Films about the female struggle, societal roles and feminism are important due to their ever-prevalent nature. The Turkish-French Oscar-nominated Mustang is a film that intimately examines this.
The film follows the lives of five young orphaned sisters in a remote Turkish village and the challenges they encounter coming of age under the care of their domineering uncle, grandmother and conservative Turkish society as they are groomed for arranged marriage.
This directorial debut by Deniz Gamze Erguven is stunningly engrossing, with its intimate, gritty, emotional insight into the lives of young women who desire freedom. Erguven shows talent, with her impartial, documentary-like, detailed, unflinchingly honest and empathetic approach, and captures themes of freedom of choice, identity, the bond of sisterhood, societal values and culture. There are heart-warming moments, there are heartbreaking moments too, and some moments will make your blood boil as you further root for the girls' happiness and frown on the individuals who ignorantly stand in the way of it.
The cast feel authentic, particularly the girls and their believable sisterhood, some of the best sisterly bonding since Sofia Coppola's The Virgin Suicides. The standout is the youngest, tomboy Lale (Gunes Sensoy), with her emotionally expressive face.
Mustang is immaculate, insightful, important and emotional cinema that will linger.
