The Phantom Tollbooth - Movies Reviews Index


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Home Subscribe About Us Features News Album Reviews Movie Reviews Past Movies Movie Resources Concert Reviews Book Reviews Top 10 Contact Us	Bliss Stars: Ozgu Namal, Murat Han, Talat Bulut, Lale Mansur, Erol Babaoglu and Sebnem Kostem Director: Abdullah Oguz Scriptwriters: Abdullah Oguz, Elif Ayan and Kubilay Tuncer from the novel by Zulfu Livaneli (also the composer) Composer: Zulfu Livaneli (also the novelist) Cinematography: Mirsad Herovic ANS Productions and Highway Productions Turkish Language (subtitled) Rating: no rating but could be PG 13 Running Length: 106 minutes The sacrificial lamb is on the run and the men who cherish honor are the ones with guns. This is basically the story of Bliss, a film being released by Gigantic Digital Cinema on movie screens at the same time as the digital release which has a minimal ticket price. The film is adapted from the 2002 novel by Zulfu Livaneli (St. Martin’s Press) and concerns the topic of honor-killing. In other words, if the family unit feels shamed by an act against a family member, the family member must die, too. The case of the main character in “Bliss,” is a rape against a young girl. The topic shows that in out-lying areas, such ideas are still prevalent, while within large cities, it is not. The clash of such ideas is at the heart of Bliss. The story begins with herders finding the body of a teenage girl, Meryum (Ozgu Namal) by a water inlet. At first, you think she is dead, but she has been traumatized by rape, and though it is not spoken of, people at that place knowingly nod. She doesn’t have a birth certificate, so technically, she does not exist. The girl, who can’t remember what happened, is placed in a stable to await her family. What the audience gathers, is that the girl must die for bringing shame to her family, and who is to do the deed? Since she can’t remember, it is assumed that she was sleeping around and brought this on herself. The audience ascertains that this was not so. Enter a cousin, Cemal (Murat Han) of the girl who is home from the military. Before he can enter the family herding business, he must do something---kill the girl, his cousin. This is what is called an “honor killing” and not much at this time is spoken of what would happen to the person or people who did this to her. The only kindness shown her is from her grandmother, who washes her and sends her on her way. The family solution is to say that Meryum has gone to Istanbul to be married and live there---but we really know what is going to happen. Along the way, you begin to sense an attachment between Cemal and Meryum. He is battle-weary and she is naive, but open to meeting people. Eventually, the time comes and Cemal can’t do it, thus putting both of them on the run. There is a dramatic scene on a train where Cemal is having a Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome dream-episode and Meryum is on the verge of one. There they sit, side-by-side, unable to communicate. They meet a kind stranger, Irfan (Talat Bulut) who lets them work on his boat for adventure, but really they are in hiding. Relatives don’t want to help them for fear of older family relatives who, with guns, will kill both Meryum and Cemal for “honor.” The culture clash is shown between “old ways” and “new ways.” Someone mentions that “killing a woman isn’t ass easy as it used to be.” It takes the advice of a stranger to make the young couple see their situation clearly. Bliss is a story that flows at leisure and when moments of peril come, it is right in your face. Director Abdullah Oguz allows the camera to linger on eyes which tell stories and on body language where each movement counts for something. All of this, unfolds against the backdrop of the beautifully photographed Aegean coast with spectacular vistas and the quietly effective music of the book’s author, Zulfu Livaneli. A winning combination. Copyright 2009 Marie Asner