THIS MOVIE WAS FILMED IN ACTUAL PLACES...
...WHERE THE LIVES OF EREN BÜLBÜL...
...AND GENDARMERIE STAFF SERGEANT FERHAT GEDİK...
...CROSSED PATHS WITH ONE ANOTHER
JAPAN, TOKYO 2017
Have a nice day at school.
Dear Ms. Yoko...
Thank you so much.
I'm sending you this letter via Japan Embassy in Ankara.
You visited our country seven years ago.
While you were wandering the green highlands...
...and cloudy mountains of Karadeniz...
...you ran into a child.
He was nine years old...
...a very young boy.
His hair was golden blonde and all curly.
And his eyes were sea blue, full of peace.
The restless burden of life was on his shoulders...
...and he was wearing his favorite team's jersey.
He was looking at your camera with pride.
And you...
...took a photo of him.
EREN: A BOY'S VALOR
"What you seek is seeking you." Rumi
15 YEARS AGO
TRABZON, MAÇKA JANUARY 1ST, 2002
Your father couldn't find a vehicle, I guess.
Push, Ayşe, come on, come on, let me see you.
Push, Ayşe, push.
Where's Hasan? Couldn't he find something?
Brother Hasan found a car but he can't come because of the snow.
Hasan's here with the car.
Try not to slip.
Don't slip, don't slip.
Ayşe!
Hasan is here. Calm down, it's okay.
Try not to slip, girls. Come on.
Mind your step here.
Come on, my dear Ayşe, come on.
It's okay.
FAR EAST AROUND THE SAME TIME
EMERGENCY SERVICE
Can you help us, please?
Come on, my Ayşe, come on.
Come on, dear. -You can wait outside.
Be careful! What are you doing?
Well, my children, we have good news for you.
You're eleven children now, so a complete soccer team.
Huh? -Mom, you covered him so much.
I can't see his face. -It's cold outside.
You want him to catch a cold?
Oh, look how beautiful he is. -What's his name?
Eren.
-Çağlar? -He should know his team already.
Your brother gave that to you.
Come on, go on now, boy.
2 YEARS LATER ANKARA
I'll come, too, Ferhat.
-Where to? -To Çukurca.
Write it down there. To Hakkari. Cemile Gedik. You want my ID?
-You mean to visit? What do you mean? -No, dear.
I'll pack all our stuff, move there. Why are you so surprised?
I can't live here, in Ankara, when you're there.
What would I do if something happened to you?
Darling, that's the headquarters where you do not take your family.
I can not take you.
How come? Don't you have military housing?
No. I'll be staying at the dormitory in the headquarters.
Okay then. We can rent a flat with one bedroom or something.
And we can live there. It's just for two years, isn't it?
Gendarmerie Sergeant Yusuf Atay from Zile.
Welcome, sir. -At ease.
Thank you, Yusuf. Thank you so much.
Come, come on, dear. See, daddy is there.
Come on, let's go downstairs. Go on now.
GENDARMERIE 156
-It doesn't fit, sir. -What doesn't fit?
Have a look, if you like.
-Come. -Oh my... How come?
Look, let me tell you, this one passed through.
But how will we take it up? -So what do we do now?
If it is just two centimeters wider, it'll pass, but I'm gonna solve this.
So let's take the wall down, you mean?
Just give me that thing, you know, I'll measure this. It will fit.
A moment.
No, my dear friend, it's not the door.
The entrance is narrow. That's why we can't take stuff in.
Yeah.
If that was the case, I would have removed the door, why bother you?
Half of our stuff is outside.
Well, there's nothing we can do. We'll find a new house, I guess.
Okay, I'll come by tomorrow. We'll square the accounts.
I mean, just like you said, we'll find another place, what else?
We hardly found this place, Cemile, where do we find a house now?
Well, that's all right.
We can put these in storage or something, all right?
And then we can find a nice, clean new place, don't you worry.
Do you know any secure storage place in Çukurca?
Ferhat, come on now, stop it, for goodness sake.
I mean, a coal bunker or something, I can ask the neighbors tomorrow.
No way. That's inappropriate. I can't put our stuff...
...in people's bunkers from day one.
I can ask the police station.
We can take them there if they have a bunker.
Yeah, I mean. Pass me the plate.
Sometimes you are so perfectly stubborn.
Will you eat this lahmacun?
So we're homeless, huh?
Well, come on, children. Off to the highlands. Time to move.
Çağlar, take the caldron.
Zeynep, open the door, dear.
We're finally going, guys.
-Come on now. -Emrah, did you clean your hands?
Come on.
Come on, guys, hurry up.
Come on now, Eren.
We've found 5 so far, sir.
-I want these coordinates. -Yes, sir.
-And this one, too. -Yes, sir.
-How many were taken? -23.
Last night?
Mostly teenagers around 15-18 years old.
So they are all kids.
And it's hard to determine the exact number.
Rıza Kocabaşer.
It's reported that this man is in close contact...
...with the terrorist organization in that village.
He's organizing the departures to the mountains.
His elder son is on the mountain. And now it's confirmed...
...his youngest daughter was also in the group that was taken last night.
Is he sending his own children there?
-You all stay here? -Sir?
All right, son, that's okay.
