La mia dolce terra

"My Sweet Pepper Land" follows the formula of the classic western, with a rugged good guy trying to protect a damsel in distress from the inevitable evil rich guy. There's obviously nothing wrong with that, if that plot's good enough for Sergio Leone it's good enough for anyone. On the other hand though, this is hardly a creative film. People seem to really dig the combination of western storytelling (in various meanings) with the unlikely setting of a mountain in Iraqi Kurdistan, the movie mostly thrives on that...gimmick, for lack of a better word. You get a lot of insight into Kurdic history, a subject I knew very little about, apart from that the movie isn't very special. The plot is predictable (granted, all westerns tend to be), there's not a lot of suspense even though they're really trying, and even the standard final showdown is really more of an anti-climax. "My Sweet Pepper Land" is an interesting watch, but not always a superbly entertaining one.

Anyone who reads international news reports, knows that Iraqi Kurdistan is now in the centre of major geopolitical developments. Kurdish fighters, called peshmerga, are trying to repel the radical Islamic State, with the assistance of the US.

It's interesting background information, because 'My Sweet Pepper Land' is a film about a peshmerga fighter. The film is set in the period after the war against Saddam Hussein. The Iraqi Kurds have created their own, autonomous region and are trying to rebuild law and order. Former peshmerga fighter Baran takes part in that effort, not so much because of idealistic reasons, but to get away from his mother who is desperate to arrange a marriage for her son. He gets a job as the new police officer in a remote village near the Turkish border.

On his way to the village, which can only be reached on foot or on horseback because of a destroyed bridge, he meets another new government official: Govend, the pretty school teacher. She is also trying to escape an arranged marriage, set up by her father.

But the villagers are not keen on education for their children, nor on law enforcement. They rather rely on protection from a local criminal, who arranges illegal smuggling activities in the remote, mountainous area. Soon, both Baran and Govend clash with this man. Against all odds, they stubbornly defend what they think is right.

The director was clearly influenced by the classic westerns. He cleverly inserts western elements in this Kurdish setting. The horses, the hats, the long, fur-lined coats, the guns everyone is carrying - it makes Kurdistan look like the American wild west. The story itself is of course a classic western theme: a lone man fights for justice in a hostile environment, and at the same time provides protection for the local beauty.

The mix of Kurdish and western elements make this a nice and enjoyable film. It also provides insight in the Kurdish culture and history. The opening scene for example is at the same time hilarious and tragic: it shows how officials from the new Kurdish government clumsily try to hang a criminal. The man is standing on a ballot box with the rope around his neck.

One last remark: the soundtrack partly consists of beautiful music played by school teacher Govend on a very distinct musical instrument. You're inclined to think that this is a traditional Kurdish instrument, but actually it is a Hang, a Swiss invention from 2001.

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.

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.

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.