Steam: The Turkish Bath

Rating:
Summary: The Power of Steam
Review:
What a remarkable film is Steam. Beautiful to watch, thought provoking and gently paced. Francesco's journey of the soul removes him from a marriage on the rocks in Italy, and places him in Istanbul, where he goes about settling his deceased aunt's properties left to him, including a long neglected Hamam - a Turkish Bath he tries to sell. Francesco resists spending time with his extended Istanbul family, until he stumbles upon a pile of letters from his aunt to his mother, marked "return to sender. " The cause of the riff between sisters is never revealed (but the story offers plenty of fodder for guessing). When Francesco learns of a plan to level the community to make way for an enormous billion dollar commerce center he decides to remain in Istanbul and he and the family begin painstakingly restoring the Hamam.

A love story ensues (as may be garnered from the cover) as the marriage between Francesco and Marta dissolves. Marta could easily have been left "as is" but halfway through the film we get to see a little from her side and realize she and Francesco are on separate journeys.

Too much hype and sensationalism has been made over the gay angle of the film (there is but a single kiss and no real nudity save Francesco's peak at a couple of beautiful women in an adjoining Hamam). The love story is tasteful and seems like a natural course for Francesco's life to take as he enters a new world, why not a new life?

The film doesn't offer much preparation for its shocking finale, which comes rather abrubtly and unapologetically, but director Ferzan Ozpetekt makes sense of it all.

Steam film moves at a wonderful pace and is a glorious piece of filmmaking. Highly recommended.


Rating:
Summary: Strange and haunting
Review: "Steam" is a leisurely sort of film as, I suppose, befits a story about a hamam or Turkish bath. It's about a retreat from the expectations of the world. The erotic elements of the film only underscore this retreat, so when Francesco discovers his bi/homosexuality, it's not so much a revelation about his true nature, as just another stop on his journey to self-discovery.

If I have a problem with the film, it's that the focus seems uncertain. So much of it is about Francesco, and yet, at the end, it's clear that the truest connection exists between his dead aunt and his wife. They are the kindred spirits, and he is ultimately the agent that brought them together. And because so much of the film is focused on Francesco, I felt a little cheated by this, not only for his sake, but for the sake of his wife, Marta, who seems particularly unsympathetic almost to the end of the film. And that ending seems rushed to me, as if suddenly the director had run out of film and he still had this whole story to tell about Marta and her experience of the hamam and life in Istanbul.

That said, I'd still recommend the film. It's lovely to watch, and a thoughtful story about what's important in life.

Rating:
Summary: Magnificent film
Review: "Steam" is yet another film ("American Beauty" and "Fight Club") which examines our lack of fulfillment in conventional society. "Steam" sets itself apart by being life-affirming; though not a "happy" film in the American sense, it shows that happiness through pursuit of one's desires is possible.

Those hoping to see an expensive porn movie will be disappointed, though it is not lacking in eroticism due to the superb acting (those stares!) and location.

Rating:
Summary: For real film lovers.
Review: "Hammam". Look deep into a world of history, memories and fantasy... Istanbul, the big chaotic city of today... gets back to its origins in the old "Hammam"'s steam.
Two European, young mind taken by the exotic atmosphere of the city will help you penetrate into the big city's oriental heart still beating today.
The sountrack is also remarkable.

Rating:
Summary: Strange and haunting
Review: "Steam" is a leisurely sort of film as, I suppose, befits a story about a hamam or Turkish bath. It's about a retreat from the expectations of the world. The erotic elements of the film only underscore this retreat, so when Francesco discovers his bi/homosexuality, it's not so much a revelation about his true nature, as just another stop on his journey to self-discovery.

If I have a problem with the film, it's that the focus seems uncertain. So much of it is about Francesco, and yet, at the end, it's clear that the truest connection exists between his dead aunt and his wife. They are the kindred spirits, and he is ultimately the agent that brought them together. And because so much of the film is focused on Francesco, I felt a little cheated by this, not only for his sake, but for the sake of his wife, Marta, who seems particularly unsympathetic almost to the end of the film. And that ending seems rushed to me, as if suddenly the director had run out of film and he still had this whole story to tell about Marta and her experience of the hamam and life in Istanbul.

That said, I'd still recommend the film. It's lovely to watch, and a thoughtful story about what's important in life.

Rating:
Summary: Magnificent film
Review: "Steam" is yet another film ("American Beauty" and "Fight Club") which examines our lack of fulfillment in conventional society. "Steam" sets itself apart by being life-affirming; though not a "happy" film in the American sense, it shows that happiness through pursuit of one's desires is possible.

Those hoping to see an expensive porn movie will be disappointed, though it is not lacking in eroticism due to the superb acting (those stares!) and location.

Rating:
Summary: Steam: The Turkish Bath
Review: ...

What I enjoyed most about STEAM was glimpsing into a depiction of native life in a typical Turkish neighborhood. I was absorbed in the dynamics that propelled this typical Turkish family and appreciated the sense of community they established with the people around them inside and outside their front door, often using food and the rituals surrounding it as a bridge for communication. Music, vocal and instrumental, also features in this story. All in all, I found the story to be enticingly exotic.

Clearly, the main theme of the film has little to do with the Americanized, romanticized, eroticized idea of bath houses. Rather, it's all about how a change of scenery (more specifically, a cultural transplant) can spark personal understanding and change. The main couple, Francesco and Marta, bring home the bacon by working as architects and interior designers. They make things look nice. Their lives are largely superficial, including how they interact with one another in Italy. Francesco is physically beautiful, but Turkey and learning more about his late aunt proves him to be kind and painfully sentimental, too. Marta is thoroughly modern, but she eventually proves that she's nowhere near as shallow as she appears at first flush.

My favorite scenes are those that occur between Marta and her husband's lover. They barely speak a word to each other, but there's no question of what each is thinking.

I admit that I didn't adore this film, but I think it's redeeming qualities far outnumber its faults. In fact, its only glaring fault is a plot twist involving Francesco near the end of the film.

STEAM is a softly drawn, sometimes abstract story. If you don't enjoy filling in some of the blanks for yourself or if you equate the word "sensual" with "sexy,", then you should probably avoid STEAM and seek out lighter fare that requires less work or thought from the viewer.

Rating:
Summary: A very nice, subtle, erotic movie.
Review: A film that subtly takes the viewer on a magicly ride to Turkey. Entracing and hypnotic, the film draws the viewer into the place and setting with a nice european filming style. It leaves you feeling as entranced with the counrty, as the charcters in the movie. Great film!

Rating:
Summary: Spine-tingling
Review: Anyone who has either ever been to Turkey or feels run into the ground by their every day life and dreams of more will love this film. It reminds us of what is important in life. Those basic values. It also shows how the magic of a place can get into your soul and never leave you... The soundtrack only adds to this...

Rating:
Summary: Nostalgia
Review: As far as I know this movie was promoted in abroad by focusing its romantic gay relationship but It means a lot to me. As a Turk who lives in Istanbul, movie reminded me what we are losing as time passes by. Relations, values and beautiful Istanbul. It is totally a nostalgie movie which can bore most of the people who are get used to see action movies since it is a so relaxing movie. Scenario just reflects the Turkish life and the diverse cultural heritage of Istanbul. The locations that are seen in the movie are not movie sets but the districts of the old city where you can still feel the past with its architecture and religous places.