aralyth’s review published on Letterboxd:
march around the world 2026 | 16/30 | 🇹🇷 Turkey
I had several of director Pelin Esmer's films on my list, and chose to start with Watchtower on a whim. Olgun Şimşek and Nilay Erdönmez play two strangers who end up living in a fire watchtower in the countryside. The setting was cozy - a small stone watchtower nestled in the middle of a pine forest, a fire in the hearth and the sound of birds outside. The story was not so cozy: there were some viscerally uncomfortable parts (not a bad thing, mind you). The beautiful shots of the Turkish forests in this film served as a good backdrop for the heavier moments as the two central characters are forced to confront their own pasts and each other's.