The Girl With the Red Scarf

A timeless classic about love and devotion which one can watch again and again. Atıf Yılmaz, adapting the story from famous Kirghiz writer Chhengiz Aytmatov’s novel, embroiders the screen with one of the most beautiful love stories ever. It is claimed that French poet Aragon described The Girl With the Red Scarf as the most beautiful love story in the world. We are first introduced to the world of a truck driver transporting sand for a dam construction: İlyas, his wife Asya and their son Samet. Asya and İlyas’ love, which could once have been the stuff of legends, is now threatened by jealousy, alcohol and infidelity. His weak character and problems at work lead İlyas to abandon Asya, even though he still loves her, and she is left alone with their child, hopeless. For days she awaits his return… Her encounter with Cemşit, whom her son will know as his father, and her affair with him, will change everything forever. İlyas reappears years later, demanding the return of his wife and child. His reappearance will trigger questions which have resided in the heart and mind of mankind; what is love? Who is the lover, the husband, the father… and which is more difficult, to return or to stay away? Türkan Şoray, Kadir İnanır and Ahmet Mekin give superb and balanced performances. The Girl With the Red Scarf is a film that sends a shiver through the viewer, with Cahit Berkay’s great music and Atıf Yılmaz’s distinguished touch pervading the entire film. We might add that the little boy Samet in The Girl With the Red Scarf was performed by Elif Inci, the daughter of the famous actor Bilal Inci; she later continued a stage career in subsequent years.