The Antenna (2019) - full transcript

In a dystopian Turkey, the Government begins installing new TV antennas to homes throughout the country. Mehmet, a superintendent at a crumbling apartment complex, has to supervise the ...

THE ANTENNA

Low temperatures across the country
are to decline further.

Many showers are expected
in the upcoming days.

Authorities are warning citizens,
against possible flooding.

Now we proceed to the
important news of the day.

With the efforts of the
Ministry of Telecommunication,

our country is entering a new era.

This new technology, which will
firstly be utilized by state channels,

allows shared usage of common
satellites in apartment buildings.

Assuming the project goes as planned,

each residential
unit will have access to



a central broadcast
system before summer.

With the implementation of the
new system, regulations and programs

will be broadcasted first handedly
and regularly, via daily bulletins.

Today will be the starting point of
this long planned system.

Authorities report that the system
will start a new era,

which will result in radical changes.

Of all days to be late,
you pick today Mehmet.

Is this how you roll?

I am so sorry, Mr. Cihan.
What did you need?

This is Sait from
the municipal office,

he will install our satellite dish.

Give him the key to the roof,
so he can start immediately.

I will be off then.

Sait, once you're done,
check the signal reception.



Let's not have to do it again.

Of course Mr. Cihan, I will check.

I submitted the application three
months ago. They put us in queue.

Otherwise, we would've
waited a lot longer.

I heard it on the
radio this morning,

they say there will
be broadcast all day.

Not yet, but the
bulletins start today.

We will not have missed it.
So you'll be watching?

Of course.

Well done, you've dressed the part.

Thank you, I'm trying
to put in effort.

Well done.

But Mehmet...

...Mr. Firat saw you dozing off
again the other night.

-He must have seen wrong, Mr. Cihan.
-So, the man's a liar?

No, that is not what I meant.

Look, this doziness issue
really gets on my nerves.

As a superintendent,
in these instances,

people are holding me responsible.

Plus, I'm the one who hired you,
you know.

You're right.

It's always me, dealing with it all.

I will be keeping a close eye on you.
Beware.

I'm very sorry Mr. Cihan,
it won't happen again.

You're right, it won't.

Anyway, come on.

Don't be sad.
Things like this happen, Cemile.

Come on, go home.
Yusuf is alone.

Alright.

What do they say?

They just checked the roof.

A few bricks fell off.

They ruled it off as
a workplace accident.

Apparently, they see
a lot of these lately.

Pity.

People work so carelessly.

Yes, out of nowhere,
more stuff for us to deal with.

It seems he was all alone.

They couldn't reach
any of his relatives.

Because of that,
I had to sign the papers.

That is so sad.

How is Mrs. Cemile?

A bit scared, but she'll pull through.

I sent her home to
cool off with the kid.

Good thinking.

I wonder if the guy managed to
install the satellite dish.

Mehmet...

...what happened?

The man installing the dish fell off.
He was from the municipal office.

What a pity.

Mehmet, my bathroom
is a complete mess.

Something black is dripping from
between the tiles, it is unusable.

If I give the keys,
will you check it out?

I will, sure.

But do it today,
I need it ready by tonight.

Don't worry,
I'll take care of it shortly.

Okay, thank you.

Mehmet!

Mehmet!

Yes ma'am?

There's no TV reception,
can you take a look?

Yes ma'am, right away.

Low temperatures across the country
are to decline further.

Many showers are expected
in the upcoming days.

Authorities are warning citizens...

"Important Announcement!
The midnight bulletin is at 00:00"

"The new broadcasting system
kicks off today"

I heard some voices
coming from there.

They're installing the new system.

An official arrived.

I gave him the key to the rooftop.

A little after that, he fell down.

-Did he die?
-He did.

Was he young?

Sort of.

Maybe he's better off.

The guy got out on time.

Now they'll go on
and on about it all day.

Yes dear viewers...

...it is now eight in the morning.

The weather is cloudy and cold.

You woke up to a shitty day again.

Do not forget to be
thankful for yet again

being condemned to sorrow
and watching us.

It will get worse, Mr. Cihan told me.

The bulletins are starting today.

Forget that guy.

He's a sick jerk.

They keep telling you
to work for him, right?

Don't get me started.

I told you, forget that guy.

How's your sleep?

Same.

At home, I can't get
a tiniest bit of sleep.

I sometimes involuntarily
doze off, that's all.

You're rotting in that booth.

Aren't you tired of it all?

One also gets used to rotting.

I also like the silence, you know.

Your parents are going out
tomorrow evening, right?

Yeah.

Mehmet?

It's time, the train leaves
tomorrow evening.

Come on, take it.

Are you sure?

They'll come after you.

Doesn't matter,
I'll say I don't know anything.

They won't leave you alone, you know.

What can they do?

-What will you do?
-Never mind me.

-Come with me.
-I said never mind.

