Les filles du soleil

"Our bodies and our blood will feed the land Our children's children Our milk will be red From Our death will spring life We have faith A new day is dawning It will be a new era of Women, Life, Liberty" August of 2014, Iraqi Kurdistan. The ISIL (ISIS) invaders invaded Mount Sinjar. This would follow with another genocide in Kurdistan after the horrific Anfal back in late 80s by Saddam's forces. As the Daesh forces carried out the genocide, some 5000 Yazidis were killed, around 500,000 fled and thousands of women and girls were captured and forced into sexual slavery. This is a story of some handful of the Yazidi women fighters who stood upright and fought the ISIS forces. Powerful story but storytelling is somewhat drab with some disconnect and hackneyed segments.. However, gritty locations (Georgia) and impressive production design and compelling and vehement performance by Farahani redress the movie and push it higher to a great watch category.

Over 7,000 women and girls were taken captive in one swoop by Daesh in the Sinjar Mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan in 2014. Over half of them are still missing. Some escaped from captivity and formed a unit of peshmerga fighters to strike back at those who separated them from their families, killed their loved ones, and starved, tortured, raped and beat them into submission. Girls of the Sun follows these women into battle, through Daesh tunnels, and into minefields of memories as well as explosives. The women are led by Bahar, a former lawyer, who is searching for her son. They are joined by a French war correspondent who has painful war nightmares of her own. The dark experiences and shared suffering of the women strengthens their bond as they face dangers that would make most people quail.

This gripping and emotional film is based on the truth. It deftly weaves between the past and present in realistic flashbacks. Camerawork revels in the mountains and mist as well as fights and close-ups. A true to life female perspective on fighting war from the standpoints of director, actors and characters. Fresh from an appearance at Cannes, I attended the international premiere of the film at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival. The director spoke of the challenges of making a film on a four million Euro budget and bringing people together with different cultural touchstones.

In 2014 ISIS/ISIL forces killed, captured thousands of Yazidi & forcing hundreds of thousands to flee. Kurdish forces along w/an Obama ordered airstrike (contrary to another politician's abandonment of American ideals) fought to save their lives. This film is a fictionalized retelling based on interviews w/Kurdish female fighters (many who had escaped from ISIS). Another part of the film's story is an embedded journalist based on the real life of Marie Colvin (Film based on her life: "A Private War"). Criticisms: Could have used subtitling for English besides the other languages. The horror of ISIS killings & rapes were not shown on purpose (we see aftermath of one), but I think we need to see it more graphically to be moved to action. Mostly filmed in the country of Georgia - would have been more forceful if filmed in a post-ISIS area. Other films of Kurd female bravery: "Peshmerga", "Gulistan, Land ...", "Meryem" (short), "Commander Arian", "Her War: Women ...", "Fear Us Women" (short), "On Her Shoulders".

A real life lived. We want more films about the Kurds to be released.The sufferings of the past will never be forgotten. Freedom for the Kurds

It is not an "exciting" film but so true, so heavy. There was no Rambo but every female fighter in the film (and on the battlefront) is a heroine. Men kill for power, for domination; women kill, when needed, to save, to regain their lost honor, to preserve their dignity. And shame on those who desert these brave people who have helped them to eradicate those who tortured and killed.