Mehmet’s internal frustration with his boss is rarely expressed in words, but an exceptionally pained performance from Ihsan Önal manages to discern those frustrations facially. While well-acted across the board—with Gül Arici’s graceful portrayal of Yasemin being the standout—the performances are complemented by Ufuk Bildibay’s elaborate production design. Through the use of claustrophobic hallways and begrimed, multi-colored rooms tailored to enhance the characters’ distinctive woe, Bildibay’s production design yields a peculiarly lifeless environment where Mehmet can wander and probe the corrupted, new reality unfolding before him.
On the other hand, the wide-eyed Yasemin refuses to listen to her parents and settle down with a government official they had arranged for her. The film’s pulsating, if somewhat meandering conclusion, brims with tension as Yasemin aspires to evade her oppressors through a series of chilling hallways and stairways—it’s gripping, to say the least, just not as thematically compelling as it should be.
“…madcap film prospers on its eerie visuals, measured panic, and sheer ambition…”
Orcun Behram’s madcap film prospers on its eerie visuals, measured panic, and sheer ambition, seeing how it boldly draws attention to the potentially bleak future of media. The monopolization of media is a vital concern that is prevalent everywhere, but especially Turkey, where the fate of independent media appears increasingly tragic. That being said, the political underpinning is somewhat muddled by visual grandeur: faceless figures and shadowy hallways with TVs glued to the walls are surreal visuals to behold, but the film’s messages get lost in the mix.
The Antenna’s use of symbolism, practical effects, and sound is undoubtedly conspicuous yet sufficient. From Ismail Hakki Hafiz’s textured sound design to Engin Ozkaya’s richly sober cinematography and to Can Demirci’s tense score, The Antenna is an admirable and deeply moody feature debut. But with every debut (or every film), there are missteps.
Orcun Behram’s inability to truly flesh out the characters and their creeping anxieties debilitate the film’s later moments wherein the goo eats away at the characters. Be that as it may, Orcun Behram’s The Antenna is a spellbinding horror film that scarily communicates the dread behind controlled media and why we should fear it.
"…magnifies our fears of governmental censorship and controlled media..."
