Review by Arran, Illustration by Mischa
From 2016 Sydney Film Festival
Filmmaker Deniz Gamez Ergüven, taps into a controversial topic through an intimate portrayal of sisters in her debut feature MUSTANG. The contentious subject in question is sexism within Turkey. Following the lives of five young, beautiful sisters in rural Anatolia the film focuses on the experience of the youngest, Lale (GUNES SENSOY). Lale and her sisters grow up as carefree, head strong girls living without many noticeable constraints within their lives. This however, changes as the girls grow closer to adulthood and have their freedoms taken away to accommodate to the male patriarchy enforced by their uncle Erol (AYBERK PEKCAN).
A less overbearing but still palpable oppression is withheld from their grandmother (NIHAL KOLDAS), who, one by one, marries the girls to various ‘suitors’. To juxtapose this, the sisters rebel against their families’ ever-growing constraints in varying forms. The eldest, Sonay (ILAYDA AKDOGAN) continues to pursue a relationship with her boyfriend, disobeying the unspoken rule of a denial for sexual promiscuity. This is also characterised in the other sisters with the second oldest, Selma (TUGBA SUNGUROGLU) falsely claiming she has had “sex with the world” to a doctor.
Although sexuality is readily discussed within the film, the theme is subtle and natural, managing to not sexualise the girls within the process of following their maturation. Close, intimate shots of the sisters, with natural lighting and flawless skin to match would seem to make the girls seem idealised sexy creatures. However, Ergüven pulls off a distinctly youthful beauty of the young women, navigating their way and social position within the world. With the film aiming to achieve an intimate portrayal of sexism while also discussing macro-level issues it’s a big task. Having said this the relationships between all the characters is intriguing with a brave exploration of the rising conservatism within Turkey.
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