The Wide Open Windows of Cholera Street: On the Light and Sound Leaking Through/To the Private Space*

Inspired by the subaltern studies the purpose of this article is to examine how the dichotomy of private/public in Metin Ka？an’s A？？r Roman1 Novel is reproduced on the axis of the visual language used by Mustafa Alt？oklar’s cinematic adaptation Cholera Street.2 The article is interested in the peculiar choice of slang usage and reads this as an invitation to blur the borders of private/public space that modern life demands to keep separate. In this sense, Cholera Street can also be regarded as a brilliant piece of social commentary, offering a vivid peek into the life of the “other” trapped in the peripheral neighborhood. This article unravels further how Cholera Street through visual film grammar and various metaphors sends strong critical messages about the silence of subalterns who often lack the means to speak for themselves and how the violation of privacy turns out to be a challenging act against the dominant order