#TAGS:
empathy and sympathy

immersive atmosphere

unacceptable suspense (developments predicted too early)
acceptable suspense (developments predicted minutes before)
some characters lacking development

#COMMENTS:

If every authoritative figure acts like the grandma/uncle in this movie, we would be having a lot less hassle with them. Don’t forget, the most powerful weapons are usually words (1).

First of all, there’s the issue of intention. Now why are the grandma and uncle so eager to marry off the girls with such haste? and after supporting them to go to what looks to be a very reformist/modern/”westernized” school that also seem relatively popular (as evident by the actions of “every girl in the village” [in reference to the football event]) too? If the uncle had a son, I would think that he’s trying to marrying the girls off for inheritence reasons! I need more background on the family.

The only reasons left is for “saving the family honor” and reproduction, but how can you not re-think your methodologies when someone commits (such a ridicuously rush and unworthy, just think about what would happen to history if all people in peril decides to go the easy way out, BTW) suicide? not to mention there are plenty of ways to force a marriage and still lose honor and/or offsprings…

What really bothered me is the lack of attempts in convincing the girls to comply with the arrangements. This misses exactly why oppressions are unhealthy and dangerous. Indoctrination and persuasiveness is usually the real evil. How can the grandma stop after the trope of “I married at your age,” “we fell in love over time,” “look at my [sad] life I turned out fine?” Arranged marriages became a tradition because socioeconomic match is crucial for an easy transition to married lifestyle. We now believe free choices are more ideal only because it’s easier for everybody, and people are more educated so that they might make reasonable choices without relying just on personal experiences (which is what caused the reverence of the elders and males [due to their higher potential of surviving harsher physical conditions and requirement to travel around further] in the first place).

and the greatly romanticized endings… what luck was that the truck driver being so trustworthy? (midnight rescues? not returning the girls after realizing no one’s life is in danger? …) and boy that teacher’s boyfriend would be so thrilled to get two kids out of nowhere needing for food and shelter (/s). I can’t possibly expect happily ever after for this story.

there are people online claiming to be Turkish testifying for the lack of realism about this film (on accents and regional accuracy), which I tend to believe but it is the internet.

#TAG SCORE: -3