• A stellar debut from Turkish director (and shot in Turkey) Deniz Gamze Ergüven— certainly the plot is similar to Sofia Coppola’s debut in 1999- The Virgin Suicides
A strong debut from Turkish director (and shot in Turkey) Deniz Gamze Ergüven— certainly the plot is similar to Sofia Coppola’s debut in 1999- The Virgin Suicides
  • voice-over opening, the five sisters in school uniforms are shown on the beach having fun then stealing apples (I don’t know how biblical we’re getting here but choosing apples to steal here doesn’t seem like a coincidence) – a bit of Zero For Conduct from Vigo or The 400 Blows from Truffaut
  • the girls are quickly locked in the house, in captivity and the restrictions become harsher and harsher as the film goes along- “the house became a wife factory”— monsters and zealots (and not played for laughs like Lanthimos’ 2009 film Dogtooth). I thought of Bergman’s step-father in Fanny and Alexander with the Uncle here
  • A strong low-angle shot of the sisters huddled together at 45 minutes
A strong low-angle shot of the sisters huddled together at 45 minutes
  • It is captivating, a devastating and tragic tale and narrative
  • Recommend but not in the top 10 of 2015