Who is Ahmet Simsek? As indicated by the film’s title, he is a soldier in the Austrian Federal Army who lives in Vienna with his pet turtle and is quite close to his immigrant Turkish parents, siblings, and passel of nephews. He is also a prizewinning boxer who smiles for the camera instead of scowling, and a new acting student set to play Stanley Kowalski in On the Waterfront who is desperately in search of tears for a scene. Director Jannis Lenz introduces each of these layers of Ahmet to compelling effect by meticulously offering up a multifaceted character study that eschews labels, celebrates contradictions, and gently upends prescribed notions of masculinity. The film also subtly ponders the performative nature of the military while exploring Ahmet’s pursuit of belonging. Ultimately, Lenz and Ahmet both strike a perfect balance of tenderness and sly comedy in this not-quite-everyman story.  WFM 

Filmmaker Q&A available

This film is only available to viewers in the United States