25 Apr 2014

BAP//ISTANBUL: Ismail Necmi | Should I Really Do It ?

'Truth might well be stranger than fiction, but who would have thought it could be so hallucinogenic?
The film follows the surreal story of Petra (Petra Woschniak), a mesmerizing figure who scours the streets of Istanbul. We are introduced to her twilight universe via daily sessions with her very unusual therapist Herold (Herold). This masked conversationalist is a wine-sipping, coke-sniffing man of unspecified sexual orientation who tries to break down Petra's defences while maintaining his own. Hidden behind a leather S&M mask and topped off with a variety of flamboyant wigs, he talks her through her deepest fears, though his intentions are unclear.
They talk about her life, which initially comes off as a never-ending party. Sporting an intimidating shaved head, Petra is involved with fashion and other artistic endeavours, and has actually made a name for herself as a hairdresser. Residing in Istanbul as an illegal immigrant, the thirty-eight-year-old German enjoys wide recognition in local alternative circles. She spends her time experiencing life and consuming large quantities of drugs, until the day comes when she has to pay her dues.
Petra lost her father, her mother and one of her own kidneys to cancer, and now it seems her twin sister is about to become a casualty of the disease as well. Swiftly leaving Istanbul to care for her sibling in Germany, Petra finds her life suddenly transformed into a series of quiet, homey afternoons in the countryside with her sister's dogs. It seems she has decided to take a break from her exorbitant lifestyle and befriend the boring neighbours. But will she be able to suppress her Istanbul personality forever? And what is the big secret behind her self-inflicted isolation?

Born in Turkey, Ismail Necmi works as an independent filmmaker, photographer and visual artist. After graduating in Law from Istanbul University, he collaborated on a number of movies, shorts and documentaries. His début real-life feature film, 'Should I Really Do It?', which he produced, wrote, directed, shot and edited, was shown at the 34th Toronto IFF 2009 as an official selection in the Discovery program, and in many other international film festivals – including Montreal, Reykjavik, Sao Paulo, Haifa, Rome, Hamburg, Bangkok, Cairo, Costa Rica, Göteborg, Mumbai and Thessaloniki. The movie received the Daniel Langlois Innovation Award at the International Competition of the 38th Montreal International Festival du Nouveau Cinéma 2009; Most Promising New Director Award and Most Promising New Screenwriter Award at the 20th Ankara International Film Festival 2009; and Audience Choice Award at the International Competition of the inaugural Rome Gender DocuFilm Festival 2010. The movie was also shown at Istanbul Modern, Istanbul's Museum of Modern Art, as the opening movie of an interdisciplinary conference on fetishism. In addition to his creative work, Necmi has also taught at a number of universities, including the departments of Visual Communication Design and Photography at Istanbul Bilgi University and the Department of Radio, Television and Cinema at Istanbul's Kadir Has University.