REVIEW: ‘Doom of Love’ Would Be Great Were It Longer

Doom of Love (Askin Kiyameti) is a Turkish-language Netflix Original film directed by Hilal Saral and written by Yilmaz Erdogan. Firat (Boran Kuzum) is doomed to close down his obituary business, and as it folds, he finds himself in massive debt. A friend takes him on a yoga retreat with her very wealthy partner in the hopes that he’ll snap out of it and that her boyfriend will loan him the money he owes. Instead, he meets Lydia (Pinar Deniz) and Yusuf (Yigit Kirazci).

Doom of Love is equal parts romance and a self-discovery journey. Just as well as Firat falls in love with Lydia, does he struggle to learn to love himself and love life too. In earnest, the movie spends more time focused on Firat’s journey to letting go of the material and living in the moment than it does anything else. And while it doesn’t wow me with anything in particular about Firat himself along this journey, and the dialogue sometimes feels a bit too hokey for me, it’s still a journey I enjoyed watching Firat travel.

After a chance second encounter with Lydia and Yusuf, Firat decides to join the two free-wheeling musicians on their travels and become their drummer. I can’t say I had any expectations, especially about the movie beforehand, but had I had any, the decision to largely focus on Firat’s self-discovery surprises me. Still, it’s appreciated as a differentiator from the slew of rom-coms and romances Netflix has released of late.

The characters are all endearing and seem like rather nice people; however, what’s really missing is a connection between them. You can surmise a strong bond between Lydia and Yusuf, of course, but the time Firat spends with the pair feels fleeting in the span of the movie. This wasn’t any sort of bother at first, as the movie is enjoyable enough unto itself. But when it takes a dramatic turn in the final act, the unfulfilled connection feels like a burden on the impact the movie is striving for. There are some moments that work enough because of the romantic elements of the movie, but the biggest twist ultimately falls flat when not nearly enough time was able to be spent on building up to that moment with the characters. Had this been a longer format story, I think the ending could have been incredible. Unfortunately, as it stands, it just lacks the emotional impact that it deserves.

Some of the other elements that help round out the presentation are certainly the score, the set design, and the cinematography. The musical motif used throughout the movie adds a lot of romantic and contemplative atmosphere at once. And of course, all of the music played by the main characters is fun, each in a few different ways. The sets are always well put together to drive a peaceful feeling without being too over the top in the different retreat centers the cast stays in. And the cinematography in each of them adds to that tranquility. There is particularly a shot at the end that, while likely touched up digitally, is one of the most gorgeous sunset clouds with shades of purple that takes me back to some of my favorite summers and the people I spent them with.

Doom of Love is fair enough as it is, with an endearing cast and a swell, driving message about self-discovery over all else. I just wish it had longer to develop the relationships between Firat and his new compatriots so that the film’s final segments could have the full depth of impact it deserves. It’s an almost strange ending as it is, though not necessarily a bad one. Nonetheless, the movie as a whole is worth a watch if you’re running low on new romances to enjoy, but perhaps not worth rushing to press play on.

Doom of Love is streaming now on Netflix.