my review on Turtles Can Fly
a pearl in modern day cinema
If you see a Procrastinator in any of your friends or within you, this is the most recommended movie. One will never complain about what he don’t have in life…..after watching this.
Imagine a group of orphaned children who wake up each morning to go to the fields for their livelihood, not to pluck paddy or flowers but to pick land mines laid down by global superpowers… Welcome to a story which can happen only in third world countries where poverty, corruption and terrorism rules.
BAHMAN GHOBADI, this Iranian Kurdish filmmaker’s films always earned great respect and a lot of admirers in IFFK(International Film Festival of Kerala). This was my first experience with his movie. This is an Iran-Iraq joint production!!!
”Turtles Can Fly” takes place at childhood’s end. Bahman Ghobadi’s harsh, hopelessly funny, thoroughly remarkable drama is set in Iraq, near the Turkish border, in a small Kurdish village that has been so flooded by a refugee camp that it’s no longer possible to tell who ”belongs” and who is of the dispossessed. The air is dusty, the surrounding mountains intensely beautiful, and the humans are small pathetic figures in the landscape. What appear to be villagers digging a field become, on closer inspection, children searching for land mines. They dig them up and sell them for food…
The images that Ghobadi creates, with the wonderfully artistic lensing by Sharam Assadi and dust-fully beautiful landscape of the director’s native Iran, belie the low budget and harsh film making conditions. The Story is told during the days just before and just after the American invasion of Iraq. With the remote land near the Iranian-Turkish border as the backdrop, we meet Satellite (Soran Ebrahim), the go to lad in the tiny village, wiring up every antenna in every home to give the locals access to the war news. But that’s not his only skill. Scooting around town on his tricked-out bicycle, and sporting a backwards baseball cap while spouting random English phrases, Satellite is also adept at arms trading and other forms of hustling, riding herd on a crew of juvenile mine sweepers who earn their dangerous living, clearing the surrounding fields of live explosives, risking life and limb in exchange for a bit of cash…
Satellite is assisted by two friends, the one-legged Pashow (Saddam Hossein Feysal) and the melancholy Shirookh (Ajil Zibari), Satellite assigns the refugee children various jobs in the rugged countryside tormented with landmines, spent shells, and wrecked and rusted vehicles. Meanwhile he notices Agrin (Avaz Latif), a pretty refugee who has just arrived in the camp with her armless brother Hangao (Hiresh Feysal Rahman) and Rega (Abdol Rahman Karim), a blind toddler. When Satellite sees Hangao defuse a landmine by pulling the pin out with his mouth, he is not impressed but jealous of a new rival. The fearless newcomer has another even more desirable talent — he can foresee the future!!!. But, Satellite can’t help but notice the pretty, sullen and mysterious Agrin.
Something about the child is eating at Agrin, though. Yet exactly what that is, and how it will ultimately affect these three tragic figures — as well as the irrepressible Satellite, who has become smitten with the beautiful, depressive girl and who will eventually become caught up, physically and emotionally, in her fate — will not be made clear until the film’s end.
Turtles Can Fly” is both a harshly realistic film about the plight of those, especially the young, who survive the aftermath of war and a study that gives a glimmer of hope for those who have suffered for so long. Ghobadi does this with his deft storytelling, from his own script, and a firm hand that elicits believable, if amateur, performances from his young cast.
Satellite: Young Soran Ebrahim is commanding as a kid who fills much bigger shoes than he should. He uses his knowledge and “management” skills to manipulate the villagers like a film director does his cast and crew. Money may always be an ulterior motive for Satellite but he is also the only hope the orphans have to survive
Agrin: By far the most indelible character in “Turtles Can Fly,” though, is the mysterious Agrin, whom Avaz Latif plays with breathtaking fierceness and power. In Agrin, Ghobadi has created one of the most haunting, unsettling and uncompromising portraits of psychic damage in recent memory, one that is sure to stay with viewers long after her fate is decided.
I burst out into tears after realizing why she was behaving indifferently to Satellite throughout the film.
Hengov: Hiresh Faysal Rahman does a physically incredible job as the armless but resourceful Hengov.
He is an inspiration for all the human beings who are handicaps within.
Shirookh: Ajil Zibari is marvelous as little Shirkooh, Satellites devoted and loyal responsibility who idolizes his boss and follows him like an obedient puppy dog, and the boy is absolutely charming.
Pashow: Saddam Hossein Feysal also gives a fine, strong pref as Pashow, Satellite’s lieutenant and second-in-command of their little army of minesweepers.
