Milk (Sut)

The middle chapter of the ‘Yusef Trilogy’, which comprises of three reverse-chronological chapters in the life of a capricious poet. ‘Milk’ sees Yusef (Selçuk) attempting to break away from his austere existence asa  milkman by attempting to get some of his poetry printed in an obscure journal. The tone is meditative and moody, and Yusef’s relationship with his mother (his father is absent throughout) is complicated by his what he sees as a fundamental intellectual divide and his belief that he deserves better than what his family can offer. Kaplanoglu leans a bit too heavily on wistful longeurs, and the downbeat climax feels a little trite, but this is still well worth catching.