Mustang is a 2015 Turkish drama film directed by Deniz Gamze Ergüven. The film’s plot goes like this:
When five orphan girls are seen innocently playing with boys on a beach, their scandalized conservative guardians confine them while forced marriages are arranged.
An audacious, sparkling and distressing look at girlhood, Mustang glimmers with female power in its affecting tale that tends to drive one’s emotions in every turn that it takes.
The film opens on a lively pace, but suddenly, things get less vibrant and more dark. Its marvelous opening scene captures our attention easily, and it paves the way for us to go along with them to look at their eventually crushed lives. Our introduction to these girls is coruscates with the smiles on their faces, bu as their cheerfulness gets ripped out of them, we get more enthralled to find out about the subsequent happenings.
Their girlhood gets depicted in a forcible manner and we get torn apart as we see them get deprived of their joy. That is where all the emotions and curiosity start to kick in, and it happens so as the film engages us in it more than ever. Though the themes aren’t handled with profuse intensity, it still reaches its capacity of becoming rather upsetting, putting the viewer in the state of feelings similar to theirs. However, as you begin to notice its ways of symbolizing what it represents, you’d be amazed to find out that its energetic vibe never runs low; treading lightly on its heavy subject matters.
All of the fine young actresses did their parts very well with each of them finding a reason for us to get affected. However, there was a girl in particular who got us both wrecked and animated as this tale’s spirit gets taken out and is replaced by bleakness. The character that catches our attention is a girl named Lale and is portrayed so rebelliously by Günes Sensoy. With her attitude-driven portrayal that knocks us out with charisma and weight, the bleak tale gets reinvigorated. Her character could be easily dismissed as a symbolism for girl power, and Günes’ performance certainly helped define that; albeit more effectively than her peers. A feeling of defiance to conformity can seen in her delivery of lines and showing of actions, and it easily becomes one of the film’s main sources of vigor and impact.
Günes almost always becomes the center of attraction for our senses to focus to, and she is well-deserving of it for the integrity she has shown in her dramatically moving portrayal. A huge chunk of the film gets involves us with her being highly emotive with scenes like that totally showcasing her acting abilities. With that, it becomes a no-brainer that this young actress knows how to act, most specially for doing it so natural yet so flooring judging from the vibe that she emits. It is hard not to notice her, but then again, the film’s spotlight is centered on her, giving us time to focus and get our emotions stimulated by her prowess.
Though most of the film’s greatest moments are built by her, the rest are derived from the scenes wherein we see the girls together. Such sequences radiate with allure, and are directed with a keen eye to be both impressive and communicative to the viewers. Moments like these are when Mustang’s qualities of feminism stood high, and the subtle symbolism hidden beneath it effectively expresses what the film’s message was trying to say in a manner that touches our hearts. Certain scenes really do get us connected with these girls, and while they are small, they manage to become the film’s highlights for standing out with their dignified assemblage. By seeing all of those onscreen, something tells us that this is directed by a woman, and for depicting these girls with vulnerability and strength, that cannot be just simply mistaken. It’s almost as if the director behind it had gone through everything that the film shows, and for that, it glistens for having an honest and dismal view on girlhood on the other side of the world.
There are things in this film that could have ended up becoming too dark, but with its director Deniz Gamze Ergüven on the helm, those things rather got decorated with beauty while also having a bare sensibility altogether. Mustang is a film that should be seen by the world, and most specially, by any female for it is a work seated deep in an honest and intense portrayal of girlhood. But not only that, it also becomes quite special, most specially for depicting a culture so shocking in a way that tries to veer away from its horrors through the use of exuberance. Honestly speaking, there are just some elements in it that simply couldn’t be done just by anyone, noting how it delves into a certain culture.
Mustang is extraordinary for maintaining high spirits and an optimistic vibe through every scene that comes and goes-even if the matters are serious. It is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before, and for that it becomes a special treat for the heart and soul that infects us with its sprightly nature. Long story short, it should appeal to every cinephile, for having filmic material that is equally as compelling as its name. There are surprises awaiting in it, and you should be staggered by it all. However, what’s not a surprise is that it got nominated at this year’s Oscars for the Best Foreign Language Film category. Once you see it all, then you’d be satisfied to find out that everything we’re saying about it is true.
Mustang asserts its subject matters exquisitely with passion and liveliness. It knows the tones that it should rightfully go for, and it gets operated into the film with potency. Both cheerful and dramatic, the blending of those two tones manufactures a totally moving female coming-of-age drama that should be regarded as one of the best of its time. Giving a strong, emotional, puissant emphasis on its characters and subject matter, Mustang lets us view the world in the eyes of a group of girls with the vivacity in its writing and the sheer fragility that could be perceived in director Deniz Gamze Ergüven.
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