A scene from the documentary "Kedi."

You don’t have to be a cat lover to appreciate “Kedi,” an adorable documentary that captures the essence of the feline world.

Director Ceyda Torun films with plenty of “Aren’t they cute?” moments, but gives us more than that – making an argument as to how much these felines mean to those around them.

“Kedi” examines the phenomenon in the metropolis of Istanbul, where hundreds of thousands of Turkish cats have roamed freely for thousands of years  – wandering in and out of people’s lives.

Their place in the community is as defined as the people who live there, with Torun giving us backstories on a handful of cats and how they have effected the lives of the humans they come in touch with on a daily basis.

“Kedi” makes a compelling argument that there is this spiritual connection between the humans and cat community. They are revered like children, seen as therapeutic (One man reveals that he recovered from a nervous breakdown because of the love he received while taking care of the neighborhood strays).

This is as much a love letter to Istanbul as it is the felines – showing how the carefree lifestyle has changed as the city grows.

But mainly this is about cats. Hundreds of adorable cats.

Torun lets them do most of the work, knowing that there are a lot of crazy cat ladies who will be sucked into “Kedi” from the opening frame.

This is a film for those people – and one with just enough that even the biggest cat hater might find some joy as well.

Directed by: Ceyda Torun

Rating: Not Rated (but suitable for all ages)

Playing at: Belcourt Theater in Nashville

Grade: B