Somersault in a Coffin
A homeless Istanbul car thief turns nightly joyrides into a fragile ritual of survival, friendship, and impossible belonging.
Overview
A haunting exploration of survival and the human spirit in the heart of Istanbul.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- melancholic
- darkly comic
- empathetic
- reflective evening
- arthouse film night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as an inventive, compassionate, and darkly comic portrait of homelessness and alienation in Istanbul.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Mahsun survives in Istanbul’s ancient streets, which function simultaneously as shelter, prison, and precarious social environment.
Mahsun is homeless and unemployed, relying on fishermen and secretly stealing cars to remain alive.
Mahsun’s strange nighttime car thefts and impossible attempts at stability coexist with hunger, loneliness, torture, and homelessness.
Local fishermen help Mahsun survive, while trust and friendship remain precarious forces in his life.
Films like Somersault in a Coffin, and why
The King of Comedy
shared mixture of bleak social realism, dark humor, and an alienated outsider navigating urban marginality
The Kid with a Bike
shared melancholic comedy-drama tone, precarious survival, and intimate focus on people living outside social stability
Distant
shared Turkish urban setting, socially observant realism, and emotionally restrained portrait of an isolated working-class outsider
The Station Agent
shared tragicomic treatment of homelessness, friendship, and survival amid an indifferent city
Movie Details
- Director
- Derviş Zaim
- Release Date
- 1996-04-01
- Runtime
- 76 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (87)
Cast
- Ahmet Uğurlu
- Tuncel Kurtiz
- Ayşen Aydemir
- Derviş Zaim
- Mahmut Benek
- Barış Celiloğlu
- Ahmet Çadırcı
- Fuat Onan
- Şerif Erol
- Hasan Uzma
Common questions
- What is Somersault in a Coffin about?
- A homeless Istanbul car thief turns nightly joyrides into a fragile ritual of survival, friendship, and impossible belonging.
- What is Somersault in a Coffin like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Somersault in a Coffin as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Somersault in a Coffin violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Somersault in a Coffin as moderate.
- What did critics think of Somersault in a Coffin?
- Critics broadly regard the film as an inventive, compassionate, and darkly comic portrait of homelessness and alienation in Istanbul.
- Which films are like Somersault in a Coffin?
- Films with a similar feel include The King of Comedy, The Kid with a Bike, Distant, and The Station Agent.
- How long is Somersault in a Coffin?
- Somersault in a Coffin runs 76 minutes.
