‘In Good Hands’ movie review: Prepare for tears
There’s always one person who cannot tolerate depressing movies with depressing endings, but still watches to the last second of the credits.
These types of people are very unusual; they unintentionally get emotionally attached to characters in movies and quickly feel that every protagonist deserves a happy-ending.
Usually, these types of people can’t stand to watch films like the “Titanic,” “The Notebook” or even “Me Before You.” If they ever did, they never went back to watch them again. Just like fairy tales, all they want to see are happy endings.
Sadly to confess, I am one of those people. I can never watch a film or show without watching the last scene. It’s important to me to know how the lives of the characters turn out, especially if I feel emotionally connected to the characters. But recently, for the first time ever, I watched a Turkish film that is the epitome of sad movies.
“In Good Hands,” directed by Ketche, tells the story of a desolate single mother who’s diagnosed with a terminal disease and is given a few months to live. Asli Enver portrays the mother Melisa, and Kaan Urgancioglu plays Firat, the unbound bachelor.
The story communicates the struggles of a single mother and focuses on the bond between her and her six-year-old son. As the story progresses, Melisa grapples with the idea of leaving her son behind if she dies.
Since the story anchors toward the relationship between the mother and son, we’d often see the son taking the role of husband. Although he’s just a child, the young boy would often be seen defending his mother’s dignity and acting as protector of his household. I guess moments like these were the moments that compelled Melisa to find a father figure for her son — father figure that’ll look after her son after she’s gone.
During her search for a father-like figure, Melisa comes across Firat, the suave nightclub owner and bachelor. They are first introduced to each other at the coffee shop when Melisa and her son stand by the counter counting coins, and from behind, Firat warns them to hurry up.
The mother and son respond with annoyance and continue to count the coins even more slowly. This meeting marks the first moment that Melisa meets the man who will be an important part of their lives.
One of the most moving scenes of the film embodied the presence of Firat in Melisa’s and her son’s life. The writers have shown us the differences between the tight-knit mother-and-son relationship before Firat and what their relationship looks like after him. As the film progresses, we see the young boy becoming more dependent on Firat.
As I’ve mentioned before, sad endings are not my favorite. However, the film “In Good Hands” wasn’t as bitter of a pill to swallow as I thought it would be. Showing the progression of Melisa’s and Firat’s relationship offers the audience a sense of closure. And watching the father and son bond between Firat and Melisa’s son was reassuring.
To me, watching films is like being thrown oneself into a hollow abyss. You don’t really know what you’re falling into nor do you know what to expect. It’s almost like the unknown, but its worth it for movies that are as sentimental as “In Good Hands.”
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