Variety Review | Ice Cream I Scream

Palm Springs |Ice Cream I Scream |Dondurman Gaymak (Turkey)
By ROBERT KOEHLER
A Hermes Film presentation of a Makara Film production. (International sales: Hermes Film, Istanbul.) Produced by Eyup Boz, Tankut Kilinc, Yuksel Aksu. Co-producers, Elif Dagdeviren Guven, Bulent Helvaci.
Directed, written by Yuksel Aksu.

With: Turan Ozdemir, Gulnihal Demir, Ismet Can Suda, Ulas Saribas.

The aim may be Capraesque charm in "Ice Cream I Scream," but the net effect of writer-director Yuksel Aksu's Turkish comedy is the desire that its loud protag -- an insistent and often obnoxious small-town ice cream vendor -- would simply go away. Given Turkey's option of Nuri Bilge Ceylan's "Climates" as an Oscar selection, its choice of this minor and poorly shaped bit of whimsy borders on the scandalous. A sure local hit, pic won't sweeten auds anywhere else.

Determined to hold his own against bigger, corporate ice cream outfits peddling artificial bars, Ali (Turan Ozdemir, who does indeed scream most of his lines) is proud of his new TV ad touting his real delicacies in Mediterranean tourist town of Mugla. As he sells his ice cream via bicycle cart in nearby villages, Ali is trailed by Tingoz Kerim (Ismet Can Suda) and his tyke gang of naughty boys. They make off with Ali's cart, leading the nutty vendor to assume that spies from his big competitors are trying to do him in. Much nonsense ensues.

Camera (Safak Film and Video color, DV), Eyup Boz; editor, Sedat Karadeniz; music, BaBaZuLa; production designer, Tan Berk Kurtcebe, Bora Batur, Burcin Batu; sound (Dolby Digital) Suat Alhan; sound designers, Onan Karagozoglu, Jan Peridar. Reviewed at Palm Springs Film Festival (Awards Buzz), Jan. 7, 2007. (Also in Istanbul Film Festival.) Original title: Dondurman gaymak. Running time: 105 MIN.