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Deniz Erguven's initially rather funny, but ultimately harrowing "Mustang". Five orphaned school-girl sisters (living with their grandmother and an uncle) transgress local mores by cavorting (fully clothed) with male classmates at the local seashore. They are then permanently grounded (with ever increasing strictness, as they push back against their confinement) -- and then forced into marriages, one by one. The youngest fights back, dreaming of an escape to Istanbul (VERY far away).

A great advertisement for Turkish scenery, not so great for rural customs. Very good performances by the five girls, especially the youngest. If it come to a theater near you, see it. (We crossed the river to the Kendall Square Theater -- and also had a very nice mint and fudge covered home-made-looking brownie).

I saw Mustang recently and liked it as well. The story of girls kept in captivity by their restrictive family/nosy neighbors could easily have been a dreary slog, but that wasn't the case here. It doesn't hurt that the seaside scenery is gorgeous and the young actresses do a fantastic job with naturalistic performances. The softly-lit aesthetic reminds me of early Sophia Coppola (and I've heard more than a few comparisons to The Virgin Suicides in reviews, which is fair, though the girls here aren't treated as unknowable mysteries like in that film). What really impressed me was the smaller scenes that tell us a lot about these girls in an economical way. Great bittersweet images like when the remaining youngest girls put on their swimsuits and pretend their bed sheets are the Black Sea when they can't go outside; or when Lale tries desperately and repeatedly to drive her way to freedom but can only just sit there revving the engine with frustration.

I've heard the film was controversial in Turkey, but I can't find a lot of information about its reception other than reviews just claiming this fact. Anybody heard anything specific? Just curious.

It sounds like she has not faced much repression due to the film. See: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/ar ... olumn.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

One of the better films of 2015. Poetic, beautiful and evocative, with excellent performances from the young actresses. The flow of the film was mesmerizing. I think Western audiences will find "Mustang" pretty fascinating.