I will live the same life,
wherever I go.

Take it, come on.

Yes, dear viewers,
our quiz contest continues.

Our word contains eight letters.

The state of being able to
do what one wants,

within the decision cycle,
without any hindrance.

Yes, dear viewers,
our last three letters are revealed.

Our word ends
with the letters I, T and Y.

Yes, we have Mr. Kemal on the line.
Let's have the answer, Mr. Kemal.

Hello, I'm telling you my answer.
It's "Activity".

Unfortunately, this answer
is not correct Mr. Kemal.

Yes, you still have the chance to win
a brand new television, dear viewers.

I repeat, the state
of being able to...

Hello?

Yes, of course it is on, sir.

I am waiting for
the bulletin to start.

No issues whatsoever.

Of course, everyone was informed
about the midnight bulletin.

They will be waiting.

I personally watch.

Thank you.

Yes.

Yes, you are absolutely right.

Indeed, an unpleasant event
did take place.

But we handled it.

Do not worry.

Thank you.

We hope so, too.

Have a good day, Sir.

Yes, another viewer is on line.

Ms. Gulsah, we are listening.

Ms. Gulsah, your answer please.

Well, umm...

Yes, go ahead.

"Immunity."

Unfortunately, this answer
is also not correct, Madam.

Yes dear viewers,

we are taking a break
for the noon bulletin.

Please enjoy.

Yasemin.

This bird...

...when did we get it, do you recall?

I don't know, it's been here
since I was born, Dad.

So, you don't recall.

You were little.

It's been 14 years.

When it first arrived,...

...you used to watch it for hours.

You always wanted us
to set it free, so it could fly.

What happened then,
do you remember that?

I don't remember, Dad.

You took it out of this cage, one day.

You left the window open.

It flew around a bit.

Wandered around the room.

It then, perched on the balcony.

Singing loudly as ever.

Then a crow...

...broke its wing.

You cried for days.

Yasemin!

Come on dear, come set the table.

Not on the top, it will crumble.
Take two and put them on the side.

If you put them on the
supports, it will be solid.

-This way?
-Well done.

In life you should...

...always be safe than sorry.

What does that mean?

It means you should be cautious.

Dad?

Yes?

Why are you at home
in the mornings, now?

Because, that's how it needs to be.

Hakan come on, it's Yusuf's bedtime.

-It went down, game over son.
-You ruined it!

That's how it is, come on.

Good night, son.

Good night, Dad.

Dad!

It's nothing.

The noise is coming from the pipes.
Come on, go to sleep.

Welcome to our youth elixir
application tutorial.

Congratulations on
making the right choice with Elixir.

Eternal youth is
one step closer to you now.

With regular use,

your skin will thank you.

First, we un-package
the products to start the application.

We take our syringe
and attach the needle on the end.

From the tube E1, we draw the liquid
until the syringe is completely full.

You will not feel pain,

as only the short needle
will penetrate the skin.

Now, as seen in the tutorial

we evenly inject
the liquid into the face.

Yes, after injecting all the elixir

we put on our calming mask
and wait for about an hour.

We are now at the end of our tutorial.

Do not forget to use
our product regularly.

With Elixir, youth is now
one step closer.

What's wrong Yusuf, can't you sleep?

From there,
everything will look scary.

You only need to
get used to hearing footsteps.

The rhythm will help you sleep.

Someone died in the
building this morning.

What?

I heard.

Who died?
Why have I not heard?

The man installing the satellite dish
jumped off the roof.

His brains were
scattered everywhere.

They were still
collecting his parts...

We're eating, Yasemin!

Don't mess with our appetite!

Anyway...

...let's move onto the real issue.

I spoke with Mr. Cihan.

You know I don't want to, Dad.

I already said okay.

Dad.

The man works for the state.
You'll be at the same place every day.

No muss, no fuss. I don't want to
have to worry about you.

If you say so, Dad.

Your dad is right.

Give it a go,
maybe you'll have a change of heart.

Yeah right Mom,
I sure will.

Firat?

Dad?

What is it Firat, are you alright?

I know you're upset, but...

...how did it go?

Well, they made me wait for hours.

Then a young man came, asked me
two questions and sent me off.

If you want,
I can start working again.

Mehmet says he knows someone.

What will Yusuf do home alone?

We'll leave him with my parents.

They're already sold on it.

A child apart from his mom, no way.

I talked to Mr. Cihan,
my name is listed in the institution.

The state won't leave me
high and dry, don't worry.

It's been months Hakan,
soon we'll be struggling.

My parents also keep asking.

What the hell are they asking?

What are they asking?
Who took care of you for years?

I'm out of work for a bit
and they start riding my back!

Don't get mad,
they're just worried.

They want what's best
for their grandson.

Their grandson is my son!

Can I not keep a job, did I not
take care of you all these years?

Enough!

