Running Time: 90 Minutes
Starring: Alper Kul, Hatice Aslan, Algi Eke, Elif Sevinç, Özgür Emre Yildirim, Ece Su Uçkan, Aslı Bankoğlu
For anybody who saw Caye Casas' unforgettable feature, The Coffee Table, you may still be having nightmares about that bleak work and the heart-stopping avenues that it took. The Spanish film stuck in people's minds, particularly with Stephen King himself praising the film, so it makes sense that it would receive a remake in another language. But, for those expecting a toothless English language adaptation, that is not the case with The Turkish Coffee Table.
From writer/director Can Evrenol (Baskin), the story follows new parents Zehra (Algi Eke) and İbrahim (Alper Kul) as they adjust to having a baby. They argue over a gaudy coffee table, with the design displaying horses holding up shatterproof glass. Zehra begs her husband to not buy this tacky item, but this is where İbrahim stands his ground and chooses to buy it. Before anybody can say "What's the worst that can happen?", things forever change after an irreversible mistake. What remains is a spiralling web of lies, panic, and the consequences of covering up the truth.
For many people curious about this, the big question is how much this will work for people who saw the original. While much of the 2022 film's impact hit upon the first watch, it feels as though Evrenol knew that he could not replicate that for those familiar, so instead chose to lean into the approaching turns through obvious cues. This "in your face" approach offers dream sequences and lingers on the grisly stuff, and your mileage will vary as to whether this is an effective substitute. For me, it was an understandable alternative which struggled to hold a similar sense of power to the original.
In case anybody remains unaware of where the story goes, this review will be without spoilers. Regardless of which version you watch, it is worth experiencing unspoiled. What Evrenol effectively crafts are the feelings of pressure mounting for İbrahim, as the character wishes to finally choose something. This includes his son's name, who was named after Zehra's late father, yet shared the same name with a steakhouse. Let's not even mention his frustrations with a teenage neighbour.
However, all of these issues eventually seem miniscule compared to the horrendous time that is had. Key to this is Alper Kul's powerful performance which captures İbrahim's inner pain amidst male anxieties over fatherhood and aging. The devastation is barely concealed as the husband and father suffers in silence, struggling to navigate his way through a horrific situation. All that remains is a shell of a man who feels unable to find a path towards forgiveness. In terms of remakes, The Turkish Coffee Table is a preferable option that loses little of the bite that its original had.
The Turkish Coffee Table made its UK Premiere at FrightFest Halloween 2025
Comments