The screening saw huge participation from many people, both young and old alike. ‘Im Juli’ begins on a hot summer day on a country road. Isa (Mehmet Kurtulus) stops his car by the side of a road and watches a solar eclipse.
When it ends, he opens the car door, and applies bug spray on a dead body that is kept inside a trunk. As he starts driving the car, a hitchhiker asks for a ride but instead gets hit by the car. Isa decides to come back and pick up the injured hitchhiker. Isa, who is heading to Turkey, finds out that the hitchhiker is Daniel (Moritz Bleibtrau), a teacher who is also on his way to Turkey.
He is going there to find a girl called ‘Juli’. Most of the story is then told through flashback.At its core, ‘Im Juli’ is a run-of-the-mill road trip romantic comedy. In many ways, it has the same formula as movies like ‘It Happened One Night’ and ‘The Sure Thing’, wherein a man goes out to meet the woman of his dreams but realises that his annoying travel companion is better than the lover in waiting.
However, similar it may be, ‘Im Juli’ manages to overcome its redundant qualities with ease, thanks to the fresh writing and directing by Fatih Akin, who mixes the comic and dramatic elements almost perfectly. He has also introduced the much needed sprinkling of magical coincidences that makes all the convenient twists play out as if it was ordained by destiny.
‘Im Juli’ is a film richly crafted and makes you feel good. It is quite effective as well. The ensemble of actors and their crazy roles are good. Bleibtreu, as Daniel, portrays his character to perfection and does not border on stereotype. The various European locales are also well captured, making this a nice trip for viewers as well.
“I usually do not watch rom-coms but this one was different. The movie explodes with hope. So it was enjoyable. It’s difficult to experience world cinema and I think this is a wonderful initiative,” said Ankur, a student, who was there for the screening.
