Jîn (2013)

Director of My Only Sunshine and Kosmos, Reha Erdem’s recent film Jîn depicts us a teenage girl guerrilla who escapes from her Kurdish freedom fighter life. The film’s protagonist Jîn (Deniz Hasgüler), in Kurdish meaning life and woman, is almost in a fairy-tale like film, with her red scarf reminding of Little Red Riding Hood, or with her dream-like images of her in nature at night. 

The stunning landscape, which in reality was shot in Kaz Mountains and Mersin, shows us the destruction of mankind. The animals she encounters throughout her journey- a donkey, a bear and a stag had influenced by the bombs and missiles.

Jîn is an important film in the midst of Turkish-Kurdish political conflict where it doesn’t show us a heroic ‘side’ or tries to answer to this conflict. In fact, the protagonist Jîn is first of all a woman, then a guerrilla. She steals some clothes and tries to mingle in to the society where she has been sexually harassed and tried to be raped several times which leads her to go back to the mountains at the end.  

Through Florent Herry’s lens and Hildur Guðnadóttir’s score Jîn is visually stunning film which revolves around woman, misery and conflict. It is a political film due to its subject, but most of all it is a Reha Erdem cinema where he again takes women in the center. 

5th Corona Fastnet Short Film (22-26 May)

I have decided to write down my experience of this festival that is taking place over this week from 22-26 May 2013. I can only attend the last couple days, but just wanted to write about it.

After the organizing process of the Turkish Programme of Corona Fastnet Short Film Festival, finally the festival weekend arrived.  We woke up early in the morning and drove to Cork and then to Schull. It is my first time to be here, and even in Cork. The sun was beaming, which is unusual for Ireland, but can’t complain…it almost feels like summer!

The village consists of one main road, houses, and shops all around. They have put banners of film names on every shop which really makes you feel like it is going to be a weekend full of cinema. We went to the pub where the film screening was going

to be, a pub that’s co-run by a Turkish man.  After I have done the opening, we started to watch the short films from Turkey. Later we had a walk by the beach.

Pauline, who has been a great support and host, has provided us with VIP Passes for us which I could get in to every talk in the village. I went to the “An Evening with Jack Gold”, where he discussed his films, and watched clips while he explained how and why he has shot them.

Later we were invited to the festival dinner where had the chance to meet people who took part in the festival. I have eaten in the same room with Lenny Abrahamson and talked and shaken hands with Jim Sheridan. Now, that’s what I will call a golden night (: There were of course many other important people from the sector. I have sung “Happy Birthday” in Turkish as it is the fifth anniversary of the festival.

Fasle Kargadan (Rhino Season, 2012)

One of the other films that I have seen at the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival is Kurdish filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi’s Fasle Kargadan (Rhino Season, 2012) that is presented by Martin Scorsese.  After the filmmaker was exiled by the Iranian government, he went to different countries but eventually start living in Istanbul where the film is set.

So many factors have made me go see this film: I love Iranian Cinema, I love Ghobadi, I love Yilmaz Erdogan, then of course there is the fact of Monica Bellucci. After hearing that all these names have come up together to make a film… I have wanted to see this film for months now.

The film is about a love story that sets through three decades, starts around the Iranian revolution. It is based on Ghobadi’s poet friend who was imprisoned during Islamic Revolution. Sahel (Behrouz Vossoughi) is thrown in to the prison for 30 years by personal revenge.  His wife Mina was also served in prison where she gets out after 10 years. She was told that Sahel has died so she moves to Istanbul. Once Sahel is freed he follows her.

Sahel is caught up in between his past and present, where he watches Mina from far away like a ghost. He is an outsider and is caught up in his memories.In his interview to Daily News Ghobadi says: “I had to leave Iran four years ago but I did not want to leave; the government pushed me out. I love Iran very much, so my soul is in jail now and this is worse than being in jail”. We see traces of Ghobadi in Sahel- both of their souls are in jail. This captivating feeling has got to me every now and then since I have been living away from Turkey.  

I really liked the film but once thing did not make sense to me at all. The daughter (Beren Saat) is a prostitute and tries to save money for her family. In no Turkish culture, as a matter of fact I think the same for Iranian culture, that the brother lets her sister to do something like this. This part really made me go like 'OK what the hell?!'. Because I really think that no Muslim culture will ever let that happen.

Behrouz Vossoughi and Arash Labaf are the only Iranian speaking actors in the film. We do not see much of Bellucci speaking Farsi but I have heard from my Iranian friends that overall there was no big accent difference. Since Yilmaz Erdogan is Kurdish as well, I assume he pulled of the accent whereas the rest of the crew spoke Turkish.

Bahman Ghobadi tells us this story of love and exile in a less likely political atmosphere. I think the tattoo that was made on Sahel's back describes it all: 

"Only the one living on border

Will create a land"

L'ordre et la morale (Rebellion, 2011)

Today I had the chance to see director-actor Mathieu Kassovitz’s new film L'ordre et la morale at the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival. And let me tell you this, France is confronting with her past- and an insider is the cause of this.

The film is based on the event of Ouvéa cave hostage taking that occurred during 22 April 1988 to 5 May 1988. A separatist group has taken hostage of 27 people including French gendarmes and demanding independence of New Caledonia. This is where GIGN captain Philippe Legorjus, acted by Kassovitz himself, and his men intervene and to negotiate between the Kanak separatist group and French government.

Kassovitz actually helps us to see the two sides of the story. The separatist group is called ‘terrorist’ by the French soldiers and the government but in fact we see that they are just fathers, and more than anyone else, they want the killing and occupation to stop. The Kanaks who killed the soldiers are willing to surrender and give the hostiles back. In return, they only wish their freedom and independence.

The film countdowns the 10 days. The negotiations seem to be working at the beginning. The media is blocked and there is going to be elections in France, so they want to solve this problem before the elections. 

Who cares who dies or not? 

I recommend this film. It is 136 minutes long but not one second bores you and especially the assault sequence is definitely shot very well.

 As Phillippe Legorjus says "Truth hurts but lie kills.."