In Good Hands is a Turkish film that explores the story of a single mother named Melissa
and her son, Cann. The two of them are living a very happy life as best friends, until Melissa
is diagnosed with a terminal illness. She finds out that she only has a few months left,
but the thing that bothers her most is finding someone who will take care of her son after
she's gone. She does have a friend named Fatos, but she wants Cann to have a father figure.
Fortunately, she meets business tycoon Firrat, and things seem pretty swell at the beginning,
but when secrets from the past catch up, you’ll find that there’s a lot more than meets
the eye. Melissa is a single parent who resides with
her son Cann. The two of them share a unique bond in the sense that they’re best friends
before they are mother and son. Cann is closest to his mother and literally spends every waking
moment of his life with her. He doesn’t even go to school, despite Melissa’s attempts
at getting him to go. The only other person Cann is close to is his aunt Fatos (Fatima)
who is Melissa’s best friend. Overall, things seem to be going well for the mother-son duo
in their perfect little life until Melissa is diagnosed with a terminal illness and she
finds that she has only five more months left. Melissa is devastated but not so much at the
thought of dying. She feels that she has already lived her life to the fullest and so, she’s
ready for death. But what she’s actually worried about is her son, Cann. She can’t
help wonder who will take care of him once she’s gone.
Fatos tries to convince Melissa not to give up on dating. She wants her to try and find
the right guy and even goes on to find matches for her on dating apps. She reasons that Cann
would need someone to look after him when Melissa is gone, but Melissa just brushes
off the subject altogether. However, she still brings it up with Cann, who immediately shuts
her down. Apparently, he doesn’t want a new dad and he’s definitely not ready to
share his mom with anyone else. He even makes her promise never to bring another guy into
their lives, which she does. But it only adds to her worries because soon enough Cann won’t
be able to rely on her. While grabbing coffee and a pastry, Melissa
and Cann bump into business tycoon Firrat. Firrat is frustrated at how long it’s taking
Cann to count the coins, and he tries to rush them. However, when they don’t oblige, he
makes a scene and steals the pastry Cann was about to buy only to throw it in the nearest
trash can. Needless to say, both parties hate each other. But Melissa finds his picture
on magazine covers and it seems like she really can’t get him out of her head. In fact,
she even dreams about him. This finally pushes her to approach him, and she gets Fatos to
babysit Cann while she goes clubbing, in an attempt to run into Firrat again. Fatos is
initially against the idea because she knows Firrat isn’t exactly a good guy, but she
gives in because it’s the first time Melissa has actually agreed to give someone a chance.
Melissa meets Firrat at the bar and he informs her that she’s not her type. So, she goes
on stage to perform just to prove him wrong. He’s actually impressed and asks her out
for a drink to apologize for the other day. The two of them share life stories over drinks
and they seem to actually be getting along. But when Melissa gets up to leave, she finds
that she lost her son’s handkerchief, Munnu Munnu, which he entrusted her only to ensure
that she won’t stay out late. Firrat points at a white cloth floating on the water, telling
her that it's too late. However, Melissa jumps into the cold water without a second thought
to retrieve Munnu Munnu. Firrat jumps right after and they manage to save the cloth, even
though they're both fully drenched and close to freezing to death. Nevertheless, Firrat
seems to have fallen in love with her due to her willingness to go to any extent for
the ones she loves. Melissa returns home and tries not to make a sound. She quietly tries
to slip Munnu Munnu next to Cann so he wouldn’t know that she didn’t come home at night.
However, Cann wakes up as soon as the handkerchief touches his skin and he’s pretty mad at
his mom for coming so late. He ignores her altogether and storms into his room.
Later, Firrat invites Melissa out to dinner but she declines because she can’t leave
Cann alone at home. But much to her surprise, he invites Cann to come along as well. So,
Melissa persuades Cann to dress nice and act like a good boy. Cann, though, has other plans.
He's not at all pleased to see Firrat, even though he apologizes and he (Cann) makes sure
to express this. Melissa scolds him and tells him to behave. But he “accidentally” sets
the tablecloth on fire which sets off the sprinklers and they’re all completely soaked.
Melissa obviously scolds Cann profusely but he doesn’t show any sort of remorse. He’s
still adamant when they get back home. He doesn’t want Firrat to associate with his
mom anymore, and he most definitely doesn’t want him to be his dad. At this, Melissa informs
him that after the incident at the restaurant, it would be a miracle if Firrat ever acknowledges
their existence again. But as they say, miracles do happen once in a while and sure enough,
Melissa receives a call from Firrat. Firrat insists that he wants to talk to Cann
and Cann immediately gives him a piece of his mind. He tries to scare him off but Firrat
remains undeterred. In fact, he plans to go and see a car race with Cann, that too alone.
