There are few movies that take on the subject of rape and trauma so delicately and with such an eye to detail. While Cemal's own trauma as a war veteran is a bit hokey and never develops, Meryem's healing process is visually stunning -- the actress truly depicts an entire range of emotions and reactions literally with just her eyes.
Flying in the face of the stereotypes that most Westerners bring to the film regarding rural Muslim women, Meryem chooses to believe in her own worth, innocence, and right to live despite extensive abuse and through the conflicting demands of culture. Her few lines continuously add depth to her character and motivations -- the moment when she fires the gun into the air and says, "Why does no one ever listen to me?" seems to be a good summary of her life and the film generally.
While the conclusion of the film is too clean (the "Beauty and the Beast" story commences, Cemal does what "circumstances demand" without getting blood on his hands, Meryem ends in a situation likely to be as volatile and abusive as the one that she fled), Meryem's transcendence over both the victim-blaming of all those around her and the multiple death sentences dealt to her teach lessons that are important to learn for all cultures.
Flying in the face of the stereotypes that most Westerners bring to the film regarding rural Muslim women, Meryem chooses to believe in her own worth, innocence, and right to live despite extensive abuse and through the conflicting demands of culture. Her few lines continuously add depth to her character and motivations -- the moment when she fires the gun into the air and says, "Why does no one ever listen to me?" seems to be a good summary of her life and the film generally.
While the conclusion of the film is too clean (the "Beauty and the Beast" story commences, Cemal does what "circumstances demand" without getting blood on his hands, Meryem ends in a situation likely to be as volatile and abusive as the one that she fled), Meryem's transcendence over both the victim-blaming of all those around her and the multiple death sentences dealt to her teach lessons that are important to learn for all cultures.