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Mustang

  • 2015
  • PG-13
  • 1h 37m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
42K
YOUR RATING
Elit Iscan, Günes Sensoy, Doga Zeynep Doguslu, Tugba Sunguroglu, and Ilayda Akdogan in Mustang (2015)
Early summer. In a village in northern Turkey, Lale and her four sisters are walking home from school, playing innocently with some boys. The immorality of their play sets off a scandal that has unexpected consequences. The family home is progressively transformed into a prison; instruction in homemaking replaces school and marriages start being arranged. The five sisters who share a common passion for freedom, find ways of getting around the constraints imposed on them.
Play trailer2:02
1 Video
99+ Photos
Coming-of-AgeDrama

When five orphan girls are seen innocently playing with boys on a beach, their scandalized conservative guardians confine them while forced marriages are arranged.When five orphan girls are seen innocently playing with boys on a beach, their scandalized conservative guardians confine them while forced marriages are arranged.When five orphan girls are seen innocently playing with boys on a beach, their scandalized conservative guardians confine them while forced marriages are arranged.

  • Director
    • Deniz Gamze Ergüven
  • Writers
    • Deniz Gamze Ergüven
    • Alice Winocour
  • Stars
    • Günes Sensoy
    • Doga Zeynep Doguslu
    • Tugba Sunguroglu
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.6/10
    42K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Deniz Gamze Ergüven
    • Writers
      • Deniz Gamze Ergüven
      • Alice Winocour
    • Stars
      • Günes Sensoy
      • Doga Zeynep Doguslu
      • Tugba Sunguroglu
    • 97User reviews
    • 265Critic reviews
    • 83Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 46 wins & 63 nominations total

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:02
    Official Trailer

    Photos122

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    Top cast26

    Edit
    Günes Sensoy
    • Lale
    • (as Günes Nezihe Sensoy)
    Doga Zeynep Doguslu
    • Nur
    Tugba Sunguroglu
    • Selma
    Elit Iscan
    Elit Iscan
    • Ece
    Ilayda Akdogan
    Ilayda Akdogan
    • Sonay
    Nihal G. Koldas
    Nihal G. Koldas
    • The Grandmother
    • (as Nihal Koldas)
    Ayberk Pekcan
    Ayberk Pekcan
    • Erol
    Bahar Kerimoglu
    • Dilek
    Burak Yigit
    Burak Yigit
    • Yasin
    Erol Afsin
    Erol Afsin
    • Osman
    Suzanne Marrot
    • Aunt Hanife
    Serife Kara
    • The Great-Aunt
    Aynur Komecoglu
    • Aunt Emine
    Sevval Aydin
    • Erin
    Enes Sürüm
    • Ekin
    Aziz Komecoglu
    • Osman's Father
    Serpil Reis
    • Osman's Mother…
    Rukiye Sariahmet
    • Osman's Aunt
    • Director
      • Deniz Gamze Ergüven
    • Writers
      • Deniz Gamze Ergüven
      • Alice Winocour
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews97

    7.642.3K
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    Featured reviews

    arjantin78

    For the western gaze

    I am Turkish. I know how people behave in rural parts of Turkey. This movie is so ridiculously bad I would not waste another sentence for it if it wasn't for the minimal review length requirement of IMDb. So here it is, 10 lines... Actors do not even come close to give an authentic depiction of how people living in a village in İnebolu act and behave. The story is a disaster. The general attitude of the movie is tastelessly didactic. Don't you ever think that you get a somewhat accurate representation of anything regarding Turkish society from this excuse of a movie. The director/writer does obviously not know how things work in rural parts of Turkey. One of the writers is not even Turkish. So, go figure... The fuss around this movie (oscar nomination etc.) is a textbook case of westerners appreciating narratives about the rest of the world which justify their ideological preconceptions.
    Red_Identity

    Socially riveting tale

    A film like this can work on many levels, and surely not just on a basic entertainment factor. It's intriguing because it sets up situations and dilemmas that different sections of the world may entirely reveal shock at it, but these sort of situations can be unfortunate for all involved. Gender issues are at the forefront here and the writing cleverly touches on the issue, along with sexuality as a whole, while creating well-developed characters that serve to guide us through the fascinating, intriguing tale. The entire film is well-directed, a lot of nuance in the proceedings as well as a delicate hand that may have spiraled out of control in the hands of another director. The acting is also uniformly good, and all of the young female characters (in particular the lead) handle the heavy material really well.
    7Blue-Grotto

    Playground for Sisters is Transformed to Wife Factory

    Five sisters play in the sand, sunlight, sea and a grove of apple trees. Because boys are present the innocent play is easily twisted, by an envious conservative busy-body, into something sinister. The orphan girls are reported as "whores." Their caretakers, an uncle and grandmother, are much less concerned about the truth than what the neighbors might say. The girls are confined to their house and relegated to shapeless brown dresses, cooking lessons and virginity tests. Banned items include phones, internet and any item capable of outside communication. Their once beautiful and happy playground on the Black Sea is transformed into a "wife-factory" with bars on the windows. Each girl deals with the physical and emotional imprisonment in different ways, sometimes hopeful and often not. The non-professional actors do really well. The girls are especially good because they gel so well together. On the other hand, some of the scenes and actors seem forced and unrealistic. As usual, this independent and worthy film might have benefited from better support. The film as a whole pulls some punches and risks becoming the Walt Disney of Turkey for its glossy portrayals of serious stuff. Then again, that might be the only way the film could be released widely? The moral here, for the girls' caretakers, is that you are likely to get burned if you fight fire with fire. "Evil must be your only happiness," when you see evil everywhere.
    hasank

    important film

    Mustang tackles with Turkey's most important problem, the issue of woman in society: her secondary place and the patriarchal chains around her, due to culture, politics, religion and socio-economic development. Therefore, the director's effort should be viewed as most welcome and needed attempt. I think the director manages to show the virtual prison experienced by all sort of women in our society, through the case of those sisters.