-Selamünaleyküm. -Aleykümselam.
May I sit down?
Sit there.
I know that you know me well.
That's why I'll cut to the chase.
I'm curious about something.
That's why I'm here.
If you can convince me...
I swear, I will get off your tail.
You'll never see me again.
I am a father, too, Mr. Rıza.
How can...
...a father...
...send his own child...
...his own blood to certain death, huh?
What're you talking about, commander? I don't get it.
I am not...
...convinced.
Goodbye to you all, everyone.
A piece for everyone. Don't get more.
Easy there!
I had none.
-Who ate more? -Brother.
I didn't.
Eren, come here.
Couldn't you have, too, Zeynep?
Sit down.
Open your palm, open your palms.
Huh.
Now to your mouth, to your mouth, huh.
Don't you swallow it at once, chew it finely, chew it, huh.
Just like that.
Now stick your fingers to the crumbs.
Wow, just like the chicks, huh.
Come on now, my little chicks.
Well done, my boy.
You stay by the vehicle.
-Selamünaleyküm. -Aleykümselam.
Bro, tea for everyone, please.
If you allow me, of course. -Sure. Of course.
-Thank you. -Thank you.
Some of you might not have seen me yesterday.
I am Gendarmerie Staff Sergeant Ferhat Gedik.
-Welcome. -Thank you, brother.
What's your name? -Soner.
Soner. Nice to meet you. -Me, too.
What about you, bro? -Nadir Solmaz.
Perfect. Nice to meet you.
Thank you, brother. -You're welcome, bro.
And I do...
...have the same tea as you...
...eat the same meals as you...
...and pass through this road every day. I am Ferhat Gedik.
I'm from Antakya.
I'm a village boy.
I know a lot about farming.
I grew up in the mountains.
That's why...
...please, hear this brother of yours out.
Let's leave this hatred aside.
There's no other way that we can get rid of this terror...
...we can't get rid of it, it won't end.
Well, Soner, my brother...
...do you think that we will win...
...when your son dies, huh?
Do I win?
And do you win when my son dies?
Huh?
Will you win?
What are "we" and "you," huh? Who came up with that?
Let me tell you who came up with it.
The ones who earn money...
...when our children die, came up with that.
I'm begging you...
...let's not play into their hands anymore.
I'm not telling you anything wrong.
I'm saying that we should be brothers, and we should be one.
Let's not crack up, is what I'm saying.
Let's not have funerals anymore, is what I'm saying.
Let there be smiling babies...
...instead of crying parents, is what I'm saying, bro.
My dear, come here.
Let's play on the other side for a while. Huh. Take that, too.
Take that, dear. Come now. Come on. Quick, quick.
Come, dear. Let's play on this for a while, all right?
You stay here.
-Who is it? -Open the door, sister.
It's me, Havin.
-Havin? -Stay with us tonight, sister.
Why?
They're in town, sister.
Wait, I'm coming. Hold on.
Sit down, dear.
Last night when we were conducting an operation...
...they were in town.
My wife had to stay at the neighbor’s.
I hope there's no problem, sir?
No. My family is all right but...
They took a few kids again.
Do you know how it feels to miss your child, commander?
I didn't see him for three years now.
Pick up, pick up.
Caşvin, why don't you come back?
Come back, my son, come back.
The commander promised me.
You don't know him but don't you worry.
He is an honest and nice man.
Come back, my son, trust them.
Don't worry. He will.
Commander!
Caşvin?
Guys, be very cautious.
Proceed with security measures.
When you first come to contact with the surrender...
...proceed security measures for the surrender.
Stop!
Caşvin.
My son.
Caşvin, my son!
Hands up.
Kneel down.
Brother Caşvin, you're under the protection...
...of the State of the Republic of Türkiye and its laws.
Welcome back to our country. -Caşvin!
-Easy, easy. -Caşvin.
Mr. Berzan, easy. Let them finish the procedure.
Mr. Berzan. Easy now, easy.
Just a little bit of patience.
-Can I go now? -Wait. All right, go now.
All right, guys. Let him.
The USA, helping the terror organizations...
...under cover of war against ISIS...
...has dispatched weapons to the Syria branch of PKK with trucks.
Dear viewers, a member of the terror organization had surrendered...
...with his gun to the Bağlık border post of Çukurca, Hakkari.
So the number of people who withdrew from the terror organization...
by the method of reasoning has been 124.
With the help of the confessions of the surrender, four people...
...have been taken into custody.
My file had been sent to the court now.
Why are you still following me, Sergeant Ferhat?
I have good news for you.
Your daughter.
She surrendered this morning.
It was clear she was not up to this. I'm not surprised at all.
If I told you that I captured your daughter dead...
...would you feel better?
Do you know what I'm really glad about?
You won't be able to do this to the four other children you have.
May Allah show you the right way.
Commander Ferhat...
You have been around here for two years, Sergeant Ferhat.
You couldn't have caused this much harm...
...if you used weapons every day instead of talking to people.
Go mind your own business. Stop messing with me.
4 YEARS LATER TRABZON, MAÇKA
Give me the pencil now. I have homework, too.
I can't. I have more homework. I need to finish it.
Give it!
I can't. Why don't you get my sister's?
-Hers is too small. -What can I do? Wait for your turn.
