Erksan’s Critique, Berri’s Spectacle: Water Ownership in Susuz Yaz and Jean de Florette
Erksan’s Critique, Berri’s Spectacle: Water Ownership in Susuz Yaz and Jean de Florette

Summary/Abstract: This article examines the theme of private water ownership as depicted in Susuz Yaz of Metin Erksan and Jean de Florette of Claude Berri by questioning how the portrayals of water ownership in each film reflect historical and social attitudes towards private use of collective resources within capitalistic endeavors. In Susuz Yaz, clear ethical questions are raised about private ownership of water, stemming from the highly political background of Metin Erksan and the tradition of Turkish social realism. Conversely, Jean de Florette presents water as a spectacle, an element of French rural life, without any direct criticism or questioning of its ownership; the water issue is simply a structural given in a somewhat capitalistic setting, and Jean de Florette merely displays this given as a French rural heritage film. The article uses Marx and Engel’s explanation of the peasants as the petty bourgeoisie to frame the plots of the films. Then, both films are contextualized in line with the genres and social contexts they belong to.

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