(Belleza salvaje)
Mature themes, sexual references and violence.

France, Germany, Turkey 2015
Director: Deniz Gamze Ergüven
Featuring: Gunez Sensoy, Aveberk Pekan, Bahar Kerimoglu
Language: Turkish
Running time: 97 minutes
Original review: Tara Davies, The Irish Times and Festival de Cannes
Extracted by: Mark Horner

Director/writer Deniz Gamze Ergüven met her co-writer Alice Winocour at the Cannes Film Festival’s Atelier for beginner film makers where they were the only two women attending the program. Ergüven was there to work on a film entitled “Kings” about the LA riots. After she failed to attract producers and financiers Winocour suggested Ergüven should do a smaller scale movie to prove that she was capable of directing. Together they started working on Mustang- a coming of age tale that turns into a thriller.

Early summer, in a village in northern Turkey, Lale and her four sisters are walking home from school, playing innocently with some boys. The immorality of their play sets off a scandal that has unexpected consequences. The family home is progressively transformed into a prison; instruction in homemaking replaces school and marriages start being arranged. The five sisters, who share a common passion for freedom, find ways of getting around the constraints imposed on them.

The fierce love between them empowers them to rebel and chase a future where they can determine their own lives in Deniz Erguven’s debut, a powerful portrait of female empowerment.