Summer is the season for romance! Rom-coms that give you a chuckle, exasperating teen soaps that will have you swooning and tearing your hair out, and romances that are a great excuse to travel abroad from the comfort of your own home. If you’re a fan of a little cultural exposure paired with some eye-candy and heart-melting romance, then the German-Turkish production She Said Maybe is just for you.

She Said Maybe’s Protagonist Goes On A Luxury, Drama-Filled Vacation To Turkey

She Said Maybe follows Mavi (Beritan Balcı), a Turkish woman who grew up in Germany, with a single mother who insisted she be raised German. Though lacking language skills and familial ties, Mavi excitedly sets off to Turkey with her boyfriend Can (Sinan Güleç) for a surprise vacation. There she discovers that she has a real connection to Istanbul, and is the heir to a dynasty on her father’s side led by a strict tradition-oriented matriarch (Meral Perin). Can hopes to propose, but a meddling grandmother and Mavi’s own insecurities around marriage and ambitions get in the way.

There is little to dissuade audiences from checking out this movie. It follows a rather predictable romance path — and that’s not bad in this case. Mavi is a sincere protagonist, and you want good things for her. Her wide-eyed astonishment at her family’s wealth and the seeming warmth of her grandmother makes her feel like she’s flying. Her dreams and ambitions are well realized, as are her deep emotional desire to have a family and a true connection to Turkish culture. The ending is predictable, but it’s a nice story about self-discovery, growing a backbone, and fighting for one’s heart.

She Said Maybe Has Everything Needed For A Low-Stakes Romance Adventure

Turkish romances are truly a delight. They have a lot to offer besides the romance angle, and it usually involves some combination of dreamy actors, beautiful scenery, and family drama. She Said Maybe has a bit of everything to keep you engaged, curious, and entertained. The film is just a lovely showcase of the types of stories and characters that exist beyond the confines of Western media, and the characters and locations really do make you feel like you are traveling from your couch.

Mavi may have to learn a lesson about choosing between the glossy glitz and glam of life as a Turkish heiress and being humble and proud of her modest upbringing, but a film like this lets you unabashedly indulge in the tastefully curated images of the sunny and majestic Turkey.

The core couple is easy to root for, though the temptation (Serkan Çayoğlu) that enters Mavi’s life is a challenge to overcome. The writing is easy, breezy, and the direction is highly motivated by the tourism industrial complex, so there is not a single bad sH๏τ. The film has all the pieces needed to keep you watching, from stunning shooting locations, a complementary score and soundtrack, and actors who elevate it with their performances.

The romantic comedy is a very amusing and sweet film that will melt any true romantic’s heart. She Said Maybe fulfills what most modern travel romances are designed to do, which is to be an escape from reality to a majestic and dazzling locale. The scenery alone is worth the subscription fee. She Said Maybe isn’t a slam dunk or anything; it won’t have KPop Demon Hunters viewing numbers or gain social media attention garnered by The Wrong Paris, but it is one of the many easily accessible international features, and one that showcases delightful talent expressing a common language: love and laughter.