Mustang

A feminist fable from Turkey in which five orphaned sisters on the verge of adulthood face the harshness of a patriarchal society. The title refers to their irrepressible, rambunctious spirits, and their flowing tresses just like the manes of the wild horses. Although the movie could be a somber affair, it manages to convey the joyfulness of youth in spite of tragedy and the tyranny which are part of the girls' experiences. The girls emerge as fully formed characters-although the middle sisters are somewhat difficult to distinguish- but the wonderful Gunes Sensoy dominates the proceedings as the youngest, but precocious, rebellious, youngest sister. We experience the story through her wise-beyond-her-years eyes because she provides the voice of narration. As she states, after the girls' initial innocent foray with some male classmates-the girls are locked-up by the stern uncle and tradition-bound grandmother to live in a "wife factory" to become marriageable homemakers with the requirement of donning frumpy clothing "the color of s--t brown." The film reminds me somewhat of Sofia Coppola's 1999 debut: The Virgin Suicides coupled with a prison break scenario. The script deals with the story with fairness, ie, their guardians are not entirely monsters plus there is no reference to any specific fundamentalist sect. Because the French-Turkish the director received the bulk of her funding from French sources; the film is the official French entry in the foreign Oscar category. I wish it well, but there is very strong competition from Son of Saul.