THE PERFORMER | Melisa Sözen
THE SHOW | Kırmızı Oda
THE EPISODE | Season 1, Episode 4 (Sept. 26, 2020)
THE PERFORMANCE | Have you ever watched an acting performance that blew it out of the park in mere seconds? A performance that is so beautifully done, you want to tell the whole world about it, ASAP? Melisa Sözen's performance in Kırmızı Oda is THAT performance.
In the TV8 drama series, Sözen plays the character of Alya, a patient with schizophrenia. This week, with the unwavering support of her therapist, Alya opened up about her family and trying childhood.
In a raw and piercingly compassionate performance, Sözen utilized a tiny red hair clip to level the foundation of Alya's story, really bringing the character to life in an award-worthy performance.
 |
 |
In a brilliantly-directed scene lasting about thirty minutes, we are taken back to Alya's roots, the mansion in which she was raised alongside many cousins. Alya grew up restrained, muted, and severely lacking in self-confidence, mostly in part to growing with a mother who paid very little attention to her and a father who wanted a male heir, at least to the best of Alya's suffering-filled knowledge.
"My father didn't love me. A man should have a male child. Why would he love me?," Alya reminisced in tears.
Alya never really got to experience what is to love and be loved and that seemingly exposed her to a significant adverse childhood experience, which, in time, transitioned into a full-blown mental disorder.
Alya's story is unquestionably a devasting one and as the walk down memory lane unfolded, Sözen moved grandly to the rhythm of her character, altering her voice and moving her eyes and other body parts frequently and with intent. This, in turn, instilled the kind of character depth and psychological complexity that tugged on our heartstrings, bringing us to tears almost immediately.
At the top of her acting game, Melisa Sözen delivered a heart-rending and emotional performance, particularly praise-worthy because it revolved around a subject matter that is often too tricky to portray convincingly.
B-R-A-V-O!