Drop it.

Mom!

Mom!

Mom!

Mom!

Mom!

Mom!

Are you alright, Yusuf?

It's okay son, I'm here now.

Mom, the noise.

What noise, son?
There's nothing here.

Come on, scoot over,
I'll lie next to you.

Who's there? Hey!

Mehmet!

Answer me.

Answer me!
Are you damn asleep?

I'm here, Mr. Cihan.

Where the hell were you?
I've been calling to you.

Get the flashlight and keys,
meet me at the boiler room.

-Hurry up, I'm heading down.
-I'll be there right away.

The radiators are not working.

Open the door, let's see what it is.

God damn it!

The boiler blew up.

Take off your clothes.

You'll go in and take a look.

Mr. Cihan.

I said take them off, come on!

I'm going up.

You go in, take a good look.

See what's what.

Don't say a word to anyone but me.

Only hours left to
the midnight bulletin.

The eager anticipation continues.

The first mass broadcast
will take place with our leader.

State officials expect
high participation from citizens.

Mehmet!

What the hell,
have you gone mad?

The boiler blew up.

I cut the mains water.

Yeah, so?

What are you doing now?

There were whispers coming from below.

This morning they were coming from
the satellite dish.

And the man died.

That's ridiculous. What's that
have to do with the satellite?

The man fell to death.
It was an accident.

And then, Aysel's bathroom.

Something black was
oozing out of the wall.

-It spread to the whole building.
-Fuck Aysel's bathroom!

Nothing is spreading anywhere.

The building is solid, you are weak.
Even the smallest things set you off.

Something's not right,
let's take the satellite dish down.

Mehmet, I'm telling you,
pull yourself together!

There's nothing up there.

-Mr. Cihan.
-Cut this crap!

Straighten yourself up!

Go back to your booth.

You will not breathe a word
about the boiler

or this nonsense
to anyone in the building.

Then you'll buzz them one by one,

tell them heating will be out tonight.

And don't you ever
come to me with this shit again!

Go on!

I am sorry to bother you.

Due to a small outage,
radiators will not work tonight.

Good evening.

"Midnight Bulletin"

"Midnight Bulletin"

Mom?

Your dad wants us
to turn off the lights.

He's asking for you.

Dad?

Sit, Yasemin.

"Midnight Bulletin"

Today is the day,
we reap the benefits

of our hard labor across the country.

With intensive work,

we have built the foundation
of a mass broadcasting system.

At this very moment,
with this broadcast...

...we are able to
reach four million

residential units,
ten million citizens.

While today this number is four
million, in the very near future,...

...it will be possible
to reach every home,...

...every television, every area...

...and to broadcast continuously.

With this latest innovation
in technology, our connection...

...has become stronger than ever.

The interaction we have achieved
through intensive efforts...

...marks the start of a new era.

Attentive viewing and following of the
programs and regulations...

...provided via daily bulletins,...

...is crucial for the system
to operate smoothly.

For the utilization of unlimited
communication sources...

...official channels
will be prioritized.

Under the governance of
the Ministry of Telecommunication...

...televisions,
radios and newspapers...

...will stream information
in a well-coordinated manner.

Our efforts to expand the reach
of mass communication media...

...continue at full speed.

In the very near future,
we will reap...

...the benefits of development
in the everyday life.

Day by day, we are
getting closer to the ideal order.

Any breaches of the order,
are hastily being eliminated.

It is now time to
act as a single body.

We will be with you forever.

Our voice, is your voice.

Power, is our fate.

Mom!

Mom!

Dad!

Dad!

Mom!

Dad!

Mom!

Dad!

Mom! Dad!

Mom!

Mr. Hakan?

Who's there?

You are not going anywhere.

Firat, enough!
I said enough!

Day by day, we are
getting closer to the ideal order.

Any breaches of the order,
are hastily being eliminated.

It is now time to
act as a single body.

The successful launch of the new
broadcasting system, was met with joy.

Celebrations across the country,
continue at full speed.

If you think something is going wrong,
you are mistaken.

Power, is our fate.

Mom.

Mom.

The midnight bulletin
has taken effect.

Masses are on the move.

Fear...

Sea transportation has halted
due to strong wind.

Differences in opinion
will not be tolerated.

It is now eight o'clock.

The changes in our surroundings...

It is now eleven o'clock.

Insufficiencies are rapidly remedied.

We believe that this issue will be
resolved by the end of the year.

Citizens spotted outside after
midnight, will be taken into custody.

Midnight bulletin...

The loyalty of citizens

will be determined
by the Court of Commitment.

Dreams will be
controlled and recorded,

as per the unanimous decision.

Members of the resistance
have been caught and slaughtered.

Our leader has emphasized...

The judicial system...

Lovers attempting to cross the border
were neutralized.

Tears...

In many parts of the country...

Institutes...

Yasemin.