Mustang (Turkish, 2015)

The film’s theme, although not uncommon in conservative Asian countries, does shock you in its plain depiction of the violence (which is more mental than physical) that the young girls are subjected to. In spite of this, the inherent strength in such oppressed girls/ladies is shown in the way they break the rules fully aware of the repercussions. The realistic thrills or rather tension you get when the girls step out of the line each time is a proof of the cinematic mastery by the team.

The youngest of the lot, Lale played Güneş Şensoy is sensational. The firebrand girl reminds us of a young Ellen Page from films like Hard Candy. She brings out the child within only when she giggles, plays alone or when she first learns to drive a vehicle.

The performance of the Nihal Koldaş as the protective grandmother and Ayberk Pekcan as the male chauvinistic violent uncle makes us seethe in anger. Similarly, the tenacity of the other ladies who form the supporting cast is impressive. The way the character “Aunt Emine” takes down the power to protect the children makes one enthusiastically hoot in approval. Also, the characterization of Yasin is wonderful given that you never know if he is in the right but are made place trust in him.

A fabulous score throughout the film allows you to glide over the montages sequences at ease with the prime example being the “Swimming on bed” sequence. Similarly, the Sound design overall adds authenticity to proceedings especially when the girls cut their hair, the sniping of the hair using scissors is well brought out.

In spite of the film moving slowly you get the feeling that only the top layer of the regressive society has been shown. There are countless Asian films that deal with the issues more deeply than ‘Mustang’ has done.