-Do it in turns, kids. -We're waiting but Eren wouldn't.
He wouldn't.
Daddy, pencil. They won't let me do my homework.
-What's going on? -Well, I'll give it. I told him so.
We are doing our homework, but Eren is being impatient.
-I'll give it to him later. -We'll do ours once he finishes his.
-What can he do if I don't give him? -We also have homework to do, dad.
-I have to finish mine today. -Eren keeps asking for the pencil.
And we can not do our homework.
And then the teacher gets angry with us 'cause we didn't finish them.
I'm always getting minuses for my homework.
I really don't know.
-You see what you've done? -Father is angry because of you.
-Selamünaleyküm, Recep. -Aleykümselam.
Give me five pencils, please.
-Your daughter dropped by yesterday. -And?
She got two notebooks for herself.
Her teacher must have required.
She told me that you'll pay for them later.
-How much were they? -Let me check.
The things that your daughter bought cost 12 lira.
But you also owe me 64 lira from a previous purchase.
In total?
76 lira.
Take this 5 lira now, I'll pay the rest later.
All right now, see you later.
You finished the tip of the pencil, I can not write.
What can I do? Sharpen it then.
What's up, guys?
-We're hanging. -Yeah, fine.
Eren.
-We have a new pencil. -Daddy!
-Very nice. -Here you are.
But it's not just your pencil, it belongs to all of you, right?
Pass me a glass of tea, too.
-Here, take these, too. -We need more bread.
-Just a moment. -It's coming, coming.
Come on, hurry up.
Come on, guys, quick.
-You insisted to keep it. -I have homework, too.
I would have given it back to him once I finished my homework.
-I would do that. -He won't use it in turns.
-Goddamn it. -Father will be with angry on you.
-Go, find where ever you dropped it. -Such a careless boy.
-Brother Mustafa, give your blessing. -I give you my blessing.
Well, excuse me for now.
-Be well. Have a nice journey. -Thank you.
Where are you assigned to, commander?
Ankara, Allah willing.
-Thank you for everything, commander. -Thank you, too, Brother Ömer.
-We're gonna miss you, commander. -I'll miss you, too. Thank you.
You're the best. -Goodbye.
-Brother. -May Allah save you.
Goodbye. -Thanks.
Both cheese and butter.
Why did you bother, sister? -Allah bless you, İbrahim.
Allah bless Brother Mulis, in fact.
Come on, İbrahim. Please don't mention it.
Come on now. Brother? -Yeah?
-Let's do it before they're older. -Yeah.
And please accept this cheese and butter and milk for--
-Eren, come on, come down. -I won't.
What do you mean, "I won't"?
They came here voluntarily to circumcise you.
What do you mean, "I won't?" -I don't care.
-Let me go up and get him, bro. -No, no, no, he'll fall.
My dear boy...
...Emrah will have it cut, why won't you, huh?
I'll have it cut if you buy me a soldier uniform.
We hardly get to eat, what are you talking about?
Soldier uniform!
You're a chicken. Emrah did it already.
I'm not afraid. I just wanna a soldier uniform.
Well, Eren, dear boy. Come on now, huh?
Since we are here, we should finish them all, bro.
I won't have it cut unless you buy me a soldier uniform.
-Ayşe, what is it? -He won't come down the tree.
He won't have circumcision, he wants a soldier uniform.
Go and buy it then.
Mürvet, don't you know we can't afford it?
Go and ask the gendarmerie directly.
-Sir. -Commander.
Well, come on now. Let's get it over with.
-Yeah, come on now. -Come on, go on.
Kirve, go on. -All right then.
I'm off, Eren. Follow me when you're done.
One more, please.
Thank you.
Come here. You need to talk to someone.
What is it?
Just a moment. Here.
-Who are you? -Hello. Who are you, dear?
Eren Bülbül.
Eren, can you tell me where you are?
-We're around Çamlıdüz Highland. -Eren. Our guest had got lost.
We can find the highland but how can we find you?
I can take her out.
Eren, my dear child, bring her to Çakırtepe, all right?
Please follow the child.
All right, got it. Thank you.
Come on now.
Just a moment. I'll take that.
Wow, that's really heavy.
Is this for me?
-What did she say? -She wrote her address for you.
If you ever go to Japan, she wants you to visit her.
Why would I ever go to Japan?
Well done, my dear boy.
MAÇKA TOUR ALLAH SAVE US
KHUNJERAB PASS THE BORDER OF AFGHANISTAN
-Staff Sgt. Ferhat is here, sir. -Let him in.
BEYTEPE GENDARMERIE SCHOOL COMMAND
-Gendarmerie Staff Sgt. Ferhat Gedik. -Come in, sit down, Staff Sergeant.
Please.
Colonel Necmi. Gümüşhane Gendarmerie Commander.
Yes, sir.
Your achievement in Çukurca has not gone unnoticed, Master Sergeant.
Your public relations, your ability to perceive the land...
...your ability to realize the links between events...
...all of them are highly appreciated.
Colonel Necmi wants you to join them...
...against the Karadeniz organization of PKK.
Yes, of course, sir.
Intelligence.
Yes, sir.
