Pandora's Box

2008 [TURKISH]

Drama

5
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 80%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 80% · 100 ratings
IMDb Rating 7.1/10 10 3137 3.1K

woman director

Plot summary

When an aging matriarch starts showing signs of dementia, her dysfunctional family in Istanbul must navigate a minefield of unresolved issues to care for her.

Director

Yesim Ustaoglu Photo
Yesim Ustaoglu

Top cast

Derya Alabora Photo
Derya Alabora as Nesrin
Onur Ünsal Photo
Onur Ünsal as Murat
Tsilla Chelton Photo
Tsilla Chelton as Nusret
Tayfun Bademsoy Photo
Tayfun Bademsoy as Faruk
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB
1008.58 MB
1280*720
Turkish 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
25 fps
1 hr 49 min
Seeds ...
1.83 GB
1920*1080
Turkish 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
25 fps
1 hr 49 min
Seeds ...

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by lilianaoana 8 / 10

Good family drama with some nice landscapes and cityscapes

I don't know what Pandora's Box is here, maybe grandma's illness is blowing the siblings' problems wide open. Which it does. And this is most likely an unpopular opinion, but I liked the unpopular sister the most. The others are just selfish and self-involved. She is the one who sacrifices herself for family and of course these people are never popular with others because they never come across as likeable. How could you when you're trying to take care of people against their will and chastising them for living the way they want instead of the way they "should"? Nersin is unhappy herself, in a failed marriage, with a nearly delinquent son who hates her and probably got all the opportunities money can afford, but he won't have any, a sister who clearly dislikes her because she feels judged for her choices and a deadbeat brother who is hopeless, but proud of his lifestyle.So going after grandma and taking care of grandma exposes all these people for who they are. I liked grandma's few moments of lucidity when she reveals painful truths about her family and her true feelings. Her innocent blue eyes and that big white hair, looking at you with the wonder of a child almost.I am torn about Murat. He has all the obnoxious entitlement of youth and the way that he rejects and speaks to his parents is very hurtful. His obstinate refusal of the opportunities his father provides and the bad choices he makes instead can only be a sign of immaturity. He openly disrespects his mother. But somehow he gets attached to grandma and surprisingly he is able to care for her. And make an impossible choice for her sake. The ending scene is the best.I loved all the parts in the mountains and the rustic house. Surprised it has running water though. You'll never find that in Romania.
Reviewed by slowboatmo 8 / 10

a well-rounded movie that captures raw human emotion

For the first comment, you said only the french actress who played the role of the old lady does justice to this movie, I completely disagree. It seems like you put an excessive amount of emphasis on the development of characters as opposed to the storyline and meaning of the movie. First of all, Chelton is supposed to be the central character in this movie while all the other characters play the supporting role. So it goes without saying that she is obliged to outshine the other characters. In my opinion, this is a very well-rounded, touching movie with deep messages. It paints a balancing, beautiful portrait of life in both metropolitan and rural Turkey. It is one of the better foreign movies I have seen in recent years. Each character's performance is so real and down-to-earth that the whole movie feels like a real-life drama, albeit a profound one. One thing I want to add is that this movie never indulges in sexuality like many other foreign movies do so it elevates itself to a higher, more artistic level.
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