Turtle Island

This short film merely scratches the surface on multiple much deeper topics/issues (exploitation, power, war/peace and respect, and hope) that continue to occur in the present despite its depiction of a timestamp of the past. The exploitation of a (young girl) ignorant and naïve by falsely presenting tales (adulthood and defiance, love and happiness, and opportunity), which we have recently seen on the news raiding establishments for suspicion of human trafficking activities in which the naïve are promised great opportunities only to land in a situation where they succumb to their oppressors. The weak (native American fighting for her land) find themselves fighting for what is rightfully theirs, battling forces that they cannot overpower (not to spoil what is in the movie) but easily described in recent event where the native Americans battle the government over an oil pipeline that could destroy their pristine stream at any given moment of mis-operation. The dialogue describing the wars of the past and the present, their intentions for the wars and the ability to make peace upon reaching a resolution, while in the present, without elaboration we are perfectly aware of the unrest and injustice lacking reason and respect and merely based on a prejudice that lives within. At last, despite all the gruesome events we are brought back to normalcy by presenting hope in the end. I hope the author/director finds his way deeper into each of the presented topics with more great movies to watch.

Very few filmmakers show interest in exploring the plight of deracinated ancient civilizations. Still fewer are those who grasp the intricacies of those cultures and weave them into a narration worthy of a short feature film. Debutant filmmaker Orko Mukherjee deserves kudos for managing to achieve these artistic tasks with praiseworthy help from his technicians. The film delves into the life of a Caucasian woman raised by a Native American woman. Their struggles, failures, joys and hopes are neatly presented to us through natural lighting and realistic performance. The Caucasian woman falls in love with a man and leaves the home with him against the wish of her foster mother. As is natural in life shattering of promises brings her back to her senses. The film is worth watching at least once. The narration flows smoothly and hooks your attention from the first frame. A simple low budget short flick that leaves you satisfied.

Some works establish my very old belief - budgets do not matter, content and narration matter. Turtle Island - a slow & intense drama by Orko Mukherjee is the directorial graduation of an Indian origin young boy, who keeps dreaming and surprising the audience. I will not put any spoiler here, but Lani, Hannah and all other actors worked quite good. Videography, screenplay, sound - all are soothing. Keep it up Orko! Your best one is yet to come!

Loved this film. A powerful story that weaves together so many different themes and messages, which are so timely for today. After seeing it I immediately wanted to see it again to try to catch what I might not have picked up on the first time around. A moving film that leaves you thinking and feeling.

We loved this film. So well made and with a positive message. Tight storytelling keep you glued to the screen start to finish. As a first venture, Orko really surprised us - wanting more in future.