2016 WESTERN AFGHANISTAN
2017 MAÇKA HIGHLANDS SOCCER TOURNAMENT
Guys, the winning team will have this huge watermelon.
I wish you all good luck.
HIGHLAND CHAMPION
Come on now, come on.
Go on now, come on.
Go on, go on.
Come here.
Don't you play defense and get defeated, okay? You'll attack.
You'll score a lot of goals, huh?
Yeter, you come here now. -All right.
Come on now. Go, break a leg.
Selamünaleyküm.
Our family can form a whole team and we also have two substitutes.
-Well done. -Yeah.
Hey, what's going on here? Hey, Mother Ayşe.
Your team has many girls and our guys can't attack comfortably.
What are you talking about, man? You mind your own business.
Wow, they are all useless.
My girls can play as well as any star player now.
Look at them. Confront us with a stronger team next time.
-Abduş, come on. -Go on, go on.
Come on, Eren.
Mukhtar, our family can form a team and we also have two substitutes.
-Yeah, right. -Yeah.
Pass, pass.
-Emine? -Emine, dear, are you okay?
What did you do, my son?
It's okay, dear, it's okay.
The time is up. It's over.
What's this now?
-Take these, son, come on. -I don't know what they put on these.
Look at these. All of them are broken, all of them.
All of them are shattered to pieces, Cemile.
Well, don't you worry, dear. In two years, we'll move back...
...to Ankara for good, inşallah. -I hope nothing else breaks here.
What are we going to do like this, Ms. Perizat?
I don't know.
Hey, bro, what's he gonna do?
Sometimes, people come and ask for gossip...
-I did get it. -You're the man, bro.
-Come on, call her. -Call her, man.
What's wrong, man?
-Are you scared? -Why would I be scared, man?
I'll talk in private.
-Hello? -Emine.
-Who are you? -It's me, Eren.
I hit you with a ball yesterday.
-Yes? -I wanted to apologize, you know?
-You know that it still hurts, right? -Oh, I'm sorry.
What did you talk about all this time, man?
-Well, it was mainly nice but... -But what?
She asked me if this was my phone and I was knocked down a peg.
I told her that I don't have a phone but I don't know.
It doesn't matter if it's mine or yours, man.
Well, but it does. Look, now I'm handing this to you.
Now it's your phone. If she happens to call tonight...
...will you tell her "Eren is not here, call later"?
Listen up.
We're gonna meet over the colorful bridge tomorrow.
-You're the man, bro. -Super news.
Brother Faruk, how much is the bear in the window?
85 lira.
Eren, man, what's going on there?
She stood you up, man. Bring the bear to us.
-What time is it, bro? -Quarter past eleven.
Eren.
I thought that you must have left but I came anyway.
Have you been waiting for me all this time?
Yes, I knew that you'd come.
Well done. We had guests at home. I waited all night for them to leave.
This is for you.
What is this?
I bought it for you. There was a smaller one, too...
...but I bought the bigger one so you can use it next year, too.
But I cannot take this home.
My father would see it.
Come on now. That never crossed my mind.
So what if I gave you these?
I wrote a few words for you to read.
No one ever wrote anything to me before.
I'll read them.
I need to leave now.
Walk with me.
Thank you. Good night.
-Hi there. -Aren't you coming?
I see. We're on duty.
Well, Cemile.
I've been on duty for 15 years in the East.
I knew all about the strategies of the terror organization...
...where they come through, how they escape back.
But this Black Sea region is different, my dear.
The land is different, the strategies are different.
They're wandering around in smaller groups.
-Ferhat? -Yeah?
Are you at the base or on the ground?
No, sweetie, I'm in the archives room.
I'm going through the old cases, taking notes.
All right, you cannot step on mine there. I feel at ease.
No.
I can, at most, have a paper cut.
Did the kids sleep?
And you know the training, it was really hard.
A drill was called the Italian pit. Once you go down, you can't come out.
You can't, of course, you didn't jump around here enough.
I could've manage that drill.
Well, you're doing your military services in the middle of İstanbul.
Stop crying that much, come on now.
Your time will also come to experience it, bro.
The government knows these are of no use and sent them to İstanbul.
I'll go to the Southern East, I'll be a real soldier.
-Father! -Father!
Father! -Hasan!
-Father, what's going on, dad? -Hasan, what's happening?
Hasan, Hasan. -Father, father!
-Father, what's happening? -Hasan, Hasan, what's wrong?
Would you give your blessings to our brother...
...who passed away from this world and would you all pray for him today?
-Yes, we would. -Can you repeat that again?
Yes, we would.
Hello?
Yeah.
Yeah, this is his phone.
Hasan passed away.
Thank you.
The funeral was last week.
Yeah.
I have his phone now.
Yeah, sure, all right.
We'll come.
Yeah. All right.
Uncle Rıza needs people to pick his nuts.
He's asking if we would like to go, work there.
Flower 13, we've reached the shelter.
We confirmed that there was no one inside.
We finished planting the explosives.
We're ready for the controlled annihilation.
Go on.
That's it.
Thank you, Sergeant Ferhat.
So they've been right under our noses all this time.
I still need much more.
Well, bro, we can join forces and buy you a phone. Don't you worry.
We can buy it, bro. Take it easy.
Yes, you can but...
