Elif Akarsu Polat and Cigdem Bozali’s FATED HEARTS guilty pleasure rom com evolves into something deeper

Screening at the Women Texas Film Festival, FATED HEARTS is a first film for Turkish filmmakers Elif Akarsu Polat and Cigdem Bozali. In many ways FATED HEARTS is a guilty pleasure romantic story: a fiercely independent teenager in a small Turkish town loses her best friend and first love and spends her adulthood exchanging barbs with her mother, bonding with her father and navigating single life and friendship trifles in a small town. And while she struggles to find connection around her, Zeynep inevitably finds a true friend while a prison pen-pal. But underneath the story line is a deeper exploration into a universal journey known best by small town women with independent hearts and the reward of persistently staying true to one’s inner voice.

Here is a conversation with the filmmakers.

1.      This film does such a wonderful job of portraying the innocent yet romantic relationship between Zeynep and Yusuf. How did you want their relationship to evolve over time? Did you always know that you wanted them to reconnect at the end?

We wanted to make up a relationship between two souls who connect each other from their hearts. And we think that true love is always innocent and always finds its own way no matter if it is between two men or women. So yes, we knew from the beginning that they would be together at the end.

2.      You have various actors playing characters throughout the stages of their life. Was there any collaboration between actors offset?

Sure, we spent time with all the actors before the set had started. Especially for Zeynep, three actors worked together to build the same woman. For example, Zeynep has the same reactions at all ages, like she puffs in the same way when she gets angry!

3.      What is it about Zeynep’s character that draws her to communicate with inmates? What are the similarities within herself that she sees in these men?

She is an independent soul and she just wants to get free from all the obligations. We can define her as a rebellious person. Writing to inmates is a way to resist for her. Zeynep sees her town as a big prison. Main similarity with her and inmates is they are both in prison.

4.      There’s a militaristic presence surrounding the film, especially towards the beginning. Can you explain what it was like to live in Istanbul during the film’s time period?

Actually, we only portrayed the atmosphere of a prison in a small Anatolian town in Turkey. I mean it isn’t related to the military coup d’etat which took place in the past in Turkey.

5.      What projects are you working on now?

We have been working on our next feature film project which is about immigrant women who are working in Istanbul. We would like to portray the struggles which they have to handle when they are trying to have a new life in a foreign country.

6.      What is a question you have always wanted to answer about FATED HEARTS?

How does a young woman, who is not content with the role she is assigned by society, find her way to exist as herself when all circumstances are against her?