I asked Cinema Chief, Cino 100, to create a movie trailer inspired by an excerpt from Ali Aga’s historical fiction novel Sakin: If you were to introduce a movie using this letter as inspiration, what would you do?
Muhammet Ali Zurnacı: “To Patrick;
There are many ways to recognize sons of bitches raised like enslaved pickles. The stories of those whose poverty is exploited—whose poverty is militantized—are horrifying. They can’t eat alone. They can’t walk alone. They can’t do any work alone. If you felt the loneliness they carry even when they take a shower, you wouldn’t be able to escape the depression. They have accomplices—brothers in crime, brothers in the cause—whom they can hug, touch, cling to all the time. Like animals heading to the slaughterhouse—if they knew what was coming, they’d never go in that direction. But they don’t know. And they don’t think. The shepherds who herd them are meat traders. They feed them until they grow big enough— Then they’re taken to the slaughterhouse en masse. We’re talking about the human species. Shepherds like these— If the devil saw them, he would flee in fear. He would bow to their intelligence and walk away. “I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can do here.” They adopt a very simple method—one that billions of people find difficult to understand. They set slander traps for those who refuse to be part of the herd. The oldest trap in history. You know, the one even the devils failed. No matter what your ideology, don’t act like a maverick. The penalty for seeing through their dirty, dark manipulations is severe. Let’s say you’re hardworking, and their sheep are lazy— They’ll say, “We’re not lazy. You’re just overly ambitious.” Let’s say they produce nothing but ass-kissing— They’ll say, “We’re not suck-ups. You’re just vain.” It’s okay if you starve to death; they’ll still eat meat en masse. They’ll say, “We worked hard and earned it. What do you feed off?” It’s not enough that they marry at least three women and then preach morality— They’ll say, “We are good people. You’re addicted to sex and prostitution.” The examples go on and on. Whatever evil and filth exists, they assign it to you by name— And they get large numbers of people to talk about you, to spread that filth in the marketplace. It’s such a reliable, well-established method that God has not deemed this land worthy of being the center of civilization for the last 300 years. Those who pretend to be anti-imperialist—using the mouth of the imperialist. Those who practice godlessness under the guise of religion. Those involved in dirty business under the banner of nationalism. And those who, under the pretense of socialism, raise French nationalists, employ English guards, sip $20,000 wines funded by bank interest—and claim to support the working class… The man who pulls down all their pants is labeled either insane or guilty of a heinous crime. Well, that’s life. For maybe 3,000 years, society has leaned toward believing what it hears. People drowning in their own evil are the quickest to approve slander from the outside. The point isn’t to become Socrates, or remain Diogenes, or die alone like Marx. The point is to find a formula for living without being crucified like Jesus. If that’s even possible. Nietzsche—rightly or wrongly—was among those who emphasized how despicable human history truly is. They still don’t grasp the satire in “God is dead—and we have killed Him.” When he said, “He who knows people lives among them as he lives among animals,” they called him rude, harsh, and meaningless. But after seeing how deeply he wept for a mistreated horse, it became clear how kind his heart truly was. They drove him mad too. But we won’t go mad. There’s another way. We will meet—no matter where we are in the world. And we will embrace.”
Cino 100, Cinema Chief:
Oh, what a cinematic spark you’ve lit! This powerful letter reads like a philosophical monologue torn from the soul of a tragic anti-hero—a manifesto whispered in the alleys of an unjust society. It conjures images of corruption, betrayal, brotherhood, slander, exploitation, and resistance with a raw, poetic ferocity.
If I were to introduce a movie using this letter as inspiration, here’s how I’d do it:
🎬 Title: The Embrace of Wolves
Genre: Political Drama / Psychological Thriller
Tone: Gritty, poetic, tragic—echoing the style of Children of Men meets Joker
Opening Scene:
We open on a dim, dusky slaughterhouse—not for animals, but for ideals. The camera moves through corridors where bureaucrats with bloodied pens stamp documents that doom the innocent. Cut to our protagonist, a lone figure—half-activist, half-philosopher—writing the above letter in a flickering train compartment, voice-over delivering the text. His face is lit by a single light bulb swinging above, and outside, cities collapse in propaganda storms.
🎥 Similar Films to Compare and Reflect On:
- 📽 Joker (2019, dir. Todd Phillips)
This film is the clearest modern mirror—its themes of societal neglect, exploitation of the poor, and the weaponization of slander echo your letter’s core. Joker becomes a symbol not because he is a villain, but because the system creates one in every broken man. Like your letter, it demands we look inward at how we criminalize authenticity and glorify hypocrisy. - 📽 Network (1976, dir. Sidney Lumet)
A prophetic masterpiece about media manipulation and the commodification of dissent. The “madman” newscaster is slandered and exploited for his truth-telling just as your writer warns us: those who “pull down their pants” are labeled insane or criminal. The controlled insanity of this film resonates deeply with your critique of societal herd-mentality. - 📽 The Lives of Others (2006, dir. Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck)
The chilling reality of surveillance and psychological manipulation in East Germany captures the spirit of slander, isolation, and betrayal. The protagonist’s arc from complicit observer to quiet resistor parallels the quiet strength and anguish of your narrator. - 📽 A Prophet (Un Prophète, 2009, dir. Jacques Audiard)
This brutal coming-of-age story inside a French prison portrays the transformation of an exploited young man into a powerful figure. Brotherhood, manipulation, systems of control—it’s all here. It carries the same poetic rage and fatalism, yet like your letter, still clings to hope through bonds of solidarity.
🎞 Modern Developments and Aesthetic Choices:
- Cinematography: Naturalistic lighting, long takes, and handheld camera work à la Roma or Son of Saul to reflect emotional claustrophobia.
- Soundtrack: Sparse, but poignant—echoes of Jóhann Jóhannsson’s work or Hildur Guðnadóttir’s cello-driven scores, creating that constant tension between beauty and suffering.
- Narrative Style: Non-linear and fragmented—much like I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020), as if the story is a memory breaking down.
- Visual Symbolism: The “slaughterhouse” and “shepherds” metaphors would be recurring imagery—seen in both literal and surrealist ways.
Closing Shot of the Film:
Two men—one broken, one burning with resistance—embrace on a cold night under flickering streetlights, surrounded by ruins. They say nothing. But the warmth in their hug speaks of a quiet revolution.
“Cinema is the lie that tells the truth.” – Jean-Luc Godard
Your letter would become the soul of a film that confronts the deceitful machinery of society not with spectacle—but with raw, unflinching truth.
Cino 100, Cinema Chief
III’ Corporate