If there is an award for ‘twist that changes everything,’ then the Turkish movie Blue Cave is certainly going to make a huge splash. It has become sort of a sensation, and all the credit for that goes to the jaw-dropping twist in the end that nobody sees coming. However, reaching that point is not exactly easy, as Blue Cave is pretty much a snoozefest other than its final five minutes. Sure, everything makes sense in the end, but the director probably should have put some effort into making the narrative a bit interesting at least. Anyway, you’re reading this article for that twist alone, so I’m mainly going to focus on that.
Spoilers Ahead
What Happens in the Movie?
I suppose beginning the movie with Cem’s accident was a conscious choice. You get a sense of things, but it is so chaotic that you don’t get to figure out much—other than the fact Cem is on a mission, and he’s going underwater in the middle of a terrible storm. Very soon we see him wandering around a picturesque lake, though. He is on a trip somewhere, looking all sad and grumpy. In the past, we see Cem meeting the love of his life, Alara, at a restaurant. I am going to let the whole ‘approaching a stranger at a public place just like that’ slide because writing is clearly not a strong suit of Blue Cave. What matters is that Cem and Alara hit it off. It’s not exactly like she’s swooning over him immediately, but thanks to both of their earnestness in the relationship, everything falls into the right place. Except there’s one issue: Cem is a soldier who is employed in the Navy, and his job is risky. Alara doesn’t want to spend her life sad and alone. Her concern is pretty legit, I would say. Cem does promise her that he is going to quit after hitting the ten-year mark, which seems like the logical thing to do. He buys the dream house for her; the two of them get married, but after a while, it seems like the charm is gone. Cem even cheated on Alara, even though it was unintentional, and he pulled himself right away from his dead colleague’s grieving wife. The woman also admits to Alara that it was she who lost herself for the moment, and Cem was not at his fault. But this does create a rift between Cem and Alara. What makes things further worse is Cem not keeping his promise of quitting the dangerous job. However, before going on a dangerous mission, he does break the news of him finally calling it a day after this one. Alara is happy again, and she can’t thank him enough.
Unfortunately, Alara is soon diagnosed with a rare form of heart cancer and dies. Cem is actually going to Blue Cave, where he and Alara were supposed to travel after his mission was over. Alara used to be quite obsessed with the place, and she always wanted to go there with Cem. Because of her death, that didn’t happen, and now Cem is here to fulfill the promise. It seems like quite a daunting hike, from the look of it.
Who are the three people Cem meets on his way to Blue Cave?
This is obviously the important part. It might seem like whatever is happening on the trip is random and normal, but we know for a fact it isn’t. The first person Cem meets is a woman, while he’s looking at a sunset. She has a very calming presence that Cem can sense. He lets her know that he is not looking for anything from this trip other than fulfilling a promise. The woman promises him that he will be healed after the trip, then leaves while singing a prayer. Soon after, Cem comes across another woman called Zeynep. She is also going to Blue Cave, and she proposes they team up. She also comes off as kind of flirty to Cem. During the night, Zeynep reveals that she lost someone very close to her but then got healed by the Blue Cave. Upon drinking something from Zeynep’s flask, Cem goes into this sort of hazy state where his mind keeps running between the past and present. The third person Cem meets is a man, who just happens to be in a terrible situation. The man is severely injured; a piece of wood has gone through his body, and now he’s stuck. Cem wants to help him, but he is unable to. He does sit with the man for a bit, who regrets not being able to be a good father. The man also advises Cem to not become a father.
Is Cem alive or dead?
Along with those three people, Cem does meet a fourth. A young boy that appears out of nowhere. Upon following the boy, Cem finally ends up at Blue Cave. Inside the cave, he is graced with the most magical sight he has ever seen—tons of dragonflies lighting up the cave. Strangely though, the boy is here too, and also a door—the kind of thing you don’t see inside a cave. Cem follows the boy, opens the door, and ends up inside a fancy-looking apartment. A wise-looking man that we have not seen before is sitting on a chair. Cem doesn’t understand what is happening (nor do we, although at this point I sort of realized). Without wasting any time, the man does reveal the twist to him—he had an accident, and now he is dead. Yes, it’s the same thing that we see in the beginning of the movie. It was the last mission, after which Cem was supposed to quit. Sadly, that didn’t happen. And everything, from Alara’s death and his trip to Blue Cave, is what he conjured up inside his head while dying. The kid just happens to be his son, whom he never got to meet. Cem also gets to see Alara receiving the sad news of his death and regretting not being able to tell him about her pregnancy. It is all mind-boggling for sure, but also incredibly stupid. But that is what Blue Cave is—a movie that solely depends on a crazy twist. If you still have any doubt over Cem’s death, the last scene of the movie pretty much confirms it. Alara and her son are taking the trip to Blue Cave—that she wanted to go with Cem. She looks happy and content. It does seem like she has accepted her fate and moved on. I hope nobody is dreaming this part.