My Sweet Pepper Land

Went in expecting a badly executed campy kurdish take on the western but came away quite surprised how pleasing the result was. Not a lot of suspense or heroics but a refreshingly honest depiction, from the struggles of newfound national liberation to the minefield of local customs & traditions an individual is forced to navigate. The music is splendid as are the shots, Korkaz Arisan's hard faced acting bringing perfection to his role as the macho local man of law. The new sheriff's appointment rocks the boat and brings to the fore a host of local issues, underlying tensions & supressed conflicts. Much of the runtime is spent on Baran wading through these problems, trying to keep the peace but also asserting himself as the Law and signalling not so unsubtly, that the old days of the local mafia are over. But its not all hard jawed men staring off & making veiled threats, there are also unexpected moments of comic relief & unspoken love in the between, making the short runtime of 88 mins pass by quickly. The conclusion is reached rather unexpectedly, without the traditional standoff; my only quibble is that it lacks the amount of tension a western needs, making it a bit subdued. Nevertheless, it still stands as a unique film rooted in kurdish life.

A good Kurdistan Western movie...but I don't like the hidden political messages. The sign of Pepperland and Police are all on English, they like western music, wearing western hat when shot down the local chief. As only the western ideology can save the people there.

What's the Kurdish word for 'spaghetti?' "My Sweet Pepper Land" is a classic Spaghetti Western set in a remote corner of Iraqi Kurdistan. Upright stalwart hero, distressed damsel, band of lawless ruffians to be dispatched, and, as an interesting twist, a group of well armed feminist freedom fighters who don't like anybody very much. It's a culturally interesting story, flawed by several gratuitous episodes of cruelty to animals being passed off as entertainment-- kind of wrecked the film for us. The high point was the female lead, Golshifteh Farhani (as Govend) playing a melodious Kurdish-6 pan drum. Along with the other music, that made for a much better than average soundtrack.

Although classed as a Comedy (it has its moments) at the 2014 Palm Springs International Film Festival, it isn't.

I loved this very real "western"... "the good and the bad", a courageous movie that tells us the REAL LIFE in those very far countries. I realized, with drops, that people always have this type of extreme life. I was telling me "it was the similar in Nevada" 200 years ago... Have to be seen by all...

A very nice film, with many good qualities.

First of all the cast: the pretty (and talented) Golshifteh Farahani and the less known but equally intriguing Korkmaz Arslan, together with several convincing actors in supporting roles. Interestingly, neither Farahani nor Aslan are Kurds (she is Iranian and he is Turkish…).

Then we have the undisputed talent of Mr Hiner Saleem (who really is Kurd), whose filmography already has gained him a well deserved fan base.

Finally, you'll see Kurdistan. The ugly, cold Kurdistan with its stony hills and gaunt landscapes. Poor, superstitious and dangerously undeveloped, with its violent attitude and undersized rides. And you won't be able to help but like it.