''Paper Lives'' () is a 2021 Turkish

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by Can Ulkay and written by Ercan Mehmet Erdem. The film stars

Çağatay Ulusoy Çağatay Ulusoy (; born 23 September 1990) is a Turkish actor and model who started his acting career in the TV series '' Adını Feriha Koydum'' (2011–2012) as Emir Sarrafoğlu. Since then, he has had further lead roles in '' Medcezir'' (20 ...

, Emir Ali Doğrul, Ersin Arıcı, Turgay Tanülkü and Selen Öztürk. It premiered on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

on March 12, 2021.

Plot

In an impoverished neighborhood of

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, a friendly garbage collector, Mehmet, who after becoming homeless has a soft spot for the many homeless children in the area, discovers an eight-year-old boy hiding in his colleague's garbage bag. Mehmet is dedicated to reconnecting the boy with his family.

Cast

as Mehmet * Emir Ali Doğrul as Ali * Ersin Arıcı as Gonzales * Turgay Tanülkü as Tahsin * Selen Öztürk

Critical response

According John Serba from

Decider Decider is both a real word and a "Bushism". It may refer to: * ''Decider'' (website), a pop culture website operated by the ''New York Post'' * '' Bill Maher: The Decider'', a stand-up comedy special * Decider (Turing machine), a Turing machin ...

, the film "starts strong, holds on pretty well, then blows it hard at the end".

References

External links

* * * {{Rottentomatoes, paper_lives 2021 drama films 2021 films Turkish drama films 2020s Turkish-language films Netflix original films Films shot in Istanbul