Minha Doce Terra Amarga

Best movie of the week! This marvelously shot film will probably end up in my "best of 2014" list. Hiner Saleem brings us a beautiful blend of spaghetti western and political drama, not without some witty humor and satire. Genre-bending cinema always scores high with me, especially if it has such a wonderful aesthetic. The landscapes of Eastern Turkey and Northern Iraq are magical in their desolation and fierceness. On top of the majestic cinematography and the brilliant playing on genres, the acting of Korkmaz Arslan and Golshifteh Farahani is superb and the soundtrack (including the music played on the Hang) is one that I would listen to for hours on end. The film reminded me of Tepenin ardi, a Turkish western tragedy directed by Emin Alper, which also had this wonderful aesthetic. Since I saw Tepenin ardi I realized there's more to Turkish cinema then the commercial Yeşilçam industry and the art-house master Nuri Bilge Ceylan. Hiner Saleem might do this for Iraqi cinema. Or must I say Kurdish cinema? 'Cause let's be fair: this movie breaths Kurdish sentiment and passion through all its veins; Saleem might have more in common with the Turkish Kurd Yılmaz Güney (Yol) and the Iranian Kurd Bahman Ghobadi (Turtles Can Fly and No One Knows About Persian Cats). In any case, My Sweet Pepper Land is a masterful film that didn't get the attention and distribution it so obviously deserves.

The idea and story are good. The landscape tells a lot itself. Movie starts very promising, especially when the old mum is presenting potential brides :) The role of woman is also depicted very well. She was empowered by her family and made her own choice to work where she feels needed.

Movie overall is beautiful and is worth to watch. But the tools used to reveal the characters are too western. I did not meet my expectations of seeing anything about brave Kurds, about their moral codex, love and war. To me, director failed to find a equilibrium between grotesque (first part of movie) and Kurds' traditions.

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.

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.