REVIEW: ‘Abandoned Man’ Lacks Depth In Its Take On Betrayal

In Abandoned Man, Baran, at age 15, is forced by his father to take responsibility for his older brother’s vehicular manslaughter crime. Neither his mother nor his big brother, Fatih, stands up for Baran; instead, his family allows him to take the blame and go to prison, believing this decision would protect their oldest son’s life and reputation. Unfortunately, the prison system is extremely cruel to Baran.

After killing two prison guards in self-defense to save himself and his friend from physical and sexual abuse, he is sentenced to a total of 15 years in prison. In the present day, Baran is a free man eager to start his new life. But tragedy strikes again when his oldest brother and his wife get into a car accident that leaves his niece Lidya without her mother and her father in a coma. Baran’s life is turned upside down once again as he tries to care for his niece and rebuild his life simultaneously.

The relationship between Baran and Lydia carries the heart of Abandoned Man.

Mert Ramazan Demir’s performance as the leading man, Baran, delivers an authentic portrayal. Demir excels at capturing the array of emotions, such as distress, pain, and righteous anger, that his character feels. Ada Erma, as Lydia, brings an earnest innocence and levity to this bleak, dramatic story, making Baran’s chemistry with his newfound niece more believable.

The film’s emotional core and decisive moments come from Baran’s bond with Lidya. Lidya represents the light at the end of Baran’s dark tunnel of despair, offering him hope and the motivation to keep working towards a better life. Their relationship provides warmth and humanity in a story filled with suffering and constant setbacks. 

Unfortunately, not every character in Abandoned Man feels fully fleshed out, even with great performances. For example, Ercan Kesal’s Musa feels very underdeveloped. The character feels like a plot device that provides convenient opportunities to aid Baran. Although Musa’s backstory is lightly mentioned and suggests beneath his gruff exterior, he has more in common with Baran than meets the eye. Unfortunately, Musa’s characters don’t get explored beyond the surface level.

More development in both characters and key themes could have made the film stronger.

Abandoned Man touches on themes like familial duty, sacrifice, and perseverance. Baran’s character arc is both personal and symbolic; he represents countless people who have had their choices taken away from them to protect someone else. The story and Baran’s arc raise an important question about one’s responsibility and loyalty to family: What happens when that loyalty and responsibility come with the cost of one’s detriment?

A missed opportunity for the film was for it to explore these themes and questions with more nuance and depth. It is honorable of Baran to take on the responsibility of his niece and pay his brother’s debts. However, the film sidesteps the reality that family duty can sometimes do more harm than good. Instead of exploring this more, Abandoned Man chooses to pile hardship and challenges one after another until it almost becomes numbing to the characters and the story.

Furthermore, Baran does not owe his self-destructive brother anything and has every right to walk away from what is left of his family. However, Baran rises above his disdain for his brother and takes responsibility for his niece because he sees himself in her: a child who needs someone to stand up and take care of them.

Ada Erma is one to watch in the future.

As a story, Abandoned Man struggles to resolve its conflicts in a fulfilling way. Specifically, when it comes to Baran and Fatih’s relationship. Throughout the film, Fatih tries to force forgiveness and reconciliation with his brother out of guilt. Meanwhile, Baran constantly says he has no interest in mending with his brother and wants nothing to do with him. Even after Fatih comes out of his coma and comes to take his daughter back, Baran is still visibly not interested in forgiving his brother.

Suddenly, the story skips six months, hinting that Baran now attends family dinners with his niece and brother. The film does not dedicate any time to showing the work that went into Baran and his brother’s mending. Or even showing that his brother has become a better person and is no longer exhibiting self-destructive tendencies. Instead, it waters down a meaningful point of conflict in the story to sprint towards a lackluster resolution and ending. The film falls flat by not showing the difficult work of true reconciliation for Baran and Fatih.

Abandoned Man is a touching story about sacrifice, hope, and the burdensome responsibilities family can impose. However, it has a strong emotional core and moments of tenderness, the film’s pacing is rough, and convenient resolutions don’t offer a fulfilling ending. In the end, the film ultimately leaves you feeling like something was missing from start to finish.

Abandoned Man is now streaming exclusively on Netflix.