...you give me your outfits, you give me your shoes...
...will I ever have something that belongs to me?
This falls too short.
Eren?
Is that you? -Yeah.
Where were you? I haven't seen you all day today.
-I was working. I found a job. -Well done, son.
We need some stuff. You can buy them tomorrow then.
We're out of flour. Buy 50 kg of that.
And also rice.
We're out of rice, too, son.
Come on now, son, go to bed. I'll have you write them in the morning.
All right, son? Go on, have a nice sleep.
Yes.
And four of five kilos of sugar?
Well, how much is sugar?
42 lira. But we have a sale on sugar. Four are 160 lira.
Give me just one.
All right then.
But here also writes six packages of pasta.
How many of those shall I give?
Give two of those.
-Why didn't you buy them all, bro? -I'll buy the rest, too.
Don't be mad, son. So that was all he had.
Don't fool me. He's been working. I know how much he has in his pocket.
-How do you know? -Stop it, guys.
How much does a cab cost from Maçka to here?
-100 lira. -Do you have that much money?
-Did you earn that? -I earn, too. It's all the same.
-Come on, drop it now. -Always unfinished business, Eren.
Well, Eren, why wouldn't you buy them all, my dear, huh?
He's your big brother.
You bought this stuff, right?
But you'll have to hire a cab again to get the rest of them now.
So it'll cost us double for the road.
That's why he got mad.
That means I need to work harder.
I'll buy the rest, too.
Fine.
Let's rent it, if you like.
What's wrong?
I'm not comfortable about this, Cemile.
Why not?
All right, maybe we have been assigned here but...
...they want me to go back to Gümüşhane.
It means that I'm not done there yet.
-It won't be done, Ferhat. -Just a bit more.
You'll never be done.
All these years, you've given it all you have, man, don't I know you?
You gave it all you have.
Don't.
You haven't been sleeping on a proper bed for years.
You come home just to change, you know that, right?
We couldn't feel together although we'd been living in the same house.
We couldn't.
You always come home while your kids are sleeping...
...and you leave before they wake up.
Your children have always been missing you.
I won't even mention the Bayrams, holidays, special days.
They kiss your hand on Bayram mornings and then you're gone.
Gone.
Look, we're in Ankara. How nice? We'll rent our flat.
I don't want anything for myself.
But I want our children to spend time with you.
I wanna hear them say, father, for Allah's sake, father.
Please, I don't want anything for myself.
GÜMÜŞHANE GENDARMERIE COMMAND
Two years went by with a blink of an eye, Sgt. Ferhat.
It's time to be reassigned.
But we have one last request from you.
We're gathering a special team.
We want to assign you as the head of that.
The place of duty, sir?
Maçka.
We have a new intelligence.
The group that we destroyed the shelters of...
...seems to have moved to Maçka.
We want you to stay three months more.
Finish this and then leave.
Yes, of course, sir.
You already rented a flat in Ankara, didn't you?
We did, sir.
Give me a week. Let me move my family and return.
Yusuf Yazıcı got through them all.
He passed the ball. Rodellega! Bounced off the goal post.
Yusuf! A perfect goal! -Goal!
-Trabzonspor one... -Who scored the goal, uncle?
-Yusuf Yazıcı scored it, dear. -Yeah.
-How much is hamsi? -Hamsi is 15 lira, dear, 15.
The referee shows the yellow card.
Eren.
Here, dear. I hope you enjoy it with your family.
-But the money? -What money?
Trabzonspor scored a goal. It's my gift to you. Enjoy it, dear.
Thank you, uncle.
Thank you, too.
-Take this, Eren. -No, man.
Come on, take it. Money is no problem between us. Take it.
-But, bro. -We're friends, man. No problem.
Well, come on, bro. We made it. Let's go, buy that phone.
-Come on, man, do it. -Yeah, come on.
Brother Faruk, can I buy that blue phone in the store window?
Which one?
This one? -Exactly.
Hold it like that, dear, from the shoulder.
Let me help, dear, so that mom can have a good look at it.
Huh, well, this is nice. It's perfect.
-Really? -Really. It's okay.
Father wanted to buy a size smaller but I told him, that won't fit.
I cannot accept that my daughter's grown up, I guess.
I grew up.
Go on.
Take it.
I hope you'll wear it on beautiful days.
When did you grow up, man?
I'm off now. See you later.
May the angels guard you, daddy.
He's still awake, of course. Why don't you go to sleep, son?
-Goodbye, daddy. -See you later, my boy.
People should see each other if they're dating.
You're right.
I'm saying this 'cause I can never see you.
You're right. What to say?
People wander with their lovers. They go to the creek, here and there.
They celebrated Hande's birthday the other day.
I went there alone and felt a bit strange.
I wanna talk over the phone at least but you can't be reached when I call.
The phone is not always in range when I'm on the mountain or highland.
We can't talk, I mean.
And I also can't always top up.
I'm wishing you happiness.
You, too.
Why are you buying 10 kilos?
Make it 50 so that 10 kilos would be for free.
But then I have to pay for the car. I cannot carry 50 kilos on my back.
There are orders from your neighborhood.
I'll bring them with the van tomorrow.
I can call you and you can pick them up.
-Really? -Really.
Okay then.
-Are you home? -Yeah.
