Cholera Street

Running time: N/A

"Cholera Street has taken Turkey by storm, becoming one of the most popular films in Turkish motion picture history." - Turkish Daily News. Cholera Street is by far the most feverishly paced film in our 1999 program. The film sweeps us away to a somewhat unsound world to dwell among the inhabitants of Cholera Street, a promenade cluttered with different ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds. Amidst this rundown district is the most unlikely of heroes. Tina, a high-class call girl who rides around in a chauffeured car, is the gleam in everyone's eyes and excites the most lascivious behavior in men. It is the irrational dreamer, Salih, however, whose heart belongs to Tina. The two lovers soon find their aspirations, as well as their lives, in danger when confronted with a boastful, young bruiser who has murdered the neighborhood's much-loved crime boss. It is Salih to whom the residents look now, but can he pass his new test? Cholera Street is director Mustafa Altioklar's second feature. His debut film, Istanbul Beneath My Wings, garnered critical acclaim worldwide. Altioklar's new film follows in his maverick spirit with a unique style all its own, as his assured knowledge of camera and editing manifests itself in this rare and extremely offbeat tale. --Mike Rabehl