Mustang

A compelling feral energy partly defines the close bond between five young, orphaned sisters in this fable-like Oscar-nominated Turkish film that is set in a village by the sea. The girls—who all attend the same school and live with their protective grandmother (Nihal Koldas) and cruel Uncle Erol (Ayberk Pekcan)—exhibit explosive resistance as a group whenever one of them is threatened, and the sheer wildness with which they collectively strike out looks a lot like pack survival. So it's no wonder that their relationship with the world seems equally primeval: plucking apples from a forbidden garden, or innocently sitting on the shoulders of boys while splashing and frolicking at the beach. It's the latter that brings the sisters' naïve paradise to an abrupt end, after a neighbor rats them out, and an enraged Erol lowers the boom. Lale (Günes Nezihe Sensoy), Nur (Doga Zeynep Doguslu), Ece (Elit Iscan), Selma (Tugba Sunguroglu), and Sonay (Ilayda Akdogan)—become prisoners at home, locked behind high walls and barred windows, sans computers or phones, as Erol turns the place into a “wife factory,” pushing out the oldest girls first in arranged marriages before they can be further “sullied.” With this inexorable fate awaiting them, the younger ones—especially the indomitable Lale—begin to seek a way out. In her feature debut, co-writer and director Deniz Gamze Ergüven presents a visually-charged blend of fairy tale and stark drama about the terrible oppression of girls and women, serving up a powerful story about the fight for freedom and identity. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include director Deniz Gamze Ergüven's 2006 short film “A Drop of Water” (19 min.), cast interviews (8 min.), trailers, and a booklet. Bottom line: a solid extras package for this Oscar nominee.] (T. Keogh)