Cann agrees because he thinks that once he’s out of Melissa’s sight, he’ll be able
to get rid of Firrat for good. So, Firrat and Cann head off to the races in Firrat’s
car but Melissa is skeptical about the whole thing and decides to secretly follow them
with Fatos. Once inside the car, Cann asks Firrat what his price would be to leave his
mom alone. He tells her that he doesn’t really have a lot of money but he’s willing
to negotiate. Firrat is somewhat taken aback by his straightforwardness and counters by
asking about Cann’s friends. He also points out that Melissa doesn’t count since she’s
his mother. Cann can’t come up with an answer because he actually doesn’t have any friends
since he doesn’t even go to school. Firrat takes Cann to a dog shelter where he’s
mesmerized by a little girl. Melissa also comes out from the shadows because she’s
completely against getting a dog. But Cann returns to tell them that he wants to take
Sirin home with them. Upon Melissa’s objection, they decide that Sirin can stay at Firrat’s
house, and Cann can visit her every now and then. However, it turns out that Sirin was
the little girl's name, and Cann really doesn't want the dog that Melissa and Firrat brought
home thinking it was Sirin. But since he’s now stuck with the dog, Cann decides to name
it Firrat just to spite Firrat. But surprisingly, Firrat is quite resilient and doesn’t seem
too bothered by this either. Melissa works as a server at a café and one
of the regular customers there harasses her by calling her deary. This genuinely bothers
Cann and he wishes he could somehow shut him up. And Firrat drops by when Melissa’s working
her shift the next day. He calls out the customer and makes him apologize to both Melissa and
Cann. This finally earns him Cann’s favor because he helped his mother out. But of course,
he still can’t fully trust him yet. So, he decides to test Firrat’s loyalty. He
takes him out to a random house in the street and throws a rock at the window to intentionally
break it. The owner of the house is obviously displeased and ready to take on whoever dared
damage his window. He comes out to see Firrat and Cann. Firrat sides with him and tries
to tell Cann off until Cann calls him dad. His eyes go wide as he realizes that Cann
is trying to get him into trouble. But before the owner can fully process the situation,
Firrat grabs Cann and starts running the other way. The owner and a few guys chase after
them but they eventually lose them. Firrat asks Cann why he would ever do such a thing
but he casually informs him that he was only testing him. And Firrat smiles, knowing that
he finally earned Cann’s trust and favor. For a while, things seemed to go smoothly
– you could even call it perfect. But perfection doesn’t really exist, does it? So, of course,
it was merely the calm before the storm. Firrat asks Melissa about Cann’s obsession with
toilet paper and she tells him about his father and how he left to get toilet paper but was
met with an accident. Since then, Cann has been wary of his mother leaving the same way
which was why Melissa made sure that they never ran out of toilet paper. And once this
secret was out, it seemed like Melissa had finally confided completely in Firrat. But
the worst was yet to come. And in a strange turn of events, Cann sees his ‘dad’ very
much alive and well on the street. He runs to him even though Melissa tries to stop him.
Apparently, that man is Melissa’s friend who had gone to Germany and he surely isn’t
Cann’s dad. But then, who is? Upon being reunited with his “dad”, Cann
is both skeptical and relieved. But Fatos tries to drag him away as Melissa collapses
amidst the commotion. She is soon rushed to a hospital as Fatos attempts to pacify Cann.
Melissa eventually wakes up in a hospital bed and realizes that she doesn’t have much
time left. But before she can leave, she has to confront two major truths – one that
she was dying, and secondly the reality of Cann’s father. Firrat is also at the hospital
and he feels betrayed by how Melissa tricked him into falling in love with her. He accuses
her that she only connected with him to secure Cann’s future and all the feelings between
them are merely a fraud. She targeted him because he was well off and could easily afford
to take Cann in. But he is still very much dejected and demands to know why Melissa picked
him out of all the people. Melissa also feels cornered and she isn't
able to take the blame of the betrayal anymore. She decides that there is no way to try and
ignore the truth anymore. She has to face her past no matter what. She has to be brave
and do the right thing. Cann deserves the truth and so does Firrat. She hadn’t meant
to wrong anyone. She had her reasons for everything she did up until that point. And so, she finally
decides to tell Firrat the truth about Cann’s father and he is definitely not prepared for
what’s to come. Melissa takes him back to the time when she fell in love for the first
time. She tells him about a boy that she was absolutely
obsessed with, and how she would visit a certain club where he performed every night. She would
stare up at him admiringly but never dared to actually go up and talk to him. Still,
she knew that they would get along just fine if she ever did. And one day, she finally
mustered up enough nerve to talk to him. They had a few drinks and decided to head back
to her place. They even spent the night together. But when she woke up the next morning, the
boy told her that he just needed to get some toilet paper from the store and that he’d
be back in no time. And in her naivety, she believed him. So, she waited and waited and
waited until she just couldn’t anymore. And eventually, she realized that he wasn’t
ever coming back. Firrat stared at her disbelievingly as she told her story – and it all came
back to him. It was him. He was Cann’s father. It had been him all along. And so, it seemed
that the truth really was bitter. Melissa continues that she found out she was
pregnant not long after that night. And a little hope flickered within her again. She
looked for Firrat everywhere – work, the club, anywhere and everywhere that she could
think of. But it seemed as if he had disappeared from the face of the earth. But she still
decided to keep the child. And she didn’t regret that decision once – Cann had been
her reason to stay alive for this long. However, when she was diagnosed with a terminal illness,
she began to worry about him and who would take care of him after she left. Cann didn’t
just need a caretaker – he needed a parent – someone to raise him as his own. Melissa
confesses that she never intended to involve Firrat but it so happened that she encountered
him just then at the café. And then she kept seeing him on magazine covers and even in
her dreams – the thought kept haunting her until she gave in. She decided to seduce Firrat
and get him involved in Cann’s life – maybe even tell him the truth when the time was
right. And though the time wasn’t right just yet, the truth had come to light – as
it always does. When she is done narrating her story, Firrat gets up and leaves without
a word. Honestly, he doesn’t even know what to say. He can’t even fully process the
situation. It’s too much too soon for him. Cann had stayed with Fatima while Melissa
was in the hospital but he is definitely not pleased to see his mom back. He quickly informs
her that although he knew she was sick, he isn’t interested in whatever lies she has
conjured up for him. But before he has a chance to vent it all out, Melissa bursts into tears.
