NZIFF 2025 Craccum Coverage | One of Those Days When Hemme Dies

Review by Daniel C.

In his debut feature, Murat Fıratoğlue captures the day of a workman wandering through southeastern Turkey, driven by sheer frustration and willpower. 

Lawyer turned director Fıratoğlue demonstrates his full mastery on the screen, following the influences of directors like Abbas Kiarostami and Mohsen Makhmalbaf. With long takes and careful editing, he explores human life with a focus on the small moments and interactions we often overlook. Children kick cans in the park, an olive tree casts a shadow on a motorcycle, and a man talks to his daughter on his phone.

Fans of Jacqueson Tati and Hou Hsiao-hsien will take to water in Fıratoğlue’s film. One of Those Days uses keen introspection to spin everyday life into moments bordering on comedy. We see a whole array of relationships played out in situations we have all experienced - but now seen through a magnifying glass. Fıratoğlue is subtle with his work. He doesn’t have to exaggerate his scenes to highlight a point, but only needs to let his camera sit to guide our perception. In this way, the film becomes a quiet comedy that contrasts the often underrated beauty of reality with the absurdity of human interaction. 

I loved this film. <3