    However, and despite the director's best intention, movie in general fails to deliver an authentic picture of everyday life and details in the country. Oppression of girls and their youthful desires is correctly depicted as a whole, but done in somewhat unrealistic ways. You get the feeling that the director, the script writer, and even the actors remain quite "foreigners" to the situations they are interested. Some are accusing the director as orientalist (playing to Western gaze) because of these failings. I don't agree, but it would be better if they had worked more on the everyday life and details of the countryside where the film occurs (like better local dialogue, better acquaintance of local customs).

    In short, I found Mustang a very important movie, but with its own problems. Technically it does not offer something novel, but it is courageous directly to point the gender issue in a very conservative society.
    CinemaClown

    A Fearless Celebration Of Womanhood And A Timely Exploration Of Patriarchy & Conservatism

    Undeniably amongst the most powerful, provocative & pragmatic narratives to surface on the silver screen in recent years, Mustang is a beautifully balanced blend of skillful direction, sensible writing & terrific performances that takes a much-needed dig at patriarchy & conservatism and also works as a joyful celebration of sisterhood.

    Set in a small Turkish village, the story of Mustang follows five young orphaned sisters whose lives are changed completely when they are caught innocently playing with some boys on a beach, after which their conservative family bars them from going to school anymore and begins marrying them off one by one without their consent.

    Co-written & directed by Deniz Gamze Ergüven in what is actually her feature film debut, Mustang takes only a few minutes to establish the strong bond between the siblings before stepping into the realm of absurd social & cultural restraints that snatches away their freedom in the blink of an eye and every restriction imposed upon them turns out to be both nonsensical & unnerving.

    The screenplay is no slouch either for it packs in an engaging storyline that smoothly unfolds over the course of its runtime and is filled with meaty characters whose arcs are well-defined plus they exhibit surprising depths. Ergüven's never goes in-your-face with her critical stance on orthodox mentality but simply exposes the challenges women face when growing up in such communities.

    The technical aspects are thoroughly refined and work in harmony to further uplift the film's tone & ambiance to its desired level. Camera is expertly utilised, always keeping its focus on the relevant characters, while the bright colour palette reflects the strength & joy the sisters find in each other's company even in the bleakest of circumstances. And editing is immaculately carried out as well for every sequence plays a vital role in the story.

    Coming to the performances, Mustang features a relatively inexperienced cast but the contribution from the five girls who play siblings in this feature is a highlight in itself. The scripted characters do have some flesh on them, thus providing a solid platform for the actors to built their performances upon but they further up the ante by delivering wonderfully layered & highly convincing inputs that makes all the relevant characters in the film stand out.

    The story is told from the perspective of Lale, the youngest of the five siblings, and it's through her eyes that we witness the injustice she & her sisters are subjected to yet what keeps them together is their common passion for freedom & constant pursuit of ways to bypass the restrictions imposed upon them by the elders. And it is this rebellious nature that slowly accumulates as plot progresses & finally concludes with an act of self-preservation that finishes the tale on a hopeful note.

    On an overall scale, Mustang is an ingeniously crafted, meticulously layered & deftly measured cinema that's engaging, entertaining & enlightening on more levels than one and for a first time filmmaker, it's an incredibly polished effort. Ergüven's direction exudes both confidence & composure and the story as a whole manages to make its voice heard loud & clear. A fearless celebration of womanhood & a heartfelt rendition of the indomitable will of human spirit, Mustang is a timely & welcome coming- of-age story and is essential viewing in every sense of the word. Don't miss it!

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    Related interests

    Elsie Fisher in Eighth Grade (2018)
    Coming-of-Age
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The football scene was acted at an actual match where no males above the age of 12 were allowed to attend. Since the filmmakers were denied filming the match at the last minute, they sent the actresses to perform the scene anyway and used actual footage from the broadcast in the film.
    • Goofs
      The girls want to go to the Galatasaray-Trabzon match. They say to Yasin that they need to go to Trabzon. However, later when we see them on TV, the score shows Galatasaray's (GS) name first which means the match is in Istanbul not in Trabzon.
    • Quotes

      Lale: The house became a wife factory that we never came out of.

    • Connections
      Featured in 73rd Golden Globe Awards (2016)
    • Soundtracks
      Home
      Written by Nick Cave / Warren Ellis

      Performed by Nick Cave & Warren Ellis

      Publishing 2929 Tunes / BMG Sapphire Songs

      (p) 2009 2929 Productions LLC

      Courtesy of BMG Rights Management (France)

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    FAQ18

    • How long is Mustang?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 17, 2015 (France)
    • Countries of origin
      • France
      • Germany
      • Turkey
      • Qatar
    • Official sites
      • Facebook (United Kingdom)
      • Official Facebook
    • Language
      • Turkish
    • Also known as
      • Mustang: Belleza salvaje
    • Filming locations
      • Inebolu, Kastamonu, Turkey(girls' town)
    • Production companies
      • CG Cinéma
      • Vistamar Filmproduktion
      • Uhlandfilm
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • €1,300,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $845,464
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $20,321
      • Nov 22, 2015
    • Gross worldwide
      • $5,274,664
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 37m(97 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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