BEKAS (KURDISH) (2012)

Written and Directed by Kurdish director, Karzan Kader, Bekas (means parentless in Kurdish) is inspired by real life events which happened in Kurdistan region of Iraq in 1990. The movie narrates the story of two orphaned  shoe-shine boys - six year old Zana (Zamand Taha) and the elder Dana (Sarwar Fazil). While the young Zana is feisty, the elder Dana, on the threshold of adolescence, is more worldly wise. After stealing a few glimpses of Superman from a hole in the wall of a movie hall, both Zana and Dana are in awe of Superman's powers. At once, they intend to go to America, where they believe Superman resides, to befriend him and live with him. They also plan to bring Superman back to their home to punish their tormentors and to resurrect their deceased parents. Zana even makes a hit-list of his tormentors topped by Saddam Hussein. They fashion their own innocent - yet, innovative - solutions to overcome the real world constraints they face like arranging passports, funds or border crossings. For their transport, they procure a donkey which sports a BMW logo on its forehead and christened by Zana as (yes.. oh yes..) Michael Jackson. 

Thus unfolds a road movie which captures the eventful journey of its two young protagonists through a bleak landscape that is poised on the brink of war. In this journey, the young duo rendezvous with a bevy of varied and interesting characters representing a veritable microcosm of humanity in its myriad natures and predispositions. It is also a journey which would test and retest the resilience of their brotherly bond only to reinforce it stronger. There is also a minor sub-plot involving Dana's liking for a Helliya, a Professor's daughter.

Writer-Director Karzan Kader successfully juxtaposes the sparkling and almost immaculate innocence of his two young leads through their journey presented as a poetic pursuit of their dreams with the harsh realities of a world they inhabit which is torn by strife and poverty. In Zamand Taha (Zana) and Sarwar Fazil (Dana) who play the two brothers, he finds a set of non-actors who are complete naturals and play, nay, live their roles to perfection. They share a warm chemistry and charm their way effortlessly into our hearts. He peppers his narrative with several small characters which leave an imprint in the viewer - be it Baba Khaled (father figure), Mr. Osman (a friend of their father) or the old man they meet on the road.

Kader's movie presents his homeland as a place populated by essentially good and simple people who are roughened by the ravages of war, oppression and limited means. Cinematographer Johan Holmquist deserves a special mention for capturing the bleak landscapes with a surreal beauty.

A road movie that captures the strong bonding of love, affection and togetherness between its two young protagonists, this is also in equal parts a tale of hope, love and loyalty that is laced with delightful humour, moments of thrill, suspense, poignancy and warmth that is sure to tug at the viewers' heart.

Bekas was the opening movie at the Bangalore International Film Festival (BIFFES 2013) and has been appreciated at several international film festival festivals.

  

A LITTLE KNOWN GEM ! A MUST WATCH !! 

RATING - 3.5/5

MY SWEET PEPPER LAND (KURDISH) (2013)

Kurdish director Hiner Saleem's My Sweet Pepper Land is set in the newly autonomous state of Iraqi Kurdistan which is facing fundamental existential challenges from neighbouring Turkey, Iran and Syria as well as the local chieftains who are yet to come to terms with their newly elected democratic government and rule of law. The picture opens with a darkly comical scene involving the newly autonomous state's first legal execution by hanging of a prisoner which undergoes a muddled process.

The movie is about the struggle faced by the two protagonists - yesteryear war hero turned reluctant policeman Baran (an intense Korkmaz Arslan) and a schoolteacher striving to educate the kids Govend (a radiant Golshifteh Farahani) - at a remote village of Qamriyan on the Turkish border. Both Baran and Govend chose the remote village over lucrative careers in urban areas to escape the hounding to get married from their respective homes. The village has only two telephones and a bar/eatery named "Pepper Land" and by virtue of being on the border between Iraq and Turkey is notorious for smuggling and other illegal activities. These activities take place under the patronage of the local warlord Aziz Aga who is a powerful man and controls the village with his army of trigger-happy, lecherous goons.


The village is also steeped in conservative tradition and misogynistic ideas. Both Baran and Govend find themselves at loggerheads with Aziz Aga who wants to lord over the village and find their new ideas of rule of law and education for children as threats to his control over the village. We also see a budding romance between Baran and Govend as they stand by each other in their struggle. There is also an all-women band of armed Kurds waging war against Turkey for liberating the Kurds across the border.

What follows is an aesthetically mounted Western-esque adventure set in the breathtaking rocky remoteness of the border village. The story is set to happen in 2003, immediately after the death of Saddam Hussein whose regime had brutally oppressed the Kurdish regions and the region was given autonomy and democracy under the new establishment. While the horse riding, gun toting adventure is the mainstay of the movie, there are subtle indicators to the backwardness of the region, struggles faced by the few modernists, lack of rule of law and other challenges faced by the people inhabiting this region.

Arslan, with his an invincible and rugged looks, is convincing as the yesteryear war hero-cum-present day law enforcer, Baran who is chivalrous and enjoys Elvis, Bach and Mozart. The immaculate Golshifteh Farahani is completely natural as the modern teacher determined to bring education to the kids of the village despite the odds she has to face from her own family and the local goons. Both Arslan and Farahani share a comfortable chemistry and have a significant screen presence which aids the movie a great deal.

While by no means an epic or even an extraordinary movie, the director, Hiner Saleem, deserves plaudits for narrating an entertaining story which presents a contemporary take on the Western genre with elements of dark humour and setting it in such remote lesser known lands. The movie also boasts of some excellent technical credits including first-rate cinematography which captures the mountainous landscapes in their bleak, yet, beguiling beauty and a charming score comprising of diverse influences. My Sweet Pepper Land was presented as an entry under the Un Certain Regard category of the Cannes Film Festival, 2013 and since then, been a part of several international film festival including the Bangalore International Film Festival (BIFFES-2013).

A VERY GOOD WATCH !!