Mustang

You may ask why we have chosen to screen the Turkish film Mustang at Arab Film Days. Mustang is first and foremost an amazing movie. Even though it received glowing reviews, way too few people saw it when it played in Norwegian cinemas. We know it is not our job to screen all the good movies that don’t go well in cinemas, but in this case, we felt like we had to. One of the reasons it that the story and themes are highly relevant and could just as easily been from any Arab country.

Mustang centers on five sisters and one male friend. We meet them at the very beginning of their summer vacation as they travel to the beach having fun and enjoying themselves. But, their happiness doesn’t last too long. A nosy and conservative neighbor tells the girls’ aunt and uncle that they have behaved immodestly in public. The aunt and uncle decide that it is time for the girls to grow up, and start preparing them for the most important event in their life - marriage!

This is a film about how conservative traditions stands in the way of the girls’ freedom, but they are never reduced to helpless victims in the film. Because thing is for sure; these five sisters do not give up easily.

Deniz Gamze Ergüven (b. 1978) is a French Turkish director and screenwriter, most known for Mustang, her feature film debut. Mustang was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film.

Read the review of Mustang in The Guardian here.