First of all, some wonderful news:
Cinema is back.

According to Box Office Türkiye, movie theater attendance in 2025 has tripled compared to 2021.

Big-budget crowd-pleasers and blockbuster productions have certainly played a major role in that resurgence, and Side by Side has become one of the strongest examples of this wave.

But why did we embrace this adaptation (of Intouchables) so wholeheartedly?

I think the film succeeds because it tells a story about two of life’s most fundamental realities:
health and money.

Ferruh’s struggle to hold on to life and the sense of helplessness he carries, alongside Mr. Refik’s search for support within his own battle, bring two seemingly different people together.

And from that encounter, the story unfolds.

Perhaps we could describe it as the magic of opposites.

More importantly, the film manages to remind us of several truths that we often try to explain through complicated theories, yet which become strikingly clear when told through a simple and engaging story.

We Are Used to Separation

We tend to focus on what divides us.

Yet different backgrounds, cultures, preferences, and life experiences are not necessarily reasons for separation.

They can become opportunities to discover one another, and to discover different colors of life itself.

Many of the things we dismiss with phrases like “I don’t like that” or “That’s not for me” may simply be things we have not yet experienced.

Perhaps they deserve a second look.

Perhaps they are worth getting to know before deciding.

There Is Both a Victim and an Alchemist Within Us

Even in moments when circumstances are at their harshest and we see ourselves as victims, there are often people who strengthen our resilience and help us keep going.

Sometimes asking for support is easier than we imagine.

And it is impossible to predict who will become a source of healing for whom.

The people we expect to save us rarely do.
The people who do often arrive unexpectedly.

The Ability to Laugh Matters

No matter how many challenges life presents, maintaining a sense of joy changes everything.

When we can still laugh, especially with people we love, life becomes lighter.

There is something deeply healing about shared laughter.

Instead of spending every moment swimming in the shallow waters of seriousness, perhaps we can occasionally laugh with life.

Or even at ourselves.

Despite everything.

Be Mindful of Perspective

The perspective through which we view our circumstances often shapes our experience more than the circumstances themselves.

From the characters’ first encounter to the film’s exploration of what constitutes a limitation, from the hesitation involved in self-expression to moments of courage and connection, the story repeatedly reminds us that reality is rarely black and white.

There are always spaces worth exploring between the extremes.

And often, those spaces hold the most meaningful discoveries.

Moving Closer Without Judgment

Every person we meet carries a story.

And every story offers us an opportunity to see life from a different angle.

At first, we may seem completely different from one another.

We may even appear incompatible.

Yet when people come together, something larger can emerge.

Something more inclusive.

Something richer.

And often, something that creates room for learning and growth for everyone involved.

In the End… Cinema Is a Beautiful Beast

Especially when a story on the screen offers us a new perspective on our own lives.

Not every film needs to carry profound philosophical messages.

Sometimes it is enough that it moves us.

That it invites us to leave our seats and return to life with fresh eyes.

That it allows a room full of strangers to laugh together, feel together, and be moved together.

And that, in itself, is something worth celebrating.