“Where’s Firuze”, the first feature film by director Ezel Akay, who has a unique fairy-tale-like film language, reflects the state of music and the concept of fame in our country. The movie tells the story of five men brought together by life in İMÇ (Istanbul Musicians Bazaar) in Unkapanı. One day, they meet a mysterious woman named Firuze and cling to the hope that their dreams will come true. However, over time, these hopes prove to be in vain, and the five men, already losers, sink even deeper.

The movie, which has a strong cast that leaves a lasting impression, begins with Ferhat (Özcan Deniz), whose sole ambition is to become a great musician, falling victim to the plans of Hayri (Haluk Bilginer) and Orhan (Cem Özer), who come from Germany to Türkiye with the aim of making a lot of money through music and are willing to do anything for it. Hayri realizes that he can earn a fortune through Ferhat and sets out to make a flawless plan. However, the team, struggling with financial problems, encounters a wealthy woman named Firuze (Demet Akbağ). Firuze expresses her desire to invest in Umut Müzik and help Ferhat gain fame. Firuze becomes the savior and angel of the team. Firuze’s role as the saving angel she takes on in the film is beautifully portrayed in the first encounter scene. From an external perspective, this woman, who asks for a Ferhat cassette while Hayri is about to kill her, seems out of place in that world. The sentence written just behind her, “I cried a lot, it’s over,” seems to indicate that all the problems will come to an end. Firuze comes from a wealthy family and, along with her late husband, had a great interest in art and made many artist friends. Firuze’s next discovery will be Ferhat. The opportunities that Firuze presents to the team are beyond their wildest dreams. However, instead of accepting the money Firuze offers and using the opportunities, the team plunges further into debt.

Each character in the movie has their own problems. Ferhat falls in love with Melek (Şebnem Dönmez) whom he sees on a billboard when he first arrives in Istanbul. Hayri has a strained relationship with his wife Neval (Güner Özkul). Seyfi’s (Ruhi Sarı) wife Ayşen (Ahu Türkpençe) and Melih’s (Ragıp Savaş) girlfriend Sibel (Janset) are pregnant, but Melih is unaware of Sibel’s pregnancy. Not only through Firuze, but also through other women in the movie, a strong female presence is portrayed. The world of the female characters, who seek solutions to all the problems they encounter among themselves, also finds its place as a subplot within the movie. It is an important element of the movie that the experiences of women, who face their own challenges while the Umut Müzik men are in trouble, are not sidelined but added to the story, presenting a powerful image of women standing on their own feet. The opening scene of the movie, where Firuze introduces the characters and the music world, actually connects to the ending, and we learn that Firuze is schizophrenic. Firuze lives in her own fantasy world, and the team is shocked when they discover this truth. They even decide to commit suicide because they feel they have nothing left to live for. However, life takes an unexpected turn for them. Although Firuze cannot provide financial means, she has given them a spiritual lesson. After the suicide attempt, the team rises up and decides to “live to die.” We witness for the first time that the team shows their claws, as until this point in the movie, we see the story of a group of men who have surrendered to their fate in the face of helplessness. The story of a group of men who lose everything but gain many things ends with us seeing that they finally achieve the fame they have always desired.

The movie constructs a fairy tale-like world in line with Ezel Akay’s directorial vision through the use of color palettes, costumes and set designs. It tells the story of a 9-day period and offers the audience a different experience by incorporating songs from famous Turkish pop, rock and arabesque music figures (such as Müslüm Gürses, Özlem Tekin, Emre Altuğ, Burcu Güneş) before each day. The soundtrack of the movie is undoubtedly one of the best movie soundtracks in Turkish cinema history, as well as the songs performed by the singers themselves. Furthermore, the movie stands out with its cinematography and dynamic editing.

Özcan Deniz wrote the story of the movie based on the beginning of his musical adventure. It can be said that Levent Kazak skillfully crafted the tragicomic screenplay based on this story.

“Where’s Firuze,” directed by Ezel Akay, brings a story to the silver screen where music and the struggle to climb the steps of fame converge in a dazzling fairy tale world. With its enchanting atmosphere, the movie has already earned its place as one of the memorable productions of Turkish cinema.