-Where's the flour? -It'll come tomorrow.
What do you mean?
We don't have flour to make bread?
Well, I did a good thing, I got a discount.
You got a discount but who'll make the bread tomorrow?
-Do we come here again tomorrow? -How will I come here...
...from Maçka tomorrow? Why are you running your own show?
Why didn't you bring the flour? -How come you did such a thing?
How can I come here again from Maçka tomorrow?
You think that it's easy to come all this way?
-I have three kids. You know that? -Yeah, but he made a discount.
-Yeah, but who'll make the bread? -I'm trying to say something...
...listen to me. -What about my own work at home?
-We've been waiting for you forever. -Why do you decide for yourself?
No one ever shows up and says; "Eren, bless your heart."
NO ONE EVER SHOWS UP AND SAYS; "EREN, BLESS YOUR HEART."
Good night then. See you tomorrow.
Commander?
You've got a mail.
Here you are, sir.
It's from Gümüşhane Gendarmerie Headquarters.
I hope it's good news.
Dear Commander Ferhat...
I'm Berzan. Caşvin's father.
My son has been out of prison for one year now.
Thank goodness, the government forgave him since...
...he hadn't gotten involved in any kind of crime or terror acts.
Caşvin's son is born today.
What I mean is, commander, I've become a grandfather today.
Today I got him in my arms for the first time...
...and whispered your name in his ear.
We want him to be trustworthy and courageous like you are.
My commander, you made me and my family happy.
May Allah also make you happy.
However, I've been seeing you in my dream for two nights now.
I'm feeling so uneasy.
Take good care of yourself for Allah's sake.
And may Allah protect you.
-Thank you. -Yes, sir.
AUGUST 8, 2017 TUESDAY
Yeah, but come till noon.
Be here till noon, I mean, don't be late.
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, all right.
Yeah, all right. My regards, too. All right. See you then.
He can't stop talking, man.
Uncle Mükerrem cannot hang up. You say one word...
...he replies with ten till he hangs up. Babbler.
Don't you talk like that. He's the son of my step-uncle.
Well, the son of your step-uncle doesn't count as a close relative.
I'm not saying anything else.
-So is he coming? -Yeah, he's coming tomorrow.
You're throwing everything on me.
Enough with the chitchat. Go on.
We'll take these to the winter house.
You'd built this house so up on the hill...
...that the car can't climb up, can't maneuver.
This is so challenging. And this car doesn't work with water.
How did you come up with this place? You don't even have a road.
Eren, don't you go anywhere.
Mükerrem, Mükerrem.
-What's it? -Come here.
Just a moment.
Come, look.
I thought it was a bear, at first, but it doesn't look like it.
Once a bear entered the other house but it just makes a mess...
...and leaves it all. But our boxes are completely gone.
Well, I really don't get it.
156, Gendarmerie Help Line. What's your emergency?
We think a thief had entered my mother's house.
Can you please come and have a look?
-What's your name? -I'm Arif Bülbül.
My mother's house is in Maçka. She can't call, so I'm calling.
Semih.
A thief had broken into our house, bro.
Come on, man. What would he steal from you?
I'm telling the truth, man. He took all our supplies.
They took our packages, too.
I'm waiting for the Gendarmerie.
Oh, here they are, man. Gendarmerie is here. I'll call you later.
Mother, the gendarmerie is here.
They took everything.
We had packages that İmam gave us.
We had some remaining oil.
I had a little rice. I was planning to cook that when we return.
I had a few rotten potatoes, they even took them.
Yes, sir?
Ferhat, there's a suspicious burglary in Maçka.
I'm sending you the address. Go and check it out.
Yes, sir. We'll be there ASAP.
Let's do this.
The Gendarmerie Commander interrogated me, bro.
-Did you testify, too? -Yeah.
-And what did you see? -I told them what I saw, come on.
-Kids, no trespassing. -I'm a child of the family.
Okay, you can pass then.
-I'll tell you all later. -We're here.
-Hello. -Welcome, Sergeant Ferhat.
-Hi there, commander. -This is the crime scene.
We'll be entering through here.
You may proceed. I'll be right there with you.
-All right. Let's check it out. -Okay.
The owner of the house; Ayşe Bülbül.
They found out the house was robbed when they came down the highlands.
She was with her daughter and son, Eren.
Hi there.
It's almost in the forest.
The path to Sındıran must be through here.
It must be parallel to the path down. You guys check inside.
Are you Eren Bülbül?
-Yes, chief. -I'm not a chief, I'm a soldier.
Ferhat Gedik. -But you're in civilian clothes.
I'm on a secret mission, Eren.
That's why I should dress like this. Play it cool.
Then I can call you, "brother" instead of "commander."
All right, you can call me, brother.
Yes, commander.
-What about "brother", son? -I couldn't say it, commander.
Listen, I'm gonna ask you a few questions, all right?
Listen, man, everyone you see here has a different task.
Everyone is inspecting different stuff.
For example, the ones upstairs are inspecting the burglary.
But I'm gonna ask you more overall questions.
About the terrorists?
Exactly, son.
You must know this area very well, I guess.
Of course, commander. This whole area is my home.
Then tell me now...
...have you noticed any dug up places or mounds recently?
