Asli Özge, Emre Erkmen – All of a Sudden #LFF2016

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Asli Özge, director, and Emre Erkmen, cinematographer of the film All of a Sudden from the 60th BFI London Film Festival.

All of a Sudden begins with a dramatic and tragic event. From there on, we witness the repercussions it has on the life of the film’s protagonist Karsten, whose life is turned upside down all of a sudden. Yet, the film keeps us in the dark about some of the things that go on in his head as he goes through it all. There is a constant aura of mystery that makes the watch uncomfortable.

All of a Sudden is director Asli Özge’s first German-speaking feature, and quite a gripping one at that. There are a number of elements to be found in it that go beyond the usual clichés of the thriller genre (the film is also appropriately presented in the London Film Festival’s self-explanatory Thrill section), one of which is the fact that despite the dark nature of the film, it does not restrict itself to a claustrophobic cinematography. This is an aspect that we discuss in this interview with the cinematographer of the film Emre Erkmen.

ALL OF A SUDDEN. The first German-language film by the highly talented Turkish writer-director of Men on the Bridge and Lifelong – both of which screened at LFF – is as bold, imaginative and impressive as its predecessors. A dark psychological drama that expertly combines suspenseful unease, social satire and ethical analysis, it centres on Karsten (Hülk), a popular young professional in a quiet provincial town whose life begins to unravel after a woman dies in mysterious circumstances in his apartment after an impromptu party. What exactly happened? Indeed, who was the dead woman? Even Karsten’s loyal girlfriend Laura (Jentsch) wonders about his account of events. Özge’s sharp, elegantly structured script is well served by strong but nuanced performances, by striking, expressive camerawork (by Özge’s regular collaborator Emre Erkmen), and by her own very assured handling of the unexpected twists and tonal shifts in what is a compellingly acerbic cautionary tale.