmaz's descriptions of Umut's little world were necessary to who how the "bullying" had a strong impact on the characters, and our perception of the plot. We discover that it is a tale about secret truths, about the relativity of lies and non-truth, about what we are forced to say, and about our right to give no answers, crowned with an ending that is definitely... audacious, I would say. Maybe "audacious" is a slightly exaggerated word, because, in short, «Not Knowing» is a domestic drama about abuse among adolescents, in which Umut is cornered as a victim of rush judgement and harassment, so he takes a decision. However, the ending suddenly gives us a kind of... slap in the face. It does not twist your arm. It simply tells you "Skip the melodrama...".

"Not Knowing" (which the French gave a better title: «A Secret Soul») reminded me of the theme of a play by Australian author Fin Kennedy, but whose title I will not disclose because it could ruin the movie for you. Recommended.