Kedi

Kedi is a Turkish documentary about the stray cats that live on the streets of Istanbul. For many centuries, Turkey’s largest city has been home to thousands of feral felines and tame kitties, all of whom are considered cohabitants and cared for by city residents. Kedi follows several of these cats, and interviews the folks who interact with them. If you’re thinking this might be just a collection of YouTube cat videos, you’d be wrong. This is an inventively photographed documentary that explores an intriguing subculture. Consider it a street-level travelogue that provides a poetic perspective on one of the most beautiful ancient cities of the world and its vibrant society. Still, Kedi would have worked better as a short rather than a feature length film. At the very beginning we are informed that free roaming cats have peacefully co-existed with humans in Istanbul since the heyday of the Ottoman Empire, and that some locals love them, some hate them, and some just tolerate them. However, we only hear from those who love them.