Independent Boy

For a month, the young filmmaker Vincent Boy Kars makes all the decisions for his indecisive friend Metin. As a first step, he forces Metin to live alone for a month, away from his mother, with whom he has a relationship that borders on too close. Kars wonders to what degree we can mold peoples' lives. The twentysomething Metin doesn’t really know what to do with himself—his friends consider him smart and creative, but he never applies these traits to actions. It’s striking to see the contrast between Metin and the cheerful youth leaders from his boyhood scouting troop. He's also very different from his climbing instructor, who teaches him that you have think about where you’re going—to plan out your steps on your way up the rock wall. But planning isn’t Metin’s thing. Instead, he wants to make people think about what a successful life entails. Millennials will recognize a lot in Independent Boy, as will anyone who has ever been in their twenties.