Pop Aye

I have had the chance of seeing this film at 2019 Ankara International Film Festival. The plot offered in the festival pamphlets motivated me into buying tickets for it despite being a complete stranger to the cast & crew and pretty much every other component that made this film possible.

Pop Aye offers its audience the journey of an elephant and a man who experiences various disappointments and a general sense of unhappiness at work and home and becomes sort of weary of everything that shapes his life. I will not disclose the nature of their relationship here, in order to avoid any possible spoilers and because of the fact that I believe what makes you enjoy the film is to discover it yourself as you watch it. Suffice it to say that the man holds the elephant very dear to his heart and I believe, that was the magic of the movie. The interaction between the two, how they witnessed each other's sufferings (physically and mentally) and how they came across very different people with different stories who suffer in various (but somehow similar) ways were the defining features of the film.

Defining this movie as such might make one think that it is sort of a cliche, but it really wasn't and that was the success of the film. I appreciated Kirsten Tan's writing and unique perspective in that sense. Especially, the way she paid attention to the stories told by diverse people was commendable. A road movie is supposed to show different journeys of different people, crossroads and comebacks. Pop Aye, although not to the point of perfection, managed to pull this off.

Saw this at the Rotterdam film festival 2017 (website: iffr.com). Some (not this one) road movies are just an excuse for having no substantial plot, and seem only intended to connect a series of scenes or landscapes that stand out on itself yet without a binding relationship. With Pop Aye, however, this was NOT the case. The events followed each other logically after another, intermixed with some flashbacks that did not distract (that sometimes happens in other movies), but were inserted at places where definitely needed to provide for some background on our main character. A few flashbacks showed relevant situations in his youth, but most were referring to his current relationship with his wife, or it showed why he felt being unneeded in his job along his impression of being superfluous at home.

Our main protagonist changes along the passage of events and under the influence of the people he encounters, providing the story with a beginning and an ending that is believable. He met several extraordinary characters underway to that effect. The landscapes were shot very well too. However, showing beautiful places and unusual people was not the prime purpose of this road movie. The starting point for the situation wherein we meet the architect for the first time, can be recognized as something that can easily happen to all of us. That may not fully apply to the current journey with Pop Aye, but it certainly applies to his recent past as an architect, where he was deemed retarded by colleagues and superiors, often bypassing him when thinking that others were better able to deal with customers. And his "redundancy" at home was also something that can happen to all of us. Buying an elephant, however, is a completely different matter.

The story line is designed very well. It is remarkable that some of the people we encounter in the road movie are re-appearing in later scenes, and thus providing for more connections than our two main protagonists (man and elephant) alone. None of these re-appearances were far-fetched, which is the most surprising thing of all. (Side note: We heard before the screening that this movie got awarded a special mention by the jury in Sundance for best screenplay. Given the above, it is clear that I fully agree.) This movie got also rewarded in Rotterdam by a special non-professional jury of movie lovers, the so-called Big Screen Award, facilitating a theater release and a TV screening. This jury noted "Pop Aye gives hope at a time in which the world got divided more and more".

A middle age architect named Thana buys an elephant and starts travel by road. He leaves home due to some domestic issues with his wife. Along the travel he encounters few quaint characters.

It is clear from beginning that the elephant is a fit metaphor for the protagonist. The movie is recommended for elderly people since there are many instances in which the aging theme is treated. Another sub-theme is dealing with the memories of the past.

Along the way, Thana also encounters greed, ignorance, selfishness or cruelty. Occasionally, there are moments of gratitude and kindness.

One of the characters is a poor man who pretends he is married with a woman that he knew years ago. That reminded me of 'The three burials of Melquiades Estrada', a journey movie that treats similar themes.

The elephant (Pop Aye) itself is cute and smart, as expected. You might learn a few bits about the pachyderm's behaviour. Animal lovers would love it. In conclusion, an enjoyable experience.

The premise is excellent, the execution a little less so. Nevertheless, take a break from vampires, superheroes, billionaires or spies and go to a place where things are just done differently. Very differently. Your life won't be revoltionized, but it's worth your time, or at least it was mine.