There is one scene in which he lifts up the disabled portion of his leg in the air and mimic at the soldier at the other end that he too is having a machine gun…There will be laughter in our mind…the next second…we realize how harsh it was to laugh .
Rega: The blind toddler (Abdol Rahman Karim).
I still don’t know whether that child was truly blind or not, but his sound…..always calling for his dad……it still haunts.
This film is not recommended for romance seekers, action and adventure thrillers. This is for the endless number of procrastinators around and within us. If you are one of them please see this for your sake, and you will also start recommending this amazing movie. There is dust, hot sun, no greenery, a lot of kids but no playground. They do have toys but we can call them land mines. Most are physically challenged because of such toys. They never complain, they never regret, and they never hate……they just live their life…a life which is full of hope……
One other reason why this movie is worth is because of the recognitions it received:
Awards & Recognitions
1. The Golden Shell (The Top Prize) from the 52nd San Sebastian Film Festival
2. The Jury Award for the Best Screenplay from the 52nd San Sebastian Film Festival
3. Silver Hugo- Special Jury Prize from the 40th Chicago Film Festival
4. The Radio-Canada People’s Choice Award from the 33rd Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, Montréal
5. Special Audience Award from the 28th Sao Paulo International Film Festival, Sao Paulo, Brazil
6. Special Jury Prize from the 5th Tokyo Filmex Film Festival, Tokyo, Japan
7. Agnès B. Audience Award from the 5th Tokyo Filmex Film Festival, Tokyo, Japan
8. Special Audience Award from the Asiaticafilmmediale Film Festival, Rome, Italy
9. The Best Director of Photography Prize from the International Festival of Auteur Films which, held from 20th to 27th of November in Belgrade
10. Mercedes Most Moving Award from the 19th Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, Florida, U.S.A
11. The Aurora Prize from Tromsø International Film Festival, Norway
12. The Best Audience Award from the 34th Rotterdam International Film Festival, The Netherlands, 2005
13. Special Mention from the 28th Kinderfilmfest/14 Plus of the Berlin International Film Festival, Germany
14. The Peace Film Award from Berlin International Film Festival, Germany, 2005
15. La Pieze Award from The Mexico City International Contemporary Film Festival (FICCO), Mexico, 2005
16. The Public Award from The Mexico City International Contemporary Film Festival (FICCO), Mexico, 2005
17. The Audience Award from the 19th Fribourg International Film Festival in Switzerland, 2005
18. The E-Changer Award from the 19th Fribourg International Film
Festival in Switzerland, 2005
19. The Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the 23rd San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, United States
20. The Premio citta’di Milano and a Special Mention at the 15th African, Asian, and Latin American Film Festival
21. The Audience and Distribution Prize at the 16th NatFilm Festival in Denmark
22. The SIGNIS Award of the 29th Hong Kong International Film Festival
23. The Best Direction Plaque from the Iranian House of Cinema
24. The Top Prize of the International Competition from the 19th Esfahan Children Film Festival
25. Selected as the Best Feature Film by the International Children Jury in the 19th Esfahan Children Film Festival
26. Golden Dolphin from 21st Festroia Film Festival, Portugal, 2005
27. FIPRESCI Award at 21st Festroia Film Festival for the Best Film, Portugal, 2005
28. The Most Favorite Film at the Audience Poll, at the 54th Melbourne International Film Festival, August 2005
29. Anonimul IFF Trophy for the Best Film at the Anonimul International Film Festival in Romania, August 2005
30. Audience Award for the Best Film at the Anonimul International Film Festival in Romania, August 2005
31. The best Teen Film Award, TeenArena at Sarajevo Film Festival, August 2005
32. The Golden Prometheus Award for the Best Film from the 6th Tbilisi International Film Festival, Georgia, September 2005
33. Special Recondition Award at the Buster, Copenhagen Children Award, Denmark, September 2005
34. The Human Rights for Children Prize from 20th Osnabourch Independent Film Festival in Germany, October 2005
35. Freedom of Expression Film Award from 2006 Index on Censorship International Magazine, United Kingdom, March 2006
36. The Special Jury Award from the 28th Sao Paulo International Film Festival, Sao Paulo, Brazil
37. Special Distinction 2006 Award in the International Films Category, granted by the Chilean Art Critics Association, Chile, January 2007
38.The Best Audience Award from Bahrain Human Rights Internation Film Festival, May 2008.
39. The Best Director Award from Bahrain Human Rights International Film Festival, May 2008.
see the movie and spread the words of hope….
gopucreator 