Quartile rating: 8/10 · 1 rating
In the streets of Istanbul, ailing waste warehouse worker Mehmet takes a small boy under his wing and must soon confront his own traumatic childhood.
Paper Lives is a Turkish drama that benefits from a deeply committed lead performance that anchors the emotional weight of the story. The Istanbul street setting provides texture, but the narrative of a troubled man redeeming himself through a vulnerable child follows a fairly well-worn template in social realist cinema. The cinematography is functional and gritty without being particularly distinctive. The ending is emotionally resonant but somewhat predictable given the trajectory. Novelty is low as the mentor-child bonding arc in an urban poverty setting has been explored extensively in world cinema.