'The Soda Seller' out to please a diverse audience

Director and writer Yüksel Aksu has again taken us to a small town in the Aegean in his new debut, '?ftarl?k Gazoz' (The Soda Seller), a successful melodrama featuring children that have been a familiar picture in Turkish cinemaThere is something for all kinds of moviegoers in this week's new release, director Yüksel Aksu's period drama "?ftarl?k Gazoz" (The Soda Seller). The film will keep the weekend soda-and-popcorn crowd entertained, while some of the (if not all) art-house audience will likely praise the acting and cinematography. The coming-of-age story at the heart of the film is the right mixture of warm and funny, set to appeal to a diverse audience.

Those who have remembered and missed the more personal and heartfelt stories of actor/director/comedian Cem Y?lmaz after his recent blockbuster "Ali Baba ve 7 Cüceler" (Ali Baba and the 7 Dwarfs) will probably have watched the film by now. Older generations will enjoy the 1970s' nostalgia on provincial life, reminiscing about the good old times. Others will enjoy the romanticized political storylines.

The idyllic Aegean region is a familiar place for director and writer Aksu. It is his hometown and the setting to his debut and sophomore features, 2006's "Dondurmam Gaymak" (Ice Cream, I Scream), Turkey's official submission for 79th Academy Awards' Best Foreign Language Film, and "Entelköy Efeköy'e Kar??" (Ecotopia).

In "?ftarl?k Gazoz," we are once again taken to a small town in the Aegean. It's the mid-1970s, and at the center of the film is a boy on the threshold of his teen years, Adem (Berat Efe Parlar). Smart, savvy and responsible, Adem decides to spend his summer working as the apprentice of the local soda seller, Cibar Kemal (Cem Y?lmaz).

Coming-of-age in...