‘Make A Wish’ (2022) Review: Parallel Responsibilities and Challenges
Meta Akkus’ Make A Wish (Turkish: Bir Dilek Tut) is a tale of a young boy who uncovers the secret to make his wishes come true. The movie, which is aimed at a younger audience, explores the values and lessons about believing in themselves to achieve things far beyond their reach. A touching movie that attempts to teach young children the importance of love, courage, trusting themselves, and other universal challenges.
Kaan (Mehmet Turan Dogan) lives a happy life with his parents in the Turkish countryside. On his birthday, he learns that his family plans to move to Istanbul. Kaan is not enthusiastic about the move since he has to leave his friends behind. His parents read a book given to him by his aunt, ‘Make A Wish.’ The book follows a young boy, Berke (Ihsan Berk Aydin), who is being bullied by Hasan (Yusuf Kemal Kilkis) and his group of friends. Berke discovers that his turtle, Ninja, is magic and it gives him the confidence to stand up for himself. The magic turtle also grants him wishes, which makes him quite popular in school. But when the magic begins to disappear, his new friends leave him behind. Berke soon learns that the true power doesn’t lie entirely in the turtle but in himself. Kaan discovers the secret to make his own wishes come true.
Make A Wish follows values and lessons that young children, such as Kaan and Berke experience in different aspects of life. After Berke’s popularity increases, he leaves his old friends behind and hangs around with Hasan and his group of friends. These subplots attempt to show that children like Berke go through complex stages during their adolescence. It shows how characters learn how to learn from their mistakes, appreciate the people around them, and stand up to their bullies. It is a lesson to appreciate themselves more than anything else.
Kaan, on the other hand, deals with his mother’s jealousy over the book. He tries to change the universe by wishing for something that he wants rather than fulfilling it for his mother. These complex stories view young children in this light to teach a younger audience the value of love and the importance of family. Akkus’ story illustrates the kinds of responsibilities, or even pressure, young children deal with, even though they don’t have much to control in their lives.
It takes a lot of courage and love to make wishes come true. Make A Wish’s philosophy believes that children who are experiencing problems of their own should believe in themselves. It’s a story about keeping faith and learning the importance of self-belief in a time of difficulty. The young cast’s performances were natural, which brings out a more relaxed and gentle side of their characters. Make A Wish attempts to create emotional moments between the characters, but the overwhelming score ruins the sentimental scenes. Despite this, Akkus’ movie teaches the audience the hardships young children deal with and the responsibilities they must endure for the consequences of their actions.
