Overview
A tragicomic tale of love and fate, where two souls are destined to be apart yet forever intertwined.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- irreverent
- sentimental
- cult movie night
- turkish cinema night
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Şener and Müjde endure blindness, amnesia, repeated separations, and improbable reunions in an intentionally excessive tragicomic pattern.
The village headman's opposition, Kaya's misleading intervention, and recurring accidents prevent the central couple from sustaining their union.
The lovers repeatedly come together, separate, reunite, and face further reversals through old age and beyond.
The title and singer-centered story connect the film's parody to Turkey's arabesk musical and emotional conventions.
Films like Arabesque, and why
The Happiness of the Katakuris
broad comic exaggeration, romantic obstacles, and theatrical parody of melodramatic conventions
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
musical romance, absurd reversals, and affectionate genre parody built around impossible love
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
comic melodrama, repeated romantic misfortune, and heightened performance style
Movie Details
- Director
- Ertem Eğilmez
- Release Date
- 1989-02-01
- Runtime
- 105 min
- Rating
- 7.4 / 10 (78)
Cast
- Müjde Ar
- Şener Şen
- Uğur Yücel
- Üstün Asutay
- Necati Bilgiç
- Orhan Çağman
- Doğu Erkan
- Tarık Papuççuoğlu
- Rasim Öztekin
- Kadir Savun
Common questions
- What is Arabesque about?
- A wildly escalating Turkish romantic parody turns doomed love, popular music, and melodramatic suffering into comic spectacle.
- What is Arabesque like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Arabesque as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Arabesque violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Arabesque as mild.
- Which films are like Arabesque?
- Films with a similar feel include The Happiness of the Katakuris, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, and The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie.
- How long is Arabesque?
- Arabesque runs 105 minutes.
