Overview
A young prosecutor's idealism clashes with the harsh realities of political intrigue in a small town.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- tense
- bleak
- atmospheric
- serious movie night
- arthouse cinema night
What critics said
Critics broadly praise the film as a highly charged, visually striking political thriller and a sharp critique of machismo, populism, homophobia, and provincial power.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Emre’s first criminal investigation becomes entangled with the mayoral election, water rights, and the town’s political establishment.
The town’s water crisis and wasteland imagery parallel the corruption, hostility, and deteriorating civic order surrounding Emre.
Critics characterize the film as part crime story and part Western, while its small-town setting turns political conflict into enclosed suspense.
The film’s political conflict is linked to resurgent homophobia, gay themes, and the tangible dangers of machismo and populism.
Films like Burning Days, and why
Chinatown
shared political corruption, water scarcity, moral decay, and tightly wound neo-noir investigation
The Hunt
shared small-town social pressure, homophobia, machismo, and escalating political paranoia
Winter Sleep
shared Turkish arthouse drama, stark rural landscapes, institutional tension, and morally compromised characters
A Prophet
shared oppressive civic power structures, sexual politics, and a young outsider confronting entrenched provincial authority
Movie Details
- Director
- Emin Alper
- Release Date
- 2022-12-09
- Runtime
- 131 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (147)
Cast
- Selahattin Paşalı
- Ekin Koç
- Selin Yeninci
- Erol Babaoğlu
- Erdem Şenocak
- Sinan Demirer
- Nizam Namidar
- Ali Seçkiner Alıcı
- Eylül Ersöz
- Onur Gürçay
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Metrograph
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Burning Days about?
- A newly appointed prosecutor confronts political corruption, homophobia, and civic decay in a parched Turkish town where justice has become a dangerous act of resistance.
- What is Burning Days like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Burning Days as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Burning Days violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Burning Days as moderate.
- What did critics think of Burning Days?
- Critics broadly praise the film as a highly charged, visually striking political thriller and a sharp critique of machismo, populism, homophobia, and provincial power.
- Which films are like Burning Days?
- Films with a similar feel include Chinatown, The Hunt, Winter Sleep, and A Prophet.
- How long is Burning Days?
- Burning Days runs 131 minutes.
- Where can I watch Burning Days?
- In United States, Burning Days streams on Metrograph.
