Two Americans, a man and a woman, travel to Turkey for different reasons, when fate makes their paths cross.
The woman, whose name is Hope, is a vet who goes to Turkey in order to visit various places that her late mother also visited when she was young and met her father, and she left some unopened letters for her daughter to read at specific locations throughout the journey.
Jeb, who is the male lead, travels to Istanbul for a conference, and after the conference finishes, he decides to take full advantage of his stay and enjoy a coach tour of historic and other tourist attractions.
This is where the two key characters of the movie first meet, that is, on the coach, and after Hope spills her drink on Jeb’s mobile phone, things take a very different turn from what is normally expected on a sightseeing coach tour.
My verdict
At first, to be honest with you, I got the impression that this was going to be a boring movie.
The plot moved fast from one scene to another, and it looked like it lacked some depth that would make things more dramatic.
For example, there was no captivating music in the background to help viewers cherish the moment more and reflect on the adventures of the key characters.
I think the plot was intended to touch those little details that are part of going on a holiday to a seaside destination such as the Turkish coastline, which tend to be ignored in most movies or overemphasized on others.
This is perhaps because this is a romantic story that starts out of the blue, and there is really no need for things to become overly complicated.
Both lead actors show a very civilized behavior to each other, as well as to other people that they come across during their adventures.
I guess the fact that they are both educated makes react to situations like that, that is without getting extremely angry and frustrated, swearing to people, etc.
They are both well-mannered, and their characters seem to be a perfect match, as the movie has a happy end.
There is some tension, when Jeb at first chooses to pursue his career goals rather than follow his heart and stay with Hope, but this tension quickly resolves as he realizes that she is more precious to him than job security.
Overall, I have to admit that I enjoyed watching this movie, since it made a nice difference from other movies that feature extensive love scenes.
The male lead shows respect to the female lead, and they first become friends, before they become lovers.
Their friendship and love are tested through a series of accidents, mishaps, and resulting little adventures, where romantic emotions start to grow imperceptibly and slowly in the background, until the final test of choosing love over career.
It is a little hymn to how love should be between two people who seem to be a perfect match, which is a very refreshing change to the typical gender conflict that has become mainstream recently.