No, I haven't.
They're digging shelters, right?
You're aware of everything.
Commander, no one in our town support them.
When they feed on our supplies I really resent that.
We'll take care of that.
Let's do it like this.
Let's give each other our phone numbers.
In case you see or hear something, you can call me 24/7.
Don't you shy away from calling me, son, all right?
Yes, sir.
Here.
Eren?
I heard some voices from inside the forest.
It's the trees bending because of the wind. Nothing else.
Come on, go to bed.
Are you still awake?
Do we sleep before we say good night?
We don't, I know, but you know, it's too late.
You sound tired.
Are the kids sleeping?
You really must be tired. It's 4 o'clock, Ferhat.
Well, I don't know, Cemile.
The last week of the three months.
Almost over, dear.
Yes.
Almost over.
AUGUST 9, 2017 WEDNESDAY
We're going back to the highlands, Mükerrem.
-Good morning. -Good morning, chief.
My superior sends his regards, Commander Ferhat.
He ordered that we continue this case under your command.
Thank you. Please.
What? Mükerrem, pull over.
I can't get any reception up here.
Yeah. Tell me now.
Yeah, all right. I'll talk to Eren and call you back.
All right. See you.
Your uncle. He wants you to go to pick up nuts.
Our supplies have been stolen. I have to go and earn some money.
Don't worry about our supplies. We have animals on the highlands.
We can make our cheese and butter.
And we have 20 kilos of flour.
We can eat whatever bread we have with our cheese.
Come on, let's go to the highlands. Forget about that.
But we have to make up for these stolen supplies.
Okay. Mükerrem, turn back. We're gonna take Eren to his uncle.
Why didn't you tell me before?
We're gonna perform recon and surveillance missions, guys.
We're gonna track signs and marks.
This water tank will be our border.
From now on, I want you to be cautious and ready as though...
...you can come across and clash with terrorists at any time.
We'll keep a five meters distance from each other.
Turn your phones off.
A lot of terrorists are captured while sleeping.
May Allah help us.
-Where's your uncle? -He must be behind the house.
I'll be done with the nuts tomorrow, I guess.
When you're done, drop by our house, too. Check it out.
Okay. Right.
-You're here, Eren? -Yeah, I am.
Carry the wood inside to the backyard.
When you're done, come, eat your meal.
-But what about the nuts? -That's tomorrow, do this first.
Thank you.
We're in a safe area, gentlemen. The recon is over for today.
You can turn on your phones.
The fog gets thicker as we climb up.
The forest is almost like a jungle.
They could have hidden the stolen stuff anywhere they like.
And the paths are being used but there are no traces.
We'll search.
They did this.
We'll find a trace for sure.
-Same direction again tomorrow? -No.
We should complete the surroundings of the house first.
We couldn't find anything.
We might've searched the opposite side.
AUGUST 10, 2017 THURSDAY
Let's go.
We'll keep a distance of five meters.
We should all be silent.
The person you've called cannot be reached at the moment.
Please try again later.
-Hello, Eren? -Yes, mom?
You called like 20 times last night. What is it?
Our house was just broken into. There are terrorists all around.
I left you there all alone. How can I not call?
Allah Allah. What's up? Why didn't you call me?
Well, I arrived at my uncle's place and carried some wood first.
I was so tired. -You harvested the tea this morning.
And did he make you load them now? Did you eat something?
Well, no. I was exhausted. -And I'm entrusting my kid to him.
All right. Don't you get mad.
All right then, son.
I literally have 45 messages.
Your wife will be so mad at you, bro.
Commander, your phone is also full of messages.
You mind your own business, go on.
-Commander? -Eren, I saw you called. What's up?
Nothing, sir. No problem but...
I was wondering if you could find anything about the burglary.
That's why I called. I'm sorry if I disturbed you.
No, son, no. You can call anytime. That's all right.
We've been around here for two days.
We've been inspecting this area.
We just didn't run into each other. -You're around our house?
-Yes. -Around our house?
Yes. We came through the forest.
How did I miss that?
I'm picking nuts here while hell breaks loose in front of my house.
I'm hanging up if everything's okay. We'll be in touch.
Shall I come there?
No. We're done here for today.
We'll jump in the vehicles and leave.
You get on with your errands. Call me if anything happens.
-All right, commander. See you. -All right, son.
Uncle Ali Rıza, were there soldiers around our house?
Well, they have been in and out of the forest since morning...
...but they left now.
We cannot overlook that entrance passage...
The person you're calling cannot be reached at the moment.
Please try again later.
COMMANDER FERHAT
Commander! Commander! The terrorists are here!
They were all around the house. -Stop.
-Just a moment. Calm down. -I saw them.
Two of them were downstairs. -Calm down and listen to me.
-I'm calm, commander. -Are you close to the house?
-No, commander. I ran away. -How far did you get?
Very far. I ran down to my uncle's house.
Fine. Are you in a visible spot?
-Yes, sir. -Now tell me what you saw in detail.
I went to the house. My mom told me to check it before I returned.
Two of them got out of behind the barn.
When I saw the guns, at first, I thought that it was you.
-Yeah? -And then another two...
...came out around the water tank.
All right. Listen to me now.
It's very dangerous to send soldiers into the forest because it's dark.
