Güney turns his gaze away from the struggling rural poor and toward the alienated urban rich in this scathing Antonioniesque indictment of the class boundaries and glass ceilings of contemporary Turkey. Two old friends meet by chance at a seaside resort; one has become a wealthy, obese architect given to debauchery and sunburned shirtlessness; the other (played by Güney) has remained lean, angry, and committed. Placing his characters within the decadent, overly decorated realm of a seventies-era Turkey, Güney underlines the choices that all must make: whether to consume or refuse, to take comfort in riches, poetry, or revolution. Set in a rich man's world, paced like a European art film, The Friend is utterly unlike any of Güney's other films. It also marks Güney's last appearance as an actor.