The Cemil Show

  24th May 20:45 - Live at Cheltenham Playhouse

  25th May 00:01 - 3rd June 23.59 Online

What starts out as an absurdly comic study of a little man turns decidedly darker as the man turns monster. Cemil, a security guard in an Istanbul shopping mall, is convinced he’s destined for great things as a film actor, and is bitterly disappointed when his bid for a role in the re-make of his favourite movie is turned down. Discovering that one of his colleagues at the mall is the daughter of Turgay Göral, the saturnine anti-hero of the 1970s genre films Cemil so loves, he sees an opportunity to realise his by now all-consuming ambitions. Riffing on Robert De Niro in Martin Scorsese’s ‘King of Comedy’, Ozan Çelik as Cemil is a revelation in a role which strikes a balance between nebbish hopelessness and grandiose menace. He’s supported by director Bariş Sarhan’s sharp script, which deftly steers the film in unexpected directions, culminating in a grotesque ending – although a jet black streak of satirical humour accompanies the action throughout.