Are cats an intermediary between God and human beings? In examining Istanbul's historically symbiotic relationship with feline kind, Ceyda Torun's Kedi makes a strong case that something weird and undeniably spiritual is happening in Turkey. A sort of Waking Life for cats, the movie floats from one part of the city to another, selectively dropping in on homes, ports, and cafés, where everyday people describe what the city's considerable stray population means to them. This is not a superfluous collection of YouTube kitten videos, narrated by smelly-housed shut-ins. It's a fascinating look at a cultural phenomenon that may seem alien to the permanently allergic and mysophobic West (even as a "cat person", I was spooked by the Birds-level amount of creatures lurking absolutely everywhere). Kedi contains a few too many establishing shots, making its slim eighty minutes feel longer. But the scenery is as grand as the stories are revealing.
Welcome to Kicking the Seat!
Ian Simmons launched Kicking the Seat in 2009, one week after seeing Nora Ephron’s Julie & Julia. His wife proposed blogging as a healthier outlet for his anger than red-faced, twenty-minute tirades (Ian is no longer allowed to drive home from the movies).
The Kicking the Seat Podcast followed three years later and, despite its “undiscovered gem” status, Ian thoroughly enjoys hosting film critic discussions, creating themed shows, and interviewing such luminaries as Gaspar Noé, Rachel Brosnahan, Amy Seimetz, and Richard Dreyfuss.
Ian is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association. He also has a family, a day job, and conflicted feelings about referring to himself in the third person.