Mustang is one of the latest films from The Arthouse Film Festival. It is a film shot in Turkey, but was a collaborative event with French and German backers. It is France’s submission for Best Foreign Language film for the Academy Awards for 2015.

In an oppressive society, 5 orphaned sisters live with their grandmother. An harmless incident playing with some boys after school leads their Uncle to remove them from society, to stay at home until they can be married off. They are taught cooking and cleaning, and all the necessary skills. They still manage to sneak out and have fun when they can. Lale, the youngest, is a fan of soccer, hears about a soccer match where the crowd is women-only, so she works out getting on a local bus to the game. Their grandmother spots them on TV, and their uncle realizes they escaped, and turns their grandmother’s home into a jail for them. They all dream of escape, but Lale starts making plans…

This was a ‘slice of life’ film. You get some insight on a culture you wouldn’t otherwise see. It was thrilling towards the climax, in a way you would hope for, but not actually expect. There are some very shocking turns in the film, so it’s not all fun and games.

Recommended.