turtles can fly

[pete]

this is the latest film by the iranian-kurdish filmmaker (I think) Bahman Ghobodi who did A Time for Drunken Horses and more recently, Marooned in Iraq.  this film is terrific, as it centers around a group of children on the Iraqi-Turkish border, struggling to survive by selling landmines and rigging up satellite dishes for the neighboring villages, on the eve of the US invasion.  However, it does not really preach any simple political message.  It is simply about children trying to survive, but told with a bit of sorrow, dark comedy, and great insights.  it focuses on Satellite, the leader of the pack who is a nerdy prepubescent boy with a knack for anything electric.  And his facsination with a  girl named Agrin, her armless brother who lost his arms to a mine but can predict the future, and their blind little infant brother.  the relationship is quite complicated, based on childhood jealousy and this bleak bond that all of the refugee orphans share.
man, I suck at describing movies I love.  I'm better at defending it.  Someone who saw this and hated should jump in.  But I doubt anyone can hate this film.  This film is kinda like City of God (it uses untrained children actors here too, and lots of them) but without the sensational exhuberance.
though it's a wicked heavy film, it balances things out with some dry comedy, political satire, and just beautiful cinematography.
highly highly recommended.

[cine]

But I doubt anyone can hate this film.

if you hate this film you simply have no heart.

saw this yesterday and by the end of the year it'll be in my top 10 for sure. the entire film stands out in my mind. i can't think of one scene where i sat and felt 'that was useless' or 'that wasn't memorable'. the images in this film are incredibly moving. some slight comedy in a couple scenes, yes.. but unless you are without a soul this movie is gonna sting a little. i don't even wanna say much about it specifically (since one whole other person has seen it anyway). everyone must see this if it ever comes out near you --- which it probably won't. and thats a crying shame cause the world should see a film like Turtles Can Fly and not have amityville horror bullshit.

so if a miracle occurs and you can see it, you fulfill your moral obligation as a human being and buy a ticket to see it. twice.

[pete]

everyone must see this if it ever comes out near you --- which it probably won't.
so if a miracle occurs and you can see it, you fulfill your moral obligation as a human being and buy a ticket to see it. twice.

I've been saying that about so many movies I've seen.  PING PONG for example.  but too bad.  and it made me sad when no one liked Last Life in the Universe.
03 and cine--friends 4eva.

[03]

i dislike talking about movies, so i fully encourage everyone to listen to cinephile and pete in this instance. (also:cronopio liked last life in the universe)

[w/o horse]

I'm sold.

I just need to find a place to see it.

[w/o horse]

September 20 my ass, Best Buy had this today.

[deathnotronic]

September 20 my ass, Best Buy had this today.

hey  

[w/o horse]

Is that your birthday?  Happy birthday if September 20 is your birthday.

[hedwig]

blind-bought and watched this a week or two ago, and well, The New World, Kong, and now, TURTLES CAN FLY are the top 3 of 2005 for me. unfortunately this seems to be the one that the least amount of people have seen. FOR FUCK'S SAKE, SEE IT!! please. it's absolutely essential, and one of the most resonant movies i've ever watched. it has occupied my thoughts quite frequently, and i'm glad. it's something people need to see and think about.

the cast, my goodness. when i was little (littler than i am now ) i had a grudge against child-actors, i think mainly because i'd seen that wretched "The Shining" mini-series with that awful little boy and his stupid ugly lips, god i just wanted to bash his face in -- ANWYAY, those silly reservations dissolved over time, as i saw more movies with astoudning child performances. if i'd seen this movie back then, my opinion would've flipped immediately. hands-down, Turtles Can Fly has the greatest cast of any movie released in 2005. the children are just fantastic. really, the girl who plays Agrin (Avaz Latif) .. she has an incredibly expressive and beautiful face... her eyes betray so much sadness and desparation and confusion. Soran Ebrahim (who plays Satellite) is equally remarkable. the whole cast is excellent.

i've read a lot of reviews that say this movie doesn't take a simple political stance on the war, and that's true, but not because it's neutral and passive. instead it's an honest portrayal of something with vast and complex implications. there's something to be said for making a simplistic/propagandistic message as a means to a respectable end, but this doesn't do that at all, and it's a more important film because of it.  i've heard the director refer to it as an "anti-war movie without banners." absolutely. i think that's what Cinephile meant when he says you can't hate this movie if you have a heart. it's an unforgettable ode to the lives and struggle of the most vulnerable among us in the most trying and devestating times.

[modage]

i thought this was an animal documentary.  cause i've had enough of those now.

[pete]

it didn't take a "simple" stance on the war because it had real insights into the lives of these children, as opposed to the American political films like Syriana that actually has to over convolute its plot in order to make the viewers feel that it's as if it's being complex.
Check out the guy's two previous films--Marooned in Iraq and A Time for the Drunken Horses.  They're not as engaging as this one but they're both remarkable films too.

[Jeremy Blackman]

I'm not quite as enthusiastic about this movie as others seem to be, but I thought it was pretty great. Acting was wonderful, characters were perfectly deveoloped. Just not especially innovative.