Aahana Swrup
Directed by Onur Bilgetay, ‘A True Gentleman’ is a Turkish romance drama film that presents the story of a man whose entire life gets toppled over after a chance encounter leads to an unexpected chance at love. Saygin has been a professional male escort, or a gigolo, for a long time now and has perfected the art of making women feel special. As such, he never even considered the idea that he might one day fall for someone—that is, until his paths cross with Nehir, a woman unlike any he’s ever met before. Consequently, as the woman enters Samyig’s orbit, he finds himself faced with the difficult choice of possibly leaving his lavish life as the personal gigolo to the wealthy, older woman, Serap.
By primarily focusing on the complicated relationship between Saygin and Nehir, the film grounds itself in reality through the contemporary world that the narrative builds around its characters. As such, the story gets to focus entirely on themes of male sex work, love, and fulfillment in life. As such, Saygin’s story, which offers a unique lens into the world of prostitution, may raise some curiosity among viewers!
A True Gentleman: A Fictional Story About Prostitution in Turkey
Despite the fairly feasible narrative that ‘A True Gentleman,’ alternatively known as ‘Tam Bir Centilmen,’ charts about Saygin, a gigolo’s taut journey to romance, the film remains a work of fiction penned by screenwriter Deniz Madanoglu. The complicated love triangle between Saygin, Nehir, and Serap is a fictionalized concept confined within its cinematic world. Therefore, the characters and their storylines aren’t bound to any real-life individuals. Still, these characters manage to emulate real life and offer a relatable tale to the audience even without direct off-screen inspirations.
Saygin is a gigolo who offers his company—sexual or otherwise—to wealthy women in exchange for money and a luxurious lifestyle. Consequently, he often runs in high-class circles and caters to a specific demographic. On the other hand, his brother, Kadir—who is less of a natural in this line of work—often finds himself entangled with the local BDSM and kink scene. Sex work—both legal and illegal—is relatively common in Turkey, with estimations from 2012 suggesting a population of approximately 100,000 unlicensed prostitutes in the country.
Even though Saygin and Nehir’s type of sex work remains outside of regular conventions—which tend to operate under licensed brothels or street prostitution—their stories still highlight a part of reality. Furthermore, Saygin’s struggle with balancing personal connections alongside his profession offers insight into the complications of prostitution as a profession. Nonetheless, while ‘A True Gentleman’ offers some realistic insight into the underrepresented reality of sex work, the story still remains confined within its fictionality.
A True Gentleman and My Prostitute Love
Another point of reference that ‘A True Gentleman’ sports in terms of its relationship to culture stems from the 1968 Turkish film ‘My Prostitute Love,’ directed by Lütfi Akad. The film tells the tale of a young man, Halil, who meets a prostitute named Sabiha and falls in love with her. However, the pair’s journey ahead remains filled with ghosts of the past and uncovered secrets. Although ‘A True Gentleman’ never directly parallels the narrative of ‘My Prostitute Love,’ the latter remains a point of possible inspiration due to their shared subject matter.
Furthermore, the film even goes as far as to reference the 1968 classic within its storyline through Nehir’s character, who has a soft spot for the film. In fact, at a pivotal portion of the story, Nehir finds herself comparing her situation with Saygin and Serpa to that of Halil and Sabiha from ‘My Prostitute Love.’ Likewise, the film becomes the backdrop to Nehir and Saygin’s first actual date, offering character-building and bonding elements to the narrative. Therefore, even though the two films only have flimsy points of similarities—mostly as a result of references—the connection between them persists. As such, the film’s significance to ‘A True Gentleman’ ultimately remains evident.
Read More: A True Gentleman: Do Saygin and Nehir End Up Together?
