A son takes his girlfriend to meet his Turkish parents for the first time, the whole family has to talk about and face a tragedy from the past that still affects their life on a daily basis. This is Green Lanes.
Set in London, England, Green Lanes opens up with some quite striking cinematography of the busy city streets. Twenty-something Yousef (Guni Kocak) decides to introduce his girlfriend Fiona (Elizabeth Tan) to his parents for the first time, even though they had been dating for two years. As soon as the young couple arrives at Yousef’s Turkish parents’ house, it is easy for the audience to see why it took so long to introduce Fiona – Yousef’s father Cem (Nej Adamson) is disappointed in his son’s achievements, seeing as he works in a bar, whilst his girlfriend is a law student. Also, the family is harboring a dark tragedy from their past, one that Yousef blames on himself.
Yousef’s mother, Ermine (Fisun Burgess) is very welcoming and quickly attempts to make Fiona feel at home, whilst trying to keep her husband in check. Soon though, whilst showing Yousef’s girlfriend some old photo albums, the conversation soon lands on Yousef’s brother who tragically died years earlier. The event of the death being so dark to the family, that Fiona was unaware that her partner even had a sibling.
Sensing that old pain has started to resurface, Fiona attempts to help Yousef, simply by conversing with him, but the shame he feels forces him to keep her locked out on the outside. He fails to return her calls, reply to messages or even look her in the eye when she finally does get to see him face-to-face.
Coming in at just over fourteen minutes in length, Green Lanes is quite a powerful short film, with some excellent photography and decent direction and performances. Guni Kocak doubles up his roles by performing as Yousef and taking directorial duties behind the camera. I was impressed with Nej Adamson’s intensity as the patriarch of the family, as well as the sincerity from both Fisun Burgess and Elizabeth Tan respectively.
Green Lanes has a distinct message, and that is, no matter how hard or painful you may find your life, it is always better to talk, especially to those that care. Yousef’s family has obviously gone through a lot of pain, but refusing to face that pain and talk about it only led to more hurt.
I enjoyed Green Lanes for the message, the performances, and the technical achievements.
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