SLAMDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2026 REVIEW! Turkish writer/director Melik Kuru’s Dump of Untitled Pieces follows Asli (Manolya Maya), an aspiring photographer. Her manager, Murat (Ekremcan Arslandağ), just so happens to also be her deadbeat roommate. We follow the two as they navigate Istanbul’s art market, attempting to sell Asli’s work to galleries without success. As time goes on and eviction becomes imminent, Asli and Murat take increasingly bold stances to disrupt and upset the established order of Istanbul’s collapsing art market.
Foreign films can be challenging for some American audiences to understand and appreciate. This can be due to a lack of mainstream appeal, historical context, or poor translation. Despite this, Kuru’s comedic drama not only overcomes these hurdles but thrives as an engaging and entertaining film that criticizes the fake intellectualism so often found in art culture. The plot is enticing enough on its own, but it is brought to an entirely new level by Maya and Arslandağ’s acting chops. Maya brings her A-game, making Asli’s actions and motivations feel real and grounded. Her relationship with Murat is genuinely complex and engrossing. Arslandağ is equally great; when Murat gets the chance to shine, he commands every scene he’s in.
“As time goes on and eviction becomes imminent, Asli and Murat take increasingly bold stances to disrupt and upset the established order of Istanbul’s collapsing art market.“
The cinematography is pristine. Every shot is framed beautifully. The camera work is clean, and the monochromatic color scheme gives the film the charming sense of a period piece. All of this is aided by Efe Demiral’s superb score. The aura makes the film seem like it came straight out of the early days of cinema, yet the music still feels perfectly at home in a story set nearly a century later. While the narrative can feel slightly overindulgent at times, particularly when it leans more into its meta aspects, it still works well and fits with the themes Kuru aims for.
Kuru strikes gold with Dump of Entitled Pieces. His film serves not only as a scathing critique of pretentious art culture, but also as a phenomenal day-in-the-life story about an unseen artist struggling to fit into a world that burdens her at every turn. The film is a powerful, riveting masterpiece.
The Dump of Untitled Pieces screened at the Slamdance Film Festival.
"…a powerful, riveting masterpiece."
