Art of Love sees an Interpol agent chasing an art thief, who happens to be the man she once loved. The film is now streaming on Netflix.
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers
Plot summary
There was a time when Alin, an art curator, was madly in love with a successful businessman named Güney Arat.
They were engaged when Güney suddenly disappeared. The police searched for him everywhere, but to no avail.
However, a few months later, Güney returned, claiming that he had not gone missing but had left of his own accord because he needed to be alone.
During his absence, Alin moved to Paris and was hired by Interpol as a consultant to improve their Art Crime Unit. She enjoyed her job so much that she decided to become an agent.
Now, she lives in Istanbul and works as an Interpol agent in the Art Crime Unit alongside her partner, Ozan.
They are currently trying to catch a thief who easily breaks into impenetrable museums but steals the least valuable pieces.
Alin notices a pattern, which points to the painting that the thief is going to steal next. Alin and Ozan reach the museum where the theft is supposed to take place, but they fail to prevent it.
A man with a briefcase draws Alin’s attention, and she follows him, only to find out that the man is none other than Güney.
The fact that Güney is the thief she has been chasing leaves her flabbergasted. However, she cannot arrest him, as she does not have evidence against him.
When Alin reveals the thief’s identity to her chief, he does not believe her, considering that Güney is a billionaire and does not need to steal.
Alin is convinced that Güney is the thief and resolves to catch him. She decides to get close to Güney once again in order to find evidence against him.
Alin meets Güney at an exhibition and makes it look like a coincidence. She does not tell him that she is an Interpol agent and pretends to be the manager of an art gallery in Paris.
Güney still has feelings for Alin and pleads with her to give him a chance to explain himself, and Alin agrees.
Güney tells her that he left because he felt too strongly about Alin and got scared of his feelings for her.
He later regretted his actions, but by that time, he could not find Alin anywhere. Alin agrees to give their relationship another chance, with the intention of proving Güney guilty.
One night, she breaks into a warehouse that Güney and his associates, Vera and Ömer, use to plan their heists.
There, she discovers that the group’s next heist is going to be in Prague. Vera then catches her, but Alin manages to escape
Soon after, when Güney talks to Alin about going to Prague for work, Alin insists that she tag along to spend some quality time with him.
While dating Güney, Alin does not find evidence against him but starts to realize that she still loves him, as Güney keeps showing her that he never stopped loving her.
In Prague, Ozan informs Alin that if she fails to prove that Güney is the thief, then their chief will put an end to the investigation, reminding Alin to focus on her job.
Despite Alin and Ozan’s best efforts, Güney once again steals a painting from under their noses, and they lose their last chance to catch him.
However, Alin is not ready to accept defeat. She will keep trying to catch Güney, even if that means risking her job. At least, she still has Ozan supporting her.
Another chance to catch Güney presents itself when Alin attends a party with him. The party is thrown by a dodgy businessman named Faysal Varlu.
Faysal likes to brag about his art collection, which is safeguarded by an unbreakable security system, so he shows it to Alin and Güney.
Alin instantly grasps that Güney is going to steal from Faysal next. This time, she is not going to let him slip away.
Ending explained:
Stealing from Faysal
Despite the known risks of stealing from Faysal, Güney decides to do it, just as Alin had expected.
Güney has a plan to bypass Faysal’s security system. Where conventional methods fail, he relies on high-end technology that he can afford.
Güney steals a painting from Faysal’s collection, narrowly escaping. However, Alin, who tries to sneak into Faysal’s house at the same time, is caught.
Alin’s capture provides Güney with the distraction he needs to escape with the painting. On the other hand, Faysal interrogates Alin.
She reveals that she is an Interpol agent and that she suspects that someone is going to steal from him tonight, which is exactly what happens.
Faysal now wants the name of Alin’s suspect, but knowing how dangerous Faysal is, she refuses to give him Güney’s name.
Ozan comes to her rescue before Faysal can inflict serious harm. Additionally, Faysal refuses to report the theft, intending to go after the thief himself.
Playing each other
Ozan used to be a Narcotics officer, so he is well aware that Faysal is involved in illegal activities related to drugs, weapons, and even murder.
He warns Alin to stay away from him, and for once, she listens. However, Faysal breaks into her house the next morning and finds out that Güney is the thief who stole from him.
Before Faysal can hurt Güney, Alin goes to confess the truth about being an Interpol agent to him and warn him, only to discover that he already knows everything.
Alin thought that she was tricking him all this time when in fact, he had planned all this, including Alin finding out that he is the thief.
He reveals that he never left Alin; he was in a prison in Mexico for six months. When he got released, Alin had already left, leaving him no way to contact her.
He then found out that she had become an Interpol agent, so he could not get her back by telling her the truth about being in prison.
Thus, he planned to make her track him to show her that she still loves him just as much as he loves her, hoping that they would be together once again.
To arrest or to be with the thief
As Faysal is coming for Güney, Alin decides to focus on escaping rather than discussing their issues, claiming that she is helping him only because she feels responsible for the mess.
The two of them get out of Güney’s office, and Güney takes her to his grandfather’s cabin, where he keeps all the art he has stolen, which Alin can use as evidence if she wants.
Güney’s grandfather was a painter, which is why Güney is fascinated with art. He was a good painter, but his talent was never recognized.
Güney then met Alin, who told him that the Mona Lisa was only appreciated after it was stolen, and that inspired him to become an art thief.
Additionally, as Güney had everything he could possibly want, he was dissatisfied with his life and did not enjoy anything.
Stealing became an adventure for Güney; it gave him the thrill he had been seeking. It also seemed like a harmless activity, as Güney never hurt anyone.
After giving his reasons, Güney leaves the choice to Alin: now that she has all the evidence that she needs, she can either arrest him or let him go.
Alin does not get the chance to make her choice, as Faysal and his henchmen find them and try to kill them.
Alin protects Güney, and eventually, Ozan comes to their rescue with the police. It is then revealed that when Güney stole from Faysal, he found evidence of his involvement in illegal activities.
Güney handed over the evidence to Ozan and asked him to arrest Faysal at the place and time of his choosing.
Ozan arrests Faysal but chooses not to arrest Güney, as he believes that Güney’s crimes are harmless. The decision now rests in Alin’s hands.
Alin confesses to Güney that she loves him and that she is not going to turn him in. However, she is still an Interpol agent, and he is still a thief.
She does not know how the two of them can be together, but Güney is confident that they will figure something out eventually. Alin and Güney then kiss, bringing their story to an end.
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