She doesn’t have anything more to say. Her life was slowly but surely flashing before
her eyes as her 6-year-old child stared innocently at her. Before long, he also bursts into tears.
He coddles his mom’s face and pleads for her not to cry. He asks her for reassurance
that she isn’t really sick. And he promises that he won’t ever ask about his father
again. At this, Melissa simply smiles and tells him that it’s okay and that she knows
how he can’t help but ask about his father. Melissa’s condition is critical and it’s
progressively growing worse. She wants Cann to get used to living with Fatos since she
is their only hope now. Things hadn’t quite turned out the way she had anticipated but
it was fate – and fate is known to be cruel. However, Firrat gradually comes to his senses
as well. And he decides to own up to his responsibilities. The mother of his child is dying. His son
needs him. He doesn’t have time to sulk around. He needs to be there for them. So,
he grabs Firrat the dog, and heads over to meet Cann and the two of them go to Melissa’s
place together. Melissa wakes up to the smell of warm breakfast and finds Firrat and Cann
seated at the breakfast table. She joins them at the table and can't help but smile at how
far they've come and how they're finally bonding as a father and son should. It seems like
life is finally in her favor. She can die peacefully without worrying about Cann. Cann
has his father by his side. His father is ready to be there for him. Firrat is ready
to be a father to their child and she doesn’t need to worry about anything else.
For some time, life is perfect again. Firrat, Melissa, and Cann spend time together at their
home, just cherishing each other’s presence. Firrat even stays the night because he wants
to make the most of his time with his newfound family. But when he wakes up, Melissa is nowhere
to be found. Soon enough, Firrat finds the diary that she left behind for Cann. She left
them because she couldn’t bear to hurt them anymore by dying a slow and painful death
in front of them. Even the toilet paper rolls are gone from the storage room because there
was no need for them anymore. Cann's father was home again and so, Melissa decided that
they don’t need an endless supply of toilet paper. Firrat was home with Cann – they
didn’t need anything else. In the final shot, we see Melissa’s shoes
on the shore and it seems that she decided to go for a painless death. Cann is obviously
devastated that his mother is gone and he can’t help but ask Firrat what happens when
people die. Firrat is also grieving and admits that he doesn't know what happens when people
die. Still, the two of them have grown quite close, and Cann settles on staying with Firrat
as his roommate. Firrat hands him the diary that Melissa left behind for him. He slowly
runs his fingers over the pages and can’t help but smile at the drawings of him and
Firrat, doggy Firrat, and even Sirin. But he also warns Firrat that if he wants to stay
with him, he’ll need to follow his rules. In fact, he advises him to read the journal
his mother had kept, called ‘Cann for Dummies’ and they both let out a swift chuckle. It
seems that Cann has finally found a friend in Firrat, just like Melissa had wanted. He
is in good hands, and so, Melissa is probably smiling right back at them from wherever she
is. Although some might call it a tragic ending,
that’s not fair. You see, the film emphasizes the importance of human connection, how powerful
love can be, and how sometimes, all you need to have a good life is a good friend. Melissa
left Cann, but she left him in good hands. She would not have been in peace unless her
son was well taken care of. And with Firrat, she didn’t have anything to worry about.
He was his father, and he decided to be a dad for him even though he could have just
as easily left. But he stayed. He stayed for his son. And that’s proof enough of his
love for his son and how it could conquer all. Hence, there’s no denying that Cann
was in good hands and that Melissa was finally at rest – and that’s definitely a happy
ending!