Le troupeau

Suru (Turkish for 'Herd') is probably the best work of Yilmaz GUNEY, the most influential figure in the history of Turkish Cinema. As a young girl, Berivan (Melike DEMIRAG) was given in marriage to Sirvan (Tarik AKAN) to end the feud (Kan Davasi) between two families. Although bloodshed stops, it does not end the hostility. Years pass and Berivan produce three infant deaths, which makes Hamo (Tuncel KURTIZ), the patriarch of the family, very resentful towards her. Although Sirvan is a good man in his essence and very caring towards his wife, he is unable to confront feudal values, thus cannot help Berivan who retreats into silence for many years. One spring, Hamo wants to take his herd of sheep to Ankara for sale and Sirvan joins him and takes Berivan along with the hope of finding a cure for his illness in the city. The railroad journey from the eastern Turkey to the west becomes the center of the story and is used as a vehicle to show the corruption and social injustice in Turkish Society in mid 70's.

The film has an incredibly rich story line. At one point during the movie, you are asking yourself what is there left to say about ignorance and injustice. For instance, the image of crippled prostitute walking on railroad track still breaks my heart; engineer and conductors of the train, who bring the train to a sudden halt, thus cruelly injuring the animals riding in the wagons just because they don't get the bribery they wanted, still gives me a sudden flash of anger. Just think of tens of scenes like that, you will understand what kind of powerful movie I am talking about.

Suru was shot under very difficult conditions during a time just before the military coup d'etat of 1980 not to mention that Yilmaz GUNEY was at the prison during filming. That is probably why it looks technically inferior, i.e. no control of color, lighting or sound. However, this gives the movie a realistic look. It has some minor flaws, such as the didactic language GUNEY uses time to time. For instance, an socialist student Sirvan met in Ankara tries to explain him (or all illiterate people suffering under the corrupt system on his behalf) reasons of their misery and showing nice buildings in the city utters sentences like "Only the people who exploit you can afford to live here". True, yet, this severely interrupts the story, sounds irritating. The story already tells everything, why the need for words... However, the movie with its excellent script and direction (please let us do not forget Zeki OKTEN) and its fantastic performances has enough to be a true masterpiece of Modern Turkish Cinema.

I don't believe that many people out there who queue for films like Star Wars would understand what a masterpiece this film is. It is great. It is real. It is more than just a film. You cannot write scripts like that so easily...

"We all go through hard times in life. It's a part of being alive and it's the reality we all have to deal with. There are times we forget our value as a person because we are so blinded with these thoughts of loneliness, emptiness and ego. Somewhere along the road we become numbed with all the frustrations and dissatisfaction. But life itself isn't always about darkness and sadness, Life is also filled with colors and that makes it beautiful. Along this path of darkness there's always light waiting to be seen by our daunted hearts. Our heart is gifted to see this light. It may be hiding behind those circumstances that we encounter; in a stranger we just met at an unexpected place; a family who has been always there but you just ignored because of your imperfect relationship with them; it might be a long time friend you have or a friend you just met. Open your heart and you will see how blessed you are to have them all in your life. Sometimes they are the light that shines your path in some dark phases of life. Don't lose hope"

I thought at the beginning of the film; Somehow I'm watching a tribe isolated from the outside world. This tribe only earns as much money as they deserve and is so pure and clean that they cannot resist the pollution of the outside world. They don't stubbornly show a girl they took from another tribe. I have seen that they have tried to reconcile with the excess of tribal and tribal fights over the past. When people consider themselves important, they look at some people and disdain. We see the challenges of mountain life and the challenges of city life in the The Herd movie. We see the mess of cities, prostitution, bribery, theft, the evils that are still present in the world.

In such a world order, it is difficult to try to stay pure and clean. A work that can make the audience cry. I think the director is a masterpiece film among all his films. A film about the realities of life. We need to know a little about what's going on in the world. The actors have performed very well. I will never forget this movie. I'm not gonna forget the conversation scene in the movie; "I thought bandits were on the mountain."

Suru is a must see film by Yilmaz Guney, the great Turkish director. It was shot under very difficult conditions: Made just before the 1980 military coup while Guney was imprisoned. The title Suru (Herd) refers, not only to the sheep, but to man himself. The film tells the story of Berivan given in marriage to Sirvan to end the feud between two families. The bloodshed stops, but not the hostility. Berivan and Sirvan live with Sirvan's tyrannical father, Hamo, who resents Berivan and continuously berates her for being unable to provide his son an heir. Although Sirvan is a good, kind man, very caring and loving to his wife, he is unable to overcome his feudal values and confront his father, causing Berivan to retreat more and more into a silent existence. Finally very ill, possibly the toll caused by the years of verbal abuse she has suffered under Hamo, Sirvan wants to take Berivan to see a doctor in Ankara while going to sell his father's herd of sheep.

The journey westward to Ankara provides a backdrop to show the corruption and social injustices in Turkey or for that matter anywhere in the world. It is a story line rich with meaning about corruption, alienation, and social injustice in a Capitalist world, where the poor who are innocent suffer, while those who have prosper. The interplay between Berivan and Sirvan maybe somewhat weak, but the details shown in the film are what make the film worthwhile. For example, early in the train ride we see a crippled prostitute board on the train. Exploited because of her handicap, she in turn exploits others when she can, because that is the only way one can live in a capitalist world (Guney was a communist); or the example of the engineer and conductors of the train, who are refused a bribe and cruelly halt the train suddenly to hurt the sheep on board in revenge. The bleating of the poor sheep, an obvious reference to innocence, is literally heart-rendering. In fact, the whole film is heart-rendering and deeply moving.