“Kedi” means “cat” in Turkish, and it’s also the name of a film about the cats who freely roam the streets of Istanbul, living somewhere between wild and tame. It is the third highest grossing foreign-language documentary, and for good reason. It invitingly entices cat lovers to view life from the perspective of seven cats in particular, at the same time letting viewers experience the communal approach of the residents who care for the cats while allowing them to retain their feline independence.
Starring Sari, an orange and white short-haired beauty dubbed “the hustler,” Bengü, a tabby called “the lover,” and grey and white Duman “the gentleman,” among others, it is arrestingly shot, often down at cat eye level, with a wonderful score as backdrop. Perhaps the best part is seeing how the cats draw out the finest aspects of human nature, as people gently feed, stroke, and otherwise care for them. Definitely worth 79 minutes of your time, and even non cat-lovers will appreciate the way the film trains a gentle, novel lens on cats and the people who look after them. Check it out on YouTube or any one of a number of other streaming platforms.
