by Nathaniel R
As a self-confessed crazy cat lady, I'm not sure why it took me so long to see the Turkish documentary Kedi. But it's fitting that I finally saw it late last night. I didn't even realize until this morning that I had ushered in National Cat Day with the streetcats of Istanbul. Since I am not a frequent documentary-watcher (unlike Glenn) I tend to only see them when the subject matter really intrigues me or if awards season comes calling...
Needless to say I'm hoping the Academy will see fit to take Kedi seriously from their long list of eligible docs. That's not because it's high profile and successful (nearly $3 million at the US box office) but because it's quite a graceful layered movie. In profiling several memorable felines with vividly distinct personalities (you're bound to have a favorite), it also manages to paint a portrait of the diversity and resilience of cities and city people's lives. It finds ways to transcend "cute" when it delves into the connection people make to the animals they share their daily lives with. Plus the cinematography is breathtaking and "how did they do that?" technically awe-inspiring.
I especially loved the documentaries carefully curated conversations about the animals. The mosaic of voices insightfully balances both our anthropomorphizing tendencies with the knowledge that animals are ultimately unknowable, aliens really... as one woman in the film aptly puts it.
I loved it. How about you?
Kedi is now available for streaming on YouTube
further reading:
Oscar Documentary Long List - 170 Titles (Glenn Dunks)
Oscar Documentary Prediction Chart - (Nathaniel)
Kedi Review (Glenn Dunks)