Kedi

Cats have been roaming freely through the streets of Istanbul for centuries. The unusual documentary Kedi—an art house hit—captures the unique relationship that the city's dwellers and small businesses have with stray felines. Filmmaker Ceyda Torun presents her visual essay in an overall shapeless, random style, but she's also set herself a mighty task: chasing cats around streets and markets to successfully obtain enough usable footage to tell stories about individual kitties and their relationships with multiple, caring humans. Everyone in Istanbul has a running tab with a veterinarian, one man says, talking about how compassionate strangers take ailing strays in for treatment. Kedi introduces a lot of folks who sell fish or run delis or wait on café tables, and captures how they relate with genuine affection to the cats who wander in and out, feeding them, rubbing their tummies, or brushing their fur. But the film isn't just about semi-pet worship: there is plenty of philosophical musing here about cats being a bridge to God and serving to remind us of our best selves. Sure to appeal to cat lovers, this is recommended. (T. Keogh)