Somersault in a Coffin

No one knew who Dervis Zaim was when his low-budget début Somersault in a Coffin came out in 1996, but he was soon to become a household name for young Turkish-film enthusiasts who liked the film’s cutting-edge verité style and idiosyncratic narrative. Its leading character Mahsun is the archetypal forsaken loser; he wanders adrift in a village on the Bosphorus, stealing automobiles to have a warm night’s sleep. Occasionally he gets caught by the police and receives a well-rounded beating. But Mahsun is a gentle soul, he is loyal to his fellow squatters, he even makes a sentimental tribute of drinking good wine to a departed outcast. And then there is the mysterious beautiful lady addicted to heroin, for whom he harbours genuine feelings. Hearing that the nearby historic castle will be exhibiting peacocks as an attraction, he decides to kidnap one of the birds; perhaps it symbolizes the bountiful life which he can never access. A compassionate portrayal of individuals that society deems to be the ‘other’, Somersault in a Coffin is at once absurd, down-to-earth, comical, sentimental, up-lifting and bleak. Supported by a boisterous soundtrack from ethnic-experimental Turkish band Baba Zula, this début not only confirmed Dervis Zaim’s talent as a film maker but also influenced a handful of independent Turkish films produced over the next decade. (EY)

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