On March 30, Netflix released its brand-new Turkish original series Wild Abandon, or Uysallar, for its Turkish name. The assertive series consists of 8 episodes and each one is around 45-60 minutes. There is, actually, a lot to talk about in the series. It is even hard to decide where to begin. But, as for a starter, we have to say this: Wild Abandon brings together one of the best novelists and one of the best directors of Turkey: Hakan Günday and Onur Saylak, respectively.
On March 30, Netflix released its brand-new Turkish original series Wild Abandon
There is a very strong reason for us to mention this perfect duo: they made one of the best Turkish series ever, Şahsiyet (Persona). While Hakan Günday was the screenwriter of the series, Onur Saylak took on the directing. The series even brought Turkish actor Haluk Bilginer an Emmy award for the best actor.
Onus Saylak (third from left) and Hakan Günday (third from right)
However, aside from these details, no matter how important they are, we are here to talk about the splendiferous Turkish original series on Netflix. With its story, casting, and hidden messages inside the series, Wild Abandon has already become one of the best in its category. And with category, we mean dark comedy!
Uysallar family — Wild Abandon
Wild Abandon: Dual Lives of Uysallar Family
To begin with, we need to first focus on the meaning of the word Uysallar (by referring to the Turkish original name of the series). The suffix “-lar” at the end of the word, by the way, is the plural suffix in Turkish.
Oktay Uysal (played by Öner Erkan) and Nil Uysal (played by Songül Öden)
So, the proper translation of the word uysal in English would be meek or easygoing. We are specifying this on purpose because it is important to know to understand the depth of the series much better. The members of the Uysal family are definitely not meek, not even slightly, not at all!
Facing the Midlife Crisis
In the haze of a midlife crisis, an architect begins living a double life as a punk. Members of his family, on the other hand, lead their own crisis-ridden lives. This conflict forms the main scope of the Wild Abandon (Uysallar) series. Let’s take a closer look…
Haluk Bilginer and Uğur Yücel
When was the last time you were happy? …
The Cast and Characters of Wild Abandon
Oktay Uysal (played by Öner Erkan) is the main character of the series. He is a mid-upper class architect living in Istanbul with his family. Oktay is a successful white-collar worker who has a stable economic life. He actually has an ideal life with his beautiful family, two beautiful children, success at work, and a welfare life. However, in spite of everything he has, Oktay goes through a midlife crisis in his 40s. Thus, he starts living a parallel punk life that he has always dreamt of…
Berhudar (played by Haluk Bilginer) in Wild Abandon
Nil Uysal (played by Songül Öden), despite having a profession, has already “chosen” to take care of her children as the wife of a man with a high income. Nonetheless, while doing so, she disappeared as an individual. The fact that she has a mask on her face in the opening scene, makes her “anonymous” by not being an individual. As time goes by, Nil starts discovering her own persona, starts searching for a job, and even falls in love away from her husband…
Veteran Names of Turkish Cinema: Haluk Bilginer and Uğur Yücel
Thanks to Wild Abandon, we get a great chance to watch the two veteran names of Turkish cinema and television history: Haluk Bilginer and Uğur Yücel. While the Emmy-winner Turkish actor Haluk Bilginer stars as Berhudar, a high authoritative government worker, Uğur Yücel stars as Olcay Uysal, the authoritarian father of Oktay, who has never let his son make his dreams come true.
The weirdest family in the history of the Turkish series
As we stated at the beginning, each member of the family has their own burden on their shoulders. They all have their secrets. And the punk lover Oktay could be the most innocent one among others. And his father, Olcay, could be the guiltiest one, unlike his moral values! Olcay Uysal has a forbidden love with his sick wife’s foreigner caretaker and gets her pregnant. Yet, no one knows about it, and yet again, he keeps being harsh on his family.
Odd Children of Uysal Family
Every character in the series is a symbol, and each symbolizes a deficiency in society. Same for the two children of the family! Ege Uysal (played by Umut Yeşildağ) is the 17-year-old son of Oktay, who is suicidal due to future anxiety, the stress of exams, and unresolved family issues. He is expected to take serious decisions in spite of his young age. So, these burdens make him sick, just like millions of his peers in Turkey. And consequently, it all drives him crazy!
Oktay is in his 40s having a midlife crisis
And Ece Uysal (played by Nilay Yeral)… She is the youngest of the family. Ece is around 7 or 8 years old, yet she is the most complete and cleverest member of the family. Despite her family’s persistence, she refuses to have a smartphone. The reason for refusing to get one is that she thinks it eliminates the real communication among people. A girl who is only 7-8 years old represents conscience for some and a philosophical principle for us.
Ece grieves for poor children, stands by women who are subjected to violence, and hates technology. In the face of alienated individuality, the young Ece tries to communicate with their neighbors.
Well, as you can see, nothing is in vain in the series…
Other Details About Wild Abandon
There is still so much to talk about the brand-new Turkish original series on Netflix, Wild abandon, but let’s take a look at some other technical details.
Oktay Uysal is having a dual life in Wild Abandon
The release date of the series is May 30th, 2022. Wild Abandon is a mini internet series that consists of 8 episodes, each taking around 44-62 minutes. The producer of the series is Ay Yapım and the production company has planned the series for only one season. So, there will be no other following season.
A Günday & Saylak Idea!
Hakan Günday wrote the screenplay of the Uysallar series, which draws attention to its different subject, and Onur Saylak directed it. The series “Uysallar” is not an adaptation of any book or a TV series abroad.
The Filming Location of Wild Abandon
So, the filming of the Uysallar series, which is in the dark comedy genre, attracted the attention of fans and was shot in various districts and districts of Istanbul. In general, it is possible to say that the shooting took place in the Beyoğlu district on the European side.
In Wild Abandon, nothing is in vain and every detail symbolizes something in Capitalist society
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Click here to watch the official trailer of Wild abandon (Uysallar):