Bitter Life (Acı Hayat)

Written and directed by Metin Erksan, the 1962 black-and-white Turkish drama Acı Hayat opens with Mehmet, a welder earning his living at a shipyard, and Nermin, a manicurist at a beauty salon, preparing to marry. Their plans collapse when Ender, the spoiled son of a wealthy family, lures Nermin away. Mehmet's luck suddenly reverses when a lottery win makes him rich and carries him into high society. Determined to take revenge, he seduces Filiz, the sister of the man who stole his beloved, yet neither his new fortune nor his payback can soothe a heart still tied to his first love. Starring Ayhan Işık, Türkân Şoray, Ekrem Bora and Nebahat Çehre, the film pairs a passionate romance with an undercurrent of class conflict, shaped by Ali Uğur's lyrical cinematography. A box-office success in its day, it is regarded as one of the major classics of Turkish cinema.