Sibel

From the moment Sibel (Damla Sönmez)makes her appearance on screen, she captivates us through her beautiful expressive eyes and launches us into here world. She is a mute communicating only through whistling, ostracized by her fellow women tea plantation workers (and even her younger sister) for she is considered a bad omen - whether for someone getting pregnant or getting engaged. Only a half mad woman Nairn, who she visits occasionally seem to accept her. Sibel tries to break this vicious stigma and tries to gain acceptance by her community by killing a wolf which apparently is foraging the mountains and the whereabouts. She is armed with a rifle which her father has given her and she sets traps for the wolf. Despite her efforts the wolf never appears, but she manages to capture an army deserter (and hence a traitor to the locals) through one of her traps. Eventually this cascades to a tragic/dramatic turn of events where her relationship with her family and the villagers is tested and turned on its head. I found this film to be a powerful film, that is visually breathtaking at times, cruel, intense and captivating in its core issues. What happens when a foreigner is trying to raise an awareness which we cannot even comprehend because of our closed outlook, superstitions, religion maybe, culture etc? A dramatic turn of events, help Sibel (who in reality is somewhat free because of her handicap. She goes around without wearing a scarf and with a rifle like a man) to break the Silence that her stigma put her in, becoming a person in her own right. No longer a slave to her culture or community/familial ties, when several truths sink in, she is willing to pay the price to become her own person and obtain true freedom. This film almost deserves a second watching

Among the many endearing aspects of this movie, one must mention obviously the depiction of a rural society with rules and behaviors so far from ours but beyond that the structure of the story, the visual treatment, the color schemes are very interesting. Whether it is a true representation of the life in a given part of Turkey is not in my view relevant to the interest of the film. The feminist dimension is indeed there, but secondary to the plot.

From the heart of the forest in ancient times a farseeing and intrepid woman returns with a magical fire that draws the other women of the community. The bad spells that are cast over them are broken and together the women shine. There is no telling when this mysterious woman might appear.

Because she is mute Sibel is considered bad luck and is bullied by the other women in the village including her little sister. Sibel's pariah status is partially a blessing in that it grants her an unusual independence. In her spare time she roams the forest with a rifle looking for a wolf to kill. A dead wolf would improve her status with the other women and so the hunt consumes her. Sibel communicates by whistling, an ancient language understood by many in the community including her single father, sister, and an elderly recluse she befriends. When Sibel stumbles upon an injured fugitive in the forest she risks her safety, independence, and family honor by helping him, yet she is too lonely to let him go.

This enthralling story of female empowerment unfolds in Turkey's resplendent mountain forests of ancient spruce, mist, and patches of sunlight. The story loosely parallels that of the Scarlet Letter where a shunned woman becomes a positive source of wisdom and inspiration for other women in the village. There are many touching scenes such as when a hopeful Sibel shows up at a dance in a sparkly, flowery dress handmade by her reclusive friend, and she is shamed by her little sister. This powerful and encouraging story of feminine prowess is needed in all places, even in America, where women shun enlightenment and education in favor of pleasing men who treat them with disdain. The film is not a showcase of acting skills or cinematography, but it is believable and heartening.

The actress and character are so badass you are left wondering why nobody else around sees that. That's a big part of the irony of this film. Aside from that I cared so deeply for these characters, great direction and storytelling. It was a thrilling journey. I could imagine this being a best foreign film nominee, it was that good!

This film reminded me of Mustang, another award-winning movie about the oppression of women and other evils of the Turkish countryside. Although the facts regarding this issue is true, cinematic representation of these facts requires literal artistry and Sibel is a total failure in this case.

Technical details aside (dialogues are badly written, acting of the amateurs are slightly better than terrible, while some villagers have strong rural accent, some others speak perfect Istanbul Turkish etc.), the movie has serious flaws from the beginning to the end. The movie aims to depict the condition of women in Turkish countryside, and problematizes the social mechanisms within. However, these social mechanisms are mainly women-borne, so as to say that "a woman is a wolf to other women."

This is the exact point this movie totally fails. Their "goal" for shooting this movie appears to be singling out their "fellows" in these rural communities (those who have potential to be bourgeois, though stuck in the countryside) and motivate them to fight back. Against whom? Against the oppressive women around them, instead of building a feminist consciousness and solidarity altogether.

Apparently this is all because the directors' strong bourgeois codes do not let them get into (and grasp the essence of) the real rural life, so they had no chance but to represent what they already had on their minds about it.