Mustang (Deniz Gamze Ergüven, 2015): Turkey | France | Qatar | Germany

Reviewed by Ashley Wierl. Viewed at the AFI Fest 2015.

With 14 awards and 9 additional nominations, Director Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s emotionally charged film “Mustang” does not disappoint. With the exception of Elit Iscan, this is the first film for the young girls (Günes Sensoy, Doga Zeynep Doguslu, Tugba Sunguroglu, and Ilayda Akdogan) who play the roles of the 5 sisters. All of these young actresses seamlessly create on onscreen bond and boundless spirit that a viewer can sincerely resonate with.

The film follows a close knit group of Turkish sisters who have their freedom and individuality stripped from them in aims of making them proper women, worthy of marriage. After being seen playing an innocent game on the beach that involved the girls siting on the shoulders of their male classmates, the girls are accused of teasing the boys and being whores. This event leads to a downward spiral of restrictive regulations that have the girls living in a “wife factory”, as the youngest sister Lale (Günes Sensoy) called it. They are subjected to virginity tests, taught to cook, clean, and sew, and are ultimately caged-in with physical barriers their uncle installed around the property. Though their freedom becomes a distant memory, the girls are determined to escape this modern prison they are forced to live in. Embedded in honest moment of love and loss is a captivating story that will usher viewers through a spectrum of emotions.

In this drama written by Deniz Gamze Ergüven and Alice Winocour, the restrictive life of these young sisters closely mirrors the actual day to day expectations of young Turkish women. In a Q&A after its screening at the AFI Fest 2015, Ergüven explains the reactions to her film were of both extremes. There were those who support and relate to the crisis in the film, while other, more traditional Turkish individuals protest the shift in their cultural norm and what the film stands for. In a society that holds very specific ideals of what is expected of girls, in terms of behavior and sexuality, “Mustang” certainly makes waves in challenging it.

The juxtaposition of scenes of loud infectious laughter from the sisters when they are able to express their individuality, and those scenes of the painfully mundane moments the girls experience when subjected to the new conditions implemented by their elder relatives creatively illustrates the generational divide while engaging viewers to sympathize with the young girls. Mathilde Van de Moortel, the film’s editor, further engages audiences with fast cuts during suspenseful action scenes, and slower cuts during more somber scenes, allowed views to reflect and really feel what the sisters are feeling in such a moment in time.

Women’s civil liberties. Oppressive patriarchal norms. Friendship and familial bonds. Freedom. Love, loss, and every emotion in-between. If any of these concepts capture your attention, then viewing “Mustang” will be a thoroughly enjoyable and engaging experience.