Film Reviews by ST

I did not enjoy this film. I welcomed the fact that it brought to our attention the oppression of women in rural Turkey, and also the oppression of women by other women (here portrayed as old, fat and headscarf-wearing). Unfortunately I thought the characters were all rather crudely and one-dimensionally presented, and there was very little development of them: surely there could have been more to the one older woman who actually helped the girls attend a football match by knocking out the electricity in the village to stop the men seeing them on television? And what about the grandmother who brought them up? Was she conflicted?

But what made me feel uneasy was the sense that this was actually soft porn: the 5 sisters were all stunningly beautiful, beautifully photographed, with lots of scenes of them entwining round one another. I have not been to Turkey, but I did find one Turkish reviewer who said that the film was unrealistic, and I can't imagine that rural Turkish schoolgirls, however liberated they may be, dress like St Trinians, or frolic in the sea with male schoolmates, (which leads inevitably to a wet blouse scene). And were the expletives which were in the subtitles actually how they spoke, or meant deliberately to titillate and shock?

So I was left feeling uncomfortable, and wondering what the motivations of the Cannes jury were.

At least there was a Nick Cave soundtrack.

Stunning classic, fabulous soundtrack, great acting, amazing shots- and young Harrison Ford as well.