Beyto is a terrific swimmer and everybody’s cool buddy. But as the young Swiss man with Turkish roots falls in love with his handsome coach Mike, his perfect world seems to fall apart. For Beyto’s parents, there is only one solution to maintain the tradition and honor of their family: He has to marry a woman as soon as possible! They lure their son into their Turkish home village and organize a wedding with Beyto’s childhood friend Seher. All of a sudden, Beyto finds himself in the middle of a devastating love triangle: How can he stand by Mike without destroying Seher’s future?
Director Gitta Gsell states, ““Beyto” is a screen adaptation of the novel by Yusuf Yesilöz, published in 2011. I’ve been familiar with his work for a long time. When I read “Hochzeitsflug“, I immediately had the feeling that this story would be very suitable for the screen. Back then, I was teaching young people. I witnessed their slang with all its discriminating terms and also the problems which young people with migrant backgrounds have to face. The attitude of all characters in the novel is understandable. Beyto‘s parents want to continue living the traditions of their Turkish village in Switzerland. They still dream of the dry hills of Anatolia and close their minds to the influences of modern Switzerland. Beyto is torn between his cultural heritage on the one side and modernity on the other side. He tries to find his way between the home and cohesion of his family and the freedom of the Western world.
Beyto is a popular guy and the pride and joy of his parents. He’s one of the best athletes on his swimming team, gets good grades in his apprenticeship, and has a lot of friends, both Turkish and Swiss. But when he falls in love for the first time – with Mike –, his problems begin. He’s about to lose either the support of his family or his inner self – the freedom-loving, tolerant and gay Beyto.
To get the tongue right and achieve authenticity, I went through all the dialogue with young men who have a Turkish background. For many parts, we cast laymen, including the part of Beyto. Burak Ates, who took this part, had to learn the basics of acting very quickly. We rehearsed a lot and he delivered an excellent performance. He brought Beyto to life in such an emotional and passionate way. His experienced and engaged co-stars Dimitri Stapfer, Beren Tuna, and Serkan Tastemur proved to be of great help. For the part of Seher we found a wonderful actress in Turkey – Ecem Aydin, who had just finished her professional training and was now in front of the camera for a feature film for the first time as well.
“Beyto” sheds light on a topical problem. Freedom and tolerance for which the Western society has fought over centuries are offset by migrants of patriarchal societies. “Beyto” deals with this conflict without blaming. The film is about individual life patterns that have to assert themselves in the conflict between different norms, ideologies, and values.
It’s a unique story of a Turkish young man. But it’s also the story of many young people who want to live their own lives. Beyto is scared not to meet the expectations of his parents. He’s living a lie, like so many in our time. This lie leads to a domino effect and causes a seemingly hopeless situation.“
BEYTO is on DVD and Digital December 7 from Dark Star Pictures.
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