In Make Me Believe or Sen Inandir, childhood friends Sahra and Deniz meet each other after decades after their grandmothers scheme together to reunite them. The Turkish romance film is now streaming on Netflix.
Story
Sahra (Ayça Aysin Turan) and Deniz (Ekin Koç), two childhood friends, are called for an emergency by their respective grandmothers, Aysel (Yildiz Kültür) and Semiha (Zerrin Sümer), but it turns out to be fake.
It’s just an attempt by the two to reunite the pair as they both felt that they had been searching for each other for years. The two still claim to dislike each other.
They are forced by their grandmothers to stay in the same house for a while as they barely visit. They reluctantly agree.
Things get complicated when Sahra realises that the elusive photographer that she wants to interview is actually the Deniz she knows.
In her attempt to befriend him and get what she wants, will past emotions come to the fore for these former friends?
Performances
Turan and Koç are the best part about Make Me Believe. Their chemistry is obvious and they play their characters extremely convincingly.
That said, Kültür and Sümer steal the show every time they’re on screen. They bring the much-needed levity to this rather dull affair.
Positives
The premise is decent. Long-lost friends rekindle their relationship after some meddling from their well-meaning but fumbling grandmothers.
Not revealing the past of Sahra and Deniz keeps the narrative intriguing as you wait to know how the two really fell out.
Negatives
Despite the promise, Make Me Believe rehashes the same old formula for romantic films. There is a conflict between the lead pair that gets solved. There is a misunderstanding to add a twist.
The same formula has been used time and again. There is a pressing need for romantic films to add themes that elevate the story instead of always going for the tried and tested approach.
The grandmothers are such a delight that it’s a shame they are barely in the film. They should not have been simply reduced to meddlers.
Instead, the equation between the two protagonists and their grandmothers could have been explored much better, which would have added another dimension to the film.
Verdict
Ultimately, Make Me Believe only feels like rewatching a film you’ve seen many, many times before, especially if you enjoy the romance genre.
Make Me Believe
Director: Evren Karabiyik Günaydin, Murat Saraçoglu
Date Created: 2023-06-23 18:01
2.5
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