A Cup of "Bliss"

So, here is another five star of mine.

"Bliss": *****

This movie is an adaption of of a novel by Zulfu Livaneli. The story, set in rural Turkey, begins with a beautiful shot of a young girl lying by the water side in a sand filled landscape. As the camera slowly pans over her, the innocence  of the scene takes on a sinister nature as one notes that the young lady is not merely resting, but appears disheveled, and with pictorial innuendos, one is left with the horribly dismaying suspicion that an act of violence has taken place. 

The young woman, Meryem, is brought back to her village in dishonor. She has no recollection of the event, and is locked up, the suggestion even made by her cold step mother to commit suicide to save the family honor. She refuses. In that one act, one begins to understand the strength within this young woman. Her uncle, the head of the village, sentences her to death. His son, Cemal, upon his return from  the army, is given the duty of killing her. As honor killings are illegal, they set off to Istanbul, on the pretext of arranging her marriage there. Meryem, unaware of what awaits her, follows the dictates of her uncle.

This is a story of a journey. A journey of clashes, between tradition and modernity, family honor and conscience. It captures a current and ongoing debate in this and many other areas of the world. In Istanbul, Cemal and Meryem stay with his brother Yakov. The character, Yakov, captures the cosmopolitan  and modern nature of Istanbul, so different from Turkey's rural areas. He understands the obligation of responsibility of honor and duty that weigh on his brother's heart, yet challenges them. Cemal, bound by honor, attempts to carry out his duty, but in the last minute, although believing in his cousin's culpability, refuses to go against his conscience. He throws away his cell phone, knowing that in making this choice he has turned his back on his family, and in his disobedience, brought dishonor to his father. He is now, along with Meryem, for all intents and purposes, an outcast on the run. 

The remainder of the film captures the growing relationship between the two young people. In their struggle to survive and evade those hunting them, they learn about each other, seeing each other with new eyes. He struggles with his perception of her, clothed in her dishonor, and his new perception of who she is as a person, an individual of growing importance to him. She continues to look to him as her older cousin, her protector and provider, her shelter, yet through their experiences grows into herself, a strong and lovely young woman. 

They meet up with Irfan, an erudite, sophisticated and philosophical college professor who is running away from his own life, attempting to capture moments from his past, present and future. They form an unlikely and wary alliance. Meryem embraces this new experience, and Irfan quickly identifies in her an intelligence and quest for knowledge that aligns with his own. The relationship between Irfan and Cemal is an uneasy one. Irfan challenges Cemal's way of thinking, provoking Cemal to anger, but also to a new understanding. The battle raging in him is a struggle between the beliefs and customs of his background, which make up a great part of who he is, and these new perceptions on position, duty, roles and thinking.

The climax of the film is Cemal's acceptance of his feelings for Meryem, regardless of her past, occurring at the same time they are found by the men his father has sent, and Meryem's growing recollection of what happened to her on that fateful day.

This is an outstanding movie, and deserves many plaudits for its composition, it's thought provoking nature, and the depth and richness of the acting. I do hope that many of you will take time to watch it. Enjoy!