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“Rarely is a debut feature such an absolute knock-out. Mustang is a film I regret not seeing before I created my yearly “Best Of” films list because it would have, without question, shaken things up as it skyrocketed its way to somewhere near the very top.” (JBFC Programmer, Andrew Jupin)
In Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s powerful debut feature, five free-spirited teenage sisters in northern Turkey celebrate the end of another school year by hitting the beach with their male classmates. Though their games are merely innocent fun, a passing neighbor reports what she considers to be illicit behavior to the girls’ family. In a major case of overreacting, their grandmother collects all “instruments of corruption,” like cell phones and computers, essentially imprisoning the girls inside the family house for the coming months. In preparation for their futures as teenage brides, the sisters are subjected to endless lessons in housework, and the older girls are eventually given away into arranged marriages. As they see their sisters married off, the younger girls band together to avoid the same fate. The fierce connection shared between the sisters empowers them to rebel and chase a future where they can make their own life choices. A damning look at an outdated tradition, Mustang is a stunning portrait of female empowerment and a beautiful piece of filmmaking.