Mustang (2015)

Mustang: Directed by Deniz Gamze Ergüven. With Günes Sensoy, Doga Zeynep Doguslu, Tugba Sunguroglu, Elit Iscan. When five orphan girls are seen innocently playing with boys on a beach, their scandalized conservative guardians confine them while forced marriages are arranged.

“Even though i assume not many people will read this iu0026#39;m going to put a disclaimer first. I honestly donu0026#39;t mind if this is a 100% real representation of Turkish culture or not, and it doesnu0026#39;t need to be, no live action film does, this isnu0026#39;t a documentary. Simply put, if it successfully tells a good story then the film did its job and iu0026#39;m happy with it. Also, i heard many people online hated the movie only because it had some direct feminist themes, the hate is highly undeserved,not only because that isnu0026#39;t a valid enough reason, but because the film doesnu0026#39;t bang you over the head with its messages, and there are many more universal themes weaved in the narrative structure of the film. Now that thats out of the way lets get into the review.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe film tells the tale about five young free spirited sisters living in a conservative Turkish household, and the friction regarding the relationship between them and their uncle and grandmother. itu0026#39;s a touching story about the generational gap that exists between them, and the need for the sisters to find their place in life that isnu0026#39;t determined by their family. Technical aspects of the film are quite superb, to my eye the editing was professional, and the cinematography beautiful, the sombre soundtrack goes hand in hand with the story of the film, and the acting was at least as far ass i could tell very good, although i cant be sure since i donu0026#39;t speak Turkish. One of the first things i noticed when i watched the film is that the family relations depicted in the film bear a striking resemblance to an old conservative Serbian family, which doesnu0026#39;t come as a big surprise since the Turks practically ruled our lands for five centuries, and that is one of the main reasons i would recommend this to anyone who was raised in a Balkan country which was occupied by the Turks, because i think they will find some interesting parallels.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhat bothered me the most about the film was the fact that certain characters werenu0026#39;t very developed, specifically the teacher, and the driver that frequently helps the younger sister, i simply wished that the script devoted more time to explaining their motivation. Also the ending seamed very unexpected, and not in a good way, it simply wasnu0026#39;t foreshadowed enough for it to be satisfying.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAll in all i think this is a worthy contender for the academy award, and it made me very interested in the future career of Deniz Gamze Ergüven, the director of the film, she is a talented woman with a bright future regarding the world of cinema, i wish her the best of luck.”