She Said Maybe Parent Guide

Can (Sinan Gūleç) is desperate to propose to his girlfriend, Mavi (Beritan Balci), but his elaborate plans seem destined to go off the rails. The clever young lawyer finally comes up with a great idea: a ten-day trip to Istanbul, which will be the perfect site for a romantic proposal.

Mavi is delighted with Can’s thoughtful gift. Like Can, she’s Turkish-German, but unlike him, she doesn’t speak the language. A promising young architect, she’s excited to delve into Turkish architecture while also exploring the city’s famed culture.

What Mavi doesn’t know is that her mother deliberately chose not to teach her Turkish. Mavi’s father was the heir to a wealthy Turkish dynasty but fled his controlling family: however, thanks to social media, Mavi’s grandmother, Yadigar (Meral Perin), is instantly aware that her only grandchild is now in Turkey. She’s determined to reintegrate her descendant into the family and its businesses, and nothing – not Mavi’s career plans or Can’s feelings – will stand in her way.

She Said Maybe isn’t an original film, but it offers plenty of fun. The star of the show is Meral Perin, whose Yadigar is every bit the steely matriarch, wielding her power over her massive family and the wealthy elite of Istanbul. She showers Mavi with attention, dazzles her with the privileges of wealth, ensures that she meets “sexy single Kent” (Serkan Çayoglu), and does all she can to separate Mavi from Can and persuade her to stay in Turkey. There’s not much doubt where the plot is headed, but Beritan Balci and Sinan Gūleç do a great job of emoting their way through the upheaval of discovering Mavi’s new family, reacting to their changed circumstances, negotiating the vicious politics of the Bilgin family, and coming to understand their own relationship.

The movie comes with a few downsides. The first is the Netflix English language dub track, which sounds canned: I prefer the original Turkish with English subtitles which worked better for me. (Your mileage may differ.) Other issues are minor: there are ten profanities, including a single sexual expletive, which give the film its TV-14 rating. There is some social drinking and a brief scene of a woman smoking a hookah, but other negative content is minimal, particularly in comparison to the rest of the genre.

Overall, She Said Maybe is a decent choice for romance fans. The story is adequate, the cast bright-eyed and appealing, and the wardrobes spectacularly over the top. The scenes shot in Istanbul and Cappadocia are enticing and the entire film screams “escape”. If that’s what you’re looking for, this movie isn’t a “maybe”; it’s a “definitely”.

About author

Kirsten Hawkes

Kirsten Hawkes has a BA in Political Science and English and has worked in international development and medical education and marketing. Kirsten enjoys reading, watching movies, and debating politics with her husband and sometimes unwilling children.