Ali Kemal Güven's 2022 film "Çilingir Sofrası" tells the story of two childhood friends meeting at a raki table. The entire film takes place in and around a tavern, and as the title explains, the entire story is based on what is said at the raki table, and the dialog of the two characters tells the entire story to the audience.
As can be seen from the poster, two different perspectives on social problems are addressed through the contrasts and different lifestyles of these two characters. They both represent different aspects of Turkish homosexuality, one hiding and not accepting, the other openly living his life without fear.
The film's attachment to Turkish culture is shown through the fact that the movie takes place at a raki table and is accompanied by Turkish tavern music. The depth of the topics discussed at a raki table and how they have the power to reveal hidden feelings are also explained.
The movie is divided into 4 parts, in each part both characters' perspectives on their relationship and each other change, in each part their relationship becomes more open and their feelings become transparent.

The scene opens at the table, Yusuf's expression tells the audience that he is stressed with close-up camera shots, and after a while the movie officially begins with the arrival of Emir, an old friend of his.
Emir's character is very different from Yusuf's, from the moment he sits down at the table he is a representation of Yusuf's deepest fears with his sharp questions and confident character. The character of Emir, who openly identifies as gay, is a reflection of people who are rarely represented in Turkish cinema. However, the differences between the two characters are made explicit and it is made clear how different their lives are under the pressure of Turkish society.

Throughout the first part, the differences between the characters and how they choose to live their lives are made clear. Although their conversations resemble those of old friends, the energy between them and Yusuf's jealous glances at Emir show the audience that their relationship is more than friendship. When they talk about first loves, the attraction and meaningful glances between them are too obvious to ignore, and these moments are actually used to trigger the feeling of unlivedness in Yusuf's character and his jealousy of Emir's relationship with someone else.

Talking about the old times, a character called Yasar the Ball is mentioned. Although Emir condemns this description, it is also pointed out that he actually gave him the nickname. This story goes back to the childhood of a gay character, and explains that hurting people by using one's own identity as slang has become a very common defense mechanism in this country. Emir divides them into our youth and the youth of today, stating that while these ideas were normalized in their youth, the youth of today are open. Throughout the scene, there is an attraction between them, as if they are both talking about their childhood memories and waiting to see who will bring up the stories hidden in their minds.
This attraction is broken in the next scene by emphasizing their differences. "Go do your faggotry somewhere else! Go and walk in Taksim!" With this sentence Yusuf mentions Emir's homosexuality for the first time, and with this a dynamic emerges between them that is hostile but still trying to be close. Emir, on the other hand, exposes the character's hypocrisy by revealing their past together.

"I erased everything. I was cured." Emir laughs, but Yusuf is very serious, pulls the chair in front of him and looks him in the eye and explains his treatment in detail. How the treatment for homosexuality, which is a horrible reality, shapes the character is explained in this conversation in the movie. In addition to the medication, young Yusuf, who was given a weight on his back and intimidated with the words "if you want to carry this for the rest of your life, go ahead", chose to hide and destroy his feelings. The fact that homosexuality is seen as a weight in this context represents Turkish society's perspective on this issue and the impact of the way they treat gay people. The fact that he is still able to say "They saved me" after going through all these experiences draws attention to the fact that starting a family is seen as a social responsibility and those who cannot complete it are believed to be incomplete.

In the end, everything is spoken openly, which causes Yusuf to become aggressive. Yusuf, frightened when he is confronted about what he thinks should not be discussed, starts a fight between them, which leads both characters to question why they have come here. They both realize that there are things between them that need to be talked about and that's why they are at a locksmith's table where they reveal their deepest thoughts and secrets.

After this fight, Yusuf's attitude changes, now there is a resigned, accepting Yusuf who tries to forgive himself. He tells a little about what he did for Emir in the past and reveals the feelings that still remain inside him, even though he is embarrassed. It is clear from the way they speak that both of them have mixed feelings; the reflection of old memories on their adult lives and the characters' current feelings are simultaneously conveyed to the audience in this scene.

The new character that attracts attention in this part is "Abla", played by a trans woman who has come to sing in the tavern. Both characters silently listen to the singer singing "only I know this, only God knows this". The character Abla then comes to them and makes Yusuf buy a rose, then tells him to give it to Emir. When Yusuf gives the rose to Emir, they both use words like "my brother" and "my friend", and even though they look at each other strangely, Abla has a smile on her face.

In this scene, the character of Abla represents a supportive side of same-sex relationships, she shows that she is aware of their relationship but does not judge and even steps in to help. Right after this, the character of the teacher reminds the characters that the opposite exists. The teacher is judgmental, questions what he sees and makes hurtful comments, reflecting society's view of same-sex relationships in this scene. Yusuf's giving the rose to the teacher reflects that he is open to behaving in the way society expects him to behave. The fact that he takes the rose he gave to Emir and gives it to a woman in this scene may also indicate that he chooses to have a woman in his life instead of a man he loves due to social pressure and his desire to hide his relationship.

In this part there are actually two sections, the section where the lights are on and the part where the lights are off. At the beginning, the power goes out and the lights are off. The conversations they have when they can't see each other and others are different from the ones they have when the lights are on. When the lights go off, the first thing Yusuf mentions is "Let's find you a husband". Although Emir is positive, there is a sense of impossibility in Yusuf's answer, he thinks that it will never be legal for two men to marry.

In this scene, Yusuf reminisces about their younger years with a smile on his face as the two of them reminisce about the fun they had together. Yusuf is at his most open and honest in the fourth part as he recounts his memories of his youth, which he claims to have forgotten in the previous episodes. Expressing his feelings without lying this time, Yusuf argues that he approaches life from a realistic perspective and tells Emir that he needs to grow up. Because while Emir is still stuck in his old memories, searching for the love of his youth, Yusuf has done what was necessary for him and has managed to adapt to society.

Although they speak more openly, Yusuf's words tell that they cannot have a life beyond this table and that he can only be honest at this table. They want different things from this meeting; Yusuf wants to be friends again with an old friend, Emir wants to try an old relationship again or to talk things out openly and end it. Yusuf insists on lying to himself and has never been able to accept that they are more than friends. The lights come back on after this conversation and that's the end of their talk about their relationship.

They leave the tavern and drive to a quieter place for a beer. When they are alone, the street lights turn off again and Yusuf pulls down his pants. The silence in this scene is broken only by Yusuf's pleading line "Here...". Emir nods, this scene is a breaking moment for both of them, Yusuf has abandoned the persona he put on to appear strong and has succumbed to his true feelings. He desperately expresses that he wants to kiss Emir at that moment, even though he can never say it to himself, and for the first time he dares to say what he wants, but he doesn't do it.

He suggests that they could be together if he could be brave and Yusuf wants to be friends. Emir, on the other hand, says that he has to accept what happened in the past and that they were never just friends and never could be. In the last scene of the movie, Emir leaves and Yusuf blocks his number and unfollows him. Just like in their youth, at that moment when they go too far, Yusuf again chooses to run away. This symbolizes that Yusuf will never accept his identity and that Emir will only be an indication of how he cannot be brave.