the fresh films reviews

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Mustang (2015)

Director:
Deniz Gamze Ergüven
INTERNATIONAL TITLE
Magnum
COUNTRY
France/Turkey/Germany
GENRE
Drama
NORWEGIAN TITLE
Magnum
RUNNING TIME
97 minutes
Producer:
Charles Gillibert
Screenwriter:
Deniz Gamze Ergüven
Alice Winocour


Cast includes:

CHARACTER ACTOR/ACTRESS RATING
Lale Güneş Şensoy
Nur Doga Doguşlu
Ece Elit Işcan
Selma Tugba Sunguroglu
Sonay Ilayda Akdogan
The grandmother Nihal Koldaş
Erol Ayberk Pekcan

 

Review

Traditions in rural Turkey are given a bashing in this confrontational film from exiled Turkish writer/director Deniz Gamze Ergüven, as five young sisters/cousins rebel against gender inequality and the customs of arranged marriage. Ergüven has got a bold style; she juxtaposes the girls' coming-of-age in a sensual, warm-paletted manner with the controlling, patriarchal reign the girls are living under. It's effective to the extent that the story is believable, which probably can be discussed. Although the five girls don't seem to have all that different personalities, their destinies are ultimately quite different, and some of these destinies are more filmatically effective than others. There's a poignant contrast in the double-wedding of Sonay and Selma, but the focal point of the film is young actress Güneş Şensoy as Lale. Her expressive face harbours the feelings of claustrophobia and desperation that Ergüven wants to convey, and although the story in the end might feel a little contrived, through Lale it is also optimistic and forward-looking. Nominated for Best Foreign-Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards.

Copyright © 21.12.2017 Fredrik Gunerius Fevang

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