(Damn, I guess I went to all the wrong places when I was in Istanbul, because the sexiest thing I came back with was a HARD ROCK CAFÉ ISTANBUL t-shirt…)
CAST: Alessandro Gassman, Francesca D’Aloja, Mehmet Gunsur, Sarif Sezer, Halil Ergun, Basak Koklukaya.
DIRECTOR: Ferzam Ozpetek
WARNING: Some SPOILERS and classy Italian/Turkish BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN antics straight ahead…
When I was selecting the line-up for our Valentine’s Celebration, I wanted to pick the most unlikely romances possible. Obviously, that meant including a couple of gay romances. For “Lesbian Romance” I chose the recommendation KISSING JESSICA STEIN (review # 243), which explored what happens when a straight NYC career girl, tired of being dicked (pardon the pun) around by men, consciously chooses to explore a same-sex relationship with a sleek art gallery owner, hoping another woman will give her the emotional satisfaction that someone with a penis can’t.
For the choice of “Gay Male Romance,” I struggled a bit. I’d already chosen KISS ME, GUIDO (review # 241) as an example of “Unexpected Bromance” - and since its characters end up being best friends and not lovers, it was not a comparable film to KISSING JESSICA STEIN. I was about to go with the obvious choice of BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN… until I discovered, quite by chance, another similarly-themed flick that is far better in my book: the lovely, wonderfully sensual, and elegantly understated STEAM, THE TURKISH BATH.
If you were to go by its title, you’d be forgiven for thinking STEAM was the latest in glossy gay porn. How wrong you’d be. Yes, STEAM’s title implies, at first, a carnal adventure that simply isn’t what this movie is about. But, upon further reflection, one realizes that STEAM is an apt title for this film, which is more about sensuality than sex. After all, what is more sensual than the sight of drifting tendrils of steam that caress the body like a lover’s touch? And believe me when I say there’s a huge difference between sensuality and sex. In the end, that’s what STEAM is about: characters who discover their sensual side - but in a way that is never cheap or sleazy. Their discoveries are powered by emotion - not their libidos. And, ironically, there is nothing sexier than that.
Our plot revolves around a married Italian couple living in Rome. They are Francesco (Alessandro Gassman) and Marta (Francesca D’Aloja), one of those high-powered couples that are partners both at work and at home. They own some kind of design business that leaves them constantly stressed out and sniping at each other. And as if this isn’t enough to contend with, Francesco gets a telegram from Turkey stating an old aunt of his who emigrated to Istanbul has passed away - and he needs to travel there to sort out her estate.
He and Marta fight about this, as well. But, before you know it, Francesco is on his way to Istanbul - alone. Arriving in Turkey, he discovers that his aunt left him an inheritance which includes a Hammam - or “Turkish Bath.” The Hammam has fallen into disrepair and hasn’t seen any action (no pun intended) in years. While Francesco sorts out his dead aunt’s affairs, he gets to know the Turkish family that cared for her and whom she taught how to speak Italian. They are: (1) Osman (Halil Ergun), father; (2) Perran (Sarif Sezer), mother; (3) Fusun (Basak Koklukaya), daughter; and (4) Mehmet (Mehmet Gunsur), son.
Eventually, Francesco discovers his aunt’s letters to his mother in Italy, who sent them all back to Turkey without opening them because of some undisclosed falling out between the two women. As he reads them, he discovers Istanbul had a calming effect on his aunt - and she felt she belonged there more than anywhere else in the world. Soon, Francesco finds himself falling under the same spell. Soon, he decides not to sell the Hammam as he originally planned. Instead, he chooses to renovate it - and possibly remain in Istanbul for good.
What does this mean for Francesco’s marriage to Marta? And what happens when Francesco finds himself inexplicably drawn to Mehmet? What do all those meaningful glances convey? Are they falling in love? Is this more than friendship? And what happens when Marta shows up in Istanbul quite unexpectedly? Will she discover what is gong on between Francesco and Mehmet? How will she react? And, out of the three of them, who will be the one who will truly be transformed by everything that has happened?
Hard to say. But if there ever was a reason to book a flight to Istanbul right now, it is this movie…
BUT, EVEN MORE SERIOUSLY: As you can see, I eschewed my usual sardonic tongue-in-cheek breakdown of the film’s plot. That’s because STEAM’s story is such an expectedly lovely thing of beauty that mocking it would do it such a disservice. In fact, the major pleasure of watching STEAM is seeing the unexpected turns it takes in telling its story about the unpredictability of love and life - and how both often happen while we are making other plans.
But STEAM is more than just about the unexpected love for another person. It’s also about the unexpected love for a place. Francesco’s aunt, Francesco himself, and - ultimately - Marta, are all transformed by the gentle rhythms of the city of Istanbul, and become better people because of it.
And that’s all I’m going to say, apart from the fact that Alessandro Gassman, Francesca D’Aloja, and Mehmet Gunsur are all terrific as the central triangle of Francesco, Marta, and Mehmet. Because I want you folks to discover this movie on your own. Oh, and the musical score is absolutely haunting. In fact, as soon as I finished watching this film for the first time, it wasn’t long after I ran out, found, and bought the original score. To call it exceedingly lovely somehow is just not enough. It perfectly captures the melancholy unpredictability of this film, which is both a romance between two men - and between a man, a woman, and the city that touches their souls quite unexpectedly.
In the end, STEAM is a valentine not just to male/male romances everywhere, but also to the love that exists between people and the places that forever become a part of their minds and hearts. In this movie, for Francesco and Marta, that place was Istanbul. And there is no comparison between STEAM and BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN. The latter, while moving and very good, is simply not as unforgettable as this film. This movie lingers in the memory like... steam in a turkish bath.