And don't you go there, either.
No, I won't, sir. Our house had been broken into.
The damage is done. I want to help them get caught.
You did your part, son.
Get into your uncle's house and don't you get out.
Wait for my call, Eren, all right? -Sir, yes, sir.
Attaboy.
Tomorrow I'll go up the forest with the soldiers.
Will they take you, too?
Well, they already were planning to come.
After Friday prayer, they'll take me, too...
...and we'll go up the house altogether.
Why would they wait till noon?
We can't go into the forest at night, said Commander Ferhat.
And by morning, the terrorists would already be in their holes, he said.
Huh, that's true.
Eren, your military services started, huh?
-Commander's right arm? -Come on, bro, don't say that.
Shall we go on a holiday together? Just the two of us.
What do you mean, just the two of us?
Well, dear, you know me and you. We'll take just me and you.
I'm surprised.
Well, I mean, you even took our 2-year-old kid to Germany, Ferhat.
I feel so tired, Cemile.
You're right, my darling.
You are tired.
The weight of the past 20 years.
You know what?
I missed you so much.
AUGUST 11, 2017 FRIDAY
-Let's go together. -No, I'll go with my friends.
-This is really old, I think. -Very old.
When Eren told me that he saw the terrorists...
...I got that this is serious and felt so distressed.
Don't you worry, bro. This area will be closely inspected.
Come on.
Hello, commander.
Not commander. We are the police.
We're working with Commander Ferhat.
I am Fethi. Fethi Sekin.
Nice to meet you. And I am Eren Bülbül.
Welcome, Eren Bülbül. Welcome.
Commander, I saw them here. Let's go up.
Just wait for them to get ready. Don't rush.
Go on, gentlemen.
When I looked down I saw one near the barn.
I don't know when and how they broke into the house but I saw them.
-How many were there near the barn? -Two, commander.
One of them was inside and he called the other one in, too.
They looked inside together.
You don't have food inside now, right?
No, sir. They stole it all already. Come, let me show you.
This is the barn. -Does it have a back door, Eren?
No, sir.
-Salih, you wait by the cars today. -Yes, sir.
-Go on. -He was looking right through here.
Through here.
And where were the others?
This way, commander. Come, let me show you.
Slow down, son, slow. Slow down.
Sir, they must have passed through this path. There's no other way.
All right, son. You stop there now. All right, Eren.
Thank you, son.
Tell me one last thing. We went to Merit first day.
Through that path to Sındıran. Are there any other paths there?
Yes, there is but it leads to the upper side of the forest.
Okay but there is.
Yeah, there's an unused path.
It's old, insignificant at the beginning.
All right. Thank you, son.
Now go down to your uncle's place.
But I don't have anything to do there today.
So what, son? Your mother is in the highlands.
Don't you stay here alone. Go down, come on.
The road splits near the sharp rocks. Don't take the right path.
It leads nowhere.
Okay, we'll take the left one.
What to do? I'm just hanging.
The soldiers went up the forest and I'm in the house.
Bro, they're fully equipped. They have guns and everything, man.
There is a team on the field, waiting.
Their coordinates are unclear.
I think we should back up. It can be dangerous.
Did you find the path I told you, commander?
We did. We went up to Çatalkaya.
-Did you find anything? -Nothing.
Commander!
15 YEAR-OLD BOY EREN BÜLBÜL FROM MAÇKA...
...AND GENDARMERIE STAFF SERGEANT FERHAT GEDİK...
...WERE MARTYRED RIGHT IN FRONT OF EREN'S HOUSE...
...ON 11TH AUGUST, 2017.
TURKISH PEOPLE WILL NEVER FORGET GENDARMERIE SSG. FERHAT GEDİK...
...AND EREN WHOSE ONLY WISH WAS TO BE REMEMBERED WITH BLESSINGS.
BLESS YOUR HEART, EREN
WE WROTE THEIR NAMES ON MOUNTAINS, ON ROCKS...
...AND ON THE BIRDS FLYING UP HIGH.
BLESS YOUR HEART, EREN
Bless your heart, Eren!
EREN BÜLBÜL AND FERHAT GEDİK BLESS YOUR SOULS
BY THE EFFORTS OF EREN'S POLICE AND SOLDIER BROTHERS...
...AND GENDARMERIE SSG. FERHAT GEDİK'S BROTHERS IN ARMS...
...THREE TERRORISTS WERE NEUTRALIZED AND ONE WAS CAPTURED ALIVE.
SINCE THE INCIDENT, THE MINISTRY OF INTERIOR...
...HAVE CONDUCTED 21 EREN OPERATIONS.
THE SOLDIERS AND THE POLICE WHO CONDUCTED THE OPERATIONS SAID...
For our brother, Eren Bülbül! Bless your heart...
Eren!
Bless your heart, Eren!
Commandos!
-Yes, sir! -For our brother, Eren Bülbül.
Eren! Bless your heart, Eren!
İZMİR IS GRATEFUL TO YOU WE DIDN'T FORGET, WE WON'T FORGET
Attention!
For our brother, Eren Bülbül!
Bless your heart, Eren!
BLESS YOUR HEART, EREN
THE LAST PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN JUST 2 MINUTES BEFORE THE INCIDENT